The sweet symphony of sonorous swords rang through the air as the two duelists, locked in mortal combat, prepared for the end of hostilities.

“Alberto, you cowardly wretch, scourge of Milano, despoiler of Liguria, villain of Firenze, prepare to meet the inferno below!”

“No, it is not I who shall perish today, but you Lorenzo! Your honour has brought upon you naught but sorrow! Why, here you are in only rags and a dull sword!”

“Fortune has forsaken me, but my ideals ring true, even if you can not see it. Your deceit and deception shall fall before my blade, and I shall have what is mine.”

“Never!”

The two continued their immortal conflict with renewed fervour, their faces contorted into a rage as they focused their efforts on penetrating their opponent’s defences. With each blow parried, the fighters were at a standstill, each unable to advance their position. As soon as one thrusted, the other countered. All the while, a young woman sat helplessly as she watched the two battling. Eventually, the villain was slain, his body pierced through by his enemy’s blade and spurting blood from his ghastly wound. The victor cast away the blade and rushed to the woman’s side.

“Oh, Maria! How you must have suffered at his side!”

“It is nothing, Lorenzo. As long as you are here, nothing shall daunt me.”

They both stared longingly into each other’s eyes.

“Cut!”

Before the kiss? That was the best part about the scene. She moved in anyway.

“I said cut! Signora Agosti!”

She broke away from the kiss. Nico removed the retractable blade from his chest, dusting himself off and taking off his shirt coated with fake blood. The director, Antonio, had his face marred by an ugly scowl.

“This is my production! When I say cut, that means to stop what you are doing!”

“Ah yes, this is your production! Do you remember who asked for this scene to be changed?” She respected the director’s position and role as sole crafter of an artistic vision, but she was glad he changed it. Poor Giulia though, she was already overworked with her secretary job and now doing an emergency rewrite for the script wasn’t helping matters.

“The earlier scene was more dramatic! More zeal, more tension, more passion! The might of man against the savagery of beasts! A lone wolf fighting against a trial by nature!” Antonio shouted with his arms flailing wildly.

“Truly, it would have been a testimony for the ages! A magnificent indie director set for the Palme d’Or! But at what cost? On the backs of those under his creative watch? I would want no part in any film steeped in its actors’ blood, nor can I condone those that sully themselves in the blood of unwilling participants!” she yelled back, barely missing her co-star’s face with her gesticulating motions.

“True emotion and feeling must be extracted from authenticity, and no computer can capture that rawness! Lorenzo’s fortitude and strength could not be wrought from any lesser actor, nor could Alberto’s crafty and two-faced nature be brought forth underneath those of a lesser quality!” His swinging fists nearly hit the cameraman, Vittorino, who dived to the floor to escape them.

“Chiara’s right. Listen Antonio, I’ve worked under you for ten years now, but that sequence would’ve taxed any actor. Not to mention, most directors stopped using live animals anymore,” Nico interjected. “I respect your vision, but she has a point.”

“You see now! Even your protege, the one you’ve watched from young man to mature actor agrees with me! I have always been a supporter of the performing arts and the desire for realism, but that was too far!” Clearly, her ideas were much better.

“You should be grateful for this opportunity! After all, you were only written for a minor role until Luka had to drop out due to illness!” Again both the actress and the director engaged in wild gestures, forcing everyone to either sidestep or duck.

“Grateful? I know my talents and I could have taken them anywhere else other than this film! Instead, I affirmed my commitments and fixed your flaws! Your temper, your—”

“Enough! Both of you, shut up! It’s been over two weeks, and neither of your bloated egos can let this go! You’re worse than all of my cousins in New Manila!”

Both Chiara and Antonio turned to the source of the interruption. Dana was staring at them, dressed in white pants and a black shirt, glaring at both of them through tinted sunglasses. Chiara approved of the outfit. It fit with the surprise she had planned in advance.

“Ah, Signora Divata, I did not realise that you were present for this.” Antonio had a soft spot for Dana. To be fair, so did most of the cast and crew. Something about being a foreigner in a sea of Italians. Except for that one time she incorrectly called football soccer. That was unforgivable.

“Of course I was present. I’m a part of this film, like everyone else.” Dana crossed her arms. “I’m going now. Thanks for today.” With that, she left. Chiara chuckled slightly, her heart warmed by sweet Dana’s jabs, only stopping when Antonio glared at her.

Chiara was left with Antonio and Nico. With a sigh, she thanked them both and kissed them both. Nico was nice and sweet behind his dramatic performances, and she liked working with him. She had a litany of issues with Antonio, most of which involved that incident from two weeks ago, but they have reached an understanding. Obviously, she had some say in what he does with the film. Of course, he also owed her his life.

Behind the camera, Vittorino stretched out his lanky arms as he yawned from the floor. Chiara waved at him and gave him twenty euros and a good luck charm for his date today and thanked him with a kiss on the cheek.

Claudia and Blanca were gossiping again, but both waved at Chiara as she chatted with them, thanking them for the sound stage equipment and lending their expertise. Claudia nodded and wished Chiara luck with everything, especially with her date. Blanca thanked Chiara for bringing the extra sound stage equipment from the warehouse. Chiara picked up her bag, gave them both their coffee orders for today, and kissed both on their cheeks.

She snuck in the back to Giulia’s office, stacked with crumpled up papers and one exhausted woman buried in her keyboard snoring away. She roused the older woman, who adjusted her glasses on her nose bridge and looked at Chiara more closely.

“I got you some ravioli from Giovanni’s with the red sauce and the extra chopped basil.” Chiara dug through her bag until she found a container. “Here you go, Signora. Do you want me to help you with writing?”

“Thank you for the offer Chiara, but that’s why I have other scriptwriters.” She smiled.

“Trust me, I can do better than them. I’ve been acting out their work for the past three weeks, and I have a few suggestions. Do you want to hear them?”

Giulia giggled. “It’s alright, Chiara darling. Don’t you have an appointment with the florist?”

Chiara’s heart skipped a beat. “Ummm, I have to go. Ciao!” She kissed Giulia on the cheek twice before leaving.

Before she left the studio, she met with the head caterer Gabriella and thanked her for the good food during today’s shooting and brought her that gold ring that she had been staring at for the past week. She also thanked the three chefs in the kitchen; Alessandro, Martina, and Elia, for their hard work and gave them new gloves. With that, she hopped on her golden Vespa and sped off.

The familiar Roman air welcomed her as she drove past nearby bistros and the smell of fresh lasagna wafted by. One of her neighbours, Giorgio, waved at her as she sped by his butcher’s shop with its familiar smell of fresh meat. She waved back and asked if his shop was busy. He had the same amount of customers, and of course Augustus, but he wanted to let her know she’d always have the fifteen percent discount. They parted ways. There were also some old scuola media superiore classmates of hers, Leonardo and Marco. They waved at each other, Chiara moving closer to chat about their old scuola days and the two men telling her about working at the museums and the number of ancient artefacts. Winding her way through the busy roads, she finally found herself at the florist’s boutique. The little golden bell of her childhood rang clearly as she walked in.

“Ah, is that the footsteps of Soletta I hear?” Andrea wondered aloud.

“Yes it is Signor D’Angelo.” He had known her since she was a small child, so she allowed her nickname to be used. Otherwise, she sniffed, she wouldn’t have been as pleasant. “I’m here for the two bouquets.”

“Ah yes! The one with the nice array of sunflowers, and the one with calla lilies. How is your mother doing?” Andrea vanished to the backroom, arriving with two bouquets freshly wrapped and a wide beaming grin.

“She’s well Signor, and how are your wife and children?”

“They’re doing well! Renzo is settling down with that scientist finally, Gloria is pursuing the performing arts like yourself, and Allegra is studying hard at the University of Turin. Sofia misses home, but we all do.” Andrea sniffed back tears.

Chiara nodded. “I wish I could have seen it too.” Her mamma also missed her hometown, to the point where there were more than ten maps of it plastered on her bedroom walls.

“Ah Venezia! The beautiful and glorious city! The canals, the gondolas, the Basilica, the sea, the bridges! If I could see it one last time before that accursed Calamity drowned it, I would!”

“To Venezia and her beauty, may she live on in our memories!” Chiara held the sunflower bouquet in a mock toast.

“To Venezia!” Andrea matched Chiara’s gesture with his own bouquet of blue larkspurs.

After waving goodbye and with two kisses on the cheek, Chiara sped towards Apartment Laterano. She parked her Vespa on the curb, grabbed both bouquets, and rushed upstairs. Pushing the buzzer, she checked her reflection in the window. Her orange hair was smooth with no straying strands, her blue eyes looked alert and ready, her clothes were neat, and her skin looked flawless as always. Looking around, she found a flock of lovebirds and a couple of foxes lounging near the apartment, like she told them to. Calling them up, she held her fingers for the signal. After making sure they were ready, she was prepared when the door finally opened. On her cue, the lovebirds unrolled a red carpet from the door to where Chiara was standing, while one of the foxes stepped on a pedal, releasing orange and yellow balloons. The other fox held up a sign reading out “For My Heart.”

“By courtesy of the one and only Signora Chiara Agosti, I invite you on a splendid evening with a scenic walk along the River Tiber, a dinner courtesy of Giovanni’s, a tour of the Colosseo, and—”

“Chiara, you can cut the dramatics and the long winding speech,” Dana laughed. “But thank you for the calla lilies. Is that because–”

“Yes, you mentioned it was your favourite flower.” Chiara leaned in and traced Dana’s neck with her finger and kissed her softly. “I can interrupt you as well, you know? You have a gorgeous outfit on today.”

Dana huffed while her cheeks warmed. “Of course, of course. I’m going to put these away.” She took the calla lily bouquet inside. “And I’ll join you in a second.”

A minute later after Dana reappeared with a white clutch, Chiara’s Vespa was cruising alongside the cobbled roads of the older sections of Rome, with Dana’s arms wrapped around her waist. Her bouquet was stored in a small basket off to the side.

Dana’s lucky to have her, Chiara thought. A rising actress with great looks and a personality to match, who wouldn’t want her? She said as much to Dana when they first met. All Dana did was laugh and scoff, and told her that she’d seen people like her all the time growing up. Something about contending with condescending classmates.

“So this is where all of the locals go,” Dana stated once they pulled up at Giovanni’s.

“Of course we all go here. I’ve known Giovanni since I was a toddler, my mamma has known Giovanni since she started off working as a dishwasher and then worked her way up to become a chef until she retired, every Veneziano knows Giovanni, he’s popular with the Romanoi, and it’s close by, so that’s why I always bring Giulia’s orders from here.” Chiara stopped the Vespa and extended a hand to Dana. Dana took it after taking off her white helmet, hopping off the back of the golden Vespa.

Once they got to Giovanni’s, Chiara shared a few kisses on the cheek with the waitress who had worked there. “Ciao Delfina! My regular spot?”

“Of course Chiara.” Delfina waved to Dana. “Ciao! Are you the girl that Chiara was telling me about? I thought she oversold your beauty, but it seems like I’m the one mistaken.”

“If it was about a girl who was enchanted by the beauty of Europe to the point where she decided to pursue her dreams across the ocean, then yes, I am that girl,” Dana answered with a hair flip.

Delfina chuckled. “I like your spirit.”

“Why thank you, it’s one of my greatest qualities.”

Both of them arrived at the table. Chiara swiftly pulled out a chair, and took off Dana’s jacket and hung it behind the chair. Dana smiled while organising and dividing the cutlery between them. With both of them sitting down, Chiara started ordering from the menu, choosing rigatoni con la pajata and Frascati Superiore DOC as its partner. Dana chose coda alla vaccinara paired with Cesanese del Piglio DOCG. With Delfina dashing through the bistro yelling about the new orders, Chiara and Dana shared some bread dipped in olive oil and a special vinaigrette courtesy of Delfina.

“Where in Canada did you live?” Chiara asked while swirling her bread in the olive oil. She heard about Canada before, how wild and untamed it was.

“I was born in Edmonton. It’s not the biggest city in Canada, or the province. It was nice and I remember growing up there fondly. I still have my senior year yearbook.” Dana took a bite of the olive oil soaked loaf.

Chiara nodded. “I wasn’t born in Roma. I love her, she’s my favourite city in the whole world and nothing could compare to her, but I was never a native like Antonio or Nico.”

Dana finished chewing. “So where were you born then?”

“Venezia. The city that has now sunken beneath the waves.” Chiara thanked Delfina as she brought the dishes to them. “My mamma had to flee the city as it was sinking, caught between the sea and the high winds.” The way her mamma had told that story, it had swelled her young heart at the time. “She was younger and discovered her floor was soaking wet. Rushing outside, she found even more water, so much water that the famed bridges were starting to sink and the gondolas were beached upon the walkways. When she realised what was happening, she commandeered an abandoned gondola and rode out with her family in tow. Suddenly, there was a crack! An old church had fallen into the sea, sending high waves to tear down the old homes and any that tried to escape its grasp. My mamma guided the gondola, always one step ahead of the rushing waves. She nearly fell overboard five times, and had to save her own mamma from the encroaching tide and the rubble of the old houses there. Finally she made it ashore, exhausted and sapped of her strength. Then she had me on the beach.” As a young girl, she had always dreamt that she was meant for greater things in life. Surely such a harrowing backstory was a recipe for greatness. Her thoughts flashed to the golden amulet in a small compartment of the Vespa, but she turned her attention to her sweet Dana.

Dana finished her piece of vaccinara. “That sounds interesting. My third eldest sister was born in a Calamity too. A sudden snowstorm had buried this other city, Calgary, in twenty centimetres of snow. My parents were occupied at the time and it took them eleven days to come home with my older sister. Clara and Liza were staying with our eldest ate, and I wasn’t born yet.”

Chiara sipped her wine. “You told me you were the youngest of four. As an only child, I’ve heard horror stories from my classmates. No personal space, no time for yourself, and they’re always clingy and annoying.” At least that she had heard. She wouldn’t have minded siblings.

“Oh, I love them, even if I gave them grief and they did the same. Except Willa, she’s a quiet kid who grew up into an even quieter woman. Clara and Liza are more like you, Clara especially. One day, I’ll take you to meet all three of my sisters. Oh, and you should see Miguel and Nina.” Dana finished her plate.

Chiara smiled. “Your nephew and niece, correct?”

“Yes, Miguel’s in first grade and Nina is in kindergarten. Have I shown you pictures yet?” Chiara shook her head no. “It’s only been two weeks, I haven’t shown you?! Alright.” Dana pulled out her phone. “This is Miguel’s first drawing of an octopus, this is Nina’s first star for getting the order of the planets right, this is Miguel’s first football game, this is Nina’s first hike…”

Chiara loved it when Dana talked about her family. Something in her eyes lit up when she talked about them.

After they both finished, Chiara sent for Delfina and paid for the entire dinner. She also waved at Vittorino and his date, a wispy girl who she learned was named Viviana. Smiling, she handed them fifty euros for any future date-related expenses and looked above. A flock of doves were flapping their wings overhead. She whistled and pointed at the couple. Immediately, the doves swooped onto the table. Chiara moved her arms and whistled again, which prompted the birds to start singing. Viviana looked amazed by the singing doves, while Dana laughed.

“Of course you would try to do that with them,” remarked Dana.

“I have something special planned for tonight, cuore mio, you just don’t have the necessary clarity yet.” Chiara waved her arms. “I could ask the Sun to shine upon your fair face, weave threads of gold and silk for an unsung beauty, and ask the birds and the beasts to perform for your glimmering heart.” She flashed a winning smile. “Can you imagine anyone able to do that?”

Dana scoffed. “Silk I could get from a seamstress, the Sun shines everyday, but I have to concede it to you, you have a special talent. Is Augustus joining us?”

“Not today, he’s busy.” Ah, he spent too much time at Giorgio’s. He needed exercise, yet he was content to lounge around. “Not even your sisters could hold a candle to me.”

“Ohhhh, Clara would look down on you, if she was younger. Of all my sisters, she would have powers beyond imagining. I’d imagine Liza would too, but not as flashy as you. Willa though? She’s so boring, I doubt she would ever have magic or any sort of powers. She became an accountant. Out of everything, she chose to be an accountant.” Dana shrugged. “Whatever she wanted, I guess.”

Along the Tiber River, Chiara walked with Dana, dragging her excitedly along. Occasionally, a bird would arrive to set the mood with a sweet chirp, causing Dana to chuckle. She was wowed by the Tiber River and the many bridges spanning it, and shared her wish list of countries and landmarks to visit one day. Chiara had always thought that Italy was the greatest country in the world, but she listened. The way Dana talked about it, it lit up her face and brought passion to her sparkling brown eyes. It always made Chiara smile to see her heart be happy.

“So, I’ve seen the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, the Duomo di Milano, the Duomo at Florence, and the Brandenburg Gate. The landmarks left are the astrological clock in the Czech Republic, the Florentine art galleries since they were closed for renovation the last time I was there, Vatican City, and—what the fuck?!?”

Screams of terror arose from the sidewalk, with an old man being carried by two young men as they tried to outrun the source of the chaos. Chiara made sure that Dana was safe and unharmed before rushing out onto the street. A pale white bus had crashed into a lamppost and was slowly backing up. Immediately, Chiara sprinted towards the Vespa, opened the small compartment underneath the back seat, and grabbed the golden amulet. The bus was still backing up when Chiara knocked on the back door. She could see someone slumped on the ground and two people at the front.

“Hey! You two! Watch where you’re going next time! You almost ran several people over!” She gestured at several people still in shock from the sudden appearance of a bus. “Get out of here or I’ll—”

Out of nowhere, the bus backed up quickly, with Chiara having to dive out of the way of the bus’ warpath. Once it finally got back onto the road, it immediately crashed into another lamppost, which would have crushed a woman if Chiara hadn’t grabbed her away from the falling lamppost.

“Signora! Are you alright?” Chiara asked.

“Yes dear, I’ll be fine. It’s nothing I haven’t seen in my lifetime.”

By this point, the bus had subsequently slammed itself into a bunch of oak trees. For a second, she thought she heard someone speaking English before it reversed again, nearly plummeting into the river, and finally managed to align itself to the road. All of the cars were honking, their drivers unleashing a tirade of swears, and more than one Vespa tried to ram into it out of anger. Dana had taken Chiara’s golden Vespa and drove up to her.

“I already called the Carabinieri, so they can take care of that rampaging bus.” Dana narrowed her eyes. “Chiara, I know that look in your eyes. This does not call for it, especially what happened last time. You remembered what happened the last time you transformed?”

Something was special with that bus. Chiara didn’t know how to explain it, but she knew that she couldn’t be a regular bystander in her heart. “I’m doing it.”

Dana sighed. “Of all of the issues I could argue with you on, I know I can’t change your mind.” She flipped open her sunglasses case and took out the ones with the darkest lenses.

Chiara started running and held her amulet in her right hand. “Let the glorious rays of the Sun reveal my true majesty as I chase the glory that was forever promised.” Within her hand, the golden amulet brightened as a golden orange light enveloped her and everyone else. Before the light completely overtook her, she noticed Dana covering her eyes with the darkened sunglasses. Her heart exploded into golden light beams that shot around her. The rest of her body poured bright and terrifying light outwards as she felt the familiar sensation of her hair being tied and the lion tail sprouting from her back. Not for the first time, she felt a small object shimmer above her head but never materialising.

Closing her eyes, she sprinted forwards, the hard light beneath her feet becoming platforms to step on. Around her, there were multiple car crashes and motorcyclists clutching their faces in pain. She wished there was a way to limit the spread of her power, but she hadn’t found a way to control it.

There! The bus was careening into multiple cars as everyone either dashed, intentionally rammed into, or swerved out of the way of the out-of-control bus. Who drove like that, Chiara thought. Those were thoughts for another time. For now, she summoned square chains made of hard light and shot them at the fleeing bus. Neither of them missed and they attached themselves to the bus, bringing it to a screeching halt. She dismissed the platform beneath her and yanked on the chains. The bus moved slightly, but she detected something. A strange energy signature, one that responded to her light, but…it moved? It felt like it was a living and breathing being—her chains were cracking from this new energy. Chiara intensified her focus on maintaining her grip on the bus, but the other person was not as weak as she had thought. Her will was unbreakable, and she felt herself solidifying her control over the chains—

What happened next was unclear, and befuddled her mind afterwards. All that Chiara remembered was that she was in control of the situation, and then there was an explosion. Not physically, but she felt it in her brain. A cacophony of catastrophic calamities that burst both of her eardrums and made her clutch her ears in pain as the bus formed a shield around itself and drove away. The Sun shone brightly today, exuding energising vivacity, so she soaked up the rays and let it soothe the ringing in her ears. Dana drove up and rushed to her side. She couldn’t hear much of what Dana was saying, only that she seemed to want her to ride on the Vespa with her.

The ringing still persisted, but she could still make out some more words from Dana as they drove to her home. Once they arrived at her doorstep, Chiara leapt out of the seat only to slam into her wooden door. Her head was still in pain, so Dana took her key to Chiara’s house from her pocket and unlocked it for her.

Chiara had a hard time trying to stand up, eventually collapsing on the couch as her ears slowly stopped ringing like a bell. Dana, for her part, locked the door behind her and asked her something. Chiara nodded, unsure of what she wanted. All she could think about was that she was in a position of weakness. She should have been doing something about that bus, not lying around waiting for the pain to subside. She steadied herself on the couch, reaching for the door with a golden rod formed out of light. When she couldn’t stand up, she made hard light crutches to rely on. The ringing was almost gone, but she still felt disoriented and almost ready to collapse again. Dana was yelling at her for something, but she didn’t have the strength to argue back.

“...you can’t go…! …have powers, but…! But so do the people in the bus…clearly you’re not in any shape to do anything about... Just rest for the night, and thank you for the flowers, the dinner, and the walk. Now if you excuse me…that you don’t run off and get yourself killed. Again.”

After multiple attempts at trying to exit her house only to collapse onto the floor, she decided to recuperate on her chair. Dana seemed to want her to sleep off what happened. She didn’t have the energy to drag herself upstairs, so she slept on the chair next to the couch. She muttered to herself as the shimmering rays transformed her back into the clothes she was wearing today and drifted off to sleep soon after.

Hello there. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Do you…no, you won’t remember. But I remember you and the light that burns within you. Your heart knows best. Trust it. Can you do that for me? One last thing? I’ll let you wake up now. Remember the twins.

Chiara groaned as she woke up. The first thing she noticed was that she had been moved to her comfy king sized bed. The second was that she heard shouting from outside her house. She twisted her pinky in her ear. She guessed hearing was a blessing and a curse…now that her strength was returned to her, she leapt out of bed and opened the window. Dana was yelling at a vehicle, wildly gesticulating and telling them off in English. Chiara looked through the window. It would’ve been easier to see what it was if it wasn’t midnight, with only the moon serving as a light source. She barely understood what Dana was saying, yet when the drivers exited their vehicle, her heart skipped a beat. Though she couldn’t say for sure, she knew it was the drivers from the runaway bus this afternoon. They were burlier than expected. Dana was reaching for her white clutch where she kept her mace canister, but Chiara felt like she was being useless, watching her girlfriend being outnumbered. Opening the window all the way, she jumped out of it and landed on the bus, making a loud noise as she did so. Dana was briefly surprised, but looked more concerned at the two men who slowly turned to face her.

“Get out of here!” she yelled at Dana as she pulled out her amulet. “Or at least put the glasses on!”

Dana nodded and put on her glasses. Knowing that Dana was safe, Chiara recited the incantation allowing the familiar shimmering light to encase her from within. Once that was done, a bright golden sphere of light radiated from within her chest, driving the two men backwards. Dana for her part ignored it and sprayed her mace canister in the direction of the nearest man, who effortlessly dodged it. Chiara was surprised. Shouldn’t they have been blinded? What happened to the Carabinieri? Someone was screaming inside the bus. One of the men was about to run back to the bus when Chiara snatched them in a golden cage. The other man was in the middle of a fight with Dana who was hellbent on trying to cut him down with a metal pipe she picked up.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” A new energy signature registered in her mind. It resembled white noise, like a lot of people talking at once. It was coming from the man she held in a cage, who was now changing like quicksilver.

Of course, you would be the one to do this. You were a pain then, and you still are now.

Chiara was about to speak up, but found herself silenced. The man—no, girl standing before her grinned, her yellow twintails not quite matching the cage she was locked in.

No, you can’t talk. Since you’ve always believed in honour, I’ll play by your asinine rules today. No one can talk now. This is all in your head. You can’t hear anything either. Don’t blind me or my sister again. That said, this was a misunderstanding, so let me alleviate that. My name is—

The back doors on the bus opened and a young woman about Dana’s age fell to the ground. Chiara detected the same energy signature as the one resisting her solar chains. She appeared harmless and blinded by the light, so Chiara let her be. On the other hand, the man overcame his blindness and was close to shoving Dana through the door to Chiara’s house. Dana was resisting thoroughly, but she wasn’t strong enough to defy the man. Chiara was strong enough. With a wave of her hand, golden claw-like structures grabbed hold of the man, flinging him far away from Dana.

“Are you hurt?!” she yelled at Dana.

“No.” Dana straightened herself. “I’ve had worse.”

Chiara wanted to say something but realised something. They could speak now. What did—

As if on cue, the man started screaming, causing the concrete to break up and Chiara and Dana to be flung into the walls of Chiara’s house. She noticed that cracks were starting to form in the white stone. The girl who had stumbled out of the bus had on headphones and was standing there, watching warily. Chiara tried moving, but the sheer wind caused by the man’s voice made her unable to budge. She searched the area, until she felt Augustus lounging. Help me, she thought, on your honour and your debt to me. Above, the girl broke free of her cage with the help of an enlarged pen and was now standing on the bus.

I know you better than you do. Based on your mind, you don’t remember me, my sister, or the Servant. I know that you are too proud to admit defeat in any situation. Give up now, and let us work something out. Dana would like that, wouldn’t she?

Something about her mentioning Dana lit up her heart in fury. With a roar, she reached out and concentrated on making an explosive light, large enough to disorient the man. From behind the man, a light formed behind him—and emitted a pulse. The girl that was standing there turned around while the other girl was disoriented and fell off the bus. The veiled girl appeared startled by everything. The man shifted like quicksilver into the form of a yellow-haired girl with her hair in long strands.

“What was that?” The girl asked. “That was louder than—”

Chiara had sensed Augustus’ presence a moment ago, but she wasn’t expecting him to arrive so quickly. Before the girl could blink, Augustus was on her, claws out and baring his fangs, snarling directly in the girl’s face.

“So letting him wander around was useful after all,” Dana muttered.

Chiara decided to not repeat that to Augustus.

The girl was shocked and tried to manoeuvre around Augustus, but he kept his paws firmly placed on her arms and legs. She was about to scream before Chiara conjured up a hard light muzzle and snapped it onto her head. The lone girl with the brown hair summoned a shield and the girl in the twintails found her footing.

I should have known…of course you had already gathered some allies. Call off your lion and we can have a civil discussion.

“Augustus! Get off the girl!” Chiara shouted.

He snarled. “I thought you said you needed help. Hmph.”

“I’ll get you meat from Giorgio’s later!”

Augustus relented, letting the girl scramble to her feet. He did approach the girl behind the shield, who looked at him with apprehension. Chiara wondered who she was. Before she could say anything, the girl who Augustus freed grabbed her hands and with a spare piece of rope, bound her hands together.

“Sorry about this but…” She tightened the bonds. “Helen said this was necessary.” How much do you know about everything?

Chiara summoned a small light beam and was about to cut herself free before the girl pointed at her open mouth.

I can incapacitate you if you try to free myself. I can scream. Satisfied at Chiara stopping her escape attempt, she visibly relaxed. You don’t know much, so I can’t get answers from you. I was hoping for someone who knew more about this. The girl stared at Chiara. Who were you talking to in your dreams? Do you know? No, it doesn’t look like it.

Chiara ignored the weird girl’s comments and marched herself into her house. The indignity of being tied up by a teenager and forced to sit and watch a complete stranger examine every photograph in your house was humiliating. Of course, she couldn’t escape, not with the stranger’s twin keeping watch.

Helen’s a little curious. She doesn’t mean any harm.

Thankfully, she had Dana and Augustus. Dana betrayed no emotions, only with her white clutch ready to grab at a moment’s notice. Chiara reached for her left hand. Augustus was content to watch from the brown patterned carpet, but he was watching with the eyes of a predator. Underneath his flicking tail and bored expression, Augustus was waiting for his turn in the spotlight.

“Who’s this woman?” Helen asked while holding a framed picture of a woman holding a younger Chiara on her lap.

“That’s my mother. Put the frame back down.” Chiara conjured up a sceptre made of golden light which tapped on the floor harshly.

“Thirty three years and you haven’t changed at all.” Helen put the frame back on the dresser. “What do you do in your spare time now?”

“I act in front of an adoring audience.” Ignoring tee looks Dana was shooting her, Chiara straightened up. “I’m younger than thirty three, so how do you claim to know me?”

Someone else entered. The girl with the shields, Chiara thought. Augustus turned to face the girl, his tongue sticking in and out. The veiled girl noticed this and ducked into the washroom, closing the door behind her.

“So how old are you then?” Helen leaned on the expensive black dresser.

“Twenty four, and how old are you? Fifteen? Sixteen? You’re just a child fooling around.”

Helen straightened up. “Is that so? I found that everyone always underestimated children.” Something lurked behind her bright yellow eyes, and Chiara felt an older power stir in the room. “I remember the King of old claiming that she could beat anyone with only her bare hands and her light magic. I’m not much of a fighter, but I’m sure I can keep up.” The white pen from earlier reappeared in her hand.

“Helen?” Her sister raised an eyebrow. “I thought we were here to make friends, not unearthing old grudges and having a fight in someone’s living room. Besides, we need to do something about the lion or Amalia will keep having panic attacks in the bathroom.” She looked at Chiara. “Can you prove that you have absolute control over your lion and it won’t suddenly try to attack anyone?”

“Alright first of all, Augustus is a he, and second of all, he is not my lion or anyone else’s lion. He listens to me, but I don’t control him. That’s what we agreed on.” Chiara flicked her ponytail over the front of her shoulder. “Right Augustus?”

“Hmph.” Augustus blinked. “If you wish.” He rested his head on his front paws, his tail idly flicking the air.

“Thank you.” Chiara’s tail curled around her leg. “Who are you?”

Helen and her sister exchanged a glance. “We’re the Gemini of the Third House. In other words, we have amulets like you. The girl represents the Maiden of the Sixth House. We’re looking for our Key, and we think it might be here.”

When she first found the amulet, a voice mentioned something about the Fifth House. She didn’t remember the rest of the explanation since she was more focused on the power that it granted her and what she could do with it. She could stage her production, design her set however she wanted, be the star of—

We both can read your mind.

Dana touched the back of her head. “The heck was that?”

Augustus remained undisturbed.

It was the twin with long strands that framed her face who spoke first. “My name is Clytemnestra.” Chiara felt a disturbance from her, like two voices with one overlapping. “We were led to believe that the Key could be in Rome based on an anonymous tip. Can we stay here while we look for the person who took it?”

Outside of the chaos and mayhem that the twins caused, they weren’t malevolent. She didn’t like being tied up in her house so she summoned a sliver of light to cut herself free, letting the ropes fall to the floor.

“I’ll accept your terms, as long as you recognise me as your leader and you listen to everything I tell you. I know the city better than both of you, so you’ll need to bask in my guiding light.”

Clytemnestra choked, Dana smacked her head, and Helen was unfazed.

“Of course, that was the sole condition,” Helen sighed. “We’ll be co-leaders, along with Clytemnestra.”

“Excellent!” Chiara hugged Helen, knocking her into the wall. “I’ll help you find your thief!”

As Chiara selected the freshest and most delectable raw pork from her spare freezer for Augustus, she found Dana and Clytemnestra talking in between bites of salami.

“What happened to the Carabinieri?” Dana asked.

“Oh, we took care of them,” was Clytemnestra’s reply.

Dana stopped eating and squinted her eyes at the response.

Augustus had decided to sit at the bathroom door near the stairs. Chiara whistled at him and he turned his head around.

“For what reason—I see.” He snatched the pork from Chiara’s outstretched hand and began gnawing on it. “Do not presume that I will eat out of your naked hand for the rest of my life. I intend to head back to the savannah where I belong.”

Chiara nodded. “A king among the rabble? That’s what you told me the second time we met.” The idea of being a king sounded like a good idea to her.

“Exactly.” He tore the meat apart.

The bathroom door creaked. Two brown eyes quickly peeked behind the door before it shut completely. That must be Amalia, Chiara thought, the girl who had the shields.

“Hello?” Did she speak Italian? The twins spoke it fluently, but Chiara noticed that one of them had an accent. “Amalia, right? Do you speak Italian?” Silence answered her. Clytemnestra mentioned her having panic attacks over Augustus. “Augustus won’t hurt a soul, only if they disrespect him.”

The door opened slightly. “B-but he still…attacked Clytemnestra.”

“That’s true.” Chiara didn’t specify how Augustus was supposed to help her. Of course, he would act on instinct. “I asked for his help, and she was attacking me and my girlfriend.” She had checked in on Dana, who refused to promise to unleash her mace canister on the twins the next time something similar should happen. “He’s peaceful otherwise.”

The door opened further. “I understand your logic, but would he attack other humans? How are his teeth? I read that man-eating lions were more prone to this behaviour because dental decay made it harder for lions to chew and digest their prey, so they would seek out humans.”

Chiara looked at Augustus and his sharpened canines. “He’s not a man-eater.” She had an idea. “You should come out.”

The door opened slightly. Brown bangs overlaid Amalia’s face as she took a tentative step outside the bathroom door. Augustus stood up, causing Amalia to back up against the wall. He approached her, licking his lips, before pressing his face against her shoulder. Amalia froze as Augustus continued to nuzzle her.

“W-what is he doing?” Amalia stuttered out.

“Nuzzling, he told me that lions do it to bond with each other.” She was glad that Augustus was being nice to humans other than her, Dana, and Giorgio. “He doesn’t share his favour with anyone, so be grateful for that. It’s fine to nuzzle him back, he would appreciate it.”

Amalia slowly lowered her body so she was at eye level with Augustus. She reached out her hand and awkwardly patted him on the shoulder. Augustus was puzzled, but he let Amalia pat him.

“...why would you let a wild lion loose in a large urban city? There are zoos and nature reserves nearby if I’m not mistaken,” she asked.

“He didn’t want to go to a zoo or a nature reserve.” Chiara knew Augustus was comfortable with her sharing his background with others, so she told Amalia. “I met Augustus on the film set I was performing on. The director’s vision required the utmost accuracy to real life, so he contacted this group that held exotic animals. The arrangement was made two weeks before I met him, so when we did meet…” She balled her fists at the memory. “To create authenticity and to sell the idea that a lion would be a murderous beast, they starved him. He was so hungry that, when we met, he tried to devour my costar Nico and nearly bit off Antonio’s head before I had to tackle him to the ground and force him to yield. That was also when I learned I could talk to animals and we formed a special bond shortly after.”

Amalia blinked. “I’ve utilised Mus muscularis specimens during my undergraduate research, but I always followed the ethical guidelines when using live specimens. I’m sorry that Augustus had to endure that and that your colleagues suffered as well.” Something shifted in the woman’s gaze. “If I may ask, how old is he now? Does he know how to hunt?”

Chiara nodded with energy. “I talked to a zoologist, Dr. Maria Lombardi. She said that he was about four years old, but she wasn’t sure if he could be reintroduced into the wild and survive for more than a month. From what Augustus could remember, he had been captive since he was a cub but he was taught by older captive lions how to hunt. I usually get him meat from Giorgio’s but he would hunt foxes, raccoons, herons, cranes, and wild boars in his spare time. Of course, most of that time was spent sleeping beside Giorgio’s butcher shop.”

Augustus turned towards Chiara. “I do not sleep, I merely recharge from a day’s worth of hunting.”

“You sleep.” Chiara ruffled Augustus’ dark brown mane, earning a deep-throated purr from him. “And I have to sleep as well. I’ll show you to your room Amalia. It’s right down this way…”

Chiara showed Amalia the guest bedroom where she would spend the night and Dana put the twins up in the old wine cabinet. Before both of them tucked in for the night, Dana laid the blanket flat on the bed and snuggled close to Chiara.

Dawn broke, sending a small golden ray into Chiara’s bedroom. Chiara was always the first to wake up, so she shoved open the curtains letting the sunlight spill into the bedroom.

“Rise and shine, cuore mio!” Chiara clapped her hands loudly. “Today we are catching a most devious thief! Where may this foul and nefarious scoundrel lie? We may never know until we seize the day and shine a most unwanted spotlight on this deed!”

Dana covered the blanket over her face to shield herself from the sunlight. “Chiara, it’s only seven in the morning. Let me have my beauty sleep.”

Someone knocked on the door. “Good news! The person who gave me a list of buyers gave me the bank account of the Italian buyer, their name, the exact branch of their bank, and how much they have in their bank account! Which is much more than I have in my bank account!” It was one of the twins.

Chiara replied, “I’ll meet you in the hallway.”

Once she closed the door softly behind her, she noticed that Clytemnestra was struggling to balance a laptop in her hands.

“The buyer from Italy has an account at BNL, and the last purchase was an eleven thousand euro purchase a few weeks ago at a private auction in Geneva, Switzerland,” Clytemnestra flipped the laptop. “This person was nice enough to throw in a picture of the man!”

Chiara tried to not let her jaw drop as the name ‘ANTONIO QUATTROCCHI” and the face of her boss stared at her from the laptop screen.

“...I’m sorry, but I don’t think he is your Italian buyer.” Antonio rarely travelled outside Rome, let alone Italy. “He’s a homebody. I know that his family members use his bank account for miscellaneous shopping. Maybe it’s one of his family?”

Clytemnestra shrugged. “It wouldn’t pick up on that, only that the bank account under his name made a payment at a private auction held soon after a man died. Do you know where he lives?”

“He won’t be at his house. Antonio always leaves last, he’s probably looking over the footage shot.” That was an odd quirk of Antonio’s, using film stock instead of digital cameras. “Give Dana a few minutes, she needs her beauty sleep.”

One beauty sleep for Dana later, Helen was hitting the white bus.

“We should take this! I doubt the Vespa could fit everyone,” she exclaimed.

Chiara, Dana, and Augustus exchanged looks between them. Neither of them was getting inside a bus probably wanted by the Carabinieri.

“Wait, Chiara’s neighbour just left work…wow, he has a van.” Clytemnestra started eying the white van with ‘GIORGIO’S FINEST MEATS’ plastered in bright green letters. Dana smacked her head while Augustus nodded approvingly. Amalia nervously smiled.

After cramming everyone into the van, Chiara parked the van just outside the studio lot. The twins were the first to disembark, followed by Augustus and Amalia side by side. Chiara and Dana entered the building first after forbidding Augustus even thinking of coming with them and letting Chiara detransform.

“I don’t think Antonio would stoop that low. Yes, he had numerous issues mostly because his auteur vision trumped everything including performing animal ethics, but to steal a dead man’s belongings? No, that’s not like him,” Chiara vouched.

“I’ve only known Antonio for a few months and I wholeheartedly agree with you, but that computer wasn’t lying. The twins are crazy, but I think they’re being sane here.” Dana knocked on Antonio’s door. “Signor Quattrocchi? It’s me, Dana Divata and Chiara Agosti? We need to ask you about something.”

The doorknob jiggled and Antonio appeared. “Ah Signora Divata, it’s my pleasure to be graced by your presence.” He nodded. “Signora Agosti.”

“Likewise,” responded Chiara.

“Signor Quattrocchi, sorry to bother you, but someone asked us about a recent theft they endured. They found the bank account that conducted the purchase.” Dana pulled out the laptop and opened it to Antonio’s bank account and his face. “Can you explain this to me?”

Chiara searched his face for signs of innocence. After their screaming match over Augustus’ treatment, she believed that Antonio had good intentions despite somehow ignoring the warning signs of a malnourished predator.

Antonio took a few minutes to fully comprehend everything as both Chiara and Dana explained everything, leaving out the twins and how they stumbled upon this information. “—Signora Divata, I’ve always thought you were the smartest out of my crew. Read the date of this alleged transaction that I supposedly made in the hinterlands of Switzerland.”

Dana turned around the laptop. “5 June 2057?”

“Exactly, and Signora Agosti, what scene were we shooting on that day?”

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“Roll 9, Scene 15?” Chiara answered.

“And like all scenes I film, I was physically present on the lot that day, from sundown to sunset.” He suddenly slammed his fist into the table, startling both women. “So how was I able to attend a private auction in Geneva for the possessions of a man I never knew when I was busy filming the greatest sequences a maestro could execute?!”

Dana sighed. “You have a point—”

“Of course, I have a point! Who else would—” Antonio’s pupils narrowed. “That slothful bastard! I swore to him on my nonna’s grave that he would never receive a single euro cent from my account after he spent ten thousand on frivolous games! My wife has been too lenient on him, always saying that he will learn to change his ways! From now on, I will make him pay for mooching off of my success and refusing to get off his lazy ass!” His face purpled in rage. “That—”

“Excuse me, but who are you talking about?” Chiara asked.

“My son!” Antonio yelled at her. “My useless oxygen-sucking wastrel of a son! If you need to find him, he’ll be at my house that I bought and paid for!”

Once everyone was safely ensconced inside the van, they pulled up close to Antonio’s house.

“He wasn’t lying,” Clytemnestra mentioned. “When I read his mind, all he was thinking about was that someone deceived him. He never once thought about trying to hide anything from Dana.”

“Wait, you said he hid nothing from me, but what about Chiara?” Dana asked.

Clytemnestra kept silent. “He was thinking about her talent…and the fact that someone paid him a lot of euros to cast her in his passion project.”

“He still thought I was talented, right?” asked Chiara.

“He did, but the money helped.”

Antonio was always adamant that nothing was to compromise his artistic vision. Chiara wondered what caused that sudden shift, but decided that it didn’t matter.

Augustus was allowed to go inside, and they left Amalia, Dana, and Helen together in case something happened. Antonio had told Chiara once, during a dinner at Giovanni’s, that he locked everything once he left the house. Clytemnestra left to circle the building, her long strands blowing in the light breeze.

Alright, so I checked out the building. There are two floors, two windows in the back and two windows in the front. There’s also a chimney. I think our best bet is to sneak into the first floor through the back window and then—

“I think that going through the back window is unfitting. No, if I wanted to confront someone, I would face them like a true hero,” she declared.

Chiara asked her friends to shield their eyes before transforming and kicking in the door, sending splinters flying through the hallway.

The first detail was that Chiara noticed that there was a recent expenditure of energy that clung stubbornly to the walls and hardwood floor. If she had to describe it, it would have been a dark miasma tainting everything it touched. Strangely, nothing appeared out of the ordinary. Augustus must have noticed the rank smell judging from his reflexive recoiling at anything he inhaled. Clytemnestra was more interested in the miscellaneous objects that haphazardly decorated the corridor.

A dishevelled man sitting in a chair awaited them in the living room, surrounded by a clutter of monitors on one side and a chaotic arrangement of art and various ceramics on the other side. He grinned a little and waved with his right hand at Chiara.

“Good afternoon Signora Agosti. I’ve heard tales about you from my father.” The man grinned. “He was too much of a coward to face me, so he sends one of his employees to do his dirty work?”

Chiara was bewildered. “No, we’re here about you using your father’s bank account and buying something that belonged to my friend here.” She gestured at Clytemnestra who was busy examining one of the computer monitors.

He laughed bitterly. “Is this about the private auction? I barely got my money’s worth.” He pointed at an abstract painting of yellow and black. “Eleven thousand euros? Give me a break.”

“Are you an art collector? I see you’ve amassed a gallery that anyone would be jealous of.”

The man focused on the sound of Clytemnestra’s voice. “Who are you?”

“Just someone also interested in art, the same as you.” She observed the canvas. “This was made by Luule Pärtelpoeg. I saw this exact painting at an art gallery in Tallinn a few years back. The curator there told me that a signature of Luule’s was that there were always brushstrokes in the shape of a tree painted in the corner. I tried to find it on all of the paintings, but I never found the tree on that piece.” Clytemnestra pointed out something in the corner of the canvas. “I see it here.”

The man chuckled. “And what did any of that mean?”

“You have very expensive tastes, Signor. Not just in genuine art, but in computers. Look at this state-of-the-art PC! I don’t think you have your own money away from your parents since you’re not an independent contractor and these items are far beyond even the most lucrative jobs. Oh, and before you say anything, your father had shared his opinions on your indolence with us.” Clytemnestra sniffed the air. “The way you are slouching in your chair tells me that you don’t get up often, so why does it smell like bleach here?”

The man blinked nervously. “I don’t use bleach.”

“I know that’s a lie,” Clytemnestra affirmed. “You’re hiding something. When you waved to Chiara, you waved with your right hand, right? A right-handed person would not put the computer case on their right and their mouse on the left, and I know you may not be the neatest person but,” She picked up the mouse with the edge of a black book. “I don’t think you would leave blood underneath your devices.”

With that in mind, Chiara sensed the faint tang of blood…everywhere. It wasn’t only the walls, it was the tables, the computers, the paintings, the ottomans, the floor, and most especially Antonio’s son. Clytemnestra must have noticed too, dragging a spotless ottoman. Everything was spotless here as well, Chiara thought, so why could she detect blood?

“I knew you were hiding something, but I wasn’t able to tell until now.” Clytemnestra plopped the ottoman close to the man’s feet. “Come here, your feet must be cramped. You must want to put up your feet and relax after a long day, don’t you?” A vibrating sensation resonated through the room. “Listen to me, let me help you. Tell me your name.”

“Raffaello Quattrocchi.” He put up his foot and relaxed his grip on the chair—and instantly yelped in pain as a crimson stain erupted from his knee. “What the hell—why did I put my foot up?!”

Chiara wasted no time, slicing open Raffaello’s pant legs to reveal a hole that was gushing out blood on his knee and a soaked-up wad of tissue paper. “Who did this to you?”

“This crazy asshole!” Raffaello yelled in pain. “I don’t know who they are, but they came here, tore the place open, kneecapped me, and yelled at me over a stupid green container! It looked like some moisturiser, so I swore at them! Then they decided to—I can’t even comprehend this, they took my blood from the wound and made a freaking whip with it! They whacked me in the head with the container, whipped my back with my blood, smacked me with a prop tail, and all I could make out was that I wasn’t worth killing or something! They spoke in the most insane accent too!”

Clytemnestra was staring at the paintings again. “Did they rearrange your furniture?”

“No—how the hell are you this calm?! It was some other group, two women in dark green robes! I couldn’t see their faces or anything with those damn high hoods! They were asking the same thing about a green container, one of them slapped me, the other wiped my hard drive with my games, they rearranged everything, and they just left me here! All I caught of that conversation was that a mistress left her stench all over this house?! Both of my parents are faithful to each other, so I don’t know what the hell they were talking about!”

Augustus stared at a print left close to the computer. “This smells of food.”

Clytemnestra suddenly dove behind the Luule Pärtelpoeg painting and snatched a small business card from behind. “How did you hear of the auction?”

“A private email—” He yelled as more blood spurted from his knee. “I thought there would be some electronics, you know, that would have been worth more to resell. All that old man had was a bunch of paintings, boxes, and a bunch of old junk, so I bought one painting. They told me that it was a pre-Calamity era painting and those can easily go for one hundred sixty euros on—” Raffaello paused. “Never mind. The point was like I told that asshole and the two women, I had nothing to do with whoever organised the auction and I never talked with them face to face. Also, since it seems the two of you are a lot nicer than the other three people who visited me, can you take me to a freaking hospital?!”

Augustus, previously unmoved by the constant yelling of Raffaello, rushed on top of the man and roared in his face, pressing his paws into Raffaello’s knees as he did so. Raffaello ended up screaming at the top of his lungs as more blood spurted from his knee.

“Augustus, don’t hurt him!” Chiara shouted. “He might be an indignant mooch of the highest order, but he isn’t our enemy and he should be treated at a hospital!”

Clytemnestra was muttering in English. All Chiara caught were the words “alley” and “dump”. Dana had been teaching her English, but it was an incongruent language with no underlying reason within its grammatical or pronunciation rules—

Violent shaking commenced soon after, leaving some of the monitors to crash onto the floor and the paintings to free themselves of their nails. Chiara created some hard light handrails for everyone to either hold on to or bite into while they waited for the Calamity to finish. She created her handrails, but that didn’t stop the constant rattling. After the shaking, Amalia jogged into the room, gagging at the latent smell of iron.

“W-we have an issue,” she sputtered out. “A Class T Calamity, it struck in the heart of the city.” Amalia’s eyes widened as an aftershock passed through the house. “T-there’s something wrong outside.”

After convincing Raffaello that Augustus wasn’t a man-eating lion, Chiara with the help of Amalia’s shields carried him into the increasingly cramped van.

“Who is this?” asked Helen.

“The actual Italian buyer.” Clytemnestra showed her the painting. “Is this our Key?”

“No, but it looks nice. We can take it.” Helen pointed towards the meat locker. “Put him there. Since we already have five people and a lion, there isn’t much standing or sitting room.”

Both Amalia and Chiara loudly protested against this idea. “He has a broken kneecap!”

“We could also leave him—”

“No, we are not leaving him in the house,” Chiara pointed out. “At least two different groups have tried to target him for their ends, and I refuse to abandon an innocent bystander when he needs medical attention. As co-leader, I’m ordering you to accept Raffaello Quattrocchi as a temporary member of this group until such time he can receive sufficient medical attention.” He wasn’t much of an ‘innocent’ bystander, but Chiara thought that he would be more helpful alive and recuperating than dead from blood loss. What if they came back?

Helen shrugged. “Fine, but he’s still going into the meat locker. As co-leader, there is no room.”

Despite Raffaello’s protests, he was placed inside the meat locker. Chiara hopped into the driver’s seat and steered the packed van towards the Colosseo, where Amalia was pointing.

“When I was taking a geology class as part of my second-year undergraduate options, the professor reviewed common Calamity classifications and since they were a seismologist, Class T and Class V Calamities were covered extensively.” Amalia leaned closer to the windshield. “This does not look like a typical Class T according to my notes.”

Chaos reigned in the winding roads and the packed buildings. They passed by a knocked-over bakery, a wrecked fountain spewing water across the streets, and a couple struggling to untangle themselves from a fallen table. Chiara wanted to step out of the van to help, but something was pulling her to drive onwards. Besides, people were already helping the couple to their feet.

Her heart was pulling her to somewhere, away from the crowd. She couldn’t see it, but she felt that the Sun was watching over her and let it be her guiding star. The van eventually stopped at the Piazza del Popolo, where the cracks in the earth were evident—and strange. The cracks were glowing yellow with tinges of orange and red.

As soon as Chiara left the van, she was confronted with glowing embers the size of her eyes and a smoky quality to the atmosphere. All of that smoke was clouding her vision, so she cleared it with a blast of light. A sudden growl arose. Somehow in her heart, she knew it wasn’t Augustus.

A towering being faced her now. Great black horns curved inwards adorned its bull-like head while six glowing eyes affixed onto Chiara. Four spider-like legs surrounded the largest crack, large enough to fit the creature inside of it twice over. Her heart was beating faster, drowning out all other noises. Go forth, it told her, go forth and seize the morning glory. This was what her heart was guiding her to, Chiara thought. The beast lay before her. Slaying it would stop the earthquake, she thought.

Dana was outside of the van, Augustus standing at her side, surprised at the tall creature before her. “What the fuck is that?!”

Amalia had a shield out and guarded all four of them before any of them thought about doing anything. Her face seemed stoic and unyielding, but Chiara noticed her shield arm shaking as she peeked through the transparent shield.

Clytemnestra looked through the front door windows. “That’s new.”

It was Helen’s expression that caught her. She was staring at the creature and its menacing legs with a look of trepidation and something akin to—recognition.

“No…it can’t be…it’s not supposed to be here in the Lower World…the Artist…we banished it, all of them—” Helen blinked. “I don’t have a look of trepidation.” Her eyes darted away from Chiara like she was lost in thought.

Clytemnestra climbed out of the window. “Helen, are you alright?”

Helen straightened up. “Yeah…yeah I am.” Within seconds her white pen appeared in her hand, elongating until it was barely reaching the top of Chiara’s height. “So they left me with everything…I still can’t believe it all falls to me and my sister.”

Chiara had no clue what she was talking about. All she could focus on was the infernal creature in front of her, staring back into her very heart. They both sensed each other’s presence; she knew that her heart was anticipating its every move while it studied her, all of its eyes hyper-focused on her.

She made the first move, creating a light pillar to vault over to the Egyptian obelisk for a better line of sight. The creature had one long patch of black fur on its back. Otherwise, it had a hairless torso with too many prominent ribs. The being noticed her and launched itself into the air, its legs digging into the ancient monument. Chiara jumped on instinct, barely missing it crushing the top of the obelisk with its horn. Her heart roared as she conjured a sceptre. Something about holding a sceptre in her confidently clenched hand felt right and yet again, a brief shimmer appeared overhead. She was going to smash the sceptre into its head, but the creature caught her with one of its legs. A white and yellow pen sailed through the air, piercing one of the horns. The creature bellowed, focusing its attention on Helen with her twintails blowing in the breeze. She ignored it, jumping on its back and fending off the other legs. Chiara created a spear in the middle of the air, poking at the being’s many eyes while freeing herself from the monster with a solid light block. Helen was being harassed by the multitude of tiny ribs or legs on its back, nearly getting her pen entangled before the legs were blasted apart by her twin sister’s voice.

Ciao Chiara! Do you know anything about what this is? And why does it resemble the crack in the earth that looks like a portal into hell?

I know what it is. Helen’s resigned voice echoed in Chiara’s mind. There isn't such a thing as hell, but…I suppose that it would be the same for a human. Can you—

Chiara couldn’t hear what Helen was saying anymore. Neither could Clytemnestra who was currently tearing apart the many legs on the creature’s back based on her confused look. Helen was still on the creature’s back. Chiara’s chest glimmered weakly, but it was too faint. She called forth chains and wound them around the being’s glowing horns. With them tightly bound, she leapt off the creature, tugging at them and telling Augustus mentally to locate Dana and Amalia and bring them to a safer place. The creature’s horns were glowing warmly, but she ignored that. Helen was trying to signal to her, but Chiara couldn’t make out what she was saying. This was easy, she thought, all she had to do was to take it down. It was that simple, bringing down a monster and being celebrated for her feats of strength. She could picture the crowd right now. Tightening her grip on the golden chains, Chiara dragged the spider-like creature off of the obelisk, sending it and the twins toppling downwards. The impact it made sent tremors through the piazza, causing another crack. Helen was the first to recover, rubbing her head.

This is why I never liked working with you. You barely listen to orders, and you always think you’re always right in whatever you do. I can’t believe the General trusted you enough to—look out!

Chiara barely sneaked a glance over her shoulder before a black leg clutched her and threw her through multiple buildings until her head hit stone and her entire body collapsed into the water. Rubbing her head, she recognised where she was. The Fontana di Trevi, one of Roma’s most famous fountains, a beautiful tourist attraction—and the incoming landing spot of the creature who threw her across several streets. Before Chiara could react, the being wrapped her in its legs before revealing two long fangs from its mouth. Several pedestrians cried out in fear and quickly ran off. Chiara tried to summon something, anything—until those two black fangs pierced her chest and extracted her heart.

What did hearts look like? She always drew it red and in, well, a heart shape. Sometimes, when Dana fell asleep on her shoulder, she thought of her heart as Dana-shaped with all the colours that accompanied Dana, whether it be black and white Armani clothing or a casual sundress. She imagined it beating to the sound of music, or in the heat of the moment.

Chiara didn’t expect her own heart to be solid gold and smooth. The fangs wrapped around the golden heart as the six eyes all looked at her with a mix of satisfaction and contentment. The heart entered the creature’s mouth and it was about to grab her by the leg when Helen’s pen struck it in the face. It bellowed and was about to sprint before stopping abruptly. Afterwards, it left as abruptly as it had arrived, bounding over the houses and bistros. Helen’s pen flew back to her hand.

“And this is why—” Helen was staring at Chiara’s chest. “What…”

Clytemnestra was following behind her, her eyes widening. “This is a worse problem than I expected. Amalia!”

She remembered everything in a blur. All she could remember was Dana shouting, Helen equally shouting, everyone was noisy…the light…where…was the Sun…Augustus…Dana…Raffaello…hospital…sunlight?...couch…house…floor…agitation…no…

----------------------------------------

The Sun was above her—and so were the other planets. The Moon was a planet, right? Why did she feel like Dana would be annoyed if she suggested that? Her chair was made of gold, which suited her. Checking out the ornamentation on the chair with the gold leaf and the carved roaring lions clutching suns beneath their claws, it fit someone of her standards. A carved symbol of the glyph of Leo and below that, a circle with a dot in the middle like her amulet.

The Sun, her mind supplied her, that’s the Sun.

She checked out the other two chairs beside her. One of them was silver with a crescent moon below circles with curved tails. Cancer, her mind told her, this is Cancer. The other one was made of carbon with a sickle below the letter M with a loop. Virgo, her mind informed her. The chair directly in front of her was platinum. Surprisingly, she wasn’t in an elevated position, nor were any of the chairs. She wished she was at the head of the table and able to direct the other eleven members of this table. Unfortunately, the table was perfectly round and decorated with stars. It looked beautiful too.

She tried to rearrange all of the chairs and grabbed a spare ottoman to put her golden chair on top, but the golden chair was too large and kept falling backwards. She kept trying though and conceded defeat after the fiftieth attempt. All twelve chairs were switched back to their original positions. Chiara noticed a wooden door decorated with flowing white squares with Chinese characters inked in red. Opening it led to a nearly identical room with twelve chairs and a square table. Two of the chairs were elevated, she noticed, one made of wood and one made of a pearlescent material with a jade chair sitting in the middle. She was drawn to the electrum chair sitting between an obsidian chair and a white gold chair. That chair was marked with unreadable Chinese characters. The ceiling wasn’t stars like in the other room, but animals in a circle. There were twelve intricately carved animals, and she paid special attention to the monkey.

She blinked, and the rooms became combined. There was no door or wall in between them, but there was a window with opaque dark curtains. She moved back the curtains and peered through the glass window.

There was nothing behind the curtains, and nothingness reigned supreme outside the room.

She gazed into the void,

And the void gazed back.

The floor beneath her began to break and she screamed as she, the chairs, the furniture, and the rooms fell into an endless and infinite void. Her feet were unravelling, unspooling into golden light and orange motes that flitted before her eyes. Chiara tried grabbing onto the golden chair, only for that to dissolve into the abyss. She continued screaming until her mouth finally unspooled into balls of light.

The King falls to her doom. A voice boomed in her mind. Without your crown, your sword, your sceptre, your heart, what are you? A bright-eyed performer? No, you are nothing. Without your regalia, your royal trappings, you are worth not even a speck of dust.

She had no mouth to refute that statement, and soon she had no mind. All of it…all was dust in an eternal and hungry void…

----------------------------------------

“Chiara! Can you hear me?!”

“How is this possible? The human body needs the heart, which is an essential organ needed for life. This is impossible by medical standards—”

“This body isn’t human, it's a faulty assumption.”

“I can read her thoughts now, Helen’s idea worked.”

Chiara found dancing lights above her head. “What happened?”

“Shhhh.” Dana! Her voice immediately soothed her. “Don’t move, Helen is going to be putting some finishing touches on—her invention.” There was a small yet sour tone.

The sound of tape ripping was heard, and now someone, probably Helen, was putting the tape—on her back?! Why her back?! Did she gain several breast sizes?! Why did her chest feel massive?! She touched her chest and felt a soft indentation. What…

Chiara, please don’t freak out.

The reassurance was too late. Chiara was ripping out wads of paper towels, cotton pads, Kleenex, and…wires?! Three batteries were running amok. Eventually, she finally got to the innermost layer. Tearing it in half, she wasn’t expecting what she saw.

A light bulb. There was a single-lit filament light bulb—in her chest cavity. Where her heart used to be. She could see a white ribcage and her organic lungs working heavily. There were wires threaded within her ribcage and multiple batteries. The worst part was the shifting golden edge of the massive hole in her upper chest.

“I wouldn’t take out the light bulb if I were you.” Helen. “That’s the only thing keeping you alive. I was thinking about switching it out for an LED light, but your girlfriend told me to shove it in you or she’ll mace me, so we’re keeping the light bulb. I wished you didn’t have to rip up the protection. Virgo! Can you reapply the protective layer and all of the redundant circuits?! Thanks!”

“Why don’t you use the hospital tape you stole when we dropped off Raffaello at the hospital? Or better yet, we find Chiara’s original heart and sew it back in!” Dana yelled.

“Hospital tape is better.”

Chiara wanted to protest her body being poked and prodded like a science experiment, but she felt a moist cloth shoved into her face and the great need to sleep overtook her…

She woke up, again, but her chest was now twice its normal size. Everyone was circling her.

“As much as I loathe to say this, don’t rip out the bindings.” Amalia sighed. “You are alive and conscious because of the contraption Helen rigged in your chest cavity, despite it violating medical ethics and human physiology.”

“She can survive,” Dana chimed in, but Chiara knew that she was more than a little worried for her wellbeing based on her eyes anxiously darting to her heart and the floor.

Clytemnestra shrugged while one of the black wires attached to the device on her ear fed her prosciutto while the other was fiddling with a black book. “We aren’t going to talk about the massive bull-spider hybrid that ripped out her heart and possibly has otherworldly origins? No? Okay.”

Helen tensed, her eyes darting around the room as if expecting she would be attacked at any moment.

“Helen,” Chiara stated in a low voice. “Before we started fighting, you mentioned that this creature wasn’t supposed to be in the ‘Lower World’. What did you mean by that, and how much do you know about our opponent?” She pointed at her chest. “Now’s not the time to be withholding information.”

“Fine.” Her voice seemed more weary and aged than her appearance suggested, though Chiara doubted she was as young as she looked. “This wasn’t my first time fighting these creatures or encountering them. When the Gates and Houses were stable, we kept them contained on the other side.” She grabbed her pen and started drawing on a spare napkin. “The Gates and the Houses aren’t real physical structures. Think of it as a separate world, like another planet except unreachable other than the use of specific Doors.”

“Doors?” Clytemnestra asked.

“A Door is a gateway we built to reach our Gates and Houses from the Lower World, which is the term for the material universe.” Helen drew a circle, labelled it Earth, and drew a lot of Xs on the circle. “There are more than twenty-four Doors, and the Keys could open any of the Doors we set up. However, due to some unexpected circumstances, there are only twenty-four Doors open and they’re the pair-bonded ones.”

“What is a pair bonded Door?” Amalia asked.

“Twelve pair-bonds corresponding to one Gate and House, and both representatives need to be present in front of the Doors with their Keys to unlock them. For example, me and Castor are partners with the Horse of the Seventh Gate, the Virgo is partners with the Rooster of the Tenth Gate, and the Leo is partners with the Monkey of the Ninth Gate. The whole system is controlled by the Ninth House, but until we find the Wanderer, I would not recommend going there.”

“You didn’t mention anything about the…impossible organism we were facing. For that matter, you never explained why Frau Agosti can survive without her heart or the lack of major blood vessels surrounding her heart,” Amalia pointed out.

“The impossible organism, as you call it, is not impossible in the space beyond the material universe. Titanic beasts beyond your wildest imaginations, hiveminds coordinating billions of drones, creatures that would destroy your mind, beings that embody the primal forces of the Lower World, we were charged with containment and defence. Some wanted to try a preemptive strike, but that never worked out. Beyond the heavens, there’s only a ceaseless infinity.”

A baleful song took root within Chiara. Your life is meaningless and your body is weak. She ignored it.

“The Artist had this specific type of creature trapped in one of the paintings in the Eighth Gate.” She sighed. “This one must be another member of its kind, or it’s the same one freed from her paintings. Regardless, it’s alive and it has the golden heart of Leo, which isn’t the most ideal situation.” Helen shrugged. “Her heart is crucial to her function.”

Her what? Chiara would ask about this later.

Dana clutched Chiara’s hand harder. “The golden heart of Leo…when I first found out about Chiara’s amulet, I remembered that Leo rules the heart.”

“Yes that’s correct, but if you wanted to lop off my hands or Castor’s hands, you won’t gain anything. The golden heart of Leo is special because her heart contains a second energy source, almost as powerful if not more powerful than her amulet. Speaking of which, where is it?”

“Back seat of my Vespa,” Chiara answered.

Helen nodded. “There’s a reason for the massive energy storage, and you told me all about it after you defeated me in a duel and proceeded to shove your victory in my face. You mentioned that you can’t bleed as long as the morning glory is in your heart. Also, we all can run off the sources of our powers, hence why you are comfortable in the sunlight and why sticking a lightbulb in your chest was a good idea.”

Dana’s phone started ringing. “It’s…Liza?” Her eyes widened. “I have to take this call.” She rushed upstairs muttering in Tagalog and shutting the door behind her. Augustus followed her upstairs and waited outside the door. Chiara hoped everything was fine with Dana’s sister. They called every once in a while to talk to Dana and check up on her, but…Dana would let her know if she was needed. Otherwise, she would focus on finding her heart and taking it back from the monster. Amalia was humming to herself and making small shields with her fingertips, spreading the earthy energy around the room. That gave Chiara an idea.

“I have an idea of how to find my heart.” Chiara stood up, undoing some of the haphazard construction of the protective layer around her upper chest. “Whenever Amalia uses her powers, like the time I stopped your out-of-control driving, I noticed a special energy signature, unique to the individual. I haven’t felt it a lot, but I think the twins have their own. If I can track the creature’s energy signature or my own, we can find my heart and restore it to its rightful place.” Chiara pumped her fist into the air. “I have a plan. With Amalia’s shields, we can corner the beast in an area of our choosing, perhaps a grand arena where I can hold down the monster. Augustus is good in a skirmish with humans, but not in a pitched battle with an otherworldly being. I want you on harassment duties. Clytemnestra, you can do crowd control with your telepathy and keep others away from any battle. Helen, you’ve fought these creatures before.” She sighed. “Since you’re an expert, I need your help.”

Helen grinned. “Finally, some humility from the mighty King.”

Of course Chiara was mighty; she had the power of the Sun! She needed to check on her girlfriend first. After kissing both of the twins on the cheeks, she headed upstairs to check on Dana.

“Has anything happened that’s been a concern?” She asked Augustus.

Augustus turned to her. “She is making noises that attract predators. Entering the room is the best option.”

Chiara slowly opened the door to the guest bedroom. Dana was sitting on the floor, half-wadded tissues littering the floor around her and staring at her phone’s bright screen that illuminated her tear-stained face. Chiara immediately rushed to her side and grabbed some tissues for Dana to blow her nose in.

“What happened?” Chiara hugged her. “Do you need anything else? A glass of water? Is everyone fine? Do you need to leave?” She tried to think of how much plane or boat tickets to Canada cost.

“I don’t need to leave,” Dana forced out through the sniffles. “I need to be here, I heard the conversation downstairs. You’re always the one leaping into danger, always playing the hero. I know you want to protect others, that’s fine. I fell in love with you for a reason, but I don’t think your plan is going to work out the way you want it to.”

“The plan’s going to work, trust me. Nothing will go wrong.”

“Nothing?! Chiara, your heart’s gone, ripped from your chest by a monstrous bull! You fainted not once, not twice, but three times on the way here! We thought you died multiple times! I want your heart back, but not at the expense of your own life! My sister’s fighting for her life because she’s in a coma, my other sister was kidnapped, and my entire family was terrorised by a bunch of animals, including my niece and nephew! I love you Chiara, and I don’t want to lose you or anyone else I care about!” Dana ended up crying into Chiara’s shoulder. “Please don’t take any risks…alright?”

Chiara nodded and embraced her. Her tears soaked into her outfit as Dana kept sobbing into Chiara’s shoulder. She also put a blanket around both of them.

After Dana fell asleep, Chiara carried her to Chiara’s bedroom and cleaned up the wads of tissue paper lying around the guest bedroom. Bidding Augustus good night, she tucked in Dana. The protective layer was starting to fall apart, so she put some tape on her back before falling asleep.

The twins remember? The younger one does, or is it the older twin now? No matter, the maiden is also present. I’m surprised you haven’t had a consort yet, or are you reserving that title for a certain someone? You should locate your heart quickly. The dog would have been a boon, but the water bearer has secluded her from prying eyes. Seize the morning glory with your unburdened hands and from there, you will find deliverance.

She checked the bed. Dana was still sleeping, probably exhausted from yesterday’s events. How was her family doing? Chiara had never talked to any of Dana’s sisters, the whole “only have been dating for two weeks” matter, but Dana loved them, so she loved them in turn. Plane tickets were exhaustingly expensive, especially last minute, but she would send Dana on the next flight if possible.

Chiara wondered if the twins could read minds when a person was dreaming. Clytemnestra asked her about a voice when they first met, was she thinking about it at the time? Dana was awake, her eyes red from crying last night and fully changed.

“What I said last night...I still stand by it. If you’re adamant about this plan of yours, then I can’t convince you to step away. A Divata never shirks from what she has to. If you’re going out there, I’m coming with you. There’s no better way of preventing you from being nearly killed. The twins won’t, and Amalia and Augustus aren’t enough.” She stared at Chiara. “You have no self-preservation at all. Even when we first met, you tried to subdue a lion by holding his jaws open with your head in his mouth. Someone has to be that little voice in your head telling you when not to leap.”

Chiara acceded. “Don’t put yourself in harm’s way and always follow my lead, because you know I’m always right.” She smiled charmingly.

“Of course you say that.” Dana brushed away some of Chiara’s hair. “You still have blood tangled in your hair.”

“Does it matter?” She kissed Dana. “See you downstairs.”

Dana pulled the twins out of bed while Augustus and Chiara gently nudged Amalia out of bed. After everyone was awake and the twins were unceremoniously dumped onto the couch, Chiara redid the bindings on the protective layer and concentrated, trying to spread the light everywhere.

“You can’t do it. Your heart is specifically the seat of your control over light: without it, you can’t make your own light,” Helen remarked.

Chiara would use something else’s light then. The Sun was weak today, barely letting in any light. She reached for the frail rays and held them tightly, fixing them in their positions. She searched for her heart across the city of seven hills. The Sun touched the land and she cast her willpower into its ever-present beams. She called to it, and it to her, a light to another light. A stream of gold broke through the windows and into Chiara’s waiting hands. Once she grabbed onto the stream, she felt its anxiety and its desire to reunite with her. Chiara would give it all that and more.

Due to the pressing need to find the heart before the monster left Roma, Clytemnestra ended up in the driver’s seat—and was about as skilled as her sister in driving. Chiara had promised Giorgio that the truck would be returned in immaculate condition. That was becoming less and less likely by the second as Clytemnestra narrowly missed toppling over a man trying to deliver food.

“Sorry! I’m not used to driving large vehicles!” she shouted at the angry man.

“Do they not have driving lessons in England? That’s the second person you’ve nearly turned into a pancake,” Dana snarked.

Chiara couldn’t understand the conversation, solely focusing on the connection sustained between her and her heart. She also checked on Dana occasionally, even when she insisted that she was fine. She could feel its pulsating rhythm through the open city. The roar reverberating through the city solidified her desire to return her heart to its rightful place.

Before the van stopped, Chiara leapt out the back with Dana and Augustus following close behind. The monster was there, this time with a glowing golden light within its stomach. Her heart, Chiara thought, the one that rightfully belonged to her. A lot of people were running away from the monster and blood was smeared across the Spanish Steps. Chiara found her determination filling her up like a well.

“You there! How dare you defile one of the great landmarks of this fair city with the blood of her denizens! Give me back my heart and leave this city alone, or else you will force my hand.” Chiara tried to summon a beam of light, but it fizzled in her hand. She was also feeling a little drowsy.

The beast was making deep vocalisations, almost as if it was…laughing? Chiara ignored it.

They don’t talk and none of them have sapient intelligence. Trust me, I’ve tried to read their minds. Nothing coherent is present.

Helen?

They don’t think like us or humans. The ‘legs’ on its back are highly flammable, but you’ve lost your connection to make your own light and we haven’t found the Warrior. What I was trying to tell you earlier was that the horns emit an ultrasonic pulse that can disrupt our telepathic messages. Be prepared—

The horns were alight again, and the beast’s six eyes were trained on Chiara and her protective layer that was falling apart. Her eyes darted to Dana, who took out…a set of car keys.

“I know I can’t help you here, but…” Her eyes lit up in that typical Dana way. “That doesn't mean I’m completely useless.”

“Where are you going?” Chiara asked.

“To the studio. Remember that giant machine I told you the crew was setting up? It was supposed to be a surprise, but now seemed like a good time.” Dana waved. “Don’t worry about me, and also, don’t die. Death won’t stop me from punching you in the afterlife.” She smiled before dashing into a car.

Chiara watched the monster, mindful of Dana’s route.

Do you think you can challenge a child of the void and live? Give up little girl, give up your fool pride and resign yourself to your fate.

Chiara ignored the small annoying voice in her head. She could do this, heart or no heart. With her sceptre at her side and Augustus flanking her, she took the high ground of a nearby cafe. Her legs ached, but she ignored it. Making sure that Dana was clear of the area, she stomped into the building. The bull snorted and extended its four legs into the stone, cracking it. How was Chiara going to retrieve her heart from the stomach? She looked at Helen and her lancelike pen, and Augustus crouching behind a nearby fence, and found a solution.

“Helen! Aim for the big legs! Not the little ones!” She yelled, jumping to avoid being slammed by one of the black spider-like legs into a nearby wall. A flock of pigeons were roosting nearby. A distraction? Yes. Chiara whistled and pointed at the beast’s six fiery eyes. The birds took flight and harassed the great beast, with two of the pigeons flying away with two eye-shaped prizes. Augustus had grasped one of the beast’s legs and was tearing it apart. According to the scant thoughts that graced her mind, he didn’t need assistance. She swatted another leg with her makeshift metal sceptre, causing it to recoil slightly before swooping onto her head. Chiara couldn’t move fast enough, but a pleasing DONK sound resonated. Amalia had her shield above her head, straining under the repeated jabs and attacks. A protective dome formed around the two women. Chiara peeked underneath the shield. She looked at Amalia’s shaking arms and remembered the trace of life emanating from her shields.

“How much can you lift?” she asked Amalia.

“I’m used to carrying heavy objects, but I don’t have the strength of a powerlifter.” Amalia flicked her gaze at Chiara. “What’s on your mind?”

Chiara looked over to where Helen was fighting off another leg of the creature. “Your energy signature has traces of growth and nature. Can you control plants?”

Amalia nodded. “That skill isn’t as developed in a crisis, but it’s something that my amulet can perform adequately well.”

“What’s the strongest plant that can carry two women who can jump far?”

“You’re thinking of a tree. With strong roots, enough time to establish itself in the soil, and favourable conditions including sunlight, adequate water, and soil composition; you will have a strong tree able to survive in its specific biome.” Amalia carefully searched Chiara’s face. “Unless you need it right now. Normally, I wouldn’t recommend trying to rush a tree’s development, but we are in a crisis. I would recommend Salix alba for your purposes.” She winced as the pounding grew more intense. “I’m going to grow a S. alba seed right now. When I release the shield, the growth will be accelerated beyond regular parameters. Make sure Helen is with you.”

Chiara waited for the silent countdown. As soon as the shield had fallen, Chiara grabbed the edge of Amalia’s shield and flipped onto the face of the shield. The woman looked familiar, she thought, before jumping again to hold on to a rapidly growing willow tree branch. She missed, her fingers just grazing the leaves, but she managed to land on a lower branch. Her chest felt like it was on fire, but she hung on. Everyone was depending on her, she couldn’t falter now. The beast’s horns were no longer growing. From her ascending perspective, Helen noticed the growing tree and was charging up the trunk, Clytemnestra was attacking the creature with sonic blasts, and Dana was thankfully far away and close to the studio. She had no time to ponder anything, once she felt the beast’s sulphurous breath on her skin.

Chiara stuck her head through the branches. Helen wasn’t going to make it up the tree trunk.

“Helen! Throw your pen up here!” she yelled.

“Why—”

“Do it!”

Helen lobbed her white and yellow pen up, which Chiara nearly fumbled before managing to grab it by the tip. It looked nice, and she briefly imagined it being paired with a golden sceptre before focusing on what she was here to do. Climbing to the top of the tree, she dove down. Once she was below its neck, she thrust the pen forward into its stomach. Chiara wasn’t prepared for the amount of blood that gushed out of its wound, spraying her from head to toe. Finally, the pen stopped cutting close to the creature’s abdomen. Spitting out black blood and wiping her face with a spare hand, she steadied herself on the pen and pushed away the bleeding flesh.

The putrid scent that emanated from every orifice made Chiara want to gag. Nevertheless, she mustered her courage and walked forward. Everything inside the stomach disgusted her from the rotting flesh to the undigested bones, but a small beam of light encouraged her resolve. At the top of what Chiara supposed was a bulging mass of soon-to-be-digested food, her heart was pushed against the wall. She grabbed it. The heart started to glow, illuminating her face.

The heart of the King…I wonder how fragile it is.

The scurrying of insects didn’t bother Chiara nor did that persistent voice unlike the one in her dreams—until one of them started to peel back the protective layer, exposing her lightbulb heart and the rest of her chest cavity. She yelped as one of the bugs attacked her ribcage, threw it as far as she could, and hobbled out of the chamber, millions of little beetle-like insects giving chase.

See how the great lion cowers from her adversaries? They’re only bugs, beneath your notice. Or perhaps your hubris has fallen? Can you see it now?

She ignored the voice yet again. She was Chiara Agosti, holder of the golden amulet, wielder of the power of the Sun, tamer of beasts, and she would not die in a stinking monster’s innards. They had ripped apart the protective layer, fully exposing her internal organs to the outside world. Clutching her heart, she pushed back the pulsating flash and stepped back onto the pen. The insects were crawling slowly towards her—wait. Could she talk to them? She tried to send a signal, flee, eat—that worked. One of the beetles dashed back in and started to gnaw inside the body. That…wasn’t something she lingered on for long. It was also only one insect, and the rest of them were all too eager to devour her flesh. There was only one way, she thought. Wrenching the pen free of the beast’s flesh, she dove backwards into the sky.

With her hair whipping in her face and her heart running amok, Chiara had to nudge the heart close to her completely exposed chest. The chest formed small tendrils of light connecting to the heart—until her chest completely absorbed her heart, light running over her chest healing it from the haphazard surgery that Helen had performed. Chiara felt a resurgence in power and the Sun was shining brighter than before—the ground was closer than she expected.

Before she could do anything, a net broke her fall.

“So is this how it feels to save the day? Because I’m starting to understand why you enjoy it so much.” Dana grinned behind a massive harpoon, hair flapping in the wind. “Ciao Signora Agosti.”

“Ciao Signora Divata.” Chiara laughed heartily.

“Dana what is that?!”

“Relax Vittorino, Chiara will explain shortly.”

Chiara wriggled in the net to face Vittorino and Viviana with her mouth agape. Nico was standing around, clearly confused.

“Is that a lion's tail?” Viviana asked.

“Yes,” she replied. “You can ask Dana or your boyfriend. Check his shoulder.”

Viviana mouthed something to Vittorino, who mumbled something in reply.

Chiara summoned a blade and cut herself free. “Now that you are here…where am I exactly?”

“Close to the Museo dell’Ara Pacis,” Nico answered. “I know that you were able to tame an out-of-control and starving lion, but that?!” He pointed at the rampaging beast. “What’s your plan for that?”

Chiara smirked. “Oh, I have a plan alright…”

She was glad that the reunification of her heart had also cleansed her of the guts, the blood, and everything from that foul creature. Vittorino was in position, and Helen had picked her pen up. Amalia and Clytemnestra had followed Augustus back to where she and the film crew were camped out.

“So you are sticking with your original plan,” Dana stated.

“Yes.”

“Then I am coming with you. Someone has to protect you from yourself. At least, I'm staying nearby with the harpoons.”

Chiara nodded. Dana was already aiming the harpoons at the creature and Amalia was forming a shield around them. Her heart was beating vigorously in anticipation of the battle ahead. The creature was still rampant, smoke pouring out of buildings. Amalia, Dana, and Helen followed her, the shield she wielded at her side. Once they were close by, Helen sent out a telepathic blast. The beast bellowed in pain. Chiara noticed that the wound she left with Helen’s pen had closed up. She called up golden platforms again, traversing them until she was at the creature’s eye level. Shooting off two spears of golden light, she easily caught the beast’s attention. The enraged bull was now charging at her, albeit at a slower pace than usual. From her height, it looked like Augustus was successful in tearing off one of its legs. As it clattered close to the Tiber River, Chiara knew it was time.

“Amalia!”

Amalia held up her shield as a massive dome sprung up, trapping the monster in. Chiara platformed her way to the monster, punching it in the face and dragging it with golden chains to the riverfront. Dana shouted as the extra nets ensnared the remaining three legs of the creature while her harpoons struck its torso and shoulders. Chiara dropped the chains and proceeded to drop a hard light sceptre onto the monster’s head. It roared in rage and tried to headbutt her, only for Chiara to smack it in the head again. Helen was attacking the little ‘legs’ on its back and was almost on its neck when the beast lurched and sent her toppling. Luckily she managed to impale her pen in the abdomen. Under too much strain, the nets and the harpoons snapped, sending the beast tumbling into the Tiber River.

Chiara jumped off the platforms. “Good work everyone!”

Amalia nodded and smiled slightly. Clytemnestra saluted her and Dana breathed a sigh of relief while removing the flesh from the harpoons. Viviana was busy pressing Vittorino for the details and Nico was watching the river. Chiara decided to watch the placid river. Helen…wait, Helen was stuck on its abdomen with her pen. Why hadn’t she resurfaced—

Get everyone away from the river now!

A massive swell of water erupted, washing everyone in river water. Dana was about to reach a building when a black leg grabbed her. Amalia shrieked as another leg grabbed her and Vittorino while Augustus and Nico were struggling against another leg wrapped tightly around them. The beast roared, black fangs entangling a limp body in its jaws. Helen was unconscious by the looks of it, but judging by the deep cuts on the horns, she hadn’t gone down without a fight.

“Helen!” Clytemnestra shouted.

She’d missed this, she’d missed the idea that the beast would take her heart and her friends…

Wallow in your pain girl, wallow in the pain you caused. Dana would have never been here if you hadn’t insisted on facing this creature head-on. Neither would the film crew that you so dearly love and cherish. How will Antonio feel once he learns that you’ve killed his closest friend and his cameraman?

She hated this voice and wished that it would stop talking. The only people left were her and Clytemnestra. Everyone else was trapped or incapacitated. She couldn’t attempt to restrain the creature without hurting everyone, Clytemnestra was too far away, and everyone was too restrained by the legs to do anything useful. In the distance, she could see everyone struggling to escape, from Amalia jamming multiple shields between her and the legs to Augustus biting down hard on the leg holding him to Dana kicking the legs and attempting to spray mace upwards with her mouth clenched around the canister.

Some part of her heart lightened with their resistance. Thoughts of spending time with the film crew, showing off her stunts in front of them, saving Antonio from Augustus all those days ago, delivering Giulia her meal every day, and seeing Dana smile with each new gift and listening to her talk about her family. She thought about Augustus and his dreams of going home to the savannahs of his childhood, how he always accepted Chiara as a friend even though their first meeting involved him trying to kill her, and his frequent denials of caring for everyone even when he accepted pats from Dana and Giorgio. Even though she hadn’t spent much time with Amalia and the twins, she knew that Amalia’s fears were lessening, and she was regaining some measure of confidence. Helen was an old soul and whatever she had seen had affected her immensely, but the bond she shared with her sister was helping her.

How much do you remember? About everything?

Nothing? Who was this? Why did this person from her dreams think they knew everything about Chiara? Wait, why were they outside of her dreams?

You may think you stand alone but think of this. A king has a crown, a sceptre and a divine right to rule; they also have consorts, advisors, courtiers, and subjects. Think about them, your girlfriend, your companions, your friends.

She always had. Every moment she experienced with them, she kept them in her heart.

Seize the morning glory with your hands.

Her heart was glowing now, shedding golden light. The Sun was a little brighter today. The beast roared and its grip on her friends tightened, but Chiara was undeterred. She was going to save them and defeat the monster. No one was going to stop her.

Take it! Take it now!

Her heart pounded, the glow increasing in intensity. Seizing the moment, she created platforms, charging up across the river, and leaping into the fray. Touching her chest with her right hand, she seized the glowing light from her heart—and pulled out a golden hilt wrapped in red cloth. Wrenching the object clear of her chest, she was awed by it. The pommel was in the shape of a lion’s head, and attached to the hilt was a long golden blade that shone like sunlight and ended with a sharp edge. The crossguard had two ends in the shape of a circle with a dot in the middle and it fit her hand perfectly.

Morning Glory, that’s its name.

The beast bellowed, but Chiara detected a small hint of fear. Morning Glory pulsed with energy, and she released it. Beams of golden light spiralled out of the blade’s tip and pierced through the legs and fangs holding everyone captive. The beast roared in pain while everyone was falling. Chiara swooped in with a hard light net, managing to catch Dana in her arms.

“I told you I wouldn’t be hurt, cuore mio,” she teased Dana.

“Oh please, you would have died if I hadn’t been there to catch your fall.” Dana rolled her eyes, but Chiara knew that she smiled a little.

Once she managed to get everyone on solid ground, they were all relieved. Nico, Vittorino, and Viviana thanked Chiara and her “magic sword”, Dana checked to make sure Chiara and everyone else were alright, Augustus and Amalia were relaxing, and Clytemnestra was trying to wake Helen. All she needed to do was take care of the creature infesting the river. She met the beast’s gaze.

“Now that everyone is out of the way, I’ll show you true combat! Come and test your might against mine! Or are you afraid that I’ll defeat you at full strength?” she yelled at the beast.

The beast roared in defiance as Chiara leapt into the air, sidestepping its swipes, and swinging her sword into its back. The resulting force pushed it across several streets and caused multiple car horns to go off. Chiara followed on steps of hard light, swinging her sword and driving the creature away from her friends. The beast managed to get in a few blows of its own, sideswiping her left shoulder and nearly taking out her leg. Eventually, she managed to trap it inside the Colosseo. In this ancient arena, the two combatants faced each other down, Chiara with her golden sword and the beast with its mighty black horns. Both were covered in dust and dried blood, which surprised Chiara since some of it was her blood. She smiled despite her injuries and twirled her sword.

“Do you know what this is?” she asked the beast. “It’s called the Colosseo. People used to fight here for glory, gold, and for the entertainment of the Colosseo’s patrons. Most of the time, it was impersonal combat.” She smiled. “But you, who decided that my heart, my friends were mere collateral? I think that makes this very personal, but I am nothing if not an entertainer. Why not put on a show to remember for the ones you’ve sought to wound?”

The beast roared, although it wasn’t much of a threat at this point with one leg missing and the rest having their tips sliced off by hard light beams. Chiara took up her sword and dove at the beast.

Its horns glowing, the beast charged at Chiara who somersaulted upwards and plunged Morning Glory into one of its horns. Cracks began to appear and she lost her grip once the horn separated.

The painful roar from the monster gave Chiara enough time to summon five beams that pierced through the faint traces of the cut she made with Helen’s pen. Reopening the wound certainly made it hard for the beast to attack her, as it was concentrating on guarding its open wound. Chiara gripped Morning Glory with both hands and parried its leg strikes.

The beast on its last reserves of strength made one last ditch effort, swinging its remaining horn at Chiara. Dodging it, she swatted away the horn with a well-timed light blade before leaping and driving Morning Glory into its neck.

In its death throes, the beast collapsed backward, sending dust everywhere. Chiara wiped her forehead with the back of her wrist. Morning Glory was covered in black blood, but it still shone in the Sun’s afternoon rays. With a flick of her wrist, the blade was clean again.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a dark figure on top of the Colosseo with a whip. She blinked and the figure vanished. A trick of the light, she supposed.

Augustus was the first to reach her, licking her wounds with his tongue. Everyone else pulled up in Giorgio’s van and Vittorino’s orange Vespa. Chiara’s smile widened with Dana’s appearance and they shared a deep kiss. Amalia watched intently, only interjecting when they were finished.

“There are several reporters outside of the Colosseum, and I’m afraid of the compromised structural integrity.” Amalia’s attention was turned by the presence of some small plants. “I’m going to try an experimental technique.”

She placed her hand on the Colosseo. Within seconds, the Colosseo shook off millennia of dust—and started to grow back missing sections. Nico was stunned while Amalia’s eyes widened as the Colosseo was restored to its ancient glory. The seats were cleaned and polished, and everything looked ready for a gladiator duel.

“This…needs to be studied in a more controlled environment,” Amalia muttered.

Chiara decided to leave the Colosseo and meet her future adoring fans. Stepping out of the Colosseo, she waved with her left hand at the flashing lights and the snapping cameras. Someone already had their microphone out.

“Signora! What happened here? Did you kill that bull or spider creature that was wandering around Rome? What’s with that sword? Is that yours? Where did it come from? Who are you? What happened to the Colosseo?”

“I’ll answer your questions in due time, but first, my name is—”

“The King of Beasts!”

Chiara stared at Clytemnestra. The reporters fell silent. How could she take away her spotlight?! After defeating that creature, Chiara thought she had earned some public gratitude.

Sorry, but Helen and Amalia want you to keep quiet about your name. Due to some past circumstances, we are currently in need of secrecy.

Other than being chased by the Carabinieri? Speaking of them, what exactly happened?!

It’s a long story. The short answer is that it’s unwise to ask them for help hiding us.

She was going to answer some questions anyway. Snatching the microphone out of the reporter’s hands, she coughed loudly. Everyone’s attention was restored to her.

“I did kill that creature by myself, it came from an otherworldly dimension, and my sword is named Morning—”

One sharp telepathic blast later, and everyone except Clytemnestra and Chiara were clutching their heads in pain. Vittorino was removing every camera and phone from the camera operators while Nico was tossing them in the meat locker. Helen was awake and sitting on the floor, but Chiara noticed that her hands were twitching.

The side effect of being in contact with the abyss for too long. I shapeshifted to hide any traces of taint, but there are some things you can’t hide with enough lies.

Can I try and wipe their memories?

That’s an advanced skill and I can’t do that. It’s better to persuade them that the King never said anything. By the way, did you pull ‘The King of Beasts’ from my mind?

Yes.

…okay, we are going to need to discuss pulling thoughts from my mind. Did you persuade them all to forget everything that happened yet?

Yes.

Perfect.

Chiara checked in on Nico, Vittorino, and Viviana. All three were in good health, no major injuries, and only had minor scratches for their ordeal. They were going to head home. Chiara was about to ask Dana, but she knew what the answer would be.

“No, I’m not staying in my apartment. All we are doing is getting your Vespa and your amulet, and besides…” She smiled. “Remember how my Ate Willa always had an impeccable sense of smell? There’s a reason for it…I just want you to meet her one day. The last I heard of Liza was that she was being abducted by someone inside the computer. I’ll join you on your journey. I want to see you and my sister safe, and I can’t do that if I’m stuck in Rome.”

Chiara accepted. Dana wasn’t some wilting flower that needed constant protection.

Clytemnestra was reading something. “Amalia tried reading this, but she gave up since it was in English and she can’t read English. Do you speak English?”

“No, ask Dana.”

“Alright, thanks.”

Dana and Helen were gathered around Clytemnestra. Chiara had no clue what they were trying to read or what they were talking about.

“What’s in your hand?” she asked Clytemnestra.

“When we were at Raffaello’s house, I found this card behind the painting he bought at the auction. Now, based on what I’m reading, I’m thinking that it’s from one of the three people that visited him and severely injured him, one of the buyers off of the mysterious list, or both.” Clytemnestra showed the green card to Chiara.

“I can’t read English. Dana, what does it say?”

“Seven Sisters Investment Holdings, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. Established in 1989.”