Rhiannon's Journal - Season 2

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## Home Sweet Home? (Pre-Season)

September 25, 2018

I've been back in Halcyon for little more than a week now. Somehow already managed to partly(?) destroy things in ***two*** areas of the city. Yep, I am feeling riiight at home (that's sarcasm, in case it was unclear). Honestly what was the point of all that training if I can't even- Nevermind.
To explain:
The first one wasn't entirely my fault. I think it was around the 19th? They'd finally let me leave the hospital so I wanted to go for a walk. I was just visiting the baseball field for old times, minding my own business. At that point it had actually been converted to more housing for treating the victims of Transformation Day. Suddenly some crazy guy decloaked a bloody space ship and started opening fire. Seemed he had some sort of grudge against this kid that had been lurking about (called himself Ambush), and collateral was clearly not a concern.
I tried to focus on protecting the civilians - they've all been through more than enough already. Another hero named Challenge popped in and helped out a lot with that (found out later she's actually an old childhood friend, funny enough). Seems we managed to save some important researcher in all that too, Dr. Antonio Eaton. He's part anteater now but is still apparently quite capable and seeking a cure for the Permutation Pink affecting all these people.
Ambush and some gas-masked teen in uniform who goes by Sherman were primarily engaging the ship, though I'd say we all did our part - for better or worse. Eventually we took care of it, but uh... a section of the bleachers mayyy have been demolished and that hero memorial at the edge of the field is looking a bit worse for wear. Sorry about that, Halcyon...

Tonight though... Yeah, tonight was my fault.
Sherman gave Challenge and I a call, asked if we might help him out with a joint mission for COLOR and the Big Team (Gwen's group). I said 'Sure, sounds like fun'. The intel said GREY (who can kindly fuck off) was dropping off some sort of package at the docks and we just needed to intercept it. Simple, right? And really the whole thing started off going well. Until it didn't.
A member of the Big Team was joining us as part of that whole joint mission deal. Steel Spirit Gamma was the name, though it seemed he was actually some sort of remote-piloted mech suit? Quite impressive really. He decided to pose as a dock worker; Sherman knocked out some GREY guard, took his uniform, and posed as that; Challenge was observing from some darkened doorway nearby; and I was on the roof of one of the warehouses for a birds-eye view.
Steel Spirit spotted the package first. A couple GREY gents were just holding it and waiting by a completely empty dock, which was of course suspicious. Also rather unsettling was the box having a biohazard symbol on it. After a bit, some thing with tentacles started crawling out of the water - this seemed to be the person(?) picking up the delivery.
Challenge started breaking glass and making other suspicious noises to startle and distract them - it worked! They dropped the package and turned their attention away from it. I took that opportunity to carefully portal the item to Steel Spirit, who was nearby. I was hoping they might not notice and he could just slip away with it before they could react. Sherman said over the comms (COLOR lent us a set for the mission) that he was dressed as GREY so we should let him take the package - he would run off with it and they would engage only the rest of us since the package was 'safe' with one of their own.
It was a good plan in theory... He grabbed the box from Steel Spirit, Challenge called out with the classic 'oh no, they're getting away' ploy, and I made a show of trying to block him with a barrier and failing. And away he went with the package. Success, right? However- yeah, we all gave away our positions.
The grunts started to open fire on Challenge. I threw up a shielding circle in front of her, but I think tonight made it clear I've never really dealt with group combat awareness - the squid person got the drop on me. He got a solid grip with those tentacles and tossed me off the damned roof. I can fly sometimes, but not when I drop that fast with no warning. So... the fall wasn't a huge deal (though it hurt like hell), but it broke my concentration on the shielding arcane circle. Never a good thing. And always unpredictable. This time the magic decided to be a tree. Not a regular tree mind you, a colossal tree that exploded out of nothing and wrecked part of the pier while also launching Challenge sky high (of note, she ***cannot*** fly). I think it also knocked the GREY folks off balance too, so that was a plus I guess.
Meanwhile the squidman had jumped down and tangled me up in his tentacles again (for being so squishy and flexible, a squid is surprisingly strong). Thankfully Steel Spirit charged over to help me. Managed to knock the guy off but got himself wrapped up instead. He also snapped at me a bit, but... I deserved it. He told me if I've got all this power I should use it to fix the mess I made - or something along those lines. That may just be my interpretation, because honestly he seemed too nice to say what he truly thought of me, heh.
With the GREY goons still around and Challenge falling through the sky, I could really only think of one thing that might help with both? Looking back, it was a pretty foolish idea and could have really backfired... but you know what they say about hindsight. So I summoned a whirlwind. Yep. Giant fucking whirlwind reaching up to the sky next to/around my giant fucking instatree. Got rid of the GREY (still have no idea where they ended up honestly). Somehow managed to control the winds enough to catch Challenge and bring her down gently for the most part, so I think the cyclone was actually guided a bit by my intent.
She still got hit in the face with a crate though. Oops. Right when she was about to make an epic flying kick at squidman too. Steel Spirit was able to get in a good burn on the cephalopod at that point. Popped out a nice little flamethrower gadget from his arm (I may have given it a little extra juice) and the squid really didn't like that. Memories of calamari perhaps? Anyway. Challenge called out that all of us have one of those and he'd better turn tail if he doesn't want some more. We didn't have those of course. But it didn't know that and didn't seem interested in finding out. Back into the water it went. That girl is clever.
So uh. Mission complete. Technically a success. Sherman called back on comms to ask about the tornado and how things turned out on our end. I may have played things down... a lot. He told me I should be less conspicuous with my magic but it's not like my intent was to make everything crazy. I've been working on my control for ***eight years***but it's- it's just not that simple.
I apologized to Challenge and asked if she was okay. She said she was okay and everything was fine and we're all good, but I could see it. That fear. The same fear I saw in Elise's eyes when she retired and said goodbye after that day... I'm not sure if it's better or worse that they try to pretend it's not there.
Steel Spirit remained very nice and polite. Focused on the positives and our success on the actual mission part. He even told us to drop by and join the Big Team. On one hand that sounds kind of nice - bunch of kids my age trying to become heroes, plus Gwen is there and seems to like them. On the other hand, Cyclone is in charge of that team... He's probably already heard by now what a royal shitstorm this mission was. I'm not sure I can face my childhood hero with this as an introduction. Besides, I'd probably just wreck something there too.
Maybe an honorary member or something? Just- on the bench or on call- I guess- is that a thing they do?

## First Day

October 1st, 2018

Today started out okay... I thought it was going to be a good day...
I went back to school today. Like, real school with hundreds of other students kind of thing. Got there early (I can't sleep late when I'm excited), got a tour from Principal Crossover and met one of the other new kids named Alex. She's- difficult to read. A very odd mix of rude and abrasive, yet somehow likeable and entertaining? Though she didn't really grow on me until all of us messing around in homeroom.
'All of us' in this case was myself, Gwen, Olivia, Jackson, and Alex. We had fun! Joking around, giving each other shit... I really felt like a normal high schooler, heh.
Lunch was a bit strange. Some big part-lizard guy bullied a couple jocks into giving him lunch money. Jackson and I weren't comfortable intervening, but we weren't happy with it either. The rest of the group was trying to be friendly with a table of the recently Transformed when we finally showed up with our food. It seemed like it was going well, but that same lizard came around and convinced all of them not to hang out with us. Plus they mentioned being too busy to join in after school on the new accepting board game club the others came up with.
First fuckup of the day- English literature class had a substitute teacher. No big deal, right? We had a pop quiz, which was fine for me because Romeo and Juliet was the topic and I'm fully caught up on the reading I was given after enrolling for classes. Jackson, however, was *not* prepared and asked me to help him out. I should've just said no... But- look, I haven't really had what you could call 'friends' in a really long time? I thought- I mean- it's just a silly quiz, what would be the harm?
As it turns out...
God, I can't even- tears, Rhiannon? Really?! ***(ink smudges on page)*** I didn't cry in front of him or anything thank god, but- The substitute teacher was Cyclone, okay? There. I wrote it. Of all the people. And he caught me helping Jackson cheat. One of the very few people on earth that I would have truly wanted to be proud of me, and the first thing he sees me do is *that*.
Why didn't Gwen warn me...? She apparently recognized him without the costume right away...
Anyway. Apparently he had a mission of sorts he wanted us to look into. I wasn't paying much attention to his instructions after the 'big reveal'. Too busy hiding behind Gwen and wishing I would cease to exist. Found out later that he was worried that the transformed kids were being recruited for nefarious purposes. We decided to follow our new transformed acquaintances to their after-school engagement in the park. Freedo disguised himself and Parrot as transformed with his illusions so that they could be present at the meeting itself. I put up a glamor field that hid the rest of us from basic perception, and we observed from a distance.
The meeting wasn't really what I expected. To me it seemed more like a counseling and support session rather than any sort of dastardly recruiting. Monkey (it's what he called himself; I'm really not sure what his name is?) especially felt very genuine and empathetic. Disguised Parrot was called upon to 'share' and actually gave a very touching speech without anything even slightly offensive. Honestly it made me respect her a lot more. You can't make a speech like that without real empathy and caring.
So the meeting went off without any issue. Our infiltrators stuck around with the other attendees for some chatting afterward. More talking with Monkey. But then they also approached Jared, the lizard guy from lunch, who really took a liking to Freedo in his lizard illusion. They found out he and some buddies were planning to go rough up a gas station owner tonight who had put up a 'No Transformed' sign and been refusing to provide service to all the victims of the T-Day attack... I understand where they were coming from, but at the same time that really isn't the way to go about fixing the issue and would likely make it all worse. Freedo managed to get himself an invite.
Once we regrouped and discussed, our group chose to have Parrot and Freedo rejoin the transformed 'gang' (Jared the lizard, a bear man, and a bull man) while the rest of us staked out the gas station. I created a glamor to look like the station owner while the other two acted like customers in the convenience store and the actual owner hid in the bathroom. We messaged Cyclone the plan (I think? Gwen did it and she's not always big on details heh).
Then came the actual confrontation. Honestly it didn't go too poorly? Jared yelled at me a lot (as the station owner) and his buddies broke a few things. I tried to talk them down without much luck (not to mention terrible voice acting). When things looked like they were about to get physical, Parrot-Parrot (yes she was disguised as a parrot transformed) saved it by saying a friend she had with police buddies texted her and the cops were on the way. She claimed her and Lizard-Freedo would stick around to cover their exit and get some hits in on the owner for good measure. So off the troublemakers went! I was more than a little relieved...
After they left, we had a little chat with the owner. First he started out quite belligerent and angry about the transformed, especially since Parrot asked Freedo to keep her disguise illusion active so the man freaked a bit. We gave him a stern talking to about the fact that they're just scared kids dealing with a drastic change that wasn't their fault, and that people like him treating them like monsters was only hurting them more. Much to my surprise, he really seemed to take our words to heart. In the end, between all of us we convinced him to rethink his actions. He agreed not to put up that awful sign anymore, and even said he'd speak to some of his other contacts in the area about doing the same. I was- quite proud of us for how it all turned out really. Next we decided to go report everything to Cyclone back at this 'Big Team Base' I've been hearing about and then perhaps let Monkey know about the angry transformed boys, since they'd be more likely to listen to him.
I was- reluctant to go back to the base. I very much did not feel up to facing Cyclone again after that disastrous first meeting... We got there and went to his office. I chose to wait outside next to the door so I could hear, but hopefully not be seen. This was working just fine for me, but when Cyclone asked for a detailed account of events apparently Parrot thought I would be the best option for some reason. She popped out of the room, grabbed my arm, and dragged me back into the office with everyone. And him.
I tried to give as much detail on the plan and gathered intel as seemed appropriate, but- I couldn't even look at him. I still felt like such absolute shit. Gwen noticed me having trouble and jumped in on describing the execution, but she blew my contributions *way* out of proportion making me sound like some big selfless hero. Parrot was just nodding along profusely, and I wasn't in much position to deny everything. The basic events were accurate enough I suppose. It was very sweet of Gwen, but I can only imagine the shade of scarlet I turned in my embarrassment... In the end Cyclone really did tell us we did a good job. So that was one highlight of the day I suppose.
Then the other shoe dropped. A shoe of titanic proportions.
We were talking about the Zodiac (that's what the organized group of Transformed is called). Cyclone was going to speak with Monkey about the delinquent boys and their actions/intentions. Gwen asked some questions about them since apparently the originals were all broken out of some GREY lab (again, fuck them). I- kind of get the impression there's something more she's not telling me about her interest there. But apparently these Zodiacs were broken out of the lab by Uncle Lance, which is news to me. We pressed Cyclone for more information, because last I heard Gwen didn't know *where* her dad was. He stayed pretty tight-lipped and, despite mine and Gwen's pressing, insisted it wouldn't be a good idea for them to see each other. After *two years* apart! I didn't agree with him, but decided to let the subject drop for the moment. Maybe a more private or subtle approach would be better, plus our teammates were still in the room. Then I spotted Gwen out of the corner of my eye and her body language could only mean one thing...
I'm not sure what I was thinking. Part of my mind was like *"please don't hurt him"* but then another part was *"I don't want Gwen to get in trouble"*, and both led to the same decision. Next thing I knew, I was between Gwen and Cyclone and her fist was impacting my face. I didn't realize she could hit that hard... She knocked me straight over the desk and into Cyclone so we both landed in kind of a heap. I was- shocked. Also a little angry because damn that hurt. I lashed out. Scolded her about this not being the right way to do things. The look on her face before she ran out...
I helped Cyclone up and apologized for him having to break my 'fall'. He didn't seem to have anything to say about the incident right then, which was fine by me since I pretty much headed straight for the door as well. Were the others still there...? I'm not sure. Things were- a bit blurry right then and I could feel a headache coming on.
Was it a mistake to come back...? There were a lot of reasons for me to return to Halcyon, but Gwen was the biggest and most immediate. Then one of the first things I do is stand against her? I don't think it was wrong of me to protect him, but if Gwen- if she doesn't want me here anymore, I don't
***(the sentence ends suddenly with the addition of more water stains and the entry does not appear to resume)***

## Sound of Silencer

October 8th, 2018

So most all of this happened yesterday but- for reasons that will become clear, I wasn't really up to writing anything…
After my talk with Cyclone on Saturday, I was happy to be called in on a mission with Gwen. I know most of the story now at least, if not the details. But really it only confirmed my purpose all along... I just want to be there for her. Hopefully someday she'll open up and tell me everything herself. Until then, I'll be her loving cousin and whatever else she needs.
As for the mission, it started out simple enough. A group of criminals hijacked an armored truck full of money and we got the call to stop it - myself, Gwen, Freedo, and Parrot. Gwen and I took to the air (she has wings made of light now!? I'll admit, my conjured crow wings are pretty shabby in comparison ha). She carried Parrot, who seemed to really love the flying, while Freedo worked on getting ahead of the truck.
Parrot attempted a pretty reckless (if badass) move by having Gwen drop her into the back of the truck next to the man spewing bullets with a machine gun. Even after mimicking the armoring from the truck, the force from the bullets knocked her backwards and almost onto the pavement. I created some arcane portals with Badb’s help so that Parrot fell through one and popped up back inside the truck, but- something went a bit wrong. She ended up… fused with the floor of the vehicle? Or at least stuck through it.
Freedo managed to use his illusions to trick the driver into crashing into a wall (clever). Even though she was stuck, Parrot started breaking all the guns when the men dropped them in the crash. The first reaction for all the thugs was to pile of of the truck (Parrot heard something about a Plan B?). I was able to tap into my reservoir pretty easily this time and put up a barrier to trap about eight of them before they could escape or engage.
Gwen got the last three to surrender, but then Parrot spotted a bomb in the truck! She tore a hole on the metal to get herself free and away but we didn't think there was much time, so Gwen fucking used her sword as a fulcrum to launch the bleeding thing sky high! (with a little extra boost from Parrot) So- my cousin is even stronger than I realized. I'm glad she must have been holding back when she punched me…
The bomb exploded *mostly* harmlessly in the air, though the debris and money apparently fell across quite a large area and caused some damages… The police weren't very pleased with us (the thugs in my barrier were surprisingly appreciative though). The hero Sledge also showed up, but she was a bit more difficult to read. I'm not fully sure if she intended to scold us or praise us, however she was soon distracted by the appearance of some hero none of us recognized snooping around the scene of the crash.
After being called over, the man introduced himself as ‘The Silencer’ and claimed to be working on behalf of Police Commissioner Gordon O’Reilly (who apparently *really* doesn’t like The Big Team). Silencer’s goal, however, seemed to be helping us out in order to get TBT into O’Reilly’s good graces (or at least not on his shit list). I’m still not sure why this was important to him…
Sledge confirmed his claim with the Commissioner (and seemed pretty pissed about it honestly), thus left us with him to continue the investigation. The Silencer was certainly very nice and quite helpful, but- gods was he French. I still can't believe he kissed my hand (okay it was kind of flattering, but the mask made it weird). He pulled in another Big Teammate from behind the police line (her name is Redstreak! She was pretty quiet but seemed very sweet). Anyway- he then somewhat guided us in our investigation and Gwen found some sort of sniper’s nest on a roof nearby.
We all went up to check it out, but it was pretty much just a mat and some snacks. The view clearly showed the entire route of the truck though, including where it crashed. Silencer pointed out that there were no shell casings or other sign of any weaponry, but picked up an eraser and made a point that anything could be a weapon in the hands of who he believed was behind this - an assassin named Orbital who could use gravitational powers to make any object reach lethal velocity. Apparently Silencer had been pursuing him for quite some time and tracked him here. In addition to being involved in this incident, he believed Orbital planned to assassinate someone at a gala being held in the hotel that night.
Silencer didn't think he could handle Orbital himself, and wanted the help of us and the Big Team. He even provided invitations for us to get into the Gala. I think all of us found the whole thing a bit fishy- too easy perhaps? Being handed a mission and all this info on a platter basically… But we couldn't really risk ignoring it, and at least some of Silencer’s intentions felt genuine. He left the roof with the promise that he'd be around but likely unseen at the gala.
We stuck around for a bit longer and Gwen decided to use her retrocognition to get a better look at our culprit if possible. When she reached for the mat and pulled it up though… There was another bomb underneath it. And it was about to go off. I acted on instinct- I opened the floodgates a bit too far trying to get enough magic to create a circle that could contain the bomb in time. It worked! Everyone was fine and the roof didn't explode, but… the surge really took it out of me.
It hasn't hit me that hard for a while. Apparently the strain showed visibly, because Parrot and Freedo noticed. I appreciated their words (though Freedo's could use some work hehe). Gwen was able to get some info from the past of the items though- she saw a man with a solar system tattoo on his forearm watching the crash and watching us… Apparently he was about to attack but her vision ended before she could see what stopped him.
Not much happened between then and the gala, though Freedo scoped the place out a bit. I was told to dress fancy, which is easy enough since I cheat ha. I just put up a glamor of ‘normal’ me in a fancy dress over my hero appearance. Gwen and Alex looked quite fetching in their suits, and Jackson managed to find a casual way to dress nice. Redstreak (I should really ask her normal name) just dressed normally but that was fine, we had invitations and it's always better to let someone be comfortable and themselves.
We showed up with our invitations and got in without a hitch. Some of the others were trying to sneak some champagne but I was really quite fine with the orange juice… Everyone did some mingling (it was very intriguing watching Alex act so- schmoozy?), though I chose to mostly remain alert and watchful. We determined early on that the most likely targets were the billionaire Max Luthor(Silencer's main guess) or the Police Commissioner (was *not* expecting him to be there), since this Orbital was usually only hired for high profile hits. Conveniently the two were chatting together, along with some other man named Rodriguez. Alex went up to them and joined in like it was no big deal. Gwen started chatting with who I've since found out is some talk show host named Jay Jonah Fallon.
Then I saw it. A man with a solar system tattoo about to disappear into the crowd. If he was going for the kill right then, I couldn't risk losing him… So I dropped the glamor and cast binding magic to hold him in place. It did. But then the man smiled and rubbed off the tattoo. And all hell broke loose.
The lights went out, ALL the waiters pulled out weapons and started shouting while shooting at the ceiling, people were screaming... Mr. Luthor, Rodriguez, and the Commissioner were rushed to the stairs by Luthor's bodyguards who then blocked off the path up. I called out to the others that someone needed to get upstairs with them. But most of us were needed down with all the civilians.
From what I saw, everyone did an amazing job. It never ceases to amaze me how well a bunch of us asshole teenagers can do when the circumstances call for it.
Gwen managed to separate all the armed waiters from the guests with walls of champagne (? More tricks up my cousin's sleeve. Is it all liquids or just champagne, I'll have to ask later).
Parrot put on her helmet and coated herself in the hardwood floor. She tried to get past the bodyguards on the stairs but they bodychecked her back on her ass.
Redstreak ran over and touched my shoulder. It felt- odd. Like I was acting as a conduit for my magic but to an outside source? A bit like my Trinity Crow, yet not… But whatever it was allowed Redstreak to create my arcane circles physically and throw them like weapons?? I'd never considered that unorthodox approach, but it was surprisingly effective.
Things appeared to be largely under control downstairs but it felt more like a distraction as there was no sign of the assassin. Since nobody else had been able to reach the high value targets for protection, I decided there was no time to waste. With my magic being extra fickle yesterday, I wasn't sure what the wisest option was… But I went for it and tapped the source again, thankfully without incident. Then I used most of that power to transpose myself directly upstairs.
At first there was no sign of the three bigwigs that had escaped up here, so I went for the first closed door I saw. Inside on the floor, face down, was the Commissioner… I carefully rolled him over to see if he was okay. I was beyond relieved to discover he was just unconscious and would likely be fine. I called for the bodyguards in the hopes they'd come see to him, then I rushed to the open window hoping I'd find some sign of the other two men. I found a sign alright.
Floating outside the window was Max Luthor very clearly using some sort of power to hold up that Rodriguez gentleman - along with fifty or so blades hovering ready to skewer him. I was understandably confused and called out asking him to stop and what he was doing. That's when he turned to look at me and- it was not Luthor. The disguise was coming off his face, and there was a solar system tattoo on his arm. He said something about 'Ch(r)imaera’ needing to make a statement? … At that point my simple response of ‘fuck’ felt extremely appropriate.
Things started moving fast after that and it's still a bit fuzzy… I knew I needed to protect that man for as long as possible, at least until the others could get there to help. I had enough magic built up to create the barrier for one big hit, but not enough to keep it up. I'd have to tap into the raw source again.
It was my only guaranteed option, so I put that barrier up right as Orbital tried to drive the knives in. Tapping the raw magic is always taxing and after the backlash I got from it earlier, I was even more susceptible. It- it overpowered me this time. When the seal I maintain on this power cracks and I don't let it explode outward, it's- it's excruciating. It's like acid and lightning in my veins, and the runes feel like firebrands on my skin… I could feel and see the energy swirling around me, pulling at my clothes and hair like a raging windstorm. I channeled as much of it into the barrier as possible and it was working. The knives shattered and Rodriguez remained untouched. Then everything went black…
I don't really have the details of what happened after that. Thankfully Gwen and the others apparently showed up soon after to cover for my sorry ass, and in the end Rodriguez was saved. Everyone at the gala was pretty much unharmed as well, though apparently Orbital caused some structural damage to the hotel before he was finally subdued.
Once I woke up again, Silencer and Sledge showed up to congratulate us on a job well done. The Commissioner seemed begrudgingly grateful and was badgered into joining Cyclone dealing with the press. Then Silencer revealed he had a secondary employer for this whole Orbital deal… Rodriguez. Seems it was to repay a debt for the businessman helping Silencer get approved to stay in the country or some such. The hero seemed uninterested in working for him further. They bid farewell and Rodriguez stepped into a waiting limo… that said ‘Property of GREY’ on the license plate. I think that hit all of us pretty hard (though some more than others I'm sure…).
Nobody really wanted to talk about it at that point. So we all began to head off. Gwen had been helping me walk and stay steady ever since I woke up. I won't lie, it made me really happy to see how much she cared. She apologized for how things have been lately and for punching me. I gave her a big hug and told her all was forgiven, but also apologized for that and for my uselessness at the end of the mission today. She waved both off, and we spent some more time talking. I'm just- overjoyed to have my cousin back. I was really afraid she wasn't going to forgive me about last week.
I'm worried about her though… I didn't see it happen, but I heard people talking. Gwen, she- she cut Orbital’s arm off?? I know she's still my sweet cousin deep down, but if the past few years have changed her so much… Hopefully I can guide her back to the right path before she gets too lost. The way it sounds like Uncle Lance did…

*P.S. I almost forgot after writing all this from yesterday! I met Jake today, like Cyclone asked. I offered to help him catch up on the week of homework and notes he missed. It- started off pretty awkward. I didn't plan that out well and probably came across too overeager. He thought I was asking him out… Smooth, Rhiannon…*
*Once we got past all that though, it was a nice evening. He needed to stop by the store, so we did (that teleporter artifact is freaky as hell...) then went back to his house. I met his mom (she seemed like a sweetie!). We worked on the homework in his room (he had a picture of his hero grandma with Cyclone from his early Beacon days!! I've never seen that one!). Oh and his grandma is apparently a ghost that can chill in his head whenever she wants? Awkward.*
*In the end I'm not sure how much of a help I was… He seems really down after the T-Day incident, understandably. I tried to keep things light when I could but honestly I probably just made a big fool of myself. Sorry Cyclone. I really tried…*

Holy fuck, why did I write so much?! I really need to stop with the full play-by-play. It's not like anyone else is reading this.

## Broken Spirits

October 14, 2018

I thought it needed to happen. And maybe it did? (It was going to happen with or without me...)
I thought I knew what to expect. I didn't. (Cyclone surely can't know what it's like there. He wouldn't- I know he wouldn't...)
I thought I could help.
What a fool.
Alright that's enough, Rhiannon, just put it all out there.
I was hanging out with Gwen and Olivia at their Big Team Base this morning. I've been spending a bit more time there now that my cousin and I are on good terms again. When we got a message that Cyclone would be out on personal business for the day, the mice decided to 'play'. And by play, I mean Gwen decided now was our best chance to go against his wishes and sneak off to visit Uncle Lance in this 'spirit prison' Gwen discovered he was in.
I didn't like going behind Cyclone's back like that... But I knew there'd be no stopping my cousin, and better that I'm at least with her to keep an eye. Though I won't deny I also wished to see my uncle, even knowing what he'd done. He's family. And at one time, he was very dear to me...
Of course none of us three had any idea how to get to a spirit realm, much less whatever specific one this was. Gwen said one of her other friends had strong spirit ties though, so we went to him in hopes he could help. Gwen had *no* issue storming right into the shower area, but thankfully the poor guy was already fully dressed (though from the looks of it, he could pull off shirtless just fine...).
She introduced him as DomDom, but he seemed to prefer Dominik so I'll stick with that. He seemed nice. Very sweet with Gwen (I know she's mentioned him before). Later events would show that his good heart is his best feature (which honestly is saying a *lot*). Unfortunately he had no way to help us get to the spirit prison, and really wasn't sure we should be trying (saaame). However, he did know that Jake could get us there. Makes sense I suppose. He has that strange little magical teleporter and Gwen had said the prison was... under his tree?
Gwen was certain she could convince him (the girl is very hard to deny, it's true). We began to head out and bumped into another denizen of the base, Valor. He was- tall. Like, well above six feet. He looked like a robot, similar to Steel Spirit or Rekken, but he didn't *feel* like a robot. To some extent Olivia doesn't feel like a robot either, but this was different than that even. I wasn't going to be rude and ask 'what are you' or anything like that though. He seemed a bit down, so we invited him to come along with us. Sometimes it's nice to just get out and about. So off we went.
I knew where Jake's house was but nobody really knows I've visited him for tutoring on the school he missed. Dominik seemed confident he knew though, and he got close enough that I was able to more subtly say which house it was. Dumbass that I am, I forgot that his mom still doesn't know about all the superhero stuff - and this group isn't exactly inconspicuous. She didn't seem to question it when she opened the door though (perhaps because Valor said something *totally inappropriate and offensive* about her currently Transformed state!!). I'm glad Dominik gave him a hard elbow because it might have hurt me if I tried against that metal...
To keep things low-key and private, Jake agreed to come out with us to Philosotea (one of the group's favorite hangout spots, but maybe avoid the hot tea... its preparation is abysmal). The conversation started out a bit awkward with everyone saying sorry about Jake's mom and such, at which point, I *did* give Valor's chest a solid poke and a comment on being considerate (yeah, that hurt my finger... zero give on that metal chest).
I didn't really like the approach Gwen tried to take - trying to guilt Jake into helping for 'the Team' before even telling him what we needed. When she finally just asked flat, bot Valor and Jake immediately protested that it was a bad idea. Gwen came back with a comment about how they'd feel if they couldn't see their parents, and- Valor kind of stormed out. I have no idea what the story is, but he's clearly hurting as well... Gwen and Dominik went outside after him and eventually all three came back together.
Jake decided to help, but he had one condition: he was bringing his mom too. There was a healing spring in that realm and he hoped it could cure her. Of course we would never say no to that. And I desperately hoped it would work, for both Jake and his mother's sake. So we headed back to his house and waited outside while he had a talk with her. They were both a bit teary when they came out, but it seemed the matter was decided.
Jake originally thought he may need my magic to power his portal puzzle box, but he thought Dominik may be able to help too. This I was curious about. Dominik went off to the side for a bit and seemed to be... talking to himself? And someone said something about a dragon. When I decided to go ahead and ask, he came back and- there was an ethereal dragon arm overlaid on his? Like- a very large one. He grabbed the box and it opened a portal like it was nothing!Now, I am not a big fan of these portals but one must make do sometimes. We all stepped in and after that (stomach-turning) experience we were - I still can't even wrap my head around it - we were in a *literal spirit realm*. I've always heard theories and believed there must be other realms of some sort (even accidentally opened a portal or two myself), but I never thought I'd actually travel to one someday. It was... breathtaking. Mysterious and beautiful and more than I'd ever imagined, even compared to Avalon.
Of course, the scenery wasn't the only thing that changed. Dominik did too. He grew way taller, taller than Valor even. His eyes went all emerald and draconic, plus he had- scales? It was.. yeah. Looking at him and Valor together, I felt very small and honestly a bit intimidated.
We traveled to the healing spring first and ran into Jake's grandma there. After what I'd heard and the picture I'd seen (she looked just like it too, young and vibrant and heroic), I never expected her to be so... cruel. She tried to forbid Ms Mansick from using the pool and blamed her for all sorts of things. In the end, Jake tried to push past and Gwen and Dominik stepped in to back him up. They threw the old woman's hypocrisy back in her face and she didn't try to stop Jake further. I can't shake the sense there was more there than what we're aware of, but whatever it was couldn't have justified the way she was acting.
Jake led his mother to the pool and we all turned away (apparently you have to get naked to use it). Then we left her there to soak and hopefully heal while we attended to our other business. None of us could have expected what that would entail.
Jake led us to the gates of the prison. It's as far as he'd ever been. The place was very dark inside and quite empty until we reached some sort of reception desk. Nobody was there, so the others rang one of those little tap bells until someone showed up. He was- creepy. Very gaunt and practically skeletal, but ended up being nice enough. He offered the services of Girvil the Gerbil (yes, an actual spirit gerbil who was far too adorable) to guide us through the prison in search of who we were seeking, though it seemed they weren't certain where exactly Uncle was. The reason for that was soon to become clear.
As we continued further and deeper into this prison, the people and spirits being kept there were- they barely seemed alive. Were they even alive? I'm not entirely certain. Soulless... unresponsive... It was almost physically painful for me to see them and to be in a place so devoid of *life*. Was this place- were we actually visiting Hell?
We got to a level Girvil called 'The Freezer' which was freezing cold, yet there was rotting meat everywhere taunting the prisoners who were clearly starving. And by everywhere, I mean it was hanging from the ceiling and lining the walls and even floating in the icy slush we had to walk through. I think the only thing that kept us from vomiting was we were too busy thinking about how cold we were... Especially Rekken. I think I even heard her starting to crackle? (I often forget her flesh is more like rubber...) Jake turned into a polar bear and wrapped her in his arms to just carry her the rest of the way. It was very sweet, and actually the first time I've seen him transform. Impressive.
We were getting closer to the exit when Girvil began to grow alarmed - a large being was approaching us and looked anything *but* starved. We watched it cautiously but all it did when it got to us was ask if we had food. Of course they'd brought some trail mix (Can one be addicted to that? I'm growing concerned) and tossed it to him. He downed the whole package in one gulp and asked for more. Before we could ignore or avoid him further, he spotted Girvil and immediately got a disturbing glint in his eye then simply said 'Meat'.
Concerned for the terrified little spirit's safety, I put up a glamor to hide Girvil from view. I'd mostly avoided using my magic in this realm so far because I wasn't sure how it would react - easier to control? Harder? The answer was mostly harder, or at least in that moment. I barely managed it at all. Girvil was safely hidden though, which made the ravenous fellow turn toward the next best thing- the rest of us. Or in this case primarily me, since I'd had to move to cast the spell. Thankfully, before it could try a taste Valor jumped up to the ceiling and tore some of the (less rotted?) meat down and tossed it to the side as bait. The thing went for it and we all made a break for the exit before it could finish its meal - Gwen flew and carried Rekken, I conjured my crow wings and picked up little Girvil, Jake became a bird, and the other two essentially super jumped across the room. We got the door open, moved to the next level, and Dominik slammed it closed behind us.
I feel like this new level was one of my recurring nightmares... Not the kind you remember, but when you see it again your chest just tightens into a painful knot. Everyone was fighting and trying to kill each other. An endless battlefield where no one can ever die. I know there are evil people in the world... some even beyond redemption I'm sure, but- does anyone really deserve an eternity of *this*?? This entire place. It's painful to think about even when I'm not face to face with it. If I wasn't trying to keep a game face on for the group and Gwen, I'm not sure I could have kept from breaking down on this journey...
We asked Girvil what prisoners they kept on this level and he said the killers and other violent criminals. Gwen tried to ask if there was a level for those who killed with a just cause. I don't think any of us wanted to dent that faith in her father right now. But I convinced her to just fly up with Jake and look over the battlefield for Uncle Lance, just in case. I gave her a little magical sight boost also and- well, she found him.
Gwen brought him over to us and I could recognize the Lancelot I knew, but it was also not the man I remembered... In this place all the prisoners had no armor, just tattered clothing and scarred bodies. He looked so much older than the last time I'd seen him... so tired. And colder. But he looked so happy to see Gwen, and she was so happy to see him. He even recognized me (glad I kept my glamor up) and commented on how much I'd grown. That may not sound like much, but Uncle always had a way of making me feel special... Though I did scold him for not calling to tell the family about Gwen's abduction two years ago. Even so, surrounded by all the hate and suffering, their happiness was a bright spot in the crushing darkness I was feeling.
I hadn't really mentioned this up until now, but Gwen had transformed to bring out her angel light wings (ironic, I know) for illumination earlier in our trip. The armor that had appeared was not her usual style. It was more the full knightly plate like I used to see Uncle Lance wear - though his had never had this dark look. According to the others though, this was what he'd been wearing during his attacks in Halcyon. And now it was on Gwen? But as we watched, he touched her chest and absorbed the armor back onto himself. It made him look a bit more like his old self, and of course he'd still been wielding his sword.
The initial joy of their reunion was short-lived unfortunately. Gwen needed to know and had a right to know, though I wish she hadn't had to ask... She asked Lancelot how many he'd killed. 'More than a handful'... He didn't seem proud of it but nor was he remorseful. He still believes all of it was worth it because now Gwen was safe. I wanted to tell him that he was wrong - his killing didn't save her and didn't help her. The Big Team did. The conversation moved on before I got up the nerve.
Valor stepped in at one point (the two seemed to have a history?), and though all of us were a bit stumped on how to deal with this entire horrific issue Valor had a solid idea. I'm not sure if he was authorized in any capacity, but he told Lancelot he was arresting him and we'd be taking him back with us. To serve in an Earth prison. Gwen hugged him on the spot. I think all of us seemed mostly fine with this compromise? However, Dominik had a condition to go along with it: Lancelot could only come with us if he surrendered his sword to either Gwen or... me.
Uncle Lance looked to me first- I got the sense he found the idea intriguing and perhaps amusing. He asked my thoughts and I told him I wouldn't really make use of such a weapon but that I could keep it safe for him. I think he appreciated the offer but it must not have been the answer he was seeking. He looked to Gwen next and she seemed... conflicted. I could see it and I'm sure he could too. I don't know the exact details, but Gwen's sword is very important to her. Maybe even almost a part of her? I don't think she wanted Lancelot's sword, at least not yet. But I knew she would take it just to be able to bring him back with us. Rather than force her to make that choice, he rescinded the offer. He said she wasn't ready for it yet, and would not be giving it up until she was.
Uncle Lance was willing to stay here rather than force Gwen to bear his burden, even if she was willing... I don't think that's how the others saw it though. And Gwen was furious. She said if he wouldn't give her the sword and come with, then she'd take the sword and him by force. I tried again to make my offer of safeguarding the sword for both of them, but it was already too late.
Uncle Lance laughed at her challenge, but it was not mocking. I think he was excited to see what his little girl could do and didn't want to tarnish her challenge by refusing it. I think he was proud of her.
I'm proud of her too, headstrong loose cannon that she is...
Lancelot and Gwen brandished their swords at one another and the fight began. He allowed her to make the first move, but I could see the rest of the team bracing to join in the fray (except Jake - but I'm sure he had his reasons). This wasn't how it should be. We could find another way to get him home. They shouldn't be fighting- not like this.
Uncle and Gwen clashed swords a few times. She tried to do something fancy I think but missed and was left off-balance. He lunged back at her but she slipped out of the way. Rekken tried to trip him and got some deep cuts on her arms...
I didn't want it to continue... I *wouldn't* let it continue.
I let the power flow. It stung, but I got what I needed. Before anyone could launch another attack in the damned foolish venture, I threw up one of my barriers around Lancelot - a golden magic circle at his feet and a wall of shimmering light encircling him. Then I stepped between him and Gwen, hoping she'd calm down and stop fighting. I knew people could break it... but I was hoping they wouldn't try. Dominik and Valor both stood at the ready to attack if the threat resumed, but neither took action against it. I thought for sure Uncle Lance could break through if he really wanted to, but I could withstand a couple blows at least.
He didn't try though. When the barrier went up and it seemed people might let it be, Lancelot looked at me and just said...
'Thank you.'
Then he turned and started heading to rejoin the hellish battlefield, dragging his sword behind him as my barrier protected his passage.
Gwen wouldn't let it be though. I've never seen her display so much power. I don't even think I was aware just how powerful she can be. For a short time, I couldn't distinguish her magical energy from her sword's as the two rocketed past me. I didn't have time to reinforce the barrier as she shattered it in one massive blow. The backlash of it breaking in that manner should have hit everyone in the area, but Gwen somehow redirected it all away from us at least. It still left my head ringing a bit...
It caught Lancelot off guard too. He didn't even see it coming as Gwen slammed into him and basically tackled him to the ground. She didn't give him a chance to recover, attacking until he was out cold. Then she sat there pinning him, with those beautiful angelic wings of hers, and absorbed his armor back onto herself leaving him in the rags like we found him. Lancelot's sword lay next to him on the ground. To most it might seem like a moment of triumph, but-
It broke my heart.
Once it was clear he no longer had a say, Gwen was cradling him in her arms. Everyone was winding down after the tense, albeit short, battle. Then it was time to go. Valor offered to carry Lance himself and Gwen allowed it while she tried to tend to Rekken's cuts somewhat. Girvil said there was no way back out of the prison the way we came. Dominik said this place was like a book he read and that we may need to go all the way to the bottom to magically exit. Instead Jake decided to try his portal. I asked Girvil if he could come with us. I don't understand why he needed to remain in the terrible place... But he said he truly could not leave.
Dominik's dragon grandpa(?) activated the puzzle cube again and everyone went through. I waited to go through with Valor and Uncle Lance last. That's why I was able to see it happen- Lancelot was pulled from Valor's grip despite his best efforts, and swept back away to the prison we just left... All of that strife and it was for nothing. I was then even more certain we should have found another route to try and free Uncle from that place.
Everyone else arrived safely back, and even Jake's mother exited the portal with us. She was pretty out of it, but she was healed! Just like Jake had hoped. I was so happy for them, even if it was tainted by my sadness for Gwen. When she realized we hadn't managed to get Lancelot out in the end and where that meant he still was... She moved away and turned her back, but I knew she was crying. Breaking.
Olivia and I both went over and put our arms around her (Macha showed up for support as well, and I bless whatever granted me these crows). I told her we'd look for another way. There *must* be another way. We can't- *I* can't- just leave him there like that. I think we helped a little. But this will take time to heal... for all of us I think.
I may talk to Cyclone about this. I can't believe he'd approve of this treatment either.
.....
Uncle Lance? I'm- I'm so sorry for taking your sword. I thought you'd be back with us and I just wanted to follow your wishes... But I'll keep it safe, whether for you or for Gwen, when she's ready. Like I promised.

## Series of Unfortunate Events

October 20, 2018

This whole week has been weird honestly.
Sunday was our 'visit' to Uncle Lance... Followed immediately by another big shock. (Let's just pile it all on, shall we?)
Elle does seem to be settling in well though. And- it is nice to have the old house a little less empty. Aife has been living here, but she's always either out or stays in her suite... Carol and Lukas stay in the guesthouse. So it's really just been me. I offered a room to Gwen of course, but I get the feeling she doesn't really want to. It might even be less likely now that Elle is here? Everything just seems to be getting more complicated...
The rest of the week has just been school, some shopping for Elle, research, planning, preparation, and gathering materials. I finally stopped by Smithtons' Apothecary and Cabinet of Curiosity for the first time since I came back (Mother and father always said they found the place quite useful). Excellent stock, though I did need to special order a few things to pick up later. Usually I don't need components, but this is a special case.
Oh, and I did tell Cyclone about where Uncle Lance is and the conditions of that place... I wasn't entirely honest with him about how I got the information, but- I didn't want to get the others in trouble. If it's just me, that's fine. Who needs their hero to be proud of them anyway? (Ugh, stop being a little bitch, Rhiannon...)
I'm not sure if he'll do anything with the information- or if he even can. Hopefully it will help him understand though if anything- reckless happens in the future. I could tell he hadn't known though, which was a huge relief. If he knew, I'm not sure I could have looked at him the same...
As for today, it seemed like it was going to be a simple enough mission. Cyclone called me in along with Dominik, Rescue (with Search!), Wild Thang (Jake), and Squire. It was nice to see Dominik and Jake again under less... strenuous circumstances. I enjoy their company and really respect them as members of the Team, though whether that's mutual I really can't tell. Reading people was never really a skill I picked up on- though I like to think I can tell when people need comforting. Good for that at least.
I had yet to meet the other two prior to this, though I'm pretty sure I'd seen the cowboy in passing a time or two when visiting Gwen.
Rescue seemed pretty chill and like he could be a lot of fun if we weren't trying to be all heroic and professional at the time. Plus he also has magic! Though it- felt quite different from mine. Also, his dog was the absolute sweetest thing! A little pitbull named Search with a cute costume of her own.
Squire Smith is apparently the name of the cowboy (who is quite literally from the past. Unexpected). I don't understand him at all... He doesn't really claim to have powers other than 'toughness and sharpshooting', yet he spoke and acted as though *everyone* were inferior to us and should let us do whatever we wanted. I didn't like it. Thankfully the others didn't either- or at least I assume that's why Dominik kept smacking the back of his head (I tried *so* hard to keep a straight face).
So the five of us had been asked to check out an anonymous tip that one of Halcyon's large banks was going to be robbed today. We ran into another group of heroes(?) outside the bank who had received the same tip. I got the impression from Wild Thang (and an even stronger impression from Dominik) that this group perhaps wasn't as heroic as they claimed, so I kept my distance from them.
Squire, however, seemed immediately infatuated (possibly horny?) for the girl leading them. Flyby Girl I think it was. He was stumbling all over himself like a desperate puppy dog and it was easy to see that *she* was loving it. None of my business really. I couldn't resist interrupting and poking a bit of fun at him though before recommending we focus on why we're here. The Star Studded agreed to cover the bank exits while we checked deeper.
We went inside, but apparently the tipster hadn't bothered to notify the bank itself. Everything was business as usual. Squire started to pull out his guns with the intent of getting everyone running out of the bank - all of us put a stop to that very quickly. That would only accomplish a dangerous stampede of people trying to exit, while also portraying *us* as the threat. They boy needs to learn to think before acting if he plans to make it very far in this era...
Next we tried to talk to the guards about viewing their security footage due to our tip, just to be sure everything was alright. We got shut down pretty hard, but as the guard turned to go the Team encouraged me (telepathically with these bracelets from Wild Thang - he seems to have all the cool toys!) to make myself unseen and enter the off-limits area behind him before the door closed. Search gave me a good luck doggy-kiss (she is the best). I activated my perception glamor and followed without issue. There were quite a few doors before I reached the one that seemed most useful for our purposes- the Video Surveillance room.
I could hear snoring from inside...
So in I went. First I took a look at the feeds myself - that's when I saw the empty vault. As I leaned in to get a better look, I accidentally bumped the sleeping guard (he needed to wake up anyway). Unfortunately direct contact somewhat negates the perception glamor... He started questioning why I was there and telling me I had to go. I'm- not proud of it, but I tore into the fellow a little in trying to get his focus off me and avoid getting in trouble. Much to my misfortune, the feed of the empty vault had been hacked to show the vault as normal. So I used a bit of magic to make him instead see what I'd seen - the empty version - even though the screen was still showing the false feed.
Thankfully he bought it and promptly called it in. I reported back to the group telepathically. Speaking of which, it was hard not to laugh when hearing Rescue screaming internally... I'm not sure what they were dealing with, but between that and the rumbling thunder of chuckles coming from Dominik's link (his dragon perhaps?) my first experience with telepathy was certainly colorful.
Somehow they got their own permission to come into the back area and joined up with me reaching the vault in question, Vault 3. Wild Thang dropped out of the vents (still no idea how he ended up there). Then this bank guard opened the vault and was acting all weird and nervous, but that seemed a normal reaction to a vault mysteriously being empty. He encouraged us all to go inside and look around - then the bloody wanker shut the vault door and locked us in.
I had an idea or two one how we might be able to get the door open or get out but things moved sort of quickly and the others seemed in a major hurry (which is fair, as the culprits might be escaping). Somehow we ended up with Wild Thang as a mouse going through the vents again, Dominik knocking on the vault door, Rescue using his magic to attempt something (which sadly warped the door), and then Dominik just breaking it down. I got the impression Rescue was really upset about how things were going... Yeah, they were pretty rough, but there was still hope!
Star Studded was coming down the hallway when we got out of the vault (weren't they supposed to be guarding exits?). Rescue and Search ignored them and walked past while the others explained a bit what had just happened. Then it seemed Search picked up the scent of the traitorous security guard and off we went running after her!
We caught up to the bastard in a different area of the bank and Squire tasered him into submission (I'm not sure what the voltage is on those projectiles but it seemed a bit brutal). I tried to magically get some information from his memories but that sort of thing has never really been a strength of mine... After much further discussion he eventually told us he was just given a wad of money from Buddy and Guy (seriously?) to lock a group of snooping heroes into the vault when we showed up. Despite some (unsanctioned) promises, we took the inside man to the security station and turned him in. Rescue may have lied a bit to get them to go easier on the guy, which I normally wouldn't agree with in this case except it was more of a compromise for breaking a promise that never should have been made. The entire thing was a bit heated in that moment.
As we returned to the front lobby, Rescue spotted some suspicious men in trenchcoats just casually wheeling a cage toward the exit - like the kind of cage you'd usually keep an animal in. Certainly odd, and in these circumstances worth checking out. He created some strange ball of energy (black hole?) in the air that started sucking the cage toward it while the men immediately turned to face us. The trenchcoats opened to reveal a giant letter emblazoned on each of their chests... 'B' and 'G'... Christ almighty their names actually *were* Buddy and Guy.
After that, a bit of a fight picked up. Following Rescue's initial spell, Squire took a shot at Buddy and gave him a good zap that interrupted some sort of purple orb casting he was attempting. Guy retaliated by tossing similar yellow orbs at Squire but he dodged out of the way easily enough.
Wild Thang leaped at Guy but was sidestepped- which only left the robber wide open for a solid punch to the face by Dominik and no chance to strike back.
Before Buddy got a chance to recover from Squire's shock, I tapped my reservoir for a little extra juice before creating one of my barriers around him - effectively cutting him off from the fighting completely while the team handled his partner. The two of them seemed more distressed by this action than I expected... They tried to reach for each other and even blasted my arcane wall pretty heavily, but the extra power I'd siphoned was enough to keep it steady.
With one out of the way, the others started laying into Guy pretty heavily. Rescue wreathed himself in magic and charged across the room faster than I could see to impact his target with massive force while remaining unaffected himself (it looked *really* damn cool too). Then Squire gave Guy a little taste of those electric bullets, which he clearly did not enjoy.
Then Dominik- well, he picked Guy right up off the ground and shouted for me to drop the barrier. It took me a moment to catch what he was getting at, but then I was ready. He launched the poor sap (with a decidedly magical boost from Rescue that caught my eye) straight at Buddy. I timed dropping the barrier and gave Buddy a little arcane kick as well so that he and his partner smashed into each other midair and fell into a heap on the floor.
But as they got up, I saw why they didn't want to be separated to begin with. A practical storm of energy surrounded them as they locked hands together, ignoring us completely. Whatever they were trying to do it didn't seem good, but it *did* seem to require them touching one another. Someone called out as much, so I did the first thing I could think of to break them apart- I sprouted a tree between the two of them and grew its size so fast that the force knocked them apart and sent them flying in opposite directions. They were saying something as they fell, but then both of them just- disappeared. Faded away.
I dismissed the tree (easy enough when I conjure one on purpose and when it's not multiple stories tall...)
Dominik seemed especially upset by their escape. He punched the wall so hard that it cracked. I told him I was sorry... Maybe there was something else I could have done. But I wasn't expecting them to just disappear. He said it wasn't my fault and that I did well. I'll try to believe he meant it.
I'm never sure how people will react to seeing my power in action (though it's less terrifying when it's under control the whole time), so I approached Rescue as well. I want him to like me. I want more friends on the Big Team. I'm not sure how stupid I sounded with my question, but his response was reassuring and- he hugged me. Usually people on the Team don't seem in the mood for hugs(?), so it's been a while since I gave or received one (minus Gwen, but she does't have a choice haha). It felt nice...
I'll have to spend more time with him. Return the favor sometime. If there's one thing I know, it's that we all have our own pain and struggles. And if you can be there for someone when that pain rears its ugly head, it's one of the most fulfilling things in the world for me.
That really raised my spirits, so I decided to go mend the crack Dominik made in the wall. I didn't want its existence to bother him, since he doesn't seem the type to enjoy wanton destruction. And it wasn't a huge patch job. It worked without issue and I showed him it was as good as new. I think he appreciated it? Truly he is extra difficult to read for me...
Oh it turns out that what was in the cage they were trying to escape with was- a sedated Gerbil transformed? I'm still quite stumped by that one, but a job is a job to thieves I suppose. Why were they in a vault? Anyway, mission accomplished. We told the bank security everything we knew and headed out. The Star Studded were outside talking to news crews and taking all the credit. Obnoxious and dishonest, but I really don't care about the news recognition honestly.
There's my end to another exciting week back in Halcyon City. Time to get back to my research...
Oh shit, we have that paper due in English Lit as well on Monday.

## Soul Song

October 31, 2018 November 1st, 2018

I'm still a bit thrown off after tonight really. How much of it was 'real'? All of it? Or was some simply illusion or hallucination... It felt pretty real.
There was a Halloween Party at the Big Team Base. Cyclone arranged it (probably to give everyone a treat, they've been working really hard lately). I was quite excited honestly. I always love Halloween but I haven't been to a costume party in years! Plus I'd get to hang out with so many of my new friends (do you think they'd say I'm their friend too...?) and maybe meet some of the other Big Team members.
Now I usually try to make the best costume I can without using my magic just this one time every year. No glamor. No hiding. On Halloween it's not strange at all to look how I do... So I take advantage of that.
This year I decided to go as a sinister vampire - with my white hair and skin, some red eye contacts, fang veneers, a stylish semi-Victorian outfit and sheer cape. Overall I think it came together quite well!
The party started off simple enough. Everyone looked great in their costumes! There were refreshments, music, some games... the usual party fare. I decided to approach someone I didn't know right off the bat. Her name was Zip! She was dressed as a very glam unicorn in a onesie, and honestly it made sense because she was super sweet and kind. I tried to use the accent I've been working on but I'm not really sure how well that went over... Ah well. We made small talk for a little bit (I am still so out of practice), then I headed off to the punch table.
Rescue was already there getting a drink and he seemed... exhausted. Apparently his father had made him visit like four or five parties before this one (I wonder who his father is? He's never really mentioned before, but he seems to enjoy privacy). Then I saw him spiking his own drink with alcohol and I gently encouraged him to maybe avoid doing that for now as it would probably only make him more tired. He agreed and asked me to hold onto the flask for him to avoid temptation.
Oh! And his costume, oh my... I wish I had that kind of confidence haha. Little Search pup was dressed in a doggie version of Rescue's usual costume and Rescue was- wearing a people version of Search's outfit (which is to say, not much at all). Goggles, bandanna, little vest/jacket with no shirt underneath, and some *very* short shorts with a tail stitched to the back.
Not that I view him romantically (I've seen how he is around Dominik hehe), but Rescue is still a good-looking guy so hopefully I wasn't blushing or staring or anything...
Rekken showed up at the drinks table too (she was checking out those witch cauldron punch bowls pretty intently). Her outfit was quite cute. The group seems to talk about magical girls a lot, and Olivia showed up in a sun-themed costume obviously in that vein - magical wand/scepter and everything! The three of us chatted a bit longer before Rescue and Rekken determined what we needed was to spice things up with some dancing. They took off for the dance floor and dragged me along - and I snagged Gwen on the way as she was about to reach the drink table.
I haven't seen Gwen look so adorable since we were children. I'm surprised she even wanted to! My cousin was wearing a full panda suit (a sad panda to be precise) but had an opening for her face to peek through. It was a struggle not to squish her cheeks like I used to haha.
Rescue called for Zip to join us and the five of us began dancing away. Gwen and I ended up doing a modified version of the tango because let's face it - we both missed most chances to learn normal 'teen dancing'. Zip started using her powers (? that's what I assumed anyway) to make the lights switch to some disco and rave colorful fun. Rescue was really rocking it out until someone accidentally stepped on his fake tail. He nearly fell! But Rekken stretched her arms out to catch him and twirl him in to join her dancing before that happened.
We were having a blast I thought, but then suddenly there was a howl (from the music?) and all the lights went out except some spotlights Zip had directed on us. Then the room filled with a strange mist and- things changed. *We* changed. I didn't like it. I couldn't feel the veneers or the contacts anymore, but I still had fangs. Real ones. And I was suddenly starving, but not for food. It was more thirst than hunger?
Rekken started shining like a literal sun with all her magical girl power and gods it hurt to stand near her. Also she- *smelled* very human (not sure how I could smell that). It made my mouth water a bit...
Gwen was a panda person. Search became human Rescue and Rescue turned into Search, *an actual dog*! (I couldn't resist picking him up) Thankfully he could still talk. Human-Search was just panting away. Zip became a genuine unicorn and was positively glorious. I can't believe I can say I've seen a real(?) unicorn now.
Then suddenly there was the rev of an engine and squealing of tires and we look over to see this green ethereal car being driven by an ethereal teen and- he'd run over Cyclone. Our mentor was unconscious on the floor and had tire tracks all over him.
My first instinct was more primal than I'm used to. I moved with supernatural vampiric speed, ready to- well- I had every intention of sinking my fangs into that driver's neck. He was ready for a quick reaction it seemed because he started playing his guitar and knocked me back with the sound waves (they looked a lot like Cyclone's old powers). Then the music actually forced us to dance against our will, though eventually we broke the compulsion.
Panda-Gwen challenged the musical ghost (he called himself Emilio) to a dance-off and he gladly accepted. At first I wasn't sure what she planned to do, but she chose a... unique approach. She summoned her sword (which was now bamboo?) which manifested her armor (suddenly old school samurai armor) and began an elaborate sword dance in time with the music. It was- impressive! She totally showed up the intruder. All the other partygoers had changed into skeletons dancing around us by this point... it was creepy but they weren't hostile (even after Rescue tried to steal one of their bones for chewing). Also the room changed into more of a club scene with a big glowing sign that said 'Club Cyclone'(?).
Meanwhile I rushed over to check on our Cyclone with Sun-Rekken, Rescue-Dog still under my arm. He didn't look good... I mean he REALLY didn't look good. Even just thinking back on it, my chest is getting all tight and panicked. He was losing color, he was barely breathing, and we almost couldn't feel a pulse. I'm not sure if my voice truly reflected the panic, but I was begging the others to find some way to end things so we could get him to a hospital or the med bay or *something*!
That's when Rescue did something I didn't expect. I had put him down but he said he had an idea and crawled up onto Cyclone's chest, lying on it like a dog would for comfort. Human-Search saw this and came over too, laying her head on top of Rescue's fur. I couldn't do anything but watch and hope and try not to cry.
I think there was a bit of a glow? It was hard to tell with Rekken so bright. This looked green though, like spring. After only a few moments, Cyclone was already starting to look better. The color came back, and we could see his chest rising and falling. It was such a relief. I gave Rescue all the best dog pets and scratches I could think of. His little leg started kicking, so I think he enjoyed it?
Back to business. Unicorn-Zip charged Emilio and knocked his guitar away when Gwen tripped him. He dove for it, but I used my magic (suddenly a swarm of bats?) to snatch it up before he could reclaim it. That really angered him though and he jumped back in his car, gunning it straight for me. Rekken created some sort of light-cycle and attempted to get me out of the way but he ended up flattening both of us - as evidenced by Cyclone, a ghost car still bloody hurts. Then he drove through some curtain and disappeared.
Everyone took stock and we put Cyclone up on something so he wasn't just lying on the floor. He hadn't woken up yet. It was decided we were as ready as we'd ever be to chase after the ghost. I'm pretty sure all of us kind of wanted to ride our unicorn friend but instead we just let Human-Search do it (she was having trouble using only two legs).
Off we went through the curtain (traveling as a swarm of bats is actually quite fun by the way). Past the curtain was a maze of sheet metal walls. At first we weren't sure what direction to go, but Rescue had yet another brilliant idea- he believed his new dog nose could sniff out our culprit. And indeed, he found a scent trail to follow that led us to the next curtain! During our trek through the maze, we could see two large shadowy figures arguing above us- one was Emilio, but the other was older yet still looked related. It seemed more like an echo of the past than actually happening right then though...
We stepped through this new curtain into a small storage area filled with boxes and papers and a little desk. I checked the desk and found a newspaper with a single main article. It seemed relevant to this whole situation, so I read it out loud to the others. The article was about a local club owner being found dead after a hit-and-run just outside his establishment. The culprit hadn't been found when the article was written, but there were mentions that the club had fallen on hard times and was likely to have closed soon anyway.
After reading the article, the next curtain opened. As though it had simply been waiting for us to show that deference and interest in its story.
We found ourselves in the music room next. There were statues - of Emilio, the older one, and a young redheaded girl - and they were all playing music together. The Emilio statue was on top of a huge speaker where the music was emerging from, and soon it wasn't just music. Directional arrows started floating toward all of us in time with the music. If they reached us and we didn't choose that direction, it gave a nasty zap. After trying the game with Gwen a few times, I recognized this as that DDR thing in some form.
Hoping for a quick end, we played along for a time. But it quickly became evident that the song just kept repeating - whether we played the game or not, it was never going to end. Frustrated, I cast a spell to destroy the speaker. The spell took on a rather unsettling manifestation of thorny vines made from blood, but they crushed the speaker without issue. The Emilio statue came to life as the ghost to yell at us again and I noticed a similarity to what he was screaming when we stole his guitar: 'The music can't stop.'
His car showed up again and he attempted to zoom off, but the others were having none of that. Gwen lunged with her sword, flying on a golden cloud rather than her wings. She was boosted along by a glorious path made of rainbow from Zip, while Rekken used something she called 'Flare' to slow the vehicle down enough that Gwen's bamboo blade sliced right through the wheel.
By some strange turn of fate, when the wheel exploded Gwen ended up in the lap of the older relative in the front seat while Emilio was driving. The rest of us somehow ended up crammed into and on top of the back of the car? It was barely remaining connected at all at this point and Zip was switching her weight from side to side so we would stop running over debris (I added some extra wheels to help stabilize it for her to steer better).
It was hard to see what was happening in the front seat, but Gwen was clearly struggling with Emilio over something and he got a solid hit on her. Then suddenly there was an explosion of sakura petals and the car flipped and crashed through into the next area, tossing everyone out to land in a heap on the floor.
We were back in that Club Cyclone place. This time with a bar, and the redhead doing the bartending. The car had vanished, and Emilio was now calmly just playing a song clearly intended to serenade the girl. Sadly she didn't seem to pay him any mind. Rescue-Dog immediately headed for the bar and actually got served a doggie bowl full of alcohol, but I gently pulled him away from that (he *did* tell me to keep him away from the stuff for the night).
Panda-Gwen went around to make sure everyone was alright after the crash, but I branched off to approach Emilio while he was playing. Not quickly, not threatening, just... like a normal person (who was currently a vampire but that's not the point). After all the scenes and yelling and everything that had happened, I got the feeling I knew what might be wrong.
I told Emilio the music had to stop. His attitude immediately shifted. He'd been mostly playful and taunting the whole time, but now he was just... sad. He said the music couldn't stop because he didn't want things to end. So I tried to explain that everything comes to an end eventually - even music. Every song has to end so that a new song can begin.
He looked so very sad... but he seemed to finally understand. Emilio's car reappeared, good as new, and he slowly began to drive it into the water of the subterranean quay.
Then everything began to return to normal. We were all people again. The base ceased to be a 'club' and returned to being the 'sub' room (because there's literally a submarine parked here. What?). Rescue laid down on the floor and made muffled screaming noises (I think that's normal for him). Gwen went into the submarine. I assumed she wanted some space. Rekken went in soon after though (wish I was a fly on *that* wall). Zip just looked relieved to be normal again.
Cyclone was still unconscious but it looked like he'd be fine once he woke up. I decided to wait next to him... and I held his hand. Is that weird? I hope it's not weird. I was just- really worried. Honestly it was more to comfort and reassure myself than anything. He'd felt so cold earlier...
I made sure to thank Rescue again. I'm still not sure how to interpret his response, but I hope he realizes how much it meant. I'm not sure we could have done it without him. I did slide his flask back over across the floor - he certainly earned that much at least.
Eventually the night continued on as planned. There was still some fun to be had. Gwen and Rekken were acting thick as thieves once I saw them again after their submarine chat... Rescue recruited our group onto the stage for some singing and dancing up there. We stayed up most of the night and I decided to bunk at the Base (by 'decided' I mean I think I just fell asleep somewhere...)
I'm actually about to go back to sleep because this is definitely not an hour for sane people to be awake... I was thirsty. Found some red punch for once.

## The Hunt for Red Sporetober

November 1st, 2018

Weird day. Not a very good day. Are things just weird on *all* the days surrounding Halloween?
Anyway, after the crazy night and limited sleep I got at the Big Team Base, I had a hard time staying awake during some of my classes today. I went back to the base to check on Cyclone afterward though. He seemed fine during English Lit, but I'm still worried. I mean last night it really seemed like he was- dying?
I didn't get a chance to ask though, as there was already someone in his office apparently discussing something urgent. It wasn't anyone I had met yet, but he seemed to be part of the Team.
Cyclone saw me approach the door then immediately stop and turn around, but he called me back in. The boy with him started to turn to look at me, but Cyclone moved surprisingly fast and almost physically stopped him from doing so. Apparently this guy could turn off powers just by looking at you? Our mentor assumed, rightly so I'm sure, that it might have a severely negative or dangerous impact on me in particular...
Cyclone introduced him as Lavender. Honestly he was pretty cute... handsome even. He was wearing a mask during the mission of course but he didn't have it on in the base for the moment. His eyes seemed- warm. Kind, but perhaps distant? Even if I only caught glimpses while he very carefully averted his gaze from me.
Lavender needed help with a tip on a dangerous individual named Thorne, and since I was available Cyclone asked me to accompany. We picked up a couple others from around the base - Hesperus(I finally met Gabe!) and Rescue - then headed out, meeting up with another ally hero called Celestial on the way who seemed quite nice and pretty cool.
It seemed that Thorne wasn't prepared for us and we swiftly gained the upper hand. It's impressive how well Lavender contributes to the team despite being unable to look at most of us (Gabe posed the same issue as I did if he lost powers for even a moment). We managed though. And quite well, at that.
At least, until we had her restrained and waiting for transport to holding. She was moving her hands and clearly doing something as the plants reacted around our feet. I asked Lavender to turn her powers off. When he did so, my- chest suddenly felt tight. It was a very uncomfortable sensation. Then Celestial started coughing and doubled over until some of what they coughed up was blood.
That smug bitch Thorne said it was a bad idea for Lavender to turn off her powers, as she was the only one keeping the deadly spores inside us from germinating faster... Celestial's worsening condition and the pain in my chest (which I didn't mention) were proof enough. I tried to use magic to get the spores out of Celestial but only succeeded in getting some of them. Apparently the rest had already gone too deep.
If we didn't want Celestial to die, we had to let Thorne go... At first Lavender said no, and Gabe was leaning that direction as well. I- I wasn't comfortable with just letting someone die for this though. And in the end neither were they. We started to let her go, but Gabe dragged her back when she left without removing or deactivating the spores. It seemed she could do neither at this point and our only chance was finding a way to remove the spores ourselves - all she could do was grant us more time. This left a bitter taste but Gabe released her again, tho he lashed her across the face with one of his light tendrils. She responded by bringing him to his knees coughing from the spores apparently inside him as well.
She left. We'd called an ambulance and they took Celestial to the hospital while we followed behind. We let Cyclone know where we were heading and kind of why? He said he'd meet us there.
No one was really certain what to do. Even the doctors didn't know if they had the time required for such a delicate surgery to remove the spores from Celestial - Thorne had said the ones in them would become fatal in just 2 hours. Cyclone suggested we check out the submarine in the base? Apparently it had a lot of advanced technology and barring any other ideas may at least provide an option that was worth a shot. Gabe tried calling his parents but they didn't have any quick solutions either. So while the doctors continued brainstorming and taking care of Celestial, the rest of us teleported back to the Base (Lavender's portals have such beautiful floral designs by the way. He said they change too!).
I'm going to try not to go into too much detail on this next part, because it still feels ridiculous and unbelievable...
We entered the submarine. There was no power core, so Hesperus attempted to power it instead- and did he ever! I knew he was powerful from what everyone else said, but I hadn't imagined this sort of scale. After some tinkering and investigating we discovered the sub could shrink... to cellular levels even. And it had lasers. So perhaps it would work on the spores? We decided to test it on one of ourselves first and Rescue was chosen. We didn't *quite* make it there though because Search inhaled us first. Oops.
As much as we didn't want to try it on her without permission, our time was very short. So we used the lasers on a few spores in her nasal cavity before deciding this could hopefully work on Celestial as well. It was risky and we'd leave behind Rescue for the moment, but we decided to teleport our shrunken sub directly to the hospital.
Lavender opened a portal outside in front of the sub but it didn't look quite big enough. I created a secondary arcane circle around it that was able to draw the portal wider but it wasn't going to hold. Despite also powering the sub, Hesperus was able to give us a big momentum boost of afterburn to send the sub through the portal before it closed.
We arrived conveniently near Celestial's face and went in through her airway as well, working our way from the lungs to the heart to the brain, and eventually to a large blockage in the intestine.
We had to take a few different approaches to dealing with the spores- Rescue used Search's magical healing from the outside to lessen some of them; we used the lasers to clear the ones pressuring the heart; I had to teleport out in the brain's fluids to purify some toxic liquid the spores were releasing there (honestly disgusting and I try not to think of that feeling).
When I left the sub to do so, I put Lavender in charge. I had been driving the sub up to this point, but he had been the one guiding me and spotting what we needed. I tried to make a joke of him being good at seeing things since there had been so much dancing around to make sure he *didn't* look at Gabe and I during all this. I think it came across poorly though... Hopefully I didn't offend.
Via text communication with Rescue, it was determined the last area that needed clearing to ensure Celestial's recovery was that final large blockage I mentioned previously. It took some time to get that far down the body, but when we got there we discovered a massive spore that was starting to- sprout? It was about the size of a building in comparison to our cell-sized sub.
At first we had no idea how to approach dealing with it. But then suddenly the sub transformed into a- mecha? Right... So, I turned the dial that made us a bit bigger and more on even size footing with this final spore and we went to town on it. Laser sword. Targeted solar burst from Hesperus through the laser cannons. Rescue pushed a wave of magic through that I was able to focus into the thing. Then I sent out a burst of magic from the mecha's chest using one of my arcane circles. Somehow it all worked. We took care of it.
We left Celestial and parked the sub outside the hospital back at full size so we could get out (did they get that back to the Base alright? I don't remember). The doctors confirmed our ally was out of the woods but insisted on scanning the rest of us for spores just in case they needed to be addressed.
The team had a nice chat while we were waiting on the results. Everyone was congratulating and complimenting each other on their contributions. I was a really awkward moron again trying to interact with Lavender. I just wanted to tell him he did a great job and I thought he was really cool and I was sorry he had to work so much harder because of me. Made the mistake of trying to joke around and somehow got it all jumbled up and may have sounded offensive or possibly vain or both? I think some of the good may have gotten through though. I hope.
Oh but he- he did say he thought I was a really good hero...
The results came back pretty quickly. Lavender had no spores to speak of. I think it was Thorne's idea of a joke or punishment since the two apparently have a nasty history... Gabe apparently would have needed some removed but burnt them all into impotent husks during his extended time as a living battery. Rescue and Search only suffered minimal exposure, plus we'd taken care of some for Search. The doctors said both would be fine until their bodies took care of the spores naturally.
Then there was me. After Celestial, Gabe and I had gotten the worst dose but since he'd taken care of his own that just left me... They said I needed surgery right away to remove them. There are only a handful of times in my life where I've felt so terrified and- helpless.
I've spent more than my fair share of time in hospitals over the years. Broken bones, burns, sickness, curses... Never surgery though. Never them putting some mask over my face so that I go unconscious while they cut me open and do god knows what...
I begged Cyclone to let me leave, insisting I would be fine or that we could find another option. He wouldn't budge. I understand of course... it's his responsibility to keep us safe when he can, but- I was so scared ***(the handwriting grows more shaky)*** Get ahold of yourself, Rhiannon. It's done and you're fine. Right.
Cyclone promised he'd be right there waiting the whole time I was under and at my side when I woke up. That was probably the only thing that kept me from vanishing right then and there. It's not like any of them could have stopped me from leaving in an instant. Much to my surprise Lavender hadn't left yet either though.
And when I woke up, they were both still there waiting for me. I knew Cyclone would never break a promise. But I didn't expect Lavender to stay the whole time as well. We'd only just met today.
Things were still a bit fuzzy, but I may have cried a little at that point. How embarrassing...
Lavender had changed into some regular clothes. Maybe not what I would have pictured, but they looked good on him. Cyclone offered to drive us both home or to the Base or wherever we might want. I was more than happy to accept, still feeling a bit fuzzy, but I did warn him it's quite a bit out of the way. They both said it was fine so I gave Cyclone the address so he could use GPS to get us there.
I let Lavender sit up front so he didn't have to be careful where he looked. Plus I- I think I fell asleep on the way here anyway? Yeah, I totally did. I remember Cyclone having to wake me up when we reached the Manor.
So here I am. I was going to work some more on those birthday gifts, but I'm just so tired... Hopefully I can find time to finish Cyclone's tomorrow so it's ready. And I hope he likes it. But maybe I'll just- sleep for now...

## Spiritual Connection

November 2nd, 2018

The past few days have all been weird (and I mean *really* weird). Today though... I think today was a good day. Even with what happened- or nearly happened.
I woke up this morning feeling a lot better. If I wasn't *certain* it had happened, I might not even believe I had a small surgery yesterday...
School went about the usual. Nothing new and exciting there, though I had a new appreciation and gratitude for anatomy class. Cyclone still seemed to be doing well, so maybe Wednesday night's scare really was just that.
I rushed home after school because I *absolutely* needed to finish that gift and I was getting so close! Even closer than I thought apparently, because it was only maybe an hour or two before I finished. What a great feeling that was! I still need to finish the other one, but I have a bit more time there...
Being the impatient sort that I am when it comes to these things, I immediately finished wrapping the present and took it with me to the Base. Safely in my bag for the moment. When I got there I promptly got dragged along to see some silly video about a man comparing a kilogram of steel to a kilogram of feathers? (I'll admit, it was a pretty funny video)
Jake, Gwen, Elle, and Challenge were all there with me chortling away when Parrot showed up. She seemed excited, but also a little nervous about something? Her visit was to extend an invitation though! Apparently she was attending a festival to celebrate Dia de Los Muertos and wished for us to join her. I'd heard the holiday mentioned by Rescue and it sounded very fun but also meaningful. I was more than happy to join Alex and my friends for it. She even offered to provide cultural outfits for us. (I may have cheated and used a glamor, but it was still amazingly fun to feel like I was part of the festivities!)
Getting ready together with everyone was a lot of fun. It's rare that I see some of them in such colorful attire. Challenge wore the ensemble *over* her costume, which was quite amusing but also still looked pretty good! Jake, Parrot, and Challenge all seemed a bit more on edge than I usually see them but it seemed to be shared among them and I wasn't going to pry as long as they had one another to turn to.
I did talk to Jake about helping if needed, should he find some way to possibly talk to his father? I don't think I realized he believed his father was dead... But I certainly wasn't going to say no to helping. Some holidays do hold very real power.
Once everyone was ready, off we went to the parade and celebration! It really was a beautiful and breathtaking festival - the outfits, the colors, the dancing, the makeup, the altars. As evening drew closer, things settled down while people waited. Then a very real disappointment set in across the entire gathering at Megalo Cemetery... the presence of the beloved dead that they came to visit and celebrate was simply not there. I'm not sure how they could tell, but they could. I wasn't even waiting on any spirits, but I could feel it too - the emptiness.
Our group had split up by then (I was trying to stay near Jake as he created an altar for his father, in case he needed me), but we swiftly got back together as Parrot and Challenge fearfully pointed out cloaked figures with their mouths sewn shut. It had been difficult to make out through the traditional skull makeup, but it was definitely true and very creepy. Then they, along with Jake, explained what happened the last time they were in this cemetery and it was... unsettling to say the least. They believed the same villain may be at work here- Silencio.
So we agreed to follow these El Olvidado cultists deeper into the cemetery out of view of the rest of the festival. I used my magic to raise a perception field around the group as I've done a few times now. It's less draining than true invisibility, but certainly not foolproof. Difficult to explain to people how they *can* still see you, it just doesn't really register as anything of note. The cultists weren't paying much attention past their own goals anyway and we soon reached their destination.
It was a secluded area of the cemetery. They had set up five altars of bone and crystal in the shape of a star, acting as foci to gather spiritual energy (as well as spirits?) and send it to a large staff with a crystal set on top. The staff was being held by a large deathly pale man in the center that I had no doubt was the Silencio they spoke of. He made my skin crawl...
It was swiftly decided that our first priority needed to be disrupting the ritual itself, because whatever he was attempting to do could not be good. I told them I could get the staff and protect it, but they may need to handle the rest.
Elle took up a defensive stance in front of me, should the reaction to my theft be immediate. Gwen summoned her sword and transformed as Jake shifted into a mouse and leaped onto the flat of the sword while she held it swung back almost like a bat (something about 'yeeting'?). Challenge crouched into a sprinter's position, and Parrot gave me the nod.
For the immediate effect I needed, first I needed to breach one of the seals... Maybe it was the strain of the past few days or a subconscious insecurity or- for whatever reason, I got some backlash again when I siphoned some of my full power. Thankfully it didn't knock me out this time (always an embarrassment). It hurt, and the others may have noticed, but I got what I needed in the end and put our plan into action.
With but a thought, the staff was out of Silencio's hands and in mine. Gwen launched mouse-Jake straight into the fray where he became rhino-Jake and collided straight into Silencio's chest. The cultists tried to swarm him, but Challenge was there in a flash to help keep them off Jake while he distracted the main villain. Elle, realizing I seemed to be in no immediate danger, went to clear some of the ritual altars. The energy was still being pulled to the staff even though I was now the one holding it. Gwen and Parrot went to deal with more of the altars while I raised a barrier - to protect myself and the staff, but also to slow the energy absorption and hopefully give them more time to disrupt the spell before completion.
The foci were soon destroyed and the energy gathering ceased. Snake-Jake and Challenge had continued to deal with Silencio and the cultists but were now joined by Gwen, Parrot, and Elle. It felt like it all happened so quickly! But then, I have faith in the Team. And today they yet again showed why. Eventually Silencio fell, subdued by the final blows of Gwen's sword in his back (wielded for a moment by Parrot in knightly armor and with actual parrot wings??) and Elle's spear pinning him to the ground.
Meanwhile, I had followed Parrot's suggestion and (with a little help from Nemain) shattered the staff's crystal head. Once I did, I could *feel* them. All of them. Swirling around me-
Spirits.
More strangely, I could see them too. Nebulous and formless, yet... beautiful.
I could tell they were waiting, so when the danger seemed to be over I dropped my spell barrier and they flew off. Suddenly the cemetery felt alive again - as strange as that sounds - and we could hear the celebration grow louder as the festival-goers somehow felt it too. Not all of the spirits left though... a handful stayed behind. Still waiting.
After Silencio and his cultists were all suitably restrained and the authorities were called to pick them up, our group was still a bit spread out. Then the spirits approached, and took shape. I'm not certain who the others saw because to be quite honest I was too stunned by who appeared to me.
Quinn. I never thought I'd see him again... But I suppose that's normally what people think after someone dies, isn't it. I just- why would he *want* to see me? It was my fault. If not for me, he would still be... I started crying, but I didn't care. I told him I was sorry. I'm still so, so sorry... But he wasn't upset or angry at all. He told me it was okay and he didn't blame me. That it was his job as teacher to protect me, and he would do it all again if he had to. Quinn said he was proud of me, of who I've become...
Then he just hugged me and held me as I sobbed like I was a child again.
We talked a little more after I calmed down, but eventually he said he had to go. I asked if he really had to leave so soon... He nodded, but said it really wasn't so bad because he's always with me. Even if I can't feel him. And that now we could share this day together every year at least.
So we said farewell for now. I'm happy I finally got to tell him I'm sorry. Wish I'd found out about this holiday sooner, even though this may have been a special case. Still. I wonder if Aife has ever forgiven me like her little brother has...
Everyone else came together after the spirits left - some excited, some a bit more introspective. There was something I still needed to get off my chest though. I didn't want to kill anyone's mood, or make them worry too much - but Elle has always seemed very mature. Maybe it's the knight training? Maybe because part of her still feels like Uncle Lance. Either way, I decided to ask a favor... I wanted her to promise she'd find a way to stop me if I ever lose control of my magic for good- I even gave her some options I know of. She agreed.
In return, she asked that I do my best to help keep her on the right path. To keep her from ever reaching the point my Uncle did. I assured her I didn't see any chance of that happening, but I'd be sure to smack some sense into her should it be required. I think she appreciated the reassurance, as I did hers.
Parrot gave an appreciative speech for all of us agreeing to come (under minorly false pretenses) and being her friends. She made especially sure to include Elle, which I was pleased with. Then we all headed back to rejoin the festivities! We tried all the tasty food and some of the others may have definitely got drunk despite my best efforts. It was good to see them having fun though.We checked out the various stalls and a few people pitched in for some gifts for Cyclone as his birthday is tomorrow! I already have a gift, but I made sure to contribute to the fund anyway. Gwen also had worked with most of the Team to create a photo album for him that I know he'll love!
It was pretty late when we got back to the Base. I called Lukas for the car since there was no way I was letting any of them drive or walk back at this hour. It is the weekend so hopefully it's fine for them all to just stay the night rather than head home.
Before heading home myself, I sneaked into Cyclone's office to drop off my gift for him on his desk. I could probably give it to him tomorrow, but- No I can't. I'd just make a fool of myself probably.
I really hope he likes it though...

*On Cyclone's desk sits a plain white box wrapped with a simple blue ribbon tied around and into a neat bow on top. Upon opening, he would find a small statue about the size of his hand. It's an obsidian crow perched calmly upon a knightly shield with a Celtic Shield Knot engraved into the stone. It almost seems a trick of the light as the crow's smooth gem eyes occasionally shift between blue, green, and purple. If he were to inspect the underside of the statue, many other protective symbols are etched into the base. Someone experienced may recognize warding magic emanating from it and affecting the entire room.*
*Around the edge of the shield is an inscription:*
***For every storm, a rainbow,***
***For every tear, a smile,***
***For every care, a promise,***
***And a blessing in each trial.***
***For every problem life sends,***
***A faithful friend to share,***
***For every sigh, a sweet song,***
***And an answer for each prayer.***
*A beautifully handwritten note in the gift box reads:*
*"Happy Birthday, Cyclone!*
*I can never thank you enough for all you've done for me. And not just since I've joined the Team.*
*Hopefully this little guy can watch over and protect you like you've always done for us."*

## Time Passing

November 9th, 2018

This week was pretty uneventful for me really. I finished Gwen’s birthday gift! A lot of birthdays going on right now. Sadly I think I’ve missed some of them but not everyone is forthcoming with such things… Anyway, I was actually concerned she might not like it (considering current circumstances) but she hugged me tightly and seemed excited when I gave it to her.
It was a keychain. A small replica of Uncle Lance’s sword. By replica I mean detailed to match exactly. (I’m not proud of the fact that I pulled his sword from its safe dimension a few times to look at it…) Hopefully she doesn’t ask too many questions on that. But I’ve always had a good memory and probably could have done a decent job just from how many times I begged him to let me look at it as a child. It wasn’t just a trinket though. I’ve kept working on my protective wards and charms -I even got a book from the shop to help- so hopefully the ones I placed on the sword truly do help keep her safe…
I bumped into Dominik at the Smithtons' Apothecary on Saturday (wow has it really been almost a week?). We had a really nice time going to the mall in search of a gift for Jake. Hopefully I was helpful and enjoyable company… Gramps also took a look at (inside?) me, to see if he could give us more information on my magic. It was- unsettling. But the information was certainly of interest. Overall it was a very nice day. A surprisingly `normal` day.
But of course other things have to come along and remind me that I’m decidedly *not* normal.
While the week was uneventful, I could also feel something- wrong. I’ve been doing well with the Team. I’ve really been keeping my magic under control! But it seems I’ve been keeping it a bit *too* under control… After so many years of pushing my powers to the limit each day and testing how much I could control and handle, it- it hurts to go so long without really letting loose. I can feel the magic more acutely. In my chest. In my veins. If I’m not careful, the power could build up and break through on its own. Family legends say that’s what happens when an Awakened doesn’t use their powers. They also say sometimes control is never regained and the powers run rampant for the rest of their life. So… I’m trying to avoid that.
That’s why I traveled far out of town today. The way we used to in Ireland. It’s not really a good idea to go alone, and back there I had at least a few teachers with me every time. Like Quinn… But Aife has been pretty busy and she looks tired. Plus I didn’t want to risk what happened to her brother. I couldn’t bring anyone from the Team either. It’s just too dangerous.
So I went alone. Better to risk harm to myself than risk it to others. Now or in the future.
It took me a few hours but I found a good spot. Nobody in sight for miles, just some trees, a stream, and a lot of grassy hills. Then I just- let it flow. I let the magic sweep out from me and do what it pleased. It’s so much easier than trying to mold it with my arcane circles, but the results are always unpredictable...
The trees rapidly grew to enormous proportions and their leaves took on a variety of colors. But one grew too quickly and wildly, cracking and snapping under its own weight until it split down the middle and both halves crashed to the ground.
Motes of colored light danced around the clearing in the dusk light, joined by the singing of ethereal blue will-o-wisps that emerged from the ground to float a few feet above. Their flame and melody were always beautiful but also brought an aching, despairing grief to those who bore witness. Touching one is like feeling your heart break inside your chest. I know.
A brisk wind picked up, carrying along a bevy of fallen autumn leaves. It also tore more leaves from the trees, leaving frost and withering in its wake. The stream sounded more like laughter as watery humanoid forms rose and giggled but then dashed themselves upon the rocks.
Wild and exotic flowers bloomed among the grass, some dying within moments and some giving off a fragrance that could make a person high with euphoria. Others were almost as tall as a person while still more began snapping hungrily at nearby insects.
There were a lot of effects but it was short-lived, like it usually is when I release the dam intentionally for a time. Once I closed it again I was just… completely exhausted. But I also felt- better. More at an equilibrium with my magic. Everything faded back to normal (though the trees retained their growth spurts) until it was simply night. Calm. Like me.
I’m home now. A bit lonely, since Gwen and Elle went on a camping trip with Cyclone. I really wish I could have gone too… I just feel that this was only getting worse. It needed to be dealt with tonight. Next time I shouldn’t wait so long.
Maybe I can do something fun with everyone over the weekend…?

## That Old Black Magic

November 17th, 2018

***The beautiful handwriting appears a bit shaky for this entry.***
I was finally starting to get over the house being empty all this week... Aife got called back to Ireland to help with something and probably won't be back until after the New Year. Gwen hadn't moved in yet but she's been around a lot more- except that she and Elle up and went on some mission to outer space?? Elle made some comment as she left the house that day, but I thought she was joking about a video game or something. And Gwen- she only left me a short note. She hid it in my book for last period so I wouldn't get it until after she was gone... Why? Why didn't she say goodbye and let me hug her at least? The note says she'll be okay and back 'soon', but I'm not stupid. Space is dangerous even without some intergalactic threat that was discovered when pieces of the moon fell last week...
Sorry, I know none of this is from today but I've been avoiding writing about it- and now I'm using it to avoid writing about something else.
I mean, today started off normal enough. Cyclone called a handful of us to his office. Unfortunately he seemed to be pretty stressed, which is understandable, and lectured us a bit on collateral damage. Apparently Dominik had destroyed some sort of weapons system on the space station some of the team visited? Personally I thought I'd been doing okay avoiding collateral, so the lecture stung a bit... Challenge, Rescue, and Rekken don't seem the most likely candidates for collateral either though, so maybe he just didn't want Dom to feel too targeted? Plus he did give us a mission right after. To remind us that being a hero is more than fighting bad guys and breaking things- it's about the people we're trying to save.
The mission was a kidnapping case. Almost a dozen people had gone missing over the past couple weeks, one as recent as the day before, and the police hadn't made much progress on it. We checked over the list but didn't notice much in common besides more than half being Hispanic names. We decided to check one of the most recent ones first, Gabbie Monroe. Challenge had a bit of a strange reaction to it and had trouble pronouncing it, though it's not a difficult name? She suggested some of the other options first, but Gabbie made more sense in the moment.
We visited the Monroe Estate (quite impressive really. Larger and newer than mine, with security at the gate and everything). After speaking to the mother and butler inside and obtaining a personal item for Search to sniff and track, we were also shown a small garden alcove outside with a bench. Apparently it's a very important spot to Gabbie and the butler thought magic might glean something from it. So I gave it a try.
I don't often attempt Scrying spells as I don't want to impose on people's privacy, but this seemed a special case. It was revealed that Gabbie was safe in a green room with comfortable furniture and the other missing people. They looked bored but otherwise unharmed and not even really trying to leave? The playing cards some used were unique in that the Queen held a microphone rather than a rose but that didn't trigger anything specific in my mind. Unfortunately, aside from the relief of knowing they were all safe for now, I didn't really get any more information on where they were. So we left the estate and headed to the Natural Nature Park, where Gabbie was last seen for her run.
(Challenge was acting *exceedingly* strange during our entire time at the estate. I'm pretty sure she must know Gabbie somehow with her other identity? But nobody brought it up and I wasn't going to)
At the park, Search once again proved herself as an invaluable member of the team and followed Gabbie's scent straight through the park and to a small bar on the other side. It was still early enough that the place was pretty much closed, but we bumped into an employee taking out trash in the back and asked him if he'd seen any of the missing people. He didn't notice Gabbie but he *did* point out one of the others, a boy he called Benji. He didn't have much other info for us, but said we were welcome to check Benji's locker. We did so, and found our next clue- Benji and Gabbie were starting to see each other, and had a date planned for the day she went missing. They were going to see the premiere of a new show at La Poderosa, the city's Hispanic media network station. Our next stop.
Rescue had been providing us with a Lyft driver for all our stops today, which was very nice of him. Odd that it always ended up being the same Lyft driver... But we get to the network station without issue. We walked in and then things got strange. Maybe we should have been more suspicious, but why would a whole civilian media outlet be working against us? They said they were waiting on a group of heroes and we needed an excuse to snoop, so we agreed that it was us (well, except Dom. He said he was our security detail).
They rushed us in and took our hero names and got us all ready to go on stage for some talk show. They made Dom dress like an actual bodyguard with suit and sunglasses and- wow. He really looked quite fetching... Rekken was asked to put on a suit and join him for some reason, but she also really pulled it off (damn I should have snapped a pic for Gwen). We were about to head on stage (why did we agree to that again?) and Dom asked us to stall so he and Rekken could try to get some info from the earpieces the crew gave them.
Thankfully Challenge took the lead on stalling, because as soon as we got on that stage I could barely move. Stage fright sounds like a silly thing for a hero to have, but I've been struggling with it since I was a child. The show host, Maria Rodriguez-Martinez, came up to shake my hand and- I think her eyes flashed purple? That should have been a big red flag right then but I was having trouble focusing through all the bright lights and music and audience noises... Challenge came out dancing and got Maria to join her for a solid while. I just sat down on the guest couch wishing I could leave.
When the actual show finally started I was sitting on the guest couch with Rescue and Challenge. Maria spoke to Challenge first about how she deals with people who try to say negative things about her (like Gabbie does apparently). Challenge's response was golden as always. She said she 'gets her powers from the haters' or some such. It was quite clever and I chuckled a bit. Then Maria moved on to me, and- it was nothing I could have expected.
Elise... How did they find out about Elise? How did they *find* Elise? I haven't seen her since we moved away after I- after the manor was nearly destroyed. After Elise was so badly hurt... By me. The day my magic fully awakened and almost consumed me and everything around me.
They brought her out on stage with us. She was in a wheelchair now. I felt like I was 10 and trying to apologize all over again, but this time she didn't tell me it was okay. This time she didn't forgive me. The woman who was almost like a second mother to me as a little girl, and she- she hates me now for what my powers did. What I did.
I don't remember exactly what anyone said after that. I don't even remember what I said. My head was spinning and I could feel the tears just pouring down my face as I ran off stage. I didn't much care where I ran as long as it was away from there and away from Elise... I didn't even notice Dominik followed until I stopped in the empty hallway and he came up to me.
He asked if I was okay and what was wrong and I tried to explain. I did a poor job of it. I was still reeling a bit. But I think at one point he got the general idea and just- hugged me. It wasn't just tears anymore then. I'm pretty sure I full on ugly cried into his shoulder as I hugged him back. Or rather, clung to him like a drowning child in a flood.
I'm not sure what was happening with the others, but suddenly the earpiece that I'd been given to hear the translated Spanish crackled and I could hear Rekken tell us the room number for the kidnapped people? Then I heard Challenge through it as well, saying something was wrong with Rekken but she was heading to meet up with us. Dominik and I looked around to find we were practically right next to the room Rekken had stated. So we went in.
It wasn't the green room, though we could see it through one of those two-way mirrors. This room was empty except for a man in a white suit sitting in a chair in the corner, looking at us calmly. He stood up and started talking about how we'd taken longer than he expected, but was pleased we'd finally arrived.
Then came the first big surprise- he wanted *me*.
The kidnappings, the show farce, Elise- it was all done in an effort to get me to agree to go with him. And honestly in that moment I was tempted... He knew all the right things to say. That my powers were dangerous and have already hurt people; that they can only grow and eventually I won't be able to control them; that without them I could just be normal and not constantly worried about causing some sort of catastrophe. If I just went with him, the people and team were free to go and he would 'help' me. I tried to tell him I need my powers to help people and he asked if they helped Elise. That cut deep...
By then I was so broken I might have said yes. But Dom stood by me. He pulled me back to reality, then we heard Rescue shout through the comms to just run and get me out of the building. He'd apparently found out something else, and he even said to leave the hostages? But it was too late by then. Challenge entered the room behind us, carrying Rekken. I tapped into my power and threw up a barrier around the man in the suit to show him I *could* control my power and I *could* save people. He simply shook his head and sat back down, saying he wasn't the there as a threat, only as a way out.
That's when the green room walls turned black and shadowy, like a mass of dark creatures with long teeth and claws. The hostages all went into a catatonic state as the darkness began to creep toward them.
Dom launched himself through the glass between the rooms and asked Challenge to help move the hostages so he'd have a clear space in the center of the room.
She set Rekken down (I'm still not sure why Olivia was unconscious. I hope she's okay...), then began moving hostages aside. Some of the claws slashed *through* her like ghosts and she screamed.
That seemed to wake Rekken up somehow and in a myriad of colored lights and whirring she was back on her feet, projecting some sort of lavender light barrier to hold the nightmare beasts at bay. Though for some reason my containment around the man himself faded. (I've never seen her use those powers. Has she avoided it for some reason?)
With his way clear (and a little kinetic boost from me), Dom broke through the floor to provide a direct escape. I heard him and Rescue exchange words as the crashing continued downward and Rescue jumped up through the hole. There was something strange about how he looked at the man in the suit... He started asking all these questions, like he knew the man or at least how he operated. Rescue called him Whitelight and I vaguely remembered one of those posting on the board in the base.
Whitelight didn't really give him any new answers. Instead, he blocked off the hole Dom had just made with a wall of white light and once again made the ultimatum that everyone could simply leave if I just went with him. I lashed out, creating some vines that pulled and slammed him into the wall so that he would lose concentration on his wall and we could get the hostages out. One of the shadow claws slipped through a growing crack in Rekken's barrier and slashed at me, but I succeeded anyway and the hole was open again.
Challenge took that opportunity to start bouncing up and down between floors getting hostages out. Whitelight was brushing off my temporary vines, so Rekken shifted her attention at tried to come at him with a large fist light projection (I'm not sure I've really seen her that aggressive). That's when we all heard it.
*"Dad!"*
Rescue jumped in front of Rekken's attack and used his own magic to shatter the projection. It looked like both of them got hit with some shrapnel from it, but we all just kind of stood in shock as Rescue then turned toward Whitelight -his dad- and begged for answers. Begged him to stop. He was crying, hitting Whitelight's chest even as they embraced. In the end, there were still no more answers. But Whitelight said he wasn't going to try to stop us from leaving anymore.
For now? That was good enough for me.
We got all of the hostages outside. Dom had cleared the way for us downstairs. The entire building went dark with those shadows, then they disappeared. Ambulances and police came to check everyone over and get them home. Gabbie's family showed up too. I was moving around trying to help, but I doubt I was very helpful. Everything was kind of a haze until we got back to the Base. I don't even remember what we told Cyclone.
Before I could go home, I needed to talk to Rescue... I could tell he was miserable. Somehow all the news outlets got footage leaked to them that revealed he was Whitelight's son. But also I just- I needed to know some things for myself too?
We talked for a little bit. Trying to make each other feel better, and maybe succeeding at least a little. In the end we hugged, and I'm glad. Rescue is still my friend, regardless of who his dad is. I just wish he hadn't been afraid to tell us the truth. And I trust him, but- there's a little niggling part of my mind that wonders if he's still not telling everything. About his dad? About those shadow monsters that were helping him? But he wouldn't keep that from me after today. I know he wouldn't. I'm just- I'm just really scared.
I didn't want to come home to my empty house... I should have said something at the base but I can be stubborn on occasion. I wanted to show them that even after everything today, I'm still a strong hero and everything was fine. But it's not true. I'm not a strong hero and I'm not fine.
I'm sitting here locked in my room with every protection and warding charm I can think of, but it's hard to defend against a threat you don't know. Someone or some thing wants me bad enough to kidnap people. And I don't even know why! Sure, I have magic. A lot of magic. But I'm not the only source of great power that the Team has, much less the whole city. So why is it me?
I'm terrified. And alone. Why do I always end up alone...?
***There's clearly many spots where the paper has been warped by wetness.***

## Year of the Rooster

November 18th, 2018

I didn't get much sleep last night. As one might imagine. So I'd been up for several hours before Jake texted me, asking if I'd be interested in rounding up some Big Team members for a nice outing to Philosotea. He's still been trying to avoid too much heroing, but it seems he misses the people. Understandable, considering we have a lot of good people.
I was actually already at the Base... I asked Lukas to drive me over as soon as it reached a reasonable time to do so. For no particular reason of course (I'm lying. I was still nervous about being home by myself). So I wandered around a bit looking for people to invite. I didn't find many, but perhaps they were already out by then or still sleeping in. The music room was simply locked, which was odd. I texted Freedo and Challenge to see if they might be interested. They agreed. (Challenge said 'only if Freedo isn't there' but I had kind of already invited him...)
After finding my way to the rec room, I spotted Lavender watching sports on the big TV. It took me a bit to get up the nerve to ask him. I still haven't interacted with him much since that disastrous mission a couple weeks ago. I made sure to let him know not to turn and look before I approached and offered the invitation. He seemed receptive to the idea, though we had a bit of an awkward time trying to figure out how both of us could go without him accidentally looking at me.
He suggested a blindfold, which I felt might be a bit odd and conspicuous. But it did give me an idea... I found one of the Team's cheap plastic 3D glasses that we sometimes use on movie nights, colored the lenses black with a Sharpie, then presented them to him. So it at least looked like he was wearing some sort of sunglasses now rather than a blindfold. Of course it also meant he couldn't see to walk... So I offered to be his guide. I put his hand on my shoulder and after a bit of practice we made it work.
Honestly I felt a bit guilty and silly... He was probably only coming to be polite since I asked, and on top of that he has to basically be treated like a blind man because of my stupid powers. I tried to tell him he should go and I'd stay but he simply turned it around. So we're both going.
I called for Lukas to pick us up and we dropped by Jake's house to give him a ride as well, meeting up with the others at Philosotea. Everyone got a drink they liked and some sweets to share. Jake was treating Lavender a bit strangely trying to describe everything and taking extra care with helping him do things... Eventually I figured out that he thought Lavender was blind and that Lavender didn't know most of the people at the table yet. So I excused myself in order to let him take off the glasses for a bit. I asked that they just text me when the glasses were back on. Gods I really was just in the way...
When I got back, they had noticed something come up on the news about the Transformed and Zodiac City and certain politicians trying to overturn the decision to let them keep part of Natural Nature Park. Some vandalism and arson had occurred since then that was being blamed on the Transformed, so we decided to go check in with Monkey and see if he knew what was going on. We were hoping to find at least *some* way to help them out, as public opinion is pretty low at the moment and people were saying such unkind things. Especially that Councilor Benoit ass.
I called Lukas again and all five of us rode to the Park. At first things were very awkward and mostly silent. Whatever weird vibe I was getting from Challenge and Freedo in the tea shop was magnified tenfold with all of us together in the car. Finally Lavender just up and asked about it. Certainly caught me off guard! It seemed to do the same to the two in question because Challenge just up and spilled what she thought the problem was. It seems at some point she called Freedo a 'fucking gremlin' and for whatever reason, he took it to heart. Which is certainly not like him, but apparently he was already in a bad spot after their tussle with an alien during that Sonata incident last week...
Lavender and Jake managed to talk the situation down a bit, and I took Freedo's hands and told him that he was amazing and we all loved him whether he was a gremlin or not. I think we got through, and the rest of the trip wasn't so dreary after that.
There were protesters at the park when we got there. The initial plan was to use Lavender's portals to teleport past them and into the compound without forcing our way to the gate. So I moved behind Lavender and put my hands on his shoulders as he looked around so that he would have had to turn his head uncomfortably far to see me by accident. (He must work out, because his shoulder muscles are actually quite toned...) After giving the situation a look, he tried to do his portal like I've seen before, but something went wrong and it appeared below us- then dropped us right on top of the protesters. They were of course very miffed about this and began hitting us with their signs while yelling about being attacked. Challenge did some of her trademark quick thinking and convinced them there was a bigger protest already happening at City Hall and they'd accomplish more there. That got the crowd to leave pretty quick, though some also just went home.
The centaur guard at the gate, Derek, thanked Challenge for the help and went to see if Monkey was fine with letting us in. He came back with news that Monkey not only gave the okay, but all Big Team members are welcome from now on! Derek also gave each of us these cute little Zodiac phone charms. I picked a Dragon. I've always loved dragons... He said usually they're trying to sell these but he wanted to give them to us for free. I certainly wasn't going to snub his gift, but I may have slipped some cash in his bag when we left without him noticing.
So we went and talked to Monkey. I noticed as we entered the meeting that Challenge had somehow wandered off and I'll admit I got a bit worried... He confirmed that he also fears the recent illegal activity is due to an unhappy subset of Zodiac City and that Rooster may be involved, even though Rooster used to be on Monkey's side in the disagreements. We said we'd look into it and do what we could.
Really the entire situation is cruel and unfair and I just wish I knew some way to help in a meaningful way... But my magic can't help here. And without my magic, what am I? I'm not saying powers are what make you a hero. So many members of the Team are more hero than me even without them. Cyclone too. I'm just not sure I would be...
Freedo ran into Jessica Hazel on our way out but we let him chat with her privately. Challenge texted. She'd been following a suspicious group around (it turns out Rooster *was* there) and now they were meeting in some building. We went to meet her, Jake gave us those telepathic bracelets again (how does Challenge think around all that singing in her head?), and he turned into a fly to go inside and listen while Challenge used his scarabs. Everything they heard and relayed to us was confirmation that this was the group doing all those illegal things- and they were planning another one for next week.
We determined the course of action we wanted to take and then followed Rooster until he was alone. Before approaching, I offered to stay behind so Lavender could talk to Rooster without the glasses. At which point Freedo just asked if he could turn his negating eyes off. We weren't sure if it would work but it was worth a try. And it did work. Lavender looked at the others with no effect and then turned around to look at- me.
I was way more nervous than I should have been. I mean come on, people look at you every day. Everyone else could see me. But I think I was worried that maybe he'd pictured me as really pretty or something? Then he'd just see actual *me* and might be disappointed...
I still had my glamor up, which was maybe unfair since I suppose now he still hasn't really seen me. Was it selfish to want him to see me looking like a normal girl? No unnaturally white hair and skin or creepy glowing runes everywhere. Plus the half-dead look one gets when you basically didn't get any sleep the night before. I should probably tell him sometime. I wasn't trying to be deceptive...
I think he might have been blushing for some reason but it was hard to tell because I immediately couldn't look him in the face after the first eye contact. I'm pretty sure I was blushing too but thank god I can keep the glamor from displaying that if I catch it in time.
I couldn't think of anything to say either. I mean talking is *not* hard for gods sake. Step 1: Think of words, Step 2: Say words. But in my case with Lavender it seems to be something more like Step 1: Mind blank, Step 2: Say something remarkably stupid. Thankfully he had something else to take care of. Oh and he told Freedo thank you. I'm sure it was nice not to have to wear those silly glasses anymore.
His eyes are really lovely though... I've never been able to get a very good look before.
Oh um- anyway. Lavender approached Rooster and basically gave an ultimatum that they needed to give the right approach another chance first or shit might go down(?). Honestly the whole speech floored me. It was blunt and aggressive and- somehow exactly what Rooster needed to hear? Jake and Freedo jumped in with their support and opinions as well, and in the end Rooster agreed to give it a chance. They were going to lay off but only for a week. If they didn't see some changes by then, they were going right back to their way of doing things. Lavender and Freedo agreed and even offered to join them for some stuff if nothing changed (that part makes me nervous...).
Mission accomplished for now though. We immediately set to work planning a protest and trying for a meeting at City Hall. Getting everyone involved that we can think of. Jake plans to put up signs all over the city. I'm going to talk to the 6/12 gas station owner about giving his support and maybe finding others. I'll- I'll try to think of more ways I can be helpful. I really want to make this work and make things better...
Today did a nice job getting my mind off yesterday. It was about as normal as a day can get around Halcyon it seems.
Oh! Also Lavender and I traded numbers, which is good. It never hurts to be able to get ahold of people from the Team.

## Interlude - Requiem for the Lost

*The abandoned warehouse is mostly bare. Cool, low lighting provides a sense of calm stillness. The only thing of interest in the large open space is a square barred cage in the center with a large red arcane glyph glowing softly on the floor. Inside is a surprisingly comfortable-looking and stylish set of furniture – large plush bed, table, chair, vanity, even a cute floppy-eared dog stuffed animal. Aside from the somewhat sinister glowing glyph and the fact that it’s clearly a small prison, the only other jarring feature is the chains made of mystical energy extending up from the cage floor and gently encircling the wrists and ankles of the unconscious white-haired girl on the bed.*
*Rhiannon wakes up and immediately feels... cold. Drained. The magic inside her that’s usually near bursting at the seams feels barely present. The runes lining her skin almost don’t glow at all, revealing the blackened scarring beneath. She gets up slowly, her body weak and aching all over. Finally noticing the ethereal strands of the chains around her wrists, Rhiannon tries to shake or pull them off but to no avail. She almost can’t even feel them, and they don’t restrict her much... but they must be part of what’s locking down her powers. They’re not what’s draining her though.*
*Her eyes look to the glyph on the floor fearfully. She can feel it- the darkness. The hunger. She can sense it pulling her magic from her in a steady flow. As Rhiannon’s head starts to clear and the memory of what happened comes back, her eyes widen and fill with tears and she practically throws herself across the cell at the door.*
***Cyclone!***
*Memories of the crash flash through her mind. It was bad. She had tried to put up something to protect him when she realized what was happening, but... did it work? Where is he? What if he’s not okay??*
*Rhiannon’s magic won't manifest no matter how hard she tries to call on it. Even if some starts to build, she can feel the glyph drain it away hungrily. So she tries to break down the cage door herself, throwing her entire body against it over and over as the panic grows and tears stream down her face. She can’t even feel the pain of the impact against the strong metal bars. But her weakened body doesn’t have the strength to continue, and eventually she collapses to the ground in a sobbing heap.*
*Maybe this was for the best anyway. This was what they wanted, right? Elise. Whitelight... even Cyclone. And probably others she doesn't even know about. No power and no one to hurt. Right where she belongs. The dream was nice while it lasted, but she was never meant to be a hero was she...*
*Fear, despair, and grief swirl together in a storm of emotion as she remains there on the floor.*
*Lost.*

## Return

December 16, 2018

I- haven't really been able to get myself to write- for a bit. Not since...
Okay Rhiannon, just a quick overview and it'll be done.
I went to Thanksgiving. It was bad (except for playing toys with Gally... and the kiss from Lavender). Cyclone was so disappointed in us for ruining the day though... disappointed in me.
He was talking to me on the drive home about looking into options to- to dampen or lock away some of my powers. It hurt. A lot. I thought he'd lost faith in me.
Then the crash happened. It was... terrifying. Right up to when it knocked me out. I thought I felt some bones break but I was mostly fine when I woke up... I didn't know what happened to Cyclone though. I had tried to conjure a protection spell for him, but the whole time I was kidnapped (yes, abducted from that crash. It only happened because of me) I truly feared he might be dead.
They said I was gone for about two weeks. I lost track of time in that place. Lost track of reality a bit too... But they came for me. All of them. Some had to go elsewhere in order to break a barrier ritual, but it was still for me.
When I felt the drain on me stop- when I felt their arms around me- at first I feared it was just another dream... like all the others I'd had. But it wasn't. They were there. I could touch them and feel their warmth. I think I started crying. And I think Dom had horns? (They were still there more recently, so it must be real)
So- I'm home now. Aife is still on holiday. Carol is here, but Lukas is gone... He helped them rescue me too, but nobody knows where he is... Just another letter from a loved one telling me goodbye.
Maybe he'll be back though? Gwen made it back. She and Elle both did. My shining knights came to my rescue along with the Team. I meant to give them a big Welcome Home from their space mission. Instead they came back to this. I'm so sorry...
I visited Cyclone in the hospital. He really was fine, and I was- so relieved... They said he was in a coma for a while. And he's been using a cane now that's he's out. I went there to check on him for myself, but also- I was planning to say goodbye.
I didn't think he wanted me anymore. Which would mean there was no longer a place for me with the Team. I thought he believed that I shouldn't be here unless we forced my powers in check (like with the ring mother sent)... After two weeks alone and caged with that in my head, I really believed it myself.
Cyclone said that's not what he meant at all. He was pretty convincing, and I- I so desperately wanted to believe him. I want to believe my hero never lost faith in me. And maybe... maybe someday I will believe it again. That has to be good enough for now...
The Team threw a party for me at the Base. I wasn't really in the best state of mind for it. What have I done to deserve a party? Put innocent people in danger (I'm sorry). Nearly get Cyclone killed (I'm so sorry). Make my friends risk extreme danger to get me back (I'm so so sorry). But I went. For them.
Tommy... he asked me to be his girlfriend. It was so very unexpected, but it- it felt nice. I said yes. I felt like I should try to kiss him again, but I'm still just so insecure... Thankfully he didn't try either. I'm not sure I was ready. Maybe next time though. How does one be a good girlfriend? I- I still don't even think he's seen what I really look like.
Right then. Recap over.

I tried a mission with the Team today. Get back on the horse and all that. Gwen and Dom being there made me feel a bit safer. I'm worried about Rescue... things must be just as hard for him right now. Challenge always raises my spirits though. Nothing ever seems to get her down.
With this whole martial law thing, it feels like the entire city is fighting. We were checking on some info Challenge and Freedo had found and stumbled onto a massive firefight between GREY and Chimera's forces. I was mostly just trying to restrain and immobilize both sides. Gwen was focusing on disarming (if that's what you want to call cutting guns in half) and knocking them out. Challenge was wisely using hit and run tactics to keep herself in cover when possible. Rescue... watched (did I mention I'm worried?) and Dom did too for a while but joined in to back up Challenge in some tight spots.
Eventually most of the fighting was done and we could hear the police coming. But there was one Chimera operative with glasses who had been hiding and tried to make a break for it. We gave chase. That's when a blast of energy shot into the building. I was coming around the side and didn't really see what happened, but when I reached the back some woman was holding the operative- unconscious and singed by the blast.
Not sure what was happening but also feeling that this newcomer might be dangerous, I used my magic to snatch the Chimera lady away and into my arms. Then I mostly just stood to the side with her protectively while everyone else tried to figure out and explain what was going on... (Oh, after Dom came through the wall and super punched the strange visored woman. It was adorable how much he apologized at first)
Apparently she was called 'Atomica'. I recognized the name as one of Cyclone's old teammates- very old. Most people don't look into his career that far back and to be honest I'd largely forgotten. Challenge explained the whole situation and it seemed Atomica and her husband The Magna had turned more anti-hero... like Uncle Lance.
We didn't find out why she wanted this Chimera lady before she tried to escape. Gwen attempted to stop her but got burned and- may have created a small tidal wave that flooded the rest of us for a bit. That woke up the woman we saved though (Robyn) and after some convincing she gave us a bit of financial info on Chimera's organization.
I disguised her like another teen hero when the police showed up, to keep our end of the deal. Challenge handled the police quite well and eventually we left- after hearing about a fight going down at the nearby precinct. So of course we took a detour.
The fight at the precinct was... out of control. The building was on fire and collapsing. There was rubble everywhere. The police and GREY were fighting *each other*. We left Robyn on a roof a safe distance away and immediately set to work on damage control and saving people.
Dom started holding up the primary support pillar to keep the building solid as long as possible. I reinforced some of the other supports he couldn't reach and everything seemed stable enough- for now. Challenge was getting people to a safe distance (I can always count on her for that, and the people are what's most important).
Gwen was putting out fires- literal, and figurative with the angry precinct captain.
It also turned out Atomica was here as well. Maybe she started it? It was hard to tell, but she seemed to be at least trying to avoid collateral while fighting GREY. After clearing the people outside, I saw Challenge run in. I heard the rumble of falling debris, but- I had to trust she was fine like she always is. At least until I could get away to help.
There was so much chaos going on... Dom's tail(?) knocked me out of the way of an explosion. Atomica was looking- really rough from all the GREY fire. Plus they started busting out that foam I've heard about... the foam that turns off powers. I- I don't like seeing people hurt, even if she's not on our side. I threw up a magical force shield to block their gunfire while Gwen swooped in and took her to the side out of combat for the moment. The building was finally stable enough for Dom to jump into the fray as he and Rescue ran inside in search of more trapped people.
I cracked one of my arcane seals to siphon a bit more power. It felt like I was going to need it. That was when a vending machine fell(?) from the second floor of the building. With enough momentum to knock me right into the middle of a pack of GREY soldiers with guns and foam ready. I'll admit I- panicked for a moment. My first instinct manifested on its own into one of my barriers, cutting me off from the attackers but also everything else. Especially when the foam began coating it and I couldn't see through anymore.
So I refocused onto something I *could* do from where I was. I put my hands on the ground and closed my eyes, focusing my surge of power into the vines I already had supporting part of the building. Extending my senses, I pushed and molded the energy into the arcane circle of strength and rebirth. I couldn't see it, but I knew it was there on the ground now- massive and pulsing under the entire building. The vines strengthened and grew, pulling pieces of rubble back to their positions as the stone itself began to expand and meld. It's a fulfilling sensation to literally *feel* something becoming whole again. Or at least... close to it. (Hopefully the precinct doesn't mind their building's new um- 'nature aesthetic')
Then I heard Gwen shouting at me. Something about how I shouldn't be hiding and I should stand up for myself. Stop worrying about everyone because they can take care of themselves without me and just focus on- taking out these GREY guys myself with my extreme power thus showing I'm a real hero...? I- I think she was trying to help. I know I haven't really been myself lately. But... that's not really how I work. That's not the hero I want to be. I thought she understood that about me.
Dom shouted to me too. I could hear him much closer, and clearly in combat with the attackers around me. I think he just wanted to make me feel safe though. That I didn't have to be afraid and keep hiding. But I- I wasn't *just* hiding. Even if that was my first instinct...
Then I remembered Challenge- how she ran into the building before it rumbled and I hadn't seen her since. Dom and Gwen were fighters. I knew they could handle themselves out there. Gwen even just said so herself... So I teleported to the precinct doorway instead and ran inside. I'm not sure I can really become a hero anymore... but if I can, then that's the hero I want to be - the one who would rather look for people to help than people to fight.
When I found Challenge, she looked pretty roughed up... I could see where some rubble was still piled up by the wall. I think parts of it had fallen on her. She was out now though, and pushing on like nothing had happened. Unphased and full of energy like always. Her um, her mask was torn though. I could see her face for the first time and- I recognized her. From school of course, but also from long before that.
I was stunned. It took Challenge calling to me for help with moving some big storage locker before I snapped out of it. I didn't think to use magic, we (mostly her I think) just heaved the locker away from the door.
The room had The Magna in it (Atomica's husband) and an officer named Burch. Challenge was a bit harsh with Magna, even if it might have been deserved... We asked him to calm his wife down and get her to stop before more people got hurt. He tried to claim it wasn't her intent, but the fact remained that it was still happening. He ran out and I followed.
Outside, Atomica looked about to have a nuclear meltdown for some reason. Gwen was trying to calm her down (with words and water and a helping of GREY foam from Dom). I wasn't sure if it was going to be enough... But then Challenge came out of the precinct with some strange gun and just- shrunk Atomica. To like, super tiny. The Magna rushed over to pick her up (it was kind of sweet honestly), but GREY was closing in fast. We had to choose which side to deal with and, knowing GREY, we didn't want them to come out on top...
So The Magna and Atomica escaped, but then Challenge stepped up (completely without her mask! I hope I shouldn't be too worried about that). She wielded that shrink gun with steely determination and made GREY think twice about continuing the fight. After a short standoff, they packed up and left. I was once again shocked by Challenge. And impressed. My friend has depths I never could have expected.
After they cleared out and her big stand was finished, Challenge asked for my help to hide her face. I was more than happy to provide at least that much. So I crafted a glamor that looked just like her old mask. I also hugged her, but that wasn't really related to anything specific...
So... That was my day. My 'big return' to the Team and hero work. At the end of the day, I don't think we really made much difference to anything that's going on. At least we helped people.
But did I do okay? Am I still a hero?
... Was I ever one?

## Aftershocks

December 29, 2018

It's been a couple weeks since I tried a true mission again. I've helped out where I could, but between martial law and the holidays things have been varying levels of complicated...
Gwen and I had a good talk and cleared the air, which meant a lot to me. And they got Olivia back! Just in time for Christmas too.
Christmas itself was actually pretty relaxing and enjoyable. I wish I'd invited Tommy and his family, but... I was afraid that might seem weird. We've still basically just started dating. Maybe I can make it up to him on our New Year's date? (oh wow I'm actually really nervous about that)
Okay refocus- Today. The mission.
Tommy contacted me while I was with El and asked for our help. Both of us. (His grandma asked for us specifically?) He gave an address and we (eventually) made our way there. I'm glad El is understanding about my wish to avoid cars for the moment... The subway has been an interesting experience though!
When we got there, El recognized the building- they had been here on a mission previously to assist the Transformed (apparently a cure is being worked on, which is wonderful to hear!). Parrot and Lavender were there waiting. A guard at the door let us in when we told him who sent us. Inside was the woman herself, Orixa, in a much more striking outfit than the um... the last time I saw her.
Much to our surprise, Councilor Ramirez was there as well! She and the other councilors (excluding Rodriguez of course...) had determined that martial law needed to come to an end. They signed whatever paperwork was required and were stepping down to make way for a new election. But they needed to broadcast that news to the city as a whole for people to be aware and vote, and of course GREY was in control of all the stations that could accomplish that.
This is where the Zodiacs came in. It seemed GREY had taken over Zodiac City after martial law started, and built a central communications hub there. They'd also been arresting a lot of the Transformed basically on sight... Thus they had a vested interest in the Councilor's plan as well.
Our role was to simply protect the Councilor and get her to the broadcasting equipment in the basement of that GREY building. Some hacker contact named Splinter was available to provide some assistance getting by certain systems as needed. Overall it sounded pretty simple, and in a way I suppose it was? Especially after Lavender looked over the building plans and identified our best path.
Before we left, Orixa pulled me aside privately and told me something might happen that she needed my help with... something for Lavender. I'll touch more on that later, but- I'm not sure how much I'll be able to trust her requests in the future...
Lavender created a portal for all of us to go through that would put us on top of the building we needed to infiltrate. Normally this wouldn't be advisable because of the drones patrolling but Splinter took care of them once we got through. I was surprised to find that Rooster was coming with us, but I suppose he had as much right as anyone.
To get into and move around the building more easily and (hopefully) unnoticed, I put a perception glamour around us. It couldn't help with the cameras (but thankfully we could mostly avoid them); and there were some of the GREY Transformed that had gotten cybernetic eye enhancements which would have been a problem, though it seemed Splinter was able to do something about those as well. Strangely, Lavender's portals seemed unable to work inside the building itself.
When we got to the main security hub it looked like we may need to finally break cover. El offered to create a distraction, but- I really didn't want them in danger. Especially not alone. I know they run around fighting GREY along all the time but this was different... and often they *sneak* out on those hunts or I might try to stop them.
Eventually another idea came up - for us to trick them into deploying a bunch of their forces outside the building. With Splinter's help again, we hijacked their comms and Lavender gave the order for reinforcements. It worked! The place emptied out enough for us to get by even with the extra security difficulties.
The next hall was... difficult, to say the least. It was a holding and interrogation area. Every room we passed had Zodiac citizens being questioned and bullied. One was even- they were beating him. It hurt to watch. And even when we passed by, it hurt to know it was happening...
It took everything we had to convince El not to go on a rampage then and there. I wanted to let them. Hell, I wanted to join them. But if we didn't complete this mission, none of it was going to stop. It would just happen again and again for as long as GREY martial law was still in effect.
So we promised to help them on the way out. And we kept going...
We sneaked through a communications hub next. They were in a bit of a frenzy trying to undo the call we made, but everything seemed to be on the fritz there as well (Splinter again, it would seem). A strange orb in the center of the room was bouncing around like crazy, but I couldn't figure out what it was. The two in charge of the building were there- one of the Freya Winters clones I've heard about, and some Rhino transformed named 'Big Horn'. Avoiding conflict was a definite must here if we wanted to succeed, so on we went.
Finally we made it. A pretty impressive broadcasting setup in the basement of this building. The amount of activity and techs present made it seem like they were about to make a broadcast of their own, though we didn't wait to find out what that was. There was even a Rodriguez look-alike (though having met the man, I could tell it wasn't quite him). Objective reached, now we just needed to subdue the ones here and buy enough time for the broadcast...
I started us off by barricading the door - with a tree bigger round than a person and vines digging into the walls for extra bracing. Parrot became steel and protected Councilor Ramirez from the ensuing gunfire. El began to vent some of their frustrations on the goons while Lavender convinced the rest to stand down (I can understand their choice, when faced with the alternative). The whole thing was over rather quickly really.
Rooster got to work getting the broadcast up and running (I didn't realize he knew how to do that! Quite helpful) while Councilor Ramirez took her place in front of the cameras. The speech was short, but heartfelt and stirring I thought. She even revealed Parrot to be her daughter (I was very much not expecting that. I thought it was supposed to be a secret? Also I knew her mom was in politics but I may have forgotten that was her last name...). I think she may have wished to say more, but then the power went out long enough to cut the broadcast - and something started trying to break through the door.
My barricade held up pretty well. Long enough for Lavender to teleport Councilor Ramirez back to safety with a (temporary) return of his powers. And enough for us to get settled before the tree and vines were frozen solid then shattered, along with the door. Big Horn headed straight for Rooster but my arcane circle of force stopped him short (I knew *something* would probably be barging through).
Freya was about to unleash a wave of ice on all of us when Lavender tried to jump her from behind. He didn't quite get the drop on her, but it was enough to distract her from hitting the rest of us. He nearly got hit himself, which I'll admit caused some anxiety...
Parrot then tried to grapple Freya as El faced off with Big Horn. Things were moving fast. Very fast, in Big Horn's case. I didn't expect the brute to have super speed. El tried to taunt him into making a mistake but he ended up behind them and picked them up before starting to take off. I'm not sure where he wanted to take El, but like I said before- I don't like the team being split up. So I put up a barrier around the entire room. Not a moment too soon either, as he smacked into it at full speed (along with El, ouch. I feel bad about that still).
The two of them were both a bit stunned for the moment while Parrot and Lavender continued their fight with Freya. With my attention split I didn't quite catch everything that happened, though they both seemed to have taken some hits from the frosty bitch... I think they were gaining the upper hand though.
When I saw an opportunity, I went for it- from the shattered remains of the tree, I conjured a thick mass of vines to restrain both enemies. El forced Big Horn within their grasp before he could recover, and Parrot- um, I believe this may be where they like to use the term 'yeet'? Parrot 'yeeted' Freya into them from the other side. With both firmly restrained, I smacked them into one another and (surprisingly) it knocked them both out cold. More than I was expecting, but I certainly wasn't going to complain.
With that taken care of, we made a dash back upstairs to help free the Zodiac transformed as planned. On the way, I saw that strange orb in the comm hub again and- something made me want to take it with us. So I snatched it into my hands and was about to keep running with the others when Orixa appeared out of nowhere in front of me... The others continued on as she motioned to the orb I held. This was what she needed my help with.
Orixa didn't tell me much. She just said it was really important and that I needed to pour as much of my magic into the orb as possible. So I did. And eventually it broke open to reveal a rather creepy little fellow that crawled up on Orixa's shoulders and gave her a somewhat disturbing grin before jumping down and vanishing through the floor... Followed immediately by what felt like an earthquake and nearly knocked me off my feet.
I'm not sure how the 'jailbreak' went (aside from El apparently stabbing steel Parrot with a spear...?), but it was apparently successful which I'm extremely glad of. We caught up to the group and then Orixa told us to follow her to the roof. We didn't run into much resistance on the way, as it seemed things were in chaos for GREY on multiple fronts. El had to carry Lavender because for some reason he wasn't feeling well at all... and Orixa seemed to know why. (Is it strange to feel jealous of someone else carrying your boyfriend, even if it's necessary?)
From the roof, we were faced with... a sight, certainly. The entirety of Zodiac City was *floating in the sky* above Halcyon. We had some lighthearted interactions, which was nice after all the heavy shit that went down inside. Then that's where Orixa explained what was going on (broadcast was a success and the mortem made Zodiac City float) and that now the Transformed were free to live their own lives without being tied to Halcyon or some such. I'll admit I got distracted when she- she told Tommy she was 'quite glad it didn't kill you'. Was that a possibility?? Did she have me release something that could have just as easily killed her grandson? My *friend*?! And after he'd just told me that I make him feel safe... that I'm his hero...
What if it had-? What if because of me-?
He didn't seem to wish to speak about it today. I certainly didn't want to... Plus, whatever it *had* done was still making him not feel well. Maybe it'll come up on our date, though I somewhat hope not. Wait, what if- do you think he even still wants to go on our date...?
I'm glad we at least accomplished *some* good today though. I think... I hope.

## Dream Date

January 1, 2019

My New Years' Eve date with Tommy was so amazing! I mean- he dropped some bombs and we discussed some heavy things too, but... Overall I'm not sure I've ever had a nicer night. He really does make me feel special...
I'm not sure it would be wise for me to wear that ring again though. I knew taking it off would be difficult and unpredictable, but- it may be too dangerous. For everyone.

## Paved with Good Intentions

January 13, 2019

It was finally time. I've been planning for three months now and I still didn't feel ready, but...
It was time to bring Uncle Lance home.
And we did.
But I suppose I'm getting ahead of myself.
When Gwen said she was ready, I told her to bring everyone to the Manor. I didn't know who she was trusting to bring along this time, but it was her choice to make. Once Dom, Rekken, and El were assembled I can't say I was surprised. I guided them all to one of the house's secret rooms. I'd been using it for all my preparations to avoid, well, everyone really. It's generally frowned upon to be planning a prison break, much less a spirit hell prison...
The ritual circle was ready. I had all the components but one. I asked everyone to step fully inside the circle and began the incantation, pulling out Lancelot's sword to complete the connection. I think I heard Gwen start to curse right as the spell completed and we were teleported away. I really probably should have told her I had the sword this whole time, but- what's that saying? Better to ask forgiveness?
Then we were there. Back in that place I truly would have liked to never be again. Thanks to the strong connection granted by the blade, I'd even managed to bring us to the correct layer. Wrath. We had to look for a bit, but it surprisingly didn't take too long to find Uncle Lance (Dom accidentally clocked him while trying to clear us a path through the fighting).
He- he looked almost nothing like his old knightly self... Malnourished, dirty, unshaven. And I'm not sure if it was Dom's knock on the head or this place, but- he didn't remember us. Not at first. Gwen finally got through to him a little at least. She sang him a lullaby... I was trying so hard not to cry (I'd fail at that goal later, no worries). When she tried to tell him we were taking him with us through to the exit, he was almost panicking. Even after calming him down, he would only repeat that it was a bad idea.
But we did it anyway.
It was perhaps easier than I expected to sneak through Ferinon. But then- most people aren't trying to make their way *lower*. The next layer was filled with dark, murky water... water filled with corpses, or at least, near-corpses. Gwen parted it for us, but when we realized there were sentries above we switched to walking beneath the surface in an air pocket. Eventually we hit a cliffside blocking the path though and had to climb it while also trying to avoid notice by the sentries (my perception glamour helped us out a bit here, but poor Dom was having to climb while carrying people). We made our way along the side until we found a large gate. It seemed to be the way forward.
Uncle said Phlegos wouldn't be happy we bypassed him without paying the toll. Sure enough, the ferryman was watching us from the shore (how did we miss him?). Gwen laid down some candies but I also moved close enough to place down the two ancient coins I'd brought just in case the book was right and the ferry existed. It did. And I felt guilty. Hopefully the coins made up for our rudeness.
Rekken squeezed her head into the giant keyhole on the gate and managed to make a solid light replica of a key that could open it (I was impressed). Thus we went in. After getting through the gates, we were inside a city of sorts. Though it seemed largely empty. Lancelot stopped us again here, trying to get us to give up on our rescue. We refused. This is when El finally revealed themselves to him as- well, another Lancelot. That was an interesting conversation... But eventually we continued onward. I used some scrying magic to sense out the path of least resistance through the city to avoid guards and kept my perception glamour up to assist as well. However, every gate forward would require us to get past at least *some* guards, which was unfortunate...
The path we took led us through an area just packed with large ovens. The heat was almost overwhelming, but the true discomfort came from realizing that the ovens were filled with- people. Gwen almost went to look, but I grabbed her arm. When we reached the guarded gate though, the best idea anyone had was to start clanging the doors on the empty ovens so they would think people were trying to escape and leave their posts.
It kind of worked...? Gwen clanged some doors, but then she saw what was inside the other ovens and kind of lost it, insisting that we had to try and get *all* of them out. And- as much as I didn't want anyone to be in this place, I knew that was impossible. She managed to convince Dom to help though, as two Medusae appeared in response to the clanging. I put them in a mirrored barrier (hopefully mythology rules work here too) while Rekken distracted the dark knight gate guards and El busted through the gate itself. At that point, Dom realized what the rest of us already knew and practically dragged Gwen away from the ovens and through the gate.
The next area was still unpleasantly warm as we walked across a field of ash. It was filled with statues, but as we walked we could hear the statues calling out to us for help. They were alive, in a sense, encased in this stone with no individual features to speak of... In the distance was a tower of some sort, and as we neared it a massive swarm of imps bore down on us. Uncle Lance finally seemed to have regained some of his strength and was ready to see this through with us, so I gave him back his blade.
He and the others went on the offensive against the imps as they began to surround and attack us. I summoned a wall of brambles to slow down and catch as many as possible to thin their ranks. Seeing all the Du Lacs fighting side by side was- it made me so happy. All my knights together. It was just like all the stories. Rekken did some fancy work with her new light projection, but then Dom summoned forth Gramps and he let out a roar that seemed to somewhat decimate the imps. It took its toll on the statues as well though... They started to crack, and- bleed. I did what I could to mend them with my magic before we moved on. Hopefully it helped...
Before we entered that dark tower, El came clean about something else... they were planning to stay. They hoped a trade -one Lancelot for another- would allow us to leave without fear of interference or repercussions. And maybe they were right but GODSDAMNIT, why is everyone in this family always trying to *leave me*?! Fuck destiny and fate and timelines and whatever else. El and Uncle Lance are not the same to me. They're not interchangeable. And they are both *precious* to me beyond measure. I was not going to leave that place without either one of them.
With the whole group trying to talk some sense into them (oh right, this was where I failed my 'no crying' goal), eventually we convinced El that we had to at least *try* to get out with everyone before running off and offering trades (even if they did make a promise to some ghost-Lancelot in Nimue's blade that I still won't believe was real). So with THAT all cleared up, we entered the gate. The Last Layer.
The resemblance to the book was uncanny... to *Dante's Inferno* I mean. *He* was really there. Or at least- some version or facsimile of him. Bunch of foolish and determined teens that we are, we just dove right in. I know I have a lot of power and I can usually hold my own in a pinch, but just watching this group *fight* never ceases to amaze me. Gwen.. El... Dom... Rekken... even Lancelot, in his condition. They're all still my heroes.
Going toe to toe with the Devil, even this version, is no small undertaking. But they were holding their own. And the goal was never to beat him- just to get past him. Or rather... beneath him. Gwen started the ice cracking, and when there was an opening I seized it. A tree's roots hold both power and the ability to fit in places one wouldn't expect. So I created one right there and forced its roots to widen the cracks in the ice, deeper and deeper. Then, when everyone got the chance to move- we jumped in.
Rekken created a light shield for us on the way down, but something caused it to shatter. If Dom hadn't moved in the way to protect me, I think the shards might have taken me out. I'd channeled so much power through the journey, I'm ashamed to say I was barely holding together as it was... We fell through darkness for what felt like forever before landing at the base of a strange mountain. Dom recognized it as another part of the spirit realm, but at least not Ferinon.
We did a head count and it seemed everyone had made it out. A bit worse for wear, but... safe. Uncle Lance was unconscious but there with us all the same. I- I took his sword for safekeeping again. Then I put his head on my lap and stroked his hair and- well I couldn't stop more tears from starting up. Joy? Relief? Exhaustion? Pain? I couldn't tell you. I spoke with El again, trying to make them understand why we could never just let them go. I hope I got through.
Then it was time to go. Home. I had enough strength to teleport us back, though... We heard the Devil's voice as I did. He said he'd get his due... But there was nothing we could do about that for now.
We were back in the secret room in my house, magic circle and all. El rushed off to get the goodbye letters they'd apparently left us (*Seriously?!*). We put Uncle Lance in one of the guest rooms under my care and watch, at least until we figured out where he should be sent. Unfortunately he was still a criminal and needed to do his time for that...
But we got him out. And hopefully I never have to go back to that place again.

## Last Resort

January 19, 2019

So. I'm starting to think there's a rule somewhere that says Big Team isn't allowed to have relaxing weekend trips...?
We were just asked by Cyclone to keep an eye on this spa resort for a friend of his while it was closed for a few days. And we were getting paid. Nothing weird about that, right? Should be fun! At least that's what Gwen, Dom, Rescue, Freedo, and I thought. Silly us.
So we got there via taxi. The radio was forecasting a big blizzard but we should be all nice and cozy in this fancy resort. The lobby was impressive - statues, fountain, grand piano, the whole deal. The owner lady was a bit creepy but... nice? Too nice. And that's saying a lot coming from me. She gave us our room keys and a little tour of the facilities, told us not to enter the west wing, and then went on her merry way. That's when the weird stuff started.
Elevators going down and sideways but ending up on the top floor? Strange noises that everyone could hear but they were all different? Hallways that seemed to stretch on forever with room doors that actually led to other hallways? Demonic brooms that slowly start to look like someone you know?
It was... a lot.
Eventually somehow we all got to our rooms. We got a phone call from some construction workers asking us to turn off the generator in the west wing lest the whole place burn down. Then there was a crash outside and the lights went out.
Gwen screamed. I screamed. She tried to jump into my arms I think, which just ended up with both of us on the floor and her on top of me. Ow. It does *not* work like the cartoons.
The lights came back on and the phone rang again but this time it was just a series of numbers. I plugged them into a web search on my phone and they translated to 'West wing' (in hexadecimal apparently?). We got in contact with the others and everyone agreed we needed to meet back up and take care of the generator... and maybe figure out what on earth was up with this place. Or at least enjoy the hot spring. Freedo brought his new broom friend.
We entered the west wing as a group, but the construction scaffolding would only let us go through one at a time and it was dark. When we got to the other side- we were all alone. I didn't like it. I didn't like it at all.
It started out as just another of those endless hallways, but then it began to get foggy. It smelled like home... like Ireland. Then I could hear the sound of wheels getting closer and a shape appeared in the mist- it looked like someone in a wheelchair. My first instinct was horror as my chest got tight, but then I realized there was no way she could be here. That's when I caught on to what someone was trying to do. And if they were doing that to me, they were probably trying to do the same to everyone else and- I was *furious*.
Despite the happy masks we put on, I know every one of my friends is hiding some amount of pain from their pasts. And this thing was preying on that. Whatever this was, I was certain I could counter the effects with my magic. I only hoped everyone was still okay. I sent out a wave of magical negation as far as I could and the hallway went back to normal. Running to the door now giving off generator noises, I threw it open to see four other doors, three of them open (or broken). I truly wasn't fast enough...
They were all crying. All in such pain. I didn't see Gwen and one door was still shut, so I rushed over and threw it open. Gwen was on her knees, practically in shock as she clawed and pounded at a wall that faded away when I entered. She'd been desperately trying to escape. To get away from this door. I dropped down next to her and hugged her gently, rocking my dear cousin and stroking her hair as I whispered comforting things to let her know I was there.
Finally Gwen came back to her senses a bit, still dazed but able to follow me back to the others. Dom had even manifested the Dragon in his grief that someone had been taken from him. I pulled him into the hug first, bringing Gwen in with me before reaching out for Freedo and Rescue as well. Freedo joined us and we all just stood there hugging each other as I let them cry and did my best to comfort with words and Macha's presence.
Rescue turned away though... I could see he was really hurting too, but- it stung. When you're hurting is the best time to let people in, not turn your back on them. Even though it can hurt to let them in too. I just- I thought we were friends again. He'd mentioned earlier that he thought Dom and I stopped being his friends when he accepted those Horrorterrors to save me, but I told him that was never the case! So why did he have to shut me out...?
Rescue turned off the generator. Mission accomplished. We all left the west wing, but things were still acting strange. The elevator opened and flooded the area with this weird blue inky liquid but then it was gone just as suddenly. Dom and Rescue decided to take the elevator down, but Gwen and Freedo were afraid to go inside and I *definitely* wasn't going to make them after what just happened. So I escorted them down the stairs instead.
It turned out that the elevator took them to the hot springs. We all met up there and- well, um- Rescue was naked now? I- averted my eyes. And such. As we all went out into the freezing cold and found some strange swirling water portal in one of the hot tubs? It was the only one that wasn't dry. Rescue basically said 'fuck it' and tried to walk into the damn thing. I grabbed his arm and- I think I may have been too harsh? But he was scaring me! He was acting like he didn't care what happened to him, but dammit *I care*!!
Why... why doesn't that matter to anyone...?
Dom and I convinced Rescue to hold off but I think he's still upset with me... Gwen took Freedo's broom friend (yes he still had it) and tossed it into the portal before unleashing her water powers to force it closed. I got a strange feeling and it spit the broom back out with a sadface on it, but the portal seemed to close all the same.
I offered that we could get the hot tub going again but Rescue wasn't interested anymore. I don't think anyone was really. We went back to our rooms, no weirdness this time. Got all cozy and relaxed, though I was still worried about Gwen (about all of them actually, but she was the only one in my room).
I was happy to be done with that place

## Chaos Theory

January 26, 2019

I'm- so very tired... I think I made a new friend today though? Maybe a couple even? I'm not sure they'd call it that...
We went up to Zodiac City today. It's still a very strange sensation to have to literally go *up* to get there. El, Rekken, Rescue, and I were going to meet with Dr. Eaton by request. It seemed the woman responsible for creating a cure for the Transformed, Dr. Watson, was being paid (forced?) to continue manufacturing it so that it could be made widely available for those who wanted it. But she'd suddenly started refusing to do it anymore.
Our group met with her while she played with a group of young Transformed children that were staying at the lab until homes could be found. They'd recently been rescued by one of the teams. Whereas El and Rekken were with the group who initially captured Watson, and the reason she was here I suppose. She said she didn't feel safe and would not continue her work until we got back her old bodyguard, Earlyman. She wouldn't budge on it, so we promised to see what we could do.
Thankfully it seemed El's friend Shanelle Tickletock had been keeping in contact with the mercenary (romantic perhaps? Kind of cute really). She's a bear Tranformed now, but El seems to think she's doing well and happy. Our group headed off to visit her at her new bakery, Cinnabun Hun.
On the way there, I kept getting a feeling like we were being watched... Finally I caught notice of what looked like a small cat following us and popping up in various places. I smiled a bit and gave a little wave, which sent it back into hiding- and a large crack formed in one of the massive heaters lining the street. It started to fall, about to crush some civilians passing by. Rekken stretched out to protect them while Rescue and I attempted to slow its fall with magic and El ran under to take any remaining impact. Everyone was mostly safe, and I was relieved.
I mentioned our strange tail to the others and Rescue immediately identified it as the mortem - the creature I'd released from its magical prison not so long ago. The one who'd made the city fly and (apparently) who Lavender convinced to relocate the floating city to a new voting district. I didn't recognize it from this distance. I wonder if it recognized me...
I'm not sure if Rescue is still mad at me, but he seemed very excited to have the mortem around (even though I was pretty sure it might have broke that heater?). He said it breaks things a lot. He also said the mortem really likes orange things. The group then decided that we would try to find the mortem a treat at the bakery, and on we went.
The rest of them went inside Cinnabun Hun, but I decided to wait on the bench outside. I wasn't really in the mood for sweets, plus- I very much wanted to try and have a chat with our little shadow. I created a small orange orb of concentric glowing spheres and began rolling it around on the bench next to me. I even created a little bell inside it to ring like other cat toys I've seen.
It didn't take long for the mortem to appear next to me, batting the orb playfully and rolling around with it. He was a lot cuter than I remembered. Still rather creepy... but cute. I asked him why he broke the heater. He said breaking things make them 'unique'. I tried to convince him that people are already unique and that hurting them doesn't help with that. He didn't really understand... What would a chaos death spirit know about physical hurt after all. Plus he was absolutely convinced that 'broken' equals 'unique' (since no breaks are ever exactly the same) which equals 'better' (because "who wouldn't want to be unique?").
To prove his point, the Mortem jumped straight through the front window of the Cinnabun Hun and shattered it. I immediately fixed the window, but still felt terrible about indirectly being the cause. I entered through the door. Like a normal person. The group had bought some orange creme pastries for Mortem and he seemed to quite enjoy them. We told him he could have the rest but not to break her shop again.
They'd found out from Shanelle where Earlyman might be frequenting, so we made our way out of the bakery. Some Transformed spotted us as we exited and they were- not friendly. It seemed they sided with Rooster in thinking that the Transformed should cut themselves off completely and no humans should be allowed. And they felt the need to tell us as much. That teen lizard from school, Jared, was with them too... Really it seemed pointless to continue talking to them at all but before we could disentangle ourselves, Mortem decided to run off and leave us with a little parting gift- the shop's awning began to fall.
I was able to push most of them out of the way, but before I could cast a spell to catch the awning Jared used his tail to sweep my legs out from under me. It wasn't a terribly heavy or damaging structure but the damn thing still hurt when it flattened me to the ground... El helped me out from under it and to my feet. The Transformed didn't seem any more friendly than before so (after convincing Rescue not to pick a fight), we just left. We were on our way out of the city anyway.
Back down we went, and over to the Seaside Bar & Grill. The owner was a bit grouchy with us, being underage and all, but we convinced him we just needed to speak with Earlyman. He relented, but told us not to break any tables. So we went into the other room and found Earlyman sitting at one of the tables. He wasn't pleased to see us, recognizing some members of the Big Team who'd apparently fought him before. El was able to put him at ease somewhat by speaking of Shanelle, though he was still reluctant to go back to work for Dr. Watson. Apparently she was a bitch to work for. No surprise there. We offered him fair pay though, and mentioned that he'd be closer to Shanelle (he liked that).
But there was another issue... Being a recognizable wanted criminal, he wasn't exactly allowed onto or around Zodiac City. The best plan we could come up with was- not great honestly, but we suggested he could always become Transformed himself? At least until the cure was finished. Then he could turn back. That one took some *real* convincing. But eventually, we had a deal.
Rather than take him up to Zodiac City the legitimate way, I teleported the whole group straight to the lab. We figured if anyone had a sample we could use to make him Transformed, it would be the place trying to cure it? Besides, it was where he needed to be anyway. We showed up in the room with all the children again, and Dr. Watson was surprised but willing to get Earlyman the sample so he could Transform. She left to go fetch it, but then she was- gone for far too long. Rekken hacked into the video feeds only to discover that the main lab area was currently filled with armed Transformed wearing the Rooster gang colors and they were holding all the researchers hostage, along with both doctors. Decidedly not good.
We came up with a quick plan and told Earlyman to stay with the children. I tried to break one of my seals to siphon some power, but Mortem jumped on my head and kind of- overloaded the connection. It really hurt... Even so, we all charged into the room, I blocked it off with a barrier, and- the battle began essentially. At first we were doing pretty well (by we, I mostly mean everyone else. I was just trying to keep the barrier up since more bad guys started hammering at the other side of the door). Things went to shit a bit when the boar transformed we ran into earlier charged me. Rekken tried to get in the way but he ended up just slamming into both of us.
My barrier dropped. The room flooded with more gun-toting Transformed. This strange tank of gas broke open (but Rescue did some quick thinking dealing with that). Overall things weren't looking good for us in the moment though, and there were so many civilians... That's when the Mortem came up to me and said it could help- if I wanted. Something about it felt like a bad idea (or at least, not a *good* one), but I was just so overwhelmed and exhausted and- afraid. I said as long as he didn't make any of the *people* 'unique' then yes. I wanted his help.
I reached out my hand and he began licking it, like a cat would. But I could feel my magic- draining... It was almost like when- when Whitelight was siphoning my magic away. As he drained, Mortem grew bigger. Like, much bigger. Then he hissed at the enemies and thorny bramble vines erupted all across the room, entangling friend and foe alike as they split and fractured into more branching strands. The drain was burning through my reservoirs too fast and taking the seals with it, and I sensed no sign of Mortem stopping. So I used what strength I had left to *make* him stop, and also release the non-aggressors. I slammed shut the floodgates, then everything went dark...
I woke up sometime later in Shanelle's bakery. El was there. Apparently they carried me out after I passed out, but the fighting was essentially over after Mortem made the lab impassable terrain. Saved by my knight again. Heh. Sometimes I wonder if I'm more of a detriment than a help. Losing consciousness in a fight just gives them one more person to save...
Mortem showed up next to me again. Still nearly the size of a bobcat. But he was purring and he let me pet him... Let me carry him until we had to leave again too. Oh, we succeeded on turning Earlyman into a Transformed as well. He became a bull man. Dr. Watson agreed to resume her work on the cure (once the facilities were running again) now that her favorite bodyguard was back.
So. Good job us, I guess.

## Wild Expectations

February 2nd, 2019

It started out just a regular Saturday. I'd gone to visit the base. Rescue and I were hanging out (I've been trying to get our friendship back...). I got a call from Dom and he seemed pretty- flustered? He said Jake's grandma showed up at the house. Like- corporeally. Even though we all know Grams is dead and lives in the spirit realm now...
Unfortunately I didn't have much I could tell him outside of interacting with her myself. Spirit magic is not the most well-documented. I've never seen a place with as many spiritual connections as Halcyon honestly. Dom asked us (Rescue might have some insight as well) to meet him and Jake at the circus later to discuss more, since Grams gave them tickets but was wanting the rest of the day to spend just the two of them doing Grandma/Grandson things.
So we showed up at the circus later and met Bitzy. She's a- clown? Hero? She used a false arm and zapped my hand when I introduced myself... Rescue and I bought VIP tickets so we could sit with Jake and Dom, but Bitzy needed to perform and said she'd joins us later.
Partway through the show, the lights went out and a single bright spotlight shone down on our VIP box as the evening's ringmaster (not the usual one according to Bitzy) announced Jake as a special guest. Then said something about a trial? People started screaming as wild animals suddenly appeared all over the circus tent and began closing in on our group. Even the circus animals seemed under this strange influence.
Rescue put up a magic barrier around us and we decided it would be better to try and run away so that these animals would follow, rather than engage with all the civilians around. Since it seemed the beasts were paying them no mind currently. Also the ringmaster said the trial would end if Jake got home, so- Jake turned into a huge bird to carry Dom, Bitzy became a balloon animal bird(?), Rescue and I used our magic to fly and we tried to make a break for it in our bubble.
A manifestation of a former Wild Thang tried to block our path, using some ancient hand fan to create a whirlwind around us that created chaos in the tent. Dom and Dragon smacked down the spirit Thang and knocked the fan free. Bitzy flew down to grab it, and the winds stopped. Jake tried to teleport us with his artifact but it wouldn't work. So I created a portal to Jake's house for us instead.
... The portal didn't take us to Jake's house. At least- not exactly? We appeared still inside Rescue's bubble, but completely underwater. Like... deep ocean underwater. I could see some sort of stone tablet slowly floating down as a *massive* anglerfish appeared out of the darkness along with another Wild Thang from the past. Jake and Bitzy took the forms of various sea creatures in an attempt to combat the two of them while rescue had to focus on keeping the bubble there so the rest of us could keep breathing. Dom took some swipes at the big fish and I magically snatched that tablet out of the water.
I didn't understand the language on the tablet (it almost seemed to be shifting?) but somehow I knew what it was for. Vaguely at least. The tablet was an arcane anchor to prevent teleportation. This was what prevented us from reaching Jake's house. Dom said Jake wanted to know what it was, so I told him (forgot I took that telepathic bracelet off, but... hearing the Horrorterrors again was a bit too much for me at the moment). They told me to break it.
With all the fighting and thrashing about, something broke Rescue's barrier and left the three of us non-fish adrift in the oppressive water... with no air. I'll admit the feeling utterly terrified me. We were nowhere near the surface and I can't swim that fast. Rescue was able to get a bubble back around himself and Dom at least, but I wasn't sure what to do!
So I broke the tablet.
I funneled my power into it until it shattered. When it did a small portal appeared like a black hole, sucking everything into it. It started off far too small though, and I was the closest. I could feel it drawing me in and honestly I think it may have crushed me if that happened... But Jake and Bitzy (as an octopus and a squid?) managed to steer the giant anglerfish between me and the vortex.
By the time the fish vanished, the portal was big enough and all of us got sucked in- where we landed on dry ground in Jake's front yard. Soaking wet and coughing up water (or at least I was). But it seemed we made it? And nothing else showed up to chase or attack us as we went inside.
Inside- where we found that ringmaster waiting with Jake's grandma. And the ringmaster was apparently wearing(?) the appearance of Jake's dad. He called himself The First, and apparently Jake had just passed his test... meaning he wanted Jake to take over his role as guardian of the paths between the Spirit Realms? Right now. For eternity.
Right. No.
There was much shouting and discussing but eventually the First just told us we had one week to prepare before he would be back for Jake. And if Jake didn't agree to take his place, the First would allow all the spirit realms to merge with ours. Then he began to fade away. Bitzy tried to sic her bear Boris on him, but Boris backed down in respect. When I saw Dom reach out and the look on his face, I got the impression that Dragon did the same? I- really wasn't sure what to do. Except be there for Jake. When he needs us.
This was all so far beyond me. Beyond any of us it felt like. I'm not sure we stand a chance.
But that's part of being a hero, right? We try anyway?

*The next day, Rhiannon got a text from Lavender.*
*Tommy: "Hey, sooooooooo... you went to another dimension without telling me?"*
*Rhi: "What? Oh! Well having my teleportation spell hijacked to drop us in a pocket ocean dimension wasn't exactly planned... It only just happened yesterday, and we left as soon as we could. Should I have- called or something?"*
*Tommy: "Nah I meant like a couple weeks... I don't know maybe just like let me know? But yeah it'd be like cool if you did. It really felt like a breach of trust or whatever."*
*Rhi: "A couple of weeks? I- oh. Oh that... It's something I'd been planning for a while and when the time came I really just wanted it to be over. And then once it was, I just- wanted to put the whole thing out of my mind. I didn't even think of talking to anyone about it, I'm- I'm sorry. It was really important but you're right. I should have at least told you :( "*
*Tommy: "It didn't feel nice... That's all dude. Thank you for being so understanding but I think it'll be a little while till I feel like I can trust you again"*
*Rhi: "Really...? But- I don't know, how do I avoid something like this again? What was it exactly that broke your trust? I mean we run off places and do hero things all the time without a heads up in advance, so- why was this one so bad?"*
*Tommy: "I mean like going to another dimension is a big deal. I think just communicate is the best way? I just am scared of being alone that's all you getting stuck somewhere else or... just leaving."*
*Rhi: "I see... I never want to make you feel that way. I'm so sorry, Tommy..."*
*Tommy: "It's fine... it'll work out"*

## Winds of Change

February 9th, 2019

It wasn't what I expected...
But then- I'm not sure what I *was* expecting?
I spent the whole week trying to prepare myself. Trying to find some way to make sure everything was going to be okay. First I tried to find Jake's dad (the real one), but for some reason none of my scrying spells would work. And they *should have* worked. I've succeeded with less before.
It was Tuesday and still no luck when suddenly Jake's grandma showed up out of nowhere and (between a strange mix of insults and compliments?) told me she knew what might help me. But that I'd need to get it from someone else. She gave me a phone number and I called- it was Jake's mom. I told her what Kathleen said and without hesitation she said she'd be right over with what I needed. Grams was gone when I turned around.
True to her word, Mrs. Mansick arrived at my door. She gave me a set of Russian nesting dolls and said it would help me find her husband. Then she revealed that she had no memories of Xavier at all... This whole time she'd just been telling Jake what she thought made the most sense. I was- stunned. To say the least. But if his dad had gone through this before and he was still around, there *must* be some sort of answer. I thanked her and rushed back to try again.
It worked. Finally I was able to reach Xavier Mansick. It took a while for him to make travel preparations, so unfortunately he didn't arrive until Saturday... *the* day. Apparently Bitzy and her family actually knew him from Russia (as Alexander), so they went to pick him up from the airport. They brought him back to Big Team Base where he called Jake from Cyclone's office. it seemed they knew each other as well, to an extent. Jake and Dom headed over right away, and apparently Rescue had been visiting them as well (which made me happy after their strained parting last week). The whole group was back together again as Xavier explained what had happened the last time The First showed up...
He had tried to fight against The First as well. And his friends tried to help him (Hex among them). But they still lost... For some reason he couldn't recall, the First didn't take him then. But he did take his powers and all the memories of Xavier from him and his friends. I'm not sure which is worse.
Cyclone was there listening, but he hadn't said anything. I wished he would. I wished he had a plan that could somehow fix all of this. When he did finally speak, it was because the sky outside had gone orange and we were all staring out as the Horn of the Wild appeared in the middle of Halcyon. But all he said was "It's time, isn't it."
No more preparation. No more avoiding.
We went.
The First was waiting for us on one of the World Tree's colossal branches. Bitzy mouthed off, so he lashed out with his staff at the whole group to give us a taste of what we were dealing with. It hit hard... I could feel his power fundamentally messing with my magic and I knew- my arcane circles wouldn't be enough to keep the chaos in check should I continue to cast spells.
Things moved so fast after that... Dom got some hits in but I think Bitzy somehow stunned herself. Jake turned into a bird to dodge one hit but took another one that had him stuck that way for a bit. I flew up a bit before attempting to break a seal (a precaution, since they're also arcane circles). I felt more than one of them crack, but things were otherwise still under control.
We worked together to get his staff away but unfortunately it seemed little more than a mundane stick when I shattered it. Rescue powercharged the First but he didn't even flinch, catching our friend and holding him there as he called out to Jake to simply give in. He said that more like this would continue to happen until he did- then dislocated Rescue's arm.
That stunned all of us into non-action for a bit and then Jake- Jake agreed to surrender. He approached the First (that smug bastard), who dropped Rescue like he was nothing and turned his focus entirely to Wild Thang. Immense power started to flow from one into the other.
So I cut it off.
The scream of pure feral rage was- terrifying. The First was furious. He said he refused to be denied a successor again. Then the leaves of The Horn began to fall... thousands upon thousands of them. As they fell, they began to morph and shift into corporeal spirits of people. Every Wild Thang that had ever come before was about to bear down on us.
Rescue was still in pain on the ground; Jake looked overwhelmed by the power that had just been forced into him; Bitzy was doing her best; Dom wasn't too bad physically, but emotionally he was barely holding himself together... We weren't ready. We couldn't do it. But maybe- maybe *I* could do it?
I needed to protect them...
***Flashback***
Theme
*Wind swirls around Rhiannon as her white hair whips in the air, glinting with silver and growing longer, almost to her feet. Her eyes become shining icy blue orbs and her ears elongate into fine points. The runes disappear from her skin as it gains a minor blue tinge and new glowing tattoos creep along it in curling patterns of frost.*
*A pair of ebony black crow wings sprouts from Rhiannon's back... then two more pairs. Her clothing morphs into layers of sheer flowing gossamer around her torso, leaving slender limbs and feet bare.*
*Frost spreads across the ground, icy vines and strange flowers sprouting as it does. A massive white tree with blossoms made of ice grows and branches out behind her. Stretching out her hand, Rhiannon begins to pull a blade seemingly from the air. It's beautiful and elaborate, but also pulses with a deadly power - some of those present might recognize it.*
*Despite the size and weight, she seems to have no trouble wielding it in one hand. Her voice echoes with cold resonance.*
*"I hope you don't mind if I borrow this, Uncle... It's for a noble cause. I'll take good care of it."*
*Rhiannon closes her eyes in concentration, cold radiating out from her. The Horn itself begins to frost over, its falling 'leaves' freezing solid in midair and simply hanging there as the icy wave sweeps out across the entire city. A fiery blue wisp manifests in the air behind her. Then another. Until the sky is filled with as many of them as there are leaves from the Horn.*
*With an exhale of frosted breath, the transformed sorceress opens her eyes and makes a single slashing motion with the blade. The frozen 'leaves' all shatter as the wisps swarm forward to evaporate and absorb the shards of the fallen spirits. For a moment, all is still.*
I'm still not sure how I did that... *What* I did... What I am...?
For the first time, I broke all the seals and it didn't overload me. It didn't hurt. All that power and potential, I could feel it in every fiber of my being... And it was mine to command.
Afterward, I quickly hid away Uncle Lance's sword again. I promised to take care of it after all. I looked and felt so different still, but this was not the time to focus on that as the Horn of the Wild began to break free of the ice. The tree itself, it was- moving. *Everything* got weird at that point. I couldn't tell if we were in Halcyon or the Spirit Realm or- we just felt... untethered (did I do that?). Also The Horn turned into what I feel can best be described as- a treant? Most of us began falling (though in a way not falling), but Jake and The First merged *into* the Horn.
Dom lost it. In this weird realm between realms, The Dragon manifested around Dom on a scale almost equivalent to the tree itself. He began tearing at the tree, seemingly trying to rip it apart to get to Jake. The Horn was lashing out at him as well, but it seemed to truly be in pain. Both of them did and it- hurt to watch.
Bitzy tried to... I'm not sure what she was trying to do actually, but she vanished within the crack Dom was creating (even thought it seemed to small to get through yet) and I lost sight of her.
Rescue tried to attack with the Horrorterrors but something in all this chaos made them turn on him and he became trapped in their shadowy clutches. Those things still terrify me, but if I wasn't going to let Rescue take himself away from me I certainly wasn't going to let *them* do it either.
I swooped in (six wings feels strange, but... powerful) and used strands of magical light to slice through the shadows restraining him, wrapping my arms around him as I pulled him away. The Horrorterrors weren't very happy about it and their retaliation was painful but we were soon out of their reach.
That's when Rescue and I turned our attention back to the fight between titans and saw that- well, it looked like Dom was killing the tree. We didn't want that. We *shouldn't* do that. So we asked him to stop. There *had* to be another way without destroying the tree.
Dom looked so hurt and he sounded so broken... But he wouldn't stop. He finally tore a big enough hole in the tree that he could enter. Then he- Dragon went away and was replaced by a Tiger? I thought I'd heard stories of them being mortal enemies and attacking everyone and such... There was no time to question before Dom (with Tiger spirit around him) dove straight into the tree.
Then I heard a voice... somewhat familiar. It was Jake's grandma again. She said to go inside and that she could help. At this point I was out of ideas, so- I trusted her.
I soared toward the opening, not realizing until partway there that I was no longer in my physical body - I had merged into my Trinity Crow spirit. My rampant powers seemed to have dragged Rescue's spirit with me, and as we passed Bitzy within the tree it pulled her spirit along as well. There was no use going back or attempting to fix it now though as we stayed hot on the tail of The Tiger.
Then everything went white. All I could see was the others with me. And then there was Jake... a young boy stood at his side, but somehow I knew it was The First. Their noses were bleeding and I couldn't help but think of the battered tree. Jake told us he didn't want to fight The First anymore. He didn't want to leave him suffering and alone like he'd been all these millennia.
We all thought that meant he was leaving us, leaving his life, so we tried to convince him there must be another option. But he accepted The First's power anyway...
I'm not sure I fully understand what happened after that... Jake somehow- split the power of The First? He gave it to three separate guardians so that none would have to suffer the burden alone again. Things happened fast and it was all a bit hard to grasp, but... The Horn of the Wild began to mend and the realms began to go back to normal.
I remember waking up on the pavement. My friends were there too. All of them. I was so relieved... I still felt- different. And it wasn't just on the inside, because apparently my eyes are a new color now and there's silver in my hair? But it was worth it. Because everyone is safe and happy, at least for now. And really that's the best one could hope for.
Jake's parents finally remembered everything and they're back together now. It seems they're moving back to Russia. Jake's going with them. Seems some young heroes over there need training too. Dom is finally going to reunite with his parents and stay with them for a while before moving to join Jake.
I'm so sad to see them go, but- I also couldn't be happier for them. They deserve this. Seems maybe fairy tale endings can happen for some people after all.
After all of this, I'm reminded of something that I read once... "If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living."
Maybe this change in me is good. I need to grow, so that I can reach my dream... So I can finally be a hero to more than just my friends and loved ones. I want to be a hero for everyone. *That* won't change.

## Ships Passing

February 10th, 2019

*Lavender had chosen a coffee shop that was a favourite hang out of heroes that travel frequently. Pictures of various heroes with the owner, an ageless(literally) man called Benji who looked to be in his 60s, plastered the wall. Lavender had come in civilian clothes wearing her jean jacket along with a pair of tight fitting cream khakis. Her eyes were downcast looking into the cup of americano that she had ordered. She didn’t hear or see Rhiannon enter or approach the booth table.*
*Rhiannon was relieved and pleased to hear from Lavender that Sunday. A lot had happened the day before, and she hadn't gotten a response to her last text. It was going to be nice to just have a relaxing coffee date with her boyfriend for once. Though she was nervous about showing him her new- features...*
*The sorceress entered the coffee shop casually, wearing her usual glamour for being out amongst regular folk. Black hair, dark green eyes, olive skin, and some black jeans with a comfortable flowy blouse. It was still cold enough that she wore the scarf he gave her for Christmas. Spotting Lavender, her face lit up with a smile and she walked toward the booth with a little spring in her step.*
*“Hey there, broody.” She spoke with a light teasing tone.*
*The teen in the booth looked up at the newcomer. “Yeah, I guess I would look that way sat here.” She smiled softly at the scarf. “So I have been doing a lot of thinking Rhi, and I’d like to hear what you thought?” Lavender looked like she had not slept very well.*
*Rhiannon's expression immediately turned to a more serious one of concern as she sat down across from Lavender, reaching out for one of their hands. “Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay? If this is about me again or my text from yesterday, I really am trying to do better I'm sorry...”*
*“Yeah I am good. I- No it has nothing to do with that. It has everything to do with me and me being genderfluid.” Lavender bit her lip, not able to look at Rhiannon due to the nerves but taking the offered hand. “El and I talked a bit about it. They helped me choose a name. I’m going to be a girl for a while. I am Adria instead of Tommy, and I’d appreciate if you used she/her pronouns.”*
*Rhiannon looked- stunned. She didn't pull her hand away, but her mouth moved a bit with no sound coming out. “O-oh. T- A- Adria... I don't- I don't know what to say. I mean of course I want you to be who you want. Who you are. I want you to be happy but-” There's a storm of emotion running through her eyes, and tears start to form. “How do I say this...?” The question is almost pleading, like she hopes Lavender will have an answer.*
*Adria looked over at the other girl, grimacing. She squeezed her hand. “I am sorry that this hurt you. I still want to be with you, but if you don’t... Then that’s your choice and I can’t stop you. I love you, Rhiannon, and I want you to be happy as well.”*
*Rhiannon lowered her head and didn't appear to notice her glamour fading away, the color seeming to almost bleed out of her. Though Adria may notice- changes. The familiar white hair was intermixed with strands of silver and her downcast eyes were now an unnaturally icy blue... it almost felt cold just looking at them.*
*“I care about you so much, and that won't change... I just- I don't think it would be fair to either of us. You're still- very attractive, but I'm just not interested in that way in- other girls? Why does it sound so terrible...” She put her head in her hands.*
*Adria let out a sigh and her smile was sad. As Lavender looked on, she didn’t know what to do. She hadn’t anticipated this and she was sure that all the feelings would hit her hard, but she wouldn’t put that burden on Rhiannon. That was hers to carry.*
*“It is okay, Rhi. I get it. You just don’t see girls as romantic partners. It isn’t terrible. It just hurts, and that is okay. That’s teen relationships, right? You are an amazing, kind, and beautiful girl. You will find someone great.” She paused, rubbing the vines along her arm to reassure herself. “Don’t think of this as an end. We both still care for each other and will still be friends.”*
*The sorceress looked up, large tears rolling down her face as she tried to give a small smile in return. “Yeah… Still friends.” She reached out for Adria's hand again and just laid her head on the table, sniffling quietly.*
*Adria would take her hand and nod. Her grip was firm but not painful. She did her best as well to hide her emotions, but things would still hurt for a while.*
*The two sat quietly for a while. Eventually Rhiannon perked up enough to get herself some hot chocolate and they made small talk for a bit. When it was time to leave, they both got to their feet. Rhiannon smiled up at Adria, though it was tinged with sadness. Raising up on her tiptoes, she put one hand on Lavender's face and softly kissed their other cheek. Then Rhiannon turned and made her way out of the shop.*

## The Fall of Zodiac

February 12th, 2019

*Exploring the strange tree, you stumble upon a crow. It's looking at you with frosted icy blue eyes. Something about it doesn't seem normal, and as you get closer you hear a soft voice in your head. Though it doesn't seem to be speaking to you directly.*
***Mortem. We needed to save Mortem.***
***And saving Mortem would help save the city. They wouldn't be able to spread the gas anymore.***
***We needed to save Mortem...***
*A shallow pool of water next to the bird begins to shimmer as a series of images appears in it. Flashes. Memories.*
`A teleportation circle appeared in the sky above Zodiac City. Something went wrong. Something interfered with the magic. They came through way too high. The Morrigan, Herald, Alloy, Bestiary - they were falling. Bee people attacked but they broke through. The sorceress conjured Badb into a massive form to help carry those who couldn't fly. The enormous crow was beautiful as she soared, glowing green eyes seeming to leave a trail.`
`GREY attacked the group with rockets. The Morrigan stopped her flight in front of the others with hand outstretched as dozens of golden arcane circles manifested in the air to block most of them, creating a fiery explosion. But Bestiary had to dodge a stray rocket, falling off the bee person he'd been steering. Herald dove down and caught him but was struggling to fly with the weight. Alloy took Badb down to help them, Bestiary joining him on the crow, then went straight for the GREY troops. The cyborg jumped onto the roof and attacked a soldier, stealing a rocket launcher but accidentally setting off a pile of rockets. The building began to fall- it was going to fall off Zodiac and down to Halcyon. Bestiary was able to use his strange webbing to stabilize the building and prevent that at least.`
`Then they landed. The city was in chaos. GREY everywhere. Some Transformed staying to fight them. The four heroes had somewhere specific they needed to be though. Something to do to help stop the madness. The Morrigan tried to reach out for Mortem, but something- someone- blocked her. She told the others they'd just have to check the place where she found him the first time. Herald illusioned three of them into GREY soldiers but Bestiary refused and chose to use chameleon cloaking instead.`
`They managed to avoid too much trouble until stumbling across Monkey's forces fighting GREY at a barricade. They were ordered to a separate location, but once GREY started using a powerful fire hose truck to force the Transformed toward the edge of the city - trying to force them off - the heroes had to step in. Bestiary tore the hose apart and Alloy used the distraction and confusion to play on his soldier disguise (complete with stolen rocket launcher) to order GREY to fall back because they were needed elsewhere. It worked. They were leaving. The Transformed kept pushing them back too.`
`The Morrigan asked Herald to drop her illusion so she could approach Monkey. The others soon joined her. They asked if he knew where Mortem was and it was indeed the place they'd been trying to reach. But nobody could get inside, they just turned back around on their own. Herald's eye could see that some strange chaos/time magic field was choosing from infinite possibilities and selecting the outcome that would result in nobody entering. The sorceress said she could teleport herself in, but the others- well, they had to get creative.`
`The Morrigan appeared inside the building, but not where she expected. A massive military van burst through the wall beside her, friends hurtling out through the glassless front window and engaging the squadron of GREY soldiers in the room. They took them out easily. An officer went for the elevator and Rhiannon teleported in next to him before the door could shut, conjuring vines to pin him to the wall. She reopened the doors to let the others in and they began the descent.`
`But the descent didn't stop. In fact, it only got faster until they realized the elevator was out of control and they'd have to stop it themselves. The Morrigan reached out her arms and concentrated, Nemain on her shoulder with purple eyes alight. Crimson sigils appeared on all sides of the elevator, acting as new brakes but they were still going too fast. Alloy and Bestiary punched through the sides and slowed the car further by digging into the shaft walls. Finally it stopped.`
`Bestiary pried open the doors and looked down- the shaft went all the way out the bottom of Zodiac City. The group clambered out the hatch on top and began flying and climbing up to an exit vent. As they were doing so, the van they drove before was set on fire and shoved down the elevator shaft above them. If not for some eye beams from Herald and a magically enhanced cyborg punch from Alloy, it would have slammed into the group and taken them down with it.`
`But they all made it into the vent. Together. They continued their search for Mortem, crawling through the vents until they discovered a large guarded door. Bestiary could sense a man and a little girl inside, but also a lot of electronic equipment and a containment field. He and Herald took out the guards. Then, seeing no way to enter stealthily, the four heroes simply pressed the button to open the door.`
`Inside was Rodriguez. The little girl in containment looked like Rekken... ES-17, Rhiannon remembered. They asked where Mortem was and said to release the spirit. Rodriguez laughed and revealed that ES-17 and Mortem were merged now. Looking again, it appeared to be true. And they might even be happy about it? Rodriguez mocked and berated the 'heroes'. He called them pathetic and powerless. Bestiary injected himself with the cure, wanting to prove the man wrong - he dropped to the ground, writhing in pain. Herald and Alloy went on the attack. The Morrigan teleported into containment with ES-17 and Mortem, desperately trying to convince the two they were better off apart and not being manipulated by this villain.`
***Mortem didn't want to be saved. He didn't even acknowledge me. Did he not know me anymore? Or did he not care? Did I really mean so little to him...***
***I suppose I should have expected as much. Why should he care? Mortem is a chaos spirit after all. And what am I...? Rodriguez was right. I'm just a child trying to play hero...***
`The fight in the main room wasn't pretty. They hit Rodriguez, and he was no match even with ES-17 causing the probabilities to shift so that the team was hitting each other too. Bestiary still in pain on the floor. And two 'heroes' beating up on a little girl's defenseless father. It was enough to make Rodriguez have a moment of panic though. Well, panic or spite. He hit a button that made all the viewing screens by ES-17 show Rekken- a broken and unmoving Rekken. Was she dead?`
`The little girl screamed. It was a heartbreaking scream of agony. How could he do that to her? She overloaded. The shock split Mortem apart from her. Both were on the floor- unconscious and weakened... helpless. Rhiannon knelt on the ground and pulled both of them into her arms, holding them close as she felt the city beneath her begin to shift. And descend. The sorceress tried to wake them up, to give them some of her power, but they remained unresponsive. Rodriguez was still laughing until he lost consciousness as well.`
`Zodiac City was falling. Rhiannon rushed out to the others, carrying the girl and cat in her arms. What were they supposed to do? The Morrigan thought back to the power she called upon only a few days before, but- could she do it again? Herald's artifact eye shone brightly as it helped him assess their options. He said he might be able to do something as well. When pressed further, he revealed it would cost his eye- and that doing so would likely be... bad for him. He was willing to do it. He was willing to sacrifice. But Rhiannon said that last time her power didn't come with such a high cost. She convinced him to let her try first, entrusting him with the safety of her charges. Though if it failed, Herald's assistance may yet be required.`
`The Morrigan called upon the power beyond the seals within her a second time, unraveling them completely. A chill breeze picked up around the group, tiny ice crystals glinting in the light. They could see their breath but the cold wasn't uncomfortable for them. There was a slight shimmer around Rhiannon like a mirage as her appearance began to change- long pointed ears, silvered snowy hair extending past her waist, and icy glowing eyes. Her clothes shifted to a gossamer dress of layered gauzy fabric. The runes were gone from her white skin, now tinged blue. Three pairs of massive crow wings on her back faded into view like a spirit becoming corporeal. Frost and tiny ice flowers sprouted and spread as her bare feet touched the ground. Then with a reassuring smile, she vanished into a swirl of snowflakes.`
*Emotions. Power. Focus. An almost palpable aura of intense feeling emanates from the crow as it watches the events in the pool with you.*
***I couldn't save Mortem... I couldn't save ES-17... I couldn't prove Rodriguez wrong... But at least I could do this.***
*This? This what? The images in the pool fade to a blur, but you recall seeing video footage clearly filmed from a news helicopter. Footage of a girl that looked a lot like the one who just vanished...* Theme
`An otherworldly and strange young woman appears beneath Zodiac City as it descends toward the ground, about to crush the harbor district. Her six ebony wings flare out and keep her aloft as one hand reaches up toward the falling mass, glowing blue magic circles running up the length of her arm. Multiple sets of wings not unlike her own begin to unfurl from the earth of the falling city itself, colossal in size as they beat powerfully and slow its descent while guiding the landmass over the harbor.`
`Her other arm stretches down toward the water, surrounded in swirling multicolored untamed magic. At first nothing seems to happen. Then the bay's surface ripples. With an almost deafening groaning and cracking, a pure white tree bursts from the water in a showering spray. It continues to grow radically, twisting and branching as it reaches up toward the hovering city. The camera loses sight of the strange girl as the trunk seems to split and envelop her. The immense tree doesn't stop, its branches digging in and wrapping around the base of Zodiac City until finally the massive wings fade away and the city settles to a rest. Then all is still.`
*You turn to look at the crow - perhaps even say something - but it's gone. You're simply alone again. Standing on this strange white tree, larger than any you've ever seen (unless you saw the Horn of the Wild that fateful day). There's still the sense of something lingering with you though... sadness, but also- peace.*