The Last Wish

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## The Morning Light

The morning was warm and sunny, spring having given way to summer not long after Lumi's arrival at the estate. No longer was Gwen comfortable wearing her heavy suit jacket that she so often wore and was quite fond of leaving her in a white button-up, back tie, and her suit pants. Though, that was not the only thing that had changed. No longer did Lumi sit across from her, those days seeming like faint memory now. No, as they'd grown closer this had come to show in where they sat with Lumi now sitting beside Gwen during their morning chats. Gwen raised a scone to her lips, biting into it as she read the newspaper to catch up with current events and to occupy her mind. After all, they both knew what today was. It was a dangerous day, the day they would find themselves attempting to use the Djinn. "How're you enjoying breakfast?" She asked Lumi as she lowered the paper, finding herself bored with the nonsense articles of this and that. She hoped that small talk between them would be a much better way of calming her nerves.

In the back of her mind, the being's words still nipped at her, questions that may not have answers, questions possibly founded upon lies, tricks to deceive them all. She held them at bay, deciding against her better judgement to trust Lumi over all else. After all, the girl had lied to her before. She could not lie to her if she did not bother to ask, and that gave Gwen at least a slight sense of uneasy comfort.

Lumi responded in kind, taking a scone with some applesauce spread over the top, taking a bite out of it. Chewing down her food, she replied: "Divine as always." She said gleefully, happy with the exquisite taste of her treat. "How about you, Gwen? How does the morning treat you this time?" Lumi asked casually, feeling content with this moment. Only thing that could make it better would be a little embrace. But she wouldn't press now when Gwen was undoubtedly under a bit of stress over the day. Her skin was as blue as it had ever been, having prepped quite thoroughly with her magic just in case that things would go south for them on this task. Even so, she still used her magic to contain the cold inside her, making her epidermis almost "human-warm".

Gwen smiled a small smile, a tired one that didn't quite reach her eyes. "As well as it can given the circumstances. But I will not let the worry of what comes later ruin the moment we're spending now." She assured her, knowing that Lumi was likely worried about how she was feeling. "Your presence is calming, to say the least." She assured her, a compliment in and of itself. "I've finished your book," Gwen said, pulling the book from the bag at her feet and handing it back to the girl. "It was a wonderful read, I'll be sure to speak to Alice about making it more widely available here in Ashvattha."

"I... I am grateful. More than I can express." Lumi said while smiling widely, taking the book back and stuffing it away in a bag of her own. "I suppose that it means I have to fulfill my end of the bargain rather soon then." She said with a nervous giggle. She was still concerned that Gwen would be digusted by finding out her real name, but she had to tell her sometime now. Still, she didn't feel ready to do so right at this moment. Gwen had been kind to let her hold on to that secret a bit longer from last they spoke on the matter, but that time was running out. "How about I fulfill that end after our mission? When we have some downtime?"

"Your end of the bargain?" Gwen asked curiously before she remembered what sort of deal they'd made. "Oh, yes, I'd forgotten about that for a bit if I'm completely honest." She admitted, "And that's fine by me, but I did tell you not to reveal your name to me until the time came that you trusted me or you loved me. I can't say that our deal holds much water in my heart as of now." She explained, standing up and taking a step closer to Lumi. She brought up a hand and lifted Lumi's chin. Leaning down, she pressed a kiss against her lips and held it there for a few moments. In truth, she would have liked to have held it here just a bit longer but the sound of fluttering wings caught her attention. Breaking the kiss, she watched as Ludwig landed on the table with letter in beak and a satchel on his back likey filled with other letters to be delivered.

The owl waited for Gwen to take the letter from his mouth before stealing a scone from the table and flying off in the direction Gwen knew to be her parent's house. She looked down upon the Green envelope sealed in red wax bearing the Vroman family crest onto it. She knew what was likely contained within the letter but she couldn't leave it unread. Using her sharped nail she broke the seal and pulled out the letter. In Alice's all too neat handwriting was the summons for a meeting in just a few hours. "It's what you'd expect, a meeting arranged for us this afternoon."

Lumi leaned into the kiss, not parting lips, but just keeping them there, pressed against Gwen's. She almost wanted to cuss out the bird when it arrived, even more so when it snatched her last scone. She did however snap back to reality, realizing just what the letter was about the moment she saw it. When Gwen revealed to her for certain what it entailed, she seemed a bit annoyed. Not for the meeting itself, but because she knew that it might bring down Gwen's mood a bit. "Very well! As long as it fits everyone's schedule, I suppose." She said in joke. "Anything you think we need to- No, anything you want to do while we await that moment?"

Gwen slid the letter back into the envelope before placing it into her pocket, her serious face softening a bit when she looked back to Lumi. "Well, I remember us being in the middle of doing something before we were interrupted," Gwen said, a jest as she leaned down to place a peck on Lumi's cheek. "I'd like to head back inside, before the sun becomes too overwhelming. The summers in Hylion can be quite fierce at times. Maybe you can help me put together that puzzle that I've been working on?" She asked, wanting to spend some time with Lumi before being thrust into another dangerous situation.

## The Deity, the Djinn, and the Dragons

An hour had passed after the noon bell rang and their meeting with Alice was drawing near. Gwen, being the punctual sort of person that she was of course wished to arrive earlier than she needed to. Hoping that it would also give her and Lumi some time to speak to her mother before it came down to business once Alice arrived. "I'm sure everything will be fine." Gwen assured both herself and Lumi as they walked the mansion halls toward the meeting room. Opening the door to, as she expected, find it still empty.

Lumi nodded confidently, re-dressed into more robust clothing, in case that things would take a hike south. Once within the gathering room, Lumi felt a bit uneasy with being here so early. She was about to speak when she heard a voice from behind. "You had me worried all for nothing." Came the voice of Carwen Vroman. Stepping in with her typical adventuring attire of her white coat and pants. "When I saw the two of you heading down here so early I thought I had mistaken the time and was running late." Carwen joked. "Happy to see you looking so lively, Lumi." She quipped with a smile.

"When one arrives early they never have to worry about being late." Gwen explained her reasoning to Carwen as they entered the room. "Good afternoon, Mother. Even were it not for Ludwig's hint I assumed that you would be joining us in this task. Do you have any inclination as to who else might be joining us in this endeavor? Given the circumstances, I doubt they'll allow father to join us in case things go badly."

"Well! Good to know that I am expendable." Carwen joked again. "But yes, Alistair will not be joining us in this. Alice is a given for this adventure of ours, but besides her I believe that Osmund will accompany us. Osmund is talented, he will be able to hold his own against most things, but a Djinn... Not so sure. But this isn't going to go south just like so. We have Lumi with us after all." She said with a nod towards the girl. "The plan was to trick it into one of your bargains, was it not?"

"Just about, Lady Vroman," Lumi replied with a soft and genuine smile.

Carwen's smile widened. "By this point you can just call me Carwen. I think we are beyond the point of formalities."

"Osmund? Great..." Gwen voiced her complaint, crossing her arms. Things would be bad enough with Alice around, but adding Osmund on top of that, and a stressful situation she worried about aging several years in this single day. She checked her watch, seeing they only had another few minutes before the scheduled meeting time. Alice was likely to arrive exactly on time as she often did. "Tricking a trickster will come with its fair share of challenges, it seems we'll be relying on you, Lumi. No pressure, of course." She did a bad job of letting Lumi understand the importance of her role in their mission.

"I suppose neither Lyn or Triss will be joining us either. For the same reason that Father is not. Still, to bring Osmund and Alice at the same time. I can't help but wonder what Lady Alice is thinking..." Gwen commented out loud, likely echoing the thoughts of the others. As losing the heir to the main house and the current house head would be devastating. Unless of course... "So long as Morgan is not accompanying us I suppose that it can make sense."

"I am a bit surprised by this change of events as well. Maybe he insisted on witnessing a Djinn for himself?" She suggested with a shrug. "Either the reason, lets all keep the catastrophe ratings to a minimum."

"I am confident that we can handle it if things turn for the worse. Two dragons, one saint, one powerful mage, and a princess from Ungmar. Could be rough, but I am sure we would be ready!" Lumi said with utmost confidence, feeling content with the group they have gathered.

"That's the spirit." Carwen complimented. "Just remember, Gwen, Lumi, this is your possession. Your item. Don't let Alice steamroll you into what you should wish for. Speaking of, do you have any ideas of what you want your wishes to be?"

Gwen had spent a lot of time thinking about it, but ultimately she hadn't come to a concise conclusion regarding her desired wish just yet. "I have not, I'm hoping to have an epiphany when the opportunity arises..." She spoke the truth, she'd thought long and hard about the possibilities yet her mind always came to simple things that she didn't need something as powerful as a Djinn to get her hands on, or things she wanted to grasp for herself. "What about you, Lumi?" She asked, curious about what Lumi might wish for. Though, after the words left her mouth she realized she might not be able to say in front of Carwen if it related to anything that she had yet to reveal to her yet. "Mother, perhaps you have some ideas?" She asked, giving Lumi the chance at an out if she needed one.

Lumi was about to reply when Gwen then passed on the question to Carwen instead. Both of them took note of this sudden change, and with a look to eachother, Carwen proceeded with her own answer. "I am not sure. Or at the very least, not sure how to phrase it... I think I want to ask for the chance to communicate with Carvous, my father, again. Would like to hear his voice in proper again... To hear what he thinks of everything." Carwen said with a tone of melancholy.

"I thought you refered to him as someone vile? Why make such a wish?" Lumi asked in turn, confused as to why the woman would ever want to interract with someone like him again."

"Oh, he was. He was horrible... Ancestors, he was such a bastard. But in the end... He was still my dad. He found me. Raised me. Trained me. I owe a lot to him. I love him. I respect him... I just don't like him. If that makes sense?" Carwen asked after having muttered words as if she wasn't even talking to them anymore. Shaking her head, she put on a smile once more. "Sorry, no time for such things. What about you Lumi? What would you want to wish for?"

"Me? Well... Might be a bit weird to say... I don't know if it is even the right time to say such things..."

"What? Want to tie the knot with my daughter?" Carwen asked cheekily.

"No,no, not like that... Not yet..." She fidgeted and muttered quietly. "I... I think what I want is to... tie my fate to... Never mind." She said with a wave of her hands. "Bad idea. Worse with poor phrasing." She said with an awkward chuckle and blush on her cheeks.

Gwen waved away her mother's teasing, "I doubt she would hesitate to say that out loud were that the case. It has been the goal since day one after all." She spoke about it nonchalantly, certainly not ready for marriage but just stating what she perceived to be the facts. She didn't really understand what it was that Lumi wanted to say or what she meant by tieing her fate to something but before she could say anything else, exactly on time as everyone predicted, Alice walked into the room with Osmund tailing her not far behind.

"Good afternoon all of you. I consider this meeting in motion so please take your seats." Alice spoke, motioning for all of them to take their seats at the table situated in the middle of the meeting room. Taking her own place at the head of the table, she waited for everyone to be situated before she began speaking. "I'm sure that all of you are aware of why it is that I have summoned all of you here for this meeting. All the same, I will remind all of you what it is we are here to do today." Alice said, motioning toward Lumi before continuing. "Our guest, Miss Au Raza, has come into the possession of a rare and powerful artifact that she wishes to grant us... or more specifically Gwen, the chance to use."

"A Djinn captured within a magic sealing lamp. Lumi is to subdue the creature via the abilities granted to her by the deity she has pledged herself to. From there, we can use the three wishes owed to the owner of the lamp however we may like. Should things not go as we planned I do believe that our combined power will be enough to ensure that the fair majority of us make it out of the situation unharmed. So long as we stick to the plan I have no doubt that things will run smoothly. Does anyone have any suggestions for what we might use these wishes for? Given that it is a gift from Lumi to Gwen, I concede to the fact that the right thing to do is to allow Gwen to use a single wish however she might like. Are there any objections to that?"

Neither Carwen or Lumi felt content by the prospect of only allowing Gwen a single wish out of this ordeal, and Carwen had a pretty good idea of who would decide the rest of them. Carwen leaned forward on the table and was ther first to speak up. "I will not object to that. As for what could be wished for, perhaps we should look to something that would be beneficial for the whole family?" Carwen suggested before waving to Lumi. "Lumi has offered the suggestion of a tome which contains the unbridled knowledge and experiences of one of her Loa's. Such an unfathomable well of knowledge could perhaps be a strong potential option. Something I am sure the house heads could benefit from for ages to come." Carwen suggested, looking to Lumi for confirmation that she understood it right.

Lumi nodded. "Correct. Such a thing should not be beyond its capabilities to grant, though my only concern is that such a fount of knowledge may make you a target for the greedy should it come out that you are in possession of such an item." Lumi confirmed.

Alice seemed to entertain the idea, "Yes, of course, something that benefits the family as a whole should be top priority." She agreed with them, as Alice had sworn complete and utter loyalty to her family. Though her methods were cold and cutthroat everything she'd ever done was to further the Vroman family and leave it in a safe place for future generations. "To be a Noble man or woman is to always live with a target on one's back. I am not concerned about those who might wish to take what does not belong to them as they will exist regardless of which treasures we possess. If you believe that this tome you speak of will be valuable to us then I trust your judgment in using a wish to obtain that item." Alice agreed with Carwen and Lumi's proposal.

"That leaves one wish..." Alice trailed off in thought, "I will leave the ultimate decision on this wish up to the both of you. Lumi, you are the one who acquired this item. I feel you and Gwen should have the final decision." Alice passed the responsibility onto them. "Carwen, as Gwen is your daughter I ask that you guide her in this most important decision. You have been a loyal member of this family for more than two decades now. I have the utmost faith in your abilities. Please see to it that I am not disappointed by the outcome of this."

Osmund seemed a bit shocked by this, opening his mouth as though he had something to say but deciding it was best not to speak up against Alice. After all, more often than not she had a method to her madness.

"You honor us, Lady Alice," Gwen responded, having a good idea of the game that Alice was playing. It was a test, a very important test. Whether they would pass or not Gwen was unsure but she knew it was best to simply play the game and hope for the best.

Carwen nodded vehemently. She knew the dislike and distrust in Gwen towards her, and thus felt that she might be the least fitting to be guiding her. All the same, she would do as Alice asked of her. "I will ensure that the wish is not put to waste." She retorted, sparing a look at Gwen and Lumi's direction, a look that said: 'I am sorry about this.'

Lumi smiled at Carwen for comfort before looking back to Alice. "Is there anything we should prepare for, my lady? Beyond the process of deciding the wish, is there something else that would be keeping us from proceeding with the task?"

"The wording of our wishes... and the worst-case scenario," Alice stated the next order of business. "Miss Au Raza, even under the influence of your deity would the Djinn be able to pull any of its mischievous business? Must we still remain careful with our wording or will your abilities to bargain force it to follow our interpretation of what is said rather than what it is capable of twisting it into? I feel that is the greatest danger of this mission, to have the outcome be due to our own lack of preparedness wouldn't you agree?"

Lumi nodded. "True, Lady Alice, but if I can force it into a bargain before we start making wishes, it cannot do anything I do not want it to do. In other words, it will be forced to grant us the wishes in accordance to what we really do desire, not simply what it decides it could be turned into. The only crux is to find something it wants in return for this bargain, but I have an idea for that which I believe will work without a hitch." Lumi explained simply. "So no, my lady, it will not be able to play any tricks on us. We just have to make it willingly submit to a bargain. So I would say that your idea of formulating ourselves properly is still something that should be done, just in case that a bargain is not able to be struck, if it were to reject the prospect for whatever reason."

Carwen leaned forward to get Lumi's attention. "Pardon me, Lady Au Raza, but what could you have to offer the Djinn that which it already cannot possess if it were... You don't intend to free it, do you?" Carwen asked suddenly, a grave tone to her voice.

Lumi remained silent for a few moments, opening her mouth to speak when she noticed how everyone was looking towards her. "Not quite, but also, in a way?" She spoke softly. "I would assume that as a fallen deity, it would like to return to its godly status. So... In exchange for proper wishes, through the title of my Loa Spirit as the deity of heritage, I could bestow upon it one of the many lost Loa Titles. Its influence would then however be bound by Ungmar laws and its influence restricted to those regions. I would effectively make it a god, yes, but the influence of Lunalia would be undeniable, even to it. He would not be able to resist her will. So I am confident the people will manage even under such a treacherous deity. They have in the past."

Alice was intrigued by such an idea but even more so by such a power. "Your abilities surpass even my expectations Miss Au Raza. I look forward to seeing them in practice but for now, I will be satisfied with your claims to be capable of such feats." Alice spoke before she adjusted her glasses. "The worst-case scenario sees that we have no power over this Djinn and it attacks us. Should that be the case, we would need to find a way to reseal it in its original container or perhaps even one we must create ourselves. If that is not possible then it is my duty as head of the household to give all of you the chance to escape its reach. I am a Saint, one of only four and of the two in this room. I admit wholeheartedly that even with mine and Carwen's power combined our chances of defeating a foe like this would be little to none. Thus..." Alice trailed off as she pulled a folder her cape and slid it over to Carwen, "I need you to sign those papers, Carwen. Should worst come to worst I have put in my Will that you and Alistair will take over as head of the main family in the case of my demise until Osmund can be deemed ready to take such a responsibility. With Morgan next in line should anything happen to you and Alistair. I have already had both of them sign the necessary paperwork should such unfortunate events occur."

Carwen didn't hesitate, afraid that such a thing might strike Alice as weakness. Taking a pen from the table, she signed the contract that confirmed her compliance in this endeavor. After having signed everything meant to be so, she passed the folder back to Alice. "Let's just hope that it won't come to that. For everyone's sake." Carwen spoke up after Alice took back the papers. "Is there anything else to be discussed, Alice? If not, then I suppose it would be best for me and the girls to talk through this final wish. We also have much to prepare. Even if not able to fight the Djinn to victory, we could still prepare so that we can hold it off long enough for escape, hopefully."

Alice tipped her hat to Carwen. "Yes, of course. Allow me to excuse myself so that you may speak in private. Osmund, please come with me." She said, standing up and giving a slight bow to all of those present before making her way toward the door.

Osmund stood up from his seat, not following Alice quite yet. He couldn't handle all the nervous feelings or doom and gloom that was settling over everyone. "Hey, come on you all. You're looking like we've lost when we don't even know if we'll have to fight yet. Let's cheer up a bit. I expect this attitude from Gwen but Aunty Carwen? Lumi? I was hoping you two would be the smiles that brightened my day." He spoke in what he hoped would be an uplifting manner, giving Carwen a playful pat on the back before he turned to follow Alice out of the room.

After they had left, it fell to Lumi, Gwen and Carwen to discuss the potential of the final wish. "So... One wish will go to Gwen, another to the book, and one for you two to decide on... Any plans?" Carwen asked with curiosity.

Lumi put her thumb and bent pointing finger to her chin as she contemplated the prospect. "I get the feeling that Alice is trying to test us on the matter. That it isn't so simple as you, 'wish for whatever you want'. She wants us to do something 'good'. I am almost wanting to tell her to stuff it and let us do as we want, but that wouldn't be befitting, especially after her kindness... What do you think, Gwen?"

"I doubt that there is anything specific in mind that she wants us to wish for. If that was the case she would have just told us that's what she wanted to do. You're right about this being a test, but I don't think it's one with a clear right answer. At least, not one that would be clear to you or I. I have my ideas about what she wants but I can't say for sure..." Gwen explained, knowing that Alice wanted to test them to see what sort of leaders they would be. "I think something selfish like money or anything of that nature is out of the question. It'd be too selfish and simple-minded. But I doubt she'd want us to wish for something that would alter anything on a grand scale. So something as altruistic as 'world peace' is out of the question as well. It would be seen as using a wish idealistically without thinking of the consequences. She chose a hell of a thing to test us with... we could fuck up everything if we're not careful..."

"There is a lot that could be fucked up about this, but we will have to proceed with what we have. You also still have that wish for you to use for personal means, Gwen. Gotta make it count for something good." Carwen said, half serious and half joking. "Either way, since Alice is counting on you, on all of us, let me know what you figure out. Put more heads together on the matter... Until you have decided, I bid you a good evening." Carwen said with a bow of the head before heading out herself.

"If it is a matter of what kind of leaders we'll be, what sort of thing should we ask for then?" Lumi asked Gwen. "A daunting task on a regular day, but to put a wish of great power into it might prove even more arduous. So... What will we do?"

Gwen placed her elbows in the table, using her palms to support her head as the weight of responsibility began to weigh down on her once again. "I don't think wishing for any sort of outright power would be a good idea either..." She said, knowing at Alice would be aware of how much Gwen would have come to understand her way of thinking. Thus, so long as she wasn't overthinking, there was something more to this. "I don't know... Alice has cards up her sleeve so even if I know her hand I can't say for sure what we should do. Knowing it's a test and knowing the answer to the questions it asks are two different things." She stated, letting out a sigh. "What was it that you were wanting to wish for? It's only fair that you get something out of this... If we're lucky Alice will see it as a sign of our trust or something like that. But even if she doesn't, damn this test."

Lumi nodded. "Its... It's kind of a weird one..." She said, leaning back into her chair, looking up to the roof with near defeat. "...As a Loa I am all but immortal, especially with my title. I don't like it. I hate it in fact. I want to be mortal..." She trailed off as she looked towards Gwen. "But then you will likely live for a long time as well. So... I was considering tying my fate to you and your bloodline. As in, if you were to die, or any children of ours were to die... If we reach that far, I could choose to follow you into the other side." Lumi explained, almost regretting the words as she said them. "Argh, forget it. It is a bad idea. Sorry for bringing it up."

"You're getting a bit ahead of yourself, Lumi." Gwen spoke calmly, though the tint of red in her cheeks spoke of her true feelings in volume. "But... If it's for your sake then I understand why you might want to do something like that. Either way, I certainly wouldn't want to hear anything out of you if the stress of all this causes me to keel over early and I take you with me as a result." She jested, trying to lighten the mood with a joke even if it was a dark one. "Besides, I don't think Lunalia would be very happy with that." Gwen asked, deciding to entertain her idea for at least a bit.

"Like I said; Dumb idea." She joked back. "And I don't think the opinion of what Lunalia would want matters anymore. And I am not saying that I would just drop dead the moment you did. Just that it would be my choice to do so. I am not that suicidal." She joked even more grimly. "I just don't care about this immotality shit. I just want to be happy for once." She said before looking over to Gwen with a bright smile. "And you make me happy, Gwen."

Gwen did her best to return the smile. Her lips remained tight but stretched wide and curved upward at the corners. It was a soft smile, but a smile nonetheless. "I enjoy you as well," Gwen responded in her poor attempt to return Lumi's compliment. "And I don't think it's a dumb idea... I think you just worded it weirdly, what even is fate anyway?"

She giggled. "I don't believe in fate as such. We all shape who we want to be. Whether that is by choice of being influenced by a higher power or not is another matter. But no matter what, the one fate that sooner or later awaits us all that cannot be denied is the innevitability of our deaths. Even Loa for all their grandeour are not immune to such fates. As has been proved during the war on the other side..."

"I just... I want to be happy. Happy with you." She said, reaching over with her hand towards Gwen, hoping that she would take the last steps and take it in turn. "And I hope that feeling is mutual."

Gwen looked at Lumi's hand for a moment before reaching out and taking it into her own. She didn't understand why she always hesitated when it came to these small, romantic gestures. The little things always came the hardest to her, tne tiny displays of affection. Perhaps she worried they weren't enough? Or that they hinted toward feelings far deeper than anything like kisses could. Anyone could kiss someone they didn't love, go to bed with them, but to hold their hand in yours and feel at peace? To look into their eyes and see the joy you bring them? It was something only people who cared about one another could do. "I'd like that very much, Lumi."

**...**
Lumi came down the pathway towards the appointed area. Lumi had requested of Gwen to be given a bit of alone time. She said it was to prepare for the mission, but in reality, it was about trying to come to terms and peace with the idea of revealing her name to Gwen. She was afraid of the concept, but she still held out hope that Gwen would not simply throw her aside once she found out.

Reaching their location, a grand oak tree of some sort of importance that Lumi did not quite understand. She knew it was their symbol, but why this specific tree was a mystery still to her. Walking up to them, she greeted them with proper grace before addressing them. "My ladies and lord." She said elegantly. "Once everyone feels ready for it, I will open the rift to Argenti Arboreali. It... Might be a bit overwhelming at first, that is natural. It isn't really meant for typical mortal eyes to behold."

"So, Aunty Carwen said this place is supposed to be some kind of land of the dead or whatever. Is that something we should be concerned about? Like, zombie-wise or something?" He asked with less grace than he normally composed himself with. A clear look of curiosity on his face.

"Are there any dangers in this place that we should be aware of or on the lookout for Miss Au Raza? Aside from the obvious Djinn we're bringing in there, of course." Alice asked, basically repeating Osmund's question in a more eloquent way.

Lumi shook her head. "The place I will take you to is devoid of any sort of life, aside from the trees of course. There we will be safe and free to invoke the Djinn without harm to anything else. And of course, there will be no harm to befall you from anything else that would reside in there." She said before speaking onwards. "And it is not so much a place of death as it is a place of balance. Life and death are two aspects of the same order. If you consider something like Eden, the mythical garden or forest that I have read about, if you call them spring or summer time of nature, Argenti is more akin to autumn and winter in that sense." She corrected in an overly complicated manner.

With that notion out of the way, Lumi took her pointing finger and swiped it downward, and by the sound and appearance, one might just have assumed that she ripped a hole into invisible fabric. The gateway was like a swirling pool of dimly blue colors, ever moving, ever-shifting. "When everyone feels at ease, it is just a matter of stepping inside. Though before such a thing I will of course hear you out on any other concerns you may have."

Gwen was hesitant to step forward, the entire idea of realms, moving between then, it was all alien to her. She held a deep fear of the unknown and even with Lumi leading the way the fear she thought she'd overcome was nearly paralyzing. Her feet remaining planted on the ground even as the others seemed to be readying themselves for the journey. She looked toward Lumi with a face of hesitation and discomfort but she didn't say anything to her. She needed to keep up appearances in front of Alice, Osmund, and her mother. Fear, anxiety, they were all weaknesses and she'd already shown enough of those when she'd entered that damn cave in Ishtar.

With no more questions to be asked, Carwen was the first to step in through the gate, giving a quick pat on her daughter's back, whispering: "You'll do great.", before stepping inside. Lumi nodded towards Gwen as well, confirming what Carwen had just said. Waiting for everyone to step inside, Lumi would be the last one. Motioning for Gwen to step inside, she eventually did, with Lumi quickly behind her. Once on the other side, she closed it up.

Argenti was beyond what any of them could have imagined. Silvery bark on trees that reached as tall as mountains, wooden constructs of various shapes and sizes, trees hollowed out within as if to house a population. The trees above also didn't appear as 'ordinary' trees, but rather, with the same azure that the skies appeared to be made of dark blue and 'stars' which appeared to be excuded and created by the trees that reached above the clouds, as if the trees created and upheld the firmament itself. Animals treaded the grounds, creatures that appeared as if made by flesh, bone and vegetation at the same time. Some of them appeared as if made by the stuff of dreams and stars. Giant frogs skipping over colossal petals in the ponds, grass like faint silver and an air that was crisper than anything they had ever experienced.

Even so, at least to the likes of Gwen, Carwen and Alice, what almost stood out the most to them, was the heavy amount of magic in the air, earth and water. The whole place just radiated magical power, to the point where they felt as if they were able to absorb the immediate area of it and jump back to the normal world, they could wipe a small nation off the map. Such was the nature of this afterlife, of all the afterlifes. Such astounding might and power to make even the likes of Carwen tremble in amazement. "How... How can a place like this exist?" Carwen couldn't help but voice.

"Indeed..." Gwen agreed with her mother on that question. As beautiful as it was the foreign nature of the land further away from her home than any place she'd ever been before still sent a chill up her spine. The magic made the hair on her body stand on end as though the entire place was filled with static electricity and that feeling alone made her wary of touching anything lest she receive a shock in return.

Alice however seemed to take well to the place rather quickly as she observed the fauna, taking some of the flora between her fingers. Though her face remained stoic there was a clear hint of glee in her eyes. The sort you would see in the eyes of a child entering a candy store for the first time. "Miss Au Raza, when you said this place lied between life and death I assumed the place would look as such befitting such a description. Has this place ever been studied by your people? Is their research well documented?" She asked in a tone of clearly held back giddiness.

"Only from the outside looking in. And even then, it is but a faint sliver of its true grandeour." Lumi explained. "Like I said, this place isn't meant for mortal eyes. I am a bit of the exception, and you are all privileged to be here for knowing me and holding my trust. I have made my own little observations about this realm, and others, in one of my personal tomes. If you are interested in it, then I could share them with you?"

"Others?" Carwen asked the young girl. "You mean to tell me that there are more places than this one?"

"For every Loa there is a realm for them to call their own. Well, so long as they are not lesser ones. Accounting for all the primes and Wild Kings, I would say there are about fourty-nine realms to be discovered here on the other side, including this one. They are quite different in nature to each other, though some are more similar to each other than others. They are all but designed by their respective Loa after all."

Carwen nodded all along, hoping that this would not get too overwhelming, but it was getting hard all things considered with the scope of this realm and the things it entailed. She leaned herself against a tree, feeling the surging power eminating from it. "And... How big are these realms?"

"Depends on the Loa's might and how much is necessary," Lumi replied simply.

"So... This one?"

Lumi halted, understanding that things are clearly getting overwhelming for the woman, and most likely Gwen as well. She had hoped that they would not think too much about it, but that was clearly not the case. Taking a breath, hoping that this would not get too much for them to handle she gave them an honest answer. "How big was Ashvattha again?"

"About 7 million square miles give or take," Gwen answered rather quickly, unsure of why that mattered at the moment as they discussed the size of the realm.

"Approximately 7.518 million Square miles to give a more exact estimate. Though, Ishtar and Vrodalfn together take up nearly half of that," Alice corrected the rough estimate with a more detailed one. "It's why getting around without a Bi-frost has become rather inefficient."

Lumi nodded vehemently, a bit concerned that they didn't connect the dots. Almost as if they were in denial about the concept. So, not beating around the bush, she just went ahead and said it: "Alright... Give or take a couple hundred thousand square miles, I would say that this realm about matches that size. And frankly... This isn't even the biggest realm."

"I see..." Gwen said, trailing off in clear discomfort at the thought of such large, unexplored places and being associated with them. There were things here clearly beyond her power and understanding. Curiosity or not, she would never understand Alice's willingness to accept the unknown without fear or hesitation.

"I see, and you say there are far larger ones in existence? I can only imagine what wonders lie beyond the reaches of our current knowledge and understanding. The amount that could be learned from them, it would take hundreds... thousands of years to even begin to scratch the surface..." Alice spoke with intrigue, a small smile forming on her face though there was some disappointment in her tone. The knowledge that there was far more out there than they could possibly imagine was instantly attractive to her but knowing she would not live long enough to see it all uncovered left her with an ache in her heart.

"Well, that tome I spoke of would be a start to understanding it more." Lumi remarked. After a bit more of walking, she pointed towards a hollowed out tree a short distance away. "That is where I stored the lamp. I assume everyone has their wishes in order and formulated in proper fashion, just in case?" She asked, wanting to make sure that everyone felt ready before going deep into the realms of supreme cosmic magic. With a nod from the gathering, she proceeded forward to grab the lamp, reaching inside, she froze stiff.

"What is the matter, Lumi?" Carwen asked as Lumi had been standing still like rock for a couple of seconds. "Lumi?"

Lumi slowly turned around, the clattering of metal against metal being heard as she did. Turning around fully, in her cupped hands, she held the lamp. Or rather, the shards of it. "I... I don't understand..."

Carwen's eyes widened quickly in shock and horror. Rushing forward, she grabbed Lumi by the collar and pulled her close. "What is the meaning of this Lumi? What is going on here?!"

"I-I don't know!" Lumi replied, surprised by the forcefullness of Carwen. "I don't understand! I don't get what the deal is. This shouldn't-"

A resonating, echoing chuckle was heard between the trees. The wildlife around retreated with haste, the flora seemed to recede into the earth they had sprouted from. The very mood in the air shifted. "Deal?" Came a voice, as deep and vile as the chuckle from previous. "I like deals..." The darkened voice said with malice and amusement. "Did you really not predict this, little girl? You thought you could hoard all this power for yourself?"

Gwen instantly appeared beside Lumi and her mother, trying to pry the two apart despite her own fear at the unfolding situation. "Lumi, what happened?!" She spoke in a louder, more anxious voice than she'd meant to as she tightly grasped her Mother's wrist and shoulder. "Why's the seal broken?!"

"I see, so this truly is the worst-case scenario..." Alice adjusted her glasses as she spoke in a disappointed but not defeated tone.

Osmund looked around for wherever the voice might be coming from. He drew his sword out of instinct rather than any belief that he could fight against the being that spoke above them like a God from the heavens. "It ain't that bad yet, Lady Alice. Just... not as good as we'd hoped." He forced himself to say, trying to convince himself that things weren't as bad as they were.

Before Lumi had the chance to answer, the voice spoke up once more: "Isn't it obvious, little ones?" It spoke before there came a mist, swirling, crawling along the grounds, flowing towards a set location. Soon enough, this mist gathered in a single spot, coalescing into a more physical form. And there, before them hovered the very Djinn the lamp was meant to contain. "I have grown stronger than that which bound me." It chuckled.

Carwen let go of Lumi, looking at the Djinn in horrified astonishment. She took a step back for but a moment before quickly putting herself between it and the girls. "Ahh, how long it has been since i could properly extend my might." It said, snapping its fingers, and with that, a nearby tree evaporated. "And I think I have you to thank for that, 'Lumi'. If you hadn't put me here, it wouldn't have been possible."

Lumi looked staggered. Unsure of how to proceed. "It has been quite fun discovering this place of yours, Lumi." It looked around itself before staring straight at the girl. "Especially that little garden that you guard." It said with a grim grin, making Lumi's eyes grew wide like saucers. Before she had the chance to say anything, the Djinn became mist once more and soared away into the distance, and all things considered, she had an idea of where it was heading. Without a word, without warning, she dashed past Gwen and Carwen, rushing after the Djinn. "Get back here!" She shouted, more a plea than a command.

"Hey! Hey! This isn't the plan!" Osmund shouted to the girl as she dashed by after the Djinn. Quickly turning his head to Alice and the others to figure out what to do.

"Lumi!" Gwen shouted after the girl, wanting to make chase after her but her feet did not move. She stood there in the silver grass like a stone statue with hand outstretched toward a Lumi that was quickly becoming smaller and smaller in her field of vision. Gwen closed her hand and pulled it back to her, feeling acid in the back of her throat and a deep pit in her stomach. She was angry, but not at Lumi.

Alice's calm demeanor shook for a moment, unable to fathom what would possess the girl to run after the Djinn despite the plan they'd concocted had an event such as this occurred. "Troublesome girl!" She spoke with annoyance in her voice despite the fact that Lumi was well past earshot by this point. "Our way home has left us and we are in an unfamiliar place." Alice spoke to the others bluntly, "Carwen, please keep Gwen and Osmund safe. I will pursue Miss Au Raza and the Djinn. She is my responsibility as a guest in our household and as such I will be the one to retrieve her. If I have not returned in twenty-four hour's time please attempt to look for an alternate way out of this place."

"No!" Gwen shouted, shaky and with hesitation but her voice resonated nonetheless. "I'm going too, Lumi is my responsibility as well. She wouldn't even be here if not for me, I'm coming to find her." She spoke authoritatively, letting Alice know that she wasn't asking.

Carwen did not feel content with the idea of letting her daughter go, especially against something like this, but she was not going to object. Alice was on par with Carwen and Gwen was no pushover. Aggravated as she was, she also understood that Osmund needed protection and was not quite up to speed with the rest of them. "Go then! Fetch the girl!" Carwen commanded, staying behind as Gwen and Alice ran after Lumi.

Ahead of them, Lumi was in a state of panic, running as fast as her legs could carry her, but the two women behind her wouldn't have much problem catching up to her. Before they had the opportunity to cease her attention, Lumi had arrived at her destination, turning the bend. A veil of mist and 'stardust' encircled an area. Strange... Why hadn't he pierced the veil yet? Her eyes widened as she turned around, only to be slapped aside by the Djinn with incredible force, hurtling her backward, past the bend, coming into view for Gwen and Alice before crashing into a smaller tree, breaking it at the spot and on its way to fall over and on top of the groaning woman, too distracted by the pain to move.

Gwen watched as Lumi was hurled back by an unseen force that lied somewhere ahead of them behind the bend. But adrenaline clouded her mind and she raced to Lumi without thought of danger or surveillance of her surroundings until it was too late to do anything about it. Pillars of stone shot up from the ground and caught the falling tree as it rested upon the top of the teepee-like structure Alice had manifested to protect the two.

"Gwen, be careful!" Alice berated the young girl for her actions and failure to notice the danger she was in. "There is danger afoot. Lumi, can you move on your own?" She asked, not out of concern but rather simply wanting to know if she would need to be carried or if she could walk.

Unphased by the words of her mentor, Gwen kneeled beside Lumi in worry for her safety regardless of the fact that she knew Lumi was no frail little girl. "Lumi! Are you okay? What happened?" She asked one after the other but did not touch her in case anything was broken.

Lumi was slumped over, her right hand clutched over her left shoulder. Durability wasn't something she truly excelled in, at least not like this, and as such the mighty blow delivered and the impact had caused her left shoulder to dislocate. Gritting her teeth, with an application of force, she pushed her shoulder back to its proper place with a sickening pop. "I am fine... What about-" She said as she looked up, only to see the Djinn clutching stick in his hand. It was a wooden staff, the top curved into a crescent shape. And between the edges was what appeared to be a sort of spiderweb, connecting it and glimmering. "No..." She muttered as the Djinn brought up the staff to touch the mist. After a few moments, the veil parted, revealing a circle of radiant pods of blue colorful lights before being faced with yet another veil like the previous one. The pods appeared as fruits of some exotic manner, and whatever they were, Lumi appeared to be in horror at the sight. The Djinn ventured by the pods, inspecting the lot of them, along with the staff as it approached any of them. Then he halted. Stopping before a black and red pod. "Now... What have we here..." It half-whispered. "Stop!" Lumi called out, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth as she did. Her gaze was as steel and her features firm. "Get your filthy hands off of that!" She hissed to the surprise of any that properly knew her. She was genuinely angry.

The Djinn turned around its head towards her with a cocky smile. "Is it possible that I have struck a nerve?"

"Some things matter to me, Djinn." She growled, starting to stand more straight. "Not a lot, but some, and you will not touch them!" She hissed before reaching out with her hand, her eyes fixed on the pod. Wordlessly, the staff in the Djinn's palm was snatched from it and was now clutched in Lumi's hand, leaning on it. "And it better not be scratched." She muttered, almost comically. She got up and inspected the staff in her two hands. "This is my best one."

"Heh. Ever the Jest. Ever playing the fool." The Djinn taunted as it started to float towards them.

"No, I've always been a fool. There ain't no play..." Lumi said hesitantly, trying to strike a battle-pose before flinching from a pain in her chest.

"Miss Au Raza, it would be wise to retreat," Alice said, her eyes fixated on the Djinn rather than looking at Lumi. With it in sight, she would not look away from it lest it do something she was unprepared for. "You are injured and the only one capable of facilitating our return home."

"Lumi, Alice is right... we can't do *this*." Gwen said, emphasizing that Lumi wouldn't stand a chance against the Djinn without raising a fair share of questions that Alice would no doubt demand answers to. "It's baiting you, can't you see that? What are those things?"

"Nurseries. Incubators. Prisons. Take your pick... For the Loa souls..." She replied. Despite how she hated the idea, Lumi vehemently nodded before dashing off with the rest of them. Keeping an eye on the Djinn behind them as they ran, the Djinn seemed to take his good time following them. *Something is wrong...* She tought. Their pace picking up, Lumi falling behind slightly at their speed, soon enough they came into view of Carwen and Osmund.

Carwen knew they were coming long before they came into view thanks to her enhanced hearing. Before she had the chance to ask what was going on, Lumi flicked her finger towards them, sending a small orb that opened up a rift beside Carwen. As if that was not enough, the Djinn was not far behind. "GET INSIDE!" Lumi cried out to Carwen and Osmund. Not taking any second to hesitate, Carwen obeyed and jumped inside together with Osmund. Soon enough, Gwen, Alice and Lumi followed suit.

The moment Lumi stepped into the portal, she realized something: The magic wavelength was far too different. It... It was wrong. It wasn't her influence anymore. But it was too late to do something about it now. Once they were all through to the other side, they all found something far different than what was meant to be their home. The sky was like Argenti's, but unlike that realm, this one had an unsettling swirling mist of red and black. Spires of white rock and roofs of black glass, constructs of gothic design, rivers running with liquid magic of the same color and grim nature of the skies. The heavens were littered with grand beasts whose outline resembled some manner of bat-like creature. Towers with carved statues of bat-like men, clad in real armor of silver and gold.

"Lumi! What is going on!?" Carwen shouted at her. "What is this place? Why aren't we home!?"

"I... This is all wrong." Lumi hesitated to answer, clutching the staff tightly. "I think... I think the Djinn is interfering with my rifts. He is refusing us an opportunity to leave. I wouldn't doubt the possibility that it doesn't matter where I try to take us anymore. He will forcefully put us somewhere else..."

Alice adjusted her glasses as she tried to figure out what to do. Their mode of transportation would no longer be a reliable one if Lumi couldn't keep her abilities within her own control, they were in a completely new environment they knew next to nothing about, and a Djinn on their tail. Honestly, it seemed like a hopeless scenario for them to be in. Even with Carwen and herself, they would only be able to distract such a creature for a bit and that would only be possible if they didn't have to worry about protecting Gwen, Lumi, and Osmund. She thought they should try again, maybe even a few more times. If the Djinn only had the power to disrupt Lumi's rifts then perhaps they could end up back home on accident? But no, that was too dangerous. Who knew where they would find themselves or if such places might be hostile immediately upon entering. Alice stood in silence and thought.

Meanwhile, Gwen looked after Lumi. "Lumi, you're hurt. Do you think anything is broken?" She asked, hands hovering over the girl but not wanting to touch her just in case there were fractures.

"Looks like we might have to try and stand our ground. I mean, it's better than wandering until it catches us or just going down with out a fight, right?" Osmund added, nervous internally despite his confident and cheerful outward expression.

"No need to fret, Gwen." Lumi said cheerfully with a half-forced smile. "Its just a small fracture." She shook her head as if it was nothing at all. She looked to the staff in her hand and muttered. "At least he hasn't taken this."

Carwen stepped up to Gwen and Lumi, peering down at them, a determined look in her eyes. "Lumi. No more bullshit. No more half-truths. No deception this time." Carwen said, not so much hostile as it was a no-nonsense tone. "Is Carwous there in Argenti? Is it an afterlife for him? Is my father lurking somewhere in that realm of yours?"

Lumi looked up at Carwen with an empatheic look before answering: "No. He was a dragon. A dragon outside of our circle of influence. He is not there." She spoke, yet even with her words uttered, it sure seemed like she still knew something they didn't.

Carwen stared at her for a few more moments before turning from the woman and looking towards the darkened distance. "Then... We will have to make due... You know this place better than anyone, Lumi. Is there a way... Any way we might be able to make a stand?"

"Maybe... There are relics all across the realms, relics and fonts of power. If we can tap into those, then we would likely have a better chance on our hands. Even just one might be able to help us substantially." Lumi said. "Its better than the odds we have now... Come with me." She said before walking away, ushering them to follow.

The others followed her without hesitation. After all, there wasn't much choice than to follow the person who had the best idea of where they were going. Gwen purposefully fell behind Lumi, wishing that she possessed the healing light magic that Triss had to help heal her partner's wounds. But things weren't falling into place on this journey and that in itself worried Gwen as it meant that all of her fears could be realized in this place of ever-expanding unknowns. She fell back to walk beside her mother, curious what was on Carwen's mind. "Mother, why is it so important to you that your father is here? Would he not be just as likely a danger to us as the Djinn? Or is that exactly your fear?"

Carwen looked ahead at Lumi, still a look of concern and maybe disappointment when Gwen approached. After a few moments she tore her gaze away from her and looked at her daughter. "He is a piece of work, he is, but at this point, I don't think we can be too picky. A third dragon in the mix against the Djinn, one who might have grown stronger from the exposure to these places, I figured that we might benefit from such an ally. I have personal reasons to want to see him again, but right now, our victory and survival is all that matters. I just want you to live."

Lumi kept on leading them onwards, and as they walked, they would notice how one of the spires got increasingly closer to them. By this point, it was clear that this was their destination. If only such things were so simple. Raising her staff into the air, Lumi grunted in pain before projecting a dome of magic around them for seemingly no reason. Then it was heard. "Poor little mortals, led on through the unknown, your only hope placed in a creature you know nothing of. For you haven't told them, have you, little thing? Your true nature? What you have seen? What you have done?" Came the taunting voice of the Djinn.

"You talk a lotta shit for someone taunting us while out a reach!" Osmund shouted back, caring little for what the Djinn had to say. But the feeling of Alice's hand on his shoulder saw him grow quiet and still as he knew the hand was one of disapproval at his actions even if she said not a word.

The Djinn's words had intrigued Alice and she looked to Carwen, sure they both shared a similar curiosity at what it was the Djinn had said. Whether they would press the matter or not was still in the air. After all, like it or not Lumi *Was* their only way out. If the Djinn's words had any merit now might not be the best time to go discussing it.

"Liars and tricksters, all of you creatures! Fallen Gods brought to disgrace by the very humans they look down on!" Gwen jumped to Lumi's defense through her own fear with a snake's hiss. She would not allow Lumi to be outed by some spiteful creature. "Lumi, ignore it. We need to get wherever we're going."

Lumi looked downtrodden over these words. Luckily, her back was turned to the rest of them. As such they pressed on until they reached the spiraling tower before them, Lumi starting to look worn and tired the further they walked. She seemed to be put under strain. Once they reached the tower, she fell to her knees in near exhaustion. "There..." She muttered while pointing. In front of them there appeared to be a pond. As they approached it, they saw its contents. A dark pool of black and red, moving like a maelstrom, and to Gwen and Carwen's enhanced hearing, it sounded like there was small cries of anguish coming from the pool and reeked of iron. Trudging onward, pulling a cup from the side, all but limping by this point, Lumi put it upon the edge before waving for her friend with a simple word uttered. "Drink." She said, tiredness clear in her voice as she leaned against it and slid down the edge to the paved ground.

Before anyone had even the slightest chance to do anything, the voice spoke again: "Oh really? Friends, do you really intend to drink of something so vile and horrid? But then again, when associating with monsters, why not poke your nose deeper into the abyss. Want to know what it is?"

"Ignore him... Just drink. You'll need-"

"It is the magical power extracted from the souls of sinners as they were tortured for their crimes. Go ahead and drink if you so please. Just thought you ought to know what you put to your lips first. Oh how lovely their sounds were as it was pulled from them. Want to hear some?" He spoke before the ear-piercing shriek of the damned resonated in the area. Men and women, crying in anguish and screams for mercy. Meanwhile, clutching one hand over her ear, she shouted at the people gathered: "Drink it! We can't win otherwise!" Even as the screams faded, the sensation felt was still hanging like mist in the air.

Djinn or not, Gwen couldn't help but hesitate at this point. The shrieks and cries threatened to scar themselves into her eardrums, a possibility that scared her so much the thought of popping them crossed her mind for a moment. She looked at the dark, swirling liquid in the cup before her eyes glanced to her family members. Deep down she knew that she had to be the first to drink it, the others wouldn't follow if she couldn't bring herself to trust Lumi. Even so, the echoes of doubt rang clear in her mind. Lumi had lied before, that was a fact, and the Djinn had to know something they didn't. The fear of the unknown gripped her like a vice around her throat that made even drawing in breath difficult.

Irrational thoughts began to swim in her head, thoughts of doubt. Looking at the poor state that Lumi was in, what if she planned to siphon magic from them to heal herself and the liquid would give her such ability? She grabbed her head, wrapping her long, black hair around her fingers as she gritted her teeth to banish such nasty thoughts. Without a word, she grabbed the cup from Lumi's hand and drank from it. The taste of iron and the thickness of oil slid down her throat in a viscous mess like slime that made her shutter but she downed it nonetheless.

Alice and Osmund weren't long after Gwen to drink, if not a bit hesitant on the matter. They took the cup from Gwen and one by one did they refill it with the pond's content. Drinking it down was not an easy matter. It was like drinking clotted blood by consistency and taste. However, despite the horrific nature of it, there was no denying one thing: The power was all but intoxicating. Gwen, a girl whom had once been positioned as close to the power of Alice now felt like she was capable of shattering spellwork of the greatest of mages with nothing more than her bare hands, even that of the current beast saints. Alice felt a similar surge of power, enough so that it didn't feel far fetched to be able to construct whole cities through the earth magic she possessed. It was frankly overwhelming.

Carwen stood reluctantly. Feeling that there was something off with the whole thing, but deciding to hold faith in Gwen's trust in the woman, she walked up to fill up the cup for herself when the voice spoke up once more: "So you heeded her words all the same? I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Deities have the tendency to have great influence." He mocked, halting Carwen immediately. "Lumi... What does that mean?"

"Lady Vroman, please, I beg of you, just drink. We need everything in order to win. Just-"

"No, for once I would like a clear answer. I don't want to walk in the unknown. If I am to follow your lead in this then I would like to know where we are headed. Or rather who is heading us."

"No, you really wouldn't. Now gods damn it Carwen, drink and keep up! I can't ward him off for much longer." Lumi hissed, much to her own surprise, but this was no time to apologize. Carwen hesitated once more, seemingly both shocked and angry at the same time about how Lumi had addressed her. Chugging it down swiftly, she then threw the cup to the side, trying to ignore the might she was experiencing as if she had just ascended to godhood. "What now?"

"Now... We go where he wants us to." She said as she let go of the barrier around them, causing them to be hurtled through reality once more, ending up in Argenti anew, with the Djinn standing right before them. With a snide and angry remark, Lumi spat at the Djinn with the words: "Thanks for bringing us back." She muttered as she was still trying to recuperate.

"You are quite welcome. Now... The staff, Lumi." He spoke as it extended its massive hand towards her. Tired, seemingly defeated, Lumi reached out with the staff towards him, her hands shaking all the while. Then, suddenly, she shouted: "CARWOUS!"

Like a blistering green bullet, something tackled the Djinn. The Djinn crashed into a nearby tree, shattering it in its entirety. "Keep him occupied! We are not done." Lumi shouted at the bluring image before tapping the staff to the ground, opening up another gate. Lumi fell roughly to the ground, pain surging through her body whereas her friends landed on their feet. The realm was of the bright light, buildings and cities that floated in the air on clouds. Yet there was little time to reflect on it, for Carwen was now rushing up to Lumi, grabbing her by the shoulders and pushing her up against a cliffside. "YOU LIED TO ME!" She shouted in Lumi's face. Lumi just meekly nodded. "I had to. He was listening to us. I needed him to surprise the Djinn."

"Carwen, control yourself!" Alice snapped, angered by her Cousin in-law's emotional outburst in the face of everything that they'd encountered thus far. She was frustrated as well, she desired answers as well but unlike her in-law, she understood that there was a time and place for everything. This was neither.

Osmund turned to the unfolding scene, "Lumi, you gotta tell us what's going on. I've seen a lot of strange things in my time but this is more than I bargained for even with a Djinn involved. What's it talking about?"

Gwen jumped in, once more coming to the ever more tired-looking Lumi's defense. "What the hell is fighting each other going to do?!" Gwen yelled at her mother before turning to Osmund, "Why're you letting some fucking lying, manipulating, cheating, unreliable monster into your head? Huh?! You're the future head of the Vroman family can you let yourself be so easily swayed by some ominous-sounding words that mean nothing?"

"I just asked what the hell is going on, I think we should know if we're all in this together. I wasn't swayed by anything, I just want to hear Lumi's side of things. In fact, I think we all would like to. What is that Djinn talking about? Who is Carwous? And why is this Djinn so interested in you? Last I checked, it was Gwen's lamp."

Carwen was quick to answer one of those as she let Lumi go. "Carwous is the dragon who raised me. My father. This confirms it to me. Argenti is truly an afterlife, isn't it? And I mirror his question: Why this great invested interest in you? Is it because you can make him into a god? Why would he even know of it?"

Lumi just nodded. "Among other things. He desires godhood. For that reason exactly is why he wants this staff. With it he can implant himself not simply with one Loa's essence, but with that of many. He would become a threat to everything and everyone. Above all, this staff must be protected. Just... just follow my lead, do as I ask, and I promise that I will get all of you out of this shithole alive and well. I don't need you to entirely trust me right now. I just need you to listen and do. Is that possible?" Lumi pleaded.

Carwen looked fiercely into Lumi's eyes for a while longer before letting her go. "Fine. We better hurry then. I don't want to leave pops to fight that thing alone for too long."

"Agreed." Was all Lumi said before leading them onwards, this time at a quicker pace, as quick as Lumi's fractured ribs would allow. Gwen received a mental message from Lumi through the use of her dream magic: ' I don't think I can keep this from them anymore. Once it is all over and done with I will have to reveal everything. Not simply to you, but to all the Vromans. They are not likely to just let this go.'

Gwen wasn't sure if she could return a message or how she even would if she could. So, instead, she remained silent and hoped that things would turn out for the best for all of them. Things had gotten out of hand and it was just as much her fault as Lumi's. She should never have taken her to that magic shop, and she never should have accepted that Lamp as a gift or otherwise.

The other's followed Lumi in silence, still unsure of exactly where she stood on the subject of Lumi. While things perhaps might have turned out better had Lumi not chased after the Djinn, at least for them, Alice bore her own share of the responsibility for this disaster as she'd allowed her curiosity and desire to use the Djinn's power to trump the more logical side of her mind that would have had such a being destroyed or disposed of immediately.

Osmund wanted to trust Lumi, almost as much as he wanted to get home in one piece. But something gnawed at the back of his mind, something he couldn't quite make out despite feeling like it would be obvious if he just had all the pieces. Even so, and despite his earlier protest and the lack of answers to his demand for them, he proceeded on. Gwen had faith in Lumi and though he knew some of that might have to do with her feelings, he knew Gwen wouldn't put her trust into just anyone. So, with that in mind, he had a strong feeling that Lumi would get them out of this mess.

Lumi kept leading them onwards until they reached a big construct that was not raised off of the ground. Forcing the doors open, there was a selection of weapons inside, seemingly made of something akin to silver and sapphires. The potency of them were considerably dimmer than that of the pool of magic they had previously drank from, but all the same, they appeared to be anything by ineffective. "These weapons were forged during the days of the War on the Other Side. They are meant to be able to slay Loa and other deities. Blasphemous to wield, but we are kind of in a state of emergency." Lumi explained as she picked up a whip to hold in her other hand. "Pick whatever you feel you have use of. There are staffs and wands to grant your magic their attributes as well."

Carwen didn't even bother to argue at this point. It was all infuriating, but she had to do what was needed for everyone to make it out alive. She picked up two spiked and clawed gauntlets and equipped them. They were light in weight and still felt ever so impactful. "What now?" Carwen asked.

"Once everyone is ready... We take the fight to the Djinn. Carwous is not going to last much longer on his own. He needs us. I am gonna save him, I am gonna see you all to safety, I will rescue the pods from his grasp, and then... We'll see what happens from there... Once we return it will be a fight unlike any. Even now victory is not assured. I would have us claim more artefacts and powers if I was so able, but I don't have it in me to contend with his power... So... When everyone is ready... Let's give him hell."

Osmund was drawn to the swords, his specialty, and eyed several ornate looking blades. He knew he didn't have the time or right to be picky but none of them felt right. That is, until he came upon a massive sword hung up on the wall. The greatsword looked large and fierce, different from the pretty and visually pleasing weapons elsewhere within the armory. It looked like a weapon designed specifically for the purpose of slaying the largest of monsters. He grabbed the handle and prepared for the weight only to be left in shock as the weapon didn't seem to weigh any more or less than the cleaver sword that he carried on his lower back. To think that something more than five times the size of his own sword could weigh so little, he liked it.

Alice reached out her hand and gripped a scepter, small, silver, and ornate with a beautiful blue gemstone as its head. She was not drawn to its beauty or even small size that would make it easy to carry. Now, it was the magic that emanated from the gem at the top of the scepter that had caught her attention immediately, powerful and pulsating within the gem casing. She was sure she could put such power to good use.

Gwen, unlike her middle sister, disliked the use of weapons as her own strength more often than not far exceeded what a weapon could handle. Thus, she'd normally break it or have to hold back. But Lumi had insisted that these would be needed and so she looked about for something at would complement her style. Finding a small crate that inside held a pair of knuckle-dusters that appeared to be made out of some kind of gemstone. Sliding them on, she cracked a faint smile as they fit well and felt good in her hands.

"Lumi, I think we're ready. We need to end this quickly, a drawn-out fight would only work in the Djinn's favor." Gwen said as she joined up with Lumi, taking the girl's hand into her own. She had faith in their abilities but it was as Lumi had said, there was no guarantee that they could win this fight. In fact, even will all their might and power the odds were stacked against them. Lumi was strong, she had to be, but she was growing exhausted and how much longer she could hold up was anyone's guess. The realist in her wanted to acknowledge those overwhelming odds, but how could she do that with so many people she cared about at risk? Even so, she couldn't bring herself to be the hopeful optimist that everyone needed. "Lumi, no matter how this turns out I'm on your side till the end." She said, not simply about their current situation but in a very general sense. Despite her worries, despite her doubts, and despite her fears, she would be on Lumi's side.

Lumi's eyes wattered, touched by her words. "Thanks Gwen. Truly, thank you." She said softly, squeezing her arm with her hand for a short moment before turning to face everyone. When everyone gave the go ahead, she slammed the staff into the ground, causing a new gate to open up beneath them. With a short fall, they all now stood within the Argenti woods, a quite drastic change to the enviroment from when they last were here. The trees were shattered to pieces. Where there once was ponds and lakes, it was a scorched wasteland, and instead of animals there were phantasmal fiends clawing at the scales of the dragon that fought the Djinn. The Dragon was colossal, standing much taller than Carwen ever had, and she was by account on the larger end. It went for a bite against the Djinn, only to have its maw caught by the Djinn's hands, prying it open before slamming it into the dirt.

"Well then, lets not keep him waiting. Its now or never." Carwen muttered as she charged forward, not wasting any time but immediately transforming into her draconic self, golden hair in the wind in the midst of her silver scales as she threw herself at the Djinn, breathing a burst of magical power the likes of which she had never experienced from a basic roar spell.

"Agreed! This is our chance! Attack!" Lumi shouted as she raised her staff and slammed it to the ground, sprouting massive roots and trees that assaulted and began to try and tie down the Djinn. It roared in aggrevation at the sudden appearance of the two attacks, but it was not as clear a change in the flow of battle as Carwen would have hoped. It was still leaning in favor of the Djinn.

Gwen took after her mother, charging forward before taking flight in a dragonic form, white and gold scales adorning her body. It was not only her form that had changed but that of the weapon she'd taken from the armory as well. The knuckle dusters having formed into crystal claws that ran between her own long, sharp nails so that her front hands now had ten claws on each rather than five. Double the sharp objects, double the damage wasn't bad math in her own mind. Circling the Djinn like the others and raining down several volleys of light arrows. Her magic felt potent, with arrows appearing more like javelin's crashing down on the Djinn

Alice stood beside Lumi, knowing that her own role was not in the midst of that flurry and fray. She held up her scepter, the ground under the Djinn beginning to boil before becoming red hot lava that twisted and forming into a giant maw that shot up in an attempt to burn the creature alive.

Knowing his sword, powerful or not, would only be in the way of the awe and might his fellow family members and possible soon to be family member was showing, Osmund did not join the charge and instead stayed back. He raised his sword into the air and gathered a great deal of magical energy above the Djinn that then struck down as purplish-blue lighting. The Djinn's options for escape had been cut off as far as Osmund could tell he'd need to tank at least one of the attacks to avoid the others. As long as they could keep up that strategy the Djinn would have to fall eventually, right?

The Djinn roared in anguish and hatred as the assaults came raining down on him. Spells, claws, tackles, and scorchers all came it's way, pummeling and battering him. Lumi was astounded by the sight of three whole dragons hammering away at a single spirit-being. It was quite the marvel.

The Spirit roared in an exertion of power as each and every attack landed against him. With a swipe of his arm, a hurtling wave of lightning quick energy flew towards Lumi and Alice. Before anything could be done about it on Alice' end, Lumi 'stabbed' the energy wave with her staff, obliterating the harmful energies of it and turning the remains of magic into fluttering, magical butterflies that quickly flew away as to not be destroyed by the onslaught of magic.

"WITH ME, BRIGHTIE!" Shouted the green dragon. Carwen flinched at the name, but realized that trauma had to come later. Flying up into the skies with him, he enveloped himself in magical energies while being roared at with Carwen's own magic, amplifying the aura of magic manifold as he dove like a missile straight towards the Djinn.

Occupied with Gwen, he grabbed her by the neck, throlting her with a magical spell manifesting in his other hand before feeling the shadow looming over him. Looking up, he quickly let go of Gwen to use both his hands in an attempt to intercept the spell, but before mustering enough strength to do so, Carwous collided with the Djinn, slamming it into the dirt, causing a rippling earhtquake within the vicinit, rocking trees within the nearest kilometeres. Rising back up, the Djinn grappled Carwous before hurling him into the skies anew, shooting him with a magical beam that Carwen intercepted with a spell of her own.

"You are mine, Djinn! I own you and you are mine!" Gwen spoke in a deep, monstrous, hissing voice as she rose back up from the attack and lunged at the Djinn with her claws. She didn't know if Djinn or Gods had an inner physiology or what it would be if they did but she understood that most things went down when you gutted them and so that is what she tried to do.

"We could really use some support magic, most of us just have offensive stuff..." Osmund spoke, giving Alice an idea.

"Yes, perhaps boosting our best fighters will indeed be our path to victory." Alice said with a smirk, adjusting her glasses before lifting the scepter again and activating her Territory Magic, the entire group appearing in a desert with a bright and unforgiving sun beaming down on them from above. The space was not endless nor would it last forever, but it might give their light dragon's a chance to power up and resupply. "Carwen, Gwen, Carwous! Feast upon the sun and then rain it down upon our foe!" Alice yelled to them, ready to keep up the territory for as long as she could.

Carwen and Carwous were quick to the point, soaring into the sky, consuming the radiating light from above, letting it fuel their already immense power. Spiraling down, Carwous fired a breath attack against the Djinn of such a magintude that would make Carwen envious on an ordinary day. She in turn prepared an orb of power between the tip of her wings: "The cleansing rays of the divine dragon's soul purges all. Ancestors guide me, great might within, come forth and bring upon his fall!" Carwen shouted the rhyme for her secret art spell. "Divine Storm!" She cried out, causing a hailing rain of light javelins through the sky and spiraling down towards the Djinn.

The Djinn got inflicted incredible amounts of damage from this assault, even more with the addition of Gwen's claws. Even so, once the dust settled around him, he burst out into roarous laughter. "HAHAHA! This is outstanding! Spectacular! However, I feel a bit insulted, Lumi." He shouted. "They are doing all that they can to defeat me, but you won't offer me the same courtesy?" He laughed, sending two bolts of energy that shot Carwen and Carwous out of balance, making them tumble towards the ground before regaining their proper form. "I know you can do better than you are showing, Lumi! You have the power to govern this whole realm and you won't use it?! Or maybe you'd prefer to go by your true name, L-" He said before being interrupted by a bolt of magic from Lumi's finger. The bolt had struck against it's cheek, creating a gash which would no doubt have caused bleeding had it possessed things like veins and blood.

"A bit closer to spirit, granted!" He said with a chuckle from the sight of the growling Lumi. "But not close enough. I'll strike you a bargain girl, show me everything you have, and I will spare these little pets of yours." he offered. When Lumi's only response was to hurl another bolt, he sighed. "Let's see if I can get a better reaction out of you." he said before pointing a finger at Gwen, making a bolt of energy at the tip of his finger. Carwen, sensing the phenomenal power within that fingertip paniced, diving down towards Gwen. Fearing that Gwen would not be able to dodge it in time, Carwen took an effort to save her daughter just in case. "Divine Transmission!" She shouted, and in the blink of an eye, she had switched place with Gwen, and just as she did, the bolt came.

A roar of anguish as the bolt pierced her wing and made impact with her right foreleg. At the sight of the woman being struck, a more horrific view was seen. The leg and wing whcih had been struck by the beam seemed to burn away into cinders and Ash, burning from within and breaking apart. Carwen roared in shock and pain as the limbs disappeared into nothingness as she crashed into the ground. Groaning as she tried to get back up, the Djinn laughed. "Pity. I was aiming for her head... Shall we try again?" He grimly joked as he prepared another bolt of energy aimed at Carwen.

Lumi panicked once more. She desperately tried to find a way for her to help out in some manner. She looked to the staff, a pained look in her eye as she mentally called to Gwen: "Eat the staff! It won't last long, but with it you can become stronger than any of them. Perhaps enough to beat the Djinn!" She told her before throwing the staff like a spear towards Gwen's draconic form in the sky.

Gwen didn't know what had happened, nor did she have any time to react to anything before orders were being shouted. She didn't understand, and she felt a deep sense of anger and fear at what had happened to her mother. Why her? Why not Carwous? Why couldn't Lumi use the staff? So many questions and so little time, she opened her maw and let the staff fly in. Without the need to chew she swallowed the staff, her lack of a gag reflex having more than one purpose after all it would seem. For a single moment, she felt a shock through her system. Like her body was being kicked into overdrive. Her power felt limitless as though she truly had devoured the sun and now wielded its power. "Burn in hell!" She yelled at the Djinn, her words quickly followed close behind by a roaring ray of light. It wasn't like a normal roar of her primal light magic. No, it was thin and controlled like a laser. All of the magic being concentrated in a single spot. The recoil from shooting it pushed her back further into the sky, her head lifting for a moment to point in the distance.

The white laser cut across and unfathomable distance before it appeared to cut directly through Alice's territory barrier. Getting control of it again, she dragged what she'd come to call "The Hammer of Dawn." across the battlefield to aim it directly at the Djinn.

Carwen had to leap out of the way as to not be struck by the ray of light, and the Djinn failed to respond as was befitting of an attack of that scale. After many seconds of severe assaults of the beam of magic, he made his response. Pushing everything he had into his palm, he threw his hand up towards Gwen, unleashing a stream of magic that pushed up against the hammer of dawn. However, it didn't even reach halfway before they reached a stalemate, with Gwen so barely making continued advances against the Djinns attack. After a few moments of struggle both spells dissipated, leaving the Djinn panting slightly from the excertion. "Yes! This is it! Show me your power, dragon!"

Gwen didn't say anything in response and instead simply spread her wings. In that instant that her shadow covered the battlefield, she disappeared altogether, bending light around her she'd become an invisible flying monster. "*Ancestor's Ballista*", she thought to herself, a giant arrow of light shooting down from the sky toward the Djinn. Quickly following up with a spell she'd learned from Miss Tasya, "*Raksha*", Coating herself in a shield of light as she divebombed directly behind the missile to close the distance between the two of them. She wanted to be closer next time she used that other spell, to end this without a chance for the Djinn to counter.

The Djinn could still feel her presence around and about. Pinpoint accuracy was difficult, but when the arrow came down from the heavens, he found her in earnest. With a snap of his finger he hastened the time traveled by the arrow and himself, making it dash well ahead of Gwen. Catching the arrow in his hands, he infused it with magic of his own, making her unable to counter it with her own innate control of it. Hurling it back at her head on, he was not sure if it would be enough to stop her assault, but it would likely at least impede her force.

He may have thrown the arrow back at her but it had served its main purpose, she spread the shield out in front of her before transforming back into a humanoid form. The arrow collided with the light shield to cause and an explosion of magical power that she slipped under in her human form to continue her dive bomb with relatively less force now that she no longer had the weight of a mighty dragon behind her. But that was fine, she wasn't playing for big hits at the moment. She landed a kick on the Djinn's stomach powered by a **Divine Dragon's tail**.

The Djinn was taken aback by the sudden change of strategy. The smaller form was significantly weaker than what he had just experienced, but that didn't keep the kick from knocking the metaphorical air out of him. He raised his hand, gathering a great amount of magic there, and prepared to snap his fingers when Carwen suddenly lunged forward and bit down on his shoulder, halting its attack, forcing his hand to go limp as it could no longer muster the strength or even capability of snapping. Through clenched teeth, she shouted to her daughter: "DO IT GWEN! IGNORE ME! HIT HIM WITH ALL YOU'VE GOT! I CAN TAKE IT!"

Gwen didn't hesitate, she didn't have the luxury of doing that. She needed to operate on faith and instinct. She trusted her mother, at least for right now, and opened her mouth. Like before, the laser-like beam of light shot from her mouth aimed directly at the Djinn's head. At that same moment, to assure the Djinn would not find an easy escape, she detonated the stigmata her last two attacks had placed onto the creature's hand and chest. Hoping it would not only cause it to stagger but give her mother the chance to get away if she were bluffing about her ability to tank the hit.

In combination with the stigmata's blasts together with Carwen's maw choping down on his shoulder, the Djinn was indeed trapped between a rock and a hard place. Either he dealt with Gwen's attack to some extent and leave Carwen maintaining her grip on him, or he dealt with her and endured the incoming attack. A smug grin appeared on his face as Gwen could feel the magic building in him. He made a side swipe with his left hand to the right just as the spell made impact against the Djinn. The scorching light of the Hammer of Dawn hammered against the Djinn's skull, piercing it straight through. A cloud of dust and magic kicked up into the air around them. When Gwen's spell was over, the dust slowly began to settle. Silence. Nothing moved. Then came the sound of chuckles. The dust parted from the location, and there stood the Djinn, half his head missing in a smog of magical dust. There he was standing. And only him. "She was getting quite annoying." He replied through his sundered mouth. He shook his left hand as if dusting it off, orange burning embers being shaken off as he did while the dust disappeared, only leaving him and a glassed surface beneath him to show for her endeavour. "Wouldn't you agree, Gwen?" He taunted. He was clearly injured and a bit worn, but his disposition didn't show it. He looked around himself raising his arms as if to show his surroundings. "You did quite some work here, Gwen. Shame Carwen couldn't get to see her beloved child put on such a show." He said with a vile grin.

Gwen grit her teeth, the veins in her forehead bulging but even so she managed to maintain her composure. The events that had just occured left too many unanswered questions for her to simply make assumptions and she sure as hell wouldn't listen to what the Djinn was saying. "Smoke and mirrors won't fool me anymore you disgraced cretin. So quick to wag your tongue but so slow to act. No wonder you fell from grace." She spat at the Djinn with venom in her tone despite her worries. *"Why does it feel like I'm fighting this thing alone... Dammnit, someone do something already!"* She thought to herself, the hopelessness of the situation beginning to overtake her. The fact that she didn't know where her mother was worried her as it often did when she was a child. The unknown that gnawed at her in her the dead of night as a child. Never knowing if she'd see her mother again. The feeling returned, and it shook her to the core, made her feel like a scared little girl all over again. The spell was ready, she needed to attack. She smacked her hands together, shattering small orbs of light that had been created on the palms of her hands. Unleashing a seemingly endless volley of light arrows at the Djinn.

"Carwen..." Lumi muttered, conflicted thougths in her mind that she had no means or time to consider. She readied herself for battle, but before she could sprint into battle, she heard a booming voice from above: "BRIGHTIE!" Carwous cried out at the sight of the Djinn standing alone. Carwous and the others had stayed out of the way for the purpose of not getting caught in the crossfire, but that time was over.

The Djinn raised a hand, the arrows shattering in the palm of his hand. Either he was getting stronger, or she was getting weaker. A blast of magic manifested in his palm which he had aimed at Gwen with great intensity. Before he could unleash it, Carwous swooped down and swiped Gwen away from the battle. Stabilizing in the air, he threw Gwen up upon his back, letting her use her magic to keep her feet steady atop of him. "Listen! You don't know me and I certainly don't like you; But I am not letting my daughter be sacrificed for nothing! Keep your wits about you, and let us kill this bastard!" He shouted at her as he circled around the sky. The Djinn looked up towards them, charging a new spell in his hand, bright and radiant. Before he had a chance to do something, grand roots sprung from the earth once more, more powerful than last time. "CARWOUS! DO IT!" Lumi shouted.

"The Djinn is getting stronger. I don't know why, but he is." Carwous spoke as the Djinn tried to regain his freedom. Carwous began to radiate a green aura, tendrils of it reaching towards Gwen. "This is the most secret of arts for the Divine Dragon: Soul Radiance. It is only available to Divine Dragons connected by spirit and blood, linking our souls and magic together to amplify our magic. Half-breed or not, help me avenge my child. Connect with me!" He commanded, waiting for Gwen to link her magic with his.

Lumi looked to Alice and Osmund. "My lady, my lord, we need everything we've got now. We've lost Carwen's presence on the field, and we need to compensate." Lumi said as her scales began to turn grey and slowly a bright white with a hint of fur growing on her tail and her eyes turning bright green. As they did, it was clear that Lumi's spellwork was growing stronger meanwhile. All the same, the Djinn's power was growing, only currently impeded by the sapping roots.

"You're wrong you old coot... Mother isn't dead, she can't be dead. The Djinn had to have done something, don't be fooled, and at the very least don't give up on her just yet." Gwen spoke, she refused to acknowledge the possibility that her mother could be gone. No, it seemed like an impossibility to her. She blamed the Djinn's tricks, the smoke that had enveloped the monster after the attack gave her hope that something had been done during that time. "Do you hear me you walking corpse dragon?!" She yelled at him, stomping her feet on his back like a child throwing a tantrum. She held up her hand, activating the multiple stigmata that her last attack had placed on the hand of the Djinn, a sadistic smile forming on her face as it had seemed the bastard still hadn't learned anything about how her spells worked. However, rather than exploding or causing damage she used them to sap away power which she was now used in tandem with the power she'd gained from her grandfather and her own. The air itself seemed to vibrate, power surging through her and into the sky that seemed to darken above them. "Pillar of Divine Retribution: Judgement!" She yelled out before the clouds parted and light so white and brilliant it cast out even the shadows, forcing everyone to look away for face the risk of instant blindness, shot down in a block pillar that seemed to reach up towards the heavens themselves.

Alice would not let this opportunity go to waste, holding out her hand toward the Djinn. The desert landscape disappeared back to the smoldering forest it had once been. But no, Alice had not simply canceled her spell. Instead, she'd changed which one she was using. Rather than a desert, the new territory she'd created surrounded only the Djinn and rained down upon it a gravity several times that of what they were experiencing normally. She hoped that at the very least it would slow its ability to dodge as the light pillar shone down upon it.

As a creature of pure magic, the Djinn would have resisted the gravity shift with ease under ordinary circumstances. But this was far from ordinary. The gravity spells were amplified with the raw power and magic of the realms of the Loa, granting them unfathomable might and increased applications of magic. Restrained by roots and gravity, the gathering closed their eyes as to not be severely affected by the blast. "Better to anticipate the worst than to hope and and be disappointed by reality." Carwous said, aiding her by amplifying the spellwork.

The magic tore down from the skies, crashing into the earth, turning the nearby area into glass through the sheer heat it produced. "Something is wrong..." Carwous said with dread. He was feeling something the rest of them did not. "Human! Stop!" He cried out to Gwen. As she did, they found something disturbing taking place. The Djinn was consuming their spell.

With an open mouth, the magic was sucked into his gaping maw before closing it, appearing as if chewing on the spell. "Thanks a lot Carwen." He said with a full mouth before swallowing, patting his stomach and looking down at it. "Your magic serves me well. Now... Let's see what else I can do." He said as he looked up to the two Dragon mages in the sky. "Djinn Dragon's Vile Cry!" He cried out as a massive ray of magic was expelled from his mouth, a spell of even greater power than the one Gwen had just thrown at him. Carwous dodged the brunt of the spell, but as the Djinn turned its head, the spell made impact with his chest, sending him upwards. As the spell ended, his chest was scorched with sot. "Our magic won't be the working on him anymore!" Carwous groaned. He looked to Lumi below before shouting: "My Lady! We need your blessing!" He shouted at her.

Lumi's body flickered for just a moment, something that would be noticeable for Alice at the very least. Her being seemed to be vanishing from reality for but a moment. With a determined look, she clasped her hands together before aiming both of them into the sky towards the two of them. "Forest of old, grand souls within, hear this plea! Power of the growth, bestow the might of blood and kin, grant the strength of the Aether Tree! Eden Surge!" She shouted, firing off two beams of magic which struck the chests of both of them. While not surging with power, they could feel their magical wavelength being overridden, rewritten into something else. Gwen would recognize this influence to some extent. It felt awfully familiar to the signature of Hotoke's power.

The Djinn laughed at the display. "It doesn't matter how much force you grant them, little spirit. We may be in your reality, Lumi, but that doesn't hinder me in the slightest. I can kill each and every one of you just as easily here as anywhere. You should truly fear me, I have killed dozens of Loa!" He shouted as he fired off a spell towards Lumi like a thin ray of power against her, piercing her chest. Falling to her knees, a small gaping hole through her lung, she spat blood with a threat escaping her lips as she rose back up once more: "Fear me... I killed all of them." She said before sending a surge of magic, unlike anything she had displayed previously, piercing through the Djinn's chest, leaving a mightier hole in him than he had caused her. He simply laughed at it. "Show proof for this boast then." he cried back, now currently ignoring the two dragons above, as if they were no longer relevant, focusing all he was on her. Turning his head towards the side, he looked at Osmund. With a flick of his finger, a bolt of magic flew through the air before striking him in his chest. Soon after he disintegrated into embers and dust. "Grant him life anew if you are so powerful." He taunted, with Lumi giving a look of shock and horror. Turning back to the Djinn, she unleashed a beam of magic which he returned in kind with a single hand, holding her at bay.

"Damn it, that was the strongest thing I had..." She spoke as Carwous turned in the sky to give her a better angle. "He somehow took mother's magic or at least her abilities, that explains why it was able to tank the hammer of dawn earlier. I don't know what would happen to her if we outright kill him. Maybe we should focus on trying to trap it?" She asked Carwous, firing off several orbs of light toward the Djinn in an attempt to hit it while it was distracted. "I'm going to take to the skies again, tell the red-haired woman of my idea. The one with the tall hat!" Gwen said before jumping off and transforming into her dragon form yet again.

"You have the gall to turn me into a carrier pidgeon!?" Carwous shouted at his 'granddaughter'. However, seeing few options remaining, he dove down towards the red haired human, his massive frame shaking the earthly foundation as he landed. "Your comrade intends to trap it, but she lacks the means I would assume. Any plans of your own, human?" He asked her with a most vile tone.

Meanwhile Lumi started to falter in her little tug of war. She was not strong enough to retaliate against him. She knew why, but it didn't leave her any more at ease with what was going on. Gwen's magic fell over the mighty magical being, interrupting his focus and marking him with several stigmatas. This gave Lumi an opportunity to retaliate. Forcing her magic harder, her body flickering again at the excertion, she pushed through his defense, piercing his skull, detonating one of the stigmatas at the same time. She did not relent at this, for there was little time. Gwen's surge of power from the staff was already starting to die down. She needed every opportunity she could attain. Lumi created a huge orb of swirling green magic and hurled it at the Djinn, who raised its hands to try and block the spell. Yet again, he was growing stronger, and she hoped that Gwen could strike fast enough to take advantage of this opening.

Seeing the opening at hand, Gwen used one of her mother's fastest spells, "Giga Impact!" She said before her near-instant divebomb began, heading toward the Djinn at near lightspeed, casting Shatter impact right as she was about to hit the Djinn the increase the amount of damage she might be able to do.

Meanwhile, Alice looked up the large, unfamiliar dragon, his tone having no impact on her facial expression. "Seal it away?" Alice asked rhetorically, adjusting her glasses as she began to think. If Miss Samarra where here she might have had a good idea of how they could go about it but with only what they had to work with Alice only saw a single option available to them on this plain of existence. "The Djinn was sealed within a small lamp when it was first placed into this realm. If we can gather its pieces we may be able to repair it. However, I do not believe that repairing it alone will do all that much good. We will need to reinforce it. I may require your help, Carwous. Shall we go?"

The Djinn felt the full impact of the attack that Gwen performed, along with the orb shaped by Lumi, not having the ability to handle both at the same time. His whole being seemed to border onto shattering, but even so, he remained. He reached out and grabbed Gwen by the maw and another hand on the bottom of her left wing, grappling her heavily built body with all his might. A Djinn may possess godly magical power, but compared to a dragon, he was only so barely matching her strength. Hurling her to the side, ever so barely, he aimed a finger at Lumi whom had turned to look at Alice and Carwous. "Leave it! We need you here and now. Gwen needs you to defeat this creature. If you leave you doom her to-" She cried out when suddenly, it all fell apart. Another ray had appeared, but this one was not so much a pinpoint deal as much as it was a grand beam that struck her squarely in the chest. It burned through her skin and flesh and melted her bones, cauterizing the hole he left in her body. Stunned and in shock, she fell to the ground. "So much for the Loa killer." The Djinn scoffed.

"Bastard!" Gwen cried out, clamping her jaw down onto the neck if the Djinn and holding onto ti with her massive claws like a big cat trying to take down a meal. But that was not her intention, not at all. She only needed to hold him there as once again the sky split apart and Gwen use her Divine Pillar of Retribution once again on both herself and the Djinn. Though it was weaker than the last time she'd used it, the Djinn would not be able to absorb it this time.

For the first time in a long time, Alice's facial expression was not one of apathy or annoyance. For the first time in a long time, the look on her face was one of utter shock, as though she could not believe what it was that she was seeing. To have lost Carwen and now Lumi? The losses were piling up and their chances looking all the more grim as a result. She forced herself to close her eyes as the pillar of light shone down from the sky. If she were to lose Gwen on top of all of it then today's losses would be more than even she could bear. As leader of the household she had sworn to protect them and yet in the wake of this power she could do little more than offer support. It was pathetic and frankly, unsaintly.

As the Djinn and Gwen were waging war-like levels of destructions, Lumi struggled to kling on to this life. Clenching her fists to the best of her abilities, she looked to Alice, the shocked look on her face causing Lumi distress. "Carwous... Alice... Don't worry..." She muttered while nearly choking on her own blood. "Keep fighting... I've got this..." She spoke her last words before laying down limply on the ground, the light leaving her eyes. "I've got this..."

The Djinn roared in pain as Gwen chomped down on his shoulder, the spell rained down from the heavens, crashing agains his body like an avalanche of light. As the spell faded, his body was beyond worn in appearance. He looked truly ruined. Even so, he slowly began to recover his body by taking in the latent magic that surged in the air. As a creature of pure magic, it was a smaller matter. He raised his fist and aimed to crash it down on Gwen's head, fueled by magic. Carwous rushed forward, intending to aid his granddaughter in the battle, but he didn't even reach her before the Djinn cancelled his blow to send a ray of magic against the great dragon, evaporating him too before their very eyes, only burning cinders left behind in the aftermath, only having the strength and ability to utter a few final words: "Endure... Believe in the lady...".

Despite her own resistance to Light-based magic she'd taken her fair share of damage, flesh appearing where scales were meant to be, red staining the white and gold that adorned her body. Even so, she held onto the Djinn with all of her might. But her strength was waning, too many spells in too quick a succession meant she was quickly losing power. "Bring them back! Bring them back or not even the Gods will be able to save the scraps of your soul that I rip to shreds! I will rend you to nothing you disgrace of a being." She spoke without moving her lips, her voice deep but weak. Firing a Hammer of Dawn from her mouth directly through the Djinn in a diagonal line from where she was biting into its neck.

Alice didn't like it, but she began to cast her last resort. Even with all the extra magic and the help of the scepter this would be the last spell she would be able to perform. Unfortunately, she wouldn't be able to do anything without Gwen being caught in the crossfire. But it was better than letting his monster roam free. So she began to gather her magical energy.

The Djinn stood his ground, even as the ray pierced straight through his body. The damage was clear by this point, but even so, he only grew stronger. "The more of you that fall, the stronger I become." He whispered to the Dragon. "Your magic fuels me as you pass from these realities. And once I've consumed the Loa, none shall stand in my way!" He cried out as he gathered magic within his other hand, an orb of magic gathered within it. As he gathered it, his face brightened as if surrpised by a brand new revelation. "Oh... This should be good... Lets see how this plays out. Farewell, Vromans." He said as she clenched his fist around the orb, shattering it, causing a shockwave of magic, enveloping the two women, reducing them to ash.

As the world darkened, Gwen and Alice would feel as if they woke up from a dream, slowly getting up on their feet. As they opened their eyes, they found themselves in a place they couldn't even begin to understand. Swirling energies of the same cyan color of the Djinn, as their eyes adapted to the sights, there was something they quickly realized: They stood among their fallen comrades. Carwen rushed over and embraced Gwen, eyes wide and glittering with sadness. "My girl..."

"Quite the turn of events, hasn't it been?" Came the distinct voice of the Djinn behind them. There he hovered, his frame almost as big as Carwous by this point. "You put up quite the fight. Any longer and I may just have been finished." He chuckled. "But I am glad that you are all here. The show should be quite interesting. Oh, and don't bother trying to attack me. Your magic belongs to me now."

Gwen was surprised to feel her mother's embrace, instantly reverting to her human form and returning the hug as though she'd managed to forget all of her negative feelings toward her mother for the moment. "Mother..." Gwen spoke, her tone unlike her usual self. Her voice was quiet and meek, like a child waking up from a bad dream though it seemed the nightmare was only just beginning. "What of the others? Lumi and Carwous?" She asked, her voice muffled as she buried her head into her mother's shoulder.

Alice wanted to feel relieved to see Carwen safe, more so than she would ever admit outloud. Despite the Djinn's warning, Alice kept readying her spell for the moment the table's looked ready to turn in their favor. "Carwen, what is this place? How long have you been here?" She asked, her eyes flickering to a more openly relieved Osmund who was happy to see his aunty safe for the time being as he clearly restrained himself from joining Gwen in hugging the Dragoness.

Carwen waved over to the distance. There in a 'corner', sat Carwous, seemingly in a state of dread, his massive back turned to the rest of them. Carwen then looked to Gwen and Alice again. "Lumi isn't here. As for what, I can only assume that it is some sort of pocket reality of the Djinn's. I have been here since I clamped down on his shoulder."

"Accurate deduction, little dragon." The Djinn taunted. "And of course Lumi isn't here. I haven't claimed her, nor is she dead. Not that it matters, she will be here soon enough." He spoke with a shrug. "Now be quiet. The show is about to begin." He said finally before waving his hand into the air and disappearing. The swirling energies around them seemd to shift and become more focused until an image of the field they had been in manifested around them, as if they stood in the middle of the field. "Watch and enjoy, little ones." The Djinn's voice was heard around them. Soon after these words were uttered, a familiar figure emerged from the treelines. Lumi. Her eyes were filled with horror, and above all, fury. "And so she reveals herself!" The Djinn cried out in glee.

Gwen raised her head from her mother's shoulder, "We have to do something..." Gwen said in a weak but firm tone.

Alice adjusted her glasses and placed a hand onto the young woman's shoulder, "I'm not quite sure what we can do in this situation. I don't have the means to travel through dimensions such as this and I don't believe that any of you have the power to reach the level of speed needed to do so. Not that I would recommend that anyway as it would be impossible to know where you'd end up."

"I guess all we can do is hope that Lumi can fix this. The Djinn seems to think that she has some sorta trick up her sleeve and I think you know something about that, Gwen." Osmund spoke in a more casual tone than was warranted given the situation. It appeared as though he'd done one of two things, given up entirely or decided to place all his faith in Lumi. Which it was for sure no one could tell.

"Hold your tongue when you know nothing, Osmund." Gwen spat at him, taking offense to his casual and chill demeanor despite their predicament.

Lumi and the Djinn all but had a staring contest for a couple of moments before Lumi began to move again, going towards the Djinn who raised his voice. "What exactly do you hope to accomplish, little one? I have felled your mightiest champions with ease. Each of which surpassed you by quite a bit, something which hasn't changed even now." He taunted.

"Which means?" Lumi asked casually. "I am quite done with your games, you has-been." She hissed, causing visible rage within the core of the Djinn. Eventually he let out a chuckle before speaking in turn: "Oh, dear Lumi, shouldn't you know? Even as a Loa you don't even begin to compare to me. Evidence number one..." He muttered as he fired off a beam of immense magical power towards her. But rather than piercing or causing an explosion, it just... disappeared.

That was when Lumi revealed her trump card: The Lamp. Restored, brighter and more potent than ever. The spellwork was simply absorbed into the lamp. "Ohhh, touche, my dear." he whispered. "But it will take more than just making a lamp to seal me again."

"Doesn't matter. I have you right where I want you. Now... You are going to ask me what I want." She said sternly while standing before the being.

"What you want is irrelevant. You can't win."

"I hold your lamp, you cannot touch me, I own this realm, so you are going to ask me what it is I want!" Lumi hissed fiercely.

"... What do you want?" He replied vehemently.

"Gwen." Lumi said simply. "Gwen and the rest of the Vromans. You will return to me my charge. I would protect them and make sure they made it out safely. And you will ensure that it happens."

"And if I were to refuse? If I were to tell you it is beyond my capabilities?"

"Do not play games with me, Dallarmy, that is not something you want to pull on me right now!" She growled.

The Djinn visibly reacted to this. "How do you-" he muttered before catching himself. A bright smile took form on his vile features. "OH! Ohhh, this is meant to be. The circle of time is closing. You were there at Grymnar on the eve that I lost my divinity, Lumi. I see you now. I see you before me... A single brave woman standing up for her kin while awaiting her gods' arrival."

Lumi nodded. "And I have learned quite a bit since then. Now you will obey me, or you will face the full wrath of a Loa."

"Didn't you hear me earlier? I have killed dozens of your kind."

"And I have killed all of them. Surely you didn't miss that? If you doubt me, tap into my forest. You have mocked the Queen of Dreams and you stand within the greatest reservoir of knowledge this end of the Yggdrasil branch... Look me up and despair." She taunted in turn. After a few moments of silence, the Djinn complied, mists of the realm flowing through the air into him, visions of ancient times and lost, memories of long gone beings and experiences of the ones still haunted by past events.

Some time later, the Djinn seemed to be done with the experience. He seemed impressed, but also undaunted. "I admit, your power is quite something, though your feat is more bound by trickery rather than strength."

"Irrelevant. You will return them to me now. I will not ask again."

"It is beyond my capabilities to bring back the deceased."

"DON'T PULL THAT SHIT ON ME!" She shouted at the creature. "I know what I saw! It was all to conveniently easy to be rid of them. They are not dead, and you will end your little smokescreen and bring them back to me!"

"It was no trick-"

"Because if Gwen Vroman is truly dead..!" She shouted while still trailing off in sadness. "Then you better be really damn careful about how you choose to reveal that to me!" She screamed with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Carwous came back from his dreaded state and looked upon the display before him, a grim look on his face. "She is scared. She is getting desperate... I don't think anyone is safe now."

"What do you mean?" Carwen asked.

"She is suffering within. She has always been an emotional being. She will not relent now, and if he answers one last thing that she does not approve of... It may be all over."

"She is gone." The Djinn replied.

Lumi stood in silence, her eyes flooding more tears before her face steeled into a firm and grim look. With a single motion of her hand, the Djinn was brought to his knees. Shocked, he didn't know what to do at first. "Reconsider." Lumi hissed. The Djinn looked up at her with horrified amazement. That was when he started to feel something within him. A slow burn which then raged within him like an inferno of agony. He remained steel-faced, firing another beam of magic at her. This time she didn't use the lamp, but rather swatted the spell away with her bare hand. A distance away it exploded with grand proportions. She snapped her fingers and his agony amplified. "Gaah. What... What is this!?" He shouted. She remained silent all the while he squirmed in suffering.

The realm the Vromans occupied began to twist into an agonizing red color. "Seems she is getting into business now." Carwous stated simply.

Gwen grit her teeth at the display, watching it all go down and yet at the same time she was thankful to not be bombarded with questions about this or that. The twisting of the room did worry her, worried that her initial theory was correct regarding the fate of the Djinn being tied to their own so long as they remained in this place.

"If only we could get a message to Lumi, perhaps she would be able to compose herself..." Alice thought out loud, her thought process following Gwen's in regards to how their fate might be decided.

"Carwous, whether we like it or not you know far more about Lumi and what is going on here than we do. Now is the time to use that knowledge to help us in some way. Is there any way to get a message to Lumi from here? Or perhaps escape altogether?" Gwen asked the dragon she still refused to recognize as her grandfather.

"I don't think so." Carwous stated simply. "I haven't been able to use my magic ever since getting in here. I think that would apply to all of us. All we can do now is to hope for the best. Hope that Lumi can convince him of letting us go."

Lumi let go of the Djinn, allowing it some time of recovery. "You can't do this... This isn't you..." The Djinn panted.

"What would you know about that?" Lumi spat.

"I know you, Lumi... I know you through the memories of Gwen. And Lumi would never-"

"Great! Then you can fix this, and you will fix this, or your reality is over." Lumi hissed with spite.

"You can't!" The Djinn shouted back.

"I can do whatever the hell I like. You know the stories. You know who I am! And in all that time, did you ever see anything about anyone who've stopped me?"

"Lumi would never do something like this!"

"**Lumi is no longer here, you are stuck with Lunalia now!**" Lumi howled, her whole being starting to change. She was slowly becoming something else. A grand lizard-like creature, hairs growing out of her body and tail, electricity running between the bristles. From humanoid to demi-human to the full entity. Her truest state. "**And I will end you, I'll rend your spirit until not even the memory of your existence remains anymore, until the weave of history leaves you forgotten. And then I will reveal your broken remains to the whole laughing world. Maybe I'll get some help. I'll fetch Rawq'ool, I'll get the Grims. Give me a moment, I will gather the eldrich fiends and their followers. You will save Gwen, and you will do it NOW or I will rain hell on you 'till the end of time.**"

"Grah! All this for a mortal? We are above them, Lumi! We are greater!"

"... We are lesser." Lumi stated simply with a soft voice before beginning to torment him once more, her eyes radiating power as she continued her work.

Screaming loudly, the Djinn did his best to resist her influence, but ultimately failed miserably. "Gah, Lumi, wait... What if we struck a bargain?"

Lumi halted her torment once more. She seemed to listen. "With your powers together with mine, I can bring them back!" He lied. "Just... Just offer me something and I will trade them for it."

"... Godhood."

The Djinn seemed stunned.

"That is what you wanted all along, right? Bring them back to me, and I will offer you the title of Loa. What's more, once they are back, before our bargain is finished, you will grant us the wishes you owe us."

"MY LADY! NO!" Carwous shouted into the void, booming within the entire space. "You cannot give him that!" He shouted to no avail. She would not hear him, all while the Djinn and Lumi stood and evaluated eachother.

Gwen lowered herself to the ground in shock though her facial expression did not change, more frozen on her face than a reflection of what she was feeling. She had heard the bargain Lumi had offered, understood the gravity of it and yet she did not care. Or at the very least it held lesser concern to her than something else. While the others seemed oblivious or more concerned with Lumi's promise of Godhood Gwen was more concerned with what Lumi had said earlier in the conversation. The name Lunalia had instantly struck a cord with her, that Lumi would call herself by that name. It still hadn't quite registered with her exactly what she'd meant in doing that but even so the mere action had hit her like a punch to the gut. Too many questions, so little time, no way of knowing for sure.

In the meanwhile, Alice turned to Carwous as his reaction had been far more outspoken and worried than she'd expected of the Dragon. "Carwous, what will it mean if Lumi grants this bargain? Aside from the obvious, please." She asked in her cold and monotone way of speaking.

Carwous groaned, annoyed that he had to explain anything to what he would otherwise consider a meal, but all the same, he did. "Lunalia is what is known as a Wild King. The highest-ranking and most powerful of all Loa. This... thing will likely not satisfy himself with anything less than the Prime title. Granting him even the remotest level of power from the Primes will result in absolute dominance over that aspect of reality in Ungmar. But his influence would not end there. He is from our continent, his power would be able to influence even our realm and not only Ungmar. But with his immense might, even before claiming our magic, he is likely going to be able to overpower her in terms of magical prowess, essentially forcing himself into the Wild King title. And with her gone..."

Lumi extended a paw towards the Djinn. "Do we have ourselves a deal?"

The Djinn still appeared in shock, but it didn't take more than a few moments for him to grasp her clawed paw, his magic surging and expelling the mages and Dragon he had contained in his realm. However, only partially. They could be seen by Lumi now, she could smell them and feel their presence and power, but little more. "Here they are."

"My Lady! You cannot-!"

"Quiet Carwous." Lumi said calmly with absolute authority. "Quiet, and trust me." She said, sparing them a glance, the look on Gwen's face unmistakable to Lumi, but she pretended like nothing for the moment, even as her heart ached. "The ones I love are back. Our bargain will hold. Bring them out fully." She spoke softly, to which the Djinn allowed all parties involved to be part of and interract with the realm once more.

"The wishes then?" The Djinn asked.

Lumi's grip tightened, a fierce look in her reptilian eyes. "No tricks... Vroman's... Proceed."

Alice considered remaining quiet as if what Carwous had said was true then completing this bargain would only prolong the inevitable rather than lead them to victory. She looked up to Lumi, or rather, what she had become. A revelation that none of them had fully had the time to process and come to terms with quite yet and judging by Gwen's reaction, perhaps the girl didn't know Lumi as well as she thought she had.

"Lady Alice," Osmund spoke up, still the only one who seemed to be okay with the current situation. "You heard Lumi, gotta trust her. Unless you have some other plan?"

Alice let out a sigh, rubbing her temples before she stepped forward. "Gift me The Blue Book of Algalon in a language that I am capable of reading and comprehending." She demanded of the Djinn, still trying to be careful of her wording bargain or not.

"You heard her." Lumi said to the Djinn. The Djinn nodded in turn, a surge of magic flowing into his fist from the palm of Lumi as he snapped the fingers of his free hand, and within short, floating before the woman hovered the item of her wishes. The book appeared to be bound in hide and fur, yet still maintained that blue hue which the title implied. As Alice took it in her hands, she could feel an odd sensation, as if she was turning wiser by the mere act of touching it. "An easy enough wish. It adapts to the languages of the reader." The Djinn chuckled. "What's next?"

Lumi looked to the ground before looking over to Gwen and Carwen. Her eyes said everything, imploring them for their wishes on the matter. Carwen put her hand on Gwen's shoulder, trying to offer some moniker of comfort to her child.

Gwen remained on the ground for some odd minutes before strength returned to her legs and she, with the help of her mother rose to her feet. She looked up, not toward the Djinn but rather to what Lumi had become. Her face was one of confusion and inner turmoil, a lack of understanding. As though she couldn't bring herself to understand what she was seeing or what it all meant. After another several moments of simply staring up at Lumi her eyes flickered over to the Djinn. She opened her mouth to speak but it felt like she'd swallowed sand, leaving her mouth dry and cracked. It nearly made her cough but she was able to catch herself, bringing a hand up to rub her throat. "I wish to drink from Mímisbrunnr, the well of knowledge that rests beneath the world tree known as Yggdrasil." She spoke to the Djinn, it was not the wish she'd planned but it was the one she wanted now more than ever. To know and to understand, to not be left in the dark, and to no longer be afraid.

Lumi nodded, and before she had the chance to say anything, the Djinn snapped his fingers. In Gwen's palm manifested two small marbles. "Crack one to get there, and once you have drunk your fill, crack the other to get back home." He said simply, his smile widening as his coming prize came closer. "That leaves for but one. Who will be next? Perhaps you?" He asked Lumi.

"The plan was for me and Gwen to decide on that. But after my spectacular failure, I deem it so that I ought to relinquish my right to the wish... Gwen... I believe this should belong to you or Carwen in that case."

Gwen looked down at the twin marbles in her hands but upon hearing that the last wish still needed to be fulfilled she looked back to Lumi and then her mother. Gwen certainly wasn't sure what to ask for, she'd given the last wish to Lumi to spare herself the burden of doing so herself. "Mother..." Gwen trailed off, hesitant to gift such a powerful and important thing to someone else. Especially since she'd intended for Lumi to have it given she was the one who bought the lamp. After all this hard work, all this suffering, surely she should get something out of it. But it seemed she did not see herself fitting, "Mother... the Last Wish is yours." She spoke, unsure of what would happen once her mother's wish left her lips. If their desires, their wishes, would mean anything at all if the Djinn got its way.

Carwen wore a surprised look at Gwen's words. She looked to her and then to the Djinn. After a bit, she started to smile. "Yes... I've wanted this one... To make my own wish... But it is not for me to decide." Carwen said softly. Smiling, she looked up at the monstrous creature who apparently was Lumi, almost rivaling Carwous in size. "Lumi, the wish is yours. That was the arrangement. That is how it shall be."

"But... That does not-"

"Make sense? On the contrary, nothing of this would have been possible without you. We have great gifts before us and more thanks to you and we have them while standing unharmed. I have had my doubts, Lumi. No more. I trust you. And I trust you to make something good out of this. Can't make more sense than that."

Lumi was taken back by this. Turning her gaze to Gwen, she sighed, hoping that her next wish would not cause offense and be something she would pay for. "My wish is simple, Djinn. I wish to tie my fate to Gwen's own. When such a time comes when she falls, it shall be my choice of when I am to part from life in turn. No Loa law shall keep me back in life unless I so wish by that point."

"A morbid one to be sure... But one I can grant." He said, a surge of magic flowing from the Djinn into her, leaving a green marker on her for a few moments that appeared as if green magical energies were now part of her veins. "And for your end of the deal?" The Djinn asked.

Lumi squeezed a final time on his wrist before starting to walk away. "Come. You shall have your status." She whispered as she led the way back to her Garden.

Gwen felt dizzy by all that was happening, the speed in which it had happened. The pain of loss, the joy of finding that all was not lost, the horror of losing hope, the fear of the unknown. Her mind felt like it was spinning and the world seemed to follow its example. She tettered, nearly falling over as she went to follow Lumi or Lunalia or whoever she was or wished to be. Grabbing onto her mother's sleeve to steady herself, she looked to her and asked for her assistance.

As they walked, Lumi slowly began to shift back into her normal self. The same clothes and appearance as always, but with the same determined look on her face. Carwen remained in the backlines with Gwen, offering her stability and comfort as she so desired. Carwen didn't say anything. She didn't question her. That was likely the last thing she needed on her plate.

Soon enough they reached the desired location. The Garden. However, unlike last time, there was no longer any shrouds encompassing the area, making it much larger now and with substantially more pods. Once the Djinn stood before them he appeared to be a child in a candy store. Gliding ahead of Gwen, he looked over the pods as if trying to decide what he should take. After some time he halted, pointing towards one of them. "Who is this?" He asked.

Lumi followed him in his tracks, and with a look of sad determination in her eyes, she replied: "That is Kazkarouh. The Bat Loa of Torment and Redemption. Prime rank."

The Djinn nodded with a 'hm'. Floating onwards he pointed to another one, radiating blue and yellow. "Elesmyera. Whale Loa of Power. Prime Rank."

He nodded once more before floating on to another one. This one was thoroughly green in various shades of it. "Another fine choice. Stellzis, Eel Loa of the inscrutable depths and courage. Prime Rank"

"Hahaha. So many Loa... Where does one even start?"

"Maybe I can help you... Stop searching, satisfy yourself with the ones you have seen so far, and I will grant you all of them."

Carwous couldn't be silent anymore. "My Lady, you cannot do that. The risk-"

"Is acceptable in exchange for your lives." Lumi interrupted.

"I can agree to those terms. Torment. Redemption. Power. Depths and Courage? Seems like fine arrangement. So... Is that a deal then?"

Lumi swiped a hand behind her, drawing all the power and essence from the pods into her hand. She looked at it with... Sadness? And she extended her hand towards him, even if with a slight bit of hesitance. "Deal."

The Djinn wordlessly took her hand in his own, squeezing it tight, causing her to yelp in pain, a vile grin on his features as the magic seemed to surge into the malevolent spirit. He started to grow colossal, his form shifting from a strange humanoid to an almost demon like appearance. "Yessss... Yes... The Power!" He shouted as he kept growing until he stood only a couple ten feet shorter than Carwous. The newly crowned loa looked upon the gathering with a most bemused smile. "Many thanks, Lady Lunalia. I am forever grateful. I will use this power well." He said with grace and a malicious grin.

Alice and Osmund stood in silence as they watched the scene unfold. While Alice kept up her apathetic facial expression her furrowed brow spoke depths about her feelings regarding the situation. Nothing had gone to plan thus far in her eyes and even in the face of everything she was left with more questions than answers. Even Osmund, who had decided that trusting Lumi was their best bet, was now letting his more nervous and unsure side show. A bead of sweat rolling down from his forehead as the Djinn only seemed to grow more powerful.

At Lumi's yelp, Gwen's eyes focused in a moment of clarity. She looked toward Lumi who she now recognized as the one that she knew at least in appearance. "Lumi... Why are you doing all of this? What good comes out of letting this Djinn loose with all this power?" Gwen managed to ask, letting go of her mother and taking a few steps toward Lumi. She didn't understand it, a recurring theme, be it love or some other reason it still didn't make sense. The damage such a creature could do was far worse than letting just a handful of people die.

Lumi looked to Gwen. She was honestly surprised to see the woman approach her. She put on an uncertain smile before speaking: "I know it must be hard to do so now, Gwen, but... I ask you... Please do trust me now. I know what I am doing."

The Loa was too intoxicated with his new power to really pay attention to what they were saying, to which Lumi rose up taller than previously and stared the former djinn straight into its eyes. He ignored her. "This power... It goes beyond anything I've ever known. Even the Wild Kings would tremble before me now! Speaking of..." He muttered as she looked down at Lumi and the others. "I think it is time we settle a certain dispute. I am not quite over the torment you put me through."

"Do not make such a mistake now, Loa. You will regret it." Lumi warned.

"So you say, but with this-"

"You will regret it."

"... Will I?" He taunted before stretching his hands out to tap into the powers around him so he could smite Lumi out of existence. His smile quickly faded when he realized that nothing happened. He tried again, yet nothing happened all the same. "What... WHAT IS THIS!?"

"This is my realm, wanna-be Loa. You cannot influence this realm against my will anymore. No matter how powerful you may think you are."

"Yeah? Well then!" He shouted with a gleeful smile as he vanished into a hole in reality. Yet only moments later he reappeared before them, his smile quickly vanishing. "You done?" Lumi asked.

"GRAH!" He cried out in frustration, firing off a spell at her that would have vaporized all of them in the blink of an eye. She simply raised her hand and flicked away the spell with a finger. "You done?"

"BITCH! What have you done! Why can't I-?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Lumi asked simply as she stared down the Loa. Quite literally it seemed. As she looked into his eyes he began to shrink down, almost as if cowering before her glare. "Once upon a time there was a people, a race of being who ruled all these realms of the afterlife. Beings who governed their rules and law, their very foundation, but they died... They all died." She hissed at the Loa who quickly was cowering before her, growing smaller and smaller by the second, her voice breaking in sadness. "Do you know who that leaves? ME! Do you get it? Has it taken you this long to realize that the laws of these realities are mine, AND YOU WILL OBEY ME!" She shouted in a cracking voice, grasping the former Djinn by his beard and threw him to the ground, placing her foot on his head as if intending to squash it beneath her heel.

"Please! Please, I beg of you! This isn't right. Forgive me! I'll do anything you wish! Anything you wish!" He shouted at her, pleading in desperation as he felt his being begin to fade away. "I don't want to become like them!" He cried out as a new pod was growing beside them, colored in his misty blue and black. As it manifested, he began to become sucked into it. "Please! I'll do anything you please!"

Tears streaming down her face, Lumi's heel trembled over his head as he began to fade. "Then you can die." She cracked as he kept being sucked into it.

The Vromans watched the display of dominance and power from Lumi, a disturbing scene even if it were happening to the vile being that would not have hesitated to bring about their own end in equally cruel ways. Perhaps it was simply human nature to feel that way in the face of cruelty, or perhaps it was because the perpetrator of that cruelty was not someone they suspected to be capable of such? Their image of Lumi was being remolded, transformed, twisted before their very eyes. The truth was out, intentionally or otherwise, the Vromans were able to see Lumi as something more than the smiley, bright-eyed, mysterious girl that she'd been to them in the past couple of months. When to Djinn disappeared, trapped or perhaps devoured by the pod that Lumi had created, everything fell to silence and none of them said a word.

Lumi felt like she had made a mistake. To treat him so harshly. But she was given no choice when he started acting up. After all was said and done, the Loa trapped within the pod until she so decided otherwise felt both pleasing and horrifying at the same time. This is what she wanted to reject, but now she had been thrust into such a position yet again.

The silence that was between them was deafening. When even more moments of silence passed between them, Lumi turned around, her eyes puffy and her cheeks stained with tears that were yet streaming. But for what reason was anyone's guess. "If you so choose," She trailed off as she flicked her finger in their direction. Next to Alice and the others came a new tear into existence. "There is the gate back home. There is a lot for you to process, I am sure. I'll... I'll probably stay here a while." She said as she walked away towards the pods, slowly closing off the rings of pods with her veils one by one.

## The Last Wish

Carwen wanted to go right as soon as the gateway appeared. But she had a last duty to fulfill. She walked up to Gwen, whispering to her child; "I leave that choice up to you, Gwen. What do you want to do? What should we do? I don't know how much you know and not, but you are the most knowledgable about her. What do we do from here? Or maybe more importantly, what will you do?"

"I'm staying," Gwen responded immediately to the choice given to her by her mother. "I'm sure you want to as well, don't you? To speak to your father while you can." Gwen said before turning her head to Alice and Osmund. "Lady Alice, Osmund, please return home. Lumi and I will return shortly along with mother if she so chooses to remain."

Osmund had no intention of arguing but Alice nearly spoke up. But showed a hint of hesitance to do so. After a moment of contemplation, she approached Gwen and Carwen before placing a hand onto Gwen's shoulder. "Take your time but when you return we will have much to discuss regarding the events of this day." She said to Gwen before looking to Carwen, "I have little doubt that Alistair awaits both of your safe returns. Should I tell him something to ease his mind while he waits?"

Carwen didn't even need to think about that one. "You can tell him that everything went off without a hitch. Just to keep him at ease for the moment. We'll talk it through later. Just tell him that me and Gwen are having a good time exploring this place for a while longer." She replied as Alice and Osmund stepped through the gateway.

"So it is the case then. You really bred with a human mongrel." Carwous hissed.

"Need I remind you that I used to be a 'human mongrel' once too? Now be quiet. I have more than a few share words to give you." Carwen growled at her father before turning to Gwen. "You chose to stay then..." They heard Lumi whimper.

Carwen felt a bit discouraged at that before focusing her attention on Gwen once more. "I think this might be something you want to handle on your own. I'll support you if you want me to, but I do think this is something between the two of you." Carwen said, ready to take off with Carwous given Gwen's signal.

Gwen silently nodded to her mother, motioning for her to give them a bit of distance as they had their own things to work out. Once her mother and Carwous left, Gwen let out a heavy and labored sigh. It was a sigh of many things, exhaustion, frustration, relief, all mixed together in a single long exhale of air. Gwen was not badly wounded though her body ached as though she'd been beaten upon. She turned back to Lumi who still stood in the spot she'd been in a moment ago, "Yeah... I did. I hope that isn't a problem." Gwen averted her eyes from Lumi, scratching the back of her head. She knew that wasn't the right thing to say nor what she wanted to say but it was what came out. The marbles, the objects given to her by the Djinn that were her key to wisdom and knowledge beyond her mortal mind. They rolled in her hands, clicking against one another before she placed them in her pocket. Gwen let out another, less extended sigh before moving toward Lumi in a near march-like way.

She stopped before the girl, or God, or Loa, whichever or all of the above didn't really matter right now. Gwen's face was stiff but her eyes held a swirling myriad of emotions. She looked down at Lumi as though trying to figure out what to do or say before her mind finally picked an emotion. Her head tilted upward, she gritted her teeth, and an audile *Hick* could be heard before a teary-eyed Gwen threw her arms around Lumi. She hugged her tightly, with the strength of a dragon without knowing or meaning to. "I thought I'd lost everything!" She tried to keep her voice down but she screamed and cried regardless of her best efforts. The dam had broken and the emotions took over the normally quiet and composed young woman that Gwen always made an effort to be. "I thought I'd lost you..."

Lumi didn't know what to do with this. She had anticipated every alternative that she could imagine reasonable. Yelling. Dismissal. Hate. Rage... Abandonment. What she could never have anticipated was what was happening now. An embrace together with a near broken Gwen. Lumi couldn't contain herself. She attempted to remain composed, but she couldn't do anything less than cry, to let the tears continue to fall. She did her best to not devolve into sobs and shakes, but it was a difficult endeavor as she hugged the woman back.

"You really should be furious right now..." Lumi said between her shaky breaths. "You should be fuming. Raging. You should be hating me right now... I almost cost you everything... Why this...? I am sorry, Gwen..."

Gwen remained quiet but for her coughs, sniffles, and hicks as her arms remained around Lumi. She couldn't speak, not without stopping every word to sob and cough. She needed to calm down, to recompose herself at least enough to speak. After nearly an entire minute of on and off crying from Gwen she was finally able to stop long enough to say what she wanted to say. "It's not your fault." She said before sniffling again, slowly releasing the inhuman strength with which she hugged Lumi but she did not let go nor did she let up enough that she might be able to wiggle out of her grasp. "It's not your fault, it's nobody's fault. We couldn't have known and we were prepared for the worst. You saved us, don't blame yourself for all of this when you saved us." She countered Lumi's self-blame. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? I-I saw you die..." She asked, almost starting to cry again at the thought that she'd seen Lumi die in front of her.

Lumi began to slowly compose herself, accepting and liking Gwen's closeness even as she was bordering on popping her bones. Her tears slowly began to slow and stop as Gwen talked to her, allowing her to respond in kind: "Beyond okay... You are all alive. That is all that matters to me... I was never dead. Remember my body flickering in the battle? A result of a clone-like spell. I needed to trick the Djinn long enough for me to fetch the lamp and opening the veils protecting the Loa." She explained, leaning her head against Gwen's shoulder. "I am sorry. I am sorry I caused you dismay. I thought... I thought it was for the better to have him entirely ignorant of my plans. I was worried that if I shared it somehow then he would somehow learn later down the line. That he would have stopped me."

Gwen removed one of her arms from around the girl, bringing it up to wipe her face. She didn't like showing this side of her, not even to Lumi but she couldn't control herself any longer. She wiped away the tears and snot that had made her sadness known to the world, a couple more sniffles and she was able to fully recompose herself if not for the red puffy eyes and stuffy nose. She took a deep, shaky breath as her hand rubbed against Lumi's upper back. She was glad that she was safe, happy they were all alive. But their conversation could not be left at that, unfortunately. "Lunalia..." Gwen said to Lumi, repeating the name she'd heard a hundred times and read just as many in the past two months. She had been and vile creature, worse than the Djinn that tormented them. "That's your real name, right? Lunalia the Loa of Dreams... The Bitch as you described her."

Lumi nodded. "Lunalia. Loa of Heritage, queen of dreams and goddess of Midnight, Chief Loa for all the titles of Loahood in their absence." She said with a shaky head. "Lunalia was my predecessor before she gave me the title. I took up the name in turn. No matter the Lunalia we speak of, the title of bitch is equally applicable. She was once my Loa before she gave everything she was and had to me... I understand that this doesn't exactly make things better, but as you know my name, you deserve everything to be known."

"I see... So you aren't the one from the book then? I can take some comfort in that." Gwen said, finally separating herself from Lumi but keeping her hands on the shoulders of the other girl. "But it wouldn't matter one way or the other. I told you before that I accepted you for who you are." She continued, wiping away the tears from Lumi's own face with a small but quivering smile. "I meant that. Of course I did. Besides, I know I can be a right bitch myself sometimes. It's only fitting that birds of a feather flock together, right? Or perhaps Lizards in this case." She made a poor attempt at a joke before she became a bit more serious. "I accept you, Lunalia, Lumi, Miss Au Raza, whatever you want to be called... My Lulu..."

Lumi half cringed at her words, not the nickname, but her suggestion that the book her and the real her might be opposite entities. She then smiled. "Lulu... I like that... I like that a lot... I just want us to be perfectly clear. No more false pretenses. Lunalia gave me name and title prior to the war on the other side. So... That bitch in the book is this bitch." She tried to joke. "But... If you'll accept me all the same, then..." She said with some confidence based on her previous words as she leaned up and placed a peck on Gwen's lips, deciding that it was her turn to be a bit forward for once and not simply wait for her. "I love you Gwen... You probably heard me before, but I want to say it before you for sure... I love you. And I want to be with you."

Were it anyone but Lumi, she would have found the kiss after they'd both wept their hearts out, slobber, snot, and all, rather gross. But to be honest, if anyone other than Lumi had suddenly kissed her they wouldn't have any teeth left to smile about it afterward. "Truly? Love with such a weak kiss like that? You're either more bashful than I originally thought or you're a liar." Her tongue was sharp but she meant it all in jest. She placed both her hands against Lumi's cheeks and pulled her in close, "This is how you kiss someone you love," She spoke in a sultry tone before she locked her lips with Lumi's. She did not make it deeper than just the pushing of their lips together but it held a passion and intensity to it that hinted that it could deepen at any moment. She broke the kiss with an audible and theatrical smack of her lips, "I care about you, Lulu. I want to be with you... I don't know if it's love yet but I do know that I've never felt this way about someone else before. I believe that... if it's possible for me to love then I think you are the one who can make me do it." Gwen explained, she felt awful that she couldn't yet bring herself to say the words out loud but she hoped that Lumi would understand.

"I know you are no Djinn, but perhaps you could grant me one last wish? Or perhaps, it's technically more of a bargain?"

Lumi took no offense at all to Gwen being unable to reciprocate the words. She knew what she was like, but it felt good to have it said herself. She was still in a state of bliss after the kiss Gwen had offered her. When Gwen asked her for a wish, or more correctly, a bargain, she more or less snapped back into serious reality. After all this mess she would have thought she was done with bargains and wishes. But she would not deny her without first knowing what it was she wanted in question. "What is it that you would want out of it? Though..." She trailed off as she raised her right hand, radiating magic as she prepared a true bargain, as a gesture as if to discourage the action. "I assume it isn't one of these that you want?" She asked with a joking tone that still carried a level of concern.

"Given you already bound your fate to my own through the use of a wish, I suppose it would only be right for me to do something as equally stupid and selfish." She did her best to joke, her normally sharp eyes softening as she looked at Lumi, "I would like for us to make our engagement official and in return, I'd like for you to promise me that you will always be by my side. That is my last wish." She extended her own hand out but did not take Lumi's. "I would accept your word as more than enough but if you want to make a big deal out of it then take my hand and complete this bargain of ours, Lulu."

Lumi didn't even need a second to think. The magic around her hand faltered in an immediate moment. She sidestepped Gwen's hand and hugged her. "I accept. I promise, I will stand at your side for as long as you desire me. And likely long after even if you don't." She said happily, sneaking in a little joke there at the end. "You are a weird one, you know that right?" Lumi joked once more. "You say that you don't really know if you love someone, yet you still want to officialize an engagement?" She giggled. "But then again, marriages aren't always made by love I guess."

After a few more moments, she parted from the woman whom held her heart and looked into her red eyes with absolute glee. "Regardless, I love you, and that is more than enough reason for me to accept..." She said, her smile slightly faltering. "But... Then again... What do you think Alice will say about it after all this?"

She was about to agree with Lumi about her weirdness, not wanting to go into detail about how she rationalized her thought process. Still, her comment about marriage not being about love bothered her more than she thought it might. She didn't like it, not one bit. But when Alice was brought up it immediately became the more pressing matter. "Alice? I can't say for sure. Perhaps she'll think you're too dangerous to be kept around, perhaps she'll see you as all the more valuable to add to our family. But do you know what I have to say about her opinion on the matter? To hell with it. My obligation is to the Vroman family, not to Alice. I am to take over as head of the branch family and I will do so but I won't let her or anyone else push and pull at the direction of my life anymore."

Lumi smiled at her response, for more than one reason. On the one hand, it settled her worry of the engagement being put off due to Alice's feelings on the matter. And on the other, she was even happier to see that Gwen was growing a bit apart from Alice's influence and taking own decisions. "Heh, how can I doubt before such confidence?" Lumi said sweetly. Lumi looked around herself as if searching for something missing. "If there is nothing else you want to discuss, shall we maybe go fetch your mother and go home? I am sure they will all have their own share words for us."

"Yes, I do believe that would be best. I don't know if her conversation with her father is a pleasant one or not but I do know that my father won't feel completely satisfied with the story that everything went well. At least, not with Alice and Osmund coming back looking like they'd been through the wringer." Gwen said, taking Lumi's hand and leading her in the direction that she'd watched her mother and grandfather fly off to.

Lumi followed suit, wandering with Gwen towards a more distant area of the forest. It was a bit of a walk, but eventually they reached a clearing where they could see the back of Carwous from quite the distance. As they approached, it was clear that it was anything but a joyous reunion. "Why do you insist on this, Brightie?"

"Do not call me that. Just... Just don't dad." Carwen growled. "What exactly is wrong with you? I was simply asking if you would like to meet my family, and you start throwing a fit over it. I just want you to see where I stand. I wanted you to see the ones who make me so happy. I wished for you to see the ones whom will carry on our legacy. Yet as always you prove the biggot."

"No daughter of mine should be breeding with a lowly mortal who cannot even hope to begin and scratch the surface of our might. Not to mention that you couldn't find yourself satisfied with the tri-spawn of your first clutch. I might have been able to get over that. But you apparently insist on keeping up your breeding sessions with that scum."

"He is not scum. He loves me, and he makes me happy."

"Tch. At least your spawn had the common decency to court someone of our stature. She knew to see potential in my Lady. You still cling to the foolish idea of care for your younglings. Had they been mine I would have traded them away within short."

"What? You mean to tell me that you never had any care for me?"

"That-! That is not what I am trying to imply!" He shouted as he felt great offense by her words. "You were my treasure. You just chose to tarnish your worth with mortal filth. Those spawnlings of yours are more than proof of-"

Carwen had had quite enough of that, grabbing him by the beard and pulling him to crash into the dirt. "I can take you doubting my life choices. It is nothing new. I can take you hating my partner and husband. It is nothing new. But dare to insult my children like that again and I will have you sent off to whatever abyss awaits you after this."

Carwous appeared scared for but a moment before softening into a look of... Pride? "And at last she bares her teeth."

"Huh?"

"I have long waited for you to be able to stand up for yourself. To find your own strength. Pity it took you to hatch- I mean, give birth before finding it. All the same... I can't say that I approve of your choices, but with this, I can at least accept them."

"... Whatever." Carwen groaned as she turned around to see Gwen and Lumi standing there. "... What have you heard?"

"Enough." Gwen stated curtly and simply, keeping her hand in Lumi's as they continued toward the clearing and the two dragons that occupied it. She did not seem angry or otherwise simply tired to have walked into yet another fight. As she passed Carwous she stopped and looked to the beast, "Speak ill of me or my kin and I'll make it a personal goal to see your name tarnished in every circle in which the Vroman family has reach and I assure you there are many." She spoke with a hissing tone before she turned to her mother. "I see that our family has a dated history of trouble with parents. It brings me some level of comfort to know that I am not simply the odd one out."

Carwous seemed all but uncaring for Gwen's threats, giving her a simple look of disgust before looking back to Carwen.

Carwen looked down to the ground in shame, something which caused Lumi to feel pity for the woman. It was clear on Lumi's expression that she took a dislike to Gwen's treatment, but she did not say anything. "Carwen... I think it is time for us to return home. I think you could offer better comfort to your husband and children than you will find here."

"Yeah... You're right. Let's go." Carwen stated before looking back at Carwous with a look that said: 'We are not done yet.'

Carwous huffed before flapping his wings to soar away into the distance. "I am sorry that it wasn't what you expected, Carwen." Lumi said.

"Eh... Doesn't matter that much I guess. Figured it would go something like this. I probably don't deserve a better ending than this to our meeting... I'll see you back home." Carwen said simply as she began walking at a faster pace ahead of them. Lumi looked after her all the while, feeling sorry for her.

Gwen raised her shoulders as though trying to pull her head into her body like a turtle. She'd meant for her words to be comforting, though, it seemed that she still had quite a bit to learn in regards to speaking with her mother. She juggled the idea of apologizing, but this was not the place or the time for such a thing. Perhaps later, when they could speak alone.

The moment that Carwen stepped through the portal she was immediately grabbed by someone on the other side. The bright light of the sun only being slightly obscured by the shade of the large oak tree was a vast world of difference from the place that they'd just been in. When her vision came into focus she would see more than just Alice and Osmund awaiting them as Morgan, holding Carwen and her husband's youngest child, and of course, the man himself hugging her tightly though it would feel like little more than a soft grasp to her superior strength. "My love, my sweet, Carwen. Oh, how I worried about all of you." He said before Gwen walked through the portal, meeting the same fate as her mother as she was pulled into the hug much to her dismay.

"Father, all is well... Please..." She spoke as though she did not want this but the fact that she had the strength to break free at any moment but did not was proof enough that she did not mind the familiar closeness for now. After a few moments and his noticing Lumi was there still holding Gwen's hand he let the two women go, dusting off the shoulders of his wife's large white coat and looking at her with a gaze that conveyed nothing but the purest and sweetest form of love a man could show.

Carwen was quick to throw her arms around her husband as soon as he had himself. "I suppose I should have known you would not have been satisfied with my response." Carwen tried to laugh. She leaned up at him and pressed a passionate but restrained kiss to his lips. "Sorry for the worry. It got a bit hairy after all... We have much to talk about later." She said to her beloved Alistair before approaching Morgan and her young son. "Oh, did mommy get into a bit of trouble, you cutie?" Carwen spoke softly with a lot of playfulness. "I hope I didn't worry you all too much?" She spoke before taking back her child from Morgan's arms, offering her a genuine thank you before holding him in her arms while finding a solid spot to sit on her hip.

Lumi started to almost feel a bit awkward about having her hand held while everyone was being greeted and rejoicing. She felt a bit bad that she seemed to get a bit in the way of the familial affections, but she also didn't want to let go, as if the act would see Gwen soaring to the heavens and beyond her reach. She clutched her a bit more tightly as she felt nervous about what might be coming next.

Alistair had followed his wife with his eyes, upon seeing her with their youngest he returned his gaze to Gwen and Lumi. "I had a bad feeling about this entire thing, I've always hated being right." He said with a sigh as he placed his hand atop his daughter's head. "It's a good thing you all had Lumi with you." He continued, turning his head toward the small woman at his daughter's side. "It seems that I owe you a great deal for returning my family to me, Miss Au Raza. You have my thanks as a start, we can figure out the rest in due time." He smirked, motioning toward Lumi and Gwen's clutched hands, "It appears that we'll have plenty of that."

Alice approached Carwen, placing her hand on the shoulder of the woman in greeting. "I am glad to see you have returned safely, Carwen. I would like to apologize for the danger that I placed you and your daughter in. It was ignorance that led me to underestimate the monster that we might have faced and did find ourselves facing. It was irresponsible of me as head of the house and I ask your forgiveness." She spoke, her brow furrowed not in anger but rather in disappointment at herself. Never in her life had she felt more useless than in that realm and against that foe.

*You can also blame me for getting them there in the first place...* Lumi thought to herself as Alistair thanked her, entirely undeserved in her mind. Carwen shook her head at Alice's apology. "There is nothing to forgive, Alice. We couldn't possibly have anticipated that result. It was a factor no one could have thought possible. I should be the one to apologize for my behavior back there. I was anxious and angry, yes, but that was no cause to throw a tantrum. Speaking of," Carwen spoke before turning to Gwen and Lumi in particular. "I also wish to beg your forgiveness, Lumi. I did not treat you fairly in there. I hope you can pardon my outbursts."

Lumi blushed slightly at this and waved it all off. "Think nothing of it, my lady. I understand that it was a hectic and frightening situation for all parties." She said softly, still a bit afraid of what Alice might want to have said soon, or her reaction to Gwen's announcement, if she chose to reveal it here.

Osmund picked himself up from his sitting position on the ground and stretched his arms into the sky, "Lady Alice, I don't suppose we can all agree not to tell my parents about what happened in there? I don't think they'll be too pleased with the events."

Alice shook her head, "I'm afraid I must make a full report of our encounter with the Djinn as I do with all our tasks, and as I have always expected of all of you. Should Theodore or Samarra happen to read the report or leave it be is not up to myself." She said, denying him his request to redact information from the report. "It has been a long and harrowing day, I dismiss all of you for now. Do as you please with whom you please." Alice said, running her finger along the brim of her hat to adjust it on her head. "Gwen, Lumi. I will summon you later tonight to speak about this day. Carwen, Alistair, if you would like to join us for said meeting please say so now."

Carwen nodded. "We will gladly make you company for the meeting," Carwen said politely, playing up to her noble role. As they did this, Alice took her leave. Carwen did not take up this opportunity to sneak in on possibly private matters, but because if things were going south and Alice had something to say about it, then Carwen wanted to be there for Gwen and Lumi.

When they were gone, Lumi didn't start to hyperventilate, though every fiber of her being desired to, but rather her eyes spoke a world of terror for her. For being someone who had just stared down a Djinn with all the might of the Loa at her back, she did seem particularly afraid of what was awaiting them. She looked up at Gwen, working to take comfort by looking into her eyes. The very eyes she had looked into when she asked her to be by her side and become engaged with her. Lumi started to find her resolve once more, but it was teetering.

Gwen could see the worry in Lumi's eyes, it certainly did not help her own but nothing could stop the eventual meeting and they both knew that the day would come when they would have to tell everyone of Lumi's secrets. Gwen only hoped that it did not have to come so soon or that they at the very least had more time to prepare.

Alistair could sense the tension in the area, though he did not know the full context beyond the abridged version that he had been given by Alice. He wanted to speak up, to say something but he worried that without the context he might only make things worse. "Lumi, perhaps you would like to hold Ywain for a moment?" He asked, looking to his beloved wife for her approval on such an offer. While he doubted that it would help much in the situation perhaps a distraction for but a short while would give her time to calm down.

Lumi's head snapped over to Alistair and Carwen, a look of surprise on her face as she tried to comprehend what she just heard. Looking to Carwen specifically for confirmation, it wasn't even a second before Carwen stood before her with her child-hip leaned towards her, ready for her to accept. Lumi felt hesitant, but with steady hands she leaned forward and took Gwen's younger brother in her arms. The child seemed interested in her at first, smiling and making little noises, but Lumi was quick to pick up on the change on his features. Figuring it had something to do with her cool body, she quickly surged all her cold into another part of her body and then expelled it from the tip of her tail.

The mist emanating from the tail tip garnered the kid's attention, reaching for it as he calmed down again. She brought up her tail in response, making Ywain start to make little motions trying to reach it as a cat might look like trying to get the ball on a yarn string that hung in the air. Flicking her tail back and forth, Ywain seemed to have quite a bit of fun playing with it. When she brought her tail closer down to tease him a little bit, he reached up and grabbed hold of it quite firmly. "You are gonna grow up strong, I can tell, you cutie patootie," Lumi said playfully. Still letting him play with her tail she looked to Carwen and Alistair. "I've... I've never done something like this before... Never had the opportunity... Or the chance." She said with a mixture of sadness and joy at the same time.

Gwen watched as Lumi played with the baby, she seemed to be good with children, happy with them. Her chest felt a bit tight as she observed the two though her face showed none of it to any measurable degree. She glanced over to her mother who of course kept an eye on Ywain as any cautious mother would regardless of who held her child. She exhaled silently after taking a deep breath, turning to look over Lumi's shoulder. "You seem a natural at it..." Gwen commented, letting her face rest into a small smile.

"I must agree with Gwen, I know it can be nervewracking to hold one a baby for the first time. Especially one that isn't your own, but once you get used to it then it feels like the most natural thing in the world." He explained, placing his hand onto the back of his wife as they watched over their youngest. Three daughters and a single son, he and Carwen had worked hard and diligently to make their family what it was today and while it was far from perfect it was something he wouldn't trade for the world. "It's nice, isn't it?" He asked Lumi in reference to holding the child.

"It's wonderful... Makes me a bit more at ease when the time for motherhood comes my way too." She said with a giggle. The kid then proceeded to squeeze and tug on her tail, something which caused her some slight discomfort, but she couldn't help but smile and giggle all the same. "Thanks, guys... It has made me more at ease... Perhaps you should take him back before I snatch him for myself." She joked before offering their son back to them.

"Well, I can't have that now can I?" Carwen replied joyfully before taking back her kid. Putting him back to her hip, noticing how he reached for Lumi still, happy to see that they got along well, she then spoke up. "Alistair, mind joining me back in the mansion? We have some things to talk about. And some things you need to know before the meeting." She said, her smile still there as if she didn't consider it too big a deal. "You girls enjoy yourselves in the meantime. Might as well find some relaxation before the thing goes down." Was all Carwen said before leading Alistair away, Lumi waving them goodbye all the while. "... Did it cause you unease watching me?" She whispered to Gwen once they were out of hearing range, especially Carwen. "I noticed that something was off... Want to tell me what?" she asked softly, making it clear that Gwen was not obligated to answer.

Gwen walked over toward the grand oak turning back to face Lumi before she sat down on the ground. She cared little for the dirt, the suit was already torn and ruined beyond repair. "Watching you? No, no. That is not what caused my discomfort, I enjoyed watching you. I was happy to see that you got along well with children. My discomfort, my worry, is one that I've had for quite some time. But... I'd rather not speak of it right now if it is all the same to you? So much has happened today, so much more than I expected, so much more than I thought I could handle... and it isn't even over." She chuckled, not in laughter but more in disbelief that all of this could have happened and there was still more to come.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the two marbles, holding them up for Lumi to see. "I almost forgot about these... I made my wish without thinking, I made it in fear, I wasn't even sure that Mímisbrunnr truly existed." She spoke, trying to change the subject. "Now I have the ability to drink from it. To gain the same knowledge and wisdom the All-Father once gained... without consequence, without trial or strife. Am I even worthy of such a thing?"

"I see... I won't pry then, Gwen, but I would like to know at some point what it is that has you concerned. I can't be your trusted partner if you won't share your turmoil with me. But as said, I won't pry, and you may take your time." Lumi said before she looked at the marbles. While she didn't understand the terms of the names, she still knew of the well they spoke of. "According to legend, the very first Loa of all had drunk from the... I can't pronounce that so I'll just say well. He drank from it and achieved all he could ever hope to learn. He was supposedly no happier for it. I can't say whether it is something you deserve or not. I can't say whether you will be happier or not. I think you should use it if you want to. My only concern is whether the things you learn will be things you wanted to learn to begin with. But no matter what, I will stand there with you as your support."

While she was sure that Lumi wanted her words to be a comfort to her, they were not. Not because she did not believe her or that her presence and promise brought no comfort but rather simply because she already knew that Lumi would be there. It wasn't the answers that she wanted, no that wasn't Lumi's fault, it was Gwen's own. The girl who wished the world was far more black and white than it was, that right and wrong were easier to quantify. She closed her hands over the marbles, and once more put them back into her pocket. She'd choose whether or not to use them another time. "Maybe we should head home? We have things to prepare for."

Lumi nodded, choosing to ignore the lack of proper response from Gwen. "That we do... There is no telling how long it may or may not take until Alice may summon us. What do you want to do in the meantime? Continue laying a puzzle? Yoga? Just relax on a sofa and enjoy each other's company for a bit?"

Gwen smiled a smile that did not reach her eyes, "There's a puzzle I've been meaning to finish. Perhaps we can do it together?" She asked, standing up from the ground and dusting herself off, "After we get cleaned up first, of course. You... Your injuries, have they healed?"

Lumi smiled comfortingly. "Most of the injuries weren't even mine, just that of my shade. And the few ones that I did... They are gone. I am as good sprightly as I've ever been. No small thanks to you." She teased with a poke of her tail. "Come then. We should get cleaned as you say, get all the dust off of us. Maybe you'd like to join me?" She jokingly teased once more. "And then we'll work on the puzzle until the appointed hour."

"Ha!" A hearty sound came from Gwen without her control at Lumi's suggestion, immediately clearing her throat and recomposing herself. "I have the feeling we wouldn't be able to agree on the water temperature anyhow, I'm afraid. Perhaps another time, when my bones do not ache and my body is not riddled with cuts and bruises." She said, patting Lumi on the back as they began their trek back to the house.

## Trial

The sun had long since faded from the sky and the moon taken its place when a maid entered the common room and informed Gwen and Lumi of Alice's summons. Gwen looked to Lumi with a serious face, giving her a nod as though to say that everything would be alright. They followed the maid through the hall, taking Lumi's hand into her own the moment that maid was turned from them. They reached the meeting room at the same time as her mother and father also being led by one of the help. "Mother, have you heard anything from Alice before now? Perhaps she told you how this meeting was going to go?" Gwen asked in the hope that she could get some insight into what to prepare for.

Carwen met up with the two girls on her way there, but at Gwen's question, she couldn't do anything but shake her head. "Sorry, Gwen. Can't say that I do. I know as little as you do, though I might be able to guess a fascet or two." Carwen said as the four of them continued towards Alice's office. "I can only assume, and possibly hit on the spot, that she wants to discuss if Lumi is befitting of the Vroman name. And even more probable is the topic of how close we were to annihilation in this mission of ours. I think this was the first time I've ever seen Alice shaken... Don't worry though, Lumi. If worst comes to be, we won't be letting you go that easily. Or at all." Carwen said comforting, something which Lumi found quite delightful. "Thank you, my lady."

With a bow, the two servants opened the door to the meeting room. The creak of the door giving way to the sound of a crackling fire, a long table sat in the center of the room with Alice sitting at the head of said table. A large glass chandelier of glowing crystal hung above the table to light what the fire could not. The look on Alice's face was blank, apathetic, as it always was. The sort of face that could give a professional poker player the sweats. She leaned forward, elbows on the table, fingers intertwined with her chin resting on them. The wide brim of her hat covered her eyes in shadow though their piercing green seemed to almost glow from within.

When the group entered, Alice raised her head up from the table to sit up straight and motioned for the others to sit down so that the meeting could begin. Once everyone had taken their seats, Alice let out a quiet but audible sigh. "Before I begin, I feel that I should ask two things. One: Are all of you okay after the events of the day? Two: Do any of you have anything to say before I start?"

Carwen nodded simply. "I am doing well. It was a bit of a fright, but I can't say that it was the most harrowing experience I've ever had." Carwen replied, giving her honest opinion on the matter. She had not been so close to death before, true, but she had been through more haunting and frightening positions in the past. Like the Saint's mental torment and the time warper who almost made her miss out on all the remaining lives of her daughters and family.

Lumi wasn't quite sure what to say, so she simply kept it short and simple, an easy answer for both questions: "I'm good."

Alistair remained silent, taking hold of his wife's hand under the table. He'd thought little of this meeting before Carwen had explained the full nature of everything that had happened in that other realm. Even he had found himself second-guessing if it was alright to keep Lumi around his daughter but knew more than his own fears that he wanted Gwen to be happy and it seemed to him that Lumi was able to do that.

Gwen did not bite her tongue, however, standing up and bowing to Alice before speaking. "I would like to take full responsibility for the near tragedy our family suffered on this day. Lumi was not aware of the danger a Djinn posed when purchasing the lamp, it wasn't until afterward that I explained. I was also the one who suggested that we bring the lamp to you. The fault of it ever making it onto the Vroman estate is mine. I beg your forgiveness." She finished with yet another bow, keeping her head down and waiting for Alice to respond.

Alice did so almost immediately, "Raise your head, Gwen. I take responsibility for the loss we nearly suffered today, I allowed my own curiosity, my own desire to further our family, outweigh my better judgment. You were right to bring the lamp to me and I should have had it and the Djinn destroyed immediately. It is I who failed this family and it is I who will ask your forgiveness in due time." She said, waving for Gwen to seat herself.

She adjusted her glasses, her eyes falling onto Lumi. "Miss Au Raza..." She stated, taking off her hate and placing onto the table beside her. "Today you demonstrated abilities and powers far beyond that a human or even a dragon will ever have the capacity to wield without the intervention of higher beings. With such abilities, such raw power, you could easily pose a threat not only to our family's existence but to the very existence of Hylion and possibly Ashvattha itself as we know it. Have I misunderstood anything in making such assumptions?"

Lumi looked to Gwen and Carwen before looking back to Alice, her features firm but her eyes betraying the worry at her core. "No." She said simply, confirming to her that Lumi was in fact that powerful as she believed her to be. "I am even stronger than I have let on I imagine. Even back there. But also yes." She continued. "As it stands right now, I doubt I could handle either of you if you and lady Carwen were to team up against me. I have kept all my potential locked behind those veils that you might have seen. As a Loa of heritage, the deceased Loa's power and authorities are mine to wield until such a time where I crown new ones. Not desiring such might or even being able to wield it effectively, I sealed them away behind barriers that keep their influence away from me. But if I were to remove those shackles from the pods... Your assumption is correct." Lumi said, trying to steel her nerve. A most daunting task right now.

Alice raised her head, keeping her eyes on Lumi as though looking down her nose at the girl. "Gwen, were you aware of Lumi's powers? Her abilities? No one in this room is daft enough to have not noticed that you both were hiding something. When you presented the Djinn to me I was satisfied that was what you had kept from me."

Gwen bit her lip but did not take long to answer. "Yes, I knew she was a Loa. I knew that she possessed abilities and powers beyond what she had shown us. I kept it hidden without a second thought."

"Lumi, does Gwen tell me the truth? Was she truly aware of your powers? Of what you were?"

Lumi wanted to jump to Gwen's defense, to denounce this topic, but she knew that would only worsen things and see to Gwen's disgrace. She nodded. "She did. Not until much later since I came, but she knew of my nature. What she didn't know about however were my name and true power. She had seen some feats of mine, sure, but... not loa levels of feats, nor did she know I was capable until I told her. The name was new to her just as well as you back there. But she also knew the implications of said name."

Carwen listened to this and found herself having a hard time not seeing the danger in keeping Lumi around, but she also had a feeling that Lumi truly meant no ill, and she did just want to be part of this family and community. She didn't want to reject that... Yet.

"So you knowingly hid things from all of us, only letting Gwen in when you could no longer keep her out of the know? And even then still kept secrets from her? What are the implications of this name by the way?" Alice asked, now intrigued to hear what Lumi had to say.

Lumi knew what she was doing right now. She was digging her own pit. But if it meant that she could pull away some of the blame from Gwen, then it couldn't be all bad, right? "War crimes." She said softly, her voice riddled with shame even as she looked at Alice, barely able to keep her eyes on her. "I wrote... I wrote a book about the War on the Other Side. A war between the Loa. I... I was not a good person back then."

Alice leaned back in her seat, crossing one leg over the other. She hadn't prepared for this, her second failing of the day. "A criminal, a God, a liar. Were I the humorous type I could make a joke of it. Of course, they would not all be attributed to the same person unlike in our current predicament." Alice brought up a hand to rub her temple, feeling the stress of the day beginning to weigh on her.

"You understand that you've put me into a difficult position, correct?" She asked rhetorically, a genuine sound of uncertainty in her voice. "I did not expect this when I brought all of you here. I only meant to get some answers..." Alice continued, "Carwen. Maybe I have your thoughts on this matter. I seek your council. Gwen is your daugther, what do you think about this turn of events?"

Carwen looked to Gwen and Lumi for a moment, then to her husband before returning her gaze to Alice. "I think we have had one of our most horrific days that we may ever have. What we have seen and been through could have driven lesser mages to near madness. And however much we may want or try to downplay it, our line was in jeopardy in there and it nearly cost us quite dearly." Carwen began. "However, if these mistakes and errors cannot be pinned on Lumi, then it stands to reason that her saving us means we owe her a debt of gratitude. Whether how we repay it or not is a different matter though. But more importantly... I trust Gwen. We both know she does not trust easily. I have faith in her. And if she in turn has faith and trust in Lumi, then I will stand by that same belief. Maybe after we have figured out a way to keep all that power in check. Beyond just veils that you yourself can part... I do also believe that these long answers of hers is for the purpose of opening up on her aspects we didn't know of. I am sure that she doesn't want to continue a life of lying to us, do you Lumi?" Carwen said quite sternly, but Lumi could somehow in her being tell that she was being benevolent right now. "Quite so, lady Carwen. I don't want any more misconceptions about anything. Even if it costs me dearly, I want the truth laid bare now."

"I agree, Alice. You know Gwen, you know the type of person she is. If even after learning all of these things Gwen can still accept Lumi, care about her, trust her then I say that'd like to place my faith into Gwen's judgment. Carwen didn't have the greatest history either, but I loved her, accepted her, and she cared for me. Now look at where we are, look at how much good she's done for all of us. I want to give Lumi that same chance." Alistair spoke up to his cousin, defending Lumi and Gwen's relationship.

Alice considered their words, "Gwen." She called, getting the girl's attention and then falling silent for a few moments. "I've always considered you to be a pragmatic, logical thinker. Someone who did not base their decisions on emotion or sentimentality but rather hard facts and even uncomfortable truths. You were a model student in everything that I sought to teach you, I have faith in your judgment, I do. But I also have my duty as the head of this household and so I'd like you to tell me, Gwen, do you love Miss Au Raza?"

Gwen looked to Lumi and then back to Alice, knowing that she shouldn't even hesitate to answer the question and yet she was. Staring at Alice like a deer caught in the headlights she knew what she had to say but her lips did not move. Silence overtook the room and all eyes fell to Gwen, the pressure of it all leaving her feeling like the weight of the world was being placed upon her shoulders. "I-I... I'd like to officialize our engagement. I'd like for us to become betrothed." She answered, hoping that would satisfy Alice.

Lumi was taken back, surprised that Gwen would so daringly announce her decision under these circumstances. She of course noticed how she did not give a straight answer regarding Alice's question, but whether that was a decision for the better or worse, she did not know.

Carwen looked more visibly shaken by the announcement. Not in a negative way, but definitely of surprise. She wanted to ask if Gwen was certain. If maybe they would like more time of dating and just learning about each other after all this. But then again, that might just discourage any positive response from Alice. After a few moments of contemplation, Carwen began to speak: "I can't bring myself to deny your wish on the matter, Gwen. I don't think Alistair will either, though I shall not speak for him. But I must ask, Lumi: Can we trust that you won't keep such dire secrets from us anymore? If we were to allow this, can we trust you to be honest with us?" Carwen asked seriously.

Lumi was not sure how to answer if she maybe needed to make a more elaborate reply to the matter. Not wanting to take too long and hoping this wasn't a trick, she said: "I won't keep anything from you. I swear."

Carwen smile with this, feeling a bit content with the response. From what she understood, the word was all but law to the Loa, Lumi even more so. "Well then." She said with a smile before turning back to Alice. "What say you, Alice?"

"I say that Gwen didn't answer my question!" Alice snapped back, her eyes trained on Gwen with a slight hint of annoyance in the emerald greens. "Do you or do you not love Miss Au Raza?" She asked again, slowly and clearly as to make sure that it would be impossible for Gwen to misinterpret her question. Gwen was silent, once again silence permeated through every pore and crack in the room, oozing from the walls like slime. Gwen felt the sweat on her brow, as though the room had jumped several degrees in temperature in the few moments since Alice's question had been repeated.

"I-" Gwen started, her mouth opening only to immediately clench shut as though her body did not want her to continue. Alice raised her eyebrows, growing impatient with Gwen's unwillingness to answer. A piece of wood in the fireplace snapped, the crack of wood and sudden roar of the fireplace bringing Gwen up to her feet. "Yes! God's damn you all, yes! I love Lumi! Okay? I don't want her to leave. Yes, she lied to me, yes she kept things from me, but she's given me so much. I-I feel happy when she's around... Like, I don't know... Like, happy... you know?" She got out in an ungraceful manner, stumbling over words and stuttering. "I love her and I trust her to the fullest degree I can."

Alice did not answer, remaining silent as she waved for the girl to sit down. Once Gwen was seated, Alice took in a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh from her lips. "Then I will leave her in your hands as your responsibility. I approve your request to officialize your engagement and you can wed whenever you like so long as your parents agree." Alice said, a small smile creeping onto her face. She still had her own feelings regarding Lumi and the potential threat that she might pose and had Gwen not answered to her love for the girl or expressed doubt she would have seen the girl cast from the family without much of a second thought. But as unfamiliar with feelings of love as Alice was she at the very least knew that an unhappy Gwen would not make for a good branch family leader.

Lumi froze and her eyelids fluttered in surprise. Not at anything said, but from what Gwen had just exclaimed. She had expected to wait for quite a while longer to get to hear those words. All the same... her feelings were conflicting and too hard to lean towards any one direction. On the one hand, she was ecstatic to hear Gwen say such things, to say that she was indeed loved by her. And then on the other hand, she felt sad that she could not just leap and express her own love once more to her. She wanted to hug her, kiss her, hold her. But this was not the time nor place. Lumi settled for looking at Gwen with slightly teary eyes filled to the brim with affection.

Gwen felt relieved in more ways than one, by her own admission as hard as it was to get out, and Alice's ultimate decision to not cast Lumi from their family and home. She looked to Lumi and saw the look in the girl's eyes, causing her to look away in embarrassment with a red tint to her cheeks.

But the meeting was not over just her, Alice looked to Lumi. "Miss Au Raza, Gwen has come to accept you but know that I will be seeing to it that a closer eye is kept on you. There is still far too much we do not know about you or your people for me to feel comfortable with simply letting things be as they were before. You are still a guest in this house, please do not come to see our caution as a change to that fact. You may stay and leave as you please, but until the time comes that you have gained by trust even if you and Gwen should Wed you shall not take on the responsibilities as partner of the branch family head. Meaning that restricted documents, important meetings, as well as certain places within the estate will be forbidden. I would also like to consider our debt to you repaid with the outcome of this meeting. Do you accept these terms?"

Lumi didn't even need to hesitate for a moment. "The terms are agreeable," Lumi said with a bow of the head. She had no complaints. She was just happy that she was still permitted to stay. She feared the worst when she pretty much started digging her own grave. Luckily, Alice didn't nail down the coffin lid.

Carwen nodded, happy to see the blue-skinned girl look content and to see her daughter blusing for one of the first times in ages. She looked to her husband with a content smile before turning back to Alice, her features growing a bit more neutral when speaking to the head of the main branch. "Anything else we can be of service with, Alice?" Carwen asked calmly, wanting to know if there was anything else that needed to be addressed or if, possibly, maybe Gwen and Lumi at the least could be allowed to leave for now.

Alice contemplated Carwen's question for a moment, "Yes. There are a few things that we need to discuss regarding family matters as well as recent events." She spoke to Carwen and Alistair before she turned back to Gwen and Lumi, "The both of you are dismissed. Enjoy the rest of the evening, we will be returning to normal duties tomorrow... One last thing, Gwen. I'll speak to you about your wish another time." She added before waving them both off.

Gwen rose from her seat, bowing to Alice before turning to her Carwen. "Mother, once your meeting with Lady Alice is over will you come to find me? I would like to talk, but if the events of the day have left you fatigued then I understand if you would rather return home for the night."

Carwen was a bit curious regarding what it may be that Gwen wanted to speak about, but she did not ask. She instead just smiled and nodded. "I think I will manage. Until then, enjoy your evening, girls." She said before waving them off as well. Lumi bowed humbly before both of the women before leaving the room with Gwen beside her.

Well outside and the door closed behind them, Lumi breathed out a sigh of relief, happy to have the whole ordeal over and done with, it almost being as harrowing for her as the Djinn encounter. "Well... I guess that is that..."

"It isn't technically over. You heard her, she wants to talk about my wish... I don't know what about it though." Gwen spoke with little enthusiasm at the prospect. She let out a quiet sigh before a small smile appeared on her face as she looked to Lumi. "Well, I guess we're engaged now. Well, the paperwork is mostly in order anyhow, it'll just need our signatures tomorrow to make it official in the eyes of the law." Gwen said, looking to Lumi. She tried to soften her face and eyes, something she would need to work on. "So... how does it feel? To be engaged... officially this time..." She asked awkwardly, trying to have some small talk after all the serious shit that had littered the day.

She nodded at her remark that Alice still wanted a word with her, but her attention was quickly snatched away from such concerns when Gwen asked her how she felt about their engagement. She pressed a finger against her chin as if in deep thought. "How do I feel? I feel a lot of things. But above all I suppose," She trailed off as she walked up to Gwen and snaked her arms around her neck, pulling herself close to her. "That if such a thing counts, then it is overwhelming joy and ecstatic happiness..." She said, leaning her head against her shoulder. "I couldn't be happier right now."

Gwen slowly reciprocated the hug, wrapping her arms around Lumi's torso. "I, uh... I feel the same." She said, feeling nervous for whatever reason. She'd hugged and kissed Lumi plenty of times and yet for some reason, she was feeling bashful. Was it perhaps the events of the day or her confession of love that was making her feel all the more sensitive to these displays of affection. She tilted her head to rest it gently against Lumi's own, only now noticing the sweet smell of her shampoo and soap that filled her nose with a fragrant and fruity smell. "I love you, Lumi... A-and I'm sorry I've been so afraid to say it until now."

Lumi's heart warmed up at the words. She looked up at her betrothed and offered a sweet smile. "I love you too, Gwen. So much. And don't stress it. To hear you say that? It was so worth the wait." She spoke, reaching her hands up to cup her cheeks. She pulled her head down slightly and she leaned up slightly as well, but not connecting. "Would you want to wait here until Carwen and Alistair are done in there? Until your summons? Or would you like to continue as much as I do?" She teased her a bit.

Gwen accepted Lumi's offered kiss, she knew that Lumi was teasing her and thought about teasing back. Perhaps even making her offer a reality. However, the day was not done as much as she wished she could simply retire to her chambers and perhaps invite Lumi to join her, there was still matters to take care of. She broke the kiss, "Maybe later, My sweet little ice cream. But for now, how about we return to the puzzle we were working on before we were called? I doubt Alice will keep them there for much longer than an hour or so." She asked, hoping the rejection wouldn't be taken personally or that her counteroffer didn't make her sound like a boring old maid.

"Sounds good to me." Lumi said, a chipper tone in her voice. She felt a bit discontent to not taste her lips anymore, for now, but she would survive their absence so long as she had her company. "That puzzle was a bit of a brain twister for me. I hope that we can near its completion a bit. I don't think I will sleep well enough if we don't make some more progress." She said, partially joking but surprisingly also partially earnest. She had a tendency to not like leaving things unfinished, so it wasn't far from the truth that she might twist in her sleep if they didn't make some further advancements on it. Together they began to walk back to the room, Lumi being ever so happy with this outcome.

## Amends

Gwen moved another piece of their puzzle in place. The large and ever so confusing piece made all the more difficult not only by the oddly shaped pieces but also the fact that it was completely and utterly blank. White-colored pieces without a picture that might help them figure out the places the pieces might fit into. The puzzle was a little more than halfway complete, though that still left over two hundred pieces to be placed. Gwen looked over to Lumi, watching the girl search for the piece they needed. It brought a bit of warmth to her heart, to be able to enjoy her hobby with someone else.

A door on the far side of the room creaked open, Gwen's eyes instinctually snapping over to the source of the noise before the presence could even enter the room. When the head of her mother entered through the door she didn't know if she should sigh out of woe or relief. She knew the meeting with her mother would need to come sooner or later but she also knew that regardless of when it happened it would be a difficult one. "Mother, I take it your and father's meeting with Lady Alice has come to a close?"

"At long last, yes. All respect to Alice, but... Never mind. I see that you are having a bit of fun here. You have made good progress on the thing." She said with a smile at the two women. "Well, you told me to come by. Here I am!" she said with a chipper tone, but whether that was a cascade or just relief for being free was anyone's guess right now. "Was there something you wanted of me?"

"To talk," Gwen stated quickly and without hesitation after her mother asked the question. She then turned to Lumi as she stood up from their activity. "Lumi, I'd like to speak to my mother for a bit. I'll return shortly." She assured her betrothed before moving toward her mother. Normally, she'd ask Lumi to be the one to leave. But for whatever reason, she worried about coming off as rude and had decided that she and her mother would go somewhere instead. "I would like to sit out on the deck. It is where I feel most free to speak, is that alright with you?"

Lumi simply nodded softly, returning to the puzzle and continued to try and figure it out. Carwen did as Gwen asked and followed suit. She was a bit concerned about what it might be that Gwen wanted to talk about, but she was not going to reject her daughter's request just outright, or at all for that matter.

The summer air was warm and carried on it a slight hint of humidity which warned of rain soon within the coming days. She took her seat out on the deck, illuminated by several lights along the railing surrounding the deck. Even after Carwen took her seat, Gwen did not speak. Leaving them to sit across from one another quietly for some time. However, she knew that her mother had other things to attend to, wasting her time with silence would only be rubbing salt in wounds. So Gwen composed herself with a deep breath and spoke. "I would like to apologize for earlier... I hadn't meant for my words to hurt you when we were in the other realm. I had meant for them to be humorous... even if only in a dark and twisted sort of way. I know that I am not... normal but I don't want to use that as an excuse to justify the cruelty of my words."

Carwen nodded for a bit after Gwen was done talking. "I wouldn't consider them cruel." She said, leaning back in her seat, arms crossed as she looked into the distance. "I knew full well that you meant it as a joke. I knew even then that you likely didn't mean offense with what you said... It just reminded me of my own failure as a mom, you know?" She said with a hollow chuckle. "I know you like to keep things short, so I'll clear the air here;" She said with a genuine smile. "I am not angry, I am not upset, I am not in any way distressed by what you said. Maybe at the moment, but... yeah. I love you and your and I know you wouldn't want to actively harm me." She said softly. "As for normal... I think you have enough people around that love you to say that it doesn't really matter now, does it?"

Gwen looked down at her hands in her lap, unsure how to respond to her mother's words. Was her apology accepted? Rejected? Unfounded? She could not tell based on Carwen's response. But it mattered little as she knew she had more to say. "Regardless of my intentions one way or the other I know that I have been harsh to you. Sometimes without meaning to and other times I did so out of pettiness. I-" Gwen cut herself off, closing her mouth and thinking for a moment. "I have been angry and resentful for as long as I can remember. Not just at you, but at Lyn and Triss as well. Triss saw the most and the worst of it... but I was not kind to either of my sisters. Just as I was angry with you for not being around, I was jealous of Triss and Lyn."

She did not look at her mother, instead staring at her own reflection in the glass of the table. In the dark of night with artificial light casting equally dark shadows her own reflection looked twisted and almost demonic-looking back at her. "I envied their carefree natures, the way that they lived their lives like children while I studied. I wondered what it would be like if I hadn't been born before them... Would I still be the same person I am now? Or would I be more like Triss who can smile without worry or fear in any situation. Or like Lyn? The shy young thing with the heart of a lion inside her. And were either of our roles reversed would they have ended up like me? Would it be one of them whom Lumi asked for their hand?" She finished with a sigh, realizing how long-winded that she had become in the last few minutes.

"I'm sorry, that was a bit off-topic I suppose... But I do think that it ties into what it is that we are talking about. I've held grudges, felt anger in the pit of my stomach, hurt people who did not deserve it. I have been a bad person to you and to my sisters... and even to my friends. I have been cruel and harsh to you for your mistakes while at the same time I've been left lying awake at night wondering if anyone will ever forgive me for my own. The difference is that you've tried to make amends while I have not. You've been a loving and kind mother, you've tried to reach out to me but it is I who always pushed you away..." Gwen gritted her teeth, she didn't want to get emotional, she hated it. She hated showing her weakness to others. Even as she laid her heart bare she wanted to hold onto some shred of pride and dignity. "I-I'm so sorry, Mother... For all the times I hurt you."

Carwen didn't quite know how to respond to all of this. She had never experienced Gwen unloading on her like this before. Alistair and other confidants to some extent maybe, but she had never seen it herself. She had been a bad mother, she knew this. Even after she decided to take a new path, she was less than efficient at her job. But... At this moment, she would still try her best. She got up from her seat and walked up to Gwen, happy that she was sitting, otherwise, she would be dwarfed by her own kid. She hoped dearly that she wasn't overstepping now, but she put her arms around her daughter, giving her a hug. "You are long since forgiven, Gwen," Carwen said with a stroke to her back.

"I... I should also apologize to you. Not simply for being gone... But for not being there and giving you the aid and support you should have had and been given... I know what you have done. I know about the things that have been said and done. To your friends. To your sisters. I still remember that time Triss told me of a particular incident at night..." Carwen trailed off before parting from Gwen and looking right at her. "I keep asking myself if I could have prevented all of this with some talks. Some confrontations. Some guidance... But I failed even there. I was always so afraid to drive you away in the effort."

"And I don't think you should plague yourself with such thoughts as that. 'Would Lumi have chosen someone else?', 'Would I be the same?', 'Would my sisters have been different?'. It is all irrelevant. Lumi chose you. She chose you and love you because she saw something in you that was worth giving anything and everything for. Even if one has to scrape through some slight muck of insecurities and coldness first." She joked slightly. "I don't believe for a second that Lumi would have picked anyone above you no matter what. You are you, Gwen. Lumi, your father, your sisters, and I love you for that. And we would not trade you for anything."

Gwen grabbed hold of the sleeves of the white coat her mother wore despite the summer heat. Silent like a ghost as she pulled upon them with such force that she stopped herself for fear of ripping them. Her hands shook as she let go but even so, she did not shed tears, she did not cry or whine before her mother. "I love you too... All of you... You, Dad, Triss, Lyn, and Little Ywain too. But if that's the case, if I've known that all along why have I been so horrible to all of you? How can I claim to love you while pushing you away and stepping on your feet just to spite you? What sort of terrible person does that? What could Lumi possibly see in someone like that? What could you all possibly see in someone like me?" She asked, weakly holding her mother with uncertainty that she might get the answers she sought out.

Once more Carwen was all but stumped. She had an idea of what to say, but she could not say for sure if that would succeed in portraying how she felt. Words had never been a strong suit of hers. She could only hope that Gwen would not be angry or take offense to what she had to say, as silence would likely be even more aggrevating and harmful to their relationship. "I cannot speak for the others, Gwen. I wish I could say exactly what is in their hearts and yours as well. I wish I could tell you that I have all the answers... All I can do is assume and guess. But for me?" Carwen said as she took Gwen's hands in her own, hoping it would offer some manner of comfort. "Your behaviour have happened to be outright cruel at times, I know. But I know, and I think we all know, that you are better than that. That you have so much warmth and potential in you that we cannot ignore. We know that you are better than who you profess to be. Lumi has seen that, most certainly I would assume. I have seen that at least. I have seen you when you are with Lumi. Your facade and coldness becomes null, and that is what makes me happy and would have me fight Alice for her place to stay here. Because she has brought such happiness and warmth to my daughter." Carwen said, hoping, praying that she didn't made a mistake.

"We have seen who you can be when you want to, and I want to help you in any way I can to help you there. I love you for who you are. I just don't think this facade is you. As for why you behave the way you do..? I cannot say for sure. Yet again, I am in the dark. I can only guess that maybe... maybe it is a matter of your fears playing you? You have expressed in the past your fear of betrayal. I am likely wrong, but could it be that you do the things you do to prove yourself right? Uncertainty has always scared you, and I can't help but wonder if this idea of us maybe turning on you one day makes you want to see if you can make it happen sooner if at all? If that is the case... I want you to know that it will never happen."

Gwen buried her head into the crook of her mother's neck, covering her face as she listened to her mother's words which gave her mixed feelings. She didn't like being psychoanalyzed, being called out by someone else even if she was opening herself up to it. But more than that she hated the fact that her mother might very well have been completely right. She'd kept others at arm's length on purpose, everyone she could. She feared betrayal, she feared the uncertainty that came from trusting another person. But even she had ever considered that she might be purposefully trying to get them to turn on her, to make her fears a reality, prove herself right. The realization of such a possibility sent a chilling shock down her spine that felt like ice-cold needles. In her mother's arms, she still shook, still felt on the verge of tears but ultimately Carwen's words had been a comfort. A painful truth, but an answer she might not have gotten otherwise. She lifted her head from the crook of Carwen's neck and looked up at her, wrapping her arms around her mother in an as affectionate and loving way as she could muster. "I... I promise I'll try to do better. I don't know if I can make up for all of it but I'll try to be the person you know I can be. I'll try to have a better relationship with my sisters." She said, clear tears falling down her porcelain white face. "I'll try harder to not push you away. I want to have a relationship with you, even if we can't get back the times we've both wasted we can still do our best to make up for it with the time we have now." She vowed to do better, be better, she didn't want to hurt them anymore or ever again.

Carwen's eyes welled up as Gwen uttered her words. She was happily sad. Happy that she had managed to reach out to Gwen this well, and sad that she hadn't managed to make this talk happen previously. But those times were gone. Now they could only look to the future. "Nothing could please me more, Gwen." Carwen said in turn, tears threatening to escape her eyes if this kept up. Leaning down she placed a little motherly kiss to the top of her head. "You are my treasure, Gwen, and I am happy that you will give me this chance. Let's do our best, shall we?" She said with a small hic as she tried to pull through the hint of sadness in her. Yet that sadness was overwhelmed by her all-encompasing happiness. "I have missed many chances to be a mom for you, but... I'll catch up. By the ancestors will I catch up." She said with a bright smile. "Thank you."

A few more moments of sniffling and happy tears later, Carwen stroked her child's shoulders and made a sound that was somewhere between a happy sigh and a hiccup. "Come on. Lumi is likely waiting for you to come back. If you don't hurry she might finish that puzzle without you." She joked. "I can also hear Ywain crying somewhere in the mansion. Should probably go and comfort him." She said, looking out over the balcony towards the sound. Gwen could likely not be fooled. SHe had as keen a hearing as Carwen and would likely know as well as she did that there was no such sound. Carwen was just trying to give the two of them their space without overly explaining herself. Wanting to tease her daughter just a little bit, she walked up to the railing and leaned over it. "Maybe you'd like to celebrate your engagement a bit? I wouldn't blame you." She said before turning her head halfway to Gwen, saying: "Have fun." She said with a wink before jumping down to the ground and walking away. She wasn't trying to embarrass her daughter, but rather it helped herself cope with the tears welling up, not wanting to cry in front of her daughter when it was she who needed the comforting, not herself. Lumi in the meantime sat and feverishly puzzled together the jigsaw, trying her best to fit it all together. She had managed quite a bit in Gwen's absense, but she longed for her to return so they could continue together.

Gwen watched her mother leave before wiping away the tears in her eyes. She didn't want to face Lumi again, not with tearful eyes and a runny nose. She wiped them on her sleeves, choosing to think of them as her past self that she was wiping away. She wanted to do better, to marry Lumi as a better person thank she previously was. Though she knew repairing her relationships with her sisters would be no easy task, she was prepared to do her best. Gwen looked up to the stairs, letting out a shaky breath as she slowly recomposed herself, calming her heart before she turned to walk back into the home.

She slowly creaked open the door to the common room, not opening it all the way as she slid herself inside before closing the door behind her. She put on the biggest smile she could muster, that being a small upturning of her lips, baby steps after all, before walking over toward her fiancee. "I apologize if I kept you waiting, there was some things I needed to deal with first." Gwen said before lowering herself to the floor.

Lumi turned her head up to happily look at her only to see her puffy red eyes. Scooting over to Gwen as she sat herself down, she looked over her beloved with concern in her eyes. "Did... Did it go well?" She asked, not wanting to assume that something bad had happened, wanting to hold hope up that it was a reaction from a happy or good conversation. Gwen was often a bit of a recluse in the terms of feelings, so for her to have such a reaction, it had to be either something very good or very bad.

Gwen raised a hand to wipe her eye, having hoped that Lumi wouldn't notice her tear-stained yet. But red, puffy eyes stood out like beacons against porcaline skin. Her smile faded, for a moment she retreated into herself once again. Like a turtle tucking its head into its shell. But she stopped herself before the smile could vanish completely, she wouldn't hid herself again. Not in front of Lumi.

"I spoke with my mother. Our conversation was emotional... but it was good. I-I want to do right by you and by my family from here on out. Even as you drew closer I pushed you away as hard as I could and I've been doing the same for everyone in my life for as long as I can remember. I don't want to do that anymore, hurt the people I care about." She said, leaning over to gently rub her shoulder against Lumi's. Both for the comfort of being close to someone she loved but also confirm to Gwen that she was not alone. Not in the physical sense, but something deep within her desired that feeling, that confirmation she they were both there in the same state of mind. "I know that you said you loved me as I was... but I didn't. I hope you don't mind..." Gwen said, speaking honestly with Lumi without hiding something or biting her own tongue for the first time ever, the first step toward her goal.

"I don't." Lumi said simply as she brushed up against her further, leaning her head against Gwen's shoulder and her hand against her clavicle. "I love you for who you are, Gwen, yes. But I don't think that cold exterior is you. An aspect of you, yes, but not the whole picture." She said as she drew her knees closer, wanting to feel Gwen's warmth against herself. "I am just happy that you can love me in turn. I was afraid that my odd biology, cool skin and unique origin would drive you away from me. You cannot imagine how happy I am that it didn't." She spoke, leaning up and giving Gwen a little kiss to her cheek. "I don't mind if you can't love yourself as is. But you know what? That doesn't matter to me. So what if you might change? I approve of the change you want to make. Just make them for reasons you yourself approve of too. I am happy for you and will be happy to be there for you, and no matter how drastic a change you might make, I will be there and fall in love with you all over again. Can't be all that bad, can it?" She said teasingly.

"I don't know." Gwen admitted, "But thank you, Lulu. It warms my heart to hear you say those things. I hope that we can both love a better version of myself. Either way, I suppose no matter what it'll still be me for better or worse." She continued, picking up a puzzle piece and putting it in its proper place.

"Today has made me feel like a small boat in the middle of a raging sea, powerless and scared of the forces far beyond my control. How little I could do to stop them from taking everything away from me in a flash. It was a wake up call in a way, I don't ever want to feel like that again." She said, remembering the marble she'd placed in her jewlary box in her room. "Perhaps I won't, that would be a blessing." Gwen continued, placing a puzzle piece in Lumi's hand and guiding it to the place the piece belonged, her own hand shaking ever so slightly. "After we're finished with this... Will you stay with me tonight? I don't know if I can fall asleep by myself."

Lumi smiled as she approached Gwen, placing a small peck to her cheek. "I am all but engaged to you now, Gwen. I'll be wherever you want me to be for however long you want me to be." She said sweetly, leaning her head against her beloved's shoulder. She picked up a piece of her own before placing it in its appropriate space. With a bit of a cheeky grin she continued with: "Want your 'icecream' put on something... 'appetizing' as well?" She tried to joke in order to lighten the mood a bit.

Gwen was silent for a few moments, almost as though she hadn't heard Lumi's words at all. The silence continued on for but another minute before Gwen placed down another puzzle piece and responded. "No." She started, brow raising a bit when she realized how rude that might have sounded. "It's an appealing offer I admit that. But I'm far too tired... I just didn't want to fall asleep all by myself. Not after everything that's happened lest I wake up to discover what little good has come from this day was naught but a dream."

Lumi giggled softly. "I know. I think we all are a bit tired after what we have been through. It may all have been... utterly insane, this whole experience of ours, and I understand the feeling that it has been too crazy to believe real," She spoke softly, her words gentle and affectionate. She found herself having an almost enlightened moment, starting to get the hang of this activity, taking two pieces and placing them as they were meant to fit. She beamed, feeling quite proud of herself as she grinned. Picking up another piece, hovering with it as she tried to find its spot, she continued. "So, if you want me with you tonight, I'll happily be there for you. And I will make sure to wash away all those concerns of yours when you wake up with me there in your arms. Where I hope to always be." She said, offering a peck to her cheek before figuring that her piece had no place to be positioned yet.

Gwen felt the cold kiss of Lumi upon her cheek, grounding her to reality in this moment and its lingering presence even after her lips left her face grounded her to the next. It was as equal parts calming as it was anxiety inducing to live in the moment like this when she had spent her whole life looking to the future. What it would bring, the trials, the dangers, and the opportunities all the same. Yet even with all that searching never did she see herself like this, in a moment like this. It only bad her realize how pointless all of that had been, to have pined so much to predict what was to come next only to end up so far from the place she thought she would find herself.

Regardless, this place was far more pleasant than the one she had envisioned in those times and no longer did she have to look to the future for what might come next as she was now the one to decide it. Turning her head she raised a hand to turn Lumi's head back to her and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. She did not hold it, did not let it linger for more than a moment. But that fleeting moment held in it all the affection that she could give in a single kiss, the affection she so feared showing until now lest it be used against her by others. A moment of vulnerability from the girl who guarded her heart behind a sheet of ice.

"I would have it no other way." She spoke up, the warm of her breath crossing over Lumi's cool lips and for the briefest of moments her breath was visible there between them.

## Waking Dream

The sound of chirping birds stirred the raven haired woman from her slumber, opening her eyes to see from a small crack in her curtains did the light of the rising sun flow through to shine down rays of warmth into her otherwise dark room. Following the God Rays from the window to her bed did her eyes fall upon a most surprising but welcoming of sights. The blue hue of Lumi's skin in the bed beside her, both clad in their sleepwear. She wondered why this had come to be but then she remembered the events of the evening before and how she had opened herself to both her mother and her beloved. It was both a weight lifted and another dropped on her. To have opened herself up to those she loved she'd given them power over her. Being in the open now she could be who she wanted to be but in the same way doing so gave them the means by which to harm her where it hurt most.

Even so, there were forces in this world far more powerful than her worries, such as that of the desire to sleep. Her eyes still heavy regardless of the previous interruption of her slumber and so she settled back down into bed, wrapping her arms around Lumi and pulled the girl close. Taking in her scent, the sweet smell of foreign soaps and purfumes were a delight to her nose. "I love you," She found herself whispering softly into the back of the woman's neck. Thos words she feared speaking for so long rolled off the tongue now as naturally as breathing, such sweet words that meant far more to her than they themselves could ever convey.

Laying in what might just be the most comfortable bed she had ever laid on, Lumi slumbered soundly, feeling content in the state she was in, undisturbed and without a care in the world. Then, in the midst of that peace and quiet was she stirred. She languished the feeling at first. The light from outside gleaming in. The sudden shift in her position which had her questioning what was happening. Was she having a delirious dream? But when she felt a pair of arms wrapping around her frame, pulling her close to a warmer body, followed by soft whispers of affection, she felt at ease yet again. The sun no longer concerned her, the surging memories of yesterday was insignificant. What mattered, all that mattered, was this one moment.

With nothing but this moment, she still knew that if they slept much longer, they would miss out on breakfast, and thus, their morning routine which had become so precious to her. Being hugged closer to the woman she shared this bed with, she shuffled around until she laid face to face with Gwen, looking at her soothed expression and to her closed eyelids as if she could still behold her wonderful eyes behind them. Getting closer to her, she moved so her head rested beneath the woman's chin, cuddilng close to her. "I love you too, Gwen." She whispered softly to her, letting her decide whether to wake up or not. "Do you want to get up? I think our balcony is waiting for us... But I would not complain if you would prefer to stay here. I just want you..."

Gwen did not open her eyes at Lumi's question, instead only tightening her girp on the woman's frame and nestling her chin to rest gently atop the woman's head. "It would be for the best to get up... but perhaps, after five more minutes."