Lilith waited for whoever else would be in her group to show up. Unfortunately, she and Kali felt like they needed to be in different places, so for now she just with Eve. Still, it was fine; Lilith had a lot of stuff to process anyway, so in a sense it all worked out.


    It had been a shock to the her from before she had reincarnated, but even more of a shock to see her past self. She had always assumed that the memories from before her reincarnation had been permanently lost, but…she had them now. It would take some time to acclimatize herself to them, but her hope was that, eventually, they would seem as real to her as the memories from after she reincarnated.


    She had made those offers to her past self in the heat of the moment; she had encouraged her daughter to do much the same, so it had felt highly hypocritical for her to not extend the same courtesy to her past self. She had assumed that this would be the outcome, as everything she had heard about her personality in her past life had indicated that she felt the same as Lilith did now on most subjects, but it was still a little nerve-wracking nonetheless.


    But, as scary as that all was, she hadn’t realized how utterly unprepared she was to meet Lucas. He was just…different than how she remembered herself being; it was almost like looking in a funhouse mirror, or hearing a recording of her own voice. The body was the same as she remembered, but the way he talked and walked weren’t; he just felt so…unconfident and unsure, and it had forcibly reminded her of just how much she had changed when her fractured soul had been healed.


    “Hey, Lilith, Eve.” Rose said, walking up to the two. “How was meeting your past self?”


    “Strange.” Lilith admitted. “But I think it’s going to make Kali really happy; I was able to regain the memory of the time we spent together before I was reincarnated.”


    “Oh, it was the past past you?” Rose asked. “Not the more recent past you? Or was it both? Amelia briefly had both for a moment.”


    “It was both.” Lilith confirmed. “Lucas is still here somewhere, but…let me tell you, I almost feel like I have more in common with old Lilith than I do with him. It’s strange, because my memories from that time are more integrated with my sense of self, but he and I are just…well, he’s only half of me, you know?”


    “Not going to lie, it was kind of uncomfortable.” Eve admitted. “I just felt…bad for him the whole time, and that was weird, because it’s not like I felt anything wrong when I was him, but now that I look back, I can see all the little things that just make him…incomplete.”


    “Mind explaining further what you mean by that?” Rose asked. “I vaguely recall you mentioning something about reincarnation, but that was a couple parties back and it’s been a bit.”


    “Sure.” Lilith said. “Basically, when Kali reincarnated me, she messed up and split my soul in half. My memories were gone, my personality was fractured…it was a mess. Luckily my other half resurfaced shortly after I became a Perfect Chimera, and we were able to heal the split soul thing, but the memories were forever gone. Or, were until today. Honestly, this sort of thing is half the reason Lia is so special; she’s literally the best in our faction at reincarnating people, full stop.”


    Rose raised an eyebrow. “Better than Jerry?”


    “Jerry’s the one who said she is.” Eve replied. “She wasn’t even trying and she did a better job than most Administrators could if they spent a long time preparing. Keeping memories past reincarnation, even if they’re fragmented at first, is a monumentally difficult task, and she can do it like no other. She is to reincarnation as Amelia is to system construction.”


    “W-what do you mean by that?” The past version of Lia said, peeking out from behind an Amelia, though Lilith couldn’t tell which one.


    “I’m curious as well.” Amelia said. “Though I didn’t realize it was that special.”


    Judging by that tone of voice, it must have been the Amelia from after she had reincarnated Lia; the Amelia from before wouldn’t have been so cordial with Lilith. Lilith turned to Lia, giving her a smile. “Lia, I know it doesn’t feel this way to you, but when it comes to reincarnating people, you’re the very best, like no one ever was. Yes, even Higher Beings and Administrators; reincarnating someone is a very difficult process, and you make it look effortless.”


    “I-I do?” Lia squeaked.


    “You do.” Lilith confirmed. “Lia, you’re not just some random person, as much as it may feel that way to you right now. You’re no less important than anyone here, it just takes you some time to grow into the role.”


    “See?” Amelia said. “I told you that you don’t need to worry about it.”


    Rose walked over to Amelia and Lia, giving them a smile. “I’m glad you’re here with me,” she said, grabbing one of Lia’s hands between her own, “and they’re right; you’re a wonderful woman, and you don’t need to feel lesser than anyone here.”


    Lia blushed, squirming slightly. “B-but, I’m not your Lia.” She protested faintly. “I’m not the woman you love, I…I don’t even like women in that way, I have a boyfriend and everything. So, sorry, but I can’t really be her for you, not now.”


    “And I won’t expect you to.” Rose said, letting go of Lia’s hand. “And your boyfriend…Liam, right?” She waited for Lia to nod before continuing. “At least for tonight, I’d advise forgetting about him; he’s literally only with you for your body. You don’t have to be lovey-dovey with anyone or anything, but I just don’t want you feel weird about hearing you’re in a relationship with other people in the future; you and him weren’t meant to be.”


    Lia looked down at herself, a look of disbelief on her face. “But I’m not even that pretty.” She said. “That doesn’t make any sense. I mean…you’ve seen the other me, you know I’m nowhere near that level.”


    “From what you’ve told me, it’s true.” Eve said. “My understanding is that he was constantly trying to push you into sex, and then when you died, he didn’t go to your funeral, had a new girlfriend a couple of days later, and had the gall to hit on your sister about a year after. You deserve way better.”


    “And, back on subject, even if you don’t talk to me for the rest of the night, I’ll still be glad to have you here.” Rose said. “Seeing you when you’re younger than I’m used to is a treat in and of itself.”


    Lia blushed harder, ducking behind Amelia once again. “I…oh. Um…thanks.”


    There was a moment of silence, and then Maven spoke up. She had walked up while Rose and Lia were talking, and given her slightly anxious and uncomfortable demeanor, she was probably the Maven from further in the past. “I feel like I should be here, is that correct?” She asked.


    “If you feel that way, then it is.” Lilith replied, giving her a smile. “I think this is everyone, so let’s head to the tables and get some food.”


    “I saw some on the way to get Tess’s group. I’ll show you where they are, and I’ll save the table, if you want to get my food, Lilith.” Eve volunteered.


    “I’ll do that.” Lilith replied, beginning to walk towards. “Maven, would you like help getting food? I can show you how it works here, it’s a bit different than normal parties since it’s making the food in real-time as you look for it.”


    “That…would be acceptable, yes.” Maven said.


    “Perfect, let’s head on over now.” Lilith said. “Eve can bring the rest of you to the table, and I’ll bring Maven back when I’m done.”


    “Um, do you know where the table is?” Lia asked.


    “We constantly share our senses.” Eve explained. “She saw the tables when I did.”


    “Doesn’t that get…overwhelming?” Lia asked. “Like…what if you’re trying to sleep and the other you is still awake?”


    “We can turn off the link whenever we want to.” Lilith replied. “Also, our brains are built a little differently, so it was more a matter of getting used to seeing from multiple perspectives and not as much about sensory overload or anything. We actually have two or three more bodies back at home, so this is relatively tame. And, before you ask, no, I can’t properly describe to you what it feels like, at least not in the little time we have.


    “Just think of it like there being two computer monitors…wait, you don’t have computers yet…uh, imagine you’re looking at two pictures, and can switch focus whenever. That’s not really that close, but it’s good enough for the purposes of tonight. Anyway, Maven, are you alright heading out with me now, or would you like to wait until we all get to the tables?”Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    “Now is fine.” Maven said politely.


    Lilith took her niece away from the main group and towards the serving tables. “So, the main thing is that almost everything is covered. Just lift up a cover and there’ll be whatever you want with an appropriate serving utensil. Don’t worry about germs or anything, we’re pretty sure this place sanitizes them for us. The uncovered dishes are for if you want to try something new; just grab however much you’d like, they’ll refill by themselves.”


    “I understand.” Maven said. “What is the proper etiquette at this event?”


    “Nothing special.” Lilith replied. “Just eat in whatever way is comfortable for you. The you of my time has mentioned that when you were younger you preferred to be more formal in dining situations, and if that’s what makes you feel better, do it. If you feel better treating it like a buffet or something, that’s fine too.”


    “I have never been to a proper buffet, so I am afraid I do not know quite what you mean.” Maven admitted. “But I think I will eat formally, so long as it will not make others uncomfortable.”


    “They won’t care.” Lilith confirmed. “Well, there’s a low chance that Lia might, because she might think that she’ll need to be more formal to match, but Amelia and Rose will take care of that, so don’t worry about it.”


    There was silence for a moment before Maven spoke. “Miss Los mentioned that you were my aunt?” She ventured. “But from what I gather you seem to be from some sort of other universe, so I fail to see how that works.”


    “Oh, that.” Lilith chuckled. “My wife, Kali, is from your universe, and was second in line for Paumen’s throne at one point. In fact, I think she still has her portrait in your family’s hall of portraits or whatever they call it. Anyway, by the time Amara was born, I think she was studying to be an Administrator, and I think she was just about to start managing my universe when Fortune was born. Don’t quote me on those times, though, I’m not totally sure on the specifics, I could easily be off by a few thousand years.”


    “You can do that? Study to become an Administrator?” Maven asked.


    “Yes.” Lilith said. “Some Administrators just…appear out of nowhere, but many are trained by other Administrators.”


    They reached the serving tables, and Lilith grew an extra pair of arms to grab Eve’s food with. She couldn’t help but chuckle slightly at Maven’s astonished expression, giving her a smile. “It’s not transfiguration magic.” She explained. “I can just do this, it’s part of the whole ‘eldritch abomination’ thing. You’ll notice that Eve and I are a lot more casual about modifying our bodies than most people, and it’s because it’s not using any Mana or Stamina.”


    “I…see.” Maven replied. “My apologies for staring.”


    “It’s fine, it’s fine.” Lilith laughed. “I’m not bothered by it in the slightest. If I was, then I wouldn’t be so brazen about doing stuff like this.”


    There was silence for another long minute as they piled food on their plates, before Maven once again spoke. “Am I…really married to those two in the future?”


    Lilith laughed a little before catching herself and stopping. “Sorry,” she said, “but during the last party, you asked Eve the same thing. We had teased her about it the party before that, and this her was from just before she had made things official and was questioning herself. Yes, you do. No, you’re not sexually attracted to women, but you are romantically attracted. You get your sexual orientation updated to match and things go from there.”


    “Oh.” Maven said quietly.


    “Your life is going to go through a lot of changes in the coming year, but it’s going to be a very fulfilling year for you, too. So don’t stress about it, just enjoy your night and think of it like a break from your duties.”


    “I will do that.” Maven said, then resumed getting food.


    Once the two had finished dishing themselves up, Lilith guided Maven over to the table that Eve had saved for them, gave Eve her food, then took a seat next to Eve. “Sit wherever you’d like.” Lilith told Maven. “No one picked any specific seats or anything.”


    Maven nodded and took the seat next to Lilith. After a few moments more, Lia, Rose, and Amelia arrived at the table, taking the remaining seats at the table. “So, how have things been, Lilith?” Rose asked.


    “They’ve been fine. It hasn’t been too long since the last party, but things have more or less been the same as then, with the exception of figuring out how to keep our memories. Just lots more studying and preparing. How about you?”


    “The war’s progressing.” Rose replied. “We’re still in the early stages of it, prospects are good, I think. Did the future us tell you that they’re planning to do experimentation on their own soldiers to try and figure out how the swarm works?”


    Eve made a face. “Disgusting. Uh, no, I don’t think you did.”


    “Not the Glens, don’t worry.” Amelia told Lia. “They’ve long since surrendered to us. In fact, Brom and Owen are helping teach you how to rule, and they’ve been a great help in other ways, too.”


    “Oh, good.” Lia said. “I don’t know if I’d be able to handle learning that the Glens was just as bad as everywhere else.”


    “In fairness, they feel cornered.” Rose said. “This is obviously still reprehensible, but they tried summoning a Hero, and now that Hero is working for us. They feel that, if they don’t take drastic measures, they’re going to fail all their subjects. Funnily enough, this move is going to backfire on them, since even the gods who don’t agree with us can’t complain too much when we raid the facility and take everyone there for ourselves.”


    “Will you be okay?” Lia asked tentatively. “I’m guessing they’re going to have really tight security, right?”


    “Our Administrator bound the status of Amelia and I, because if we weren’t bound, then we’d likely be enough to win the war with just the two of us.” Rose said. “We’re going to be fully unbound for this raid; our Administrator does not tolerate this sort of thing, we’re basically divine punishment.”


    “Well, you know what they say; play stupid games, win stupid prizes.” Eve said, leaning back in her chair. “When I get home, I’ll have to ask how it went. Hopefully the answer will be that it was a proverbial slaughter and that those resources were immediately put to more ethical use.”


    “More ethical use is perhaps a stretch, but I’d like to think that it’s at least not more unethical.” Rose said.


    “Eh, it’s fine, you’ve got their best interests in mind, as opposed to literally experimenting on them.” Eve replied.


    “Eve has a bit of a point, but she is a little biased.” Lilith said. “Back when she was doing her Queen of Monsters bit, I seem to recall her reading a story someone wrote where she took over the world and made everyone into half-monster hybrids and gave it rave reviews.”


    “You’re kidding, ri–” Rose began, but Eve was faster.


    “You didn’t have to tell them that!” She hissed. “Think about our image! You’re going to feel this embarrassment later, you know!”


    “I don’t mind.” Lilith replied, smirking. “Besides, you were barely even trying to hide it. I’m sure there are ways you could have kept it from us.”


    “Wait…is the Queen of Monsters…” Lia began, giving Eve a somewhat fearful look.


    “Yes, I’m the Lord of Monsters equivalent.” Eve said, sitting back up straight and adopting a pompous stance. “Tremble in fear, mortal! Your fate was sealed the moment you met me!”


    “Yeah, you helped us adopt a kid and we’re eternally grateful.” Lilith added. “Truly the worst fate imaginable.”


    “Wait, what?” Lia asked, staring at Lilith dumbfoundedly.


    Eve sighed. “It’s a lot more complicated than that, but yes, if you simplify it all, that’s basically what happened. You reincarnated someone we would go on to adopt.” She paused, looking at Rose and Amelia. “And, for what it’s worth, the conversion she did in the process singlehandedly rocketed her up to the level of the two of you.” She said. “She basically converted a self-contained system that Jerry had cooked up and donated to Kali along with a plane. It really gave her a power boost.”


    “You…live a complicated life.” Lia said.


    “So will you.” Eve shot back. “Everyone here will.”


    The conversation continued from there, interrupted only briefly when Lilith’s past self walked up to the table. “Hey, we realized you’re not going to get my memories from tonight, but I feel like there’s a pathway in the back of my mind that’ll let me transfer them later. Kali says you’re the expert here, do you want to check and make sure that it’ll work?”


    “Oh, yeah, excuse me for a sec.” She said, standing up and walking a short distance away from the table with her old self. “Alright, just gonna take a scan here…” Lilith put a hand on her old self’s forehead and began to look through her mind, and she found the pathway that had been mentioned almost immediately. “Honestly, this is pretty similar to what I have with the Parallels.” She said. “Just focus on sending tonight’s memories through and they’ll reach me.”


    “Oh, good.” Her past self said, giving her a relieved smile. “Kali’s all worried about it, she said she doesn’t want to do anything that feels even remotely like cheating.”


    Lilith chuckled. “Tell her I said she’s cute, and that even if I can’t get your memories from tonight, it’s fine. At the end of the day, we’re both me here, right?”


    Lilith’s past self grinned. “You couldn’t be more right.” She replied. “Alright, thanks, I’m going to get back to them now.”


    Lilith bade farewell to her past self, then returned to the table and the conversation they had been having. When everyone was done eating, they opted to go and watch a movie together instead of playing games; Lia was liable to be too overwhelmed by anything too active, and Lilith figured it would be a nice novelty for her. After some telepathic deliberation with Eve, they opted to pick one they knew Rose, Lia, and Maven had all liked, and privately told Amelia that they knew both Rose and Lia would probably like it, since they had liked it in the future.


    That got Amelia to agree to the movie without much fuss, so they were soon in a private theater of sorts, watching the movie. And, when it finished, Lilith felt that feeling that meant she was about to be taken home. “Well, everyone, it was fun, but I think my time here is just about up.” She said. “You won’t remember this until my time, but I hope you at least had a nice evening.”


    “I did, yes.” Maven said, giving Lilith a smile. “Thank you for having me.”


    “It’s not exactly our party, but you’re welcome.” Eve chuckled.


    “U-um…it was nice.” Lia said. “S-sorry I don’t…know all the things the future me does yet.”


    “We don’t need those memories.” Rose said gently. “We’re just happy spending time with you.”


    “Exactly.” Amelia agreed.


    And with that, Lilith found herself back in her bed, lying next to Kali, memories of her old self’s time at the party streaming into her consciousness.


    “It’s strange, not forgetting.” Kali said, rolling over and giving Lilith a quick kiss. “But I like it. And…thank you, for getting the memories of your past self. This may sound selfish of me, but I really am glad they weren’t lost forever. And, um, did you get tonight’s memories too?”


    “I did, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Lilith replied, smiling at her wife. “I’m really happy as well; it just makes our time together feel that much longer.”


    Kali let out a sigh of agreement, resting her head on Lilith’s chest. “I love you.” She said.


    Lilith kissed her wife’s forehead, smiling happily. “I love you too.”