For the next week, we chased after Alts. Their phantoms, really. Every time Sophos and Problem alerted us to a possible ping, we’d head there and find jack squat. So we wrote our empty reports and came home with our tail between our legs. The whole song and dance started again a few hours later. Sometimes in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon, even in the middle of the night.


    Nothing, each and every time. Since the attack at Primordial Plaza, the most action I’d gotten was nearly getting into an accident after some asshole turned without using his blinker. With the lack of Alternate encounters, our understanding of them hadn’t changed. Sophos was throwing theory after theory, but they were effectively useless without evidence. Hell, a part of me thought this was a mass delusion event; we were all going crazy and seeing the same thing and swearing their existence. I’d believe it, if my memories of Primordial Plaza didn’t slap me in the face everyday.


    At this point, we had to hope the Mother Alternate died on its own. It’d be the easiest and most painless method, which meant it would stay as a hope.


    Rector had ordered the team to rest in anticipation for the next stage of First Wave. The Big Four were hosting tryouts for all the lucky bastards who’d passed, and Angels Guild was first in the schedule this year. If an Alt did show up, it’d be then and we had to be ready. On that note, Vic had been screaming in my [PMs] about how his nerves; not even his mother’s praying could calm him down. He’d be fine. Probably.


    The System dinged inside my head, and a notification appeared: A new message in [Group Private Chat].


    [Group Private Chat - Angels Family]


    [Members: Rector (creator), Seraph (moderator), Kosmos (moderator), Celestial Empress (moderator), Sage, Firebrand, Problem, Conqueror, Althea Shen]


    [Sage]


    [image attached]


    It was… It was a screenshot of some anime game. A very voluptuous girl in a bikini was posing for the camera with a happy smile and an empty head.


    [Sage]


    I DID IT!!! EARLY PITY!!!


    ╰(▔?▔)╯


    [Rector]


    Chie…


    [Firebrand]


    Congrats


    [Problem]


    I wasn’t quite sure what I was expecting when I received the notification, but it wasn’t that


    Congratulations if “early pity” is a good thing, my condolences if it’s horrible


    [Sage]


    IT’S GREAT


    [Problem]


    Congratulations, then


    [Rector]


    Let’s not clutter this chat. Please keep the conversations entered around the Alternates


    [Sage]


    Oh, this is her summer alter


    [Rector]


    I don’t know what that is, but it doesn’t count.


    [Sage]


    Sorry…


    “...Work?” Uncle Ali asked, twirling his fork in the spaghetti I’d cooked for tonight.


    I muted the [Party Chat] for the next sixty minutes and dispelled the screen. “I’m starting to have second thoughts about this team.”


    “Hey, you signed the contract.” Thea dispelled her [Group Chat] too, having a cute little smile on her face that I wanted to rip off. “You’re stuck with ‘em. Anyway, aren’t you gonna eat?”


    I was about to protest until she pointed at my plate with a dirty fork. My fairly full plate that I’d barely touched since I sat down. Meanwhile, Thea demolished her dinner and looked like she wanted seconds.


    Out of spite, I stuffed spaghetti down my throat. It wasn’t the brightest idea, but I chewed my food and swallowed. “I’m eating,” I said.


    She rolled her eyes and got up from the table. “Barely. I’m gonna help myself to plate number two since you hate your own cooking tonight.”


    Uncle Ali lifted his empty cup. “Can you refill my water while you’re at it?”


    “Roger, roger.” And off she went.


    Uncle watched her leave until she disappeared into the kitchen, then I became the subject of his observation. His eyes motioned downward toward my dinner. “Restless?” he ripped the band-aid off.


    I sighed and stabbed at the pasta with my fork. “More like trauma. I’m expecting Leo or Rector to dial me at three-in-the-morning again. That’s why I couldn’t sleep last night, and I know I’m not getting any sleep tonight either. I might stay up or something.”


    “I’d get as much sleep as possible,” he advised. “Trust me, when the investigation starts up again, your body will start begging for it.”


    “I’ll overdose on melatonin,” I said, taking a big gulp of water.


    Thea finally joined the table again. Uncle had his water, and she had a mountain of spaghetti topped off with the last garlic bread I’d put in the air-fryer. She definitely worked up an appetite, but she needed the calories.


    While I’d been chasing false-positives throughout the city, Thea was getting put through the wringer by our uncle. She had to acclimate to her new physique as a Slayer and be comfortable with using [Skills]. The last part was important. With [Technique Sovereign], she needed to intuitively understand the ins-and-out because that was going to be the foundation of, well, everything.


    There was a long road ahead of her. For both of us.


    On that note, I really should eat; otherwise, I was going to raid the fridge at midnight.


    I swirled a tornado of spaghetti—


    A knock on the door. Who was bothering us this late?


    My fork fell, the spine hitting the edge of the plate with an annoying clang. I stood and the chair painfully rubbed against the floor. “I got it.”


    At the door, I squinted through the peephole—the hell? There were two men in suits standing outside my door. The taller of the two had his hands comfortably folded on his lap and wore the smallest smile on his thin lips. He looked completely unbothered, confident like an aged ship captain during a storm. He had scars in the form of wrinkles, each one counting a year he’d been in the business—whatever that may be. There was a certain kind of arrogance in him though. An enlightened arrogance, no different than a college hippie thinking he got the world figured out.


    The man glanced at his watch and brushed a hand through his freshly-dyed black hair. His dark-haired partner shrugged. That guy had half the years and half the authority, but he made up for the difference with enthusiasm. He was boldly smiling, one step away from outright grinning; a guy like him could steal the room with ease. Stars were in his eyes, and he swayed where he stood, unable to fully keep his excitement in.


    Thea called from the table, “Alex—?”


    I raised a hand and slowly clenched it into a fist. Through the door, I said, “We’re not interested in a conversation, agents. Go home.”


    The senior reached into his jacket and flashed his badge: First Class Agent Cathal Dwyer of the Anomalous Entities Bureau. “It’s in your best interest to open the door, Conqueror,” he said with a slight Irish accent.


    His buddy did the same: Special Agent Vincent Dietrich of the International Agency of Homeworld Investigations. “Please?” he said, sounded American.


    A malie and an eight-fourteen working together, you don’t see that everyday. Not just any malie too, he was a fucking First Class Agent. The Malie Bureau didn’t throw these hounds around the world like candy, and for some reason, they thought interrupting our family dinner was the play.


    Naturally, my reaction was: “With all due respect, Agent Dwyer, fuck off.”


    Dietrich snorted while Dwyer was unfazed. He tucked his badge away and said, “Open the door, son. I’m not asking.”


    Before I could tell them to fuck off again, someone gently brushed me aside and took my place. Uncle. He opened the door and revealed two slimy-looking goons from the Global Union, standing together like trolls under a bridge. “What do you want?” Uncle asked, sharp and cold like a sword’s edge.


    Dwyer gestured toward himself. “First Class Agent Dwyer of Anomaly.” Then at his partner. “Special Agent Dietrich of IA.” (“How do you do?”) “A discussion’s needed, Mister Romanos. Let’s talk inside—”


    “Inside?” Uncle burned holes into Dwyer’s wrinkles but he wasn’t cowed. “You’re not stepping a foot inside—”


    “One conversation, Romanos,” Dietrich said before looking through the doorway. “Then, we’ll be out of your hair and you can enjoy your spaghetti. Or you can make it harder on yourself.”


    Uncle pressed his lips together. We both knew it was a terrible idea to let them inside, but it’d be easier to hear what they had to say then kick them out. Otherwise, they would send the message in another way.


    I deferred the decision to him, and albeit reluctantly (an understatement), he retreated a few steps. “You’ll stand and you’ll touch nothing, not even a ball of dust on the ground.”


    The agents nodded and allowed themselves in. Dietrich shut the door, and now they were locked in the same room as us. Weren’t afraid, though, not one bit. This wasn’t their first rodeo with swords, nor were we the scariest they’d met. In their eyes, we were a peculiar and tragic family of three, finding themselves in a world way bigger than we imagined.


    Dietrich stuffed his hands in his pockets and dressed down our apartment, while Dwyer took careful measure of his opposition: my uncle who was glaring at him, me who was glaring at him, and Thea who was—you guessed it—glaring at him.


    Dwyer calmly adjusted his watch and smacked his lips together like a pistol before a race. “Normally, I would give my congratulations to new Angels, but all I have for you is my sympathy and pity. You know why we’re here.”


    “To threaten us?” Thea asked with a hand on her hip.


    “No, I think you should be educated about your new superiors.” He was staring directly at me when he said that. “Seraph, Rector, and Kosmos; wonderful, aren’t they? They’re heroes and philanthropists, having ended the Terrors themselves. Because of their performances, they deluded themselves as more righteous, mightier than Lady Justice and the common law that protects us. I don’t think that’s right.”If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    “That’s funny,” I said, taking my attention to Dietrich. “Did Lady Justice take off her blindfold when Oasis walked into court?”


    Dietrich responded quickly as a snake, “You’re proving his point, Conqueror. These castles are out of control. Same in America, same in Ordo. Worse, even.”


    “Angels Guild is the most egregious,” claimed Dwyer, moving his hands like a politician. “We know they’re involved with the breakthrough in some capacity. Same with Wisdom. They deliberately endangered the city, and to an extent the whole world, out of fatal arrogance. And this is what we’re aware of. You’ve experienced this for yourself. How many times have they thrown caution to the wind, hm? Endanger us all for their games?”


    Dietrich stepped forward fearlessly. “And who’s gonna tell them otherwise? You three lived in High Home, you know how immortal Oasis Guild was. Here? Kosmos is a god. The only SSS-Rank Slayer in history and nobody comes close to putting him in a grave, ‘cept for Cross maybe. A single word from him makes waves. You’ve seen it. Each time the Union puts out legislation he doesn’t like, he dissents and the bill goes into the gutter. Does that sound like an ideal world to you?”


    I didn’t give their argument—or attempt of one—any thought. They were full of shit, delusional or otherwise. Maybe they made some good points, but the words came from a snake’s mouth. No matter how sweet the bullshit sounded, a snake was still a snake and you should never listen to its hissing.


    Something in my face must’ve given away my feelings, because Dwyer’s stoicism had fallen into subtle yet seething disappointment.


    Uncle Ali took off his glasses and cleaned the lenses with his shirt. “So what do you want us to do, exactly?”


    Dwyer stared at him stern and grave. “I’m giving you a lifeline: abandon them and join us. We’ll offer you greater benefits and protections. Anything you want, really, as long as you correct your path.”


    Thea clicked her tongue. “Or else?”


    The malie paused, blinking at my sister. I could see the gears turn inside his head. “You’re a smart girl, Miss Shen, you know—“


    “I wanna hear you say it,” she dared.


    Dwyer chuckled, his tone taking on mild aggression. “Darling, Angels Guild won’t last. The Global Union, as it had since the Emergence, will. Everything and everyone related will go down, one way or another. Throwing your weight behind these criminals will cut your freedom very, very short. It’s dangerous, ignorant—it’s shortsighted. I personally hate seeing innocents be punished.”


    As if you thought of us as innocent to begin with; if you did, you wouldn’t be threatening us. By aligning ourselves directly with the founders, we made enemies out of the Global Union—the world government—and they’d stop at nothing to put us into the dirt. Funny thing though, we were already enemies with the Union. They hadn’t realized it yet.


    Just thinking about allying with the Union sent pangs of disgust running through my stomach. It was clear by our faces that we weren’t buying their game.


    Dwyer shifted, putting his weight entirely on his left leg. Through the slight opening of his lips, his teeth were locked together.


    Uncle Ali put his glasses back on and called it, “I think you should leave—“


    “It’s our responsibility to restore order,” Dwyer interrupted, speaking more fiercely. “To maintain this fragile security that everyone takes for granted. You know that better than anyone. You survived the Hangzhou Disaster—“ (I locked my jaw.) “—and the chaos during the Riots. The Union is security. It’s peace. Protection. It doesn’t come from a single man or a guild. Call it for what it is. It’s despotism, tyranny. We don’t believe in that. We stand for democracy and decency, not this bastardization.”


    How many times did he practice that speech in the mirror? Sounded more like a politician than an agent, but at his age? He probably was gunning for an admin role as director or something of the sort. I couldn’t hate this prick more.


    I cleared my throat. “My uncle made his point. The door’s right behind you—“


    Dietrich stepped in the ring, facing our uncle. “We’re disappointed in you, Romanos. As a mil, you swore an oath to protect our world—“


    “I swore to protect my kids,” Uncle growled.


    “You’re letting your biases cloud your judgment. You and I both know that Angels will only put your kids in harm’s way—“


    “You need to leave, now.”


    Uncle reached out but Dwyer slapped his hand away. A crack in his composure, a sneer. “You’re willing to let your kids die too? After losing your wife—?”


    Next thing I knew, I was restraining my uncle from murdering Agent Dwyer. I pushed against him, used all of my strength, and even then, I barely kept him at bay. It took Thea for him to snap out of his trance. He backed off, fire in his eyes, and he had the better sense to walk away without another word.


    Dwyer looked satisfied with himself, betraying a small smirk. “Conqueror—“


    “Get the fuck out.”


    “Conq—“


    Someone doused the fucker in water. Thea was holding onto an empty cup, and Dwyer was standing in a puddle and had his nice suit-and-tie soaked. Dietrich cursed and stepped away, and he looked at us like we were fucking maniacs. He muttered something I couldn’t tell, and turned to his superior.


    Dwyer surprisingly didn’t get angrier; instead, the water seemed to have sobered him. From his jacket, he produced a small handkerchief and causally patted his face down. “Let’s go, Dietrich,” was all he said.


    “Right.” Dietrich opened the door. “Enjoy your spaghetti.”


    Dwyer exhaled and stared me down. “Consequences, Conqueror. Understand that.”


    I glanced at Uncle Ali down the hall, who was pacing to keep his emotions in check. “I can say the same to you.”


    He huffed and left a pound heavier than when he first came in. Dietrich crawled behind and slammed the door as retribution. Their footsteps faded.


    Now all that was left was, well, a ruined dinner and another sleepless night.


    “Alex,” Uncle came back to the living room. “Call Rector. Thea, start packing your things—“


    Thea was taken aback. “Can’t we improve our security?”


    “Not with the tools they have. They might’ve planted a bug already,” Uncle said before finding the puddle on the ground. “We need Rector to find temporary housing for us. It’s not safe here anymore.”


    One thing after another, huh?


    Using the System, I dialed Rector.


    [CALLING: Rector]


    He picked up immediately. “Conqueror, I was just about to warn you. We’ve gotten word that a couple Union dogs are—”


    “Yeah, we already met them.”


    Rector paused, then said, “...I guess that makes my warning a little pointless.”


    ***


    “Come in, come in, make yourself at home,” said the kind samaritan. She allowed us into her surprisingly mundane apartment.


    It was as large as I expected, but there were hardly any decorations other than family pictures. Nothing that screamed “Leona Ryu, Celestial Empress.” If you took a photo of her place, it’d show up on the listing. Plain, gray colors, and ordinary. Even with our place, I wasn’t big on interior design but me and Thea gradually inserted our personal touches. At some point in the past four-five years, it felt like home.


    This didn''t strike me as home despite what Leo said.


    Leo helped us carry our bags and plopped them in the living room. “I’ve prepared the guest bedrooms, but someone has to sleep on the couch—”


    “I’ll take it,” Uncle Ali said, putting a large and suspicious crate next to the couch. A part of me wanted to protest, but I knew better; this wasn’t a winnable argument.


    “Alright, and uh…” Leo gestured toward his package. “What’s that?”


    “Toys,” he replied out of reflex. He caught himself after the fact and sighed. “Sorry, sometimes my sense of humor can’t help itself. It’s equipment I’d smuggled from the States. I obviously can’t leave them at my kids’ apartment, but don’t worry, I’ll hide them.”


    Hearing his very matter-of-fact answer, Leo vacantly nodded and turned to me with an expression that said “What the fuck.” Fortunately, she cleared her throat and dropped the conversation.


    Instead, we focused on settling in. After informing Rector about the visit, we needed a new roof over our heads. The Union would—or already had—bugged our apartment. That was where Leo came in. She personally offered because her place was in a swords-village. A majority of the residents were Slayers, so security here was top-notch. Plus, everyone knew everybody, and everyone hated the Global Union. It made sneaking in that much more difficult, and as the princess of the Demonic Cult, her place understandably had extra security on top.


    For now, this would be our new home.


    We were planning on moving anyway after we signed a deal with Angels. This sped up our plans.


    After an hour or so, we finally had some time to relax and wind down. It was late, but none of us understandably couldn’t sleep. Especially me. Especially Uncle. Very few things could set him off, and the assholes ticked the biggest one.


    “Alex? What—? Why are you going through my cupboards?” Leo blubbered as she marched into the kitchen. Her kitchen.


    “I’m checking your hammers and nails, and…” I shut one of the cupboards softly. “You have nothing. You’re one of the biggest stars in the city, yet you can’t afford a half-decent cutting board?”


    She put a hand on her chest, offended. “Excuse me?”


    I opened her fridge and showed the pathetic contents inside. “What the hell is this?”


    “That’s my fridge, sir—”


    “It’s not a fridge, it’s a fucking…” I pulled out one of the many beers inside. “It’s a fucking cold box of broken dreams.” I threw the beer back with its friends. “There’s what? Leftover takeout, moldy processed cheese, jars of kimchi, it’s like someone died in here.”


    Leo scoffed, her face twitching. “I let you inside my home and the first thing you do is insult my fridge?”


    “Oh, I’m not insulting you yet.” I yanked her freezer open, and a box of microwave-dinner and a bag of frozen chicken nuggets crashed by my feet. “Now I’m insulting you. What the fuck. You eat like this? I’ve seen your trash—” (“You’ve seen my trash.”) “—it’s all cardboard boxes of this garbage!”


    I kicked her microwave-dinner and chicken nuggets.


    Leo screamed in outrage and threw her darling children onto the counter. “Don’t kick ‘em, you asshole! I paid a pretty penny for them—!” (“You’re a millionaire!”) “—why are you raiding my kitchen, anyway?!”


    I clicked my tongue and put the fallen “food” back into the freezer. Or stuffed them in, more accurately. “I’m starving,” I told her. “And I didn’t get a chance to finish dinner, so I thought I’d fix a second dinner for us.”


    “We’ll order something,” she said, pulling her phone out. “Lemme check what places are open at this hour—”


    “I need to work my hands, princess.” I pressed my finger against her phone-screen, not letting her browse. “Plus, when was the last time you had a freshly-cooked meal? That wasn’t from a restaurant or the cancer-in-a-box hogging up your freezer?”


    She scowled and yanked her phone away from me. “Another word from you, and I’m handing you to the Union.”


    Didn’t answer my question. I smacked my lips together and leaned back against a counter, watching the doorway. I exhaled, heat escaping through my breath. “My uncle’s pretty pissed, alright? The assholes got to his head. I thought I’d fix one of his favorites, something simple and easy.”


    The anger in her eyes subsided, and she lowered her phone. “Your uncle? Really? To me, he seems like the kind of man who doesn’t let anything bother him.”


    “Not tonight, no. I…” I rubbed my mouth, trying to figure out what to say. “I don’t know. It’s nothing—well, it’s not nothing, but you know what I mean.”


    Leo held the edge of her phone-case close to her lips. “Right…”


    “I also thought you’d enjoy a home-cooked meal; it’s my way of saying thank-you. You’ve done a lot for us, and I don’t want my gratitude to be left unsaid. If that’s fine by you. You’re the boss here, in more ways than one.”


    All that frustration and annoyance that I shouldn’t have riled were gone, it looked like. Leo dropped her arms and shook her head like I was the most obnoxious man on Earth. It wasn’t wrong. “Where are you getting the ingredients? I’m pretty sure every store is closed.”


    I chuckled. “I know a few places. C’mon, let’s head out.”


    “Wait.” She raised her hand to stop me. “I’m coming with you?”


    “Yeah, I need a warrior-princess to scare away the assassins, and to educate her on real food.”


    “Okay, asshole, you’re lucky that I’m trying to be a nice person.”


    “Mhm, sure. Go fetch your keys.”