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Chapter Text

It was the middle of the night.

Like any other night, Site-17 was still bustling with activity. Researchers rushed back and forth, papers fluttering to the floor as they ran from room to room. Doctors sat busy at their desks, typing away new reports. Agents quietly walked by, whispering into their earpieces. It seemed that everyone was awake.

In the sleeping quarters of Site-17, Alto Clef sat wide awake, staring at his watch. Yosemite was set to erupt in exactly three minutes, and he had measured the timing to the exact microsecond. He left his shotgun on the nightstand beside him, unlocked and loaded, and in his hand he held a small revolver. Clef never went anywhere without one of his “buddies.”

Benjamin Kondraki was fast asleep beside Clef, and he coughed out a dry laugh at the oblivious man. Site-17’s location was in close proximity to Yosemite, and Clef knew that in less than two minutes, chaos would ensue.

At one minute and thirty seconds, Clef shook his boyfriend awake. Kondraki woke with a start, cursing, but upon seeing the clock quickly hoisted himself to his feet and put on his shoes. 

“We should go. Now,” Kondraki ordered. “Why didn’t you wake me up sooner? The bunker is all the way downstairs!”

“We aren’t using the bunker,” Clef smirked. Even with that smug face of his, a sliver of worry still showed beyond his mask. “We’re going to 166’s cell. It’s fortified enough to resist the blast.”

“166? Isn’t that–?”

“Yes, she’s my daughter, we have less than a minute, shut up and GO!”

The pair ran off into the halls.

***

Meridithea suddenly sat up when she heard the cell door unlock. It wasn’t even four in the morning, and the sudden sound had woken her up from an odd dream she was having. She instinctively reached for her dream journal, but her memory was foggy. When she picked up the pen, she couldn’t seem to remember what she’d been dreaming of.

The door locked once more, and Meri looked up to see her father standing with his boyfriend, exhausted and shaken. “What the–”

Before she could finish her sentence, she had been slammed into the ground by the force of her father (at least, that’s what she could make out), and then slammed once more by a distant explosion that shook her entire containment cell. The floor rumbled like waves, and she assumed an earthquake was at fault, – they were near California, after all – but when the rumbling quickly calmed down, she realized something else must have happened.

“Meri? Jesus, Mer–”

“Using the Lord’s name in vain once more?” Meri frowned. Having been raised in a catholic church, she scolded those who said Jesus’s name without a clear reason.

“Sorry. Meri, are you okay?”

“I’m quite alright,” the British deer girl responded. “Shall I even bother to ask you the same?”

“No…no, I’m alright. Ben– yeah, he’s fine.”

Ben raised his hand weakly.

“Okay…yeah…that’s wonderful, but may someone please tell me what the actual hell just happened?” Everyone jumped slightly. It wasn’t like Meri to use the word “hell.”

“Oh, don’t look at me like that! I simply asked for an explanation!”

“I…damn, okay. Hold on.” Clef pulled out his phone, and sure enough, he was getting messages left and right. “Yeah. Yosemite just erupted.”

“Yosemite? Like, in California? Isn’t that–”

“Yeah, it's just, it’s gone. Ben–”

“We’re getting reports of anomalous activity from the epicenter of the eruption,” Kondraki interrupted, stoic as always. “Odd. Something’s off with the levels…”

“Anomalous activity? Crap.”

“Why would there be anomalous activity coming from Yosemite of all places?” Meri questioned. Surely the adults in the room would have an answer for her.

“God knows why.”

Meri opened her mouth to interrupt, to comment on her father’s use of God, but she stopped herself. There were more important things to worry about.

“They’re texting SCiPnet…ah, screw it. They’re saying to report to the auditorium. Old man Gearsy is presenting the data.”

“Data pertaining to…?”

“The eruption, idiot.”

“It just happened, why would they already present data?”

“Can we just go?” Meri stood up, shaking the dust off of her skirt. “I want to hear what he has to say.”

“According to section 45(b), part VII,” her father began, “‘anomalies are not allowed to participate in assemblies pertaining to anomalous activity and/or other anomalies.’ Sorry, kid. You’re staying right here.”

“Do they think this has something to do with me?!”

“No, no. Meri, this isn’t anything personal, you know that. It’s just how things work around here.”

“Aren’t you an anomaly?! You’re a goddamn reality bending deer guy!”

“At least I’m not an ESS SEE PEE.”

“Is there a rule that explains why you aren’t one?!”

“You guys,” Kondraki interrupted. “Stop arguing. Your old man here is already hard of hearing.”

Meri folded her arms and looked away, feeling detested. She was just a stupid anomaly, after all. A number, a label. An animal in a zoo. A specimen to observe, an object to experiment on. Hidden from the world, because God forbid the world found out what they were living amongst. Humans couldn’t even handle their own differences, so how could they handle Meri’s?

“Listen, Meri, we’re just going to hop over to the main conference room, and then we’ll be right back. I can ask Andrea to send 105– I mean, Iris– your way.”

Meri rolled her eyes, but gave up and plopped herself down on the patch of artificial grass in the corner of her cell. “Sure.”

Kondraki sighed and unlocked the cell door, slipping out with Clef, who winked at Meri as he shut the door.

This was going to be a long day.

***

The sun had barely risen, and Dr. Gears was already adjusting his microphone at the podium. The entirety of Site-17 was filing in like a bunch of annoyed high schoolers. It wasn’t like they’d been woken up early; at least three quarters of these people were already hard at work. The other quarter was running on coffee.

Alas, it was true: Gears was here to interrupt their work. The corners of his mouth sunk into his wrinkled face, the closest the man had ever been to smiling, as he thought of how happy he’d be if some higher-up interrupted his job. Unfortunately, Gears was that higher-up.

The only personnel not present at the assembly were the members of the O5 Council, the members of the O5’s personal MTF squad, and Tilda Moose, director of Site-17. 

Well, Moose was present.

She stood off to the side, in the hall, invisible to the audience, typing up a summary of what Gears was about to say. She was the one who had instructed him to present the issue to Site-17, and Gears’ only excuse was his monotone demeanor and voice, which didn’t really back him up.

So there he stood, facing the audience, half of which wasn’t even looking at him. He checked the mic once, twice.

“Hello, personnel of Site-17.” He paused, watching as eyes darted upwards. “I’m sure you all know who I am, but for those who don’t, my name is Charles Ogden Gears. You may call me Dr. Gears, or, if you feel you must, you may refer to me as the COG.

“I’m sure you can all guess why you’re here. A few moments ago, Site-17 felt the impact of the Long Valley Caldera eruption, just east of Yosemite. 

“Normally, we would expect the eruption to destroy buildings and cover the western part of the country in ash. This, of course, did happen, but what we really need to address is the elephant in the room: the anomalous activity spreading from the epicenter of the eruption.” Gears pressed a button on the podium, and the screen behind him changed to show a blurry photo of the volcano and the surrounding area. At first glance, everything seemed normal, at least for an impact of that size. Yet, upon further inspection, it can be seen that something was lurking in the foreground of the image. Static, grainy, screaming.

“Please don’t be alarmed if your ears begin to ring, or if you hear someone whispering. These are normal side effects of the anomalous properties of the eruption.”

Kondraki sat in the back of the conference room, fixated on the presentation, when he heard something whispering beside him. He jumped slightly, then realized what Gears was saying.

Then the whispers turned to laughter.

He turned to his right and saw Clef cover his mouth, trying not to laugh, and Kondraki muttered a profanity before turning back to the presentation. His partner couldn’t get a grip sometimes.

“We are carefully monitoring the situation,” Gears announced. “For now, all personnel must stay indoors until further notice. Please report any unusual disturbances to your supervisor. Thank you. Dismissed.” Gears turned the mic off and walked out of the room, leaving the rest of Site-17’s personnel in silence.

Nobody said a word. They simply stared at the image still being displayed.

“So…breakfast, anyone?” Somebody interrupted. The entire room filled with uneasy laughter as everyone left for the cafeteria.

It was only six in the morning.

***

Meri played with the velvet coating of her antlers as she waited for Iris to arrive. She knew her antlers were getting too long, but she had no idea how to cut them; it must’ve been at least a decade since she had last had her antlers cut, most likely by the church pastor, though she couldn’t recall how he had done it. A bone saw? Large pliers? Maybe I could use a knife…Meri thought to herself, though she felt that a knife would hurt quite a bit if she were to use it. How did real deer do it?

I should check out a book from the library about deer, Meri thought. I’ll ask Andrea to take me, if I can even find a hat big enough to cover these things. She sighed, staring at the pile of unreturned books in the corner of her cell. Meri loved to read all kinds of books, especially her bible. She reached for it from the pile of books. She brought that thing with her everywhere. Her church’s original copy.

There was a knock on the door, and Meri gently placed the book down as Andrea unlocked the cell door, smiling. She moved aside as Iris entered the room, beaming. 

“I’ll pick Iris up in a few hours. She has testing soon.” Andrea flashed a gentle smile at the two, then locked the door.

As soon as the door shut, Iris pulled out her camera and a photo that Meri had never seen before. 

“What is it?” Meri took the photo and inspected it, folding it over in her hands. “A flower?”

“I’m not sure,” Iris stated. “The photo was just…on the floor when I woke up. It’s funny, really. I used up all of my camera’s film yesterday, so there’s no way my camera could’ve taken it.”

“Odd,” Meri muttered. She was a nature enthusiast, so Iris must’ve assumed that she’d know what kind of plant was in the photo. Instead, Meri shook her head and handed the photo back to her. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Seriously?” Iris seemed shocked. “Maybe it’s something exotic.”

“I haven’t a single idea. I plan to ask Andrea if she might be willing to take me to the library today. I shall research more.”

“That might be a good idea. Here, you can keep the photo for now.” Iris handed the photo back to Meri, who slipped it into the pages of her bible. “We could also ask somebody like Zyn.”

“Zyn? I thought she specialized in lepidoptera.”

“Butterflies? Yeah, she does. Maybe one of her co-workers knows about flowers, though.”

“It is certainly likely. Do ask Andrea for me. You have a good memory.” She eyed the camera sitting on Iris’s lap. “A photographic one.”

Iris chuckled. “I would hope so!”

The two remained in Meri’s cell, joking about nonsense. Although the Foundation was a highly guarded place, they were glad to have found each other.

But soon, things were going to change.

Chapter Text

Clef sat in the crowded cafeteria with his colleagues, picking apart his breakfast. Kondraki sat beside him, and Gears and Iceberg sat across. 

“So,” Iceberg started, a little nervous. “Yosemite, huh?”

Nobody responded.

“You guys seem to just be…erupting with excitement!”

Once again, the table remained silent.

“Alright, I’ll stop. Sorry.”

After another long moment of silence, Gears cleared his throat. “Julian and I are working on new reports,” he stated. Iceberg turned around, mouthing me? Gears responded with a nod. “I won’t be doing anymore announcements unless something major comes up. I’m aware my voice isn’t the easiest to listen to.”

“Aww, Charlie, don’t say that! I like your voice,” Julian smiled. The corners of Gears’ mouth edged up just slightly. Clef could’ve sworn the gray, steely man’s face flushed a soft pink for a moment. 

“I, ah. Thank you, Julian. If…if anyone’s interested in reading our reports, you may contact me on SCiPnet. Or Julian. He’s open too.” Julian waved shyly.

“Cool,” Kondraki coughed. “I’m done with breakfast. Thanks.”

“...you’re welcome,” Gears responded, unsure what he was being thanked for. Kondraki grabbed Clef’s hand, dragging him out of the cafeteria and into the hall.

“You looked a bit off,” Kondraki whispered as they walked through the gloomy corridor. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Clef uttered. “Just, um, do you remember…do you remember Lilly?”

Kondraki stopped in his tracks, gripping Clef’s hand tighter. “I never knew her, but I remember you mentioning her.”

“Okay, good, because I have a really funny story,” he forced the words out between his teeth. “You’re gonna laugh.”

“Okay…”

“You know how she’s…dead, right?”

“Yeah. You said a hunter mistook her for an actual deer.”

“Yeah, sure,” Clef said, swallowing his words. “Well, sometimes I just sit there, and I…I see her, and she’s talking to me about some kind of…guilt, or something.”

Kondraki paused. “Hallucinations?”

“I guess? But they’re…they’re realer than that. Like she’s haunting me, you know? Like her ghost is angry at me.”

Kondraki laughed dryly. “You taking your meds?”

“Konny, I’m not joking right now.”

“I know you aren’t. Neither am I.”

“I’m taking my meds! Jesus. She’s real though, Konny, and she…she’s saying things about Meri, and–”

“Al,” Kondraki sighed. “I can take over your shift for the rest of the day. I know the eruption is a lot to take in, and honestly…you should take a nap, Clef.”

“Konny, I don’t need a nap.”

“You never know.”

The two men stared at each other. They had known each other since birth.

“Fine. I’ll go take a nap,” Clef agreed. He grabbed his keys and walked to the elevator. “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye, Al. Sweet dreams.”

“Good luck with my paperwork.”

***

When Andrea came back, Meri quickly got to her feet and asked for a visit to the library.

“Sorry, kid. All personnel must stay on site today after the eruption.”

Meri, defeated, plopped back down on the ground with her arms crossed. “May we visit Zyn?”

“Kiryu? I don’t see why not. She’s never too busy.” Andrea glanced over at Iris. “Iris, it’s time for your testing.”

Iris rolled her eyes, grabbing her camera and walking to Andrea. “I’ll see you later, Meri.”

Meri waved goodbye as one of the researchers took Iris away. It had been a long time since Meri had last been experimented on, mainly because they could just test her father, but she recalled how it felt the first time she had arrived at Site-17, and she felt sorry for Iris. Yet, she couldn’t do much, because just as they had explained, she was just an anomaly. A creature.

She walked with Andrea towards the East Wing of the site, and she laughed to no one but herself, as she came up with a pun regarding the East “Wing” and butterflies. Surely Zyn would laugh. It was funny how the halls transformed from dark, dusty corridors to light green, decorated walls. Zyn’s team was certainly the most cheerful of the bunch.

The entire outdoor area was closed off since the eruption had basically made it impossible for anyone or anything to survive outside. Meri frowned, realizing they must have lost a lot of specimens, and noted to herself to be careful when conversing with Zyn. 

Andrea turned left into a thinner hall, where the offices were located, and knocked on the door by the label marked “Zyn Kiryu, PhD.” Meri smiled at the fabric butterflies covering the door. It was refreshing to see such a bright, decorated atmosphere, as she was used to the dull, unsaturated colors of her wing.

The door opened slowly and Zyn stepped out with a tissue in her hand, wiping tears out of her eyes. “Sorry you– sniff– have to see me like this. Just lost a lot of specimens.”

“Oh, don’t worry at all, Kiryu,” Andrea smiled gently. “I understand.”

The two talked for a moment while Meri awkwardly stood in the hall, waiting for a command. She heard a door open and shut down the hall, and she turned to see a man with orange hair, piercings, and a dragon tattoo on his arm. He smiled at her and walked towards the group.

“Hiya,” he beamed. “I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

“Oh, um, my name is Meridithea– ah, you can call me Meri.”

“That’s a nice name. I’m Riven.”

“Riven…interesting.”

The man smiled blankly.
“Ah– I didn’t mean to be rude! I just, uh, I think your name is very…unique…”

“I would say the same about Meridithea.”

Meri stood there awkwardly, somewhat attracted to the man, but her gaze was interrupted by Zyn and Andrea. “A plant?” Zyn went from grief to excitement in a split second. “I’m not too good at plants, but I could take a look!”

Meri pulled out her bible and Zyn eagerly snatched the photo out of it. The group watched Zyn’s nose crinkle as she inspected it. 

“Weird. I’ve never seen anything like that! Like I said, I’m not too good at recognizing plants.”

“Maybe, uh, maybe Riven?” Meri shyly turned to her right, and Riven flashed his signature smile. 

“I’m the lizard guy, sorry,” he chuckled. “Zyn, maybe your brother?”

“Yeah, him or Shen,” she smiled. “I should meet with Mark, actually. I’m sure he’s available after the incident.”

“Oh, yeah, he was a therapist, wasn’t he?” Riven played with the blue streak in his hair. “Why don’t we head over there?”

“That sounds good!” Andrea beamed. “I’ll leave you to it, Meri. I gotta check up on Iris.” She picked up her suitcase and walked out of the hall.

Zyn and Riven walked Meri down the hall, giving her a little tour of the East Wing and Kiryu Labs. They approached an office at the end of the hall, knocking on the door and smiling as Mark opened the door.

“Oh, hey guys! I was just organizing my office.”

Everybody peered inside to take a look at the highly minimalist office.

“That’s…exactly what it looked like last time I was here, which was yesterday,” Zyn laughed.

“Yeah, well, the stapler is on the top shelf now. Better composition, golden rule, etc. etc. Everything has to be perfect.”

“You bought some new books.”

“Oh, I did! I apologize for the mess! I need to put them on my shelf.” Mark scurried to the corner of the office, lining the books up with…a protractor?

“My brother’s a freak.”

“I see,” Meri nodded. “I am not fond of minimalism, but I understand the appeal.”

Upon hearing her voice, Mark turned around and waved. “Oh, hi! I haven’t met you yet!” He dropped the pile of books onto the floor and walked over with his hand outstretched. “I’m Mark Kiryu!”

Meri wearily shaked the man’s hand. “Meri.” After her encounter with Riven, she decided she would stop introducing herself by her full name.

“Ah, Meri! Pleased to meet you.”

“My pleasure,” Meri uncomfortably pulled away from the man’s sweaty palm and watched as Zyn handed Mark the photo.

“Do you know what this is?” Zyn folded her arms as Mark squinted his eyes at the photo.

“Zyn, I couldn’t even keep my pitcher plant alive.”

Zyn rolled her eyes. “Fine, I’ll ask Shen, since you’re such a genius.”

“Go for it! I don’t know crap about plants.”

The two blew each other raspberries and Mark shut the door. 

“That was quick,” Riven remarked.

“Such is the Kiryu family.”

The three walked into another hall, where a door decorated in red notes stood. Before Zyn could even knock on the door, the man behind it swung it open.

“I sensed your presence.”

“Were we that loud?” Zyn laughed.

“Not you, your aura.” He pointed up and down around Zyn.

“Okay…” Zyn turned to Meri and Riven, shrugging. “Um…plant…plant photo. Do you know what it–”

“I do not.”

“I haven’t even shown you the photo.”

“I can sense it.”

“...can I show you?”

“There is no need.”

“Okay, well, here it is…wait.” Zyn turned around. “Where is it?”

Shen smiled and tapped Zyn’s shoulder, and she turned around to see the man with the photo in his hand. “You are quite easy to pickpocket.”

“Jesus, Shen, you’re gonna scare Meri.”

“I could’ve taken your wallet, but I wanted to seem polite.”

Meri stared in awe as the man looked at the photo with a neutral expression. Upon handing it back, he bowed.

“I apologize, but as I said, I do not recognize the plant.”

“Crap…that’s our last one, guys.” Zyn slumped up against the wall. “Sorry, Meri. Where did you take the photo?”

“I did not take it,” she said. “Iris said she awoke to the sight of the photo in her cell.”

“Interesting. I can ask around for you.”

“That would be splendid!” Meri smiled, letting Zyn keep the photo. “You may call Andrea to return me. Do let me know when you’ve received an answer!”

“Of course,” Zyn nodded as she typed away a message to Andrea.

Meri needed to know the truth.

***

Alto Clef lay awake in bed, trying to spot faces in the ceiling, when he heard a voice.

Francis?

Clef cursed to himself as he sat up in bed, pulling out his shotgun.

Francis, you don’t need to shoot me again.

“What do you want?”

It’s almost evening now, isn’t it?

Clef glanced at the clock. 4:30 pm.

“I guess…?”

Your daughter will be going to bed soon.

“Okay?”

She is going to ask to have a sleepover with Iris.

“I don’t see the problem.”

There isn’t a problem, if you don’t make one.

Clef lowered the gun, his eyes darting back and forth, searching for the disembodied voice.

“What. Do. You. Want?”

Tonight, when Meri goes to sleep, I will visit her in her dreams. I will tell her the truth that you never told her. They call you the Father of Lies, so you may call me the Mother of Truths.

“What truth did I never tell her?”

What you did to me, Francis.

Clef blinked, rubbing his eyes.

“Why does it matter? You deserved it. Don’t try and frame me.”

Francis…I didn’t deserve to die, and you know that. I just wanted…I wanted a child, Francis, I wanted Meri.

“Shut it with your lame, pathetic excuses.”

There was a pause. Clef thought he heard a shatter.

I was ordered by Him, the King. I had to do it…I had to bring an heir unto this world, Francis. I thank you every day. Tonight, I will show Meri the truth. She must become an assistant of the Scarlet King.

Clef waited.

Otherwise, I will not be able to rest. And neither will you.

“...doesn’t make sense.”

Pardon?

“Nothing. I can’t let you invade her dreams.

You cannot stop me. I am an intangible entity now. If you wanted to keep your daughter safe, then you shouldn’t have killed me in the first place.

“That’s it.” Clef pulled the gun out again and stood up. “I don’t know where you are, but you better come out right now, goddamnit, or I’ll make you!”

The door swung open.

Kondraki walked in with his mouth slightly open, confused, concerned.

“Hey…Konny…”

He shut the door behind him and walked to Clef.

“Are you…okay? What the hell was that?”

Clef stood there, staring at the floor, then staring up at Kondraki.

He didn’t say a word.

“...you need…melatonin?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Okay…I’ll go get some from downstairs.”

“Mhm.”

Kondraki left, shutting the door.

Clef shoved the gun under his bed.

He prayed that Meri wouldn’t dream tonight.

Chapter Text

Meri dreamed that night.

Iris slept on the floor in her sleeping bag while Meri slept on the cot.

In Meri’s dream, she saw a woman.

Tall, beautiful, ethereal. A goddess, perhaps? Her figure was too blurry to make out clearly. She adorned a white, flowy dress. Her skin was pale. She appeared ghostly, almost. And atop her head…were those…antlers?

“Who are you?”

My name is Lilly. I am your mother, dear.

“My mother? She died when I was born.”

That is true. I am here now, though, in spirit.

“You…you were shot by…by a hunter.”

Lilly laughed. Laughed and laughed and laughed. A gentle laugh that erupted into rage and hysteria.

Lies, all LIES! No hunter would be that idiotic.

“I…are you saying…my father is lying?”

My dearest Meri. Your father is a lying serpentine! Do not listen to a word that man utters!

“He’s my father…”

And I am your mother.

“But this is a dream! How do I know that?”

Suddenly, Meri’s vision adjusted, and she saw Lilly clearly. She looked…almost exactly identical to her.

“You’re beautiful.”

You are as well, my sweetest Meri.

Then, Meri started sobbing.

“Where were you?! How are you here? What happened??”

Meri…your father. He…

“He what? What did he do?!”

Years ago…when you were born, he–

BANG.

Meri woke up to the sight of her father’s maniacal face, holding his shotgun. “Don’t listen to her!”

Iris woke up, staring at Meri, then Clef, then Meri again, confused. “What–”

Kondraki stumbled through the door, shoving Clef aside. “What’s wrong with you, Al?”

Clef stood there, swaying, dropping the gun to the floor and glancing around. Then, Meri spoke.

“She’s really pretty.”

Nobody said a word.

“She…what did you do to her?”

Kondraki flicked on the lights, and Meri winced as she adjusted.

“I think you have some explaining to do,” Kondraki sighed as he faced Clef.

He very much did.

***

Decades ago, Clef was not the Clef we know today.

In fact, he didn’t even go by Clef.

His name was Francis, and he had shaggy blonde hair and freckles. He did not bear antlers, nor did he bear a tail, nor floppy ears, nor fangs, nor a third eye. He was simply a normal, human boy. He spoke English and Polish well, and he was rather reckless, though this fact has not changed. He liked to run, to yell, to roll around in the grass and get his clothes all dirty and ragged. 

Kondraki, known as Benjamin (or Ben) at the time, was Francis’ next door neighbor, and he was practically the polar opposite of him. He was quiet, shy, and cautious. He had dark, long hair, glasses too big for his face, and he wore his father’s oversized clothes because his family couldn’t afford clothes in his size. They also feared that Francis would be a bad influence, for if Ben received his own clothes, he might follow Francis and get his clothes dirty. 

Ben was far too cautious to even consider such a thing, as he usually stayed indoors, reading. He was also fluent in English and Polish. That was the only thing the two boys had in common. 

One day, Ben’s parents urged to go outside “for some fresh air,” but he had a feeling that his parents were just going to argue while he was gone. He supposed that gave him another reason to leave the house, and without hesitation, he took his book and ran into his backyard.

He sat on a log in the corner and flipped open his book, smiling. The sun made a good reading light, and the air smelled…alive, and he wondered why he hadn’t tried reading outside before. 

Oh, yeah, Francis.

He put his book down on the log and crept over to the fence, peering in between the bars, checking if Francis was playing in his own yard. He didn’t see him at first, but when he heard laughter erupting, he rolled his eyes and climbed over the fence.

“Konny!!” Francis called, and the nickname stuck for the rest of his life. “Can I call you that? I think it’s funny.”

“Please don’t,” Ben rolled his eyes.

“You sure do have a habit of rolling your eyes,” he giggled. “Maybe one day they’ll get stuck in the back of your head!”
“That’s not scientifically possible.”

Francis frowned and mocked his buddy.

“Who cares if something’s scientifically possible? What about, like, magic?”

“Magic is just something humans created using their imaginations.”

“Can’t you have an imagination, Konny?”

Ben stood there, arms crossed, pouting. “Why would I waste my time thinking of things that don’t exist? I’m fine with how things are. I’m fine knowing that we have cats and dogs and the sky is blue and the grass is green. I don’t need any magical fairy nonsense.”

“Come on! Not even unicorns?”

“No! Those would just be biologically modified horses created by breeding a narwhal with a Lipizzan!”

Francis paused, fidgeting. “Breeding?”

“I am not explaining that to you.”

“Fine! But when I find some monster in the woods, you better believe me!”

“We shall see.”

“In fact,” Francis began, twirling his finger and pointing at the woods. “I’m gonna go there right now to prove to you that magic is real!”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Magic or not, wolves could hunt you down.”

“I’ll fight them with my magic wand!” Francis picked up a stick and waved it around. “Pew! Pew! Abracadabra!”

Ben rolled his eyes once more.

“I’m going and you can’t stop me,” Francis yelled.

“You’re right, I can’t stop you.”

Francis beamed. “Okay, well, bye! I’ll be back before curfew to let you know what I find!”

“I’d be surprised if you came back alive.”

Francis ran off into the woods, and Ben climbed back over the fence and continued to read his book. A non-fiction book about butterflies. Real, informative, educational.

***

Francis trekked through the cold, dense woods, humming to himself. Occasionally, he waved his “magic wand” stick and pretended to be a wizard. 

He climbed up trees, slid down ditches, hopped over puddles, and ducked under branches as he crept deeper and deeper into the woods. It would be wrong to say that the young boy wasn’t athletic.

After a while, he found a clearing, a beautiful clearing, and he wished he had a camera to take a photo. It was bright, the grass was a perfect shade of green, there were butterflies in the air, flowers in the ground, and even a small pond. Francis beamed. 

“Magic,” he whispered.

He ran to the center of the clearing and flopped down on the floor, ruining his hair and clothes, but he didn’t care. He loved it here, and this was his magic. He couldn’t wait to laugh at Ben when he got home.

Then, a shadow fell over him.

He sat up and saw a woman sitting across from him. She was maybe in her early twenties, but my, was she beautiful. Godlike, angelic, heavenly. Francis had never seen such a pretty face before. The face smiled at him, and he smiled back.

“Hello there,” she said, in a velvety, elegant voice. “Are you lost?”

Francis blinked a few times. “N-no! I was just exploring.”

“Exploring? Hmm…” she gently laughed. “Well, it isn’t often that I see huma–I mean, people, coming this way. Where do you live?”

“Uhh, umm,” Francis stuttered. “C-Cornwall.”

The woman laughed. “Oh, silly, this is Cornwall!”

“Oh, right. Yeah. I live down there, past the woods.” He pointed behind the girl. “Where…where do you live?”

“My home,” she began. “Is down that way.” She pointed in the opposite direction.

“Oh, cool.”

She smiled. “So, what’s your name, sweetheart?”

“Oh, um, I’m Francis.”

“Francis, hm? A beautiful name. My name is Lilith, but you may call me Lilly.”

“Lil…Lilly. Okay. Hi.”

She laughed once more.

“Jeez, you sure laugh a lot.”

“Hmm-hmm, I don’t see anything wrong with a bit of laughter.”

“No, no, there’s nothing wrong with that!”

“I know, dear,” she giggled. “How old are you?”

“I’m…I’m nine and a half…”

“Ohh, quite young.”

“How old are you?”

Lilly coughed, not expecting the question, and quickly asked, “how old do I look?”

“I dunno, maybe 26?”

“Then I’m 26,” she grinned, and Francis noticed her fangs. 

“Your teeth…” he looked up. Sticking out from the top of her head was a pair of antlers. “Antlers…you have a tail, too,” he pointed. “And ears! Fluffy ones!”

“That’s correct,” she bowed her head so Francis could reach her antlers. “See?”

“Wow,” he remarked, carving the rough, wood-like appendages. “Are you…magical?”

She laughed, this time louder than before, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Oh, dear, I suppose you could say that!”

“I knew it!” He jumped, ecstatic. “I knew magic was real! Oh man, Konny is gonna lose it!”

“Konny?”

“Oh, right,” Francis stood. “Konny’s my neighbor. He keeps talking about how magic is fake and stuff, so now I can take him into the woods so he can see you’re real!”

“I see,” Lilly seemed disappointed. “I just…I wanted this to be a secret, between you and me.”

“A secret?”

“Yes, a secret. I…I don’t want anyone else to know about me. I don’t want…people to come find me. I trust you with this, Francis. I trust you.”

This was the first time Francis knew he would have to lie.

And, oh, it stirred something deep within him, something dark. Lies, lies, lies! They were meant to protect others, correct? If that was the case, then there was no problem with lying! He was just keeping his new friend safe.

He agreed to keep Lilly’s secret, and he ran through the woods and back out into his backyard. It wasn’t so far after all.

Ben waited for him there. “Francis! It’s getting dark out, I thought you got hurt.”

“Nope! I’m all good.”

“So,” Ben laughed. “Did you see any magic?”

Francis beamed, but then quickly realized. He would have to lie.

He liked the word. It had a nice sound to it, and it rhymed with lots of things. Pie, cry, sigh, die…

“Francis?”

Francis looked up. “Oh, sorry! I didn’t see any magic. I guess you were right! Magic isn’t real after all.”

Ben’s jaw sank a bit. “...really? That’s it?”

“You said it yourself. Magic isn’t real, so why should I think otherwise?”

“I guess you’re right.” Ben shifted. He had a feeling something was off.

They stood, facing each other, speculating, and then Ben checked his watch. “Dang, it’s nearly curfew! I’ll see you later!”

“Yeah…see ya,” Francis waved. 

He couldn’t wait to see his new friend tomorrow.

***

Lilly sat patiently in the clearing, waiting for Francis to return. She was growing impatient, especially without a proper way to tell time. She didn’t know how to read clocks, anyway. She just wished that the time would pass quicker. She played with the flowers as she waited. 

She heard a rustle in the trees, and she perked up, but was only met with disappointment upon seeing a rabbit jump out of the bushes. Her stomach grumbled, and she realized how hungry she was. Her deer instincts kicked in.

Food.

The small, light brown rabbit hopped around momentarily before spotting Lilly and freezing in its tracks. She crouched down in the grass and waited.

The rabbit sniffled.

Lilly was in the air, thinking target locked, mouth open…

Another rustle in the bushes, and, upon being distracted, Lilly landed face-first in the grass as the rabbit skittered away.

“Oh, Francis, hello!”

Francis stood there in mild disbelief and confusion. “That rabbit…”

“Yes, that rabbit!” Lilly’s stomach grumbled. “Darn it! It ran away.”

“You were going to eat a rabbit?”

Lilly cocked her head. “I was hungry.”

Francis patted the dirt and leaves off of his pants. “Do deer eat rabbits?”

“Occasionally.”

Francis looked around the clearing. Birds sang in the trees, squirrels skittered by, and butterflies perched on flowers. Even the small pond was filled with fish.

“Must be a good place to live if you’re a deer.”

Lilly folded her arms and sighed. “Yes…supposedly, but I still have to cook back home.” She pointed towards a path in the woods. “It’s down that way.”

Francis raised his eyebrows. “May I see?”

“My house? Hmm…” Lilly paused. “One moment. Stay here.”

Lilly ran off towards her house, hitting her antlers on a twig, but continuing on and on until she had made it to her front porch. The dilapidated, musty old building looked like it could fall apart at any moment, but Lilly adored her home in the middle of the woods, where nobody would spot her. She sat on the porch and steepled her fingers.

“My Lord,” she began. “Lord of Scarlet, of crimson blood. Art thou still seeking for an heir?”

A lightning bolt hit a tree a few yards from Lilly. The weather was clear and sunny.

Lilith, I require an heir now more than ever. Francis is the only human you have spoken to. You must choose him to provide an heir.

“But he’s…what is he, nine? That is young for a human, correct?”

Lilith, I demand it.

“I can’t do it. He’s a child,” she wept.

Lilith.

Lightning struck the tree next to her.

Lilith, it must be him.

“Can’t I wait a few more years? He seems like such a sweet boy!”

There was a pause.

I shall give you four years. You have four years to bring me a new heir. For now, you must gain Francis’ trust until the time has come. I will remind you, Lilith, and you will not forget.

Every flower within ten yards of Lilly suddenly died.

“I understand, my Lord.”

Good job.

And he was gone.

Lilith ran back to the clearing, wiping the tears from her face, and Francis quickly ran up to her and asked what was wrong.

“We can’t go to my house right now. I’m sorry.”

“Why not?”

“It…It’s not safe, dear. It–” She looked up at the sky. She felt the heavens scowl at her. “You must go home. Please.”

“But I just got here!”

“Francis, please. You must go home!”

He abided, running through the trees. Lilly collapsed onto the floor, sobbing. 

“You deceitful king!”

Tears ran down her face, falling onto the ground, and flowers began to bloom where the drops landed. She wiped her face and stood.

She had no other choice.

***

Years passed.

The oblivious little Francis was turning thirteen now, and he was still the same reckless boy he was before. Ben was still the skeptic, and at Francis’ birthday party (which consisted of Ben and no one else, for the two were homeschooled), he told his friend the following.

“You’re getting too old for these silly games.”

Francis paused midway through putting a slice of cake in his mouth. He dropped the fork and it clattered on the table.

“No such thing.”

Ben reached for a slice. “You’re thirteen and you still believe in magic.”

“Because it’s real, and I’ve seen it, but I can’t tell you anything else.”

“Mhm,” Ben said, chewing his slice of cake. Swallowing, he muttered, “I guess some people mature later.”

For years now, Francis had fought himself not to tell anyone the truth about Lilly, and he admitted it had been very difficult, and he was starting to doubt how much longer he could keep the secret. 

After finishing the cake, Ben handed him an oddly shaped present.

“It’s your birthday, after all.”

Francis stared in disbelief. “You’ve never given me any gifts.”

“I could never afford them, so I’ve been saving up since you turned ten.”

“Oh my,” he unwrapped the present. “A…a guitar?”

“It’s a ukulele,” he smiled. “I got you some extra money so you can go take lessons.”

“I–” Francis beamed. “Thank you! Thank you so much!” He hugged his best friend. “I love it! I’m gonna learn how to play it!”

Ben watched, satisfied, as Francis ran around in circles with his new ukulele.

Maybe magic IS real, Ben thought.

***

Lilly sobbed into the fur of a dead rabbit as she begged and pleaded with the Scarlet King.

“My Lord, please! Give it another year!”

Lilith, I require an heir at once. Francis is now thirteen.

“He’s still too young!”

It does not matter.

“He– hic! He can’t…”

Francis stumbled into the clearing.

“Lilly! I’m thirteen now– Lilly…?”

Lilly threw the rabbit aside and put on a smile. “Happy birthday, Francis!” She choked on her words.

“Lilly? Were you crying?”

“Oh, no, no, dear. I’m just…I have allergies.”

Francis slowly walked up to Lilly, placing his hand on her shoulder. “It’s alright, Lilly. It’s okay to cry.”

Lilly looked at the young boy beside her, then looked up at the sky, then back at the boy, and cried. A loud, whining cry.

It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to cry. The words echoed in her head like a lullaby as she wept on the floor.

The king needed an heir, and she would need to provide him with one. Now. 

She gripped Francis by the arm and ran with him to her house.

She swung open her door.

“Welcome home, Francis.”

Chapter Text

The house was dark except for a few candles placed here and there, and the floor creaked as Francis cautiously made his way through what appeared to be the living room, although there certainly wasn’t much “living” within there.

“F-Francis,” Lilly stuttered. “Francis, come upstairs.”

Francis looked up at his friend, who was standing halfway up the staircase. “Come on, Francis. I prepared my room just for you.”

“You sound kinda weird.”

“Weird? No no no, Francis, I’m not- I’m not weird. Come upstairs, please.”

He slowly made his way upstairs, and Lilly walked Francis into her room.

“Look, this is my room, see? It’s very nice, isn’t it?”

“Yeah…”

“Francis, I need you to do me a favor.”

“Of course.”

“I need you to–”

***

“Dad? Dad. You’re shaking.”

Alto Clef looked up at his daughter.

“Dad. You can skip this part.”

“What?”

“You can skip this part, dad. I get it. I wasn’t supposed to exist.”

Clef choked on his words. “No, honey, that’s not true.”

“Just skip this part and continue.”

“Fine, fine, alright. Let’s see…”

***

For months, Francis was kept inside of the house. He missed the sunlight, he missed Ben, he missed…he missed the world without magic, because magic was dangerous, and he was starting to realize why.

He still had his ukulele with him, but he had no idea how to play it, so he casually strummed it whenever he felt afraid. It soothed him, in a way, as he waited for the perfect chance to escape.

Nine months later, Meri was born.

She had a full head of blonde hair, small fangs, and tiny horns. She was just the perfect little girl, and Francis suddenly felt the need to protect her with his life.

Then, Lilly took Francis to the bathroom, where he saw his reflection for the first time in nearly a year.

He had antlers, and fangs, and a third eye that was shut, and floppy ears, and hooves, and a tail. He looked just like Lilly.

Lilly, in her weakened state, smiled as she ruffled his hair. “You’re so beautiful, dear.”

Francis ran to the kitchen. He grabbed a knife.

“Francis! What the hell is wrong with you? Put that down this instant!”

Meri started wailing like a siren, and he winced as his ears rang, but he kept the knife positioned in his hand, facing towards Lilly.

“Francis, put that down–”

He struck.

Right in her heart, and the blood poured out like a river, and the heavens seemed to open but not for Lilly, because Lilly would never make it up there, and neither would Francis, but it was better than nothing, because at least Meri could get there somehow. And, to make sure of this, he dumped Lilly’s body in the yard, and ran off to the streets, where he handed Meri to a random Catholic church. Surely that would get her closer.

He laughed maniacally to himself, because he found it very funny that the child of a demon was going to grow up Catholic.

He fell on his knees in the middle of the forest and wept. 

He decided he never wanted to go home, he never wanted to see Ben again, ever, and that from now on, he was going to live in the forest, just like Lilly.

***

“And then, you know, the GOC abducted me, and then we got reunited, and, yeah, you already know how that goes.”

The entire room was deathly silent.

“You killed my mother,” Meri slowly spoke. “You…you killed her.”

“Meri, she tried to- I mean she did, she–”

“You killed her, you goddamn MONSTER! You killed my MOTHER!”

“Meri, Meri. Do you understand what she did to me?”

“Do you understand anything?!”

“Meri. That’s not important right now. Meri, the Scarlet King is looking for you. The eruption, the anomalous activity…I think it’s him, Meri.”

Iris swayed back and forth, muttering to himself, and Kondraki shook his head.

“Are you guys serious? She’s a demon, for Pete’s sake.”

“You’re a murderer.”

Clef turned to look at Iris. “You’re a murderer.”

Clef paused. “Yeah, I am.”

The room felt cold.

“What I need right now is…we need to go to Cornwall. We need to go back home, and we need to put Lilly’s body where it belongs, inside her home, and then…and then maybe, Meri, I can take you to visit the church, and then we can all…we can all have just a jolly good reunion, and we can forget that any of this happened, and that I was a stupid goddamn teenager.”

Silence.

Iris stood. “Sure, I’ll go. Sounds like fun.”

“If she’s going, I’m going,” Meri nodded.

Kondraki rolled his eyes. “A vacation? Seriously? A volcano just erupted.”

“Who cares,” Clef barked. “I’m a goddamn reality bender.” He lifted his arms and the ash outside miraculously cleared. “Don’t worry, it’s still smoldering in California.”

“That’s nothing new,” Kondraki scoffed. “You got tickets?”

Clef pulled out his phone. “Right ‘atcha.”

***

Flight 201, now boarding.

The announcements muttered indistinguishably as the group weighed their bags.

“Sir, your bag exceeds the maximum weight allowed on your flight.”

Clef hissed to himself. “One sec, guys. I’ll sort this out, go on ahead.”

Kondraki stayed with Clef as Iris and Meri walked towards security. From the suitcase, Clef pulled out a shovel, two pistols, a shotgun, two canisters of bullets, a bullet-proof vest, and pepper spray.

“Sir,” the woman at the counter stuttered. “You can’t…you can’t bring any of these things on board. I’m going to have to confiscate your bag.”

“I have a license,” Clef smirked. He pulled out an ID. “Here.”

The woman inspected it carefully. “Navy veteran?”

“Yes ma’am.”

She nodded. “Thank you for your service.” She handed the ID back and helped Clef put his items back in the bag.

“You really are the Father of Lies,” Kondraki whispered as they walked away.

“And now you know how that started,” Clef grinned. “Thanks, Ben.”

“You’re welcome.”

***

After showing his fake ID at security, Clef led the group to the gate, where they anxiously waited for their flight to board. Meri and Clef both donned large hats to hide their deer features. Kondraki drank his fourth cup of coffee. Meri read her bible. Iris took photos of the plane outside (Andrea had given her extra film). Clef stared at the wall.

Nobody spoke a word.

“Group 1 is now boarding,” announced the gate agent.

“We’re group 4,” Clef said quietly. Everyone else pretended not to hear him.

Iris walked over to Meri and showed her some of the photos she had taken. “I don’t know much about planes.”

“Neither do I,” Meri shook her head, putting her bible down. “I’m not fond of artificial flight.”

Iris laughed dryly. “You still have an English accent, you know?”

“I am aware,” she sighed. “My father does not, for the GOC must’ve trained him to speak in a more American tone to avoid suspicion from foreign countries, though it doesn’t matter now. Sometimes his accent slips, and I find it quite funny.”

“Weird. He’s about as American as you can get.”

“Yes. What is it they say? Yeehaw?”

Iris burst out laughing. “It’s– I mean, yeah, yeehaw!”

Meri giggled, uncertain as to why, but she felt better being distracted.

Clef and Kondraki watched quietly, smiling, Kondraki leaning on his shoulder. “They’re good kids,” he smiled.

“Yeah,” Clef sighed. “Good kids.”

Kondraki looked up at him. “You were a good kid too. We all were.”

“I killed someone.”

“I forgive you.”

Clef looked at Kondraki, laughing because of how ridiculous the situation was, and then sobbing.

“It’s alright, Al. It’s alright.”

***

Ten hours later, they were in England.

They got a taxi to drive them to a street in Cornwall, and upon turning there, Kondraki and Clef both took deep breaths. “Looks about the same,” Kondraki sighed.

The taxi dropped them off and they walked to the edge of the forest, dragging their suitcases along. “Sorry, guys, we couldn’t afford a hotel.”

“We’re sleeping in the woods?”

“No,” Clef laughed. “I did some research, and my old house is empty. We can sneak in through the back.”

“Try not to be too loud,” Kondraki warned. “You never know.”

The group looked around and descended into the woods, lifting their suitcases over the grass as they crept deeper into the forest. They exited through the other side, where a small house’s back faced them.

“My backyard,” Clef nodded.

“I guess after the police reports, nobody wanted to stay here.”

“Police reports?” Meri twitched.

“After Clef didn’t come home on his birthday, we filed a missing persons report. The police showed up, searched the house, and soon enough, the entirety of this town knew about some kid named Francis going missing. And, of course, we never found him.”

Meri stared at the woods, and she felt it stare back.

“Meri, or anyone here,” Clef commanded. “If you guys hear whispers, or see things moving, or have weird dreams, report to me. I’ll be ready.”

“Jet lag hits hard,” Iris yawned. “I should be in bed, but the sun is out here.”

“Sorry, let me just–” Clef raised his arms, and the sky turned dark. “Goodnight.” He walked into the house.

Meri and Iris looked at each other, smiling as they walked inside the abandoned house, taking their shoes off at the entrance. Clef, upon spotting them, laughed.

“It’s not a temple, freaks.” He chuckled as he walked up the stairs, Kondraki following.

Meri checked the drawers for books while Iris checked the fridge for food. They were suddenly interrupted by Clef cheering.

“My old clothes are still here!” He called down the stairs. “See if you guys can fit in them.”

Iris and Meri dashed up the stairs, expecting something fancy, but were instead greeted by dirty rags and ripped fabric.

“You expected rich kid stuff?” Clef scoffed. “I was practically homeless. Look at this goddamn shed.” He threw what appeared to be a shirt to Iris. “Try it on, kid.”

“Which hole’s for the head?” She squinted, turning the fabric over in her hands. Clef confidently pointed at it.

Within a few minutes, they were having a fashion show, except it certainly wasn’t as elegant as the red carpet. Kondraki avoided looking at what he considered stupidity. Let the kids– and Clef– have fun, he thought.

Meri twirled in her dress (it was really just a long shirt) and laughed as Iris made a scarf out of a random sheet of leather. Clef sat, satisfied that he had made his kid and her friend happy, and Kondraki smiled at the fact that his partner was happy, and everyone smiled because for one moment towards the end of the world, everyone was happy.

That was only one moment, though.

Lightning struck outside, hitting a tree nearby and setting it on fire.

“Looks like we’re in for a storm,” Kondraki sighed. “Hopefully nothing comes up.”

“The sky’s perfectly clear, though,” Iris squinted. “Why would lightning strike like that?”

Meri adjusted her rags and walked over to the window. The fire burned on and on, but luckily the tree was rather isolated from the rest of the woods. 

“The placement of that tree is also quite odd,” she motioned.

“It’s just a tree,” Clef spat. “I’ll get some water from the well to put it out.”

“What if lightning strikes again?” Meri warned.

“Meri, I’m five-foot two, for Pete’s sake. If Zeus wanted to strike me down, he’d have to be myopic,” Clef barked.

Kondraki silently adjusted his glasses.

“I’ll help you fill up a bucket,” Iris offered.

“Alright, then. Just follow me to the backyard,” Clef shouted as he descended the staircase, Iris following.

Meri and Kondraki sat awkwardly in Clef’s old bedroom. The two had never spoken much one-on-one, yet Meri still thought of Ben as her second father. He scratched his beard and turned around, folding his partner’s rags and putting them neatly into the closet.

Meri pulled out her bible and read.

The Scarlet King, the devil even, was out for her, but with her bible she knew she had Jesus on her side, and she felt comforted.

She was reading about Noah’s Ark when it started to rain.

She laughed at the irony, looking out of the window and watching her father and her best friend shrieking and laughing in the rain. It was a miracle. They didn’t even need to fetch water.

They came back inside, soaking and giggling, and Kondraki wrapped them in blankets, and everyone sat and watched the rain patter outside and everything was perfect and fine.

It rained the entire day, and eventually everyone fell asleep.

Meri started to dream.

Meri, I see you’ve come home.

Lilly crouched down and played with Meri’s blonde hair. It looks and feels just like mine.

Meri didn’t say a word.

It’s a lot to take in, I know. Your father…goodness, a murderer at the ripe age of thirteen!
“And a father.”

I beg your pardon?

“He always lied about his age. I believed he was in his 40s, maybe 50s, but twenty-nine? I’m sixteen! What the hell?!”

Oh, Meri. If I had a choice, I would have spared him.

“You had a choice. You always have a choice. You could’ve…you could’ve sacrificed yourself.”

But, Meri, what would the world be without you?

“Shut up, shut up! A volcano erupted because of me. Something that could’ve been so easily prevented sixteen years ago.”

So you wish to have never been born?

Meri felt a shiver run down her spine.

“No, no. I just…I wish. I wish I was a normal girl.

“I wish I was a normal, human girl going to school in England with her normal, human friends. I wouldn’t mind lacking powers. I’d be happier that way. Humans always dream of having powers, but they don’t realize the truth, they don’t realize the hardships that come with those powers. They don’t realize that being different means being disliked, because they’ve never been different. I don’t mean different by the way you dress, or the way you talk. I mean different by…well, look at me.

“Look at me, and pretend you’re a human. How do you think you’d react? You’d panic, yes? You hid in the woods your entire life because you didn’t want anyone to find you. I didn’t have a choice because you didn’t give me one.

“Lilly. Mom. I…the world is ending, and it’s all my fault. It’s all…it’s all your fault.”

Lilly gently smiled, and Meri felt the pain behind her lips, and she wept, and they both wept, and Lilly wrapped Meri in a warm embrace. They stayed like that for some time, an unclear amount of time, and when Meri finally let go, she woke up.

“Dad?” She turned around. Nobody was in the house.

She heard a scream.

Outside, in the woods, Clef held a shotgun, Iris sobbed, and Kondraki muttered to himself.

Meri stared at the skeleton on the ground.

Lilly.

Chapter Text

“It’s just…it’s just bones,” Kondraki whispered. “Barely any skin. Are those her teeth? I can’t even tell.”

“Yeah…the canines, see? Fangs.”

Meri stared at her mother’s empty eyesockets. 

“It’s, uh, it’s pretty gruesome. You can see, uh–”

“Nah, you can’t see crap. It’s all bones. You can’t see her organs or anything, like where I–” he gulped. “Where the knife hit her. I just didn’t expect to find her in the same place. I thought, you know, if the police had been called, someone might’ve already found the body. Not sure if they even did a DNA test. They never suspected a kid, and Lilly was never reported missing since she lives alone in her house."

Iris wiped her face on her sleeves. She turned away from the body.

Meri gripped her bible.

“Usual Foundation work,” Clef dryly chuckled. “I work with dead guys all the time, I dunno why–” he paused. “I don’t know why this is any different.”

“You knew her,” Meri spoke. “You…you trusted her.”

Clef sighed. “I did, didn’t I?” He laughed. “Dumb move.”

Nobody said a word.

“Alright, then, time to put her back in her place.” He lifted her up, carefully grabbing all of her bones, and everybody followed as he walked deep into the woods.

After a little bit, they made it to a clearing.

The grass in the clearing was dead, the fish in the pond were all dead, and there was no sign of life.

“This…this was the clearing.”

Kondraki looked around at the devastated area.

“Her house…her house is that way.” Everyone followed.

They made it to a rather large, dark house. The front porch had almost entirely collapsed, the door hung open on its hinges, and it smelled of rats.

Clef took the group upstairs to Lilly’s bedroom. The bedsheets were on the floor.

“Exactly as we left it,” he sighed. He fixed the bedsheets, fluffed the pillows, and rested Lilly’s body on the bed.

Meri whispered a prayer. Clef turned away, walking outside. “I’m gonna get some fresh air.”

Iris followed Clef outside. Then Kondraki did. Meri stayed inside, watching her mother.

“You alright?” She whispered.

No answer.

“That’s fine,” Meri sighed. “I’m going to leave now.”

Meri made her way to the door, but was interrupted by a whisper.

Meri?

“Yeah?”

Thank you.

“Of course,” she paused. “Love you, mom.”

And she was gone.

***

Once everyone had returned to Clef’s backyard, he and Kondraki both received a phone call at the same time, and excused themselves to go answer it. Meri and Iris nervously waited on the back porch.

“Doctor Alto Clef, A.K.A. Agent Ukulele speaking, you’ve reached my Foundation telephone number.”

“Hiya, Al!” A polite, yet nervous voice spoke on the other side. “It’s Troy. Heard you guys were in England.”

“Yeah, just a little vacation.”

“Cool, cool, well. We saw you use your reality bending abilities to lift the smoke off the air, which is really neat, but it’s back now.”

“It’s back? The barrier should last at least a week.”

“Yeah, well, this ain’t normal volcano activity. And that’s not ash, it’s some other thing that we’re getting tested. We kinda need you guys back here.”

Clef glanced at Kondraki, mouthing “Iceberg.”

“Yeah, Konny’s on the phone with Iceberg. Same thing?”

“Yeah, we, uh– crap.” Clef heard coughing over the line. “Yeah, it’s pretty nasty up here. We might evacuate the site. You guys should come back.”

“C’mon, man, we just got here.”

“I’m serious–” another bout of coughing. “Sorry, Al, but the air here– if you can even call it air– feels like the lungs of someone who smoked for fifty years. And got lung cancer. Stage 4.”

“That sounds bad.”

“It is, man, and Sophia still brings the cigarettes around, and I’m not gonna be surprised if she dies young.”

“Okay–”

“Listen, bring everyone back here. Airports probably won’t let you fly here so we’ll send a heli over. Check the news, too. I think we’ve done a good job covering up the anomalous crap.”

“Okay, well,” Clef looked at Kondraki, who had finished his phone call. “Yeah, okay, send a heli over, I’ll give you my location.”

“Thanks a ton, man. See you soon.”

Beep.

Kondraki stared blankly at Clef, who sank a little. “Can’t even get a vacation at the Foundation.”

“That rhymed.”

“It sure as hell did. Might as well call me Doctor Seuss instead of Doctor Clef.”

“Cimmerian’s the writer, though.”

“Cimmerian? Oh, yeah, the guy with the burn covering half his face? Yeah, sure, whatever.”

Clef opened the sliding door to the back porch. “Time to disappoint the kids.”

Iris and Meri turned around, and Clef and Kondraki sat on the stair behind them. “So, uh, we’re going home.”

“What?”

“We’re going home. They’re sending a heli. Things got bad with the eruption and now we’ve gotta leave. At least we got the job done.”

“Wait,” Meri stood. “What about the church?”

“We can visit them another time.”

“Another time?! What if the world ends?”

“Then you’ll have nothing to worry about.”

Meri scowled at her father and turned around in defeat. Iris sighed, snapped a photo of the woods, and put her camera away. “I’ll go pack.”

Kondraki patted Clef’s back. “You did the right thing.”

Clef nodded. He hoped he’d done something right, for once.

***

In the large conference room of Site-17, Dr. Gears delivered another speech.

“The ash from the volcano is thickening abnormally, and anomalous levels are rising. We have yet to find the root cause for this unusual activity, and we advise that all personnel continue to remain indoors. If necessary, we will provide oxygen masks.”

Troy turned to his right, watching as Sophia lit a cigarette.

“Are you serious?”

Sophia took a whiff and smiled. “End of the world, honey. What’re we gonna do about it?”

“It’s not– goddamnit, it’s not the end of the world, Sophia, stop making up bull–”

“It’s the end of the world. I know it is. The only way to stop it…” she lit another cigarette and handed it to Troy. “...is a sacrifice.”

“Babe, what the hell are you talking about?”

“I know about as much as you do. I can’t tell you who needs to be sacrificed, or why…not because I’m keeping secrets, but because frankly, I don’t know.”

Troy handed Sophia the lit cigarette. “I’m gonna go. Presentation’s over.” He looked around. “Everyone already left.”

“Time passed by. Is this a new concept for you?”

Troy shook his head. “You’re driving me nuts.”

“I don’t even have a license, dear,” she laughed. “See you later.”

Troy flicked off the lights, and Sophia Light was left in the dark.

***

One of the Foundation’s specialized helicopters arrived in England after nearly a day, and the group quickly loaded into the back. Meri clutched her only possession, her bible, and scratched at the headphones she was forced to wear, for her doe ears were too large for them.

She watched her father chat with the pilot, though she couldn’t hear a word they were saying over the sound of the radio and the propeller. The engine buzzed underneath as the helicopter took off. Iris snapped a few photos from the air.

“How bad’s the mess?” Kondraki yawned, tapping Clef’s shoulder. He turned around and mouthed, “what?”

“Ask the pilot. How bad’s the mess?”

“Is dad the best?”

“How. Bad’s. The. Mess.’

“How ‘bout the rest?”

“Goddamnit.” Kondraki pulled out his phone, then realized there was no signal. He swore.

Iris fell asleep, and Meri watched, feeling somewhat melancholy. She remembered the photo, remembered Zyn, remembered Andrea. I guess they never figured that out.

It didn’t seem to matter anymore, anyway. The photo couldn’t have been relevant, right? Meri yawned. The stress of the past few days finally hit her, and she fell asleep.

Hours later, they were on the roof of Site-17.

The group was given oxygen masks as they exited the vehicle, and security guards brought them downstairs to the cafeteria, where everyone stood around the television.

Meri spotted Andrea and Zyn, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Heya, kid!” Andrea fistbumped Meri. “Glad you made it.”

“Hello Andrea, hello Zyn,” she nodded as Iris joined the group.

“The rest of Kiryu Labs will be out here in just a moment. Just securing some stuff.”

“How’s…ah, what’s his name…” Meri struggled to remember. “Raven?”

“Riven!” Zyn laughed. “He’s all good. He’s on the way here.”

“Glad to hear it,” Meri silently cheered. 

Shen, Mark, and Riven appeared around the corner, carrying boxes. Zyn quickly rushed over to help set them down.

Meri glanced around. There were boxes everywhere, packed and labeled. She spotted one simply marked as “office supplies,” and another, metal box marked as “bionuclear waste.”

“Are they packing everything up?” She asked her dad. He nodded.

“Looks like it. Hopefully just a temporary clean up.”

“Hopefully…” Meri felt her stomach tie into a knot. This was all her fault.

“Kid, it ain’t your fault,” Clef sighed, and Meri jumped.

“How the–”

“I can read minds, literally and figuratively. I had a feeling you were worried, so I did a scan of your brain.”

“Why the hell would you do that?”

“God forbid I care about my daughter.”

Meri hissed at the use of God. Clef laughed.

“Your skills haven’t even gotten good enough to detect a mind infiltrator,” he smiled. “Guess we’ll have to work on that after this whole ordeal is over.”

“Yeah,” she muttered. “When it’s over.”

From the corner of the cafeteria, Sophia watched Meri’s every move.

“She’s the one,” she whispered.

***

Gears stood in the center of the cafeteria, and blushed as he realized he would need to stand on one of the tables to gather everyone’s attention. How childish, he thought, to stand atop a platform such as this. He winced at the sight of food stains. My loafers…but, alas, I shall not remove them, for Iceberg will make a comment about my feet, and my dignity at the Foundation will be ruined.

He carefully climbed onto the table.

“Attention! Can I have your attention?”

The room grew silent almost immediately.

“After much discussion, we have decided to send an MTF squad to the volcano to investigate.

“Not to worry. This is not a standard MTF. There will be no MTF agents on board. This squadron consists only of the highest agents and other personnel. There is no opting out of your position. I will announce names now.”

Everyone watched in silence.

“If I say your name, please come to the table I am located at.

Troy Lament.”

Troy sighed and made his way to the table. Sophia frowned.

“Benjamin Kondraki.”

“BEEEEEEN! Yeah, BEN!!! Let’s go, Konny!” Clef shouted from the corner of the cafeteria, and Ben covered his face as he made his way to the table.

“Alto Clef.”

Clef froze, then smiled. “Ladies, ladies, cool your jets,” he grinned as he confidently strided towards Gears, who sighed.

“Sophia Light.”

Sophia gently smiled and walked to the center of the room.

Gears listed off a few more unfamiliar names. “I shall be going too,” he announced.

After the entire group had gathered, everyone cheered their new heroes on. Meri and Iris watched in horror.

“We…we can’t go, can we?”

“Of course not, Meri. We’re anomalies.”

They stared blankly at the gathering crowd.

“We’ll never be worth anything.”

***

On the roof of Site-17, the newly created squadron was met with salutes and bows.

“Damn, formal, aren’t they?” Clef chuckled.

Sophia faced one of the guards and bowed. Troy called ahead. “You don’t gotta bow back.”

“They’re doing their work, too.”

Kondraki and Clef piled into the helicopter first, pulling out their laptops and typing away.

“That’s the most professional you’ve ever been. Typing up actual reports,” Kondraki clicked his tongue.

“Reports–? No, I’m reading some idiot’s fanfiction.”

“Of course you are…”

“I should subscribe…”

Troy climbed into the helicopter with ease, and Sophia followed. The rest of the squadron hopped in.

Dr. Gears sat in the passenger seat, transfixed on the controls.

In the back of the helicopter, where the cargo was stored, something moved. An arm? A leg?

Meri sat up, pulling Iris with her. She grinned. “We’re in,” whispered Meri.

The cargo area was dark, and the ride was shaky, but the excitement and satisfaction that Meri and Iris both felt was just too strong. They grabbed on to one another as the helicopter landed.

The cargo area’s door opened.

“What the hell?!”

Troy called the rest of the group over, and soon, Meri recognized the face of her own father scowling at her.

“Hey, what the hell are you doing here?! This is against the law!”

“Who cares about the law? The world is ending!”

Sophia watched Clef argue with his daughter and Iris, paying attention to the sheer will and mental strength of Meri. Yet another reason why she was the one.

Sophia shoved the two men out of her way with great strength.

“Meridithea,” she began. “I know you don’t really know me, but this is very important, so I need you to listen.”

“I already get it, I broke the rules, I–”

“You are about to save the world.”

Nobody moved.

“Save the–? I can’t do that!”

“You are the one the Scarlet King seeks, therefore you must give yourself up for him. You cannot defeat him, for as they say…’if you can kill it, it’s not a god.’ So, though you cannot defeat him, you can silence him…by becoming his worshipper, his assistant…by taking your mother’s place.”

“How do you…how do you know…?”

Sophia smiled. “That is a secret. We have arrived at the volcano. Come with me, now.”

Outside, the world was on fire.

The smell of ash and charcoal filled Meri’s lungs, and she coughed into her sleeve. The sky was nearly pitch black from the smoke, and in the distance, the volcano roared violently.

Iris hopped out, snapping a photo, because you couldn’t take her anywhere without her stopping for a picture. 

Sophia took a rather deep breath, something that seemed to not affect her whatsoever, and Meri squinted. Sophia was a very pretty woman, and Troy…he was just a normal guy. How the hell had he scored her?

Meri looked at Iris.

Her blonde hair was rough and tangled, her nose too big and her eyes too small and too blue, her lips chapped and her teeth crooked and her face dotted in freckles and zits.

Yet she was still beautiful.

Meri quickly turned away.

Clef, Kondraki, and Troy Lament geared up, Sophia and Gears eventually joining them. Meri and Iris watched in silence.

“This is exactly why the kids aren’t supposed to be here,” Clef hissed between his teeth. “We don’t have gear for them, and nobody on Site-17– besides maybe Trebuchet– wears that size!”

“They’re just dumb kids seeking adventure,” Troy rolled his eyes. “Waste of their time. They’ll realize when they’re older.”

“If they even get older,” Clef muttered.

Sophia watched the fire.

A voice touched her, a voice that pierced the thin fabric of reality, a voice so real it was almost tangible, and it spoke:

Where is the girl?

And Sophia rose, with her hands clasped together, breaking the Vow of Truth, speaking:

“I don’t know who you’re talking about."

Chapter Text

Seven chains.

Seven chains bound to the Scarlet King.

They click-clack as he walks among his halls, his face covered. It is said looking at his face will make your heart stop.

Lilly did not have a heart.

Demons do not possess hearts.

Meridithea lacked a heart, though no one ever told her when she came to Site-17.

The King needed Meri, and he needed her now.

He sat down on his throne, adjusting the chains on his arms and wrists, and thought.

He thought long and hard, and he searched his mind long and hard, but he could not find her.

This could only mean one thing.

The kid’s got some sort of mental barrier, he thought. How has she learned this technique? Even trained reality benders struggle with it.

He speculated that maybe, just maybe, it was one of the Foundation’s implants. He hoped that was the case, but what was more likely was that…

The King pulled out a framed photo and inspected it. Lilly. She was so beautiful and young…for someone to simply take her life like that…

It can’t be you protecting her. You’re dead. That’s not possible.

He sighed and shoved the photo deep under his throne.

It can’t be…

***

“Move along, guys!” Clef motioned. Gears rolled his eyes.

“I am the one appointed as commander of our newly formed squadron,” he insisted, moving ahead of Clef. “I am the one providing commands. Continue forward, team!”

Meri cautiously followed the team as they marched towards the volcano. Her eyes started to water as they approached.

Meri.

She jumped. 

Meri.

The deep, scratchy voice echoed through her ears.

I found you, Meri.

She stopped in her tracks and looked up at the sky.

It had turned red.

***

“Got her,” the King whispered to himself. “I knew Lilly’s tricks couldn’t hold on long enough.” He smiled as he stood from his chair. He knew all of Lilly’s weaknesses, therefore he knew Meri’s. But still, Meri was far stronger than her mother, and the King was going to take her power to his advantage.

He opened a portal and stepped through.

***

There was a roar of flames.

Atop the volcano, a shadow appeared. The shadow of a giant with a crown atop his head, and seven chains that extended infinitely across the horizon.

Sophia gasped.

Everybody slowly backed away.

The figure descended slowly down the volcano, and Sophia quickly pulled out her book. Not here, not now, she thought. Meri isn’t ready.

She glanced at Meri, who stood motionless in fear, and she leaped at her, shoving her beside a rock.

“That thing wants you.”

“That’s…that’s the Scarlet King?!”

Sophia peeked over the rock.

“Correct. I was expecting one of his assistants, not the King himself. This will be much more difficult to handle.”

“It…it wants me?”

Sophia leaned against the rock, sheltering herself from the storm that was beginning to form. “It’s true what the prophecy said,” she began. “The daughter of the demon Lilith shall be more powerful than all those who came before.”

“Lilith…”

“You’ve been told the story, yes?”

“Yes…but, why me?”

“You possess her powers. They were handed off to you upon your birth. You are the only person alive on this planet with her abilities.”

“What do I do?”

Sophia watched the Scarlet King descend.

“You must do what he says. It’s the only way.”

***

“What the hell is this?!” Clef shouted. There was no one beside him. They had gotten lost in the storm.

“Meri? Konny? Aw, crap.” He climbed atop a rock, attempting to get a better view.

I require your daughter.

“Who the hell said that?”

Who else but me? The Scarlet King appeared in front of Clef, his face covered.

“You won’t get a hold of her.”

It is too late. She knows the truth, and she knows she must do as I say.

“How–”

She is going to save your life.

Meri appeared, an eighth chain attached to her, and she silently stared at her father.

If you want to live, you must give her up.

“I don’t– I don’t care about living! Take me!”

Meri? He whispered. Would you like me to take him instead?

“No.”

Clef watched in horror as the King petted his new worshipper, embracing her.

“I will miss you.”

“You can’t just–” he spat. “You can’t just leave, that’s not–”

Sophia appeared beside him, and he wept.

Lilith remains deep within you, Meridithea. I long for her. Please, join me in my kingdom.

She abided.

The squadron watched as the King drew a sigil in the air, bonding him with Meri, disappearing with her.

The sky turned blue and the grass turned green and everything returned to normal.

Clef fell on his knees and sobbed.

Chapter Text

The aroma of smoke filled the air.

Meri opened her eyes, finding herself trapped within a room. The walls were made of stone, and so were the floors, and within the room there was nothing but a small, white futon and a tiny window. She crept over to the window and looked out at the crimson sky.

On the other side of the room stood a sturdy, iron door. She found it locked when she attempted to open it. She sighed, exhausted, flopping onto the futon and trying to recall what had happened.

Memories, memories…she thought. Surely she hadn’t been amnesticized. This wasn’t Foundation property. She turned to one side and stared at her hands.

Her bible.

She frantically searched the room for her bible, yet she could not find it. Someone must’ve taken it from her.

She sank onto her futon.

There was a knock on the door, and Meri pretended to be fast asleep. She heard it creak open, but she remained motionless.

“Meridithea, we are tracking your brain waves and we can concur that you are not actively sleeping.”

Meri didn’t say a word.

“You definitely aren’t dead, either. That isn’t even a plausible scenario. Get up, it’s time for breakfast.”

She slowly turned around to spot a tall figure covered in a black veil from head to toe, with a ruby attached to the top. 

“Who…are you?” Meri muttered, rubbing her eyes.

“Do not play dumb. I am a security guard here. You are located in the Scarlet Kingdom’s dungeon.”

“Huh…” Meri looked out the window once more.

“Jeser is waiting to speak with you. Please, follow me to the cafeteria so that you may enjoy your breakfast, and then I shall take you to see him.”

“Jeser?”

“My, you really are dull,” the guard muttered as he walked Meri to the cafeteria. It was a long way down a spiral staircase, and she started to grow dizzy.

“Isn’t there an elevator?”

“Pardon?” The guard asked. “A what?”

“Nevermind,” she sighed. She wanted to say something witty, like mock the fact that he had called her dull but in fact he had never heard of an elevator, but Meri felt that messing with him would lead to more trouble.

In the cafeteria, a large array of creatures sat at tables.

One table was filled entirely with lizardfolk, another with talking fish, and even one with pet rocks. In the corner of the room, Meri noticed a woman eating by herself.

“Please return to me once you have finished your meal,” said the guard. “I will be waiting in the hall.” He exited, and Meri approached the woman in the corner.

Upon further inspection, she saw that the woman seemed mostly human, except for her light blue skin and long, pointy ears.

“Ah, hello there. May I sit here?” Meri pointed at the seat across from the woman. She cautiously nodded, and Meri sat down.

“I’m new here, so I don’t really know anyone.”

The woman nodded, picking at her food.

“What’s your name?”

The woman whispered, “Sanna.”

“Sanna? That’s a pretty name! My name is Meri, spelled like M-E-R-I.”

“S-A-N-N-A.”

“How beautiful!” Meri beamed. “So, why are you here?”

“Shormaush Urdal believes I am deceased, so I have hidden myself in the dungeon for the past eon.”

“Shorma-what?”

“The Scarlet King.”

“I…I see.”

“Have you heard of the seven brides?”

“Hmm…I believe I may have read about them previously.”

“Well…I am their mother, and Urdal is their father.”

Meri’s jaw hung open. “You…with…the King…you–”

“I did not have a choice.”

“Oh,” Meri sighed. “Yeah, my father didn’t either.”

“He believes I died…after that. So…I ran away.”

“I see.”

“Please, do not tell anyone that I am hiding in the dungeon.”

“I won’t, I promise,” Meri smiled, making a zipper movement over her mouth. My lips are sealed.

Sanna gently smiled.

“Meridithea!” Yelled the guard. “It is time to see Jeser.”

“I have to go,” Meri yawned, defeated. “I’ll see you later.”

“Good luck to you.”

Meri smiled at her new friend as she went off into the hallway. Jeser was waiting for her.

***

Three heads watched Meri enter the room.

Three heads shifted into the form of a serpentine.

In front of her, a green man with a cobra’s head flicked his tongue and adjusted his suit and tie.

“Enter,” he grinned.

Meri sat on the velvet chair across from the man, who introduced himself as Jeser. 

“It is a pleasure to finally meet you,” he smiled as he spoke with a lisp. “I have heard much about you.”

“Such as…?”

“I know of your abilities, and of your mother, and also of your father, but he is of no use to me.”

“I don’t get it. He’s a reality bender too.”

“But he is not a demon.”

“Neither am I!”

Jeser cocked his head to the side, smiling. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”

“I’m not a demon. Why would I be a demon?”

“Your mother was a demon.”

“But–” Meri paused. Where was her bible?

“You are here because the Scarlet King requires a new apprentice, and you fit his criteria, which is very rare for someone from the Second Hytoth.”

“I don’t understand a thing you are saying.”

“But you will soon,” Jeser nodded, standing. “As you learn more about our world, I want

to learn more about you.”

“I won’t tell you anything.”

“You don’t need to.” He twirled his fingers. “Let me try some magic,” he smirked.

***

“We’ll get her back, Al, we’ll get her back.”

“How the hell are we gonna get her back? We don’t even know where she is!”

“I shall do my research,” Sophia stated. “I will do my best to track her down.”

“I can help too,” Troy grinned.

“And I,” Gears spoke.

Eventually, everyone agreed to help.

“Thank…thank you, all of you. I don’t even know how to–”

“You don’t need to do anything. We’re going to get her back.”

“Let’s go!” Troy shouted. “We gotta check on Site-17!”

Iris stood in the field, staring at the sky.

“Iris?” Sophia called. “It’s time to go.”

“Alright,” she said, snapping a photo of the sky, hoping that maybe, just maybe, if she reached through, she could get to Meri.

***

At Site-17, personnel started moving their boxes back to their offices.

Andrea Adams sat at her desk, waiting for Clef to come back. She had noticed that Meri and Iris were absent, and she was getting anxious.

When Clef came back looking exhausted, she frowned and asked what was wrong. He explained the whole story.

Andrea sank.

“At least Iris is okay,” she sighed, looking out the window. “And…everything looks perfect outside.”

“Yeah,” Clef sighed, taking his hat off and resting it on his chair. “I see Kiryu Labs setting things up again.”

“Yeah…say, this photo…Iris received it one day. Do you have any idea what this might be?”

Clef inspected it, and he shivered.

“That…that’s a Lily of the Valley, but…”

“See, that’s what I thought, but it looks strange.”

“It’s…red,” he choked. “Red…red lilies…”

He fell on the floor and wept, and Andrea couldn’t help but watch the man cry. She couldn’t imagine a man like him crying.

She patted his shoulder and nodded. “I know, sir. Lilly.”

“Everyone knows?”

“Yeah, they do.”

“Crap,” he sobbed, wiping his tears. “Not much I can do.”

“It seems so, sir. I apologize.”

“It’s alright.”

He stood, coughing a bit, and smiled weakly.

“Thanks a bunch.”

“For–?”

“For being my assistant, I guess.”

“Of course, sir. I did not have much of a choice.”

He laughed. “You made the right one.”

***

Zyn sighed, placing down the last box. She stretched in the sunlight, satisfied with her work, and began to unpack.

Kiryu Labs had completely reopened, and Zyn was glad, as she was worried that she’d have to permanently shut down her part of the East Wing. Shen, Riven, and Mark were redecorating their offices indoors, so Zyn was in charge of the main lab.

She lifted a cardboard box with holes poked on the top and sides and carried it over to the butterfly garden. Most of the flowers had wilted, so she figured she’d have to plant some new ones. She’d ask Mark for help, as he was good at organizing.

She sat down in the garden and opened the box, watching in awe as the butterflies flew out, all different shapes and colors and sizes. How beautiful was their orchestra of light, their iridescence. Zyn lay down in the garden, watching the butterflies land on her.

She stared up at the sky. How blue and clear it was. Not a cloud to be seen.

She prayed this moment would last forever.

But, in truth, nothing does.

***

Meri held a rock in her hand.

It was a rather smooth rock, she noted, and she liked how cold it felt in her hands.

Jeser watched Meri struggle to move the rock with her mind.

“You really can’t do that?” Jeser frowned, and Meri shook her head. “What the hell does the King want with you?”

“I have no idea,” she sighed, handing the rock back to Jeser. “I’ve never used magic in my life.”

“I can see that.”

“No need to be rude,” she frowned. “Say, if I really can’t do magic, won’t you just send me home?”

“Nice try,” Jeser cackled. “The King never makes mistakes. There must be something within you.”

“I’m telling you, there’s nothing.”

“How curious,” Jeser huffed as he got a closer look at Meri. “You look just like your mother. I heard the King was in tears upon seeing you.”

“I’m not as pretty as my mother.”

“We don’t promote subjectivism in the Scarlet Kingdom. Most of us cover our faces, after all.”

“It’s like that in Alagadda too, huh?”

“They are brothers, the Hanged King and the Scarlet King.”

“I had no idea!” Meri raised her eyebrows. “How nice.”

Jeser sat down on his chair and leaned back. “You really can’t do any tricks? Not even a little light spell?”

“Nope.”

Jeser picked up a book, flipping the pages.

“Hmm…such a phenomenon has never been documented. All demonspawns should possess at least some level of magic, whether light or dark.”

“I prefer light.”

“You’re out of luck, then. The Scarlet Kingdom is bound together by dark magic.”

“How unfortunate, though I won’t be here long.”

“We shall see.”

They both sat in silence, frustrated.

“You wish to leave?”

“Of course! My family is waiting for me at home, as well as my friends.”

“And that damned Foundation?”

Meri frowned. “It really isn’t all that bad.”

“Can’t you see it? Can’t you see that they are keeping you all as slaves?! With every offspring that Urdal creates, another dozen are captured by your little zookeepers. It’s worthless! How the hell are we supposed to remove existence when we have no one to assist us?!”

“I thought the King was all-mighty,” Meri raised a brow. “Can’t he just…snap his fingers and end it there?”

“Oh, Meri, we would never settle for a Mary Sue.”

“Fair enough.”

Jeser pulled out a feather, a bottle of ink, and a piece of paper, and began to write a list.

“May I ask what you’re writing?”

“Some tasks for you,” he muttered. “If you wish to leave, you must complete my list.”

Meri was determined to leave, so she agreed. “I’ll do whatever you say.”

“Really?” Jeser’s face turned into a twisted smile. “Then this shall be easy.”

He signed the bottom of the list and handed it to Meri, who inspected it with great confusion, reading the following aloud.

Bring to me what I request

A ruby from a golden chest

Within the palace, walls so high

Spot a star shooting through the sky

Within its center, cold yet hot

Bring to me what I forgot

May this riddle find you well

To return you to your hell

“I don’t get it.”

“That’s what they all say.”

“I mean…it’s not a list. It’s just some poem.”

“That’s your list. Follow it carefully, and you will be allowed to go home.”

Meri frowned, confused by the list, but she had no other choice. “Very well, then. I shall begin my quest.”

“Good luck to you!” Jeser smiled. “Long live the King!”

***

A ruby? From a golden chest? Meri thought to herself as she walked down the bustling streets. She had been discharged from the dungeon by Jeser, and now she was all alone in a massive kingdom.

The buildings were brown, the sky was red, and the entire kingdom sat on a floating island. People walked by, some dressed in black robes, others dressed in red, and Meri decided she would later try to learn what the colors symbolized. The resemblance to Alagadda was quite obvious, and she laughed at herself for not thinking the two kings were related previously.

In the distance, Meri could just barely make out the palace, a spire protruding from the top. It looked almost medieval. 

She looked around the kingdom. It seemed to be that way everywhere, just like Alagadda.

She passed by shops selling potions and elixirs, a few others selling masks from Alagadda as souvenirs, and one selling veils, like the ones Meri had seen the guard wearing. She approached the stand to inspect the veils.

“Ah, interested in one of these?” The man at the stand asked, twirling one of the veils around.

“Just looking,” Meri muttered.

“I don’t think I’ve seen your species around here. Nice antlers.”

Meri blushed, realizing she wasn’t covering her antlers, but then realized that her appearance was considered rather normal here. “Thank you.”

“Absolutely. In fact, we have veils suited just for folks like you!” He pulled out a veil which contained two holes in the top. “See? You can fit your antlers through here.”

Meri tried on the veil, spinning around and looking in the stand’s mirror. This was the first time she had seen herself since the ordeal back home.

“It’s very nice,” Meri smiled.

“Thanks! All hand made. The one you have on right now will cost you thirty crimsons.”

“Ah…sorry, I don’t have any money,” Meri said, taking the veil off and handing it back to the man. “You are very kind, though.”

“Aw, c’mon, I’ll give it to you for twenty-five.”

“I told you, I don’t have–”

Meri felt a hand touch her shoulder, and she spun around.

Sanna.

“She doesn’t have any money,” she said. She looked at Meri. “Do you want the veil?”

“Do…do I need it?”

Sanna sighed and handed the man at the stand thirty red coins. He counted them, satisfied, and handed the veil to Meri.

“Pleasure doing business with ya!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sanna said, walking Meri away from the stand. “Don’t even try bargaining with those guys.”

“I wasn’t trying to! I just thought the veils looked pretty, so I tried to get a closer look.”

Sanna smiled gently. “Well, they’re more than just pretty decorations.”

“Hmm?”

“They’re religious objects. Children of the Scarlet King and other worshippers wear them to symbolize their devotion. It’s supposed to represent blindness, since looking at the Scarlet King can be lethal.”

“That’s why you don’t wear one.”

“Yeah. I’m one of the outcasts. Almost everyone else in the kingdom is a worshipper.”

“Yeah…” Meri said, staring at the veil. “I had no idea. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. If you’d like to wear it, I can’t stop you.”

Meri put it away in her pocket. “I’m okay.”

The two walked down the streets, and Sanna pointed out some buildings. “That’s the main market out there, and this is the interdimensional post office. That’s the library…”

“Can I send mail to…what do they call it…the Second Hytoth?”

“This realm is within the Second Hytoth.”

“Well, another realm.”

“Absolutely,” Sanna said, walking Meri to the post office. “You just have to provide the dimension or realm’s address, and it’ll be sent.”

“The address? Crap, I don’t even know what it’s called. Umm…Earth?”

“Ew, Earth? That nasty thing? They’ll pay you extra to ship a letter over there. Something called tariffs. I don’t know.”

“Oh, yeah, those.”

“I can spare some cash, though. I don’t mind,” she said as she walked Meri into the building. “Just a letter, right?”

“Yeah. A letter.”

“Okay…what ink do you want? Standard or Daevite?”

“Dae…vite?”

“Blood ink.”

“Standard, please.”

“Absolutely.” Sanna handed one of the clerks a red coin. “These are called crimsons, by the way. I don’t know how your currency works, but to send mail, you have to pay five crimsons for a letter.”

“So…I’m assuming you have to get a job to get crimsons?”

“Yep.”

“Fantastic…”

Sanna took a piece of paper and handed it to Meri, as well as a feather and ink. “You can write whatever here.”

“You don’t use pens here?”

“Pens? What’s that?” Sanna laughed. “Funny word.”

“A…writing tool. Like a feather, but it already has ink on it.”

“Woah. That sounds cool.”

“Mhm…” Meri nodded as she wrote a letter to her father and the rest of her Foundation crew. As long as they knew she was alive, she’d have a chance to be rescued.

Meri felt a presence behind her and turned around to face Sanna. “No peeping,” Meri growled.

“I can’t even read English,” Sanna laughed. “I just wanted to see how it looked.”

“You can’t read English? Then how come you can speak it?”

“Required English course. Ever since the Foundation started up, the kingdom started teaching the language at the academy. They teach us to speak and understand it, but the reading and writing part is optional. Mandarin is also required.”

“English isn’t your first language? But you’re so fluent,” Meri gawked.

“I’m not fluent,” Sanna giggled. “I have a Scarlet accent. My native language is the Scarlet Tongue.”

“I have no idea what that is.”

“The Scarlet Kingdom’s official language.”

“I see…I only know English and a tad bit of Polish.”

“Polish? Never heard of it.”

“The same goes for the Scarlet Tongue.”

They joked with each other a bit, learning each other’s customs and even sharing a few songs before Meri finally sent the letter off.

Sanna took her outside and the two spoke while walking down the now emptier streets.

“Feels quieter now.”

“Dinnertime.”

“I see…time flew by really fast, huh? I swear I just had breakfast a few hours ago.”

“You did.”

“Wha–”

“What time standard does Earth use? 24 hours? Here, a day is 6 hours and a night is another 6. So 12 hours.”

“How do you have time for anything?!” Meri gawked.

“Some of us can freeze time, but that’s a criminal offense,” Sanna laughed. “Not me, though. I lost all my powers.”

“Lost them?”

“The King took them all. Greed is a sin.”

Meri glanced at the palace in the distance. It seemed to radiate some kind of dark, red glow from the spire.

“Within the palace, walls so high…” Meri whispered to herself. “I think we’re meant to enter the palace, according to the riddle.”

“I really don’t think you should be following orders from Jeser.”

“I don’t want to know what happens if I don’t.”

“Fair.” Sanna glanced at the palace. “It’s impossible to get in, at least legally. They’ll catch you if you try to sneak in.”

“I’m not a coward.”

“You seriously want to try to sneak in?”

Meri puffed out her cheeks.

“Fine,” Sanna sighed. “I’m sick of the King, anyway. Think of this as an anarchal movement.”

“So be it,” Meri nodded. “Should we pack anything?”

“Better to go empty-handed. If we’re captured, they’ll confiscate all of our possessions.”

“I see. I don’t have anything, so I’m fine going like this.”

“Then off we go,” Sanna beamed, and the two quickly walked across the bridge to freedom.

Chapter Text

Site-17 seemed to be filled with gloom.

It always appeared that way, dark and gloomy and hopeless, but today felt particularly dreadful. It should’ve been a happy day: the world had been saved, and Site-17 was reorganizing. You could call it spring cleaning in the middle of summer.

Yet, the office of Alto Clef was empty except for Andrea, who filled in for her supervisor. Nobody on Site-17 had seen Clef since the incident, except for Andrea and Kondraki. Andrea was told by Kondraki that Clef was taking a short leave and was asked to fill in for him, and, of course, she obliged. She wasn’t used to so much work, but she enjoyed having something to occupy her mind.

Then again, most of the work was related to the incident. Staff needed reports, data, summaries…anything about the disaster, and of course they needed to know this information from Clef, and of course he decided to take a break from work. Andrea recalled how angry the man would get when she asked for one day off, so she indignantly took his place when he decided to disappear for nearly a week.

It was early in the morning and Andrea was busy at her computer, sleepless and without a clue as to what she was supposed to write up. She had no idea what had happened. In fact, she wasn’t even there when it happened. I should go ask that squadron…she thought to herself, closing her laptop and resting her head on her desk.

There was a knock at the door.

Andrea quickly sat upright, accustomed to the feeling of her supervisor’s intimidation, but was relieved to see Sophia Light open the door.

“Morning,” Andrea muttered.

“I can take over for you.”

“Hmm?” Andrea blinked, exhausted. “No, no, I can just get some more coffee…”

Sophia glanced at the recycling can. Six cups.

“Let me do the work for you. I was part of the squadron, so I am more than qualified as an eyewitness. You should get some rest,” she gently smiled as she took the laptop from Andrea. “Lower your caffeine intake.”

Andrea glanced at the trash can and sighed. “Whatever,” she grumbled. “Go away.”

“That I can certainly do,” Sophia winked. “Have a good rest of your day,” she beamed as she shut the door.

Andrea was not going to have a good day today, and she knew it.

***

On the top floor of Site-17, in a hallway hidden from view, sat the office of Sophia Light, O5-2. At first glance, it was just a standard office. A rather old computer stood on the light wooden desk, and there was a shelf with a few books.

Sophia pulled one of the books towards her, opening a door through which she walked.

You see, dear reader, this is no ordinary office.

Sophia stepped into the Garden of Eden and scowled at the bitten apple on the floor. “How pretentious, Eve,” she muttered. She sat down and ordered the snake beneath her feet to give her a book.

The snake left and later slithered back with the book in its mouth, dropping it at Sophia’s feet like an obedient dog, and she carefully wiped the venom off of the cover. She always wore gloves in the Garden of Eden.

She opened the book and read about the Scarlet King.

The book was written in the Scarlet Tongue, but Sophia possessed no difficulty in reading it. The language was nearly native to her, and she cautiously flipped through the pages of the ancient book until she found a page about demons.

The Scarlet King often searches for demons and tricksters to attend to him. Their lack of hearts means they are able to stare directly into the eyes of Urdal himself. At the time of this encyclopedia’s writing, his current best demons are named Jeser and Lilith.

Sophia noted that the book was outdated, as according to SCP-4231, Lilith had been neutralized for sixteen years now.

Sixteen years.

Meri was sixteen years old.

Something wasn’t adding up, and she knew it, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask Clef for more information, and Kondraki would threaten to shoot off her head if she tried to ask him. She sighed, shutting the book.

Meri…there was something about Meri, about her and Lilith, that connected. Sophia felt like there was a thin string connecting their minds, but she couldn’t figure out where this string came from. It couldn’t be…that Meri is Lilith’s daughter?

Sophia shook her head. Meri couldn’t be a demon. She had a heart, there was no way she didn’t have one!

Carefully, cautiously, Sophia opened the document titled SCP-166.

She read through it.

SCP-166 has been noted as having a standard interior anatomy, possessing all required organs for functioning except for a heart.

“Goddammit.”

***

“First we climb the gate,” Sanna whispered as they neared the palace. 

“Why are you whispering? There’s no one here.”

“You can never be too sure,” she glanced around the front gate. “Okay. I’m almost certain they rigged this place with seekers.”

“Seekers?”

“They’re like guards, but they’re made up of magic, so they’re not, like, real people, I guess.” Sanna squinted at the palace. “They’re usually invisible, but I have a trick.”

She placed two of her fingers on her forehead, the pointer and middle ones, and tightly shut her eyes.

The seekers appeared.

They were eyes, real eyes, and they were watching, and Meri and Sanna would have had no idea.

“Isn’t this an invasion of privacy?”

“Everything here is. That’s why I’m participating in anarchy, and here you are, following alone.”

“I’m not used to breaking the law.”

“You’re a little goody-two-shoes, aren’t you?”

“You’re so…different. You were very shy when I first met you.”

“It takes me a while. Also, I want to blend in while I’m in the dungeon.”

“I see…”

“You’ll do a fantastic job at that.”

Meri made eye contact with the seekers. Bad idea.

Sanna clapped and it disappeared.

“They won’t know. They have better things to worry about.”

Sanna clapped once more and all of the seekers disappeared.

“That’s amazing,” Meri mused.

Sanna silently pointed towards the palace and hopped over the gate, helping Meri follow suit. It was dark out now, and it always was in the Scarlet Kingdom, but now it was particularly dark and Meri assumed it was nighttime.

They stooped low when they got to the entrance, which was guarded. 

“Crap.” Sanna hissed. “Well, I don’t know what I expected.” She watched the guards. “Let’s see…”

In the darkness, Sanna lifted her arm and disappeared.

“Sanna?!” Meri whispered loudly.

“Right here,” Sanna said. “Invisibility spell. Look down at your arms.”

“Where–”

“Invisible,” Sanna proudly stated. “Been working on it.”

Before Meri could say anything, she felt something jerk her arm and she found herself running to the entrance.

Their running made a sound in the grass, distracting the guards as they searched for whatever animal or person made the sound. Sanna unlocked the door and the two shut it just as the invisibility spell faded.

“That was amazing,” Meri beamed.

“It gets better. What’s the next part of the riddle?”

“It’s out of order, but it says…a ruby from a golden chest…”

“Hmm…there’s this urban legend,” Sanna thought. “They say that at the top of the spire lies a golden chest. What’s inside it, no one knows, but people have described red objects. A ruby could certainly fit the criteria.”

“How do we get to the spire?” Meri asked.

“There’s no way to get up there. The urban legend says the entrance is located under or behind the Scarlet King’s throne.”

“So we give up?”

“Meri. Do I look like I’m willing to give up just because of a minor inconvenience?”

“It’s more than minor.”

“Think of it as a boss fight.”

“One that I shall certainly lose.”

“The glass is either half empty or half full, that’s your choice.” Sanna walked down the halls, peeking into rooms. “That’s the dining hall…hmm.”

She stopped in front of the pair of doors at the end of the hall. They were tall and gold, rimmed with rubies.

“This must be the throne room. Meri! Come over here.”

Meri rushed over to Sanna, staring up at the gigantic doors. “Wow.”

“How much do you think these cost?”

“Enough for a ticket home.”

Sanna laughed. “Now you’re getting it.” She carefully opened the door just a smidge, getting a peek inside.

“Is…is he in there?”

“No, thank Hell. I’m going to use another invisibility spell, so hurry to the throne.”

She raised her arm and, upon turning invisible, Meri ran down the throne room. She noticed how abnormally large everything seemed, and when she made it to the throne, her jaw dropped. It was at least twenty feet tall.

“Surprised?” Sanna giggled, feeling Meri’s shock. “I know you’re there, no need to worry. Another spell lets me see you.”

“It’s…the throne is huge.”

“The King is a giant, and I don’t mean that rudely. He’s, like, dozens of feet tall.”

The invisibility spell wore off, and Sanna got on her hands and knees and crawled under the throne, Meri following. 

Under the throne, by the wall, was a door.

“There’s no way,” Sanna gawked. “There’s no way the legend is true.”

Meri opened the door. “Let’s go,” she prodded. “I want to see what’s inside.”

Inside, the two were met with a spiral staircase, which they carefully ascended. At the top of the staircase was a purple room with tinted glass.

“This color is so unusual for the Scarlet Kingdom…” Sanna stared up in shock. “The ceiling…it’s so thin. This…is this the spire?”

“Look!” Meri pointed at a golden chest in the center of the room. “The chest!”

She quickly ran up to the chest. “It’s unlocked!”

“Wait. You should be careful, Meri. This seems too obvious.”

“I have to see what’s inside.”

“Mer–”

She opened the chest, and a flash of light erupted from it.

The two of them were flung backwards, temporarily blinded, and when their vision returned to normal, they were met with three pairs of eyes.

Jeser.

***

Sophia sat in the Garden of Eden, massaging her forehead.

“How did it take me this long to realize…?” She muttered to herself. She was alone in the garden, and she was thankful for that, because otherwise she’d just be dismissed as another crazy person.

She cupped her head in her hands and sighed. Did Clef know about all of this? And if Meri was the daughter of Lilith, then who was Clef? Is he…still the father?

She shook her head. That couldn’t be the case. Was Clef…lying?

Sophia hit her forehead.

Of course he was.

***

“Your highness, I have collected two rebels. They are now located in the palace dungeon. I recommend you go see them.”

Jeser felt the King scowl through his veil.

“Why?”

“They are…relevant to you, sir.”

The King abruptly stood. “I will be back in a short period of time. Please watch over the throne room for me.”

“Absolutely, your majesty! Good luck to you!”

The King slowly exited the room, turning right and making his way down the long, dark staircase. With every step, the stairs creaked, and he noted to himself to remind Jeser to fix them. Jeser could do anything, and he would do anything without questioning the King. Oh, how he loved his devoted and loyal servant.

The dungeon was dimly lit and rather gothic, the only sound down there being the groans and mumbles of dying prisoners being neglected their daily meals. Nobody cared for them, as they were bound to be executed at some point or another anyway.

The King approached the cell at the end of the hall and peered inside.

He swore.

Sanna covered her mouth upon hearing the familiar voice and ushered Meri to hide under the cot in their otherwise empty cell. She followed, confused, and watched from underneath as Sanna opened the door.

“Hello,” Sanna whispered.

The King said nothing.

“I know you certainly weren’t expecting to see me.”

The King breathed. “You are correct. I did not expect you here.”

“I apologize for the suddenness.”

“You are supposed to be dead,” the King swallowed. “I saw you dead, I saw you die in front of me. I killed you.”

“You are mistaken, sir.”

“Mistaken? By the Gods, I am never mistaken. I saw the blood spilling out of you and I saw your lifeless eyes! Sanna, you were dead.”

Sanna slowly nodded.

“I saw them take you away in their black robes. I saw it, I saw it happen! I saw the 7th bride escape you and you gasped out your last breath. Sanna, nobody can survive what I did to you.”

Sanna sighed. “I suppose I’m nobody, then.”

“It’s not possible.”

Meri watched the two argue. She hadn’t seen the King this close to her face before, and she quietly crawled out from under the cot to get a better look…

Crack.

“Crap,” rang out the little British girl, rubbing her head. She looked up at the pair in front of her. “I seem to be interrupting.”

“You insolent buffoon!” Yelled the King. “What have you done? You haven’t been here for even a day!”

“My apologies…your, er, honor.”

The King scoffed and beckoned Meri out of the cell, where she stared up at the tall figure with his arms crossed. Sanna shut her eyes and sighed.

“Care to tell me what happened?” He asked, though it came across as more of a demand.

Meri looked over at Sanna, who refused to make eye contact.

Meri then looked up at the King.

You have to lie, Meri, a voice called from inside her. A familiar voice. You have to lie.

Meri sighed. Do I have to, mom?

My darling, if you want to get anywhere in life, you’ll have to lie.

But lying is a sin! Dad lied. The bible says I can’t lie.

Do you want Sanna to die?

Meri looked over at Sanna. She had known her for a few hours, but it felt like years. Meri shook her head, staring up at the King.

“My apologies, sir, we were simply following instructions given by Jeser.” Meri handed over the riddle.

The King slowly read it.

“Is he dull? Does he want you two executed? One is enough! I knew I couldn’t trust him.” The King paused. “Oh…” he said, realizing the mistake he had made.

“He attempted to frame us,” Meri sighed.

The King nodded. “I see! This is exactly why you’re going to be his replacement!”

“I beg your finest pardon?”

“Meri, don’t play dumb. You are here to become my new apprentice.”

“Yes, I’m aware, but– to replace Jeser? That is a rather high demand. I just came here, I have so much to learn. And…Jeser promised…if I completed the riddle, then…then I’d be able to go home.”

The King slowly nodded and read the riddle again.

“The Ouroboros…”

He looked up at the ceiling.

“That damned snake!” He screeched, dropping the letter. “He wasn’t trying to frame you, he was trying to distract me! That’s why he sent me down here! He’s trying to steal the Ouroboros!”

“The what?”

The King thought for a moment. “It’s a small, silver snake hidden in the spire. The riddle was supposed to unlock it, but Jeser captured you…you unlocked the riddle for him!”

The King began to pace. “I knew it! He didn’t write this riddle, I did! I kept it in my drawer to remind myself of where the Ouroboros is stored! He must’ve found it!”

The King stopped and stared at Meri and Sanna. “The Ouroboros holds all the power in the Scarlet Kingdom. If something were to happen, the entire universe would collapse!”

“Sir,” Sanna began. “I thought you wanted that to happen.”

“No, no! This will only collapse our universe, not reality itself! This is all wrong!”

“In that case, I’m outta here,” Sanna coughed.

“Not so fast,” the King whispered. “I have an idea.”

Meri and Sanna looked up.

“If you manage to retrieve the Ouroboros from Jeser, I will send you both where you want to go.”

Sanna thought for a bit. “And if we don’t?”

“Well, we’ll all die.”

“Oh, right.” Sanna looked over at Meri. “You ready?”

“I, uh–” Meri looked at the King. “Yes. I’m ready.”

“Then good luck to you both.”

The King disappeared.

Chapter Text

In the slums of the Scarlet Kingdom, the lowest of the low spent their days digging up rubies to sell to the King for a measly penny of crimson. Their hands were dirty, yet they had no clean water to wash them, so they were nicknamed the derogatory term “mudhands,” a common term among the higher classes of the kingdom.

Jeser shifted into the form of a rather handsome, young mudhand. He enjoyed shifting into more attractive forms. He liked the looks people gave him, even the folks in the messy slums.

He walked into a small mudhand shop selling pottery, stared at the shopkeeper, checked if the rest of the shop was clear, and pulled out a pistol.

The shopkeeper screamed.

“No need to worry,” Jeser smiled, lowering the gun. “I will make this swift. Are you good at hiding things?”

The shopkeeper shook, stuttering. “Hiding…things? What do you need hidden?”

Jeser pulled out a silver snake from his pocket. The man in front of him gasped.

“That’s…that’s a replica, right? That’s not–”

Jeser grinned.

“I’m…I’m going to call the police…”

Jeser raised the gun. “If you tell a single living soul, I will have you framed and beheaded. Don’t break my rules.”

The man swallowed. “I’ll…hide it in the back…”

Jeser placed the snake in the man’s hand, and he seemed surprised by the weight of the object. “It’s real silver…” he muttered.

Jeser grinned. “I wouldn’t lie, would I?”

The man looked up. “You could…you could sell this. You could get out of the slums!”

“I have no interest in this. Please, protect it for me. Do not touch it. Do not look at it. Simply put it away. If I come here again, I expect to see it in one piece.”

“Or…?”

Jeser cocked the gun.

“Understood,” the man quickly responded, putting the Ouroboros in the backroom.

“Pleasure doing business with you.”

“Yes…a pleasure…”

Jeser shut the door behind him and sighed, staring at the digging site, where the mudhands dug with their bare hands in hope of finding jewels. It was true, he felt sorry for them, but he wasn’t about to hand over his crimsons.

He prayed the shopkeeper would do his job. The King would’ve already figured out that his precious treasure had been stolen, and he would’ve already figured out that it was Jeser who stole it, but what he hadn’t figure out was his location, and even if he were to figure this out, it wasn’t like Jeser had the Ouroboros anymore. He was free of that hefty thing, and his problems were now in someone else’s hands. A complete stranger’s, but it didn’t matter to Jeser. He would come back for it after the coast was clear, so he could experiment with it. He needed to know what kind of power the Scarlet King truly had.

Jeser turned into a crow and flew away from the slums. He didn’t fly often, but when he did, he loved it. The air felt so much cooler up in the sky than it did down in the polluted, fiery depths of the kingdom.

If his plan worked, maybe he’d finally get out of this dreaded place.

***

A conference was held at Site-17.

Well, there was always a conference happening at Site-17, and often more than one, but this one was particularly significant. Sophia Light sat at the chair at one end of the table. On the other end sat Alto Clef. Around the table, the entire squadron that was present at Yosemite sat, stacking papers.

Sophia cautiously made eye contact with Clef, who appeared distraught, which didn’t surprise O5-2. She wasn’t good at processing human emotions, so she knew she’d have to get around that barrier of his.

Clef cleared his throat first. His voice was raspy and exhausted, which it always was, but this time it was worse. He sounded like he’d been crying for days; that couldn’t be, right? That man never cried.

Sophia looked at Kondraki, who stared at his boyfriend. She couldn’t tell if his face exhibited any signs of distress. The man was definitely good at poker.

Sophia rose from her seat and flicked on the projector.

“So…I know everyone’s still a bit…shaken, but I have some good news!”

Nobody said a word, nor did they look at the screen.

“Thanks to one of our squadron members, we were able to collect body cam footage of the incident! This will allow us to analyze the recording and find out more about what happened.”

Clef slowly looked up, scowling.

Sophia gently smiled at him.

He turned away.

Troy raised his hand, grinning, and Sophia sheepishly answered. “Yes?”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to smile like that, Soph. I was just wondering…did anyone else witness this happen? It’s, like, a lot of chaos. Someone outside of the Foundation might’ve seen it.”

Sophia gulped. “It’s possible…we could amnesticize the entire area.”

“The entire area’s been evacuated. There’s no point. I’m saying someone might’ve seen something and then ran away.”

“We can’t amnesticize the entire goddamn planet, Lament,” Kondraki growled.

Troy sank in his seat. It was true.

Sophia cleared her throat. “Thank you for the question, Troy. If there are no further questions, I’m going to play the footage now.” She pressed a button on her remote and the screen changed to play the recording.

Everyone quickly pulled out their clipboards and began to write down notes…everyone except for Clef, that is, who silently watched the events unfold before him in HD. Kondraki noticed him, grabbing his hand under the table as Clef watched his daughter get taken away.

“She just…agreed to it. Why the hell would she do that?”

“I don’t know, Al. I don’t know.”

***

At the palace, the King returned and Sanna and Meri were finally unshackled. Sanna still avoided eye contact with the King; or, at least, face contact. Meri later learned that nobody could make eye contact with the King…except for those who were heartless, so Meri didn’t even bother to test that. Meri rubbed her wrists as they were freed.

“I don’t know of Jeser’s current location, nor even his current appearance,” the Scarlet King sighed.

Sanna whispered “shapeshifter” into Meri’s ear. Meri raised an eyebrow.

“His most common forms are those of a serpent, a crow, or a handsome man dressed in a suit. His natural form is a three-headed serpentine.”

“That’s not very specific,” Meri frowned. “There must be thousands upon thousands of serpents, crows, and handsome men in suits here.”

“That is correct, therefore this will be very difficult.”

“How much time do we have?”

“I will give you both 24 hours. Here, that’s two days. If you are able to retrieve the Ouroboros within the given time, I will return you both to where you would like to go. I would also like Jeser, dead or alive.”

The King glanced at Meri, who fidgeted with her hands. “You have a great power within you, a power I would like to utilize. Yet, if you truly wish to go home, you must follow my instructions, understood?”

“Yes,” Meri obliged. Sanna seemed skeptical. “I understand.”

“Then off you two go,” the King commanded. “Good luck.”

***

Jeser grinned delightfully as he counted his crimsons in his new apartment. He still had plenty left over after bargaining with the landlord, who eventually let Jeser spend a night at the apartment for just 200 crimsons. 

He still had thousands of crimsons that he had gained from scamming people, and he dropped them all on the floor and laid down on the dusty wood. He decided he’d stay here for one night, then move on to somewhere else, and again he would repeat this nomadic cycle until he was sure that the King was off his tail. Then, he’d take the Ouroboros back from the mudhand shopkeeper and finally unlock its true potential.

The potential Jeser had always dreamed of, a potential away from the King and his abhorrent kingdom.

He rose, gathered up his crimsons, and began to write.

***

Clef sat in a small interrogation room, fidgety, waiting for his interviewer to enter. He still had no idea why he had to be questioned about his daughter. He barely knew anything about the kid.

“Alto Clef,” Dr. Gears walked in and shut the door. “A pleasure to see you.”

“I sure am a pleasure.”

“Aren’t we all?” Gears’ eyes thinned. A smile?

“I’m just going to ask a few questions,” Gears began, pulling out a clipboard and clicking his pen. “If you would prefer not to answer a question, simply state ‘prefer not to answer.’”

Clef silently nodded.

“Number one. Do you know, or have you ever known, an individual by the name of Lilith?”

Clef sighed. “No. Er– prefer not to answer.”

Gears slowly nodded, writing down Clef’s answer. “Number two. Have you ever been described as trustworthy?”

“That’s not what that question says.”

“Number three. Have you ever been described as clairvoyant?”

“I. Can. See. The. Paper.”

“Fine. Actually number two. Where were you born?”

“Earth.”

“Where did you come from?”

“My mother.”

“If I were to ask for your birth certificate, where would it say you were born?”

“I don’t have a birth certificate.”

Gears blinked, then wrote down Clef’s words.

Clef peeked over and read ‘hesitant to answer questions regarding birth.’

Clef scowled. 

“Number three. How old are you?”

“Forty-nine.”

“How old are you really?”

Clef sank in his seat. “Twenty-nine.”

“I knew you looked young.”

“Thanks,” he grumbled.

“Twenty-nine…” Gears muttered. “SCP-166’s biological age is sixteen…”

“Correct.”

“That means…”

“I’m not her goddamn father.”

Gears adjusted his glasses and sighed. “Sir, you both have the same surname.”

“Clef?”

“No, the one that starts with a W. What’s it–? Something Polish.”

“How the hell do you know my legal name?”

“It really isn’t that difficult to search official documents.”

“I don’t have official documents.”

“I’m joking. Kondraki told me.”

“What the hell?”

“Hate to break it to you.”

Clef shook his head and abruptly stood. “I’m done here, in that case.”

“Sorry?”

“I quit,” he screeched.

“You can’t just quit, sir. This is the Foundation.”

“Then I’ll just throw myself off the roof, Charlie. You can’t tell me what to do.”

“Sir–” and Clef was out the door.

Kondraki sat outside of the interrogation room, watching his boyfriend run out the door. He simply sat there, smiling gently. He could never forgive Alto for what he had done. That poor girl, Meri. She deserved a much better father. 

Gears walked out of the door and stared at Kondraki, who slowly made eye contact with him.
“He made the decision. I can’t stop him.”

***

“There’s no way in hell we’ll find him.”

“Please don’t use that word,” Meri groaned. “I’m sure we can find him.”

“Meri, I hate to break it to you, but we don’t even know what this guy looks like. He could be that lady over there, or that ant, or, hell, if he was really desperate, that bench.”

“Let’s try sitting on it, then.”

“Jesus, Meri–”

“Don’t say that word either.”

“I don’t even know who the hell Jesus is! I just heard it’s a common interjection!”

“Don’t use words you don’t know the meaning of,” Meri sighed. “Listen, we have 24 hours. It’s not a lot of time, but if we work hard, we can find him.”

“At this point, it’s 23.”

“Then we must start now.” Meri looked around. “I don’t know how to get around here, so you’ll have to help me.”

“I’ve been hiding in the dungeon most of the time, but I can try. Let’s go down that way.”

“Sure!” Meri beamed.

The pair walked down a thin bridge.

“So…maybe this is a bad time to ask this, but…you and the king…”

“I don’t know how to feel about him.”

Meri nodded.

“I mean,” Sanna huffed. “I don’t like him. I don’t like him at all, okay? He’s a horrible misogynistic powerhouse. All he wants is more servants. That’s why he takes women like me and–” Sanna gulped. “--makes more of them. Makes more servants. And, well. He’s running low. A shortage. I’m just worried because…he wanted you as his new apprentice, because as of now, with Jeser, he has nobody…but if you leave, then what if…”

Meri touched Sanna’s shoulder.

“...what if he uses me again, Meri? What if he– he thought I was dead, so…if he realizes I can survive seven days like that, then what if he tries eight?”

Meri sighed as they turned the corner. “He said he’d return you to wherever.”

“I have nowhere else to go, Meri.”

Meri hesitated. “I would take you with me, but…humans don’t take kindly to your type.”

“My type?”

“People who aren’t exactly humans. You’ve heard about the Foundation, right? They’d lock you up in a blink of an eye.”

“I see. That’s unfortunate.”

“Well, what can you do?”

“Not much. I had to learn that the hard way, Meri.”

They stopped on a narrow street and Sanna led Meri into a cartography workshop, where she paid a handful of crimsons for a map of the Scarlet Kingdom.

“This should help us,” Sanna smiled as she examined the map. “We’re currently up north, not too far from the palace. The center of the kingdom is the busiest area, so I doubt Jeser would be there. The further south you go, the closer you get to the slums. Basically, the rich guys live up north and the needy live down south. That’s why most people live around the middle.”

“Okay…so, where should we go first?”

“Hmm…” Sanna grumbled. “Good question. Jeser probably won’t be staying in one spot for more than a day…remember, that’s about six to twelve hours here.”

“Okay…”

“He’s greedy, so we should check our current area and then slowly move down. We’re on the western side right now, so if we make it all the way south with no luck, we can turn around on the east side.”

“I’m very confused.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll lead the way.”

They exited the shop and Sanna checked the signs for every store she saw.

“So…he’s often a serpent, crow, or a man in a suit?”

“A handsome man in a suit, whatever that means.”

“I’m not sure of the beauty standards here.”

“Beauty standards? What’s that mean?”

“You don’t have those? Maybe it’s not so bad here.”

They continued walking down the street.

“If I were Jeser, where would I be?” Sanna hummed. “He likes to scam people. Maybe jewelry stores? Banks?”

They both stopped in front of a pawn shop.

“I mean…”

“He might…”

They both laughed and went inside.

“Welcome to Vermilion’s Pawn Shop! How can I help you?”

“Does everyone speak English here?” Meri whispered.

“Most of them do, but not often. The lady saw your antlers and knew you were a foreigner.”

“Don’t even get me started about Earth’s treatment toward me.”

Sanna approached the lady at the counter and started talking to her. At least, that’s what Meri thought. She couldn’t understand a word the two were saying.

Sanna turned around, defeated. “She’s never seen a serpent here. Or a crow. Or a handsome man in a suit. Then again, she only works here on weekends.”

“Ugh,” Meri sighed. “Has anyone tried to scam you, miss?”

The woman responded with an accent. “Scam? Ah…I’m not sure.”

Meri muttered something under her breath and shook her head. “I don’t think he was here.”

“Let’s just move on. Thanks…Vermillion?”

“You’re very welcome.”

***

“Code…dammit, do we even have a code for this crap?”

“Who cares about a goddamn code? Where’s that idiot?”

Dozens of agents and guards raided the hallways of Site-17 in search of Alto Clef. On the top of the roof, Clef laughed to himself, taking a whiff of his cigarette and sighing in a content manner.

The door behind him unlocked, and he frowned. “Ben.”

“I told Charlie I wasn’t going to stop you. I guess you being a compulsive liar has had an impact on me.”

“I’m glad I could change something about you.”

“I’m not easily influenced. Consider yourself skilled in the art of persuasion.”

Clef laughed dryly.

“You’re really something, Ben.”

“I know I am.”

Ben walked over to Clef, leaning on his shoulder and sighing. “You don’t really want to go out like this, do you?”

Clef swallowed and stared at the evening sky. “It’s gonna happen, one day or another.”

They watched the stars slowly appear in the sky. The guards should’ve calmed down by now, but they stayed there.

“This is gay as hell, Konny.”

Kondraki wheezed, cackling, and then sighed. “It’s not like you’re pulling away.”

“Zip it.”

“Not until the day I die.”

Clef gave him a kiss on the cheek and opened the roof hatch. “I’ll see you later.”

“Idiot, we sleep in the same bed.”

“I have work to do.”

“See you later, then,” Kondraki smiled.

“Good night, Konny.”

“Good night, Al.”

***

Jeser wrote.

He wrote and wrote until he couldn’t feel his wrist anymore, and at that point he’d just grow another arm. 

He wrote until he couldn’t tell the time anymore, even though he could never quite tell what time it was.

He wrote about philosophy or something like that. He wasn’t sure himself. He drew diagrams of the Ouroboros like a madman. Sketched lines that intersected infinitely. He could barely comprehend what he was doing. His handwriting was practically illegible.

He was missing some kind of…knowledge. Something about the Ouroboros that he couldn’t comprehend. Without the actual thing in his hands, drawing more accurate diagrams proved to be nearly impossible.

He’d have to wait a few days for the King to stop hunting him down before he could continue his research. For now, he’d have to occupy himself some other way.

He spent all day counting his crimsons and rereading what he’d written and sleeping. The next morning, he gathered his things, signed out of the building, and went to find the next one.

It had been six hours in the Scarlet Kingdom. Only six hours. One night. Every six hours, Jeser moved. Every six hours, Meri and Sanna fell further and further behind.

In the last six hours, the two sat at a cafe toward the southern side of the kingdom and sighed.

The clock was ticking, and they were doomed.

Chapter Text

Kondraki laid awake in bed. It was past midnight and Clef was still busy with work. He must’ve been catching Andrea up, or vice versa. Every so often, Kondraki would check his phone, but it’d be empty except for standard site-wide announcements.

He yawned. I should go to sleep, he thought. But I don’t want to miss Al when he gets here.

He pulled out his phone and texted Clef a short message.

u almost done

He put the phone back on his nightstand and took his glasses off. Buzz.

He put them back on and grabbed his phone.

yeah just andy bein dumb

apparently she got sophia to do her work for her

lazy bum

Kondraki snorted. He put the phone away, took off his glasses, and closed his eyes. Fifteen minutes later, the door creaked open and he pretended to be asleep.

“I know you’re awake.”

“I’m not.”

“You’d be snoring if you were asleep.”

“I don’t snore.”

“Yes, you do. Do you want me to record it?”

Kondraki sighed and sat up, putting his glasses on and squinting at Clef. 

“Happy to see me?”

Kondraki shook his head.

“Yeah, that’s what most people say.” He sat down on the bed, turning away from Kondraki. “Sorry about earlier. You know I like to cause a scene.”

“There’s already enough going on, Al,” Kondraki muttered. “It sucks, but what’re you gonna do?”

Clef exhaled. “I’m a terrible father.”

“Yeah, you are. At least you’re self-aware.”

“Shut up.”

“Remember what I said?” Kondraki grinned.

Clef huffed. “Not until the day you die.”

“And that certainly won’t be today.”

“Indeed, no matter how much I wish that were the case.”

Clef laid down and put the blanket over him.

“Take your goddamn socks off.”

“Never.”

“Not until…”

“Not until the day I die!”

The two laughed nervously, then slowly grew silent and fell asleep.

They hadn’t slept that well in a long time.

***

“We only have a few hours left,” Sanna sighed as she finished her last cup of coffee. 

“Then perhaps we shouldn’t be procrastinating at a cafe,” Meri huffed.

“Perhap not, but we’re already here.”

Meri looked at the palace. She and Sanna were sitting on the rooftop of some fancy cafe, watching the “sun” rise. 

They counted their last hour. 

“What do you think will happen when we get back to the palace without Jeser and the snake thing?”

“I’m not sure,” Sanna winced. “I just hope…I hope it’s not…”

The temple bells rang out. Their 24 hours were over.

Sanna folded her arms and rested her head on the table.

Meri gulped.

Was this the end?

***

As soon as the bells rang out, Jeser left his house.

He had a feeling that the King was starting to give up. He’d continue to lay low, but at least now he’d feel safe with the Ouroboros. 

He made his way down south to the slums, passing the mudhands in their fields. He was so focused on retrieving the Ouroboros that he felt no sympathy for the workers, and therefore plowed right through. They cursed in their fiery Scarlet Tongue, but they saw the rich and handsome appearance of Jeser, and they shut their mouths.

When he arrived at the shop, he transformed into his mudhand form, entering the store and pulling out his shotgun. The shopkeeper blinked, pulled out the Ouroboros, and smiled.

“All yours, buddy.”

Jeser lowered the gun and raised an eyebrow.

“Thanks…?”

“Please, take it,” the man shook. “That thing contains unseen horrors. I do not want it near me.”

Jeser grasped the Ouroboros and pulled away from the man. “Right. Understood. You didn’t unlock it, did you?”

“Oh, of course not,” the man whimpered. “I would never.”

Jeser sensed something coming from the man.

Something green, something serpentine.

Lies.

He raised his gun.

“No, please! I have a wife…children…”

He placed his finger on the trigger.

“I might just be a filthy mudhand, but I…I have a family!”

BANG.

The man collapsed on the floor, bullet wound straight through his skull. Jeser never considered himself a particularly good shot, but he was starting to think otherwise.

He kicked the body, making sure the man was dead, and left.

Never mess with a trickster.

***

“I had a feeling you two wouldn’t be able to complete my task.”

“We had a feeling too, your honor,” Sanna quietly stated. “We apologize, but Jeser is simply too difficult to locate.”

“Really, we tried!” Meri wailed. “Please have mercy upon us.”

The King crossed his arms.

“Meridithea, I could’ve sworn you…you had something within you. The soul of…your mother. But clearly, that does not seem to be the case.”

“I don’t…her soul? How is that possible?”

“I’m not sure. It might not even be the case.” The King turned around. “I have decided. Both of you will be publicly executed this afternoon.”

“What?!” Meri screeched.

“Better than what I thought you’d do,” Sanna spat. “I volunteer to go first.”

“Sanna! Are you crazy?”

“Do I look like I am?”

Silence.

“Okay, yeah, I’m a little crazy, but this is way better than, like, creating more servants or some crazy crap! Goddamnit, you could execute me now if you’d like!”

“Please don’t…” Meri muttered. “I don’t…my father…they’re all still at home…I want to go back…”

“I’m sure they got your letter, Meri,” Sanna smiled gently. “You said the Foundation was horrible to you. You can finally be free of them.”

“But…Iris…dad…Ben…”

“Meri…”

“I can’t stand it with your whining! Forget it, I’m ordering the execution now!”

“Shouldn’t Jeser be executed?”

“Oh, no no. He’ll get something far worse.”

Chapter Text

“I have a bad feeling about Meri.”

“Huh?”

The sun wasn’t even up yet, and Clef was wide awake.

“I just…I have a bad feeling. Something’s wrong.”

Kondraki rolled out of bed and got dressed. “We’re doing our best to get her back.”

“The clock is ticking. She lacks basic survival skills, Kon. She’s lived in a church for most of her life and at the Foundation for the rest of it.”

Kondraki grumbled and yawned. “How’s Andrea doing with the research?”

“I told you, she gave up. Sophia took her spot.”

“Damn.”

“I’m telling you, Andy is a lazy bum.”

Clef’s phone buzzed and he shook his head. “I gotta head downstairs. Text me if you find anything.”

“Roger that,” Kondraki beamed. The two left their room and went separate ways to their offices.

In Clef’s office, Sophia and Andrea seemed to be busy on the computer. Sophia sat in the chair in front of it while Andrea watched.

“Morning,” Clef grumbled. “The hell are you two doing?”

Andrea sighed and Sophia turned around, smiling. “Just a little busywork. Do you object?”

“I never said that,” Clef refuted as he pulled out a chair nearby. “I just wanna know if we’ve made any progress.”

“So far, no. We’ve attempted to interview you multiple times, sir, to no avail,” Andrea shook her head. “I understand you want to keep your personal details private, but we need this information to rescue Meri.”

Clef felt a little disoriented hearing Meri called by her real name by his co-worker.

“If you change your mind, you can email me more information regarding you, Meri, or Lilith.”

“How the hell did you guys find out about Lilly?”

Sophia raised an eyebrow. “Sir, she’s an SCP.”

“Damn it.”

“Did you just call her Lilly?” Andrea furrowed her brows. “Do you know her?”

“No, I don’t know her, I never knew her. I just…the name Lilly sounds nice…I guess.”

Sophia and Andrea looked at each other, skeptical.

“I’m serious!”

“Sir, just…email us. Please.”

“We’ll see when that happens,” he muttered as he occupied himself with his paperwork.

The office was silent except for the occasional whisper between Sophia and Andrea or a grunt from Clef. 

Sophia sighed. She wouldn’t be able to make any progress without knowing about Meri’s true relationship with Clef and Lilith. But, if Meri was indeed a demon, then…she couldn’t get hurt, right?

She tapped away at the keyboard, then stopped and leaned back in her chair. “Nothing else to write.”

“Nothing?”

“Nope.”

Clef smiled to himself and stood up. “I’m outta here, in that case.”

“Sir–”

“Good luck.”

He left the room, leaving the two women confused as to what to do next.

***

A crowd gathered around the palace. It had been a long time since a public execution had been held, and even longer since a foreigner was executed, so nearly the entire Scarlet Kingdom came to watch the beheading of Sanna and Meridithea.

In fact, the popularity of the newly announced execution had grown so drastically that some people were trying to make money off of people by charging them to watch, though only a handful of mudhands fell for the trick.

In the back, hiding amongst the rest of the crowd, Jeser watched in horror as Sanna and Meri appeared in the courtyard. This wasn’t supposed to happen, he thought. Why are they being held liable?

Jeser gripped the Ouroboros tightly as he watched one of the royal guards appear behind Sanna and Meri. The Scarlet King sat far away, on the other side of the courtyard.

Sanna seemed unnaturally calm for someone about to face a gruesome fate, her eyes fixed on the horizon beyond the crowd. Meri tried her best to stand straight like Sanna, but she couldn’t manage.

The guard held an axe in his hand. Meri thought this execution method was highly unethical. At least shoot me, she thought, or even use a guillotine. Sanna didn’t seem to care.

Jeser watched as the guard circled Sanna, then Meri. He then stood in between them.

“Sanna shall be executed first,” he announced. “She has faked her death and has lied to the King himself.”

The crowd let out a gasp. Jeser pulled the Ouroboros close to him.

“Meri shall be executed after,” he said. “She assisted Sanna in stealing the heavenly Ouroboros, which we have yet to find.”

Jeser stared at the floor.

“We shall now begin the execution, starting with Sanna.”

The crowd grew silent as the guard raised the axe over Sanna’s neck. Meri watched in horror.

“Please–” she cried, but her mouth was quickly shut by another guard.

She wept as she watched the guard swiftly raise the axe and swing it down over Sanna’s neck. Her lifeless head fell to the ground and Meri cried out in terror.

“Please, no! Sanna, she can’t–”

The axe was over Meri now.

She struggled as the guard held her in place. The crowd booed as she shoved the guards away. “Please, I haven’t done anything!”

Jeser watched in silence as Meri screamed. The axe was raised. He had to do it now.

He unlocked the Ouroboros.

It was empty.

“No,” he whispered. “No, no! That damned shopkeeper, I knew it!”

CLANG.

The axe hit Meri squarely on the neck.

But something was wrong.

Her head, lifeless, did not bleed, nor did the rest of her body. How…

There was a heavenly glow.

She began to ascend like an angel, and transformed into one full piece again, this time crowned and dressed like…

…like a demon.

Jeser’s jaw dropped to the floor along with the rest of the crowd.

“A demon!” They shouted. “The King is trying to execute a demon!”

The King, though his face was hidden behind a mask, twitched in surprise. “She…I was right…”

Meri.

“Mom?”

Meri. It’s good to see you again.

***

There was a flash of lightning in the sky.

Well, it wasn’t lightning, per se. The sky seemingly erupted like a tiny supernova, and Site-17 was quick to notice it.

“What the hell is that?” Clef shouted from Kondraki’s office, where he was chatting with him. “Did you see that?”

“Good to know I wasn’t the only one,” he nodded. “This some prank you pulled?”

“No!” Clef shook his head. “What if that…what if that’s Meri?”

“Be realistic.”

“I’m being very realistic right now!”

There was a knock on the door. Gears and Iceberg both entered.

“Did you–”

“Yes, we saw it!”

“Clef, is this some prank you pulled?”

“I am going to–”

Kondraki patted Clef’s shoulder. “Calm down.”

“I’m calling Sophia,” Iceberg muttered. “She’ll know what to do. Doesn’t she work for tactical theology?”

“How is that going to help?”

“I don’t know, gods or something. Give me a second.”

The office was silent while Iceberg called Sophia. The call went to voicemail.

“Screw it.”

The loudspeaker buzzed. “Attention all personnel! Please report to the main conference room immediately! I repeat, please report to the main conference room immediately!”

“Well, crap.”

“Let’s go,” Clef shoved his way to the door. He was certain something was wrong with Meri.

He sensed it.

***

“Mom? What’s happening?”

Calm down, my child.

“Calm down? Mom, I’m dying.”

You aren’t dying, sweetie.

“Mom–” she blinked, and the world returned to normal.

She watched the crowd whisper and shudder, and she turned and saw the body of Sanna, and she turned once more and saw the King standing behind her, yet she could not cry.

“Meri…”

The King seemed frightened, yet in awe.

“I knew it…your mother…she’s…”

Meri swallowed.

“...she’s alive. She’s…in you somehow. I don’t…”

There was a crash.

Reality started to fall through.

Crap.

Chapter Text

The conference room was filled like the day the eruption first happened.

The sky was starting to…collapse, it seemed, and Site-17 was rather panicked. Could this be a K-Class scenario? The personnel on-site chose not to think of that.

Gears stood at the podium. “I’m not even going to start with an introduction. I think we all see the problem.”

The room remained silent.

“We don’t really know what’s happening. The disturbance seems to be coming from a parallel dimension. We are trying to pinpoint exactly what dimension that might be, so we ask all of you to remain calm.”

“I am not going to remain calm,” Clef screeched. “My daughter could be up there!”

“Since when did you care about your daughter, bozo?” Shouted a familiar voice from a man with orange hair.

Clef shook his head.

“If you’ll all please stop interrupting, we can quickly begin to investigate the occurrence. Thank you. Dismissed.”

In the halls, Clef, Kondraki, Iceberg, and Troy talked amongst themselves.

“Gears really likes to keep it brief,” Troy mused.

“Short but sweet,” Clef laughed. “Just like Kondraki.”

“I’m six foot two, idiot.”

“You think I was talking about height?”

Everyone grumbled and groaned, except for Clef, of course, who smirked to nobody but himself.

Above the skies, in another universe, chaos continued.

***

Jeser watched the ground seemingly disappear under his feet. He gripped the Ouroboros to his chest. He had stolen it, and he wasn’t going to get it stolen from him, even if the goddamn thing wasn’t working properly because of that stupid mudhand–

The sky was black but white and then red but yellow and the sky rang out like a heavenly shriek and Jeser was jumping down and falling up and upside down and rightside up and upside up and rightside down and he heard songs of glory and songs of pain and songs of misery and then the entire world went silent.

 ***

Meri was underwater.

She was underwater but she was breathing.

She was dead, wasn’t she?

I’m dead, aren’t I?

Nobody responded.

Not her mother, nor her father, nor a tricker, nor a liar.

***

“Is it just me or is the ground rumbling?”

“Another eruption?”

“No…” Iceberg looked out the window. “What the hell is that?!”

Outside, in the distance, a swirl of black emerged. It reached out infinitely, it screamed, it crawled. Something was coming out.

“Meri.”

Chapter Text

She was bedazzled in an array of charms and jewels. Her head felt heavy and she removed the crown atop her, a mass worth the entire universe. Her eyes shone with the light of thousands of stars. Her antlers…they stretched to the ends of the galaxy. 

She raised an arm and the world boomed.

She stared at her hands and they stared back.

The eye atop her forehead opened.

She raised her arms in unison and spoke in a language unbeknownst to anyone.

Clef watched from the rooftop. The security guards at Site-17 thought they’d secured the building and put it on lockdown, but Alto always knew a workaround.

The air was hard to breathe, but it didn’t bother Clef. He watched with curious eyes as the figure of a woman appeared from the shadow.

At first, she was nothing but a silhouette, but soon Clef could make out the image of his daughter.

He seethed.

Meri turned. From miles and miles away she saw her father, and she turned to look at him in those lying eyes of his. 

Clef ran inside.

Meri looked at the ground.

“Am I doing the right thing, mom?”

Yes, you are, my dear.

***

“Oh man,” Troy whistled. “What the hell is it now?”

He was watching from the windows next to Andrea, Sophia, and Zyn when he heard footsteps dashing down the staircase.

“Speak of the devil!” He jumped. “Clef, where were you?”

“Rooftop,” he panted. “Doesn’t matter. That’s–”

“That’s Meri, isn’t it?” Sophia sighed. “Well, at least you got her back.”

“Are you kidding me?” He cried out. “What happened to her? Why is she dressed like that? Why does she look so…”

“Godlike? Yes…I was wondering the same. I can only theorize that the soul of a demon may have woken up inside of her. This is only possible if her mother was a demon…”

“Lilith…”

“Clef, are you certain you aren’t related to her?”

Clef blinked. Liar, liar, you have to lie. Lying is good, lying is great. It protects people. He swallowed.

“My name is Francis, and Meri is my daughter.”

***

He told the full story to everyone.

“You were thirteen?”

“You got that right. Glad you can do math.”

“Sir, I have a master’s degree in mathematics…that’s not the point, however. You…I…”

“I’m so sorry, sir,” Andrea apologized. “I had no idea…”

“Yeah,” he swallowed. He had left out the part about killing her. “It’s a shame, huh…”

Sophia led the group to her office. “I have the proper supplies here. The reality rip is coming from the Scarlet Kingdom, presumably where Meri was kidnapped to. I have everything…except for one key piece.”

“Which is…?”

“The Ouroboros. A silver snake coil containing the pillars of the Scarlet Kingdom’s magic and continuum. It must have been stolen, otherwise this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Stolen? By who?”

“That I don’t know,” Sophia sagged in her seat. “There’s no other way to fix the rip.”

“So…we’re screwed?”

“Don’t say that,” Sophia hushed. “We are going to find the Ouroboros and save our universe, as well as that of the Scarlet Kingdom.”

“How do you expect us to do that?”

“By getting all hands on deck.”

***

The sky turned red around the world.

Not just at Site-17. Everywhere.

The entire planet was starting to burn.

“You’re watching NBC news. There’s been an incident…” or “this is FOX news. The president is blaming the democrats for the recent occurence…” or “welcome to CNN news. Tuning in today…” or even “you are watching BBC news. Today, an issue has arised…”

Every president from every country was up at their podiums. 

“The world, ah, the big beautiful world,” president Donald Trump began. “Very big, beautiful world. You know, my friends, Vladimir, uh, Kim, we all had a, a phone call, nice phone call, very friendly phone call. You know, we decided, uh…the world, what’s the state of the world? Uh…”

Clef changed channels. He couldn’t stand the animated tangerine.

Every president seemed braindead.

He flicked the TV off and sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Kondraki opened the bedroom door.

“You gonna help find the Ouroboros?”

Clef sighed, turning away. “If I gotta.”

“Thought you wanted to rescue your daughter.”

“She’s already been rescued,” Clef sighed. “Who cares about the rest of the universe?”

Kondraki sighed. “I’m heading down for breakfast.”

“Have fun.”

“You too,” Kondraki nodded at the TV. “I’ll see you later, Al.”

Clef grumbled as Kondraki locked the door and disappeared. He hated the man in a fond way.

He flicked the TV on and continued to watch politicians discussing the news. More crap streaming through television channels. How entertaining.

He flicked the TV off and fell asleep.

***

The cafeteria was crowded during breakfast time, and Kondraki plopped down next to Gears. Zyn, Andrea, Sophia, and Iceberg all eventually sat down as well.

“Where’s Al?” Iceberg asked Kondraki, who shook his head.

“...don’t even ask,” he grumbled, taking a bite of his omelette.

“Understood,” Iceberg smiled slightly, picking apart his food.

“Hey!” Troy waved as he walked over to the table. “You guys seem focused.”

Gears looked up from his food.

“...shouldn’t we be, uh, doing work…?”

“Lament, a basic human requires nutrition to partake in any strenuous activity. Though research is not typically considered strenuous, humans still require nutrition to power their brains.”

“You make it sound like you aren’t human.”

“I like to question that.”

Troy sat down next to Sophia, who blushed a bit. Zyn smiled.

“So, I’ve checked in on Iris, since Andrea was busy. She’s been taking the incident…about as well as you’d imagine.”

“Poor thing,” Sophia sighed.

“Who the hell cares?” Kondraki muttered. “Just some kid…”

“You sound quite a bit like your boyfriend.”

“Do I? Interesting.”

The table grew silent. Sophia pulled out her journal.

“I’ve been up all night researching,” she said, flipping through the pages. “This is a basic sketch of the Ouroboros. Within it is said to be sealed the Scarlet Ruby, which protects the Scarlet Kingdom and its universe.”

“So, who stole the Ouroboros?”

“That we don’t know for sure. We should focus more on the Ruby. It may have been taken from the Ouroboros.”

“How the hell are we supposed to find it?” Kondraki coughed. “It could be anywhere.”

“We’re going to have to ask Meri and the King. There’s no other way. We need to know what happened.”

“And how do you think we’ll do that?”

Sophia flipped to another page of her journal. “Currently, the Scarlet King looms over the previously erupted volcano. Meri can be seen near him. At least, we assume that’s Meri.”

“Al is certain it is.”

“She looks quite a bit like…” Iceberg trailed off. “Nevermind.”

“Like Lilith?”

Iceberg shook his head.

“Al’s not here, you can say whatever you want,” Kondraki shrugged. “She does look a lot like Lilly, at least based on the description. I’ve never seen her before. At least, nothing more than her skeleton.”

“We’ll have to send another squadron to the volcano. We’re thinking of changing the members. Maybe Clef should stay back here.”

“Won’t he get upset?” Iceberg asked.

“Nah. He was talking this morning all about how he didn’t want to help out,” Kondraki sighed. “Form the squadron and get us out there as soon as possible.”

“Absolutely,” Sophia smiled. “I’ll get to it.” She picked up her meal and stood. “I’ll see you all later.” She walked away with the plate in her hand.

Kondraki stood up, throwing away his breakfast. “Not hungry,” he muttered. 

“You sure?” Troy asked. “If you change your mind, I can grab you a snack.”

“Don’t bother,” he grumbled. Troy sighed, watching Kondraki walk off into the halls.

Poor guy, he thought. But…what about Al?

***

Jeser lay at the bottom of a crater in the Earth’s surface. Somehow, he still held the Ouroboros close to his chest. He blinked, staring at his handsome form, and quickly transformed into a cobra.

He climbed up the crater, the Ouroboros in his mouth. At the top of the crater he watched the world burn before him. 

It was then that he realized he was no longer in the Scarlet Kingdom, for the air here felt clean except for the ash that filled his lungs. 

The Scarlet King stood far above him.

The King wouldn’t be able to see a snake his size, of course, but still Jeser slithered away behind a rock.

He pondered to himself about what may have happened to the rest of the Scarlet Kingdom. Where had the prestigious nobles disappeared off to? The lowly, vagabond mudhands? 

He peered through the rock and watched the Scarlet King gather his thoughts.

“That blasted snake,” he hissed (how ironic). He turned to face the shadowy, feminine figure beside him. Meri?

“Meridithea, what do you suppose I do?” He asked, his voice echoing through the land. “Jeser must still have the Ouroboros.”

Meri turned her head toward the horizon. In the distance, she could see Site-17.

“My father,” she muttered. “...what happened to me?”

The King sighed. “The fabric of reality was collapsing. Something must’ve happened to the Scarlet Ruby. As soon as I realized who you were…what you were, I ascended you to the highest Scarlet rank. You now possess the power of a god.”

Meri stared at her hands.

“I’m…your size now.”

“That is correct.”

She continued to look at the facility in the distance.

“Reality…collapsing…”

“From what I’m seeing, the disturbance seems to be affecting this realm as well. We must retrieve the Ruby. I suspect Jeser has it.”

“And where might he be?”

Behind the rock, Jeser transformed into his human form, unscrewing the Ouroboros. Still empty, no ruby. He’d have to return to the Kingdom and find that blasted mudhand.

But, alas, there didn’t seem to be a way to return.

Meri sat down, continuing to stare at Site-17. Jeser had never seen such a place before. What was in there? It wasn’t…the Foundation, was it?

The building was large and rectangular, the walls and roof silver and steel. The buildings back in the Scarlet Kingdom all looked ancient and rustic and…red, of course.

Jeser found it strikingly unusual. 

He quietly transformed into a small snake and slithered toward the building. It would take him a long time in this form, but he couldn’t risk being caught. His crow form would be too suspicious as well, since the area was basically rid of all life.

And so, carefully and quietly, he made his way to Site-17, like a snake in the grass.

***

Clef closed the blinds, flicked the lights off, and shut off the TV. Too noisy, too bright. He needed peace and quiet.

He reached for his laptop, logging into SCiPnet and watching the flow of messages come in.

icey: absolute bs they have going on out there

kondraki: i’m heading back to my room

icey: shut up no one cares

Clef rolled his eyes.

ukulele: man yall act like kids

troyl: thought u died

icey: where did u even go

ukulele: im in my room ffs

He sighed, shutting his laptop. Site-17 was like visiting a preschool. Were the other sites like that?

He heard a knock on the door and immediately knew it was Kondraki. “You don’t have to knock.”

“Yeah, well, what if you were, like, naked or something?”

Clef raised an eyebrow. “We’ve been together for years.”

“...you seemed like you were in a bad mood.”

“I always am, Kon,” Clef sighed. “Sometimes my mood’s just worse than usual.”

Kondraki checked his phone. “So…just an update; the O5 Council is going to be involved in the, er, situation, as well as other sites, including Site-19. We’re going global.”

“Global? Dammit.”

“You’ll be getting a ton of emails and DMs on SCiPnet. Just letting you know.”

Clef’s phone buzzed.

“You should check that out,” Kondraki pointed. “I’ll be out chatting with some of the MTF agents. See you around.”

“Mhm,” Clef muttered as Kondraki shut the door.

All because of a stupid kid.

***

On the top floor of Site-17, directly under the rooftop, the entirety of the O5 Council sat around the large, round table in the O5 conference room. O5-2, A.K.A. Sophia Light, took notes in her ancient-looking journal (though it was most likely actually ancient) and occasionally shared her thoughts with the group.

“When we encounter something like a reality rip,” she began, “we have to take note of how fragile the fabric of reality is. It’s not fragile in a tangible way, however. You can’t cut it with scissors, but you can cut it with imaginary ones.”

She made a motion with her hands in the air, pretending to cut reality.

“We can think of the Scarlet Ruby as the glue holding this section of the universe together. It can only function while within the Ouroboros. Therefore, it must currently be missing from the Ouroboros. We do not know the location of that nor the Scarlet Ruby.”

She scribbled something in her journal.

“We don’t know if either of those items are even located in this realm, or in the Scarlet Kingdom. Both could be there, both could be here, or one could be there and one could be here. There’s even a chance they were misplaced during the incident and were sent to completely irrelevant dimensions.”

She sighed, leaning back in her chair. “Finding them is going to be difficult, but not impossible. For now, we have to keep the public from causing an uproar.”

She pulled out her laptop and opened the department database.

“We have a department focused on Personal Image and External Views. The members in this department are working hard to keep the public calm by posing as political officials, utilizing anti-memes to avoid suspicion.”

Sophia pulled up an image of the president speaking at the White House.

“According to the caption, they’re the two on the right…”

“Oh, yeah! That’s the senator of…crap, what state was it? Maine?”

“Uh…crap. Well, it seems like the anti-memes are working. I thought they were really politicians!”

“You thought? But they are…”

“...nevermind.” She turned back to the database, rubbing her eyes. “The next course of action would be deploying MTF units from Site-17 as well as other sites located in the United States, including in Alaska and Hawaii. If needed, we may deploy units from other countries as well.”

“Do we have enough money to deploy all of those units?” Adam, A.K.A. O5-1, asked. 

“You make a good point. The department I mentioned previously is posing as a small government agency using anti-memes to convince outsiders of its existence. The government will soon begin funding this ‘agency.’ This is how we’ll receive enough money to fund the units and provide them with weaponry, ammunition, food, armor, etc.”

“You really thought this through,” Adam nodded.

“I’ve dealt with gods before. Always be prepared.”

Adam nodded quietly.

“Any other questions?” Sophia smiled. Nobody responded. She quietly thanked everyone and sat down.

“I think that’s about all,” Adam sighed. “Thank you for your contributions, all of you. I am now calling this meeting to an end. Dismissed.”

Everybody stood and began to grab their things. Sophia quickly flipped through her journal.

Adam shot her a thumbs up from across the room as she left, and she smiled and nodded her head politely. Her plan was coming together. 

The gods were about to lose their crap.

***

Jeser was now at the wired fencing that surrounded Site-17. For a moment, he contemplated turning into a bird and flying over, but then he spotted the security cameras. They’d know something was up if a bird somehow flew into the building.

He turned into a fly and zipped through the fencing, finding one of the air vents and slipping inside. Too easy, he thought. Odd.

He escaped the vent through the other side. He had stumbled into someone’s bedroom.

So they have sleeping quarters here? Interesting.

Jeser looked around, spotting a blonde, male figure holding some kind of glowing rectangle about the size of his hand. He observed the images changing on the rectangle, and he flew closer, and closer, and–

“Goddamn flies,” the man cursed, swatting Jeser away.

Jeser winced in his mind. He looked at the man from afar.

Antlers.

He had antlers, just like Meri. Were all humans like this?

No, that couldn’t be. At the academy, where they taught human anatomy, they hadn’t mentioned antlers or anything like that.

He spotted a photo on the wall, where the man stood next to a taller man. The taller man didn’t have antlers.

Jeser looked at the blonde man on the couch.

Crap.

***

Kondraki stood in line at the cafeteria, waiting for his turn to grab some lunch for himself and Clef. He knew Alto would get angrier without any food, so he decided to get him something.

Once he got to the front of the line, he ordered two grilled cheese sandwiches and two canned beers. Clef would kill him if he didn’t come back with a beer.

He paid the lady at the counter and took the elevator up to his room’s floor. He whistled to himself as the elevator ascended, and stopped as soon as the door opened.

He walked to his room with the food in his hands. Once he made it to the door, he set the plates down on the floor and pulled out his key, twisting it in the lock.

“Al, I’m back,” he shouted, picking up the food. “You good?”

“How the hell did a fly get in here?”

“From…outside?”

“Duh, but there shouldn’t be any flies outside. It’s barren out there.”

Kondraki looked out the window.

“I mean…bugs can survive anything.”

“Konny, there aren’t supposed to be any bugs. Why is there a fly in here?”

“Maybe it was already here earlier?” Kondraki huffed. “Before this all happened, I mean. It’s not a big deal.”

“God, Kon, can you just…” he sighed. “Just squash it already.”

Kondraki sighed, his eyes darting around the room in search of the fly. 

Jeser was already hiding back in the vent, watching the two men argue.

He decided to fly another direction through the vents, this time flying down into what looked like a storage room.

Here, he transformed into a stereotypical-looking mad scientist. Not a bad form, he thought. Suits me.

He glanced around the room. It was a dimly lit backroom with a freezer in the corner. He followed the exit sign, ending up in a dark hallway that reminded him of a hospital. At the end of a hall was a locked, steel door marked as “MORGUE.”

Yikes, he thought. He quickly exited that hall and entered one of the main corridors. 

This hallway was still dimly lit, though a few fluorescent lights hummed above, just barely illuminating the corridor. Jeser walked past a few offices, peeking inside but not seeing anything of interest. He sighed, glancing around and trying to blend in.

He spotted a security camera.

He flipped it off.

He made his way to the end of the hallway, passing by a steel door covered in yellow tape that read “DO NOT ENTER.” The sign next to the door read “SCP-166.”

What the hell does that mean? He thought to himself. What happened here?

He heard footsteps and chatter behind him, and he ducked behind a trash can.

“...yeah. I looked at the reports for 166, y’know? Just for fun. I was bored.”

“They’re saying Clef’s her dad?”

“Something like that. There’s no way the guy has a daughter.”

The researchers walked past, and Jeser crawled out from behind the trash can.

…that man…he was called Al, right? I wonder if I can find his office…and his full name…

He turned into a fly and zipped through the hallways, searching for the man’s office. The building was a massive expanse of tunnels and hallways, so finding the correct room would prove to be difficult.

I have to ask someone, he realized after flying in circles for about twenty minutes. Shift into the form of a researcher. Act casual. Say you’re new here. Ask where the offices are.

He shifted into the form of a young man in a labcoat and quickly stopped a lady who was walking down the hall.

“Do you know where…uh, do you know where the offices are?”

She looked at him unamused. “You new here?”

“Uh…yes, I am.”

“Who’s office are you looking for?”

Crap. “Uh…Cleft? Clift?”

“Clef?”

“Ah, yes.”

“He’s not in his office right now.”

“I just need to stop by.”

“I can give him a note. Or you can send him an email.”

“What’s…what’s his full name?”

“His full name?” The woman laughed. “Nobody knows his full name, kid. The folks around here just call him Alto Clef.”

How odd, he thought. Why would he avoid going by his full name?

“Thank you,” Jeser nodded.

“Of course,” the woman smirked, walking away.

Alto Clef.

Now he just needed to know who 166 was.

Chapter Text

“You’re still pressed about the fly?”

Kondraki watched Clef walk into his office with his arms crossed.

“It doesn’t make sense…”

“Jesus, Al, it’s just a fly,” he huffed. “Why does it bother you so much?”

“It just…feels like it shouldn’t be there.”

“Goddamn, you are losing it, Al.”

“I feel like it was buzzing in morse code.”

“What the– Al, was it the canned beer?”

“Konny,” he rolled his eyes. “I could drink an entire barrel and be fine.”

“Then what is it?”

“I don’t know, okay? Something about the fly, and then Meri, and just…it’s weird.”

“Yes, it’s weird. Al, we specialize in this kind of bullcrap.”

Clef leaned back and shook his head.

“I get it. You’re going through something here. I get it. But she’s back, Al. She’s right outside.”

“She looks like her mother,” Clef’s voice cracked. “She…she is her.”

Clef stood. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

“I feel like you’ve been that way a while now.”

He sat down next to Clef, who turned away.

“We’re working on it.”

“How much longer can it take?”

Clef looked at Kondraki, tears welling up in his eyes. “I don’t want to be a terrible father.”

Kondraki sighed. “I don’t know how long it’ll take.”

Clef huffed. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize.”

“I’m still sorry.”

“I forgive you.”

Clef wiped his eyes and smiled shakily.

“Thanks, Konny.”

***

Meri sat in the desert.

She sat in the desert by the King, where they both watched Site-17.

“How long must we stay here?” Meri sighed. “Nothing is happening.”

“I am thinking.”

“About?”

“How to retrieve the Ruby. I would suspect Jeser, of course, but I am not sure of how to find him.”

“I thought you were a god,” Meri glanced over. “Can’t you just summon him?”

“You’re a god now, too. Can’t you?”

Meri focused.

“I cannot.”

“Gods are not all that powerful.”

“I see.”

“Mortals think it’s such a big deal if you’re a god. ‘Ooh, ahh, it’s a god, let’s worship it because it has infinite powers!’ It’s not like that, really. My servants only worship me because I threatened them into doing so. Being a god is just a title, a label. Nothing special.”

“...do I have powers, though?”

“Oh, yes, of course. Not because I ascended you, however. You’ve had powers since the day you were born, Meri. That’s why I chose you.”

“Since the day I was born?”

The King shifted his stance. “You know how your mother was this goddess lady?”

“Yes…she served you, right?”

“That’s correct. Well, you see, because you are her biological offspring, you carry her powers within you as well. It is only a matter of awakening these powers.”

“How shall I go about doing that?”

“The Ruby.”

Meri sighed. “I see.”

The two sat in silence. “Your world is very interesting,” the King said. “I wish to know more.”

“I suppose I could show you around, though it may cause distress.”

“Hmm, distress, you say?”

“We don’t exactly look, er, human.”

“Not a problem,” the King said, transforming both him and Meri into ordinary humans. The King wore a blindfold over his eyes.

“How will you see?”

“I have my ways,” the King smiled, and Meri realized this was the first time she had seen his ‘face.’

Meri smiled. She looked like herself again, but without the antlers or tail or anything deer-like. She felt…normal.

The King was dressed in black and red attire, and his face was covered in piercings. “I heard humans like to dress in this way. What is it called? Punk?”

“Ah, yes! It looks fantastic on you. Certainly not my style, however.” Meri looked down at her white skirt and green poncho.

“We appear like opposites.”

“That’s true,” Meri laughed. She paused, staring into space. “Sanna…”

“She wanted this, Meri. She wanted to be sacrificed. She could no longer stand the pain.”

“Why would you do those things to her?”

The King sighed. “Ancestors. Tradition. It’s hard to explain.”

“I see.”

They sat in silence once more, until the King spoke aloud. “Where shall we go?”

“Hmm…we’re in Nevada, so…” she grinned. “I’m not 21 yet, but who cares?”

The King snapped his fingers and Meri felt her skin tighten and shift.

“Now you are.”

She laughed, feeling her face, older now. “That’s incredible.” She paused. “I need an ID.”

The King snapped his fingers and produced an ID for both of them, perfectly legal.

“And you say gods aren’t all that?” She laughed.

“You don’t need to be a god to do that.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“So, where would you like to take me?”

“Las Vegas, baby!”

***

“Did they just disappear?”

“What do you mean?”

“They just disappeared. Meri and the Scarlet King. They’re not there anymore.”

“How is that possible?”

“Why the hell do you think I know?!”

“It’s your daughter,” Troy said, sighing. “Where did Ben go?”

“Left or something. He thinks I’m going insane. Screw him.”

“That’s something you would do.”

“What, screw him? What does that– oh.”

“You’re a bit slow, aren’t you?”

Clef sighed. He pulled out his phone to check SCiPnet. Everyone was talking about him.

icey: he’s going kinda loco

andy: ya im not going into his office

kondraki: who we talking about

icey: clef

andy: clef

kondraki: figured.

Clef shut his phone off, took his laptop, and left the office, handing the keys to Troy. “I honestly don’t care anymore. You’re in charge.”

“Sir–”

But Clef was already gone.

***

“I don’t know how to read your language.”

“I see why gods aren’t such a big deal now.”

They were standing on the side of the highway, facing the bright neon sign that read “WELCOME TO FABULOUS LAS VEGAS.” Meri read the sign out loud to the King.

“You can just call me Urdal,” he smiled. “We’re not in the Scarlet Kingdom, so why bother calling me by my royal title?”

“That makes sense, your maje– Urdal, I mean.”

They walked a little until they reached one of Las Vegas’ hotels. “We could stay here…that is, if I had any money,” Meri sighed.

“What currency does your species use?”

“Uh…it depends on the country, I guess? Here we use dollars.”

“According to my research, multiple countries utilize a currency containing the word ‘dollar.’”

“...United States…”

“Ah, USD. Understood. How much do you require?”

“I’m not sure. We’d have to check inside. Give me a thousand for now.”

“The greed they talk about in…what is it you call it? The bibble?”

Meri frowned. “Say, when I first came to the Scarlet Kingdom, I noticed my bible was missing.”

“Ah…the guards may have taken your possessions away. I’m sorry, but I don’t know of its current whereabouts.”

“Crap,” Meri huffed. “It’s…it’s fine. I’m sure it’s fine.” She thought back to when she had gone with her father, Kondraki, and Iris to Cornwall, but they didn’t have a chance to stop by the church. “I’ll…I’ll get a new one.”

“I’m sure your bibble meant a lot to you.”

“It’s pronounced BYE bull.”

“...bible…”

Meri sighed. “Let’s go inside and see how much a room costs. Hopefully it isn’t too expensive,” she muttered. (Our dear Meri has clearly never indulged in luxury before.)

Meri walked up to the counter inside of the hotel lobby and checked the price. “Jesu– I mean, wow. That’s quite expensive.”

“I don’t know how to read numbers either,” Urdal sheepishly confessed.

“Oh, it isn’t too hard! Um…well, anyway. I’m going to need just a tiny bit more money…”

Urdal sighed and summoned a few more bills.

“Thanks!” Meri grinned. The lady at the counter took the cash and smiled gently. 

“Welcome to Vegas.”

***

Sophia sat in her office, typing up a list of names on her computer in alphabetical order. How she loved organizing! She was good friends with Zyn’s brother, Mark, for this very reason.

The list of names was a list of candidates for a new squadron that she was forming, which she planned to send out to Yosemite to inspect the anomalous area and find more clues of where the Ouroboros and Scarlet Ruby may be.

She was also getting help from O5-3, A.K.A. Hyun-ki. Hyun-ki was building a software to locate anomalies based on size and other various properties. It was supposed to act like a search engine for phenomena, entities, and more. After we locate the Ouroboros, Sophia thought, we can still utilize Hyun-ki’s software. 

Hyun-ki was a child prodigy, who started working at the Foundation when he had turned nine years old. He was around eleven or twelve now, working with supercomputers and giant machinery. His brain is just another supercomputer, isn’t it? Sophia joked a while back when Hyun-ki had first transferred here.

Sophia was typing up the list when she heard a knock on the door. She saved her file and opened it, looking down at Hyun-ki’s stoic expression.

“I have completed the software,” they monotonely stated. “That is, I need you to be my beta tester. I would gladly appreciate it.”

“Absolutely,” Sophia beamed. “Let’s take a look.”

Hyun-ki led her into the computer room. The entire room was dark except for a few computers and servers flashing and glowing. “Don’t trip on the wires,” Hyun-ki warned as they both made their way to a large monitor in the back of the room.

“I’m currently running the software on this PC. It’s one of the most powerful in this building. I may request another model from Site-19 to speed up the search process. The CPU on this computer is mildly outdated.”

“...how outdated?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe by a week or so.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“I know, can you believe it? I tried to update it but this crappy computer won’t budge.”

“No, I mean…why does it matter? It’s only a week.”

“You’ve never used a computer, have you?”

Sophia shrugged. “Uh…”

“Listen, you have to have the most up-to-date software or else your machine won’t run. And even if it does run without the correct software, it’ll just break down the more you use it like that. Also, if your computer updates during something important, you could lose your data. I learned that the hard way. Don’t risk it.”

Sophia nodded, confused. “Uh-huh…”

“I’m going to load up the software now. It’ll take a while. Like I said, I am considering getting a PC from Site-19, so ignore the slow loading screens and searching. This is only temporary.”

“I understand.”

Hyun-ki sat down in the computer chair and double clicked a blue icon on the screen: a globe with the Foundation logo placed in the center.

“I call it SCiPsearch, but it’s not copyrighted yet, so I guess you could steal the title. I think it’s a nice name, right?”

“Very creative.”

“Thank you! Now let’s see…” the computer fan started to whir and Hyun-ki kicked the PC below the monitor. “C’mon…”

Sophia stood and watched the screen go black, then grainy, then watched the monitor change to a loading screen. “SCiPsearch NOW BOOTING…” with a doodle on the bottom of who Sophia assumed was Hyun-ki, since the crude handwriting next to it said “courtesy of hyun-ki!”

“The loading screen takes the most time. I’m thinking of adding little messages on the bottom, like those video game tips, you know? I think it’d be funny. ‘You do not recognize the bodies in the water’ or something silly like that.”

Sophia nodded. She had never played a video game before.

“Okay, it’s almost done loading, see? Not too bad of a start time…I think that took about seven minutes and thirty-one seconds. New record!” 

The loading screen faded into a screen with a globe and a bunch of buttons and text.

“Welcome to SCiPnet, Sophia! I’ll let you try it from here.” Hyun-ki stood, watching Sophia sit down. “This button changes the layout, this button lets you customize the colors, this button lets you–”

“Where’s the search button?”

Hyun-ki frowned. “Top of the screen, to the right. Magnifying glass.”

“Thanks.” 

Sophia clicked the magnifying glass and selected the proper criteria. “Object. Silver. Snake-like. Hollow. Less than a foot in size.”

The screen buffered for a moment as the globe spun around on its axis. Eventually, it stopped.

1 result found in 2.1293 seconds.

“Huh. Check that out,” Hyun-ki leaned over. “What’s the result?”

Sophia shook a little before pressing the result. The globe turned to show a red dot around California and Nevada.

“The Ouroboros,” Sophia swallowed.

***

Jeser was a fly again.

Most of the time he just flew through the vents or quietly buzzed through the corridors. He avoided suspicion, even as a tiny bug, because even the smallest things appeared to trigger the staff here.

He kept the Ouroboros with him. When he shifted, it transformed into a smaller version of itself, and when he shifted into his standard form, it transformed into its standard size. 

The Ouroboros was tiny now, nearly microscopic, and he kept it tucked between his wings.

After searching for quite some time, he found Alto Clef’s office.

Inside, he transformed into a researcher and scoured the place for evidence, any sort of evidence that would lead him back to Meri. He checked the closets, the drawers, anything, but he couldn’t find what he needed.

Then a manilla folder caught his eye.

In red, on the cover, the word “CONFIDENTIAL” was stamped.

He opened it, of course.

The file inside said “INCIDENT 166-A INVOLVING ALTO CLEF.”

The rest of the pages detailed this “166” that he had previously heard about. It described a female humanoid who possessed deer-like features, including antlers, a tail, ears…

That’s her, Jeser thought. He flipped the page and found a piece of paper with handwriting on it.

It can be inferred, though it is not conclusive, that Doctor Alto Clef is the biological father of SCP-166, also known as Meridithea or “Meri.” – SL

I am not her goddamn father. – AC

Subject has shown aggression to interviewers and other staff when asked about his relations with SCP-166 and/or SCP-4231, also known as Lilith or “Lilly.” – AA

Screw off. – AC

Jeser heard the door unlock and he quickly transformed into a fly, watching as Alto Clef entered the room.

“...stupid…aw, c’mon, who was snooping around in the folder?” He grumbled, staring at the opened document. “Should just scan this in on my computer…”

Clef sat down in his office chair and turned on his computer. 

Then he made eye contact with Jeser.

“Another goddamn fly? This the same one? What the hell’s going on?” Clef stood up and grabbed the manilla folder. “Come here, you idiot.”

Jeser wasn’t an idiot. The exact opposite, in fact. He flew under the office door and escaped, but not before hearing the man curse out loud.

How petty.

***

The hotel room was rather small for something so expensive. It was clean, though, as a hotel room should be, and Urdal looked around in awe. “How elegant!” He mused and walked around the room. “Human design and architecture is very interesting.”

“We have an entire history of architecture and design. I mean, I’m sure your kingdom has that as well. We just have very…very many styles. A lot comes from our general history.”

“You must teach me about your world’s history!”

“Oh, it’s not all that simple,” Meri laughed. “They teach you those things in school. Sanna told me about the academy in the Scarlet Kingdom. It sounds prestigious.”

“Prestigious? Oh, definitely not. It’s the only school in the kingdom.”

“I see. I suppose the word ‘academy’ just has a prestigious tone to it.” Meri nodded slowly. “What do they teach you about Earth there?”

“The First Hytoth, the Voru, and then the Second Hytoth, but nothing else. Nothing about Earth itself, or its people, besides basic culture and anatomy.”

“The Voru? From the Church of the Broken God? I learned about them some time ago. Do you follow their teachings?”

“Everything overlaps, I suppose.”

“I see.”

They stood in silence.

“...human…anatomy?”

“It’s very strange.”

“Yes.”

“Human reproduction scares me.”

“Me too.”

They stared at each other. (Except, of course, Urdal is blindfolded.)

“What are we supposed to do in Las Vegas?”

“I mean, most people gamble or something.”

“Do tell, what is this ‘gambling’ you speak of?”

Meri grinned. “Give me your wallet. Or, I suppose, summon a wallet full of cash.”

Urdal grinned, though he had no idea why. “Of course.”

***

“It says the Ouroboros is located around here!” Sophia beamed. “As in, this building!”

“The tracking isn’t 100% accurate yet, but it certainly appears to be in this building. And it’s…moving?”

“Hold on. I’ll send some guards out. It’s not like the thing is tiny, so they should be able to find it!”

***

Jeser hated being tiny.

Sure, he was less noticeable, but it took him longer to get places, and he didn’t know that it was so tiring to fly around all day.

He flew back into the storage room and turned into his human form, checking the Ouroboros. It was still empty.

He laid down on the cold, hard floor and closed his eyes.

He could wait a little longer, right?

***

Three guards quickly made their way to the storage room, armed with Foundation-grade rifles and pistols. They wore masks and helmets and bullet-proof vests, and Sophia was bewildered at how quickly they could move in such armor.

Sophia wished them well from her office when she saw them run by, and she continued to write up the squadron candidate list, just in case the guards weren’t able to secure the Ouroboros, though she was confident they’d be able to.

At the bottom of the stairwell, they stopped, placing their ears on the door and listening for any sounds.

Silence.

They quietly opened the door, and Jeser, by instinct, perked up. Idiot, he thought to himself.

The three guards spotted him and raised their rifles.

“H-hey, I work here, don’t shoot!”

One guard silently pointed to the silver snake coil in Jeser’s hands.

“That’s…I was cleaning up…”

“Tranquilize him for now,” one guard whispered to another. “Throw him into a D-Class cell. We’ll deal with him later.”

“Secure, Contain, and Protect the Ouroboros.” One of the guards shot a tranquilizer dart at Jeser, and it hit him right in the chest.

“F…damn it.” He rolled over dramatically. “You…”

The guard scoffed as Jeser dropped the Ouroboros and passed out. Another guard ran over to retrieve the Ouroboros, and a third grabbed Jeser and carried him out of the room.

“Code 4. Ouroboros secured,” the first guard radioed to Sophia. 

“10-4. Thank you,” she replied, beaming.

This wasn’t the end, however.

***

They were in a casino now.

There was shouting and cheering and cursing, and the machines were blaring “WINNER” and “TRY AGAIN,” and the lights were flashing every color at every second, and Urdal was shocked.

“I’ve never seen so many colors before,” he muttered in awe.

“...neither have I, truly,” Meri smiled. She was a bit overwhelmed, of course, but she was excited to be here.

“Where do we even begin?”

Meri pulled out the wallet Urdal had summoned. She looked around. “You’d be brilliant at poker,” she giggled.

“You don’t say?”

***

“Ma’am, there’s an issue regarding the Ouroboros.”

“I thought you managed to secure it.”

“We did. It’s right here, in fact, but upon opening it…” he untwisted the coil. “The Scarlet Ruby is missing.”

“It’s missing?”

“Unfortunately, yes. We checked the trespasser, and he’s going to be questioned soon. So far, we haven’t been able to retrieve the gem.”

“Crap. I’ll get Hyun-ki…”

“Perhaps you should wait for the trespasser’s interview?”

“Not interested,” she quickly brushed the guard off, standing from her chair and grabbing her laptop. “Let me know if anything important comes up. Thanks.”

The guard blinked. “...sure. You’re welcome.”

Hyun-ki would know what to do.

***

“I have no idea what to do.”

“Can’t you just…search for the Ruby on the database?”

“I already tried that. It keeps coming up as ‘Out of Bounds.’ It’s not in this dimension.”

“It doesn’t show other dimensions?”

“I would need the computer from Site-19. There’ll be a delay.”

“Crap. Can’t you tell them this is urgent?”

“Oh, they know it’s urgent. Doesn’t mean anything to them, though. It’ll take a while.”

“How long will it take?” Sophia shook her head.

“I don’t know. A week if we’re lucky.”

“Goddamnit.”

“You could send out that squadron you were working on.”

“I could…” Sophia looked at the laptop in her hands. “Yeah. I’m going to work on that. Thanks a ton, Hyun-ki!”

“My pleasure,” the kid smiled. “Godspeed.”

“Godspeed, Hyun-ki.”

Chapter Text

Clef was pacing back and forth in his room.

“What are you so worried about this time?” Kondraki asked him, groaning.

“Sophia’s releasing the new squadron’s roster soon.”

“I thought you opted out?”

“Yeah, but you didn’t.”

“Because I want to help out.”

Clef rolled his eyes. “Since when did you care?”

“I’m practically her step-father, Al,” Kondraki sighed. “Of course I care. I’m half responsible for her, if not more.”

“Go worry about your kid.”

“Draven? He’s in his twenties.”

“Whatever,” Clef mumbled. 

Kondraki felt his phone buzz. “The roster is up!”

Clef quickly pulled up his phone. Sophia was going, of course, as well as Gears, Troy, Zyn, Iceberg…

Kondraki.

“Looks like I made the team!”

Clef furrowed his eyebrows at the other man. “You did?”

“Yeah! Sophia even emailed me separately saying she appreciated my help on the last expedition.”

“Of course she did…”

“Oh, damn! I’m even one of the team captains!”

“Of course you are…”

“Sophia and Troy are the commanders!”

“Of course they are…”

Kondraki turned off his phone. “You seem upset.”

“Are you joking? Of course I am! You’re going to be gone for, like, weeks!”

“It won’t take that long.”

“But it might, Konny.”

They stared at each other.

“Nobody else at the Foundation talks to me, Kon. They’re terrified of me, as they should be, frankly. But it’s…you’re…”

“Andrea can help you out.”

“Andy can go to hell!”

Kondraki huffed. “Yeah…”

“Just…when do you leave, Konny?”

Kondraki checked his phone. “...tomorrow morning.”

“Goddamnit.”

“I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

“You never keep your promises.”

“And you never tell the truth.”

Clef sighed. “Maybe the Father of Lies isn’t such a liar after all, huh?”

“Maybe. Maybe he’s more honest than people realize.”

“It’s funny. Like an oxymoron. An honest liar. The father of lies is an honest man.”

“Huh, yeah.”

They stared at each other. “I’ll miss you, Clef.”

“I’ll miss you too.”

“It’s only a bit of time.”

“...right. Not an eternity.”

“Not like the Ouroboros.”

Clef laughed quietly. “You should sleep. You’ll be up earlier.”

“Good idea,” Kondraki smiled, jumping onto the bed. “See you tomorrow, Al.”

“See you.” They flicked off the lights and drifted off to sleep.

***

Sophia was up late, sending out emails to the new squadron. 

Subject: Squadron Meeting Location and Time

From: [email protected]

To: multiple recipients

Body: We will be meeting by Gate E at 5:45 A.M. Please try to be there before 5:30. Thank you!

She sent it.

Up so late, up so early, sunrise, sunset. Such is the life of a Foundation member.

***

“Well, we lost all of our money,” Meri sighed.

“Not a problem,” Urdal winked as he summoned another wallet full of cash.

“It’s currently 10 o’clock. Maybe we should go to bed.”

“The casino is open 24/7.”

“It’s better at night, too…yeah, let’s go in for round two!”

***

Kondraki was up at five in the morning, shaking Clef awake.

“I’m leaving now,” Kondraki whispered.

“Mmm…” Clef muttered. “Do you have to…?”

“Yes, Al. I have to.”

“Okay…” he yawned. “I’ll miss you.”

“I love you, Al.”

“I love you too, dummy.”

Kondraki smiled, grabbed his things, and left.

“See you on the other side.”

***

Sophia was outside at Gate E long before the first squadron members showed up. She had her laptop, her clipboard, her purse, and she donned a leather jacket. 

She pulled her walkie-talkie out of her purse. “Light to Heli unit. Light to Heli.”

“10-4,” responded a voice on the other end. “How many vehicles?”

Sophia thought for a moment. “Two is good.”

“Two, got it…” the voice trailed off. “Okay. We’ll be parked on the roof. See you soon. Over.”

Sophia put the radio away and sighed, pulling a box of cigarettes out of her purse and lighting one.

She stood there for about an hour, occasionally checking her phone. Nothing important.

Kondraki finally showed up, waving. He was dressed in his tactical armor and held a gun in his hands. “Nice to see you, Soph.”

“Hey. You’re the first one here.”

“Seems about right,” Kondraki sighed. “It’s getting cold out.”

“Yeah.”

After a while of awkward silence, Troy showed up.

“Hey hey!” He beamed, looking at Sophia. “Hey, ‘darlin.”

“Oh my god, shut up,” she hissed.

Kondraki watched in silence. If only Clef would come with.

“We’re waiting for…well, everyone else, but I’ll give you guys a short outline of the plan,” Sophia spoke. Troy and Kondraki both turned to face her.

“My co-worker, Hyun-ki, is currently working on a program that will help us locate the Scarlet Ruby. This is the same program I used to locate the Ouroboros, and it worked successfully. Unfortunately, it seems the Scarlet Ruby is out of bounds, meaning it isn’t located in our current dimension. Hyun-ki is upgrading the program to allow us to view other dimensions, which will take about a week or two.”

“Damn. Way longer than I hoped,” Kondraki sighed.

“Longer than any of us hoped,” Sophia frowned. “Unfortunately, Hyun-ki requires a computer from Site-19, and due to all of the nonsense going on, it will take a while to get that shipped over to Site-17. Hyun-ki is trying their best to maximize the priority of the computer delivery as well as minimize the delay, but most likely, we’ll be out and about for a while.”

“So why leave now?”

“We need to leave as early as possible so that we can spread out and immediately move in when we get a message from Hyun-ki. Watch out for an email within the next two weeks.”

“Roger that,” Troy nodded. 

“For now,” Sophia said, “I’m splitting up the squadron into two groups. Each group will be placed in a separate helicopter, which will go to a separate location. Helicopter 1 will have our most trained agents and researchers sent out to Yosemite. Helicopter 2 will land around Site-19.

“I will announce the groups once everyone arrives. I have a rough draft of it done, I just need to get a good look at everyone first.

“I can already confirm that I will be on the first helicopter.”

“Do I get to be on the first helicopter?” Troy beamed.

Sophia sighed. “Sorry, Troy, but you’re probably going to go on the second flight.”

“Damn it!” He screeched. “I mean, uh, that’s too bad.”

Sophia bit her cheek to stop herself from laughing when Iceberg, Gears, and Zyn showed up.

“Sophia!” Zyn beamed. “How are you?”

“I’m good, Z,” she smiled. “You?”

“I’m doing fantastic! It’s been so long since I’ve gone out on a mission.”

“That’s true,” Sophia grinned.

“Salutations,” Dr. Gears stated as he placed his rifle against the wall. “A pleasure to see you all.”

“Are we leaving soon?” Iceberg scoffed. “The clock is ticking.”

“We’ll leave as soon as everyone else shows up,” Sophia explained. Iceberg groaned.

Thirty minutes later, they had the entire group together.

“Okay, we’re delayed a bit, but that’s okay,” Sophia sighed, pulling out her clipboard. “There are two helicopters. I’m going to be announcing the groups now.” She read aloud from the list.

Helicopter 1, en route to Yosemite National Park

Doctor Charles Ogden Gears

Doctor Benjamin Kondraki

Senior Researcher Sophia Light

Doctor Julian Iceberg

Doctor Simon Glass

Doctor Everett Mann

Researcher Zyn Kiryu

Helicopter 2, en route to Site-19

Agent Troy Lament

Agent Dmitri Strelnikov

Researcher James Talloran

Agent Draven Kondraki

“Ha! Kon, they won’t even put you with your kid!” Iceberg laughed.

“Whatever,” Kondraki huffed, staring at Draven. Draven rolled his eyes.

“Everybody, please meet me on the rooftop. I will help you locate your helicopter.” Sophia took a deep breath and walked to the elevator.

What a mess.

***

“Helicopter 1, to the left! Helicopter 2, to the right!”

Kondraki walked to helicopter 1.

“The other left,” Sophia sighed.

Inside helicopter 1, the group was mostly silent. Some people were already eating their rations, and Kondraki was quick to roll his eyes. If they were gonna get stranded in Yosemite, they should at least have food. Kondraki decided he’d only eat in the evenings during the mission.

Helicopter 2, on the other hand, was bustling with activity. The members on board were pretty close with one another. Troy and Dmitri made excessively political jokes while James and Draven…yeah, they’re kissing, that’s enough now…

Sophia piloted the first flight while Dmitri piloted the second one. Everyone placed their headphones over their ears and the helicopters ascended.

“Onward,” Dmitri rejoiced in a thick Russian accent. “Glory to us!”

“Roger that,” Sophia smiled. “God bless us.”

And they were off.

***

Jeser winced as he woke up. The tranquilizer hadn’t fully worn off, but the room was so bright that he had woken up. He blinked a few times and saw that a guard was shining a flashlight at him.

“Heavens! You’re going to make me go blind!”

“Your sight is no longer of interest to us,” the guard sighed as he flicked off the light. “I am here to escort you to interrogation room C. Please follow me.”

“Why should I?”

The guard cocked his gun.

“Okay, okay, I’m coming,” Jeser grumbled as he stood up, following the guard. 

Am I still at the Foundation? Jeser pondered as he stumbled through the corridors. I must look like a drunkard. How embarrassing.

“This is the room,” the guard nodded. “Please sit in the waiting room.”

The ‘waiting room’ was akin to that of a prison cell, but with multiple chairs. A guard stood in the corner with his rifle out, while some lady sat at a counter, calling out names.

Jeser walked up to the counter.

“Uhh…I have an interview…or interrogation, I suppose.”

The lady looked at him, unamused.

“Name?”

“Jeser.”

“How do you spell that?”

“Uhh…” Jeser frowned. He didn’t know how to spell in English. “It’s…uh…”

“Jeser?” A voice called out. He turned around to see a man with blonde hair, antlers, and three eyes. “I’m here to interview you.”

Oh no, Jeser thought. That’s Alto Clef.

***

“We should play the Foundation game,” James Talloran piped up in helicopter 2.

“The what?” Troy scoffed.

“The Foundation game! Draven and I came up with it. It’s like Hedbanz, but you have to guess which SCP you are.”

“Eh, why not,” Troy smiled slightly. “Do we have cards or something?”

“Uhh, not on hand, but I can make some. Dray, do you have any paper?”

Draven pulled out a pack of sticky notes.

“Okay, okay,” James snickered. “I’m gonna write a bunch down, and then we’re all gonna pick one without looking.”

Draven handed him a pen and he giggled as he wrote down the numbers. After about ten minutes, he grinned. “Okay, I got a bunch down. Everyone, close your eyes and pick one to put on your forehead!”

Dmitri called from the cockpit. “What is going on?”

“We’re playing a game,” Troy called out. 

“I want to play games too,” Dmitri frowned. “Like Russian roulette.”

Troy picked out a sticky note and stuck it on his forehead. Draven and James followed.

“Okay,” James snickered. “Okay, Troy, ask a question first.”

“Uh…am I a keter anomaly?”

“You wish!” James slapped his knee. Everyone else in the helicopter didn’t find the game very amusing.

“Okay, my turn,” James grinned. “Have I ever interacted with this anomaly?”

Draven squinted his eyes. 3999. “Well…I think you’ve done more than interaction…”

James coughed out a laugh. “3999!”

“That was fast,” Troy sighed.

“Duh. I’m not allowed to interact with any other anomalies besides 3999.”

“Oh,” Draven rolled his eyes. “It was a trick.”

“And you fell for it! Now it’s your turn!”

Draven nervously laughed. Dmitri sighed. Everything was going smoothly for once.

At least, it was going smoothly for them.

***

“Alto Clef is currently interrogating Jeser.”

Kondraki perked up. “What?”

“Clef is interrogating him. The clerk that works for the interrogation rooms just messaged me. I wonder what will happen.”

“Why is he the one interrogating?”

“We have a staff shortage, since most of us are on the expedition. Clef is the most well-versed person to do the job.”

“Crap,” Kondraki huffed. “This isn’t going to end well.”

“Don’t say that.”

“Already said it,” he sighed. “Lord have mercy.”

“I thought you were Jewish.”

“...I thought you were a nazi.”

“Why the hell– whatever, I have to pilot this stupid thing. Hush.”

***

“Full name?”

“...Jeser.”

“How do you spell–”

“I don’t know, okay?!”

Clef looked at Jeser, unamused. “Do you want me to make this difficult?”

“I don’t know how to spell,” Jeser hissed. “Your species is overly complicated for no apparent reason.”

“Sure, we’re the problem.”

“You’re all full of yourselves!”

“I mean, I do think we’re pretty great…hold on. Where was I?”

“What’s the next question?” Jeser grumbled. “I’m getting impatient.”

Clef cleared his throat and stared at the sheet of paper in his hands. “Question 2…what is your biological age?”

“Anywhere from zero to infinity.”

Clef wrote down “N/A.”

“Gender?”

“Gender? What the hell is that?”

“Ambigous, okay.”

Clef scribbled something down.

“What’s the point of this?” Jeser muttered.

“I’m the one asking questions, not you,” Clef huffed. “Where are you from?”

“My mom’s bum,” Jeser snarled.

“What is your place of birth?”

“The hospital.”

“What is the name of the hospital?”

“The general hospital.”

“I am going to kill you.”

“Please do already,” Jeser groaned.

“Listen, I’ll get straight to the point,” Clef stood suddenly. “Where’s the goddamn Scarlet Ruby?”

“I don’t know!” Jeser cried out. “I lost it, okay?! I don’t know what happened to it. The Ouroboros just…it didn’t have it!”

“Then where is it?”

“I don’t know!”

Clef sighed. “How did you obtain the Ouroboros?”

“...that’s a long story.”

“I have all day.”

Jeser took a deep breath. “Okay…”

***

“I’m getting tired,” Draven yawned. “How much longer until Site-19?”

“About five hours,” Dmitri called out. “I apologize.”

“It’s okay, dude! Nice job so far.”

“My thanks.”

In the other helicopter, Kondraki fidgeted with his hands, worried about how Clef was doing with the interview. 

Sophia switched on autopilot and pulled out her phone.

hyun-k1: how far from 19

light_as_a_feather: idk. thats the other group. i can dm

hyun-k1: no worries. Ur flying a helicopter. I can dm.

light_as_a_feather: thx. Message troy or smth

She sighed, setting the controls back to normal and leaning back in her seat. They were less than an hour away from Yosemite, and she was getting nervous.

The rest of the group in helicopter 1 was equally as nervous, except for Gears, since no one could really tell how he felt about the situation. Iceberg was sitting next to him, and Gears tried his hardest not to make eye contact.

Zyn scribbled in her journal.

“I see Yosemite!” Sophia called. Everyone leaned over to look out of the cockpit.

“Damn, that’s massive,” Kondraki raised his eyebrows.

“Is that something you’ve said to Clef before?” Iceberg snickered.

“You are a disgusting piece of– oh, hey, is that Las Vegas down there?”

“Hey, it is!” Sophia grinned. “I wish I was there right now.”

The group laughed.

***

Meri woke up.

It took her a moment to realize where she was: her Las Vegas hotel room.

She turned around and saw Urdal staring at her from across the room.

“What is wrong with you?” Meri spat, sitting up.

“I do not sleep.”

“...of course,” Meri sighed. “What time is it?”

Urdal looked at the clock on the wall. “Um…”

“8:15. Why aren’t there any digital clocks in here? C’mon…”

“What shall we do?” Urdal looked around the room, then out the window. “Your world is amazing!”

“Yeah…we don’t have to stay in Vegas. There’s a whole planet out there to explore, including places I’ve never been.”

“Is there a map?” Urdal tilted his head.

“Summon an atlas for me. Up-to-date.”

And that he did. “I did not expect this book to be so heavy,” he strained as he dropped the book on the bed. “Atlas of the World. Interesting.” He flipped open the book.

“See? There are different continents, like Asia and Europe. We’re in North America, see?”

“Wow…”

“We’re actually located right here,” Meri pointed to Nevada. “It’s a state inside of the United States, which is our country, which is in North America, our continent.”

“Then where is Las Vegas?”

“Inside of Nevada.”

“Wow.”

Urdal flipped through the pages. “Russia…Japan…France…England…”

“Wait, stop.” Meri opened a page titled “Cornwall, England.”

“What is that?”

“It’s…where I was born. I lived there most of my life, in a church. I went there with my dad recently, but we ran out of time and I couldn’t visit the church.”

“So…?”

“Can you take me there? To that church? I still remember where it is.”

“Of course I can, Meridithea.”

“Thank you.”

***

“...so that’s what happened. I suspect that mudhand to have stolen the Ruby, but he’s in the Scarlet Kingdom, and I shot him dead.”

“Hmm…”

“I’m a murderer. You don’t seem surprised.”

Clef smiled. “Common interests, I suppose.”

Jeser smiled to himself. “So…can I leave?”

“Not yet.”

Jeser sighed. “What else, then?”

“Next,” Clef folded his arms. “Tell me how to get to the Scarlet Kingdom.”

***

“We are now descending,” Sophia announced. “Please make sure your seatbelts are on.”

Iceberg stretched. “Can’t wait to finally get back on my feet.”

“Oh, please,” Gears sighed. “The flight is barely two hours. Imagine the other flight.”

“I guess you’re right,” Iceberg said, cracking his wrists. “Sophia, what’s the plan when we land?”

“We set up camp,” she responded. “This place is completely empty and mostly covered in ash. We can set up anywhere.”

“We have the whole park to ourselves!” Zyn cheered.

“At least what’s left of it,” Gears muttered.

“Yeah…too bad I won’t get to see any butterflies…”

“Yeah, too damn bad,” Kondraki huffed.

“You guys are no fun.”

“Work isn’t fun.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s work,” Kondraki sighed, looking out the window. “Where the hell are we supposed to land?”

“There’s a meadow down that way,” Sophia pointed. “I think that’d be a good place to land and even set up camp.”

“Sounds good,” Iceberg nodded. “Lower us in!”

They slowly descended into the park. 

One step closer to a miracle.

Chapter Text

“I don’t know how to get to the Scarlet Kingdom.”

Jeser was still sitting across from Clef in the interrogation room. Clef didn’t seem amused.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Jeser frowned. “If I knew how to get back, I’d have already gone!”

Clef exhaled. “That’s true.”

“The only way to get back would be through the Scarlet King, I’m assuming, and I have no idea where he is! He and Meri showed up and then disappeared off the face of the Earth!”

“Let’s not assume such drastic things,” Clef leaned back. “This is the Foundation. We work with anomalous things, okay? We can easily build some kind of portal to get us to the Scarlet Kingdom. We did it with Alagadda.”

“You can?”

“Sure we can,” Clef smirked. “There’s also…ugh, the Serpent’s Hand. They’re good with the interdimensional teleportation crap, but trust me, you don’t want to get involved with those wackos.”

“Got it.”

“So…I can get someone working on this portal thing, okay? No big deal.”

“So I’m free to go?”

“Not entirely. I’m gonna send you back to your cell. You’ll be staying there for a while.”

Jeser gulped. “How long?”

“...to be determined.”

“Great,” he muttered. “I could just shapeshift and sneak out.”

“A shapeshifter, huh?” Clef grinned devilishly. “We’ve got collars for those folks.”

“Damn it. Should’ve kept my mouth shut.”

“I struggle with that too. No worries.”

They stared at each other. Clef stood up. “Let’s get you back in there,” he pointed.

***

They landed in the meadow. It wasn’t exactly a meadow anymore, however. It felt more like a desert covered in ash. Sophia handed the group masks and they all exited the vehicle.

“Any of you been to Yosemite before?” She called out. Nobody responded.

“I’ll take that as a no,” she smiled. “Well, this area isn’t too bad. Can someone get the camping supplies out from the cargo deck? Thanks.”

Gears ran inside, grabbing the tent, sleeping bags, matches, loose ammo, and pistols. 

“Why do we need pistols?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Just in case there’s a bear or something. Everything’s supposed to be dead by now, but you never know.”

“This is actually really cozy,” Zyn smiled. “Besides the horrible air, and the gray sky, and the dead grass and animals…it’s, like, a really nice camping trip.”

“Save your delusions for another time, Z,” Sophia sighed. “No need to romanticize the ugly. We won’t be here for too long, anyway.”

“Right, right,” Zyn nodded, a bit embarrassed. “I’ll help collect wood for the fire!”

“Zyn, there aren’t any trees left,” Gears shook his head. “We brought our own. You can help light the fire, however.”

“Right, I can do that…”

Gears went back to the helicopter to grab a bag full of wood. He dumped it in the middle of the campsite and pulled out the matches he had packed. 

“Um, can I–?” Zyn croaked, but Gears had already lit the match. The fire began to burn and Iceberg immediately sat as close as he could to it. 

“Alright, lights out people!” Sophia shouted. “We gotta be up early tomorrow.”

“Understood,” Gears nodded. “There’s only one tent, but it should be big enough for all of us.”

It barely was.

They all huddled tight in the tent, drifting to sleep, waiting for Hyun-ki to figure out how to get the Scarlet Ruby.

The clock was ticking.

***

You’ve reached the IT department of Site-19. If you are hearing this, we are currently occupied. Please try calling this number again at a later time.

“Crap,” Hyun-ki hissed, hanging up. “I’ll try the Comp Sci department.”

Hello! You’ve reached the department for Computer Science at Site-19. Press 1 to set your language. Press 2 for assistance with your computer. You will be redirected to the IT department. Press 3 to be connected to a live agent.

Hyun-ki pressed 3.

You are now on hold.

“Never Gonna Give You Up” began to play.

“Jesus…” Hyun-ki rolled his eyes. “In this year and age…”

They twirled around in their chair for about five minutes before the music stopped.

“You’ve reached the department of Computer Science at Site-19. Andrew speaking.”

“Hello?”

“Hello! How can I help you?”

“Yeah, it took you five minutes, forty-three seconds, and twenty-five milliseconds to answer the phone. I’d like to request an immediate shipment of your most powerful IBM computer to Site-17.”

“Woah, there,” Andrew coughed. “Is this a kid?”

“I’m– yes, but I work for–”

“Does your mommy or daddy work for the Foundation? Can you hand the phone over–”

“I’m O5-3. I am requesting an urgent shipment.”

“You’re O5-3?” The man seemed bewildered.

“I’m developing a program intended to assist personnel working for the Foundation by allowing them to locate anomalies on a map. I need to upgrade the program, which requires a more powerful computer than the ones we have over here on Site-17. This is an urgent request.”

“A program?”

“If you don’t believe me, then you can come here and see for yourself.”

“No, I believe you, but how do you expect us to haul an entire IBM computer to Site-17? Is there even any room?”

Hyun-ki grumbled, popping the SD card out of the PC. “I’ll come over there. Let them know that O5-3 is on their way.” They smirked, adjusting their suit and tie. “I’ve got everything I need except for one ticket to Omaha.”

“We’ve got you covered,” Andrew responded. “I’ll send one of my colleagues over to Site-17 to escort you by 10 P.M. Hopefully not too far past your bedtime. He’s Nevadan, so it’s not too far for him.”

“Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” Andrew responded, hanging up the phone.

Hyun-ki stood from their chair, grabbing the SD card and putting it in a container with a lock attached. They smiled to no one but themselves, leaving the computer room dark and deserted.

***

“Hyun-ki is going to Site-19.”

“Huh?” Dmitri turned around, peering behind him. “What do I do? You expect me to turn this thing around?”

“Nah, they said to get there anyway,” Troy yawned. “Hyun-ki is one of those ‘last-minute’ sorta people. You just gotta go with it.”

“Very well,” Dmitri sighed. “I continue the flight, yes?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Is there a bathroom up here?” James winced. “I gotta go pretty bad.”

“Just pee out the window.”

“But I gotta crap too.”

“Lord,” Troy sighed, rolling his eyes. “Dmitri, pit stop?”

“Let me see…” Dmitri checked the GPS. “We are over Wyoming right now. I will try to land somewhere.”

“Thanks,” James breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ve never been to Wyoming before.”

“Has anyone?” Draven dryly laughed.

“We are just over Rock Springs,” Dmitri called out. “It is city, I think. We can land there. Or there, or maybe there. I am deciding.”

“Land at a gas station or something,” Troy joked.

“This is not possible.”

“I…I know that, it was a joke, I–”

“You want to hear joke? I had pet bear, okay? Pet bear ate my wife, now I am widower.” Dmitri laughed.

“That’s…that’s the joke?”

“Yes, it is very funny in Soviet Union.”

“Okay…”

The helicopter ascended down to the border of Rock Springs, and Dmitri made a soft landing in the grass.

“You really have to be this conspicuous?” Draven kicked the dirt as they exited the vehicle.

“You wanted bathroom, I provide,” Dmitri nodded in James’ direction, but he was already running to the nearest gas station.

“Get me a slurpee!” Draven called out.

“Cheetos for me!” Troy shouted.

“Beef jerky,” Dmitri nodded.

“Right on,” James gave the group a thumbs up as he disappeared from view.

“Halfway there,” Dmitri sighed, looking out at the dark sky.

***

Jeser was bored.

He was very bored of the gray and white walls that surrounded his enclosure. Was this how Meri lived? Was this how everyone here lived? This prison?

The rumors were true, Jeser thought. It’s like a dungeon, and even the dungeons back home are better than this. 

He stared at the shackles on his wrists and sighed. He’d be here for a while, huh?

***

A white Cadillac pulled into the parking lot of Site-17 at about 9:45 P.M. The driver was a man in a suit with sunglasses and a bandana covering his face. He had gotten through the gate using his Site-19 ID, and was now waiting at the edge of the parking lot for Hyun-ki.

He turned to his left and saw the tiny silhouette of a child exit the building, holding a briefcase and nothing else. As they approached the vehicle, the man saw the child in full-detail. They were Asian, gender ambiguous, and had their black hair combed back. They adorned a suit and tie, and they grinned as they approached the car.

“Andrew’s colleague?” Hyun-ki asked, but they already knew the answer.

“That’s right. O5-3?”

“Call me Hyun-ki.”

“Hyun-ki it is,” the man said, slightly botching the name. “You can call me Drew.”

“Hello, Drew,” Hyun-ki smiled as they got in the back of the car. “I’m not old enough to sit in the front.”

“Right…” Drew looked in the rearview mirror. “How old are you, exactly?”

“Eleven.”

“Eleven years old, and you’re working for the Foundation, huh? And an O5, at that!”

“That’s correct.”

“How’d you get the job?”

“I hacked into the Foundation’s database a few years ago. They were so impressed they hired me, and I reprogrammed the cybersecurity system to withstand the same tricks I used and more.”

Drew was silent as he pulled the car out of the parking lot. “That’s impressive,” he said as they hit the road.

“I have improved my hacking skills since then, of course. I’m sure I can still hack the database, but the point is that no one else can.”

Drew muttered damn. He had no idea that someone could even do that, let alone a child.

“How far is the airport from here?”

“Oh, about two hours away. You folks are situated in the middle of the Mojave Desert. Pretty discreet.”

“I see. I guess I’ll be here for a while.”

“That’s true.”

And so, Hyun-ki leaned back in their seat and fell asleep, waiting until they reached the airport.

***

Meri was in her hometown again, this time with Urdal.

“This is where you wanted to go?” He looked around, unamused. “Seems pretty plain.”

“That church over there,” Meri pointed. “That’s the one.”

Urdal looked up at the towering, white building. “It’s beautiful.”

“I miss this place. It’s only been three years, really, but I miss it.”

“You’re here now.”

“I am,” Meri took a deep breath. “I’m going to go inside. Do you mind staying out here?”

“Not at all.”

“Thank you.” 

Meri adjusted her skirt and entered the church. She stood inside the dark foyer, listening to the sound of the church organ playing behind the door. She listened for a few minutes, praying before she entered the nave.

She opened the door, staring up at the stained glass windows and the giant organ and the pastor.

She made eye contact with him.

“Meridithea?”

Meri looked down at the ground. “I shouldn’t be interrupting the service.”

“No one else is here.”

“God is.”

Meri looked up at the pastor.

“I suppose you’re right…”

“I can return later.”

“But, Meri, you’ve been gone…for how long? Lord have mercy. It’s been three years since you were taken from our place of worship.”

“And by God’s will I have returned.”

The pastor began to weep.

“You were but a wee newborn when we first…when we first took you into our arms. When you turned thirteen, that man took you…”

“That man was my father.”

The pastor choked on his words. “Why…I don’t…”

“It’s a long story.”

“Meri…are you going to leave us once more? Now that the world is ending? This is the rapture, Meri. They spoke of it in the bible.”

“I’m sorry, I have business to attend to.”

“Meridithea!”

But she had already left the church in tears, stumbling outside in a sobbing mess, falling into Urdal’s arms.

“Meri, what has happened?”

“Nothing. Nothing has happened,” she wept. “I did what I needed to do. Take me home, please.”

“Where is that?”

Meri blinked, wiping her tears.

“Take me to where my father is.”

***

“Since Hyun-ki left…do we get to go home?” Iceberg asked, yawning. It was morning at the campsite, and Gears was cooking some beef on the fire.

“No. We’re staying here until Hyun-ki gets the program loaded and upgraded, and then we’ll go wherever they tell us to,” Sophia stretched as she exited the tent. 

“Great,” Iceberg sighed.

Everybody’s phone buzzed at the same time.

“Uh…we should probably check that out.”

Sophia took her phone out and saw a message from…Alto Clef? She gulped.

ukulele: hey everyone?

ukulele: why the hell is meri here? And who’s this emo guy??

“Oh no.”

***

“Hello, father.”

“Meri, how the hell did you– where were you, I don’t–”

“That is not the point. Where is Jeser?”

“Jeser? That freak?”

“Where is he?”

“...I’m not telling you that.”

Urdal appeared in the doorway. “He’s in one of the D-Class cells.”

“What–”

“I can read minds.”

“And so can I, Urdal.”

“Nice one,” Urdal grinned. “Alto Clef, huh? Odd name.”

“I know. Came up with it myself.”

“Let’s get Jeser,” Meri gripped Urdal’s arm. “I’ll see you later, dad!”

“God,” Clef muttered after she left. “I’m screwed.”

Chapter Text

“We’ve arrived at the airport, Hyun-ki.”

“Thank you,” Hyun-ki said as they grabbed their briefcase. “How much should I pay you?”

“Oh, no need,” Drew smiled. “My pleasure.”

Hyun-ki nodded. “Thanks a ton.”

“Have a safe flight!”

Drew drove away, and Hyun-ki checked their phone.

Oh no.

They swallowed before rushing into the airport, gripping their briefcase. Of course something had to go wrong as soon as they had left. They needed to get to Site-19, fast, but there were still two hours until the flight was even set to begin boarding!

Hyun-ki collapsed onto a bench, panting. It was worthless.

What could they do?

***

James, Draven, Troy, and Dmitri were arguing over the news of Meri’s return.

“What a load of bull!” Troy shouted. “Made us all panic and then showed up again.”

“Hooligan,” Dmitri muttered.

“She’s practically my step-sister, and even I don’t know what to say.”

“Do we still need to go to Site-19?”

“I have no idea.”

They were in the air again, yelling over the sound of the chopper engine.

“Sophia just said to keep going to Site-19. We’ll meet Hyun-ki there,” Troy nodded.

“At least we don’t have to turn back,” Draven sighed. “Nobody else needs to use the bathroom again, right? Good. Let’s keep moving.”

Dmitri picked up the pace.

***

“No need to worry, you guys. Hyun-ki is at the airport.”

“We don’t have time!” Zyn screeched as she scrambled to grab her things. “We have to go, now!”

“No, we don’t. Zyn, deep breaths. They’re currently on the loose at Site-17. I don’t know what they want, or what they’re doing, but it doesn’t matter. We’re staying here. As soon as Hyun-ki gets the computer set up, we’ll be off.”

“Roger,” Zyn responded shakily.

Everyone was prepared for impact.

***

“Jeser, native of the Scarlet Kingdom, a natural crimson-blooded trickster, thy vermillion tongue has spoken far too much. We are here to silence thee.”

Jeser looked up at Urdal. “...what?”

“I said, thy vermillion–”

“Zip it, Shakespeare,” Jeser hissed.

“Who the hell is Shakespeare?” Urdal raised an eyebrow.

“They, uh, gave me some reading material…”

“Jeser,” Meri sighed, folding her arms. “I knew not to trust you.”

“Took you long enough.”

“I knew the entire time, Jeser. But what choice did I have? I wasn’t planning on staying in the Kingdom forever.”

Jeser rolled his eyes. “And?”

“Sanna sacrificed herself. She sacrificed herself for me. I barely knew her, Jeser. But because of her, I was able to get home.”

She sighed. “But because of you, she died.”

Jeser crossed his arms. “Your point?”

“Jeser,” Urdal grumbled. In a low voice, he began, “you shall return to me the Scarlet Ruby or face the divine punishment.”

“I don’t know where the Ruby is!” Jeser cried out. “I’ve told everyone that! No one believes me. I have the Ouroboros, but it’s empty! Someone else stole the Ruby.”

“Who?” Meri raised a brow.

“Do I look like I know?”

Urdal took a deep breath in. “I overheard that this place, this Foundation, is searching for the Ruby. I have a proposal. If you are able to find it before they can, I will spare you. But if you fail?” Urdal moved his finger horizontally across his neck. “Do not disappoint me.

“I will not!” Jeser stood, saluting. “I assure you!”

“Then off you go,” he said, unlocking the door. The alarms went off immediately.

“Lord save me,” Meri sighed.

She was off.

***

“Containment breach at Site-17,” Sophia read aloud. “Crap.”

***

“Containment breach at Site-17,” Troy read aloud. “Oh boy.”

***

Hyun-ki scoured the airport in search of an elevator that would take them to the control tower, or at least some kind of office. They needed a computer, and they needed one now. There was no time left to waste.

They made it to the end of some hallway and were met face-first with a door labeled “AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.” The door was locked and could only be opened using a keycard. Hyun-ki smiled. Too easy.

They took out their ID card and edged it between the door and the frame, then turned to the keycard system and pulled out a screwdriver, untwisting the system and cutting the wires with scissors. Then, they used the ID card to open the door.

They collected their things and ran inside, shutting the door behind them and quietly passing the offices. Boiler room, electricity room, storage room…computer room. The sign was bright red and stuck out like a sore thumb. Hyun-ki beamed. This was the place.

Surprisingly, the door was unlocked. Someone must’ve forgotten to lock it, they thought to themselves. Better for me, then. 

Inside, the room was dark except for the servers and their blinking lights, and the giant monitor at the end of the room.

That is the most beautiful machine I have ever seen. Hyun-ki approached quietly in awe, looking around the room. They placed their briefcase on one of the desks and pulled out the SD card containing the program.

They placed the card into the slot in the PC and navigated to the program file. They took a deep breath in and exhaled as they double clicked the file.

It loaded almost instantly.

Great, Hyun-ki grinned. Time to add my upgrade.

They sat down at the computer and began to clack away at the keys when the door behind them opened.

They turned around quietly and slowly.

“Hello,” they smiled.

The man in the doorway appeared unamused. “Where are your parents?”

“Dead.”

The man stroked his chin. “I see.”

“I’m busy.”

The man yawned. “Cool, so am I. I have a job here, you know? I make money here. I am not about to get fired because of some orphan.”

Hyun-ki reached into his briefcase and pulled out a revolver. “You may not get fired, but I will fire.”

“Uh…”

“It sounded better in my head.” Hyun-ki cocked the gun and pointed it at the man, who raised his hands in the air.

“Kid, put the gun down. Didn’t your mother, or father, or…didn’t anyone tell you not to play with those?”

“I don’t listen to adults.”

“Troublemaker, huh?” The man pulled out his walkie-talkie. “Security.”

Hyun-ki punched the man in the face and ran to the keyboard.

“What the–”

“Taekwondo black belt,” Hyun-ki grinned as the room filled with security guards. “Just five minutes and I’ll leave you all alone!”

The guards all pulled out their guns.

“Cool your jets,” Hyun-ki laughed. “Get it? Cuz it’s an airport?”

No one laughed.

“Whatever,” Hyun-ki said as they pressed the enter key. “Cool. Watch this, you jerks.”

The usual globe in the program was now a map of the entire multiverse. “This stuff isn’t easy,” Hyun-ki faked a groan. “Would be a shame if you got in the way of it.”

“What the hell is that?”

“Just a little project of mine.” Hyun-ki typed in the proper criteria in the search bar and watched the screen load. “This is your last chance to leave.”

“Dude, this kid is freaking me out,” one guard said to another, who nodded. 

“I’m gonna leave,” he responded.

“What– you guys, this kid is trying to break into our computers!” The original man in the doorway looked around frantically. “Cowards! I’ll handle this myself.” He grabbed a gun out of one of the guards’ hands and pointed it at Hyun-ki. 

“You would really be willing to kill a child?” Hyun-ki snickered, not even turning around. The screen switched to an image of a ruby; one result found. The Scarlet Kingdom appeared on a map with a flashing red dot. The Scarlet Ruby.

“My job here is done!” Hyun-ki said as they snapped a photo of the result and ejected the SD card. “You should get back to work,” they grinned as they left the room in darkness, the man watching the young child exit the room with nothing but a briefcase in their hand.

***

Jeser bounded down the Site-17 hallways, running from the guards chasing behind him. “Why must someone always hunt me down?” He shouted as he ran. “I cannot keep hiding!”

Meri and Urdal were at the end of the hall, staring at a map of the Scarlet Kingdom.

“See? The Ouroboros is kept up here, in the palace, as you saw,” Urdal said, pointing to the top of the map.

“Mhm…”

Jeser crashed into them, and Meri yelped as she landed on the floor with the map in her hands. Urdal seethed.

“Jeser!”

“Yes, your majesty? I mean, uh, I apologize, your majesty!”

Urdal took a deep breath and snapped his fingers. The guards disappeared. “I’m opening a portal for you. Get to the Scarlet Kingdom and find that gem!”

“Yes, your highness!” Jeser saluted as Urdal created a portal. Jeser bit his lip as he walked through, and Urdal closed the portal once Jeser had entered.

“That should knock some sense into him. If he slacks off once more, I will know.”

Meri stared off into the distance. “My father…”

“He is angry.”

“The feeling is mutual.”

“I am sure.”

They stood in silence.

“What shall we do now?” Meri shifted her stance.

Urdal shrugged.

Andrea appeared around the corner.

Andrea with Iris.

Iris made eye contact with Meri, who swallowed and faked a smile.

“Meri?” Iris asked, her voice distant.

“Hey,” Meri stuttered. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“...I watched you get kidnapped.”

“Yeah…you saw me, huh?”

Iris began to tear up. “Why did you leave us like that? Leave me? We’re best friends, Meri!”

“I know. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Urdal watched silently as Meri wrapped Iris in a tight hug. Iris wiped her tears and looked behind Meri. “Who’s that?”

“That’s, uh. That’s my friend, Urdal.”

Andrea raised an eyebrow. “Urdal? That sounds familiar.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. “One moment. I need to make a phone call.” She rounded the corner and dialed up Sophia Light.

“Didn’t you mention the name ‘Urdal’ at some point?” Andrea insisted as soon as Sophia picked up.

“Urdal? That’s one of the Scarlet King’s many names. Why?”

“You’re still at the campsite, aren’t you?”

“Yes…”

“...I think the Scarlet King is here.”

***

Sophia hung up the phone abruptly, shaking. Her phone buzzed and she opened it to find a message from Hyun-ki. Coordinates.

hyun-ki: coordinates are out of bounds ofc. Use these to open a portal to the scarlet kingdom. Plz hurry.

Sophia shut her phone off and shouted to the group.

“Everyone, gather round!”

Everybody shifted their gaze to look at Sophia.

“Hyun-ki has given us coordinates for the Scarlet Ruby’s location. We are all to return to Site-17, as there is currently a major breach occurring that we must neutralize. After that, we may construct a portal to enter the Scarlet Kingdom.”

“That was fast,” Kondraki grinned. “Finally.”

“A breach? Is everyone okay?” Zyn worried.

“Well, we don’t really–”

CRACK.

The sky erupted.

***

Hyun-ki watched the sky erupt like a supernova as they exited the airport whilst being chased by security guards.

“What the hell?” One of the guards watched in shock.

“I have to get back to Site-17,” Hyun-ki held their breath. They turned to face the security guards. “Can one of you give me a ride?”

***

Clef was not amused with the sudden chaos.

Agatha Rights stood in Clef’s office, and she quickly shut the door and pulled out her phone.

Site_17_Announcements: Please shut all doors and windows. Site-17 is now initiating a lockdown. Do not make any sudden noises or movements. There is an Apollyon-level breach occurring. Get to safety. If you are outside, run indoors and lock yourself in the nearest room. This is not a drill.

“Well, crap.”

“I was getting hungry,” Clef sighed. “What a load of bull.”

“I wonder what–”

Scraaaaaaaaape.

“Holy crap,” Agatha muttered. “Get under the desks, now!”

The door swung open and Urdal appeared, this time no longer hiding in his human form. He was too large to enter the room, so he crept down and stretched his hand through the doorway.

“I know you are in there.”

Agatha and Clef remained silent.

“I suppose I’ll have to do this the hard way.” He transformed into a snake and slithered into the room, immediately making eye contact with Agatha and Clef.

“Not very clever, are you?”

***

“What have you done?” Iris screeched as she, Meri, and Andrea bounded down the halls.

“I haven’t done a single thing! Urdal simply disappeared!”

Iris bit her lip as they rounded the corner. “What do we do? We’re practically breaching containment as well.”

Meri stopped and looked around.

“I have no idea.”

***

Hyun-ki sat in the back of a police car.

“I’d take you to jail, but it seems that may not be a good idea.”

“I appreciate it, sir,” Hyun-ki nodded. “You can arrest me after this entire ordeal concludes.”

“Since you’re a juvenile,” the officer began, “normally we’d have your parents attend court with you, but you mentioned that you are an orphan.”

“Correct.”

“Therefore, we would most likely have you returned to an orphanage…”

“Sir, you can’t do that.”

The officer glanced in the rear view mirror. “It’s the law, kid.”

Hyun-ki wrinkled their nose at the officer. They were too exhausted to come up with something witty to say. They simply muttered something and looked out the window.

***

The campsite had already been packed up and the members of the squadron were already in the air, flying back to Site-17.

“What a mess.”

“Indeed,” Sophia sighed, checking her phone. “It doesn’t seem to be getting any better, either.”

“If only this thing could fly faster,” Kondraki grumbled. “I’m getting worried.”

“About Alto? Pfft,” Iceberg coughed. “If anyone’s worried, it’s the Scarlet King.”

“I guess,” Kondraki muttered. “What about Meri?”

“She’s back at Site-17…presumably.”

“Let’s hope,” Kondraki leaned back.

***

The squadron unit that was initially heading to Site-19 had also changed their course to take them back to Site-17.

“Bummer,” Troy stretched his legs. “I wanted a vacation.”

“You don’t get vacations…at the Foundation.”

“Didn’t someone already make that joke?”

Hmm.

The group sat in the helicopter, mostly silent. They’d been flying in that thing back and forth for nearly a day, and they couldn’t wait to get back on the ground.

Their minds were about to change, however.

***

Hyun-ki arrived in the parking lot of Site-17, thanked the driver, and quickly rushed inside. The place was in chaos, and they were only by Gate B. According to the messages, the breach had happened down by Gate F.

They swiftly and silently made their way to Clef’s office, only to be met with a dark, shadowy entity at the doorway.

“Sorry. Am I interrupting?” Hyun-ki grinned as they pulled out their revolver. 

“A child?”

Hyun-ki fired, and Urdal disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

“He’s not gone yet,” Clef climbed out from under his desk. “He’s…he’s gone elsewhere.”

“I figured it wouldn’t be that easy. Follow me.” Clef and Agatha both ran out of Clef’s office and followed Hyun-ki to the rooftop, where two helicopters landed.

Kondraki was the first to climb out, and he ran to Clef.

“Are you okay?” He frantically asked, and Clef nodded. 

“I’m okay, Konny. I’m okay.”

The rest of the squadron climbed out, and Andrea, Meri, and Iris climbed up to the roof as well.

Meri told everyone what had happened.

“You…were in the Scarlet Kingdom.”

“I was,” Meri nodded. 

“This Sanna girl…I remember her from my textbooks,” Sophia bit her lip. “Yes, the mother of the seven brides. The poor thing.”

“Where do you suspect the King has disappeared off to?” Gears asked Meri.

“If I were to guess…the Scarlet Kingdom. That’s where Jeser went.”

“Then off we go,” Hyun-ki grinned. “Beam me– or, us– up, Scotty!”

***

Jeser walked down one of the alleys in the Southern part of the Scarlet Kingdom. He went this way to avoid being spotted by the mudhands. The entire kingdom was aware of what had happened, and there were riots happening left and right. Jeser had nothing but his fists to protect him.

On the other end of the alleyway was part of the mudhand village. Most of the buildings were on fire, and mudhands ran by with pitchforks and torches in their hands, screaming and chanting. 

Jeser transformed into a mudhand and quietly walked down the street until he made it to the shop by the fields, which were now empty of mudhands. They had all dropped their work and ran when they heard the news. The kingdom was falling.

Inside the shop, the limp body of the shopkeeper faced Jeser. Nobody had even come to dispose of his body. Maybe nobody even knew he was dead. Was this common in the slums? Did nobody shop here?

Jeser kicked the body to the side, losing all respect for the dead as he made his way to the storage room. It was unlocked, of course, and he scoured the shelves and boxes to no avail. A ruby couldn’t be that difficult to spot, surely. Unless the man didn’t have the ruby back here…

Jeser regretted killing the man. Not because he was afraid of getting into trouble, or because he felt bad for the man’s family, if he had one, but because he would never know the answer now. The man was halfway decomposed.

Jeser sighed, walking up to the counter and checking every drawer for the ruby. Then he checked the pottery, and the top shelves of the main room, and the floorboards, and even the dead man’s pockets. He couldn’t find the ruby.

He left the shop and looked around the street. Where could that pesky little ruby be? What was Jeser supposed to do?
Perhaps there was nothing he could do.

He continued to walk down the street, passing looted jewelry stores and the like. He’d occasionally check for the ruby, but he assumed it must’ve been stolen by one of the mudhands.

Jeser snuck into one of the alleys between the shops and kicked the dirt beneath his feet, cursing.

“You lost?” A hoarse voice croaked from the darkness.

Jeser did not even flinch. He simply sighed. “Not me,” he muttered.

“What are you looking for?”

“Something that I have lost.”

“I understand that,” the man grumbled. “But what is it that you have lost?”

Jeser sighed. “The very thing that I had stolen.”

Chapter Text

In the basement of Site-17, a portal was being built.

Hyun-ki punched out the coordinates onto a laptop while Sophia annotated a giant blueprint.

“This part here is the atomic stabilizer. This will be the reactor…”

“Are we building a nuclear facility?” Troy scoffed. “Soph, you don’t have to do all of the work.”

“I would prefer to,” Sophia said as she scribbled something down on the blueprint. “I, frankly, enjoy the workload.”

“I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“Perhaps not.”

Sophia folded up the blueprint into a cylinder. “It’s best we go get some sleep, darling,” she smiled at Troy, who quickly nodded. 

“Yes! Absolutely, Sophia,” he grinned. “We can work on this tomorrow.”

Clef squinted as he folded his arms. “This is urgent, you realize that? The target is most likely on the move.”

“Rubies can’t move,” Troy spat.

“I mean someone who– you guys are insufferable. Forget it.”

Clef impatiently rolled his eyes and sighed, taking his keys out of his pocket. “C’mon, Konny,” he called out. “Let’s also get some sleep.”

“But it’s not even nine–”

“Let’s. Get. Some. Sleep,” he grinned as if being held at gunpoint, that forced smile of his staring at Kondraki, who sighed.

“Fine. Sleep, yeah. Night, everyone. We can get back to this tomorrow morning.”

Everyone slowly began to pack up their things. Everyone except for Hyun-ki, Iris, and Meri.

“You two don’t seem tired in the slightest,” Hyun-ki mused, shutting their laptop.

“That’s because we aren’t,” Iris growled. “God, Meri, what a mess!”

“Don’t say– ah, forget it. I’m sorry, alright? I was instructed to follow the King’s directions.”

“Instructed? By who?”

Meri shut her eyes, remembering standing next to Sophia as the King approached.

You must do what he says. It’s the only way.

She opened her eyes.

“Someone. It doesn’t matter.” Meri glanced at Sophia, who was leaving with Troy. Sophia gave Meri a look, a look she couldn’t figure out the meaning of, but it almost felt like…like a warning.

“Let’s go to bed. We shouldn’t be out here anyway,” Meri smiled nervously.

“You’re right,” Iris sighed. “Andrea can take us,” she said as she walked up to Andrea in the middle of the room.

Hyun-ki opened their laptop and glanced over at Meri. “I am going to continue working, if that’s alright with you. This must be done as soon as possible.” They picked up a cup of coffee and downed it in a few seconds.

“Should a little kid be drinking coffee?”

“Should a little kid be building a portal into another dimension?” Hyun-ki shook their head and smiled. “Go to bed, Meri.”

“You’re right. I’ll go to bed.” Meri yawned. “Good night, Hyun-ki.”

“Godspeed,” they responded.

Godspeed indeed. They would need it.

***

The man in the alleyway offered Jeser a cigarette. Jeser hesitated, then took a puff of smoke. It tasted like bitter pomegranates.

“They are made with burgundy tea,” the man mused, noticing Jeser’s surprised expression. “A concoction exclusive to the Scarlet Kingdom. The tea, that is.”

“Interesting.”

“Not only is the nicotine addictive, but so is the caffeine!” The man slapped his knee, coughing.

“You seem experienced.”

“I work at a tobacco factory, kid.”

“They have those around here?” Jeser raised an eyebrow.

“Just up north, border of the slums. There’s a little one up there.”

“Interesting.”

“Say, I heard they’re working on a new kinda cigarette. Something with crushed up rubies. They basically searched the entire slums for them! Heard they found one across the street in that pottery shop. A real shiny one.”

“Cool– wait, what?”

“Can you believe it? A perfectly cut ruby! The shopkeeper was found dead, though. An interesting crime scene.”

“Where did you say the factory was?”

“Up north.”

“Thanks,” Jeser quickly threw the man a few crimsons. “Thanks a ton. I need to go.”

“Oh, well. Nice meeting you!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jeser nodded as he ran off.

That ruby was waiting for him.

***

Meri and Iris were both full of energy. It was far past their bedtimes, but Andrea had allowed them to have a sleepover at Meri’s, and they were up at night looking over Meri’s books.

Andrea had delivered Meri a fresh stack of books from the library: books covering deer, plants, and even the Scarlet Kingdom. Meri devoured them as Iris pressed her with questions about her adventure.

“The Scarlet Kingdom! I had only heard of such a place. I didn’t know it really existed.”

“Well, it’s definitely real,” Meri exhaled as she flipped through the pages of one of the books regarding the Scarlet Kingdom.

“Did you eat food there? What’s the food like?”

“Um,” Meri blinked as she multi-tasked between answering questions and reading. “We stopped at a cafe…”

“Ooh, a cafe!” Iris beamed. “Did you take any photos?”

“Hmm? Oh, I didn’t have a camera with me. They…they sort of took everything I did have with me.”

“...who’s they?”

Meri sighed, shutting her book. “I’m assuming the guards, or whoever runs the dungeon. Or even Jeser, I don’t know. My bible…” Meri swallowed. “After I came back here, Urdal – the King, that is, – took me to the church I grew up in. The pastor was still there. The same one that had raised me, and…”

Iris tilted her head to the side.

“Nothing’s changed, you know? Sometimes I wish I could go back there, and other times I’m glad I’m here. Now my bible is gone, and I don’t have anything from my old church. They took my rosaries, my cross necklace…it’s all gone. It’s like they took a…a piece of me.”

Iris folded her arms and sighed. “We can still, y’know, go back and try to find your bible and everything.”

“I don’t want to go back there,” Meri muttered, remembering Sanna’s lifeless face. 

“So you’re going to stay here while your dad and his co-workers go to the kingdom?”

Meri stared at the cover of the book in her hands. “A Guide to Urdal and his Cohorts.”

“He’s horrible,” Meri whispered. “I don’t know what possessed me to listen to him. His promise? His…his lies?”

“Maybe your father isn’t so much of a liar after all.”

Meri put the book down. “Fine, I’ll go with them. I know the place better than anyone else here. We need to find Jeser and then capture Urdal. Or, at least, restore the Scarlet Ruby. Hyun-ki is still across the hall, working.”

“Maybe we should help them out,” Iris beamed.

“What can we do? I don’t know how computers work.”

“Maybe we can, like, put parts together. Something like that. Let’s go find out,” Iris grinned.

“Alright, then. Let’s go see what we can do.”

***

Further north up the slums was the so-called “industrial” area, where all the major factories were. The air stinged Jeser’s lungs, and he wrapped his coat around his mouth and nose as he squinted through the smoke.

That’s why the slums have such little pollution, Jeser said as he noticed the smoke pointing north. The smoke goes up to the rest of the kingdom.

He walked along a little path, passing by unmarked facilities and outhouses. The area was depressing to look at, so lifeless and barren. Not a sign of life except for Jeser.

Which factory is the cigarette factory? Jeser furrowed his brows, looking around. He noticed a rather ashy building, a rather small factory with a chimney on the top that expelled dark smoke. The door was unlocked, and Jeser snuck inside.

Tunnels upon tunnels lined the walls and ceilings, and bins in the middle of the room caught powder and ash exiting the tunnels. At a table far away, someone was rolling up cigarettes, and on a shelf high up near the ceiling, something sparkled.

Rubies.

Jeser quietly moved through the factory, avoiding attention from the staff as he approached the shelf. There was no way he’d be able to reach it without a ladder…or he could transform.

He turned into a finch. Less noticeable than a crow, and with the door open, the staff must’ve been accustomed to birds flying in. Then again, Jeser hadn’t seen any birds outside.

Still, he flew up with his tiny wings, making it to the shelf and sorting through the pile of rubies.

They all look the same, he thought to himself, frustrated. How am I supposed to figure out which one is the Scarlet Ruby?

Then, from across the room, something sparkly caught his eye.

A brilliantly cut ruby, as red as red can be, being handled by a staff member. No gloves, no protection. Grimy hands holding perfection. 

The staff member climbed up a small staircase in the corner of the room and looked over the conveyor belt below him. At the end of the conveyor belt was a giant industrial grinder.

Jeser let out an involuntary chirp.

“A bird?” The man at the conveyor belt scoffed. “Shoo, fella! You’re gonna get grinded up!”

Jeser didn’t move a muscle.

“C’mon, little birdie. How the hell’d you get in here?” The man approached Jeser with his arms out. “The door’s unlocked, huh. Let’s get you outside.”

Jeser turned into an eagle and dashed towards the ruby.

“What the hell?” The man stood in shock as Jeser picked up the ruby in his beak and flew out of the building.

He was up in the sky now. He had the Scarlet Ruby, he was sure of it, but then where was the Ouroboros? Had the Foundation taken it? Did the King have it? Jeser shut his eyes and landed on top of another factory.

He had to get to Urdal.

***

“Meri? Iris? Should you two be out here?” Hyun-ki shook their head, folding their arms. “It’s past ten.”

“Please, we’re nearly twice your age.”

“You aren’t staff, however.”

“Can we just help?” Meri huffed. “I want to speed up the process.”

Hyun-ki stared at the laptop in front of him. Too risky. The circuit boards? Too complicated. The monitors? Too fragile. What could they do?

“Uh…you two can help draw out a map of the Scarlet Kingdom.”

Meri beamed. She had brought her book with her. “I have a map! Iris and I can copy it down.”

“Perfect,” Hyun-ki nodded, not looking away from their laptop. “Get to it. I’ll let Andrea know.”

Hyun-ki walked away and Meri quickly opened the book to the maps section, picking up a pencil and a large sheet of paper, beaming. Behind her, Iris glanced at Hyun-ki’s laptop. Green code scrolled down the screen, just like in those old hacker movies that she had watched with Meri. Meri had always complained that they made no sense. Iris wondered how she felt now.

“Iris,” Meri smiled. “Watch me draw the map. I can show you all the cool places I went to.”

Iris obliged. She adored the fantastical, the mystical. Meri?

Meri was ashamed of it.

***

Hyun-ki slowly made their way through the halls, their suitcase in their left hand. They never left anywhere without it, and never told anyone what was inside. It could’ve been the nuclear launch codes, hell. He could’ve been carrying around the football.

He peeked into Dr. Clef’s office, which, surprisingly, was empty. Clef was usually up late working, but everyone had gone to bed. I guess the whole ordeal was pretty exhausting, Hyun-ki thought as they continued to walk down the hall. 

At the end of the hall, they reached Andrea’s office. The door was open, the lights were on, and Andrea was writing on a piece of paper.

“Traditional, hmm?”

“If you wanted me to be traditional, I could pull out a feather and ink.”

“Oh, no, no. I don’t resort to the primitive methods of calligraphy.”

“Is it still calligraphy if you type it on a computer?”

“Is art still art if it’s not made with a brush?”

Andrea laughed. “Touche.”

Hyun-ki gave Andrea a smug smile, looking over her shoulder. “What’s this?”

“Just writing up a manual for the machine. Not by choice, frankly.”

“The portal?”

“Yes, I just don’t like that word.”

“Hmm.”

“I majored in linguistics.”

“And I majored in computer science. We are not the same.”

“No, no. They’re similar. They’re both languages, see? They just function differently.”

“Heh, function. Coding pun.”

“I don’t know anything about coding, but I’ll take your word for it.” Andrea crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it in the trash. “Bullseye.”

“Slam dunk.”

“Score.”

Andrea stretched and stood up. “Well, everyone else seems to be asleep,” she yawned as she glanced into the dark hallway. “You should be in bed, too.”

“Contrary to popular belief, I do not require the same regiment as other children my age.”

“...well, I’m not your mother, so I can’t say anything.”

Hyun-ki glanced at the floor.

“You’re an orphan, aren’t you?”

“That’d be correct,” Hyun-ki sighed quietly.

“I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need.” Hyun-ki looked at the wall behind Andrea, blinking rapidly. “I need to go check on something,” they inhaled. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you then, Hyun-ki.”

***

Urdal stood menacingly on the roof of his palace, his right hand curled firmly over the Ouroboros. His knuckles were white as the stars in the Second Hytothian planet of Earth, which, to no surprise, he now hated even more.

The rumors about the Foundation had turned out true. Hytothian beings so loathing and horrid towards anyone other than their own kind! It made Urdal’s mind spin.

He teleported into the throne room, sighing. He picked up his stack of human books, – some on anatomy and some classic stories, – and snapped his fingers, sending the books away to who knows where.

Blatant misinformation. Those humans were written as loving, kind beings! Propaganda! Urdal had fallen for Hytothian propaganda!

He took a seat on his throne and sighed. All he needed was the Scarlet Ruby from Jeser, and then this entire ordeal would be over. 

That is, if Jeser would even listen.

He’d probably keep the damned jewel for himself.

Screw it.

***

Hyun-ki opened the door to the storage room, breathing a sigh of relief when they saw Iris and Meri.

“I was worried something might’ve happened,” they shook their head, laughing.

“It’s been five minutes,” Iris rolled her eyes. “You can trust us.”

“I know, I know. I do trust you both. This is all just very valuable. The materials, the technology, the information itself.” They walked over to the pair. “You drew this?”

“Well, I sort of copied it from this book, but I added extra landmarks. Oh, and it’s scaled up, of course. I hope it’s accurate enough.”

“This is brilliant,” Hyun-ki looked at the map in awe.

“Thanks!” Meri grinned. “I need to add a few more things, however.”

“How did you even remember all of this?”

Meri smiled. “We had a map in the Scarlet Kingdom.”

Hyun-ki raised a brow. “Wouldn’t you need to pay for that?”

Meri’s smile faded. “I had some…assistance.”

“This is about Sanna, right?” Iris frowned.

Meri took a deep breath. “Yeah.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s alright,” Meri smiled gently. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Because deep inside, Meri was starting to realize that, in truth, her mother was the one at fault.