《Life Of Yesura》


 Eyes Of Another

    Emily bolted upright in her bed, sweat pouring off her and drenching the sheets she was laying on. Her thick, red hair was soaking, and she could barely get her fingers through it, and so dreaded a comb. The dream she had been having was quickly slipping away from her, and even now she could not remember it very well. There had been a group of people, fighting against some darkness that eluded her memory. She knew it wasn¡¯t anything good ¨Cdarkness rarely was ¨C but she didn¡¯t know if it was a person, or an event, or even a group. She sat, thinking and trying to remember, until the door was pushed open, and a small, black cat trotted into the room, jumped up on the bed, and stared at Emily, poddling her blanket with a purr.


    ¡°Simba, do you have to do that now?¡± Emily asked, sighing.


    ¡°Why yes, I do. You don¡¯t poddle it yourself, and so I am left to do it¡± Simba replied. Emily could still remember the first time Simba spoke to her, in answer of a question she asked about cat food. She had screamed for about ten minutes, and thrown various things at Simba before calming down.


    Her parents had always been against getting pets ¨C but then, that was something that Emily liked, and her father was always against things that Emily liked, with her mother usually to ¡®busy¡¯ to care - and so she couldn¡¯t decide if Simba spoke, or she could understand the cat. Either way, Emily knew it was unique to her, and so she never told anyone about it.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± she asked, wiping the sweat away.


    ¡°Your thumbs. I have yet to develop a pair of my own, and so I require you to use the can opener¡± Simba told Emily, before looking at all the sweat, and continuing. ¡°Are you ok? Such a large amount of bodily fluid lost must indicate some sort of problem¡± Simba finished, frowning ¨C as well as a cat could frown ¨C in worry.


    ¡°Ohh, yea. Because aside from a talking cat, you¡¯re also a doctor¡± Emily replied sarcastically.


    ¡°Indeed. For I am Purrrfect¡± Simba purred, causing Emily to laugh softly and throw the sheets over him, and head for the door. ¡°Curses woman! How dare you trick me in this fashion!¡± Simba exclaimed in a tone long since dead, fighting though the sheets until he reached the end of the bed, and poked his head out of the sheets to see Emily had already gone.


    Simba leapt off the bed, and darted into the kitchen, glaring at Emily as she opened the can.


    ¡°Yesura! How could you be so cruel to a fabulous feline like myself?¡± he demanded, purring angrily.


    ¡°Why do you keep calling me that?¡± She asked, that name was all Simba would ever use, despite Emily¡¯s attempts. ¡°It¡¯s not my name. ¡°she grumbled.


    ¡°But it is your name¡± Simba replied, pouncing up on the side, just to be shooed away by Emily. ¡°The name you use is the one given to you by the carriers, but Yesura is the name that embodies who you are¡± Simba lectured, one he had given many times.


    ¡°Who I am right now is a girl in her underwear, talking to a cat. If that is what Yesura embodies, then fair enough, but I really doubt it.¡± She told him, finishing Simba¡¯s breakfast and putting it down on the floor for him, before heading off to get a shower. Horrific screeching came from the bathroom as the shower ran, and if Simba did not know Emily liked to sing in the shower, he would have thought she was being murdered with a spoon. Some minutes later Emily returned from the shower, the mass of hair now up in a towel, with a second covering her body. She looked to Simba, but before she could say anything the doorbell rang, and so she sighed and spoke.


    ¡°Could you see who that is?¡± Emily asked, going to the cupboard to get out one of the ready meals stashed in there. Simba trotted over to the door and pushed open the cat flap, looking up at one of Emily¡¯s school friends.


    ¡°Hello little guy, how are you?¡± the boy asked, grinning.


    ¡°Meow¡± Simba replied, which elected an enlightened nod from him.


    ¡°Hmm, Meow, meow meow. Meow meow¡± The boy replied. Simba then clawed at his leg and left though the flap, leaving him to curse in pain. Simba then found Emily in the kitchen, and jumped up on the side, only to be knocked down by her again.


    ¡°It is your friend Michel. He insulted my lineage, so I clawed his leg¡± Simba told Emily, proud and pomp.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t do that at all¡± Emily sighed, finishing her ready-meal. ¡°He probably just strung ¡®Meow¡¯ together a few times for the fun of it¡± She told Simba, going to find a decent dressing gown, and then headed to the door, where Michel had resumed knocking.


    ¡°Ahh, finally¡± He said when the door was opened. His clothes and hair where rather average, not scruffy, but not immaculate either. However, despite that Emily liked him, he was nice.


    ¡°Why are you in your school uniform on a Sunday?¡± Emily asked, smirking softly.


    ¡°Well, unless the teacher I spoke to was just crazy, it¡¯s Monday¡± Michel replied, causing a look of confusion and panic on Emily¡¯s face.


    ¡°What?! But, but, it can¡¯t be Monday!¡± Emily exclaimed, running off to her bedroom to get into her school uniform.


    ¡°Your perception of time will be the death of you ¡± Michel intoned, walking into the house and looking at Simba warily, before Emily burst out from the bedroom again, tie hanging around her neck, yet untied, and shirt only half buttoned.


    ¡°See you later Simba!¡± Emily cried, grabbing her bag off the hook and finishing with her shirt before wrenching the door open, snatching Michel¡¯s hand, and darting off towards the school.


    Once they had arrived at the school ¨C Michel was panting heavily from keeping up with Emily¡¯s gruelling pace - Emily smiled at Michel and gave him a peck on the cheek.


    ¡°Thanks for coming to get me today, missing a day would not have been good for my track record¡± she exclaimed, before scurrying off to her class. The worst part about being late was she didn¡¯t get to see Jane on the way into school. That was always the highlight of her day. The happy, pink-haired girl was so bubbly even with her life ¨C Emily knew living with the pig that called itself her father must have been extremely taxing on her mental health.


    The entrance to the class was awkward, as was the explanation but she got though it and took her seat, integrating into the class. It was a boring Geography class, and Emily was glad to hear the bell ring. However, as she was packing up for the end, a large girl with green hair and a strong body approached her, grinning.


    ¡°Hello Emily. I was beginning to think you weren¡¯t going to make it¡± The girl grinned, without any mirth. It was, in Emily¡¯s opinion, a really evil smile.


    ¡°So did I Cat, but I was saved by my cat, ironically¡± she lied, not wanting to get Michel in trouble, Cat would think he was ¡®imposing¡¯. Cat seemed to take offense to something, and placed a strong finger under Emily¡¯s chin. Everything about Cat was strong.


    ¡°Ohh, when did I give you permission to use such a familiar tone with me, you little slut?¡± She demanded, pulling Emily¡¯s head up to look her in the eyes. ¡°It¡¯s Catherine, and don¡¯t let me hear you use anything but, ok?¡± Catherine asked, stroking her finger across Emily¡¯s face. The few remaining people in the class where keeping their eyes averted, nobody messed with Catherine and got away unscathed.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want you to be late for your class, so get going. But I will deal with you later¡± Catherine told Emily, placing a finger on her lips before giggling and walking off. Emily sighed; it was a real hassle every time Catherine took offense to something


    The rest of the day was boring, it dragged on and the lessons Jane was meant to be in lacked her, so she didn¡¯t even have that spark in her life. Her dad had probably gone too far last night, and while Jane was a very tough girl, she took a while to recover sometimes. Lunch was uneventful, she ate in silence, away from the other people and then returned to her lessons after lunch. Eventually however, the day ended like it always did, and she managed to get as far as the back gates before she was intercepted by Catherine and her cronies, girls with hair extensions and far too much makeup on. Emily mused about how stereotypical they were, but then thought that stereotypes had to come from somewhere.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t think I was just going to let you off, did you?¡± She asked in that teasing, infuriating tone that made Emily want to punch her. But that would never work, so she sighed and shrugged.


    ¡°I forgot. Cat.¡± Emily put extra emphasis on the ¡®familiar¡¯ tone and was not surprised to feel the heavy handed slap across her face that Catherine gave her.


    ¡°I warned you about that, you ingrate bitch. Just had to go and push, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Like your bra does?¡± Emily asked, not sure where it had come from, or why she had said it, but it certainly made Cat angrier than she was.


    ¡°That is it! you insolent whore!¡± Catherine exclaimed, dragging Emily back into the school and navigating their way to an old set of toilets. They had gone unused since there was a more modern set of toilets elsewhere in the school.


    This place was drafty and the taps leaked and the toilets never seemed to flush properly. Following some order Emily didn¡¯t see, being too busy stopping her stumbling body from hitting the far wall, Catherine¡¯s mooks ripped Emily¡¯s bag away from her, then pulled off her blazer, unfastened her tie and yanked her shirt off, buttons flying everywhere as she was stripped. Without the clothing to stop it, Emily immediately felt the bite in the air, a strange bite for the time of year, and the draft was not helping things either. Something else that didn¡¯t help was the click she heard from the door, having been locked by a key Cat was now playing with.


    ¡°It¡¯s funny how little an eye they keep on the keys in this place. Almost asking me to steal them¡± Cat teased, before waving her hand at the girls behind Emily. Either circumstantial assumption, or ¨C not that these caked numbskulls possessed the intelligence for it ¨C some elaborate sign language went on between the two, as Emily had her arms wrenched back and bound by the same tie she had just ben deposed of. After that was done, Catherine moved over and stroked Emily¡¯s face tenderly.


    ¡°So, seems you are big on running your mouth. Let¡¯s see if we can find another use for it, aye?¡± Cat asked, in a helpful tone that a teacher might use to help a student struggling in a certain subject. It did not fit the situation at all.


    A half-hour later, Emily found herself alone, shivering and aching in one of the cubicles. Her head hurt from when Catherine had bashed it against the cubicle wall, for fun or some perceived fault, Emily wasn¡¯t quite sure. What she was sure of, was that if she didn¡¯t find some way to get out of her makeshift binding and put her clothes on before getting out of here, she would not be in for a comfortable night. Not that getting out of here was a viable option, since Catherine had locked the door, and it was one of the old, solid Oaken doors that where practically indestructible to the casual assailant. Emily gave her tie a few half-hearted tugs before leaning against the cubicle wall, her muscles aching and her head pounding, alone with the unstoppable shivers she had started to get after Catherine had left.


    But then, just when the worked seemed dark and hopeless, the door rattled, like someone was trying to get in. Then, a sound came from the other side, like a person¡¯s confusion that the door was locked. Emily scoffed softly as the sound came, and expected the person to walk away, whatever they were planning to do blown away in the face of this impassable adversary. But no. Instead she heard the sound of a key entering a lock, and then a click before the door opened and whoever it was stepped in.


    Emily didn''t move to find out, the cubicle door was open and they would see her in the mirror opposite her, or by walking down and looking at her. Emily closed her eyes and listened to the sound of shoe hitting floor, and then it stopped, to be replaced a few seconds later by a person speaking.


    ¡°Was it a good party?¡± Came the accented words of the head teacher. Exotically named and perpetually scruffy, Laas Nebak was always a sort of talk in the school, but everyone agreed he was good at what he did. Even to the point of having two voices, one that was all strong and official, and the other which was accented and casual. Emily opened her eyes and looked over, the red mark on her head becoming visible to Laas as she did.


    ¡°If that was a party, I¡¯ll become a shut in. Hiki¡­whatever the phrase is in Japanese¡± She muttered. The language had become more wide spread in the school since the popularity of anime had sky-rocketed in the past couple of years. Emily only got a few snippets though.


    ¡°Hikikomori. Which, some days, I feel¡¯s a valid life style, lookin¡¯ at the way this world¡¯s goin¡¯¡± he commented, which elected a soft laugh from Emily before he continued. ¡°But then, just gotta look at the bright side. Five years ¡®go, ¡®twas a nightmare teachin¡¯ kids new languages. Now they just pick ¡®em off internet shows. But, from ta¡¯ way your perkers are stood, I¡¯d say you¡¯re a bit chilly. Guess that¡¯s why they say it¡¯s ¡®nipple¡¯ up North¡± He finished with a soft chuckle, which made Emily frown.


    She had calmed in the presence of Laas, and let him talk since he had a lovely voice. Nut it was then that somewhere between Catherine and now, she had lost her bra, and her bare breasts where on display, with ¨C as Laas had so poetically put it ¨C her nipples stood on end from the cold.


    ¡°Ehh!¡± She exclaimed, looking around and spotting her bra, then moving to grab it and realizing to late that her hands where still tied up. Really, that man could make someone forget they were on fire simply by commenting on the weather. But, Laas caught Emily before she smacked her head against the wall, and deftly undid her binding.


    ¡°Well, I came in ¡®ere to see ¡®ow Renovating¡¯ it would go, but I guess you¡¯ll want your privacy aye? Don¡¯t tarry on the way ¡®ome ¡®un, I¡¯m sure there is someone worried about ya tardiness¡± Laas said, turning and heading out of the bathroom, flicking her a soft wave before walking down the hall, leaving Emily to gather her clothes and exit the School grounds.


    Once she had finally collected herself and gotten home, Laas¡¯ words had proven true, since Simba pounced on her as soon as she got the door shut. Luckily Emily caught him before he started to dig his claws in for a grip.


    ¡°Yesura! Where have you been?¡± He asked, his cute cat eyes staring at her with worry.


    ¡°Emily¡± she said, enforcing the use of her name, before smiling. ¡°And, just some school stuff. The Mr Nebak helped me out of it, and I came as soon as I could. Don¡¯t worry about it¡± She told Simba. Emily thought his eyes narrows slightly at the mention of Laas, but she couldn¡¯t be sure. And she knew the other reason Simba was so frantic. ¡°I¡¯ll get right on your dinner¡± She told him, putting Simba down on the ground before turning into the kitchen and busying herself with the cat food.


    ¡°Would any of this school stuff have anything to do with the nasty bump on your head?¡± Simba asked in that annoying, knowing tone.


    ¡°Yes, Catherine was using my head to test how sturdy one of the cubicle walls where. Very, as it turned out¡± She brushed off, before tapping a can-opener on her chin softly. ¡°Laas never mentioned it though. Was he trying to salvage what dignity I had left, or was it just a lack of observance?¡± She muttered as Simba jumped up on the side.


    ¡°I doubt it was a lack of observance¡± He commented, sitting down and staring at the can.


    ¡°You know him?¡± Emily asked, rather shocked as she opened the can. It was a bit surprising to hear your cat knew your head teacher. But then, to hear your cat say he knew your head teacher was also surprising.


    ¡°No, just guessing. You don¡¯t get into such a positon of authority by being anything less than smart and observant¡± Simba replied, in that tone that was a lie, but because the lie was easier than the truth. Emily never chased anyone up when they used that tone, there must have been a reason for it.


    ¡°Alright then, grub time¡± She told Simba, scooping out of half the meat and then sprinkling some dry food on top ¨C Simba told her he liked his biscuits on his meat, not the other way around ¨C and putting it on the floor for him to eat, which he did with gusto.


    ¡°Always thought owning a cat would be so simple if they could talk¡± Emily mused happily, before setting about making her own dinner. It wasn¡¯t much, just some noodles with chunks of fried bacon, but it was enough for her at least. She sat down and slowly ate, the fatigue of the day slowly getting to her. By the time she had finished, she felt lethargic and very tired. So she slowly, mechanically washed her bowl and placed the half-full can in the fridge, for Simba¡¯s breakfast tomorrow, before trudging to her bedroom.


    She initially tried just going to her bed and flopping in, but Simba was having none of it.


    ¡°Now now Emily, don¡¯t forget at least basic hygiene¡± He said, so Emily got up and shuffled to the bathroom before brushing her teeth, washing her face and getting undressed. She then repeated her flopping, but this time pulling her covers over.


    ¡°Night Simba¡± She muttered, soft snores peeling from her, only seconds later. Then the lights flicked out, and a voice ¨C a much softer voice, almost feminine ¨C replied.


    ¡°Goodnight Yesura¡± the voice replied, before leaving the bedroom and softly shutting the door.

 Another day, another death

    Chapter two: Another Day, another Death.


    Emily woke groggily from her dream, the transition from asleep to awake coming sluggishly. It was the same one, with darkness and evil pressing relentlessly against something oddly green. She thought she could picture a person from the dream, but didn¡¯t know if he was good, or evil so didn¡¯t know what to do with her supposed thoughts. And then Simba snapped her out of them by jumping on her.


    ¡°Hey Simba. Thumbs time?¡± Emily asked, smiling softly.


    ¡°No actually. You didn¡¯t shower yesterday, and so I am here to poddle you until you shower today¡± Simba replied, which elected a groan from Emily, but after a few minutes of poddling, she threw the covers over him again ¨C he was more prepared for it this time and darted to the edge of the bed before they closed in too much ¨C and headed to the bathroom, putting the shower on and setting it to the right temperature. Before stepping in.


    Several minutes later, steam wafted from the bathroom as Emily exited, covered with towels and smelling fresh.


    ¡°Magnificent Yesura. You look radiant. And your thumbs are looking very grand as well¡± Simba proclaimed with his usual grandiose of tone. Emily rolled her eyes but got the hint, and went into the kitchen to prepare his breakfast. The warmth was quickly leached from her body, and she wondered when the cold was going to let up, it was months past its due, and Emily thought that British weather would be polite enough to not overstay its welcome.


    Working quickly, Emily got the rest of the meat out of the fridge, scooped it into Simba¡¯s bowl and chopped it with the spoon, before chucking the spoon in the sink, the can in the bin and sprinkling some cat biscuits on top. Simba¡¯s appearance was prompt, and he was smiling, as much as a cat could smile.


    ¡°You should grow fur Yesura, that way the cold won¡¯t be so bad on you¡± Simba teased before digging into his dinner. Emily thought of a few cruel tricks to play, but decided against them and went to the bedroom to change into her school uniform. Seeing her tie, she thought back to yesterday, and was reminded about the nasty bruise forming on her head, so she returned to the bathroom to check it out, but it had gone completely. Not even the slightest mark it was ever there to begin with.


    Smiling, having won ¨C however she managed it ¨C a small victory over Catherine, Emily skipped happily back into the bedroom and finished off her uniform, before giving her hair a quick brush and returning to the kitchen to fix her own breakfast. While eating, she thought some more about her dream, but reached the bottom of her bowl before she had any coherent thoughts about that mess, so she put that in the sink as well and picked up her bag, deciding to be early so she could catch up on the stuff from yesterday.


    ¡°See you in a bit Simba¡± she cooed, waving before leaving the house and making her way to school. One advantage of being early was the sparse amount of people on her route, but the chilly bite was probably another reason. Everyone preferred cars in this weather, but something about the cold air made it seem fresh and pure.


    With such weird and wonderful thought patterns that where usually prevalent in Emily¡¯s head, the walk to the school vanished into thin air, and she found herself at the gate. She liked it when the walk just seemed to be over in an instant rather than the other times when it dragged out for ages. With yet another small point to be pleased about, Emily walked through the gates and then though the main entrance, but quickly stopped and tried her best to hide in the shadows as she saw Laas talking to someone. At this hour, any conversation must have been top secret, or so Emily thought. The man he was talking to looked very similar to Laas ¨C and now that she thought about it, they both looked very similar to the guy she saw in her dream, but she knew neither of them where him ¨C almost as if they were brothers.


    ¡®The plot thickens! Brothers meet in the early hours!¡¯ she thought, not that the hours where really that early. So she gave up such thoughts and decided to listen in on the ¡®secret¡¯ conversation. The man who looked like Laas was leaning on a buffer and doing the opposite of Laas, looking well-kept and dashing in sub-par clothing. Laas was in a well ironed suit and had a look of intent listening on his face, as he always did when he was talking to someone.


    ¡°So, how¡¯s the school Laas?¡± The twin asked, and Emily gleefully realized that the conversation had only just started, so she didn¡¯t miss anything.


    ¡°Three, currently. Or though I think we can rule one of them out. Different, but violent. The Daughter has a kind heart no matter the situation, and this person¡­.is a bitch.¡± Emily shivered softly as she heard Laas¡¯ formal tone being marred by a curse. It was unnatural, but the twin didn¡¯t seem to mind. And also knew who this ¡®daughter¡¯ was.


    ¡°Well, actually meant the school part of it, but on that subject, do tell; what are your top two girls¡± the Twin replied, a much more generalized tone, like he had no accent and honey for a voice box.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d say Chaoz¡¯s two Tantric girls, but if you are referring to here¡­¡± he teased, purposefully dragging out the conversation and confusing Emily more by the second. The Twin did not look impressed, but to Emily¡¯s slight annoyance, didn¡¯t say anything.


    Laas laughed after a few seconds, and it was a lovely, ringing sound. ¡°Ohh, Kaben. You are too easy to annoy. So, Top girl would be Jane Everwood.¡± Laas started, to which Kaben nodded. Emily¡¯s heart leapt into her mouth hearing him mention Jane¡¯s name, but curiosity stayed her feet. She wanted to know why they were talking about her.


    ¡°Yea, met her a few minutes ago actually. Took her to the Garden. She took to it very well. Or though, that might bring someone more perceptive than us.¡± He commented, before Laas nodded.


    ¡°Right, I¡¯ll set some stuff up tomorrow for the undesirables. Second one would be Emily Thorntree. She and Jane get alone very well, and she had a casual way of life. Found her in a rather compromising position yesterday and she just shrugged it off.¡± Laas told Kaben.Stolen story; please report.


    If Emily¡¯s heart was in her mouth hearing Jane, it had leapt from her mouth, hotwired a car, and driven home when she heard her own. It took her a few seconds to realize Laas had carried on talking, and so she missed the first half of it, but intently focused on the second half. ¡°¡­-about her. Not quite who we are looking for, but a very close. I¡¯ll keep an eye on the two and see if anything changes. But, looking at the time, I should get up to my office and start work. Keep safe Saal, she is nearly here¡± Laas said, before leaving to the head teacher¡¯s office with his signature wave. One mystery was solved at least, the man wasn¡¯t Laas¡¯ brother ¨C or Saal was not his surname ¨C it was exotic enough to compete, however ¨C and was instead some nickname ¨C but the rest was all just confusing junk. Who was The Daughter? What interest did Laas and Kaben have with Jane and herself? What kind of undesirables would come for her after going to a garden? And who where they looking for, who was this ¡®She¡¯ that Saal had to stay safe for?


    So many questions and no chance of answers made Emily annoyed, and she kicked the ground, only to realize she was outside, having wandered off in deep thought. Laas was right about the time though, cars were pulling into the park and teenagers where getting dropped off aplenty. Emily kept her eyes to the ground, not wanting to catch the wrong person¡¯s eye and be accused of anything. She had enough of that yesterday with Cat. But, while she followed the herd of students, someone shouted out something and then suddenly snaffled her, making her cry out cutely. It was, of course, the only person she cared about in the school, maybe even the whole country. Standing there in her tall, pink-haired glory, was Jane.


    "O..ohh, h-hi Jane" Emily stammered, always being a shy, retiring sort of girl with Jane. She wanted to bring up what Laas and Kaben where talking about, but was also worried about her. However, before she could voice anything, Jane spoke first.


    "So, I wasn¡¯t in yesterday, anything happen?" She asked, to which Emily nodded.


    ¡°Catherine did. And her friends" she mumbled, to which Jane sighed. Emily didn¡¯t know where all her personality went when Jane arrived, it was just a strange feeling that she got. She wanted to be protected by Jane, and didn¡¯t mind becoming the subservient weakling girl to get the protection. It made her sad, to be using Jane for her own needs, but Jane used her to stay her definition of sane, so it was a lovely, working relationship.


    Right. I¡¯ll deal with that at lunch, or so. But, can''t let that bother us. We got class to get to. So, let¡¯s get to it" She exclaimed. Emily stood for a few seconds and was amazed by Jane¡¯s ability to brush off everything that came her way. She didn¡¯t care what Laas said, Jane was the one that could carry on going after anything that happened to her. Snapping back to reality as someone bumped into her, she hurriedly followed Jane down the hall way, talking about the girls of today, and how they look as if they put on make-up with a shovel, about guys who have more fingernails than brain-cells, and about general life.


    Eventually they got to the tutor room, and there they all had an annoying twenty minutes before school actually began to see who was in and who wasn''t. It was the standard thing, Catherine wasn¡¯t in, but would breeze in at first period and no one would say anything. But, Emily had gotten used to it, as much as she had gotten used to Jane getting into fights over her. Jane and Emily where the last ones in, and where subjected to the tutor¡¯s stare of ire, but that to, Emily had gotten used to. Jane and Emily sat, and the tutor blathered about school stuff no one was interested in. Here Emily felt irritated. Not caring about the tutor¡¯s blathering was her thing, and people were stealing it from her.


    But equally, the Tutor was making it easy. Ten minutes into this, when the tutor was reeling off up-coming events that no one was going to go to, something clattered into the room. Of course, everyone leant over to see what it was, and where all blinded by the ensuing flash that emitted from it. There were many cries of surprise, some of pain, and then sight began to clear again, but, there were two men, big and ugly looking in the room as well. Emily frowned as her eyesight returned, remembering what Laas had said about undesirables, but there was no urgency in his voice, so these couldn¡¯t be them. It had been no more than an hour since he mentioned them.


    The first one spoke, said they were looking for someone important, and then in the most resounding way possible, proved her theories of their undesirability wrong. The shell hitting the floor was deafening, but logic told Emily it couldn¡¯t be. It was just the shot of seeing the tutor get shot. People then started screaming and running for the door, but the two lugs waded through the sea people to get to Jane¡¯s desk, who hadn¡¯t moved at all. He muttered something, and then pointed his gun at Jane. Emily¡¯s brain screamed at her to do something, but her legs wouldn¡¯t move, her arms felt like lead, all she could do was stare at the gun pointed at Jane, and wish. Fervently wish that something was going to stop him from shooting Jane.


    The wish came true a few seconds later when his gun jammed trying to shoot Jane, and gave the pink-haired girl a chance, proving to Emily how much better Jane was to her. Jane threw her desk at the man and turned to grab Emily¡¯s hands, to take her away from this place. Emily felt a wave of overwhelming love towards Jane for the act, and then she was sprinkled with something. Her first thought was that Jane had spat at her, but that was not right, Jane would never do that. Then she saw the colour of Jane¡¯s blood. Her mind refused, denied the fact that Jane had just been shot, even past the point when Jane collapsed on her and didn¡¯t move. An anger she had never felt before surged inside Emily. It was a new anger, it felt like it was rising up from the bottom of her, and when it reached her head, a mere second after she had started feeling it, the sheer emotion released itself via the optical nerve.


    Direct eye contact was made with the man who had shot Jane, and his smile wavered, before he blinked and dabbed at one of his eyes. His hand came away bloody, and he yelped in surprise, turning to Emily as his brain dissolved into a mass of blood and leaked out of his nose, his eyes, his ears and finally, his mouth. It was a gruesome sight, and Emily would not have been able to stand it if his partner hadn¡¯t screamed in fear and anger, and put a bullet in Emily¡¯s head, killing her instantly.

 My Cat is not a Cat.

    Emily woke suddenly in the side-reception of the school. The large, main entrance greeted most people, but the contractors and repairmen that where not regulars of the school came though the side entrance. Something about ease of administration. Emily really didn¡¯t know. Nor did she know why she was alive after being shot in the head. That thought brought her to Jane.


    ¡°Jane!¡± She shouted, sitting up violently and letting the blanket that covered her fall off. Her sudden outburst didn¡¯t seem to shock, frighten, or even bother the person sat opposite her. She wasn¡¯t a receptionist, the long, flowing dress, as striking a red as her equally long, equally flowing hair made her seem like the guest of some fancy hotel rather than a receptionist.


    ¡°She is fine. So are the others that collapsed in your class. Not quite sure, yet. Gas leak probably¡± The woman told Emily. She had a beautiful voice, a divine voice. It run like bells in her mind, and for a few moments Emily forgot where she was. Then she remembered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me out to be an idiot! I know what happened in there. They came in, they killed Jane, I killed one of them¡­¡± then the reality of her exclamation hit her. She had killed someone. How, she didn¡¯t know, but he was dead. But then, so was Emily. And yet here she was, arguing with a large breasted woman.


    ¡®Wow, they aren¡¯t large, they are fricking huge¡¯ Emily thought. A shadow of a smile crossed the woman¡¯s face, and then her eyes, wondrous green eyes, met Emily¡¯s.


    ¡°So you remember. Out of the eight that collapsed when we¡­reset the classroom, you are the second to remember. Laas seemed sure you wouldn¡¯t, sure Jane was the only one able to keep her memories when part of a reset like that, but I knew you would¡± She said, with a touch of admiration. Emily looked at the woman for a few seconds before shaking her head.


    ¡°This is all, so confusing. What happened? What reset? Where¡¯s Jane? Who are you?¡± Emily demanded, barraging this woman with question. Not that it unbalanced her at all, she just sipped some tea from a fine china cup Emily was sure hadn¡¯t been there a few moments ago.


    ¡°Which question is most important to you?¡± The woman asked, her smile growing as Emily frowned.


    ¡°Why? Are you only going to answer one of them?¡± Emily questioned her, in a tone half an inch from angered bellowing.


    ¡°No, just wanted to know which answer you wanted first. They are all quite complex¡± She explained, sitting some more tea as she continued to gaze into Emily¡¯s eyes. For her part, Emily seemed slightly more pacified, but the situation was still difficult to comprehend. After a couple of seconds of staring, Emily took a breath.


    ¡°Where is Jane?¡± She asked, in a much more measured tone. It was a question that made the lady sat opposite smile.


    ¡°I was hoping you would ask that one first. You and Jane get along very well, yes?¡± She asked, but not waiting for a reply. ¡°Eliot and Silverfang picked her up about half an hour ago, she should be around their place now. Safe, and secure.¡± She finished. Emily nodded understandingly. Jane had told her about Eliot and his wolfy-friend, enough to know that they were good friends.


    ¡°Until dad wants her home. Then no one is safe from Shadow¡± Emily commented. Jane had also told her about him, not that she needed to. The sadistic, one-eyed bastard was well known everywhere.


    ¡°Well, subjective really. I would say no one in the current area is safe, but that is subjective as well. Quite a few people are. But I digress, you still have¡­three questions? Or was it four?¡± She asked, finishing her cup of tea and placing them softly on the table between them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I just blurted them out, four I think. The next one would be, what¡¯s a reset¡± Emily said, a statement more than a question.


    ¡°Short, easy answer? Or the longer, more in depth one?¡± The woman asked in return. When the woman got the ¡®longer¡¯ reply, she smiled. ¡°Well then. Someone had, a few months ago, foreseen the need to prevent a catastrophe, and placed very difficult to see wards around everyone¡¯s classroom. Laas was going to put very similar wards up tomorrow, but things happened slightly quicker than we thought they would. When the tutor, Jane and yourself where shot and the rest of the students ran away, the ward around your classroom was activated, and the chronological order of events was turned back to just after you and Jane arrived at the classroom.


    The best thing about this, however, was that the rest of the school remained on the current timeline and so the two people that broke into the classroom where intercepted on their way there. Unfortunately, some of the more attuned children in the class where thrown from the roll-back and subsequently collapsed. The school nurses where called, and they were all checked out, to make sure nothing serious was wrong, then their parents or guardians where called to come and collect them for the day.¡± She finished, looking at the cup on the table longingly. Emily seemed to be following the explanation poorly, but when she heard that parents where called her eyes grew wide, like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a car.


    ¡°Who did they call for me?¡± Emily asked frantically, looking to the door with a growing sense of dread.


    ¡°They called me. I put myself down as your guardian when you started here, much like Eliot and Silverfang where put down for Jane¡± The woman told Emily. While it certainly calmed her down, but replaced the worry with confusion.


    ¡°I¡­well, I guess this just leads me to the next question ¨C since you answered two, because two of them where basically the same ¨C who are you?¡± The woman smiled and flicked a hand though her hair.


    ¡°Well, I have a few names, but I believe you call me ¡®Simba¡¯.¡± She replied. Emily simply stared back at the woman, eyebrows high and jaw dropped, unable to say a word.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°You¡­are a cat? A Male cat that speaks¡± She asked, the second half petering out into a statement of insanity rather than a question.


    ¡°No. I just took a cat form. And my name isn¡¯t Simba either, that¡¯s just what you called me¡± Simba replied, and then got agitated. ¡°I said my name wasn¡¯t Simba¡± The woman who didn¡¯t like being identified as Simba but gave no other means of identification commented hotly, without provocation from Emily. ¡°You really want to do this now?¡± She asked, as if arguing to herself like a mad woman. But, before she could continue this display of insanity, Emily interjected.


    ¡°So, what are you called then?¡± Emily inquired, deciding to ignore the outburst from Cancer and instead ask a question that calmed the woman who was Simba but didn¡¯t like being called such when not a cat.


    ¡°Well, the ¡®I have many names¡¯ thing was a lie, for dramatic purposes really. I only have one other. I am the Celestial Creation, Cancer.¡± Cancer said, in a grand and rather regal tone.


    ¡°Like, the star Crab?¡± Emily asked. Cancer sighed softly and nodded.


    ¡°Yes, like the star Crab. Or The Zodiac, as clever people it.¡± Cancer replied, with a slightly sarcastic tone. Emily sighed softly and shook her head. People, she could understand, and as long as Cancer kept being personish, all sarcastic and generally not turning into a cat, she was fine.


    ¡°Does my cat form disturb you now you know I am not just a talking cat?¡± Cancer asked, stepping around the table and smiling down at Emily, who stood so Cancer wasn¡¯t looking down at her.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that¡± Emily replied, indignantly. Now they were both stood, she saw that Cancer was rather small for a grown woman, but Emily was tall for a still growing woman, so her standard of measurement was shot.


    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t. Anyway, quite amazing how well you are talking this. Did you expend all your surprise when you found out your cat could talk, and everything else is just, taken in stride?¡± Cancer asked, softly giggling at the idea. Emily, having had her compliancy brought to the foreground, frowned.


    ¡°I¡­guess I have. That¡¯s weird.¡± She muttered, scratching her head softly. If anyone else¡¯s cat appeared like Cancer and told them they were a ¡®Celestial Construct¡¯ ¨C some instinct told her not to ask what that was, because she wouldn¡¯t understand it ¨C then they would probably be screaming or calling the police, or at best just laughing and scoffing. Emily was taking Cancer¡¯s words at face value. And then Emily looked at Cancer¡¯s face and saw her slightly distracted, and muttering to herself.


    ¡°He is here as well? I guess it is only to be expected¡± Cancer muttered, before smiling back at Emily. ¡°Anyway, got some protocol to follow. You being Yesura and all, there is something that needs to happen. And something Jane needs to do as well, but Sean is a much slower person with much less respect for protocol.¡± Cancer told Emily in a louder tone, no longer muttering.


    ¡°Sean? Like, Sean Woodhouse, super famous guy of everywhere?¡± Emily asked incredulously, wondering what he had to do with anything.


    ¡°Yes, the same. His sense of a low-profile is slightly shot though. But he is still a good help with situations like this. Jane is someone him and many, many others have been looking for, since humans rubbed two sticks together and set fire to their fingers¡± Cancer explained, which made Emily laugh softly.


    ¡°Well, they could have saved a lot of time by looking in the right time period. Jane is in a slightly later era than Pre-history¡± She joked, and then her smile faded when she saw Cancer was serious.


    ¡°Much like you are Yesura, Jane is also something else. Something very old, and very powerful. But unlike you, who can, with a little help, talk to animals and melt the minds of those who threaten your safety, Jane is locked from us by a series of metaphysical walls. Some self-imposed, others created by people that wanted to keep her hidden forever. It is why finding her was so difficult.¡± Cancer informed. Emily, however, seemed lost in her mind. ¡®Dam, maybe the whole ¡®you killed someone¡¯ thing was a bit rough¡¯ Cancer though, before softly taking Emily¡¯s hands. ¡°If you think about it, you never technically killed him.¡± She consoled, but Emily just shook her head.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t stop me remembering how he looked when I did what I did.¡± Emily told Cancer in a ragged voice, before looking up. ¡°What did I do?¡± She asked, tears running from her eyes, but a tone of morbid curiosity.


    ¡°You overheated his neurons and the brain tissue dissolved into mush. Quite an advanced technique, really¡± Cancer admitted, but Emily wasn¡¯t in the mood to hear that her brain-melting skills where good enough to be congratulated by a cat woman construct thing.


    ¡°Death is always hard, but sometimes necessary. Don¡¯t dwell on death if you must cause it, but do not cause it without reason¡± Cancer consoled, smiling warmly at Emily while dabbing at the tears. ¡°Now, what do you think about coming to meet a few of my friends?¡± Cancer asked. To which Emily nodded softly but said nothing. ¡°Ok, give me a moment¡± she said, turning from Emily and throwing her arms wide, her hands making a glamorous flourish as she did so. The space in front of her rippled, and then suddenly a large archway had appeared.


    ¡°Can you see that?¡± Cancer asked Emily, who had finished off the rest of her tears and was steadying her voice again.


    ¡°The, giant archway that has just sprung up?¡± Emily asked, looking around to see if anyone else had seen it. Oddly enough, no one was around, not even the receptionist.


    ¡°Yes, quite amazing actually. Only those with strong abilities can see the archway. You are one of those that believes in Magic, aren¡¯t you?¡± Cancer asked casually, holding out her hand for Emily.


    ¡°Well, I never disbelieved it. Especially not as I grew older. The dream of someday developing powers and enacting revenge on every one who had scorned me was a sweet one¡± She said, with almost vindictive glee as she took the hand.


    ¡°Well, I do hope when you do gain control of your powers, you don¡¯t do any such thing¡± Cancer warned Emily in a very stern voice, almost like a teacher would speak to a student.


    ¡°What do you mean-¡° Emily started before Cancer pulled her through the archway. It was a strange feeling, like being pulled though jelly, or what Emily imagined being pulled though jelly would feel like, never actually having gone through such an act.

 The Angel

    Chapter Four: The Angel


    Emily was dragged through the jelly for a few more seconds ¨C or what felt like minutes, her perception of time seemed off in the archway-jelly ¨C but they eventually came out on the other side. Cancer, obviously, came to a graceful landing with nary a hair out of place. But Emily stumbled through, the sudden restraint on her moving gone, so her body lurched forward and it was only because Cancer still had hold of her hand that she was able to stop a full-on face plant into the ground.


    ¡°So¡­.where are we?¡± Emily asked, smoothing her hair down and trying to regain as much dignity as possible.


    ¡°Court of the Celestial Council. The grand hub for all galactic justice. It is quite the awe-inspiring place really¡± Cancer explained, the reverence clear in her voice. So, Emily just had to turn around and observe it for herself.


    The architecture was certainly grand. White marble pillars seemed to grow from the ground, till they reached hundreds of meters in the area, and supported the exquisitely decorated roof. It all put her in mind of the Pantheon. Through the spaces between the pillars Emily could see dozens of people milling around inside. And as she looked, she was noticed they were not all human. This revelation should have surprised her, but it didn¡¯t, and she didn¡¯t know why.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll agree with you there. It¡¯s certainly impressive¡± Emily commented, looking to the hand that still held hers, jealously. She didn¡¯t say anything though, there was nothing to say. ¡°And look, your friends are coming¡± she commented, gesturing to the men moving from the building onto the small plain outside of it. Cancer oddly said nothing, until they had arrived and surrounded them in a semi-circle. Maybe it was the ominous visors, of the rifles they had in their hands, or many the soft snarl that the guy at the head had chiselled onto his visage, but Emily got the feeling they weren¡¯t exactly friends. A worry she decided to voice.


    ¡°Umm, Cancer? They don¡¯t seem like friends.¡± She announced generally, Cancer didn¡¯t seem like direct comments would get through right now.


    ¡°Identify yourself¡± The man at the front demanded, and then, finally, Cancer spoke.


    ¡°Well, I would, but this darling has kind of done that for me¡± Cancer commented capaciously. The head man didn''t seem impressed, however.


    ¡°Identify yourself¡± he demanded again, in the exact same tone of voice as he had the first time.


    ¡°Are you deaf? I have a great little thing for deafness if you do. A lot of guys like you go deaf, guns and explosions are loud after all¡± Cancer replied, but the only change on the man¡¯s face was a deepening of his snarl.


    ¡°Identify yourself¡± he once again demanded, to which Cancer let out a sigh.


    ¡°where are the regular guys?¡± She muttered under her breath, before smiling. ¡°Fine, if it means so much to you. I am Cancer, first of the seat of Cancer. Celestial Construct, and creator of the dimension you are standing in currently¡± Cancer proclaimed in a grand and regal voice, much like when she had told Emily her name. The Head Man still did not seem at all impressed.


    ¡°Madam Cancer is currently in session with the rest of the Council. Identify yourself, truthfully¡± he ordered. Cancer, who was growing rather impatient now, rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Where did they find you? The second-hand shop for brainless henchmen?¡± Cancer asked, as if believing such a place existed. The comment, or how long it had taken Cancer to identify herself ¡®properly¡¯ seemed to irritate the head man, and at some subtle signal, the men surrounding them all pointed their rifles at Cancer and Emily. Emily had never really thought she¡¯d be staring down the barrel of a gun, but here she was, staring down the barrel of a gun.


    ¡°Identify yourself, or be eliminated¡± the man told them, and he seemed to have a slight tone of mirth about him when he got to the eliminated part.


    ¡°Ohh, eliminated? You lot couldn¡¯t eliminate a gnat with them pea-shooters¡± Cancer retorted. Then, before Emily knew what was happening, the air filled with the sharp, loud noise of automatic fire. That didn¡¯t bother her either, even though she knew it should have. Bullets hurt, as Emily knew, and she had already been killed once before by them.


    However, the bullets that flew from the visored men where deflected by some unseen force before they reached either Emily or Cancer, and by the time the clips had run dry, not a single round had gotten within a foot of either of them.


    ¡°Well now, that was just rude¡± Cancer commented, before then men surrounding them began to die. Gruesomely, but with unnerving efficiency, the assailants where sliced in half by their torso, or their heads where cleanly cut off, and a few had their hearts punched out of their chest. Emily didn¡¯t see whatever was mowing the men down like grass, but it didn¡¯t bother her. This, she thought absently, was something to be bothered about. But her brain couldn¡¯t muster the enthusiasm to be bothered. The head man was shocked at the sudden, violent slaughter of his squad, but quickly drew the pistol by his side, only to have the drawing arm snapped at a terrible angle, and then ripped out of its socket and flung to the floor; none of the lethal grace that massacred the other men was present. This was brutal, almost primal. The man screamed in pain as the hole that used to be his arm bled profusely, but before he could get more than a few seconds of screaming out, his eyes were torn from their sockets and discarded near the arm.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.¡°Really. Eliminate me. Well, maybe the rest won¡¯t be so stupid¡± Cancer muttered hotly to herself, before smiling at Emily who spoke before she got a chance to.


    ¡°Why did you rip his eyes out?¡± Emily asked, with a soft frown.


    ¡°Well, if he was going to be blind to who was in front of him, I thought I¡¯d give him an excuse¡± she said, before casually sashaying through the gore and blood to the huge building in front of her. As Emily looked back, she saw the mess had been cleared away, and there was not even a speck of blood.


    ¡°That your trick?¡± Emily asked Cancer, who nodded, knowing exactly what Emily was talking about.


    ¡°Cancer. Your first visit since you left and you carved through a squad of men. Seems about right really.¡± A woman commented, with a strange voice. It seemed to hum in the air, and had the same divine ring as Cancer¡¯s had when she first spoke ¨C it had since degraded into a casual, but still lovely tone ¨C which brought Cancer¡¯s head around.


    ¡°Illumia. Finally, someone with brains enough to not wave a gun around¡± Cancer exclaimed, with slight exasperation in her tone. Emily followed Cancer¡¯s gaze and saw an Angel. Quite literally in fact. Pure white robes hung from her, covering everything from neck to toe, and having her shining white hair tucked into the back of it. Just behind her, a pair of wings lay closed, but ready to spring open at any moment and take flight. The only thing missing was a halo. Really, meeting an angel should have surprised her as well, but against all of Emily¡¯s logic, it didn¡¯t. Only muted acceptance came from her brain.


    ¡°Brains come from years, and these new people are young.¡± Illumia commented sagely.


    ¡°Well, care to tell me why they are here in the first place?¡± Cancer asked, her hand still clamped onto Emily¡¯s, and Emily still unable to find anything to say about it. Possessive, maybe?


    ¡°They are phasing us out, and adding in their own men. It was Aries¡¯ decision and he is in charge of the security so¡­we can do naught but watch¡± Illumia explained, but it did not make Cancer very happy.


    ¡°But the current set-up worked well enough, plus it was a clear example of the Council¡¯s neutrality, as well as their authority. What are people going to think if ill-tempered children replace you?¡± Cancer asked, feeling almost insulted at the fact that the people she had just effortlessly eviscerated where going to guard some of the most important beings in the universe. But, before Cancer could speak, Emily joined the conversation.


    ¡°So, Illumia. Angel. Going to introduce me further, or should I just keep shipping you two and imagining angry, hot le¡­¡± Emily started before Cancer cut her off.


    ¡°No need to imagine us doing anything¡± Cancer stated hotly, her cheeks blushing softly. This really was the first time Emily had seen Cancer react to anything. A half-finished sentence made more of an impact than the murder of a dozen people. ¡°Illumia is a Seraphim from Celestial, here with several of her brothers and sisters to represent the Realm Above.¡± She introduced, but Emily picked out the least impressive part.


    ¡°So, Celestials from Celestial guard the Celestial Constructs in the Celestial Council? Don¡¯t you think your secret world has kinda overused the word ¡®Celestial¡¯?¡± Emily asked, with a cheeky grin.


    ¡°Hmm¡­Now that you mention it, and factoring in that beings from Celestial are called Angels and not Celestials ¨C Celestials are non-worshipped gods ¨C I guess the term is rather stretched¡± Cancer admitted.


    ¡°Gods?¡± Emily asked incredulously, it was one thing to meet an Angel, but a different thing entirely to be told there was more than one living god out there.


    ¡°Ohh yes. Aside from the worshipped gods of the universe, there are hundreds of new gods trying to find a foothold, gather a following. Used to be millions of new gods out there, but that was before even my time. There are three classified types of ¡®God¡¯ but that is a complicated subject, so just forget about it for now¡± Cancer told Emily, who promptly did as she was told.


    ¡°So, you take this one so he can¡¯t have her, hmm?¡± Illumia teased, with a cheeky grin. It was clear that Illumia and Cancer had known each other for a very long time.


    ¡°No. I am just trying to help her¡± Cancer replied in a snappish tone, which made Illumia¡¯s face soften. She looked to Emily with sudden silver eyes, and her mouth opened in restrained surprise. The pupils then clearly changed from silver to white, and she looked back at Cancer.


    ¡°It hurt you didn¡¯t it?¡± Illumia asked, in a softer, sadder tone, as if the silver eyes had told her something. It was heart-wrenching to hear such a beautiful voice turn sad. Like watching Mufasa die.


    ¡°Yes. More than he knew he would, more than he knows he did¡± Cancer replied, in the same sombre tone. But, much like Jane, she didn¡¯t linger there for more than a few seconds. ¡°Can you go tell them we have arrived? We might actually get in this side of the Millennium if you do¡± she joked, which brought back the divine, fittingly angelic voice to Illumia.


    ¡°I shall be right back¡± She said in reply, before gliding off, weaving through the crowd with practiced grace, her robe trailing softly behind her as she moved.


    ¡°Wish I could move like that¡± Emily commented.


    ¡°Stick with me, and you just might¡± Cancer replied with a wide grin

 The Celestial Council

    Chapter Five: The Celestial Council.


    When Illumia went off to talk to the Council, Cancer led Emily to a row of seats near a grand door. She kept Emily¡¯s hand in hers throughout the entire time, and a after a minute of sitting, Emily found some words about it.


    ¡°Are you going to hold my hand forever?¡± Emily asked, in what was meant to be a joke, but Cancer¡¯s absently voiced reply was serious.


    ¡°Yes, I am.¡± A few seconds later, she looked over at Emily and brushed a strain of her out of her face. ¡°You are special; you know?¡± She asked. Which made Emily blush and turn away.


    ¡°I-I¡­..I am glad you think so¡± she stuttered out, not quite sure what had brought on this sudden change in Cancer. But before she could ask about it, the doors opened and Illumia walked out, or glided out, Emily got the impression her feet never touched the ground ¨C no one with feet on the ground could move with that much grace ¨C but the long robe made it impossible to check.


    ¡°They are¡­.knowing you are coming now Cancer¡± She announced with a soft laugh at the end. Emily had thought she would say ¡®they will see you now¡¯ or something, but that sentence implied they were aware of Cancer¡¯s presence and had no say in If she came in or not. Which, was probably accurate considering how highly Cancer placed herself.


    ¡°Thank you darling. And bite Aroura if you see her. She needs a good biting now and then¡± Cancer teased, giggling as Illumia turned a deep red, matching Emily¡¯s current tone.


    ¡°I can¡¯t just bite Aroura, regardless of where the request or command originated from. I am not you. And neither am I the one you emulate so well these days¡± She said, the last bit a touch hotter than usual, but her curtsy ¨C she actually curtsied ¨C was still polite and friendly.


    ¡°Glide softly, Lady Cancer¡± Illumia said, before leaving to do other things. Cancer nodded graciously, and then moved to enter the large room that the doors led into.


    ¡°Damn, I could have looked at her feet¡± Emily muttered as they moved.


    ¡°Her feet?¡± Cancer asked, with a rather confused frown.


    ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t know if she actually touched the ground when she walked.¡± Emily admitted. Cancer gave a slight chuckle at the comment, and then they were stood in the centre of the room. Cancer and Emily where flanked in a semi-circle by twelve people, sat at a half-circle table. Each had a tall-backed chair with a Zodiac symbol at the top. Emily assumed that the symbol denoted what ¡®seat¡¯ they were. She recognized the Cancer, Gemini and Leo symbols, and guessed Taurus¡¯ symbol, but had no idea what the others where. Of course, Taurus, Gemini and Leo where pretty easy to guess. One had large bull-horns sticking from his head, one ¨C technically two ¨C where twins, a male and a female, and one had a magnificent mane and paws that looked like hands. Or hands that looked like paws.


    The woman who sat in the seat of Cancer was a far-cry from the woman stood next to Emily. She had an ornate, hooded cloak that was pulled over her eyes, and her head was oriented at the desk. Emily couldn¡¯t see her hands either, while everyone else had their hands spread across the desk, or holding glasses of varying liquids, Cancer¡¯s hands where nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°Greetings Cancer, what brings you before us?¡± Leo asked, in a voice that only a humanoid lion in a dimension different to the one Emily had been born in ¨C Cancer had mentioned she had made this dimension, which led to the natural assumption that this was a different one to the one Earth was in ¨C could fit. Deep, and with the shadows of a roar, it was clear he was the head of this council. He just, emanated power.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Cancer, however, was not impressed, and so finally let go of Emily¡¯s hand when she would not stop staring at Leo to walk over to Cancer.


    ¡°So, what cutie did you find to replace me?¡± she asked, looking very deeply at the girl across the way. Leo sighed ¨C a grand action, like the crash of waves against a beach shore ¨C and spoke.


    ¡°Names are cast aside when the Seat is taken, only titles remain¡± He declared grandly, but the declaration was waved off dismissively.


    ¡°Bet she remembers, don¡¯t you darling?¡± Cancer asked, reaching out her finger to lift her namesake¡¯s chin up, so her beautiful purple eyes looked into Cancer¡¯s own. The shadow of her hood hid the shade of her hair, but Cancer assumed it was one of the darker colours, like brown or black. Or, it could possibly be purple, matching her eyes.


    She would probably get in trouble for throwing the hood down just to check the girl¡¯s hair though.


    ¡°Ohh, I¡­well¡­..¡± The girl stuttered, her cheeks turning pale and her eyes trying to escape the gaze of Cancer, but always being drawn back to her predecessors direct gaze.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Cancer prompted, her grin growing by the second.


    ¡°Em¡­Emilia Galdur¡± Emilia finally got out, her whole face a deep red by this time. Cancer nodded supportingly, and then her eyes ran quickly down her coat, and took in her ornate cloak before swiftly pecking the girl on the lips and standing, returning to Emily¡¯s side.


    There was a look on her face that made it seem as though the kiss she had given Emilia was not on a whim, and was as questing as her eyes had been.


    ¡°The Galdur family has had close ties with the Pillars of Magic for a long period of time. She has been trained by the Tgoh Utmeradna of Ampyras for the seat. The youngest princess of Ampyras even acclaimed her talent and understanding.¡± One of the other members of the council spoke up, almost defending the girl, but with a bite to his voice that made it clear he was defending himself first.


    ¡°Why was she trained by the Tgoh Utmeradna of Ampyras for the seat, when a much simpler and more obvious choice would be the Tgoh Utmeradna themselves?¡± Cancer asked.


    Most of the words being thrown around now, where beyond Emily¡¯s understanding. She could make out this ¡®Tgoh Utmeradna¡¯ was a person ¨C of considerable prowess in magic, even though the very concept of magic was still hard for Emily to grasp ¨C and that ¡®Ampyras¡¯ was a place, but beyond that she was totally lost. Not even sure if the Pillars of Magic where physical structures or metaphysical concepts.


    ¡°It was decided-¡± Came Leo¡¯s magnificent voice, made even more magnificent by the expectation of the haughty, pompous voice of the other member ¡°-that Ampyras and all its people held ties too close to a certain party to be considered for any seat.¡± He explained, to which Cancer nodded.


    ¡°Right. Well, I shall be going now, sorry for wasting your time Leo.¡± Cancer announced abruptly, taking Emily¡¯s hand, and starting to turn before Leo spoke again.


    ¡°You saw something that you disapproved of here?¡± Leo asked. His tone took a less official feel, and was instead more companion-like.


    ¡°Yes, I did. I¡¯ll send a report¡± Cancer replied. Emily knew from the way it said that a report would be more private than speaking aloud, and this thing that Cancer saw and was annoyed about needed to be private, at least to Cancer¡¯s perception.


    ¡°Very well. Then I hope to see you again, Cancer? Your absence is felt in these halls¡± Leo told her, and then they were gone. Cancer set a demanding pace for Emily, and they were at ¨C and through ¨C the jelly gate in under a minute, traveling again through its strangeness to Emily¡¯s home.

 Her Arrival

    Chapter Six: Her Arrival


    The arrival in her small kitchen surprised Emily, but then she had had so many surprises in the past several hours that the emotion had long since run dry.


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t have to land where you took off¡­¡± She muttered, and then yelped as Cancer patted her ass.


    ¡°Ohh, sorry. Wasn¡¯t expecting a yelp¡± Cancer apologised, with a smile so cute Emily couldn¡¯t even get mad at her.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok. I was just, expecting something else¡± She replied, taking a breath before there was a knock at the door, to which Emily jumped again.


    ¡°You are very skittish today. Something the matter?¡± Cancer asked, going to answer the door. Once opened, she saw a middle-aged man, lewdly ogling Cancer¡¯s breasts and shapely body, until he realized that she had huge breasts, then came surprise. But then, surprise always came in Cancer¡¯s wake.


    ¡°Oo the ¡®ell are you?¡± the man demanded in a rough, accented tone.


    ¡°I am Busen Filzlaus, I am foreign exchange student from Germany. Wonderful to have meeting you¡± Cancer introduced herself, in a suddenly perfect German accent. Emily thought it was never going to work until she saw that Cancer had changed from the red dress and flowing hair to the uniform Emily¡¯s school had, and her hair neatly in a bobble.


    Her breasts where the same size though. The man frowned in disbelief, and then looked at his watch.


    ¡°What are you still doing in uniform at this time?¡± He asked, to which Emily let out a silent sigh of relief.


    ¡°My¡­ahhh¡­bag of belongings was not found, so I am without anything but this for now¡± She replied, her accent pristine, and even the simulated lack of mastery over English.


    ¡°She means her suitcase was misplaced¡± Emily put in, adding to the illusion. The man was buying into it so far, with his confusion being replaced by lecherous grins.


    ¡°An¡¯ I guess my petite daughter has nothing for your size?¡± The man ¨C Emily¡¯s father, from his statement ¨C asked with a grin, obviously staring at Cancer¡¯s breasts.


    ¡°Yes. You are father, correct?¡± She asked, to which the man nodded.


    ¡°And today we have something planned. We do it every week. I guess since you are here, you can come along with us. We can even get you some proper clothes¡± He offered.


    ¡°That is a great friendly offer. Thank you¡± Cancer replied. If the situation wasn¡¯t degrading from bad to worse at a rapid rate, Emily would probably be marvelling at how good Cancer was at this. It was only her knowledge that she was Cancer and not whatever name she had given that stopped Emily believing it herself.


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­go get ready¡± Emily said with a relegated voice, before shuffling off to the bedroom. ¡°Your daughter seems lack happy.¡± Cancer commented, but with the inflections if a question.


    ¡°We pay her rent and she helps us out every week. You can help her to. Maybe you¡¯ll even enjoy it¡± He replied, with a smile that Cancer¡¯s experience told her was malicious, but well-hidden malice.


    ¡°I see forward to this enjoy¡± Cancer announced, as Emily returned, with makeup on, and dangling heart-shaped earrings.


    ¡°We can get you done when we get there, Busen¡± Emily¡¯s dad told Cancer, before nodding to the door.


    ¡°Mark seems to have vanished into thin air, so you can have a day where you don¡¯t glare at him all night¡± Emily¡¯s dad joked, even laughing to himself. Cancer laughed to, but with the look of a person that had no idea what was going on. Emily and Cancer where lead to a car, and Cancer got in graciously, followed by Emily.


    She was still giving off the air of obliviousness, which amused Emily¡¯s father, and he was smirking to himself as they were driving down the road. They passed something that looked odd though, two people standing facing each other with what looked to be, swords in their hands. But there was one thing Emily couldn¡¯t miss - the flash of pink from a girl lying on the floor, not moving. There was only one person Emily knew in the entire south of England that, had pink hair, as long and as luscious as that. And then they were gone. Too distracted by Jane, Emily did not get a good look at the other two people, only that one seemed to have a sword in the blackest hue possible ¨C like Absolute Zero for colours ¨C and the other¡¯s sword was distinctly reminiscent of colour of blood.


    She quickly turned to Cancer ¨C her dad seemed distracted by whatever he was distracted by ¨C and saw a knowing, comforting smile. It helped her calm down. If Cancer wasn¡¯t tearing the car apart to help Jane, then it wasn¡¯t any situation that was detrimental to her. There was an intense urge to leap out of the car and fight off the people ¨C no one she knew walked around carrying swords, but then no one she knew, turned into cats and dragged people to different dimensions either ¨C until Jane¡¯s safety was assured but¡­they had long passed it down the road, so Emily could not find her way back in time. Cancer put her hand on Emily¡¯s and smiled comfortingly at her.


    It was a very nice gesture and filled Emily¡¯s heart with warmth. Quite literally in fact. The frosty bite of the air just, vanished, to be replaced with how the weather should be. But before she could enjoy it too much, the car stopped and her dad got out, walking around to Cancer¡¯s side and opening the door for her. ¡°We are here, Busen¡± he announced, in a softer tone, as if trying to impress her. The building they had arrived at however, was not very impressive. It looked a warehouse, out of the way and with plenty of room for what went on inside.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look great¡± Cancer replied, looking at the faded brown bricks it was made out of and as Emily got out of the car herself.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Ahh, we haven¡¯t gotten around to the exterior, the interior is much better¡± he announced, turning to the door, but found his path blocked by a tall woman of eminent glory. Emily could find no words other than an innate desire to worship her, like one would feel when meeting their deity in the flesh.


    She had long, green hair, and her pupils where the same striking green. As was her outfit. Rather gothic in design, it had a bodice, and laces poking out from the back, in a corset made for fashion rather than practicality, and then a very short skirt flowing from the bottom of her hips, while the entire bottom half of her was covered with thin, green leggings, and heavy boots that came just below the knee. The green colour did not exactly suit the design, but the woman was beautiful enough that she could wear a green potato sack and still look radiant in it. On her chest, just below her decent but not overly large breasts, hung a pair of holsters with gun handles sticking out, revolvers from the look of the hammers at the back of the guns.


    The reason they were not at her hip was evident as eyes travelled further down. Her hips where occupied by two swords, one sheath and handle was a much deeper, more vibrant green than anything else on her person, and the other was an extremely vibrant red, much the same as the sword she had seen coming here, but of a deeper hue, and commanding more awe. They both had the look of ancient eastern design, like something that would be found in a Samurai Museum. The sheaths where ornately designed, and looked as if a virtuoso of Art had spent many days working on them. Emily had no doubt the swords within them held the same quality and detail, and an errant thought made her believe it would be almost beautiful to be killed by either sword. The rest of her thought that it¡¯d be better to live and see someone else get killed by them. She certainly knew who she hoped was on the sharp end of them.


    ¡°I missed. Well, first time and all that¡± She muttered to herself, in a voice that Emily could barely make out, before she looked up at the trio.


    The look she gave Emily¡¯s father was a terrifying one, and he even took a step back as he was on the receiving end of it.


    ¡°I shall see you later¡± she announced ominously, the tone so saturated with a dark and frightful power that Emily shuddered to hear it. And then frowned as her tone turned slightly confused, and a lot more human than it had been. The first tone was how Emily would have described the words of divinity. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯d be earlier for me, but later for you.¡± She reiterated, and Emily immediately recognized her voice. But, that recognition stole her voice, and nothing but a strangled whimper came from her voice as she spoke again. ¡°Hey Cancer. Great you are here by the way¡± She said, grinning.


    ¡°Good day, Daughter. You are early, however. Most accurate predictions don¡¯t put you here for several more years¡± Cancer said, in a revering tone, but also equal in some respects. It was a strange thing to hear, especially from Cancer.


    ¡°They are a lot of bollocks, actually. But yea, Time Travel. Got kind of thrown though. This is my first time. Can you help?¡± She asked, to which Cancer looked, apprehensive.


    ¡°Never actually tried it myself, but I may lend my aid if possible¡± She replied. Emily and her father just continued to stare on, as if their motion was paused except for the blinking and rising of their chests.


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯m a bit lost. When is this? Obviously got caught in the pull of a Nexus but¡­¡± she trailed off into some mutterings about doing better next time.


    ¡°About five minutes after your abduction by Shadow, if that helps¡± Cancer offered, and it must have since the regal-esque woman grinned brightly.


    ¡°Yes, very much so, thank you Cancer.¡± She said, before looking to her red sword and stroking the hilt. ¡°Shadow was fun, aye ¡®Sagi?¡± She asked, and for the first time Cancer¡¯s eyes lit up.


    ¡°So, that is the Blood Queen herself?¡± Cancer asked, staring at it as if it was even more important than Emily had originally thought.


    ¡°Yep, and you¡¯ll never guess how I found her. But that is a story I already told you. Just gotta be patient. Thanks again for your help¡± the woman said, walking up to Cancer and pecking her cheek softly. Then finally, with almost painful effort, she looked at Emily.


    ¡°Remember, whatever happens, I will always hold you dear to my heart¡± She told Emily, kissing her softly on the same place as she did with Cancer. She smiled sadly for a few seconds, and then looked back at Cancer again. ¡°Nice getup¡± She teased before she was simply, not there anymore.


    Emily got the feeling that the kisses mean more than they initially looked like, but she was more worried about the comment she had made to her. What was so bad in the¡­the ¡®future¡¯ that she would feel the need to make such a comment? But, her sudden disappearance had Emily¡¯s father snapped out of his daze, and he turned around to look at Cancer, but then his face turned blank.


    ¡°Ever forget what you were going to do, mid-action?¡± He asked, to which Cancer laughed.


    ¡°Yes. Walk into a room, forget why you walked in, return to where you were, and bleeding man screams for bandage¡± She joked, in her usual broken English. However, it was intact enough to amuse Emily¡¯s father. ¡°I like you Busen, I think we are going to get along very well¡± He said, before turning to the warehouse and opening the door, his chuckle returning.

 Chapter 7: The Astral Plane

    Chapter Seven: The Astral Plane


    Passing through the door felt strange, almost like jelly, much akin to the gate of the Celestial Council. But, those worries where soon washed away in a wave of a familiar feeling. In the few seconds since walking into the building, Emily forgot about most things. The one thing she did notice was that the inside wasn¡¯t the usual inside, and there would have to have been massive amounts of interior decorating, and several delivery trucks to turn what she saw last time she was here into this. It looked like a casino mixed with a brothel, and everywhere Emily looked, scantily clad men and women tended to several different gambling tables. Others served drinks, or tended the bar, and yet more stood around, just eyeing the crowd.


    It was two of these women that intercepted Emily¡¯s father and led him away to somewhere unknown, but it looked like he would enjoy it all the same. However, Emily found she didn¡¯t even care about his absence, only that she had never been this horny in her life. Why she had suddenly felt like this was beyond her, and so in desperation she turned to Cancer, who was also biting her bottom lip, as if fighting off the same wave Emily was overcome by.


    The action looked, to Emily, so amazing, and so she tackled the cat-woman, subtly being a bird long since flown. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Emily managed to ask as she moved in, not sure what she was intent on, but knowing it involved something about losing the clothes they currently wore.


    ¡°¡¯Splanations can wait¡± Cancer stuttered, in a malformation of her usual tone. Usually Emily wouldn¡¯t have liked it, but now it sounded hot. Everything sounded hot. So when Cancer dragged her off to a room, she didn¡¯t resist. The room she was dragged into was clearly for couples to copulate, with the heart shaped bed and the erotic mood lighting, but Cancer wasn¡¯t interested in them sort of things. She threw her left hand up, like swatting something away violently, and suddenly the feeling was gone. Something which Emily let out a loud sigh of relief.


    ¡°Wow, I could have gone at you like a rabbit. What the hell was that?¡± She demanded, shaking her head and straightening her hair with her hand.


    ¡°Tantric enchantment. Some buildings enchant emotions into their walls to help with their business, and they really had some good stuff. Thought it would be a good way to get rid of your dear old da¡¯, but never expected it to be quite so strong. They have gotten new hardware in my absence¡± She explained, smiling softly, almost shyly. The emotions where gone, but the memory of the feelings and intentions was still there.


    ¡°Well, wow. Glad it¡¯s over¡± Emily exclaimed, shaking her head, not wanting to remember what she was thinking in the slightest.


    ¡°Now we need to get out of here. Because unless you want to go back out there and try find the door, we need a new exit strategy.¡± Cancer replied, and then sunk into muttering to herself. Emily was curious as to what she was saying, so slunk closer.


    ¡°Could try Ley-Lines, but without a proper beacon we could end up anywhere. Void is Sean¡¯s thing, teleport would bring to many eyes, considering where we are, Terra-Mask needs four people.¡± Emily heard, and then butted in.


    ¡°Is this still the same Sean?¡± She asked hesitantly, sure he had never had anything to do with ¡®Void¡¯ before.


    ¡°Yes. He found the Void and mastered the ability to travel through it, but has stubbornly refused to teach anyone else. So¡­guess we have to go to the Plane¡± She exclaimed, walking up to Emily and reaching out to bop her on the head.


    ¡°What Plane?¡± she asked, before Cancer¡¯s hand came down on her head, and consciousness was instantly stolen from her, and she was out like a light before she hit the floor.


    Emily woke up with a gasp, and decided she really needed to stop waking up like that, but she couldn¡¯t do anything about it, whenever she went to sleep, she had such restless dreams that kept her from getting a good sleep. However, the next question was, where the hell she was.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.¡°Morning sleepy!¡± Cancer exclaimed, walking over to Emily and grinning.


    ¡°Err, where are we?¡± Emily asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and standing up.


    ¡°The Astral Plane. Where minds mesh to make marvels. Of course, one person¡¯s marvel could be quite bad, so don¡¯t stray too far.¡± Cancer warned Emily, before looking around. ¡°Ok, need an exit hole back to Earth..¡± she muttered, before gasping in surprise and turning back round to Emily.


    ¡°Look over there¡± Cancer said, pointing into the distance. Emily¡¯s eyes were not as good as Cancer¡¯s, but she saw the flowing pink hair that couldn¡¯t have belonged to anyone else. Well, it could have, but Cancer would not have pointed it out if it hadn''t been.


    ¡°Jane!¡± Emily shouted, and started to go to her, but Cancer held out a hand.


    ¡°From the looks of it, this is not a situation we should interrupt. It¡¯s a private moment¡± Cancer told Emily, who reluctantly stopped moving, and watched. The other woman that was there wiped something from Jane¡¯s face, and Emily could feel the overwhelming emotion coming from the two people. Whoever this person was, she clearly meant a lot to Jane.


    A few seconds of jealousy washed over Emily as she thought of someone more important to Jane than she was, but Emily quashed it quickly, knowing there where others in Jane¡¯s life that she could rely on. Then, Jane started to turn transparent, and slowly disappeared from the Plane. Emily looked to Cancer, who was already smiling, clearly with an explanation for her.


    ¡°She¡¯s a ghost¡± Cancer said plainly, which irritated Emily.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mock me! I may not know much about this whole Council-Plane-Void malarkey but I know Jane was right there, and she wasn¡¯t a ghost¡± Emily exclaimed hotly, but this only served to amuse Cancer.


    ¡°Ok, ok. Since you disputed my claim so politely¡± Cancer teased, before suddenly hugging Emily. It was then she realized that Cancer was considerably taller than she was, or had made herself taller just to mess with Emily. ¡°She was barely here in the first place, clinging by her fingertips and burning though her stability at a very quick rate. So when it ran out, she vanished. Probably woke up on the other side¡± Cancer explained, much better than she had the first time.


    ¡°Thank you. See? You can be nice, when you want to¡±. Emily felt safe in Cancer¡¯s embrace, but there was something else there as well. Almost as if it wasn¡¯t her emotion, but someone who was taking root inside her. She shook her head as Cancer released her and flicked a few fingers though her long, red hair.


    ¡°Well, fancy seeing you here¡± A third voice announced, with a touch of amusement.


    ¡°Well, I get around. How are you?¡± Cancer replied, in a tone of warm familiarity. Emily turned her eyes to this new person, but didn¡¯t recognise her, so instead looked around the plane.


    It was a strange one, with thing hopping around and psychedelic landscape usually only seen in acid trips. There were minor changes flickering in and out. Sometimes they¡¯d be a tree, other times the same tree just with no leaves, and one time it had thrashing, phallic tentacles, like a nightmare from some sort of Hentai. She was glad it was a fair distance away for that one. Then, Either Emily had dozed off, or Cancer had cut the conversation short, because suddenly Cancer was addressing her.


    ¡°Better get going before our one good connection dries up. See you later Elana¡± Cancer then waved to the woman ¨C Elana, she had called her ¨C and dragged Emily off to the point where Jane and Elana had been stood.


    ¡°So, who was she?¡± Emily asked, as she followed Cancer for want of not being dragged.


    ¡°Just someone I knew a while ago. Jane seems to know her as well, but I didn¡¯t go into their relationship. It was clearly personal¡± Cancer told Emily, before standing roughly where Jane was, and letting go of Emily¡¯s hand. She then began muttering, and while Emily picked her going ¡®hmm¡¯ and ¡®yes¡¯ a lot, she couldn¡¯t distinguish anything else, and so just stared at her until a rip appeared in the air, and opened up to the size of a doorway.


    ¡°There we go. You want to go first hun?¡± Cancer asked, but Emily shook her head, wary of rips in the plains of dreams. So, Cancer walked though, and Emily hurried in after her, not wanting to be left behind. Which was a good call since the rip shimmered shut behind her, as if it had never been.

 Going Shopping

    Chapter Eight: Going Shopping.


    Emily stepped out of the rip, and into a room. It seemed very human, but she could never really tell with these people anymore. So, she meandered around for a few seconds until Cancer came though behind her, which was weird because she went in first. But, probably stopped by the inter-rip caf¨¦ for some tea or something else equally bizarre.


    ¡°Hmm. Ireland. Odd, but at least it¡¯s Earth again.¡± She muttered, and Emily¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Ireland? Really? Ooh, I have always wanted to go there, the accent is just so amazing!¡± She exclaimed, giggling like a fan girl.


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go shopping¡± Cancer relied, striding over to the door and opening it. Emily saw she had changed back into her red dress, which ¨C Emily was forced to admit ¨C looked much better on her.


    ¡°So, where did you get a name like Busen from out of the blue?¡± Emily asked, heading to the door.


    ¡°Heh. It¡¯s actually German, or rough German at least. Means ¡®Breast Crab¡¯ and well, I thought it fit¡± Cancer admitted, with a soft giggle. Emily¡¯s giggle was less than soft, and persisted though the door, still breathlessly muttering ¡®breast crab¡¯ in between hysterical laughter. Cancer rolled her eyes and pulled Emily down the street. The place they had landed in was pretty busy, people walked down the streets, some carrying bags, others food, and the natter of nearly two dozen people melded into the incoherent soup it usually did in crowded area. Once Emily had recovered from her hysteria, she looked around with eyes like a child in a sweet shop. There where shops advertising things, some had signs in English, others in Irish ¨Cwas just¡­weird.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s Ireland, and I hear they make great suits here.¡± She replied, still not being any less confusing, but suddenly those Cancer translated for her, so she knew what she was looking at ¨C but she couldn¡¯t decide which one to go in first.


    ¡°Wonder if we will see a walking skeleton around here¡± Cancer commented, so Emily rounded on her with a deep frown.


    ¡°Why¡­why would we meet a skeleton around here?¡± She asked, highly confused. Cancer was confusing at times, but this she dragged Emily into a shop, so she couldn¡¯t question her any further. ¡°Hello!¡± Cancer shouted, approaching the desk. From the look of it, this placed seemed to be a clothes store, or a tailors.


    ¡°Good morning to you. So, are you tourists then?¡± Then man asked, in that heart-melting Irish accent. The assumption must have come from Cancer''s accent, being English rather than Irish.


    ¡°Yes, but I have been here before, a while ago. Actually where I got this dress¡± Cancer replied, brushing it softly to show it off.


    ¡°Thought the cut looked familiar. What name are you registered under?¡± He asked, acutely aware of Emily, who looked a step away from drooling at the guy¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Busen Filzlaus¡± Cancer replied, which made Emily snort with laughter, knowing what the name translated to.


    ¡°ooh, what¡¯s that one from?¡± He asked, referring to her name as he flicked though a book on his desk.


    ¡°Germany. My dad is German, but my mum is English. I lived in Germany for the first three years of my life, but then we moved to England for a new job my dad was offered. I like it, even if it doesn¡¯t quite fit in sometimes¡± Which seemed like the truth, she had used it on two separate occasions. Or maybe it just amused her. The man seemed to find Cancer in the book, and looked directly at Emily. ¡°An¡¯ what¡¯s your name?¡± He asked.


    Emily took a few seconds to compose herself, before speaking.


    ¡°Emily, Emily Thorntree¡± she told the man, even managing to keep the stutter out of her voice.


    ¡°Heh, an English girl and a German woman. You make a great pair¡± he said, which made Cancer smile, but Emily¡¯s eyes went wide.


    ¡°What? Ohh no, we are not like that, we are just¡­. Not like that¡± She stuttered, and then blushed deeply as Cancer drew Emily into her bosom again and hooked a finger under Emily¡¯s chin, lifting it up so she was looking directly into Cancer¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Darling. I thought we really had something going here. Do you really not like me that way?¡± Cancer teased, her lips barely an inch from Emily, who had turned as bright as a tomato and could only make strange noises with no real meaning. After a few seconds, Cancer laughed and took her finger away. ¡°But seriously, we aren¡¯t together. I just enjoy teasing her from time to time¡± Cancer told the man at the counter, who was watching with slightly amused neutrality.


    ¡°Well, she is still rather young, don¡¯t want to push her into anything aye?¡± The man asked, before coming out from the counter and looking at the two. ¡°So, what can I do for you today, Miss..err¡± The man faltered, probably pondering how to pronounce Cancer¡¯s surname. ¡°Just call me Busen, I know how difficult it can be to pronounce my name. I¡¯m looking for a dress, for my Emily. Could you show me what you got?¡± she asked, Emily blushed from the claim of ownership, but didn¡¯t move from her embrace. She felt safe here.


    ¡°Sure, got some dresses in the back, but I can also make you one personally if you don¡¯t fit any. She has quite the slim frame¡± The man told Cancer, before leading them to a door at the back of the shop, and into a room where dozens dresses where hung on rails.


    ¡°So, what¡¯cha looking for?¡± He asked generally, as much a question for Emily as it was for Cancer.


    ¡°Something long, like mine but a bit more embellished¡± Cancer replied, letting Emily go to browse along the dresses. Emily herself didn¡¯t really know what she was going to do; she had never worn a dress before. But, at the same time, she would be glad to get out of her school uniform. So, she let Cancer go through the dresses until the cry of success announced she had found one worth wearing. She drew it from the rail, and held it up to Emily.


    The dress was long and pink, covering her neck and going down to just above her ankles. The arms cut off about halfway down the upper arm ¨C at least to Emily, for anyone else it would probably end closer to the shoulder ¨C and was embroidered with roses in a slightly darker pink. Emily really had no feelings about pink until now, and now she loved it. She reached out to touch it, running her hand down the dress and across the arms. The bodice was made of velvet from the way it felt, but the arms and skirt was chiffon, but she could see another material though the sheer covering, probably taffeta. A silken flower adorned the area slightly below the clavicle, looking good without being too close to the chin to irritate if the wearer looked down. There were also some black ribbons at the bottom of the skirt, and a pair of black gloves hung off the same hanger, attached to the arms by wires. It looked amazing, and the multi layering that made up the dress ¨C there was three different fabrics that she could see, and could be more ¨C spoke of great craftsmanship. Cancer clearly saw Emily¡¯s face, as she turned to the tailor and nodded.


    ¡°This is the one. We¡¯ll take it.¡± Cancer declared, grinning widely and making rather joyous noises.


    ¡°Right, I¡¯ll go ring it up. Miss Thorntree, could you wait in the dressing room for a few, while we sort this out?¡± he asked, to which Emily nodded wordlessly and walked over to the curtained area, pulling the curtains back a bit and then moving to the side of the room where a small chair was. She then sat down, and thought. Emily thought about everything there. She thought about Simba, her cat, turning out to be some super-powered crab girl, about how she had met a real-life Angel, the future incarnation of her best, and closest friend, and most deeply, she thought about Death.


    This day had seen a lot of death. Between hers, Jane¡¯s, that thug¡¯s and the dozen men Cancer had somehow mowed down, there was so much death. Most people said that Death was a very serious thing, and was traumatising to witness, but Emily did not feel much more than mild disgust at how much mess people left behind when they were killed. It must have been Cancer¡¯s influence that did that. She seemed the kind of person to strengthen a person¡¯s mental prowess before trying to strengthen them physically. She didn¡¯t get much chance to wonder about the physical side of things though, since Cancer returned with the dress and a glint in her eye.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get this beauty on you¡± Cancer cooed, and Emily was stripped in short order, feeling very awkward while naked in front of Cancer¡¯s ogling eyes, but Cancer slipped on what looked to be a pale under-dress after a few seconds so it didn¡¯t bother her too much. The underdress covered her breasts and pelvic area, but was thin and didn¡¯t restrict her at all, so the dress could be easily pulled on over it.


    Which it was, and when all the parts had been tightened, fastened and otherwise finished, Emily admired herself in the mirror. For the first time in so many years, she thought she actually looked beautiful. Somewhere along the road, she had lost the earring that she had put in for her dad, but the makeup remained, and added to how good she looked ¨C Emily was a dab hand at makeup, and knew exactly how to apply it without making it take on the ¡®far too much¡¯ look. The dress was snug, but wasn¡¯t tight, and felt as amazing as it looked, from the neck to her knees, and even the gloves in-between, it was unlike anything she had ever known.


    ¡°Yep. You look radiant.¡± Cancer commented, before Emily offered her a hand ¨C which was taken ¨C and gracefully stepped down from the dressing plinth. ¡°So, wanna hit the town?¡± She asked, which caused Emily to smile.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.¡°Absolutely¡± She replied. After they exited the shop and walked down a street, Emily could tell her extravagant dress was drawing a lot of eyes. They all seemed amazed at how well she wore it, and the few that saw the well-worn converse Emily had on her feet made no mention of it in their presence. Emily had hoped they could find a shoe shop and she could replace her current shoes with some that fitted the dress more, but their luck did not hold, and no shoe shop reared its head.


    A good dozen general stores did however, selling all kinds of stuff that Emily didn¡¯t know she needed until she had them, and by the time the sun was starting to set, she had two bags of books, a brilliant hat that suited her dress so well it was as if they were made to be a set, and some jewellery she would probably never wear, aside from a lovely sunstone ring they had found. Cancer had been a great help throughout the day, excited as Emily was to be having a fun day out, and assisting Emily with her purchases.


    Only once did she do anything strange, and that was a good hour into the trip, when they were having lunch at a posh restaurant where her dress fit right in. She looked up into the celling with a frown, and muttered ¡®what the hell is he doing¡¯. But, when Emily had inquired to the nature of this, she brushed it off and said that the steak was very well made. Which, Emily was forced to admit, it was but she didn¡¯t like the look on Cancer¡¯s face. It was confusion, and disdain.


    But, apart from that, they had taken in many other things, watched street performers - Cancer had even procured a flute from somewhere and joined in with one of them ¨C and visited one of the more prestigious pubs in the area, which Emily was glad for the rest. Cancer set a gruelling pace when it came to shopping, and carrying her spoils was getting hard. Emily didn¡¯t drink any alcohol, but Cancer knocked back many pints ¨C or ¡®slices¡¯ as she liked to call them ¨C of Guinness in bets that the men at the bar had propositioned.


    It was fun to see Irish men slumping out of their seats in alcohol-induced loss of equilibrium, and Cancer sat, drinking the most current glass with the same grace and sobriety she had entered with. Once taxis had been called for half the pub, and several vats drained to the dregs, Cancer ordered them dinner, and they ate more meat. Not that Emily was complaining, but Cancer told her anyway that women needed a lot of iron, and thus a lot of meat, since they disposed of blood on a monthly basis.


    When the sizzling gammon and home-made chips arrived, Emily felt her mouth water. It lacked the pristine presentation of the lunch, but had more heart to it, and when she began to eat, was every bit as tasty as the restaurant. Eventually, however, the day did what all days do, and came to an end. It was at this point that Cancer led them back to the house they had first come here in, and looked at the walls for a few seconds.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Emily asked, to which Cancer shook her head.


    ¡°No, just getting something from the walls¡± she replied, and an instant later the building changed, to one Emily recognised.


    ¡°No¡­This is, my¡­.¡± She muttered, rounding on Cancer with half fear and half anger. But both of them melted away under the motherly stare that came back at her, and so Emily started to warily look around, and a minute later, found her mum crashed out on a couch. She wasn¡¯t sure what it was this time, but she knew it wasn¡¯t anything good, like always. ¡°Wake, Giver of Life¡± Cancer commanded, having suddenly appeared at Emily¡¯s side and speaking in an eldritch tone. It was the kind of tone that if it told the dead to rise, they would have no choice but to obey. And so her mother got up from the couch, and looked very reminiscent of the dead. She smiled lucidly at Emily as her eyes came into semi-focus.


    ¡°Hey¡­you¡± She commented airily, as if forgetting Emily¡¯s name. Something that would not have surprised her. ¡°Nice pink.¡± She muttered, before Cancer stepped in front of the blazed woman, and cupped her cheeks.


    ¡°Begone, Demon of Man. You shall never again take host in this vessel, no matter how much you try¡± Cancer intoned, still with her strange, powerful tone. It reverberated through Emily¡¯s entire body, and she was sure the walls shook with every letter. And then, Cancer spoke but no words came from her mouth. Only a buzzing on the edge of hearing, and a feeling of potential energy, like standing near an electrical sub-station. But, it only lasted a few seconds, and then her mother slumped onto the couch, her eyes glazed for a few seconds before she blinked.


    ¡°Emily?¡± she asked, her eyes darting around as if only seeing things properly for the first time in years.


    ¡°M¡­mum?¡± Emily asked in return, not quite believing that the coherent tone and observing eyes where real. It had been so long since her mother had really seen her. Had really spoken to her.


    ¡°Where did you get such a wonderful dress?¡± She asked, with a clear indication of trying to avoid bringing up her own scanty outfit. Emily made a few croaking sounds, before launching herself into a hug, and squeezing her mother tightly. Hysterical water-works flowed for several minutes, before finally drying up in the face of ceaseless support from her mother. It was then, when everything had calmed down, that Emily¡¯s mother was finally able to notice Cancer.


    ¡°Ohh, sorry for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Anne. Thank you for¡­whatever it was you did. The past few years have felt like some bad, barely lucid dream¡± She admitted, which elected a gracious nod from Cancer.


    ¡°It was the best thing to end the day on. I shall leave Emily in your care for today, and will be back to pick her up for school tomorrow. May grace favour you, Miss Thorntree¡±. The tone was the same, ringing angelic beauty that Emily had first heard, and then she was gone, nothing but memories.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get you ready for bed, it¡¯s late¡± Anne told Emily, in the caring voice only a mother could pull off. It was something that she had been missing so much, for so long.


    After sleeping like the dead for however long, Emily awoke to a strange smell, like something cooking. Which wasn¡¯t right because nobody really lived with her except for Simba, and he couldn¡¯t rightly cook, could he? Then, at the thought of Simba, it all came flooding back to her. The Celestial Council, the trip to Ireland, the return to her house and meeting her mother who was suddenly and inexplicably cleansed of all the junk she had been putting into her body for the past couple of years. And she, would probably by the person doing the cooking. Also, there was the matter of school, but that was just by the by really. Her mother was back.


    And then there was a crash that had Emily out of bed and sprinting down the stairs, not really caring if she was naked ¨C which she wasn¡¯t, she was still wearing the under-dress from yesterday ¨C and arriving in the kitchen to see her father, in his general angry mode, looming over her mother.


    ¡°The fuck do you even think you are doing?! This is my house!¡± He shouted. The crash had come when he knocked Emily¡¯s mother to the ground, and she had knocked over the bin in the corner. Such details the mind picks up on in times like this. Feeling something take over her body, she snuck up behind her father while he was still distracted, picked up one of the pans from the oven, and with a resounding thunk, cracked it around the back of his head, half-cooked eggs flying across the kitchen as her father was quickly knocked out from the blow.


    ¡°Bloody good shot¡± Came Cancer¡¯s voice from behind her. Emily was still clutching the pan tightly and staring intently at her father¡¯s prone body. There was a raw, red patch on his head were the heated pan had made contact with his skull and burned the skin. But that was the least of his worries right now. ¡°Unfortunately, now we¡¯d best get out of here before he wakes up, or he will kill you. And that¡¯s not a maybe. Benefit of Telepathy means I can say for certain how people will react¡± She told Emily, looking to Anne, still on the floor with a red mark on her face. ¡°With your consent, I can help you get away from all of this. But I have to have you tell me you allow me, or I will get into trouble even I can¡¯t get out of¡± She told them, walking over to make sure Emily hadn¡¯t done any permanent damage to the man. As brutish of a creature as he was, murder was still murder. After a brief examination, Cancer saw he was still alive, and that was really all she cared about.


    ¡°H¡­how do we give this consent?¡± Anne asked, slowly getting up off the ground, while Emily gripped the pan in her hands without letting it go, as if waiting for her father to start moving so she could hit him again.


    ¡°It¡¯s a mental thing, really. You just have to tell yourself that you allow it, and I will fill out the rest of the work that needs doing¡± Cancer explained, turning off the cooker so nothing got set on fire. She waited for a few seconds, and then got a nod from Anne, before placing a hand on Emily¡¯s shoulder, and then ¨C with surprising reaction times ¨C stopped the incoming pan with her hand. Anne thought she saw a slight stutter in the movement, where Emily¡¯s pan swinging practically stopped for half a second while Cancer¡¯s hand came up, but she couldn¡¯t be sure of it. Must just have been the nerves.


    ¡°Ca..Cancer¡­. sorry. I, just¡­.¡± She never finished her sentence, never needed to, Cancer just nodded and then looked to Anne.


    ¡°Well, I say it is high time we get off this rock. Usually, I would look into a way to do this more subtly, but screw the rules. Where you are going, nobody is going to bother you, so let them know¡± she announced, before Cancer started to glow, her eyes turning a deep white, and a feeling of eminence billowing off her in waves. Whatever was causing it was totally unknown to Emily, and she didn¡¯t have any time to think about it, as there was a lurching feeling, like moving very fast and then suddenly stopping. The sudden stop had a mental feeling of hitting a brick wall, and both Anne and Emily winced as the feeling came, and then went just as suddenly. ¡°Welcome to your new home. City of Koutomenn, on the planet of Ampyras¡± It was clear she was very proud of both the city and the planet, but Anne could just stare dumbstruck. Emily had slightly better experience with Cancer¡¯s sudden tendency to surprise the crap out of everyone, so it was less of a shock to her.


    ¡°Neat trick¡­.¡± Emily quipped softly, to try and break the shock. It didn¡¯t work.

 Ampyras

    Chapter Nine: Ampyras


    The first thing Emily noticed, was that the entire structure of the building had changed. The walls were so different, the base architecture just looked to be on a grander scale, and the floor felt so much sturdier. But then the air started to choke her, causing her to cough and splutter. Alien world, Alien climate, it seemed.


    ¡°Ohh, right. Forgot about that. The air is infinitely cleaner than it is in your world. The most polluted place in this world does not compare to the least polluted place on your planet. Your lungs are not used to such purity. It won¡¯t kill you, I don¡¯t think, but it will be a bit uncomfortable for a few hours. Now seems like a perfect time for a lesson on Qi, don¡¯t you think?¡± Cancer asked. Emily¡¯s eyes were watering at this point from the coughing, but she managed a glare at Cancer none the less. ¡°Ohh, don¡¯t be like that, you will thank me for it in a moment. Now, Mum will take a long time to pick this up, but you, I am sure, will have it down in no time. Right now is even the best time, I don¡¯t need to generate a threat for you. You should feel something strange, like a ball of heat in your gut. It¡¯s only really evident if you focus on it, but when you do, you should notice that the ball of heat grows until you can feel it throughout your entire body¡± Cancer tutored.


    Not really in the mood for Cancer¡¯s tricks while she was having such difficulty breathing, Emily tried to focus on actually getting a solid breath, but when Cancer mentioned the heat ball in her gut, Emily just couldn¡¯t ignore it. Like telling someone not to look at a certain feature immediately draws their eyes to that feature. And as soon as her focus was upon it, the heat did as Cancer said it would and spread. In moments, it was if fire was her body. Then, the warmth faded to a soft tingle, and her lungs were suddenly fine.


    ¡°I¡­wow. Thought you said it would take a few hours¡± she muttered, slightly accusingly. Cancer just gave that broad smile she always gave, and Emily couldn¡¯t feel any negative emotion towards her while she smiled like that.


    ¡°For your mother, at least. For you, I merely pointed something out, and certain factors that would probably boggle your brain have come together to expedite the awakening of your internal spiritual energies, known collectively as Qi. What is currently at work is your benevolent energy, erroneously called the energy of the soul. They both come from your soul. Its name, is Chi, and it is an energy that allows for self-improvement and recovery¡± Cancer explained, taking her most beloved role as a tutor.


    ¡°Did I really need to know all the naming terminology for it?¡± Emily retorted, still a bit annoyed from the whole air incident.


    ¡°Actually, yes. Knowing what name to put to it allows you to utilize it more elegantly. If you don¡¯t know what it is then you just have lax, instinctive uses. A good use of Chi is the ability to use it to temporarily kick-start another person¡¯s Chi. You have to be careful with this however. If your Chi is considerably more potent than the Chi of the person you are currently helping, then you can cause them to die in a phenomena called Life Shock. Basically, their body can¡¯t handle the sudden rush of wellness, and dies because of it. A good display of morbid irony, don¡¯t you think? This is why I could not help you or your mother¡± Cancer was clearly relishing in being able to unload so much teaching onto Emily, but unfortunately the pleasure did not seem to be reciprocated. While Anne was struggling on the floor, only getting the bare minimum of breath to her lungs, and struggling uphill all the time, Emily pointed to her, rather angry.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have told me that sooner?¡± She barked, before storming over and taking her mother¡¯s hands in her own. Not wanting to rely on Cancer for anything at the moment, she focused on her own, trying to make this warm feeling she had spread to Anne.


    ¡°Your¡­homeopathy¡­energy¡­bullcrap¡­is¡­not¡­going¡­to¡­help¡­here¡± Anne gasped, a fight to get each word out. Emily ignored her skepticism and focused. Like, one gear turning to get another to start moving, she tried to flow her own warm feeling into her mother¡¯s hands. She gave all her focus to this task, and for a few minutes there was nothing but her mother¡¯s coughing. But then, Emily felt like her body had suddenly lost all its weight, and the coughing stopped. Anne¡¯s surprise was clear on her face, but it was replaced by worry as Emily passed out where she sat, and fell back into Cancer¡¯s waiting arms.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Probably should have mentioned. Chi is your life energy. You start dishing it out to everyone you meet, and don¡¯t expect to stay conscious. Maybe later when you are more skilled, but right now you are on all or nothing¡± Cancer cooed to the unconscious Emily.


    ¡°Can¡­I give her mine? My¡­. whatever it is?¡± Anne asked Cancer. The Celestial Construct looked up, and shook her head softly.


    ¡°At this point, someone is being unconscious. You, or her. And she has a better chance of recovering without any negative effects, so my suggestion is just leave it be really¡± Anne seemed conflicted, but reluctantly accepted Cancer¡¯s counsel and stood around awkwardly.


    ¡°If you wish, I can bring a friend to help you around the city. It¡¯s a lovely place when you get to know it¡± Cancer offered, but Anne shook her head.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll stay with my daughter. It¡¯s been a while since I was conscious enough to enjoy her presence, so I want to savor it now. Get as much time with her as I can, to make up for the time I lost¡± Anne put in, brushing Emily¡¯s hair softly. Cancer watched with a soft smile, before suddenly piping up with a strange comment.


    ¡°I should get a daughter¡± it was quite a shock to Anne, who thought Cancer was a mature woman, and therefore already had a relationship.


    ¡°I thought you were already a mother. You¡¯ve got an air of maturity to you that made me think you¡¯d already had children¡± Anne still cradled Emily, but her focus was now on Cancer.


    ¡°Ohh, no. My work kept me far too busy for that. Only recently retired, and I haven¡¯t really spent much time looking for a suitor. There are so few people that can court a girl these days, and one whiff of my nature and most run for the hills¡± Cancer explained. It didn¡¯t do much for Anne, however, and that was when Cancer realized she had not really spoken about herself to Anne, only Emily. Following the confused look on the woman¡¯s face, she decided to brush it off for now. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll explain later¡± she promised, before there was a knock at the door. ¡°Stay with Emily. I¡¯ll get it¡± She told Anne, who obliged.


    As it turned out, when Cancer opened the door, it was not just some random person investigating the sudden activity in a house long abandoned, but the Tgoh Utmeradna of Ampyras. Such a spectacular visitor.


    ¡°What do I owe this pleasure, High Wielder?¡± Cancer asked, her voice angelic and formal.


    ¡°Well, when someone appears in the Capital City of the center of the Empire, unannounced, it makes one wary. You nearly had a squad of Exodus on your door, Lady Cancer. Maybe send a message beforehand if you wish to drop by?¡± The High Wielder, Rebecca, suggested. Cancer gave a soft smile in return. The subtle power plays between two extraordinarily powerful users of Magic was always amusing to Cancer. And when one of those held such an esoteric position of power like young Rebecca here, there was only more layers added.


    ¡°Well, I hadn¡¯t the time to send a message. I needed to get my friends somewhere safe, and fast. My apologies for any disruption it might have caused¡± Cancer even gave a cute little curtsy to show her sincerity. Rebecca sighed softly and entered the house, following the two softly glowing flames to find a girl on the floor, and an older woman cradling her.


    ¡°And here I thought you were a monogamous girl. Hanging around San¡¯s place too much?¡± Rebecca asked in a teasing tone. The respectful, official part was done with, and now they were friends again. And friends tormented each other for their own amusement.


    ¡°Look closer, Bec. The girl on the floor is more than just a harlot for debased pleasures¡± Cancer replied. The soft smoldering rage that rolled from Rebecca was enough to cause Cancer to grin. She hated her name being abbreviated, which made it such an easy target. Suppressing her anger, she turned to look at Emily, her beautiful purple eyes turning silver for a few moments. And then she let out a short gasp in shock.


    ¡°Yesura. But, I thought-¡± Rebecca started, before being cut off by Cancer, who put a hand on the girl¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°We all thought. But it appears as though The Great Hand had other plans. And now she is back¡± Cancer stated, smiling with such a bright light. But it was not a light that was shared.


    ¡°What is to stop the exact same thing from happening again?! We went through hell when Yesura was corrupted the last time. We all loved her, none more than you, Cancer. You frigging retired from the Council itself after that war had finished. And yet you condone her continued survival? Are you that desperate for a few more moments with her before we have to put her down again?!¡± Rebecca asked, her tone loud and heated, and tears welling up in her eyes. Yesura was precious to everyone when she was alive. It was impossible to dislike her, and now that she had returned, there was more fear of her lost again rather than happiness that she had returned.


    ¡°I made sure to keep an eye on her since birth, in many differing guises¡± Cancer replied, but before she could get to much further, Anne came over, having propped Emily¡¯s head up on a pillow.


    ¡°What are you two talking about? It seemed to be quite heated so I thought I¡¯d come over¡± she stated, looking at the two with the blissful confidence of ignorance. If she knew a billionth of what the two women in front of her were capable of, she¡¯d dig a hole and hide there for the rest of her life.


    ¡°Stuff about the Universe. Are, you sure you want to enter this world, Anne? There is no return once you do¡± Cancer warned.


    ¡°It seems to be about my daughter. So yes, I will do anything for her¡± Anne replied. Cancer smiled at the conviction, and nodded.

 Yesura

    Chapter Ten: Yesura


    ¡°Then see your devotion, rewarded. I was just going to leave you here and let you get on with your life, but now, I am obligated to see that you can hold your own against the scum and villainy of the universe. Your daughter is the reincarnation of the first Herald of Gaia. She was taken from a dark path and shown the light. Filled with such zeal at the correction of her mistakes by the one she loved most, Yesura took to Gaia and her cause unlike any other had ever done so. Quarreled a lot with the most famous servant of Gaia, then known as The Beast. He later became known formally as The Great Hand of Gaia. Yesura¡¯s power grew with her passion, back in the days when the might of the mortals was budding, and very few knew what to do with the powers they were manifesting, in the Twilight of the Gods. She became an incredibly potent supporter of Gaia and the very things she stood for, converting entire worlds to Gaia¡¯s service and worship, and fighting on the frontlines of wars fought against those who would be her enemy. In the end, Yesura met with a terrible fate. An almighty Maledictum, a sort of curse for you and all who you reincarnate as, took hold of her, and everything she had fought so hard to achieve became an object of fixation, not to support, but to destroy. And so we had no choice but to stop her, permanently. She and The Great Hand clashed, and eventually Yesura was obliterated, taken from the very Universe, never to return. Or so we thought, it appeared the sentimental bastard had a softer heart than we ever gave him credit for. I do not find it a coincidence that I would meet a person who seemed very confident she can prevent the very same thing from happening to Yesura so soon after I discover her. I believe that The Great Hand kept Yesura¡¯s soul safe until such a time that he knew he could best what had taken hold of her. The only question now, is when is Emily¡¯s birthday?¡± Cancer finished. Anne stared, opened mouthed for a long time before eventually recovering and being able to think on exactly when her birthday was.


    ¡°Eighteenth of August¡± She replied, glad that she could still remember the date.


    ¡°So we have less than a month before she turns eighteen, and inherits not only her powers as Yesura, but also the Maledictum¡± Cancer muttered, looking to the still sleeping girl.


    ¡°Why her eighteenth? Why not her twenty first, or her sixteenth? What¡¯s special about that?¡± Anne asked, trying to gather some more information on this magic curse thing that was about to turn her daughter into Queen Bitch, by all accounts.


    ¡°Generally, mortals of your life span have their Mana finish development at eighteen. It differs for other races with longer lives, stronger affinities, and such, but for humans and races equal to your life span, it¡¯s eighteen. Eighteen years of development before you are best ready to utilize your magic¡± Cancer explained, before clapping a hand on Anne¡¯s shoulder. ¡°But before we do Magic, we should see to it that you can utilize your Qi to a good degree. It will smooth the transition from none magical being to magical being¡± Cancer told Anne, looking to Rebecca. ¡°Fortunately, you have two of the best teachers in the universe to help you on your way, and when Emily wakes up, we will give her the same offer, so you can train alongside each other. Emily will outstrip you very quickly, however, so don¡¯t feel bad if she masters in a day what will take you a month¡± Cancer finished, smiling at Anne, who nodded without any time to think or contemplate. ¡°I love that in you, Anne. So determined to protect your daughter. Wasn¡¯t an ounce of hesitation. The whole situation is mad beyond the imaginations of the craziest person in your home world, and yet you accepted without a second¡¯s contemplation at the fact that you are half way across the universe being offered training in some mystical. Because she¡¯s your daughter¡± Cancer¡¯s pride was nearly palatable, and the air around her certainly seemed brighter than usual.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    However, for all the airs Cancer was putting on, she lost Anne¡¯s attention in a second after a groan came from Emily, and she slowly sat up.


    ¡°You know, if I actually went out and had fun last night, I could forgive this feeling, but it¡¯s like I¡¯ve got a hangover without the mad drunken antics. I feel cheated¡± She muttered, before looking up at her mother and smiling. Seeing her there was amazing. It was, magnificent, even.


    ¡°You helped me a lot, if that is any consolation. I hope that is a good substitute for drunken antics¡± Anne replied.


    ¡°Hmm, well. Maybe if there was some eggs and beans involved¡± Emily prompted, teasingly. Anne looked up to Cancer for guidance, unsure what this world¡¯s ecosystem was even like, they could not have beans for all Anne knew.


    ¡°Kitchen is down the hall, to the right. And Ampyras hosts a thousand races, so I wouldn¡¯t worry that eggs and beans constitutes an exotic dish¡± Cancer put in. Seeing that Cancer and Rebecca wanted to talk to Emily, she nodded and got up, heading for the kitchen to go make breakfast for everyone. Well, she assumed the two other women would like something to eat.


    ¡°Yes, please. That would be nice¡± Cancer replied, as if reading Anne¡¯s mind. She looked back with a frown, and Cancer¡¯s grin grew. ¡°Yes, I did¡±. Anne¡¯s shock was clear, but then she looked to Rebecca, who shook her head.


    ¡°I have eaten this morning. Unlike our friend here, I actually have a routine in the mornings¡± Rebecca¡¯s words seemed like a taunt, and so Anne fled to the kitchen so she wasn¡¯t anywhere near being in the middle of this. Cancer and Rebecca glared at each other before Emily appeared, in between the two of them.


    ¡°Seriously, there is nothing between either of your legs, and yet there is more testosterone between you two in that one look than I have seen out of some guys in their entire lives. Can we not, just for a bit?¡± Emily asked. Cancer was the first to look away, and to Emily.


    ¡°Indeed we can. There is, after all, an important subject that we need to talk to you about¡± Cancer informed Emily, who seemed less than impressed.


    ¡°Yesura, super powers, becoming an evil bitch, convoluted Death Note-esque plans surrounding said powers and bitchiness, culminating on my birthday. Right?¡± Emily asked, cracking a sarcastic grin at Cancer¡¯s rather shocked visage. ¡°I could hear what you were saying, just, couldn¡¯t move¡± Emily explained, which allowed Cancer to recover somewhat.


    ¡°I don¡¯t actually know what a Death Note plan is, but yes that¡¯s the gist of it. Do you want training in your Qi as well? Unlike your mother you can master it much quicker, but training is still always good¡± Cancer offered. Emily was feeling, invigorated. Somewhat confident, possibly brought on by the fact that she was, or was going to be, Gaia¡¯s Herald, and the looming inevitability of this curse had driven her the opposite end of the spectrum. Generally, with such a Sword of Damocles hanging over a person¡¯s head, they would fret and worry and generally be bothered by it, but Emily found it something of a source of mad, almost self-destructive drive. Helped of course, by the idea that someone had a plan they really believed was going to work on how to stop it.


    ¡°Well, I brained my father with a pan, and got taken half way across the universe, so I guess I am not going to school today. Which leaves me some free hours of which I could do your training¡± Emily quipped, a hand on her hip and a blazing aura of confidence beaming from her.


    ¡°About the school part¡­¡± Cancer started, making Emily¡¯s eyes narrow in suspicion. That furry, little¡­.

 Master Taix

    Chapter Eleven: Master Taix


    As it turned out, Cancer did have plans for Emily¡¯s tutorage, but they would not be for several more weeks yet, while everything was sorted out. Dam cat nearly gave her a heart attack, saying it was back to school the very day they had sped half way across the universe. Emily always thought she should have been a Cheshire rather than the, the, whatever species she was. Instead Emily and Anne were both taken to a building made entirely out of wood, and once inside, three dozen identically dressed people were on a mat, moving in surprisingly coordinated synchronization. They all seemed to be following the movements of a man at the front. Nobody so much as twitched as they walked in, which was surprising to see. They were dedicated, and focused to what looked to be some sort of martial art. Rebecca had wandered off somewhere after Cancer took Emily and her mother to this training building place, and so the three stood on the edge until the routine was over. The man then walked past his students, and bowed to Cancer.


    ¡°It is good to see you here again, Lady Cancer¡± the man exclaimed. Cancer was obviously famous practically everywhere, for good or for ill.


    ¡°It is a pleasure to see you as well, Master Taix. I have a favor to ask, if you will indulge me¡­.¡± She started, which seemed to intrigue the man. Nodding his acceptance, Cancer continued. ¡°I would like you to train these two in the Qi arts. They are called Emily, and Anne. I would like a full tutorship, and I shall pick up the bills¡± she finished. Taix let out a scoff at the mention of bills, and waved her away.


    ¡°Pah, were it not for you I would probably be dead in a ditch, or starving in one at very least. I shall honour your request for nothing. It is a simple request, nothing that will bring ruin or despondency to my business¡± he replied. His eyes lit up with appreciation. Cancer¡¯s eyes went the same way, and then turned to leave.


    ¡°Wonderful. I have some things to be getting too. Big Universe, and all. Thank you for taking care of my girls¡± she said, before turning and leaving the two with the Master. He looked at Emily and Anne with sterner, steelier eyes.


    ¡°Well then, tell me what you know about Qi!¡± he ordered, a voice that could make an army out of pebbles for how powerful and commanding it was. However, Emily and Anne just looked at each other for a few moments, and then back to Taix.


    ¡°Umm¡­don¡¯t give your Chi to someone, it knocks you out¡± Emily offered, with a smile. However, it only caused Taix to groan softly.


    ¡°This is going to be a long day. Come on¡± he said, gesturing them both to follow him, as they were led into a small room, and handed a simple robe to put on. White, and fastened with a belt, with a cut off around the thighs, it was not something Emily would wear herself, and made her want to keep the rest of her clothes on, but she complied with the orders to wear it.


    ¡°The Vestimenta you are wearing are woven with specially empowered materials to allow your Qidong to open more fluidly. However, do not believe you can slack simply because of this. You Qi will still need great work on your part so that your body can be a suitable vessel for it¡± He lectured, strolling up and down the small room before noticing the look on their faces, and deflating. ¡°You have no idea what your Qidong are, do you?¡± he asked. Answered by almost simultaneous head shakes, Taix took a breath, and got back into lecture mode. ¡°Qidong are metaphysical gates that are between your Qi and your physical body. They exist to ensure that you cannot utilize your Qi without first training to control it, and work in measured doses. If your Qidong were forced open without this training, you would die of exhaustion within a short timeframe, depending on the physical state of your body. As it is the energy of your life, the more physically fit you are, the stronger your Qi becomes. But you must be careful to balance your physical might, and your spiritual awareness. A strong Qi is useless if you cannot use it in an effective manner¡± He finished, turning to Anne and Emily, and smiled. ¡°So, let us begin! First order of business is to show me your Chi Sheath. It is a simple technique that wraps your body in a thin layer of Chi, showing off your power, and providing a small degree of protection from heat, cold, and physical attacks. To activate this technique is as simple as envisioning the donning of a coat, while focusing on your internal Qi¡± He tutored, before stopping speaking, and gesturing to the two, so they could begin. It was not how Emily envisioned the practice. She thought there would be cool fireballs and explosions and incredible arts of the martial variety. But, this was fine as well. Walk before you can run, and all that. So she thought about putting on a coat, her arms moving softly to aid with the mental picture, and then there was something wrapping her skin, something perfect. Snug, but not tight, and warm without being hot, she could really get used to this kind of feeling. However, she thought that keeping it on constantly just because it was nice would exhaust her a bit too quickly, if she had heard everything right about this Qi stuff. It took Anne a good minute more than Emily to manage it, but they were both eventually sheathed in their Chi, and awaiting their teacher¡¯s inspection.¡°Good. You seem to be natural at this, Emily. Your sheath was quicker, and is considerably stronger than your friend. But do not let this go to your head. Practice and diligence can always beat raw talent¡± He counselled. ¡°She¡¯s actually, my mother. And, I¡¯m apparently special so I am cheating a little when it comes to having power and learning speed¡± Emily explained. Taix seemed impressed, and grinned.¡°I like you. You do not keep your advantage a secret for extra credit. When I am done with you two, you shall possess a sheath like mine¡± he told them, before he was encased in a semi-visible light. Emily¡¯s ability to see it varied based on each second, but there was no doubt that it was a very thick layer, like a suit of plate armour, or something equivalent. This Chi thing seemed to be very interesting. The light then vanished, and Taix continued his stroll. ¡°Don¡¯t rely on your Qi outside of here for the first week or so. Your Vestimenta are working to aid you in the initial usage of your powers, and without them it will be substantially more difficult to manifest them for significantly reduced results. If you are showing good progress in a week we will discard them for your regular garment, but that is next week, this is now. And now, we shall begin the physical! Maintain your sheath, and copy my movements¡± Taix stopped his strolling, and turned to them, snapping out a fist, while the other pulled back, as if the two were on a pulley. Then his back fist surged forward while his front fist rolled back. Repeating the action a few times to make sure they got it, he continued his stroll. ¡°This is the basic Kaitsu. We shall begin with a thousand Kaitsu¡± He told the two, like it was something that would be easy to pull off. Emily looked at Anne for a second, but Taix was not a man who looked as if he was brooking any argument, so they began. Cancer returned, several hours later, and entered the private room to find two women, gasping heavily, covered in sweat, and Taix looming over them.¡°They are like children. Is there no culture of remaining at one¡¯s peak were they come from?¡± He asked, still pacing. He had not stopped since Emily and Anne had begun the Kaitsu, and must have covered over a mile just from walking back and forth.¡°Well, they do but it¡¯s sort of optional, so there aren¡¯t that many people that do it, unfortunately¡± Cancer replied, walking up to Emily and crouching down next to her. ¡°Can you walk, or do you need to be picked up?¡± She asked. Emily gave a sour look and forced herself to her feet. Unsteady as she was, Cancer was not going to bruise her pride. And Anne seemed to have the same tenacity, if nothing else. Both were stood on sheer willpower, which was always good to see. ¡°My estimate of a week was off. They will need to be more fit than this before progressing behind basic sheath training¡± He muttered, before turning to Anne and Emily, and giving them a short but sincere bow. ¡°Thank you for being adherent students. I shall see you again when next you wish to meet¡± he exclaimed. It was a lovely sentiment, and Emily wanted to return it, but was not confident she would remain on her feet if she did anything other than stand. ¡°You are welcome, Master Taix. You were a very proficient teacher. I¡¯ll be back, when I get some feeling in my arms again¡± Emily replied, giggling to herself softly at the last part. Anne also gave her thanks, a lot more breathlessly than Emily had. Taix then headed for the door, to open it for the three ladies.¡°Well then, if you will excuse me, I have some paperwork. The boring side of running a business. Bah, I should really hire someone to do it for me¡­¡± he grumbled softly, muttering incoherently as Cancer ushered Emily and Anne out of the door, gave Taix a nod of appreciation, and then exited the building. Carting Emily and Anne back home, she sat them down on a comfortable couch, and set about making them something to eat. By the time it was ready, Emily seemed to have recovered some, and Anne, was¡­asleep. ¡°She just, conked out. I think this is more than she has done in years¡± Emily told Cancer. The third bowl of thick broth and bread vanished, and so Emily and Cancer had a nice quiet meal together before Emily took the bowls and cutlery into the kitchen ¨C on her insistence ¨C and then went upstairs to explore for a shower. She found it eventually, but it was while she was taking off her clothes that the entire situation hit her. It all felt so normal, like every other day, but this was actually on an entirely different planet learning to use some sort of tangible energy of the soul. Her life had become very strange of late. Last week the worst of it was a talking cat, and the biggest trouble was a girl who distinctly refused to acknowledge her tendencies towards homosexuality and hid behind torment and bullying as a shield. At least, that is how Emily saw Cat¡¯s actions. She was certainly a more complex girl than Emily thought in the first instance. An evil grin spread across Emily¡¯s face as she finished stripping off and getting into the high-tech looking shower. She wondered how a fight would go down between her and Cat after this week was up. Her Chi powers would probably give her the edge even if she wasn¡¯t receiving martial training as well. She was cut off, mentally, when she was suddenly sprayed with water from the shower nozzle. She hadn¡¯t even looked for nobs yet, so was totally not expecting it to start itself up. But, the water was nice, as was to be expected since it was probably magic or some buggeration like that. Cancer seemed to have a lot of magic stuff, so a magic shower would not be surprising.  It was a nice shower, but a tiring shower, although that might have been the fact that the special outfit was not doing it¡¯s do on her QIwhatsits anymore. So she barely got herself dried before shuffling out of the bathroom, into the nearest room, and collapsing on the best. It was a nice bed. A soft, warm bed. A bed to sleep forever on. And at that moment, sleeping forever was exactly what Emily intended.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

 A New Day

    Emily slept through the night, and part of the day, before eventually stirring from the bed and feeling¡­not terrible, actually. She had expected to feel as if she was entirely drained, but while she was feeling tired and pretty groggy, it wasn¡¯t the lead arms feeling she was expecting.


    ¡°Sleep well?¡± Cancer asked. Emily looked at her and nodded, and then her brain actually kicked into gear and she let out a shriek.


    ¡°Wh..why are you here? And naked to boot!¡± she exclaimed, scrabbling backwards and nearly falling off the edge of the bed in her haste to escape.


    ¡°Well, this is my bed. You invaded last night, not that I minded at all, it was nice to have someone to snuggle up to¡± she told Emily, in that sultry tone that never failed to make Emily blush.


    ¡°O¡­oh. Sorry. I didn¡¯t really notice who¡¯s bed this was, just¡­tired last night¡± she muttered, awkwardly stroking a finger through her hair and trying to brush this whole situation off. Not that it was going so well. Cancer had a beautiful figure. One that was so hard to not look. Cancer let Emily stare for a good while before sliding off the bed and walking around to Emily¡¯s side, somehow getting dressed into a white shirt and black skirt in the second Emily lost sight of her.


    ¡°Well, then I guess it is time for breakfast, no? I could cook, or we could go to this lovely place that actually cooks better than I do, if I am honest¡± she admitted, smiling softly at Emily. An astute person would be able to notice the smile had something more than just friendship, but right now Emily was as astute as a rock, half buried in a swamp.


    ¡°If you think they can cook better than you, then let¡¯s go there¡± Emily replied, getting off the bed herself and stretching, before looking around for clothes. This was Cancer¡¯s room, but there had to be something to wear.


    ¡°I picked out this lovely dress for you. Same style as your other one, but with a purple colouring to it. Vibrant, and outstanding, so you can make a good impression¡± Cancer told Emily, gesturing to a stand which had the dress on it. Emily couldn¡¯t deny it was an incredibly beautiful dress, but there was something in the back of her mind, that needed out.


    ¡°Did you get a dress for mum as well?¡± Emily asked, and from Cancer¡¯s reaction, the question was a negative one.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have her size, so I can¡¯t really get her anything yet¡± Cancer muttered, knowing where this was going. Emily had a lot of repressed love for her mother, and now that Anne was able to actually think for a second, it was all coming to the front again.


    ¡°Well, then I don¡¯t want to upstage her by wearing such finery and having her without anything proper¡± Emily took her eyes off the dress and laid them on Cancer, who nodded, resigned to the fate of not getting Emily in a dress today.


    ¡°Fine. Go do your hygiene, I shall find something lesser for you to wear¡± Cancer seemed dejected, so Emily planted a kiss on her cheek before heading to the bathroom.


    ¡°Thanks Cancer¡± She said, before heading off.


    Watching her go, Cancer sighed internally, the feeling of trepidation in her stomach again. Yesura¡¯s death was crippling last time, and she wasn¡¯t confident that she could do it again. Whatever was planned by the Jane from the future, she really hoped it was something that was going to really work. But that was worry for later, for now Cancer set about getting Emily something that would make her look stunning, and yet not look terrible, something that her mother could wear as well. Cancer settled on a knee-length skirt, and a nice blouse to go with it. Nothing crazy, but also not something that made her look like some trashy teen. Now Cancer was around, Emily would develop a sense of fashion, wither she wanted to or not. The shrieking that was her singing came from the bathroom, and Cancer just smiled to herself, replicating Emily¡¯s outfit, changing a bit of the pattern and the colour so it wasn¡¯t identical, and then went to go wake up Anne. Who, as it turned out, was still crashed on the couch in her Vestimenta.


    ¡°Rise¡± Cancer commanded, and Anne¡¯s eyes snapped open, although they were still pretty dull with fatigue.


    ¡°Uhh, gods. Where am I?¡± Anne groaned, rubbing her eyes and sitting up properly.


    ¡°On the couch. You fell asleep very quickly last night. You should get clean¡± Cancer suggested, Anne nodded and slowly rose from the couch, receiving directions from Cancer about where to go for a shower, and leaving the woman alone on the ground floor. However, a sharp pain in the back of her head alerted her to a sudden and immediate need for her presence, so she quickly sent a message to Rebecca to find someone to help the two to the restaurant, and then vanished. When Emily came down a minute later, there was no sign of her, which was a little worrying.


    ¡°Cancer?¡± She asked, stroking down the skirt a little as she walked. It was not something she wore often, outside of school. There was no answer, but a knock at the door a few seconds later did alert Emily, so she went to go answer it, and saw a very large man.


    ¡°Morning. I¡¯m Malik. Lady Cancer has had something urgent come up, and so had to go. I¡¯m your guide for today¡± His voice was smooth, and friendly, not something she would expect from a guy that looked closer to seven foot than six, and was rippled with muscles the size of melons.


    ¡°Wow¡± Emily replied, staring at the guy¡¯s chest. How he managed to find clothes that fit him was a miracle. Maybe he got it made custom. ¡°So, do you like, spend twenty-six hours a day in the gym, or something?¡± She asked, her mouth working before her brain. It didn¡¯t offend him, instead made him laugh, a deep and powerful sound of mirth.


    ¡°No, no. I am one of the Old Guard. It is an inherent thing we were born with, much to our mother¡¯s dismay. My mother loves telling me how difficult I was to ¡®squeeze out¡¯ as she puts it¡± He explained. Emily prodded his chest, and it was solid, like a stone wall. Emily suddenly felt very small, and meekly nodded.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Mum¡¯s in the shower. She¡¯ll be down eventually. Do you want to come in?¡± She asked, out of politeness.


    ¡°Cancer would not appreciate deforming the doorframe to fit in, so no. I shall stay outside¡± He replied. Emily noticed that he was wider, and taller than the doorframe, and was actually crouched a little so Emily could see his face. Stood straight he would clear seven foot. Emily just stared at the colossus that was Malik until she heard footsteps on the stairs, and looked behind her. Anne had found the clothes, and done her hair, and for the first time in years, she looked beautiful.


    ¡°Ahh, you must be Anne. Cancer had some business to take care of suddenly, so I am here to help you. My name is Malik¡± He introduced himself again. And smiled at the gawking. Anne¡¯s reaction was different to Emily¡¯s however, as she nudged her daughter softly and nodded to Malik.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you should eat your greens¡± she teased, giggling softly. Malik grinned a bit himself, but shook his head.


    ¡°I have a surprisingly bad diet. Mirja hates it, says I should eat properly, but I¡¯m retired. I¡¯ll eat what I want¡± He put in, before stepping back from the doorway to allow the two to exit. Which they did, if only to admire his full form, unobstructed by the doorframe. He was truly magnificent.


    ¡°Well, we shall we off. Lovely little place, and friendly for my size as well. Actually has doors I can fit through¡± Malik laughed, heading off down the road with a surprisingly soft step for someone that size. Emily and Anne followed him, enthralled by the idea that someone could be this size. Malik took measured steps so that the two didn¡¯t have to run to keep up, and it was nice. Usually a five-minute stroll could sit him on the edge of the city, so having someone with him to temper his steps made the walk more enjoyable.


    Their walk landed them in front of a large restaurant eventually, and Malik opened the large doors for Emily and Anne to enter, before walking in himself, and sitting down to order. He picked a special table that had a chair as if it was designed for him, or someone of his immensity. And it seemed he was well known, as a waitress came over and gave him a rather large smile.


    ¡°Hello Colonel. What can I get for you today?¡± She asked. Emily and Anne both looked to him as his title was revealed, but he did not seem to enjoy it very much. His visage turned grumpy, which was not something that looked possible, what with that smile all but chiselled into his face.


    ¡°I keep telling you to not use that. Tsk, he gave it me just to annoy me, I swear¡­¡± Malik groaned, before opening a menu and burying his face in it.


    ¡°So, I think you are the first person I have ever seen that is actually against showing off their rather considerable rank. Story behind that?¡± Emily asked, ordering a plate that promised a plethora of meat, and then turning her eyes back to Malik.


    ¡°Yes, a very long story¡± He replied, trying to put her off.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere¡± Emily did not seem to be dissuaded from the idea at all, so while the waitress took Anne¡¯s order, and then was waved off with a ¡®whatever¡¯ from Malik, the very big man sighed and put the menu down.


    ¡°The long and short of it is, that I was promoted very highly after the unit I was in did some stuff. And then I retired¡± he tried, but that didn¡¯t seem to satisfy Emily.


    ¡°And you got really famous of it from your dashing exploits so that everyone knows you?¡± Emily asked, her eyes glittering with a subtle joy that Malik couldn¡¯t resist. He laughed softly, and shrugged.


    ¡°It was a very well-covered event, and so yes. Everyone who participated in it got a place in the history books. And while the exploits were indeed dashing, the reason why those exploits had to be undertaken in the first place is for a very negative reason. Which is why I don¡¯t like talking about it, and equally don¡¯t like people bringing it up with my rank¡± He sat back on the chair, and eyed Emily with something that could be considered, suspicion. Or at least interest. Emily found herself squirming under the gaze, and when the food came, she was glad for a distraction. And also glad that it made good on its promise, and had a lot of meat packed onto a large plate. So she tucked in, letting out mewls of delight at the new flavours, until something occurred to her, with a mouthful.


    It was awkward, her sudden exclamation, and then the hasty chewing and swallowing when eyes turned to her expectantly. But she managed to get through it without combusting or collapsing in on herself, and so looked to Mailk.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have any money on us¡± She told him, which only elected a deep laugh from the giant man.


    ¡°I know. You are new here, I didn¡¯t expect you to have any currency worth a dam. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s on me. I have a very tidy nest egg after my retirement. A meal for three would not make a dent if it was held in the Palace itself. Worry not about that, and simply carry on with your deep enjoyment of the meal. It is amusing to watch¡± Malik exclaimed. Emily¡¯s cheeks burst into a deep red blush as her noises were brought up, and she obeyed, trying to keep the noises to a minimum until the meal was finished. Still incredibly embarrassed, she did not say anything while Malik paid for the meal and then escorted them back home. On the way home, there seemed to be a group of men blocking access to a street, and they were comparable to Malik in size. Although that was probably because of the white armour they were wearing, more than any bodily bulk. One of them looked in their direction and then raised a massive arm and waved.


    ¡°Malik!¡± The man shouted, causing Malik to look over and ¨C seeing some sort of marking or identification that Emily missed on what looked to be identical suits of armour ¨C waved back.


    ¡°Nahal! What¡¯s going on here?¡± he asked, equally loud as he moved in for a manly hug. Only Malik could hug a man currently wearing that kind of armour.


    ¡°If I am honest, I¡¯ve no idea. Got called in for support, but have yet to be filled in on why. That¡¯s being new for you, I guess¡± Nahal¡¯s large shoulder pads shifted as if his armour was shrugging for him, and then a much smaller woman arrived, a few inches taller than Emily, but seemingly comfortable around these giants.


    ¡°Hey Malik. You just passing through, or did you come down to help out?¡± She asked, giving Emily and Anne a once over.


    ¡°Just passing through, Hagine. Cancer asked me to take these two out for breakfast while she went to deal with something. Probably related to the Boss. He¡¯s the only one that can make her move like that¡± He told Hagine, glancing over the three other men that were present.


    ¡°Well, this is a pretty simple situation. Some guys thought to try sneak in some heavy ordinance, and got collared by our security. Tried to tell us they are licensed Bounty Hunters, but they apparently didn¡¯t read the rules. So now we got a group of guys who are going to lose quite the pretty penny before getting the boot¡± She explained. ¡°No surprise that Lady Cancer is around, and then we get these vultures. Sometimes keeping this place safe is a nightmare¡± She muttered, flashing Malik a broad smile before turning back to the scene. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t keep you. And if you ever tire of retirement, you know where to find me¡± She said, giving him a wave and then returning behind the large armoured men.


    ¡°Popular one, aren¡¯t you?¡± Emily asked, after they started walking again.


    ¡°As I said. I am pretty dam famous. So yes, a lot of people know me¡± he replied, and Emily heard in that tone that he was still not going to give her any story about why, so she just let him lead her back home.


    ¡°Well, thanks for the breakfast, it was nice¡± Emily told him, before blushing softly at the evil smirk that crept onto Malik¡¯s face.


    ¡°You are welcome. Any time, you want to go out, I¡¯ll be happy to escort you¡± He said, before turning and leaving Anne and Emily in the doorwell. They were not alone long, however.


    ¡°So, enjoy your trip out?¡± Cancer asked, making both Emily and Anne jump at the same time, and electing a giggle from Cancer.


    ¡°Bloody cat ninja. Should get you a bell¡± Emily muttered. Cancer¡¯s eyes flashed softly, and she gave a sultry grin.


    ¡°Sounds like fun. But you¡¯ve got lessons in an hour. So best go get changed¡±

 Meeting Her

    The lesson went just as the one before it did. Exhausting, gruelling physical and spiritual exercise, followed by being led home by Cancer and crashing shortly after. Emily made sure it wasn¡¯t in Cancer¡¯s bed that time, ensuring she had her own room so that the Cat-Crab could not do the naughty when Emily wasn¡¯t looking. As the days blended into each other, a flurry of training, exploring, and very slow improvement, it turned out that the naughty was not Cancer¡¯s plan. She seemed decidedly chaste around Emily, despite her earlier teasing. Maybe Cancer wanted to give her some room to adapt to her new surroundings before flirting some more.


    A week into her stay on this new planet, Cancer appeared in her room as Emily was putting on the same outfit for the third time in a row.


    ¡°This will not do. I must take you out, and get you something proper. Come on¡± Cancer ordered, in that voice that Emily just could not muster the willpower to disobey. Hastily saying goodbye to Anne and making sure that Malik was going to be around to keep her company so she wasn¡¯t on her own, she let Cancer take her to a massive open-topped building. Once inside, she saw a large collection of aircrafts, which made her think it was some sort of airport. But, she knew better than to assume, so looked to Cancer, who answered before she even asked.


    ¡°Shuttles. They take passengers to the docking stations that are in orbit around the planet. Some places like to have ground-based ports, but this place has very large ships, and the practicality of having them on the ground would demand giving over entire continents to them. Instead, they made use of the infinitely larger space up there. No landmass restrictions up there, and zero-gravity constructs don¡¯t need as much reinforcements to bare their own weight, allowing for structures that dwarf anything you have ever seen¡± She put an awe-inspiring spin to it, and Emily was looking to the stars with anticipation, as if to see these massive constructs. There were, surprisingly out of view, however. So she just let herself get taken to one of the shuttles, and strapped in. She didn¡¯t know what she was expecting, a jarring start or the strong g-forces of escape velocity, but there was none of that, she just sat in her seat, until a voice filled the passenger bay.


    ¡°We have arrived at Port Kek. Please note, if this is your first time outside the atmosphere, do not wander off. Some of the Port is depressurized and without the required suits, you will leave a mess for others to clean up¡± He seemed slightly amused at the last statement, but it was clear he was speaking from experience. Emily wondered how many people had wandered off and left messes, but she was determined not to become one of them, and clung to Cancer as she expertly navigated her way to a hanger. The ship was not a large thing, but it looked ornate, well-made. Sleek, and beautiful. It suited Cancer, really. And then she was greeted by a man, who then looked to Emily and held out a hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m Captain. I¡¯m the Captain of the Crab¡¯s Claws¡± He said, which made Emily giggle softly. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was the best case of name matching the job that she had ever seen, or if he had just changed his name because he wanted to fit it to his job. Either way, it worked.


    ¡°You are really rocking the crab motif, aren¡¯t you?¡± Emily asked, giggling softly to herself as she followed the captain and Cancer onto the ship. Once aboard, Cancer took her to a nice looking room, and then pulled out a tray from apparently nowhere and putting it next to a bed that was a little too posh for Emily to feel comfortable sitting on.


    ¡°So, how¡¯s your Qi training going?¡± Cancer asked, sensing Emily¡¯s awkwardness at being in a room alone with Cancer.


    ¡°Terribly. He won¡¯t teach us anything other than the Chi Sheathe because we have terrible physical fitness. I can¡¯t argue, I¡¯m not really a fit girl. This last week has been hell on my everything. I¡¯m surprised I am not a mess like my mum is¡± Emily replied, sitting down on the bed next to Cancer, deciding that it was fine, as long as the girl didn¡¯t try anything.


    ¡°Well, you have powerful Chi. It will help with your recovery, so you won¡¯t be as badly fatigued as Anne is¡± She brushed Emily¡¯s hair softly, and then smiled warmly at her. ¡°But you should really get some sleep anyway, it¡¯s a long trip¡± Cancer told Emily. She wanted to stay awake to ask why Cancer couldn¡¯t just teleport there, but she couldn¡¯t disobey the suggestion for sleep, and so conked out on the bed.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Her sleep was dreamless, and so when she was woken by Cancer, it felt like no time had passed at all.


    ¡°So, something unexpected has come up. Shopping will have to wait¡± Cancer told Emily, getting her out of bed and almost dragging her out of the ship, then quickly out of the hanger it was stationed in. And there, leaning against the wall, was a green-bound deva that Emily immediately recognized, regardless of how much she had changed.


    ¡°Jane!¡± Emily exclaimed, throwing herself into a hug and squeezing tight. She didn¡¯t know where the girl had been, and right now, she was just happy to be with her friend again. It was surprisingly nice, almost as if Jane¡¯s presence was a secret craving she couldn¡¯t put her finger on until she had lost it, and then gained it again. It was probably buggerations to do with the Yesura stuff, but right now Emily didn¡¯t care, she just hugged Jane tight, and smiled to herself. Peace at last. An irritation that, like the craving, she had not known about until she had been relieved of it. Questions about where she had been, and all that would have to wait. Right now was time for snuggles. But then Jane spoke, in such a cold and dark voice that Emily shivered. What could have caused her to fall this far, after being so bright, for so long?


    ¡°I¡­...It is good to see you, Emily¡± She said. It seemed, she had paused for a few seconds after the first letter, as if thinking about something before speaking, and refusing the first sentence she had thought of. And even now, Jane stroked Emily¡¯s hair and whispered ¡®mine¡¯ softly. Cancer looked on, confused and interested in the same measure, as if expecting something that didn¡¯t come about. And then held her head as if something painful just stabbed her in the head. Something that Jane also copied, with an exclamation of pain.


    ¡°J-Jane?! What¡¯s wrong?¡± Emily¡¯s panicked, shrill voice looked over her as she cried out in pain, but the woman recovered quickly enough and looked at her. It was like someone had lit a fire in a blizzard, the woman was still cold beyond measure but had reason to try and be more.


    ¡°No need to worry, my little one. You and the Crab are here for a reason, yes?¡± Jane asked, looking behind her to Cancer.


    ¡°I¡­how did you¡­?¡± Emily looked between the two, wishing she knew what kind of conversation was being shared as the two intensely stared at each other. Then, somewhat half-way between the two, the air cracked, and the intensity vanished in a moment.


    ¡°Just shopping, Daughter¡± Cancer replied. Jane stepped around Emily and was right in Cancer¡¯s face before Emily could blink. How, did she move that fast?


    ¡°I have heard nothing, about me, from anyone. And now you so casually throw about something? Explain¡± Jane demanded. Wind spinning up around her and crackling with power. Not that it intimidated Cancer at all.


    ¡°We are shopping, Jane. Conversation flows naturally, but can not be forced on such a topic¡± Cancer stood tall, staring down Jane in a show of confidence that Emily couldn¡¯t comprehend, let alone replicate.


    ¡°Tell me!¡± Jane shouted, a throbbing crack of power raging from her and ripping words from lips. Only, not the words she wanted.


    ¡°I love her!¡± Emily exclaimed, suddenly and unbidden. Whereas Cancer, was not moved an inch.


    ¡°You are a strong child, Jane, but still a child. Do not push me on this. The abuse of your power will only hurt those around you, and will not give you what you want¡± Cancer then looked to Emily, who¡¯s hands were over her mouth and her cheeks deep red. Not, that that was the most pressing matter. While Jane was naturally predisposed to care about Emily, she was also naturally predisposed to dislike Cancer. Mostly because of Emily, as well.


    Jane¡¯s fist clenched and electrical energy crackled, zapping out from her hand as her temper grew. But Cancer stood undeterred.


    ¡°You are strong but have no control, nor experience. Whereas I am Cancer, First of the Seat of Cancer, Overseer of all Magical Activity in the Universe. Forged by Gaia¡¯s hand from the great stellar Aldrazi, to fight The Beast. This is not a fight you can win. This is not even a fight you can survive. And I have no qualms removing you so we may do better next time¡± Cancer seemed to grow, beyond size, behind what the mind could understand, and crush Jane beneath the metaphysical weight. It was a terrifying thing, that Emily was wholly protected from, and merely saw a stern glare. ¡°Shopping. Conversation. Civility¡± Cancer all but ordered. And with no recourse left available, they just followed. The tension was palatable, and Emily had no idea what the hell had just happened, except that Jane and Cancer had done something and Jane had lost.


    ¡°What¡­There are so many whats to ask¡­The, the, Ald, thing. What¡¯s that?¡± Emily asked, deciding to ask the least bad thing first, and hopefully break the tension.


    ¡°Ancient constellation of stars. 88 stars aligned in a manner perfect for Sidereal Magic. Gaia funnelled power through all of them and then crafted that power into thirteen beings. Beings you know as the Zodiac. The only survivors in this modern age are myself, Taurus, and Leo. Although I have since retired¡± Cancer told Emily. It was a strained voice, as if trying to withstand Jane¡¯s company, so Emily was quiet for the remainder of the journey, so as not to provoke her further.