Potentialfate

"It has been a long time since I've gathered the angels," Izanami admitted, staring at the tall building with trepidation. "They might not listen to me or even assemble. What happens if they don't? They're my only idea for solving any of this. The Ocean whispers to them still, even if they don't always listen. They have always served Life, but I don't see why they wouldn't listen to me, especially since Lukas seems to barge into the private details of my realm pretty frequently."

"I've listened to Destiny drone on about the angels at family dinners for the past decade now," Anakin replied. "Her and James know everything there is to know about the afterlife and all the creatures that make it function. You can call to the angels as Death, and if for some absurd reason you can't, we'll get Destiny to call her father. He usually comes to her when she calls, or so I've spent last Winterfest dinner hearing about. I just hope that they can answer your questions. Reese thinks that they're holding something back from us. He's been helping Fiona from time to time in Lukas' place, and she's been really frustrated."

"I didn't know that he was helping," Izanami said. "It's a bit unusual for a retired reaper to assist Life's realm. Then again, there isn't really anything conventional about your husband."

"You can say that again," Anakin sighed. "He hasn't been this excited about something resembling work since Lukas awakened in their third form. It's strange watching him order around people who don't answer to him, but it's making him happy. He'd do anything for Lukas; they're the only sibling who gets Reese. No offense intended, but he's probably the only one who gets Lukas too, aside from you. They're both like their father."

Izanami wrapped one of his wings around Anakin, laughing at Anakin's words. It was a gesture he often did with Lukas and the children, but Anakin was family too, and the only one Izanami trusted to help him with this task.

"No offense taken," Izanami assured his brother in law. "It's good that they have each other, and because of their friendship, I also have a friend in you. I appreciate you coming with me to do this. I don't think that I could have done this on my own. Gee keeps hovering around me, afraid to let me do anything, but I'm Death. I have responsibilities despite Lukas' worries. I need to know what the Ocean is up to before it's too late. For all I know, Lukas may be in trouble, waiting for me to rescue them."

"I agree. The sooner we investigate this, the sooner Lukas will return, and Reese can stop barking orders at the afterlife with Fiona."

"I hope so. Let's just hope the angels have been paying attention to the Ocean's whispers."

Anakin held the door open for Izanami to fit through. His wings were magnificent, but difficult to get through a doorway.

"Is this where we're supposed to meet?" Anakin asked. He looked around at the empty hallway, expecting to find someone waiting for them. If not an angel, then at least a helpful reaper or something. Anything was preferable to an empty room.

"They didn't come," Izanami seethed, searching the empty hallway with his eyes. "I ordered them to be here! They can't refuse an order from me! This is my realm!"

Izanami paused, inhaling deeply to calm himself. He exhaled, imagining that Lukas was there beside him to lend their strength. If the angels didn't want to listen to him, that was their mistake. He had been asking for their help before. Now, he wasn't asking.

"I came to talk to Despina," Theo lied. He certainly wasn't going to admit to wanting to see Adam, especially after their blowup in Chinh's yard. Jesse was fun to hang out with, and a good kisser, but the more distant Adam was, the more Theo remembered how sweet and thoughtful he was. Adam had made him a cake for his birthday just so it would be special. Adam was always thoughtful like that. Theo would often stare at the crystal ring on his finger, and imagine all the effort Adam had put into making it, just to see Theo smile. When Adam wasn't suffocating him with his jealousy, he was kind of perfect, not that Theo wanted to admit that to Adam. Maybe he would apologize and Adam would apologize and then things would be good again, without having to tell Adam how much he'd missed him.

"You came to talk to Despina?" Adam asked skeptically. "About what? She doesn't know anything about vampires, and I'm pretty sure that she hasn't slept with Jasper, so she doesn't know anything about either of your hobbies. You should probably ask someone else."

"Despina and I have a lot in common, thank you. If you must know, I wanted to talk to her about the work Jesse and I have done. We have a prototype of a spell that will wake those with the plague up, and we wanted to see if she thought that it could be captured in an amulet, like the amulets that protected us here. Maybe like forcing it into a crystal or something?"

Adam stared at Theo with disbelief. Over the years, Theo had only seemed to get worse at lying. He didn't seem invested in this amulet idea, or at least he wasn't as intense about it as he was with other projects. If Adam had to guess, the whole thing was a ruse.

"You came here to ask Despina about crystal magic? Despina knows tons about crystal magic, so that makes sense. Are you trying to ask me to help you and your vampire with an amulet or is this just an excuse to see me without apologizing? Which is it?"

"I don't have to apologize for sleeping with other people when we're casual," Theo said. "You said that you were fine with that, and Jesse and I really have gotten a lot accomplished by enhancing my blood magic. If you don't want to help me, then I'm sure Despina will.'

"Because you came here to ask for my help, right? I thought you only wanted to talk to Despina?"

"Well-I...if you wanted...maybe you'd have more expertise-"

"Theo, I know that you don't want to talk to Despina. I know that you don't care about amulets either. Just tell me why you're really here, so we can get it over with. Did you need condoms or something for your vampire orgy, because it's not like there are a ton of those here and I can't help you with that."

Theo scoffed. This was why he'd been afraid of getting in a confrontation with Adam. No matter what he did, Adam always knew what to say to catch him off guard.

"Why would I need condoms when Jesse is a vampire from a realm where guys can't get pregnant?"

Despina could hear the shouting from upstairs and rushed to the window to see if she needed to come help save her cousin from Xexys. To her relief, Xexys was nowhere to be found. It was only Adam and Theo screaming at each other in the front yard for all of Jubilant Accosts to hear.

She groaned as she caught some of the words they were yelling. Despina didn't have time for this nonsense, and neither did Jubilant Accosts or Pleasantview.

"Theo, you are the stupidest, most willfully ignorant person I have ever met," Adam stated. He tried to control his breathing to calm himself, but nothing could touch the anger boiling inside of him. "You don't listen to anyone, even if they have centuries of experience guiding them. You take your powers for granted, and you barely study unless there's either a test or a chance to jump into a vampire's bed. You're constantly being saved by people smarter than you or dumb luck or the pity of a deity. You don't take anything seriously, even when the stakes are high. You take your family for granted, even though all they've done is love and protect you. I would give anything to have my parents love me like that or to escape the stigma of my uncle's actions, but you can't even understand those feelings because they're not about you!"

"Adam?" Theo blinked back tears, staring at the white hot rage burning in Adam's eyes. This wasn't like their usual arguments where they shouted a few nasty words and then moved on. No, Theo had never seen his ex quite like this before. "Adam, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Yes, you did," Adam replied coldly. "You always mean it when you have the chance to twist the knife a little deeper. You love being petty and you love making me feel bad about the smallest possible thing I've done. You always have to be right, especially if it means that I'm wrong. I kissed one person while recovering from the damage you did to me, and I'm just supposed to repent for that for the rest of my life?"

Theo winced at the hurt in Adam's voice. He must have been holding this all inside for a while.

"I nearly killed you; it's for the best that I-"

"You can't hurt me, Theo," Adam laughed. Theo had never heard Adam make a sound like that in all the years they'd known each other. "It took me a long time to realize, but you can't hurt me. Your powers are stable, and you're lazy enough just to coast through life. Theo, I share your power. I don't have access to all of it, but grounding your power gives me more than enough to hurt you, especially when I've been practicing. I love magic and magical theory. My dad runs the best coven in the world. While you run around chasing boys, I actually study magic. Despina studies magic too. Us Darktides live for magic and I know yours far better than you do. You won't ever hurt me again, even if you wanted to."

Theo felt a knot tighten in his stomach. Lukas had warned him about Adam using their shared power against him, and like the idiot Adam said he was, Theo had never really thought of that. He was used to being Theo, blood demon hybrid with power deities and demons went mad for. He'd almost killed Adam, and then he'd underestimated what Adam could do. His guilt had blinded him to the fact that he'd caught Adam unprepared when the accident happened, and his magic had still been unstable. Adam was always the victim to be pitied in Theo's story, but that didn't seem to be accurate anymore. This version of Adam facing him wasn't a victim at all.

"Adam, what are you doing?" Theo asked, watching his ex's face carefully. He wasn't quite sure how to read Adam's expression. "I believe you. I'm sorry! I'm a jerk and I'm stupid, okay? Tell me what you want me to say! I'll study more! Is that what you want?"

"You don't mean it," Adam replied angrily. "You don't see me as an equal anymore. I'm just poor, weak Adam who loves you too much so you can walk all over him. I don't challenge you enough and I walk on eggshells trying to avoid making you feel guilty. Well, that ends now! Duel me, and I'll prove to you that you don't know anything about my abilities."

"I'm not dueling you," Theo exclaimed, paling at even the thought of fighting Adam. "I dueled at Shadowvale; we've always been too young to duel in Pleasantview, so you don't have any experience."

With a frustrated groan, Adam slipped into his dark form, the Maricourt wand firmly in his hand.

"No more condescension! I'll make it easy and use the Maricourt wand. You couldn't handle me with my crystal wand. Take your position."

"I'm not dueling you," Theo insisted. "It's not fair and you-"

Adam cast a simple spell that easily pushed Theo to the ground, knocking the wind out of him.

"I'm not joking, Theo. You and I are settling this today. No more bullshit about the past and guilt and condescension. I love you and you're either going to tell me that you love me back or we're done being 'casual'. Plain and simple. I'm not going to pine after you if you don't want me and I'm not playing any more of your stupid games and walking in on you throwing yourself at whoever will take you. I'm a Maricourt and a Darktide, while you're just the son of two magically illiterate backwater nobodies. My uncle was an asshole, but he was right about our bloodline and our power. I come from royalty and magic users strong enough to fight demigods. You're just the son of a chef who can't keep it in his pants. Without your curse, you would have never even made it through the doors of Pleasantview Academy. You don't even realize how lucky you are to have been born cursed, otherwise, you'd be about as magical as Saturnia is!"

"It's better to have parents that love me than high born narcissists like yours!" Theo snapped, assuming a dueling stance. He knew that Adam was deliberately trying to make him angry, but he had crossed a line. "Your dad doesn't even know how many children he has and your sister is hoeing around on the Queen of Pleasantview. Talk about trashy! I'm sure that Saturnia could be a great witch if she wanted to, but not all of us obsess over magic like your lunatic uncle. I'd take a sister without magic over an uncle willing to sacrifice children any day!"

Theo didn't need to summon a wand for this duel. He knew Adam's magic inside and out. If he wanted a duel, then Theo would give him a duel.

"You can do better than that," Adam teased. He shot Theo a confident look, one that Theo had never seen before. Adam wasn't holding back or second guessing himself and Theo tried not to be distracted this confidence. He'd never seen this side of Adam before and he liked what he saw.

"Maybe I'm taking it easy on you too-"

Theo was cut off by another spell, one he'd been too distracted to see coming.

"Too slow!" Adam crowed. He laughed as Theo flew through the air helplessly. "You should have picked a wand! Do you even remember how to summon the Maricourt wand or have you forgotten already?"

Theo landed roughly on the ground when Adam released him from the spell. He hadn't been able to escape from its clutches despite his best efforts. There wasn't any life-threatening danger around to kick his abilities into gear or Adam at his side to help him. Theo was starting to realize that maybe Adam had a point about his inattention to his studies except for when there was a problem before him. Could he summon the Maricourt wand without the adrenaline of seeing Sebastian and Adam in danger? He truthfully wasn't sure.

"All right, I'll pay attention in magical theory class," Theo grumbled. He couldn't avoid smiling despite his defeat. Dueling Adam was actually kind of exciting. Clearly, he had underestimated Adam's skills and it was a nice change of pace to discover this new side of a guy he thought he'd known everything about.

In a flash, Adam had dropped his wand, and pinned Theo against the nearest wall, taking advantage of his distraction once again.

"Do you concede the duel?" Adam asked. His eyes sparkled in a way that would have ended the duel no matter what move Adam had made. Theo was entranced without magic and couldn't look away.

"Yes, you win," he whispered, locking his lips on Adam's, never intending to let him go again. "That was incredible. We should do that more often."

Adam smiled cautiously. Theo might be caught up in the moment and saying things that he wouldn't follow through with. From the look on Theo's face, Adam was reasonably sure that he meant what he said, but a part of him still worried.

"I hope you can see that I'm capable of defending myself against you and you don't need to worry," Adam assured Theo. Theo nodded, trailing kisses down Adam's neck as he spoke. "Do you want to talk this through?"

"You're right. You're right that I did come here to see you, and that I was being a giant asshole about magic and underestimating you and we can talk later if you want. Jesse and I finished our spell, so we won't be working together anymore. We should test it at the portal. You and I can test it in Pleasantview and go home! We can go home, even if it's just to do a trial run of the spell. You and me and Despina and home!"

Adam grinned at the idea, but still felt uneasy at the reminder of Theo's past with Jesse.

"Don't talk about Jesse while you're kissing me," he replied. "Does this mean that you want to be together when we go home? Like together in a completely non casual way? I don't think that I'm any good at casual relationships."

"Not at all," Theo agreed, wrapping his arms around his ex and pulling him closer. "You're absolutely terrible at them, so I guess we'll have to try things your way. I love you too, even when I try my best not to. Just, maybe be a little bit less jealous going forward? I love this confidence, but I can't handle you glaring at anyone who comes to talk to me. If you're less jealous, and I'm less of an asshole, I think we can make this work. Promise me that you'll try."

Adam pressed his lips against Theo's, thanking any deity who would listen for this breakthrough in their relationship.

"I promise."

Despina groaned as her cousin made out with Theo in the yard. It looked like they were back together, for now at least. All the shouting and dueling had attracted attention from the Lindgren house, where Despina could faintly make out a blonde woman watching from the window, just like she was. At least Theo was ready to try this spell of his. If she had to live with Theo and Adam being happy together, it somehow felt worse than living with them when they hated each other. There would probably be a lot more awkward situations involving nudity.

A noise behind Despina startled her away from gawking at her cousin's train wreck of a love life.

"Oh, hi, I don't think we've met," Despina said, awkwardly staring at the blonde teen who had appeared in the house despite all the various wards protecting it. "W-who are you?"

The girl only smiled back at her. With a snap of her fingers, both she and Despina disappeared.

"Despina, Theo and I are going to...uh, read some tarot cards down here," Adam called out. If Despina caught him and Theo together, she would probably murder them for near public indecency. It was best to issue a warning before she tried to use the dining room.

"Despina?"

A new grave had been dug for Gabriel Dean, shortly before Xexys' chaos had started. He was the last of the sacrifices that would be offered to the Watcher by the Proxy, so the set was now complete. The Ocean had always liked their Watcher character and the way the mortals enjoyed the idea of him watching over them. He didn't care to assume that role for his followers, but unlike Life's jealous claims, the Ocean did appreciate the sacrifices made in his persona's name. They would come in handy.

If Lukas hadn't worked so hard to create something that functioned like a reaper, they would be incredibly tempted to end the existence of Trysten Vienot. The man was irritating, slow to accept anything that challenged his Jacobean views, and completely underwhelming as a reaper. He struggled with using the abilities of a proper reaper, which was somewhat understandable given the circumstances, but even Abercius in his mortal body could wield some of the basic magic of a reaper better than Trysten.

Lukas still didn't understand why they had been given the task of babysitting the terrible reaper. Abercius had tried tutoring his father personally, and while he didn't have to take on the uncle he was still quite angry with, Trysten wasn't Lukas' responsibility either. Life had already overstepped in the realm of Death, and Lukas was more than happy to leave Trysten to Gee whenever this realm was stable.

"I don't see why we had to come to Mystic Drownwell," Trysten complained. "This place is sacred to the Watcher and Jacobeans. It's where the chosen sacrifice first meets the Watcher."

"You don't have to be here at all," Lukas snapped. "For the last time, the Watcher is the Ocean and he doesn't care about any of the lives you ended in his name. You're a pretty shitty reaper, and a worse brother. It's not my job to babysit you because your nephew hates you, and you're free to leave at any time. There's not even a point in me teaching you anything if you can't leave your indoctrination behind with your life."

Izanami would want them to be more kind to the fledgling reaper, but Lukas was already in a bad mood, and besides, it wasn't like Izanami was ever any nicer to his employees. Trysten was the least of their worries. They still had to appoint a dream guardian, discretely monitor a blood demon hybrid who was intentionally pushing his boundaries, and, oh yeah, meet with the Ocean for a reason he hadn't disclosed. The very fact that the Ocean was here in this realm while Lukas was trying to piece things together was unsettling. What if they weren't doing their job to the standard the Ocean wanted? What if this was phase two in his schemes against Life and Death? Could things get worse than being stuck in their second incarnation? Probably. His idea to meet in the creepy cult temple was not reassuring either.

"Fine. I'll go home and check on the kids," Trysten said irritably. "It's not like you have anything important to teach me anyway."

"Yes, thank you! Be sure to mention that to Abercius when you see him! You're not my problem to deal with!"

Lukas grinned at the sight of Trysten vanishing into a shower of sparkles, finally leaving their presence. At least the idiot had figured out how to teleport correctly.

Their celebration was short lived, however, as the pool of water in the sacred temple began to boil despite being calm only seconds ago. Before Lukas' eyes, a blonde teenager emerged from the pool, completely dry and looking quite pleased with herself. Lukas bowed their head in greeting, and the teen sat down on the bench beside them.

"Calista. I don't think I've seen this form in a while. I was expecting your usual appearance. Why even bother with the disguise? At this point, this entire realm has been destroyed to the point that the Ocean can manifest in the street and no one will even question it."

Lukas tried not to pull away from the teenager making herself comfortable beside them. They knew she could feel everything they felt, including their fear, so pretending it wasn't there was useless.

"Lukas, you of all beings should understand the value of a good disguise. There's nothing quite like walking among the mortals when they think you're one of them. They like speaking with someone like them."

Lukas cringed at the memory of "Calista's" last adventure among the mortals and how well the Ocean thought he was doing at playing human.

"This is definitely better than last time," they grudgingly admitted. "No one's been hospitalized yet."

Calista ignored the deity's comment completely. She didn't have time to be shamed about prior manifestations that had happened millennia ago.

"Congratulations on tricking your way into doing your husband's job, by the way. There's something different about you that your predecessor never had. You're creative and resourceful, and I appreciate that."

"You could fix the reapers I helped make," Lukas replied. "Why didn't you make Trysten into a proper reaper? It would take just a single thought to fix all of them, and the realm would be safer for it. They'd probably be easier to deal with too."

"Maybe I like what you did with them," Calista laughed. Lukas tried not to flinch at the sound of her laughter. "Maybe I have plans for this realm and I wouldn't want to squash your creativity. Using a Timelady and that pesky ex-reaper? I like it. Now tell me your plans to replace the Dream Guardian. It's last on your list and I want to see that creativity of yours shine. Who is the new Dream Guardian?"

Lukas paled at the question. There were a few candidates they'd thought of, though the obvious candidate didn't sit right with them. It was a cruel destiny to hand to someone so enthusiastic about putting down roots in another realm. Ascending to a position of such power wasn't for everyone, especially considering the fate of the last Dream Guardian.

"I have some thoughts, but I wanted to think it through before filling the position." They paused to stall for time. "What are your thoughts on the matter? I'm sure that you have someone in mind. That must be what you wanted to meet about, right?"

"An eye for an eye," the Ocean intoned. "The one who killed my creation, must pay with his own. She has the talent, and was only born as a gift to me. Her parents offered her willingly to me, same as the people of Jubilant Accosts offered themselves and their children. They are, therefore, mine to do with as I please."

So it was as Lukas expected. The Ocean had someone in mind, and came to see to it that his will was obeyed. She was the candidate that made the most sense to Lukas, but they couldn't bring themselves to put that plan into action. They had seen into her dreams, and wanted the best for an innocent child of two cruel parents.

"Despina wants to go home," Lukas insisted. "She's helped me sort through my dreams, and I've seen hers. She belongs in Pleasantview and Strangetown. I have her father in Limbo here, take him instead. Make him pay his own debts."

"And promote him to the demigod he always wished to be?" she laughed. "No, it's more appropriate to have his daughter ascend. It will torment him for the rest of his existence, and I wish to enjoy that torment. I respect his ambition, but I have to draw the line at attempting to force me to elevate him and his friends into gods above Death. The very thought of him forcing my hand! He sacrificed his children to me, and I will do with them as I wish. The girl is talented and resourceful. She found her own way to this realm and has so much of her father's promise. Her mother's blood ties her to this realm and to my angels. She's the perfect candidate. My first Dream Guardian never lived up to his potential, while she has a fire within her."

Lukas tried to hide their confusion over an angel being in Despina's bloodline. Her mother had been powerful, yes, but an angel? In Jubilant Accosts? This, Lukas would have to look into.

"If you won't tell her, then I will," Calista stated. "The ceremony will take place here, soon. I don't intend to wait much longer for the end of this realm. If you don't do it, then I will."

"The end of this realm?" Lukas repeated. "Why appoint a Dream Guardian if you intend to destroy this realm? Why have me try to piece a defense back together at all? Most of the people here might deserve to be destroyed, but not all of them! Do you know how hard it is for Life to make a reaper? All I did was for nothing?"

"You're becoming sentimental, Lukas Lane. You care about the subjects of your realm, like this blue girl with the horrible parents or the demon hybrid who thinks he can tame blood magic. I never thought that I'd see the day that you cared about something outside of Izanami or your many schemes for revenge. No, this realm won't be destroyed entirely. It will have a rebirth, just as that reaper used you to trigger hers."

"You, uh, know about that?" Lukas said quietly. They'd hoped this subject would never come up during their infrequent meetings with the Ocean. "I didn't mean to-"

"It's my fault for letting so much of this realm rely on soulmates," the Ocean groaned. Lukas tried not to react to their creator taking blame for anything in existence. This might actually be a first. "Your new reapers suffer from that problem, the same as you and Izanami. That demon hybrid and his warlock too, but let's hope they never figure that out; that would be a headache. Great power needs balance, but that balance can cause dependency, and dependency breeds recklessness. This rebirth will correct that. My Dream Guardian has no soulmate and neither does the moon. It will be a clean and elegant solution. Power with the support of others, but not the dependency on another soul to function."

"Is that why Izanami and I aren't our usual selves?" Lukas held their breath, desperate to know the answer, but frightened at what it might be. "Is he going to be okay? I can be stuck like this, if you want me to be, but please, stop whatever you're doing to Izanami. Do it to me instead if you have to. I need him to be okay."

"You've come a long way from begging for a way to murder Death," Calista chuckled. She stood up, indicating that she was finished with this conversation. "Don't worry, my plans for you two will conclude shortly. Please continue to prove my point about soulmates though. I don't care if you notify my Dream Guardian about her new position or not, but the ceremony will take place within the next few days. There will be no other candidates considered, Lukas. Her parents promised her to me long ago, and I will have my justice on the man who murdered my creation. He can rot in Limbo for eternity, but I want him to know the consequences of his actions."

"What did he do?" Lukas whispered to themselves. The Ocean would never give them a proper answer, that much was clear, but what had they missed that promised Despina to a deity who barely interacted with mortals? This was going to need a visit to Limbo to answer.

"I'll see you within a day or so," Calista called out, as she disappeared into the pool she'd arrived in. "Don't be late."

The Temple of the All Seeing Eye welcomed its master after their long absence. It was relaxing to once again be within its walls, guarded by statues of menacing angels. The Ocean remembered when it was built, all those centuries ago after the fall of the monarchy.

It was a peaceful place to unwind and prepare for what was coming. There were a lot of moving pieces, but Calista had been planning this for a very long time.

Karin Jakobsson and Jason Dean played together, completely unaware of what was happening outside. Karin had finally talked her mother into taking Jason in after the death of his parents, and she couldn't be happier to have someone her own age living with her family, especially Jason.

While Karin played blocks with her friend, something miraculous was occurring outside.

"Tollak?" Jakobina gasped in shock, unable to believe her eyes. "Tollak, is it really you? It can't be-you're dead! What sorcery is this?"

Tollak smiled, though something about him still felt wrong to Jakobina. That wasn't his exact smile or the way he had held himself during his life, but they had been separated for a long time, so maybe she was misremembering.

"Mom? Is that you?"

Delicia Lingren dropped the watering can in her hand in shock and stared with disbelief at the sight before her.

"Guthini? Is that you? Has the Watcher returned you to me?"

Delicia had given her son to the Watcher when the Proxy had decreed that Guthini was needed. He was resting with the hallowed dead in the sacred grounds of the Jacobean faith, not standing on the road in front of her.

But it was impossible to deny what she saw. The clothes were a little strange, but it was the same hair, the same eyes...it was a miracle.

"Mom, do what the lady says. You have to-the Watcher needs your help."

Guthini's voice was just how Delicia remembered it. He had always been quieter than the other boys his age, and more sensitive. Perhaps that was why the Watcher had needed him in the first place.

"Lady?" Delicia turned her head in the direction her son was facing. "Oh! I didn't see you there. Hello."

Her words felt awkward, but she was still processing her dead son speaking with her again. Whoever this girl was, she would have to wait for Delicia's brain to catch up. Why was this girl with Guthini anyway? How was any of this happening?

"Hello," Calista replied cheerfully. "I've come to make you an offer. You know how things have changed around here since Xexys decided to throw a tantrum. The Proxy is gone, and outsiders are crossing the border to save their own realm. Men are giving birth, there's a blood demon hybrid down the street-things are changing fast!"

Delicia tried to nod politely, but there was something eerie about this teen. The way she spoke, the way she moved...there was just something off about her. She didn't feel real, though Delicia was conversing with her dead son at the moment, so who knew what was real anymore.

"What's a blood demon hybrid?" Delicia asked curiously. "Is it like the Demon of Nightmares, but with blood? I've never heard of a demon outside of Xexys."

"Ha! I suppose it is a little like Xexys if he was concerned with blood," the girl laughed. The mere sound of her laughter sent a chill into Delicia's bones. "Anyway, your family has served the Watcher faithfully, even giving up your child to him when he asked. What if I told you that the Watcher was willing to reward your devotion? Is there anything that you would want from him? Wealth? Power? Youth?"

"The Watcher couldn't grant a woman as old as I am with youth," Delicia scoffed. This conversation didn't feel real, so why even pretend that such a miracle could happen.

"The Watcher can do whatever he wants. If you want to be a teen again, it can be done. If you want to be a an infant again, sure, why not?"

Delicia's eyes flickered to Guthini. Calista caught this glance and smiled.

"If you want your son back, I can do that. Hell, I can bring anyone back. I could turn your dog into a goat or your baby into a countertop. I just need one little favour from you. The Watcher has a plan for Yacothia."

Lea Lindgren watched her mother in law converse with the air for at least ten minutes. Delicia had gone out to garden, only to hallucinate. Hopefully, their neighbour, Jakobina, wasn't around to witness this moment of weakness. They would never hear the end of it if she had.

"Delicia?" Lea asked gently, walking up behind the older woman. "Are you okay? Who are you talking to?"

Delicia beamed, her face an expression of pure joy Lea never thought she'd see on a woman who had suffered so much.

"The Watcher is going to return Guthini," she exclaimed. "It's a miracle! All I have to do is trust in the Watcher, and do as he asks when the time comes!"

Lea pulled away from her mother in law, searching her face for any sign of fever or delirium.

"The Watcher told you this just now? Delicia, you were talking to the air! There was no one there. Besides, the Proxy is gone and the Jacobeans are in shambles. Perhaps this was just a trick of the Demon of Nightmares meant to lead you into his web of lies. Come inside, and I'll make you some tea. We can try to talk through this."

Delicia shook her head adamantly.

"This was real," she promised Lea. "Guthini is coming back. The Watcher is going to destroy Yacothia and remake it as he pleases, and then Guthini will come back. All I have to do is accept his plan, and follow the commands of someone called the Dream Guardian."

Lea smiled weakly, while ushering her mother in law towards the house where her words wouldn't be overheard by the neighbours.

"Okay. That sounds very interesting, Delicia. Did the Watcher give you a time when this will happen? A couple of months? A year or two?"

Theo immediately pulled away from Jesse to face his accuser.

"Adam? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in bed, waiting for our mission? Are you following me?"

Theo hastily gathered his clothes and pulled them on, while Jesse did the same beside him.

"I'm not following you!" Adam shouted. "All I had to do is think of the stupidest thing I could think of doing and I knew I'd find you. Why did you leave without me? Why are you using blood magic with someone else? You don't even know this guy! This could be a trap!"

Theo rolled his eyes at this, only making Adam angrier.

"That's exactly what you said about Sebastian," Theo snapped. "Everyone is evil if they're interested in me, right? Even when Sebastian turned out to be the victim of his father, not the villain you imagined! We're not together, Adam! We're just casually hooking up and I can't deal with your insane jealousy whenever anyone else looks my way! You just can't seem to understand that I don't want a relationship right now, and you keep twisting-"

"I'm not twisting anything! We've all seen your dreams where you imagine us married! You want me back, but you're too afraid to admit it!"

Theo groaned, and shot an apologetic look to Jesse.

"I can't deal with you anymore! Even if I did want you back, I'm sick of dealing with your jealousy! Jesse and I are helping to break Xexys' curse, and yes, I'm using blood magic with someone else. Lukas told us that I need to work with someone undead, and you're just jealous that that doesn't mean working with you! I am trained to use blood magic, and my powers are stable, so I can do something good. It's not my fault that I wasn't directed to work with someone with crystal magic instead!"

"And the vampires were so quick to agree to help!" Adam shouted. "We don't know what their motives are. They could be helping Xexys for all we know. Aren't they supposed to be at war with werewolves? I'm sure blood magic could help them win that!"

"Goodbye, Adam. You're ruining our relationship with our new allies," Theo said, gesturing to his ex-boyfriend that he was free to leave the backyard at any time. "I'm not going to stand here and listen to your absurd, jealous theories. I'll report to Helle about my progress, and you can find something else to do that doesn't involve following me. I'm going to find a way to wake up everyone cursed with the plague, whether you like what I'm doing or not!"

"Fine! Go play the hero, and sleep with vampires "to save people". I don't care anymore, Theo! You're a selfish jackass who only thinks about what you want! It doesn't matter how many people you hurt or rules you break, as long as you're happy! Have fun explaining this to Helle, while I do something that's actually important!"

Adam stormed off, too angry to even be able to focus on teleporting. Theo's eyes followed him as he left. He was torn between rushing after him to apologize and screaming something hurtful while Adam could still hear.

It was a relief to finally be able to shout his many grievances with Adam. Theo was sick of walking on eggshells or avoiding Adam and now things were finally out in the open. Adam's jealousy was suffocating, and it was going to offend the vampires, just as it had offended Sebastian.

Sebastian....

Theo needed to work out whatever magic or cure he could in order to wake up Sebastian, just as he'd promised. Let Adam simmer in his jealousy, while Theo actually did something about their problems.

"Come on, I think we were on to something," Theo said, reaching for Jesse.

The vampire looked hesitant after watching Theo blow up at his ex, but slowly wrapped himself the demon hybrid once more.

"Are you sure that you don't want to go after him?" Jesse asked. "You could always come back later.'

Theo shook his head adamantly.

"No, let's get back to work."

For the next few nights, Theo stayed with the vampires to work on how his magic could be combined with theirs. Chinh had pulled out some dusty old books on blood magic that Theo had devoured. The library in Pleasantview's collection of blood magic books paled in comparison to Chinh's collection. Of course, there were laws and policies regarding blood magic literature in Pleasantview, while Jubilant Accosts and its vampire population had no rules on the subject at all.

Theo didn't even get so much as a text from Adam, which gave him feelings he didn't want to process. Adam was angry with him, obviously, but he was angry at Adam too. It was nice not having to avoid Adam's clingy behaviour, but Theo still found himself missing Adam. Helle had said that Adam was spending time with his cousin, but she hadn't included any other information. He tried not to let this bother him.

At least Helle was impressed with his easy relationship with the vampires. She didn't want them as a part of her kingdom if they didn't want to join her, and she would gratefully accept them as allies either way. If Theo did somehow find a way to hurt Xexys by working with the vampires, then Helle would be ecstatic.

She was less ecstatic when she would walk out of a meeting with Chinh, only to find Theo and Jesse tangled up together in the room next door.

At least those two were actually getting somewhere with their blood magic casting. The secretive magic of the vampires did align closely with Theo's blood magic and the last time that Helle walked in on them, they had produced a cloud like wisp of energy that hovered in the air. As long as Theo could keep his concentration, the cloud could billow out, filling the room. Anyone who had been in the room observing the process and had the cloud brush against them, had been unable to sleep for two days, which everyone took as a positive sign of its potency. If they could engulf all of Jubilant Accosts or Pleasantview with their wispy spell, it could pierce through the dream sickness, and wake Xexys' victims.