#absydee

I remember the throne room. The wood, the statues, the beautiful stained glass windows...all of it. I remember when I came of age and accepted the crown. Back then, it was the happiest day of my life, but now, I've definitely known happier.

My mother died early on in my life, and I don't remember her. I do remember the portrait of her that hung in the hall, reminding everyone of who they had lost. Of who I was replacing. I'd like to think that my mother would have been proud of my reign, until the end of it, at least.

I had a sister named Ranya. We were as close as two siblings raised to lead very different lives could be. She tried her best to be a good princess of Yacothia, but even when she wasn't, she was always a good sister.

Ranya married into the lands of Tredony. Not the Tredony that was separated from our realm and became Pleasantview, but the remnants of that separation. The few Tredonian lords trapped here in Jubilant Accosts tried to rebuild their lands and power, and Ranya was devoted to the cause. From what I've read in the history books, after my death, she died brutally after trying to protect Yacothia. She didn't deserve that end. I miss her.

My wife never had my love. I'm not ashamed to admit that, as I know that she felt the same. It was an arranged marriage that produced only one child. My queen was fragile, too frail to have other heirs, but she often stood beside my throne, to remind our subjects that she still lived even if she was not seen very often.

I first met Absydee in a garden. She was working nearby, and decided to take a break to wander through the flowers. She was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen in all my life. I made it a priority to wander through whatever garden I could find, hoping to find her there. In the end, I had my own gardens planted, hoping to draw her in.

It worked. We spent many happy days together, breathing in the scent of the blooms, and being warmed by the sun.

She told me what she was, what she did, but my heart didn't care. She was mine, and I was hers. I was proud of her for defending our realm, for doing a thankless job that never got the same praise as I did for doing absolutely nothing. She often teased me for looking so old, while she looked like a young woman, and was countless centuries older than I was. The old man who had a midlife crisis with a young girl who was old enough to see the night sky be formed.

I loved that woman until the day I died-or I would have, had I properly died. I remember my vision getting dark, feel my breathing hitch and then end...and then the familiar warmth of Absydee next to me. I heard her scream and then cry and then...nothing.

And then, by a miracle, I was reborn as Helle Dean, daughter of Winnie and Ezra Dean. Twin sister of Gabriel Dean. I can see it all now, as easily as reading a book. My mother knew that her family would be targeted by the Proxy one day, and they would take her twin babies and sacrifice them to the Watcher to continue the blessing of Jubilant Accosts. Winnie couldn't bear to lose both of her children to the Watcher, so she hid one of her children.

Under the cover of darkness, my mother took me to the edge of the settlement, where I might be discovered and taken in by the Proxy. There is nothing like the DNA tests they have in Tredony here, and I was taken in without question. I had no vampire fangs or werewolf teeth, so I passed the screening.

Away from my family, I would be safe. I wouldn't know the love of the Dean family, but I would live. I can't imagine what it must have been like to have me over at the house, playing with her other children. I regularly hung out with Tiffany, Abercius and his little brother, Jason.

I even met Gabriel, though I'd never know my connection to him while he was alive. He was kind and sweet, and never teased me for not having a family like some of the other kids did. I wished I had known that he was my brother back then. Maybe I could have saved him.

But I'm different in some way. I'm special. I am the fulfillment of the prophesy of the reborn king. I was born to defeat my former enemies and avenge Jubilant Accosts. It's my job to somehow make things right, but reincarnation is so messy.....

Reincarnation is messy. I was created alongside the universe to serve the realm of Death. From the very first days of the stars, I have been at their whim, and destined to serve.

I was not created with parents or a family. I don't have memories of living a life, dying, and then ascending to be a reaper. Humanity has always intrigued me for that reason. Their lives were fleeting, and then they ended up in an eternal afterlife, longing to return to the brilliant light of the realm of Life. Eventually, my lord, Izanami, allowed dead mortals to ascend and become reapers like me so that some of them had a chance to return to their old realm. So long as you weren't a ruling monarch in your life, the only heir to a title or one of Life's servants, a soul could return as a reaper as long as they were willing to serve for centuries at a time.

It's not an easy job. You see suffering, illness, and lives cut short far too young, and you're powerless to change it. Once a death is recorded in Death’s books, it cannot be undone. Reaping children who could have been saved by any mortal intervention would surely devastate a mortal born reaper; it was hard enough for reapers like me to endure and I had never had a family. Just my coworkers, and our brilliant leader, Izanami.

And then I met him and my whole existence changed.

Apophis was funny, attractive, and sure of himself. He knew what he wanted from life, and he wanted me.

Reapers are designed to fit in among the living in order to do their jobs. We help the living, even if they don't appreciate our efforts. A reaper is safer with a living spouse to hide them, and we were created with this in mind. A reaper can form a powerful attachment to a living soul that binds both parties until that mortal passes into the realm of death. We feel their heartbeat stimulate our own until both organs beat together. We ignore all reason if it could save our partner. We feel them next to us even when separated by great distances. It is a bond too powerful to risk on a fling. It is a sign of true love and commitment.

I loved him with everything that I had, and I know that he did the same. He would often speak of impossible dreams, like him taking me as an official mistress of the king while his wife lived, or making me his queen and removing his daughter from the succession.

He wanted children with me. I told him that wasn't going to happen. Reapers must blend in with the living population and having a member of the royal family who was immortal certainly wouldn't help. I would fired if I became his queen. It went against every rule a reaper lived by, and I had no doubt that I'd be expelled from Jubilant Accosts, forever separated from him if I gave into that temptation. He had my heart, and that would have to be enough.

I had a job to do, and as leader of the entire Jubilant Accosts reaper team, I was very busy. I was friends with the Timelady of Ticktop, despite her snobbish attitude. I often wondered if Ticktop had nominated her for the position just to get rid of her, or if all Timelords and Timeladies were as stubborn as she was. No place was ever as good as Ticktop was, and we could only aspire to become more like them. I know now that Ticktop fell after my betrayal of my duties, and I wonder if she can ever forgive me for it. So many bad things happened to so many people because of me and my failure. I don't know how to set any of it right again. I don't think I ever can.

I warned Apophis that the bonds between a reaper and their bonded soul were strong, though I doubt that he realized just how strong they were. I've seen reapers take a new living spouse soon after their last one had died, and I've seen reapers driven mad by their spouse's passing. There were even reapers who took reaper spouses just to avoid the pain of losing a mortal spouse, only to be driven mad by the power of two reapers trying to join together. Every reaper was different, and no one knew just how they'd attach to a mate. I assumed that I would be one of the reapers who took a spouse every century or so, just to blend in enough to become better at my job. I couldn't have been more wrong about that assumption.

If you asked Rani about my love life, she'd tell you how happy I was with Apophis. She'd listen to every detail I could tell her, and then ask for more. She was always looking for a love of her own, and I hope that she found one when I passed. It would be cruel to ask her to serve so long without the love and support she deserved.

I would often visit the castle, not as Absydee, leader of the reapers, but as the humble maiden, Abby, who spent far too much time in the king's bed to actually be a maiden.

But as happy as we were, the throne always loomed over us. Apophis' sister resented our relationship because she had had to marry for power, and would be executed for taking a lover like her brother had.

His daughter was a nightmare, who acted like she was already the queen of Yacothia, while her father still lived. She had a lover of her own, but unlike her father, she did not have an heir. Apophis arranged a husband for her, who was kind and had deep pockets. He was so kind hearted, he might even turn a blind eye to his wife's lover, so long as their children still looked like his. Herepheres had everything her father could give her, but she lacked basic sense. She managed her money poorly, and flaunted her relationship with a knight of the realm. The few times she allowed me to share a room with her and her father, Hetepheres acted like I wasn't there. Every day, she waited for the day her father would die and leave the kingdom in her unsteady hands.

Until one day, she grew tired of waiting.

Apophis was shot in the back three times while out hunting with his court. As team leader, the reaping assignments appeared in my book so that I could distribute them to the team. I felt Apophis' spirit leave his body before I saw his name engrave itself on the page.

Apophis Xechasménaeizam. Cause of death: homocide. 11:34 am.

The book doesn't tell us who the guilty party is when a death has been ruled as a homicide. That's up to the mortal justice system to discover; we just collect the soul.

I knew what had happened before I even arrived at the scene. It was Hetepheres. Her father's body was barely even cold and she'd already called for someone to confirm the "accident" so that the bloodied crown could legally pass to her.

I had to reap my love, my bonded mate. His name was in Death’s book and that couldn't be changed. There was no way of just stuffing his soul back into his body and hoping he'd wake up. Apophis was dead.

Already, I could feel the physical changes start. Once Apophis' heart stopped beating, mine had nothing to sync to. It lay dormant once more in my chest as Apophis' soul detached itself from his physical remains. In our years together, I'd forgotten how cold and lonely the realm of Death was. No wonder some reapers immediately sought new spouses when theirs died. The silence became unbearable.

I thought of Lord Izanami and my training. This could not be undone.

I could visit Apophis in the afterlife. We could talk and reminisce about his lifetime and our time together, but reapers worked among the living. There are teams of reapers who staff the afterlife, but at the time, no reaper no matter where they were stationed was allowed to be with a dead soul. I hope that rule has been changed in the centuries since, but it was non-negotiable when Apophis died. I had always planned to end our relationship and move on after a number of years with a new mortal. That was the plan, but now that I was here, standing over his dead body, I couldn't let Apophis go.

I was about to despair when my mind recalled something I'd seen concerning Lord Izanami and the replacement Life deity. Some spark of hope, no matter how dangerous or forbidden it was.

It would cost me everything, but I knew how to fix this. I told myself that I wasn't really needed here. My team would select a new leader and perhaps hire a formerly mortal reaper to replace me. My team would support Rani and the Dream Guardian.

I could hear Izanami curse at me in my mind. He would be devastated that I was abandoning my post and responsibilities. I don't think I could even endure the wrath he would hurl at me if he knew what I was doing.

But I had seen the way his eyes followed the new Life deity myself. Even if Life was angry with him, Izanami had fallen for them just as hard as I'd fallen for Apophis. He'd be furious at me, but I know that he'd understand. He would do to same to save his soulmate.

Apophis always wanted us to be together, away from the throne and my responsibilities. Just Apophis and Abby. This would give us that chance. We'd have nothing but each other, but that was exactly what we wanted.

I would find him again. He was the other half of my heart, so I knew that I would find him again, no matter where we ended up. I will always find him.

I broke the laws of the universe itself so that we could be together.

To Despina's relief, Theo was more manageable when he was asleep. His noisy thoughts quieted down...and then immediately transformed into dreams about either her half-brother or her cousin. While Adam enjoyed the dreams concerning him, Despina was beginning to be able to push past them into a deeper dream state. It was on that deeper level that connection to the records of time was easier. Clear, accurate answers were what Despina needed most. She needed a clear vision of what her parents had been involved in and any information she could scry about Coby Wall, as well as anything that would help her understand the strange realm she found herself in. Abercius was trying to tell them as much as he knew about Jubilant Accosts and its history, but he was the result of Jubilant Accosts' fractured educational system and likely didn't know much about the realm that had been shaped by Xexys over the centuries.

Abercius hadn't had many close friends outside of his siblings, but there was a girl who he hung out with when he was at the Dean's house with James. Helle Seavey, an orphaned artist who often spent time with Tiffany Dean, would likely know more about the history of Jubilant Accosts due to her lack of parents. As Abercius was finding out, having parents who lied and sheltered him was more of a disadvantage in this mission than having no parents at all.

Theo and Adam had briefly met Helle when they first arrived in Jubilant Accosts, but they hadn't had enough time to get to know her. According to Abercius, Helle was religious enough to survive in their Jacobean culture, but she wasn't a fanatic like Abercius' mother. She prayed in public to find the love of a good Jacobean man, but spent her downtime giggling with Tiffany about girls. Abercius would never admit to being jealous of the attention Tiffany got from Helle or the warm feeling in his chest when Helle smiled at him. He was certain that one day, Despina would pick up one of his many dreams about Helle, just like she did Theo's about his Darktide loves, and the thought made him cringe. His family was shattered, his parents and little brother possibly dead, and he was thinking about a girl who probably would never like him back. She was willing to help Despina practice dream magic though and do what she could to help save Jubilant Accosts, so at least Abercius would see her around. Finding Tiffany Dean and restoring order to Jubilant Accosts was just as important to Helle as it was to him, so anything they could do, no matter how small or strange, was worth a shot. Helle experienced vivid, strange dreams sometimes, which had to mean something, Abercius just knew it.

Until Helle visited, the teens kept trying everything they could with the people they had. Theo couldn't remember sleeping this much at any point in his life, not even on the weekend breaks back in Arkhelios.

"Okay guys, I'm going to try something different," Despina announced, flipping through her book to a page she'd bookmarked. "Let me know if anything changes."

"Lord Izanami? Are you certain? This is the only way to control the Demon of Nightmares ?"

"I'm certain. The Ocean has commanded it. You will-"

"Demon got your tongue, love? I have an hour before my next meeting and I wondered if you wanted to break the rules and take a walk with me. I won't tell if you won't."

"Apophis, surely you must see the danger. Things are deteriorating quickly."

"Whoa, what was that?" Theo was practically on his feet before Adam could even sit up. "I've never seen any of that before! I think whatever you did worked!"

"That was Izanami!" Despina exclaimed. "And what might be an angel! I've never seen one before! All the remaining pictures of them were damaged over the centuries and are buried in an archive somewhere, but that woman fit all the descriptions. Purple eyes, wings-it all fits!"

"I thought that you could only see the dreams of someone here," Abercius replied. "I've never seen any of those people before, and you guys didn't recognize most of them either. Are we making all of this up in our minds or is this coming from somewhere else?"

Despina paused to consider the question.

"I don't know what's absolutely true, but we're not at the level of basic dreaming, like with all of Theo's stupid daydreams. There is some connection here between dreams, the records of time, and the dreamer. I suspect that some of it may be due to Xexys corrupting the magic of Ticktop, but I don't have the training to know for sure. I try to be a channel for any dreams concerning my parents and their scheme here, which I think come to me because of my connection to them and my willingness to receive the dream. Maybe that's why we haven't been getting any visions concerning Xexys. Before our realms began to blend together, it was impossible for people like Phuong to get pregnant with another woman because of our biological differences. Maybe we need someone from this realm to unlock the secrets of Jubilant Accosts instead of the three of us from our realm. My dad must have been able to pick up dreams from this realm, but he was a prodigy college student, and all I have is a one book outlining dream magic."

"Don't beat yourself up about it," Adam insisted. "Like you said, he had a lot of experience and you're just learning what you can on your own. You're doing great, and we're all proud of you."

Abercius smiled softly, still rattled by the unexpected dream.

"I think Helle is going to be a huge help then. Her dreams are intense and they always made the Proxy nervous when she used them for inspiration for her art. I hope her dreams will help us figure out something about Xexys. I've never seen her paint a demon before, but then again, she still needed money from the Proxy for rent and a painting like that might get her in trouble."

"She sounds perfect," Despina agreed. "I hope she can visit us soon. I really think that we're starting to get somewhere."

"In the vision, someone was asking Izanami about controlling the Demon of Nightmares," Adam pointed out. "That has to be related to this realm. Izanami may have once been in this realm, and maybe he knows more about how to control Xexys than we thought."

"Do you really think that Izanami isn't going to tell his super protective spouse something that important if it could bring Lukas home?" Despina asked. "It must mean something else. I don't know. It sounds like we need this Helle to help sort things out, and anyone else from this realm who's willing to help. If you do find your other friend or your family, do you think that they'd help us? We need a bigger sample size to cast the biggest net."

"Tiffany might, maybe. I don't know. She's not usually all that nice to me, but I think with everything that's happened, she might want to help."

"I brought my tarot cards, maybe we don't need to rely only on dreams," Theo suggested. "I'm not as good as Rien, but I'm better than my dad. The spirits aren't able to cross into this realm, but the cards are still the same. Maybe they might be able to tell us where to find more information about fighting Xexys."

"That's a good idea," Despina agreed. "You should try the deck we found that apparently belonged to my mother. If she's from this realm, maybe her cards will work better here. Is that how tarot cards work?"

Theo shrugged.

"You'd have to ask Rien about that," he replied. "I study magic, not the Bellamy family business. I'll give it a try."

"I'll help!" Adam volunteered. "I've watched Rien read cards a million times, so I might be able to point out if you're making a mistake."

Theo looked skeptical of Adam's ability to help, but didn't refuse the offer.

"So, it's been awhile since you practiced, huh? It never used to take you this long to read the cards." Adam sighed, holding his head in his hand. He looked miserable, despite sitting next to Theo without Theo making some snide remark about cheaters. It had been an entire afternoon of staring at Theo, staring at cards. Not a single revelation had come to light, aside from the fact that Theo still looked gorgeous even when he was frustrated.

"I guess so. It can't be the deck, since I'm using Imogen's and my own, and I know how to read mine. I can't believe this is happening. Rien will never let me live this down if she finds out. How can I be getting nothing from these cards?"

"I won't tell Rien," Adam promised. "I'm sure it happens to her sometimes too. It probably happens to all the Bellamys, even your great-grandmother probably had days like this."

"The Bellamys," Theo repeated, lost in thought. "What if I've always been terrible at card reading, but my connection to something else is what connects me to the cards? They can't come to this realm, so am I on my own? Have I never been on my own in the past?"

"That depends on who 'they' are," Adam replied. "You don't tell me anything anymore, so I can't answer that."

Theo paused, debating in his mind about what to tell his ex. Adam had cheated on him, which Theo refused to forgive even a little, but they'd always been best friends before their breakup. Adam had helped him through numerous magical problems before, and they needed to work together to survive the danger they were in. If Adam had any ideas to help him connect with his cards, they might be closer to going home. Besides, it felt like forever since their breakup. Didn't time heal all wounds?

"Fine," he grumbled. "But don't tell Despina about this. She'll make a big deal about it, even though I'm cut off from them here."

Adam nodded eagerly, thanking whatever god was listening for Theo opening up to him.

"I promise."

"Do you remember what I said when we got here about hearing Rien's voices? Speaking to spirits and all that? It doesn't just come from the Bellamy side of the family, it runs in the Bellamy family pretty strongly. We all apparently can hear the spirits and can use tarot cards to plan for the future. Rien is just the strongest of all of us, just like my Dad's grandma. Luci and Saturnia were damaged by my grandmother when they were babies, and my dad and I are too demonic for their liking, so they mostly ignore us, but sometimes, like recently, I've heard the spirits talk to me."

Adam nodded, eager to hear more about the enigmatic comment Theo had made earlier and then expected him to just forget about.

"What did they sound like? What did they say? Aside from how similar you are to your father. "

"They don't really sound like anything, but also they're really loud, if that makes sense," Theo explained. "There's a lot of them, but sometimes only one voice speaks. They only spoke to me because I was going here to fight Xexys. They're not a fan of demons, but they made an exception to tell me how much they hate Xexys and what they know about him."

"What?! You had intel about Xexys from whatever the hell talks to Rien and you didn't say anything? What did they say?"

"Keep your voice down!" Theo hissed. "I don't want Despina to know about this or she'll be trying to use magic to force the spirits back in my head and that's not even possible, so be quiet and if you ever tell her, I will murder you."

"Okay! I already promised! What did they say?"

"The same thing as Despina already knows and I already told you. That Xexys is weak if we can break into his dreams or get under his defenses. The spirits mostly just gossip and bitch about why I'm not thinking of the bloodline or dating who they want me to. I don't know how Rien puts up with them. I feel bad for Abe Jr if he grows up sufficiently less demonic than me. They'll probably bother him too."

Adam had to literally bite his tongue to keep from asking who the spirits wanted Theo to date, as he knew how well that would be received. Still, the question burned in his mind. Who was the perfect person for Theo according to whatever supernatural entity had latched onto the Bellamys? Earlier, Theo had mentioned that the spirits had thoughts about Adam, but he wouldn't elaborate on them. Was this related? He hoped it was.

"And you said that they couldn't follow you here?" Adam asked instead. "Why?"

Theo shrugged.

"Who knows? Whatever they are, they're blocked by whatever is sealing the realms from each other. Xexys can't leave, and they can't enter. It's been a relief to finally have them gone."

"So, without the spirits, you think that you can't read tarot cards? They were helping you back home?"

Theo threw his hands in the air.

"I guess! I thought that I was doing it, but apparently, the family ghosts were helping me all along!"

"They must really hate your dad then," Adam laughed. "He's about as good at card reading as you are now."

"Ha, ha," Theo replied, shooting Adam a withering glare. "I can still do this...probably. It's just usually easier. Things actually come to mind when I usually look at the cards, but I've got nothing. Maybe if I work harder at it, I can get things going again."

"What do you think the spirits are?" Adam asked. "Are they actually spirits, like ghosts? Is that why they can't come here, because they belong in our realm's afterlife? I always got the impression from Rien that they were something other than human. What can't cross into this realm?"

"The realms are falling apart," Theo pointed out. "They can probably break through eventually, same as our realm is changing this one." He froze, realizing that this theory meant that he might soon be haunted again if the spirits could eventually break through. "On the other hand, maybe they can never break through because they're something weird. Let's hope for that option."

"If they can cross over here one day, that means you'd be able to read cards easily again. Maybe they could even send a message to Rien. What if you stood at the portal we crossed at or the one Abercius snuck through and tried to send a message through them? Like, just sticking your head through and thinking really hard? Would that work?"

"Maybe, but it'd be a lot of effort that all depends on some supernatural mess that's incredibly fickle. I'd probably be better off just sending a text by sticking my hand out the portal."

"True. Plus Despina would definitely find out if we marched you to a portal. It'll never work. Still, that's really kind of amazing that you got to hear from them, even if they were kinda bitchy. As far as I know, nothing haunts the Darktide family. Our family's ability to make bad decisions is all on us."

Theo had a snide comment about Adam's bad decision to cheat on him ready to go, but he held back at the last moment. Adam was likely referring to his mother's decision to publicly disown him or to his uncle's brilliant idea to experiment on Adam with dangerous magic to save Sebastian at all costs. There were worse things than cheating on your high school boyfriend, and Adam had already experienced them.

"Hey, thanks for being cool about this," Theo said, surprised that pushing away his snide comment didn't make him upset. He'd stayed by Adam's side after his uncle had nearly caused him to have a seizure, hoping that he'd be okay. He'd needed Adam to be okay. What good was reminding Adam about the reason why they broke up, when Xexys himself had seen deep into Theo's mind and seen how afraid he was of losing Adam?

"Of course. You can tell me anything, Theo. We're going to have to work together to get through this. We're a team, remember?"

A team. That's what Adam always used to call the two of them. They were a team together, with Abercius and Despina tagging along.

"Yeah, I guess we are." Theo leaned his head against Adam's shoulder. It felt good to lean against the stability of his shoulder, feeling it move gently with each breath Adam took. It was calming in a way that not even magic could compete with. It reminded him of the many dreams Despina teased him about, the ones where he and Adam were together and happy. But this was reality, where Adam had cheated on him, and Theo had vowed never to take back a cheater, no matter how sorry they were.

But then again, Theo had seen through Xexys' eyes exactly how intimidating his curse was to anyone who encountered it. How unbelievable was it that anyone would want to stand next to him, knowing that power? How unbelievable was it that Adam would ever even try to be near the source of the power that had nearly killed him? Just allowing Theo to rest his head on his shoulder would be more than Theo would allow in Adam's place.

Xexys appeared in an instant, wielding an ancient sword. Apparently, the demon had been following Lukas' efforts, hoping to derail any progress they made.

"It matters not, Life god," Xexys sneered. He held the sword of the Watcher tight in his hands, waiting for the opportunity to strike. He'd never faced Life or Death in battle before, but he imagined that it was similar to fighting that assassin he'd tamed. Coby respected his place in the order of Jubilant Accosts. Lukas, on the other hand, was going to be more difficult to convince to obey.

"I summon the Timelady Rani Bachelor of Ticktop! You have abandoned your post and your sworn duty to protect the kingdom of Jubilant Accosts. I, Lukas Lane, protector of Life, call upon you to awaken once more and resume the sacred duties that were assigned to you."

Lukas scowled when the Timelady didn't immediately appear before them. Ancient medieval creatures were evidently stubborn. There were very few living things that could resist a summons from their god, Timeladies included. Lukas focused on the faint hum they could feel within the folds of time, picturing the last face they remembered the Timelady having.

"Rani, come forth. I command you."

Time wasn't part of the duties of Life, but Rani was alive even if she was hidden away. Part of why their ex-girlfriend, Hailee, had been so useful to have around was her limited ability to see the streams of time. All other safeguards of time fell to the Guardians of Time in one realm and to the Ticktop Lords and Ladies of Time in Jubilant Accosts. Lukas had done their part by alerting the Timelady that her presence was needed, now it was time for Rani to answer their call.

"My lord, Lukas, forgive me. I didn't recognize you at first. I feared that your call was a trick of the demon. I am here now, ready to serve."

A blonde woman kneeled before the deity. She was exactly as they remembered her centuries ago when they had resealed the realm with the Grim Reaper at the time. Rani may not have seen them, hidden behind the portal, but Lukas had insisted on seeing someone from a country as mysterious as Ticktop.

Lukas tried to hide their relief that they had correctly found Rani. They had been about ninety nine percent certain that they knew what they were doing and that they could rely on their powers to be accurate. They may not be able to shift into their preferred form, but at least they'd summoned a living, breathing Timelady with an ease they hoped frightened Xexys.

"Timelady, take back your power from the clutches of this demon! He's been abusing the realm of Time to strengthen his nightmares. This is your sacred duty and you've abandoned it for centuries!"

"Yes, my lord. Please understand, I had to abandon my post. After Absydee disappeared, and the rest of the reapers eventually fell, the Dream Guardian was murdered by an invasion lead by Tredony's assassin. I didn't have the resources to fight them all on my own, so I hid until you or Lord Izanami's representative appeared again. It has been a very long time since you last checked in on us."

"I was in a centuries long coma, trying to reincarnate," Lukas replied, their voice cold. They didn't need to be lectured by a subordinate about how to do their job. "I'm here now. Who the hell is Absydee and what happened to the reapers?"

"Now's not exactly the best time to catch up," Rani answered, looking anxiously over her shoulder at the demon nearby. "Though, I am compelled to answer you despite our guest. Absydee was the head of the reaper team in our realm. She disappeared the same day that our last king died. The reapers held on for some time without her, but someone came for them a few centuries ago. They are all no more. Has no one made you aware of this situation?"

Lukas ground their teeth, trying not to take out their anger on the Timelady they needed on their side.

"Again, coma. Reincarnation. I was busy. How did you manage to lose the head reaper? Izanami would have chosen the best to serve here. I wasn't created until after he'd staffed this realm with my predecessor, so I didn't know the reaper team personally. What exactly happened to them? I've never seen an entire team wiped out before."

"But you have, Life god," Xexys cackled. "Your sister and her peers were lost, or have you forgotten? The reapers here died in exactly the same way. I heard their screams myself. They begged for your Death god."

Lukas wasn't about to take the bait that Xexys was dangling before them. Some individual reapers, like their sister had been killed, but an entire team had never been lost before, and certainly not centuries after losing their leader.

And they would never beg for Izanami's help either. Izanami was incredibly hands off while serving as the Grim Reaper, and had always made his disinterest in management clear. The reapers should have known that Death would never come to save them; he'd let his own son go up against a cult of witches entirely on his own.

"Rani, I'm not going to ask again," they stated, glaring at the Timelady. "I don't need excuses, I need the realm of Time in the hands of its guardian. Now."

In an instant, Lukas felt the currents of Time swirl around them, following the sweeping motion of Rani's arms. Seconds, centuries, they all passed by, trailing snippets of life before the god's eyes.

The rise of the Jacobean church at the cost of all other faiths.

Two soulmates torn apart by the laws of the Proxy, and separated by this plague.

King Apophis Xechasménaeizam. The last king whose death apparently coincides with the team leader of the missing reaper team's disappearance. His name was marked with a "burning soul", was Hailee right that it might be connected to the reapers? To Riley?

No, I can't make that assumption just yet. Too much is at stake if I'm wrong. Still, there is something about this king that I need to discover. He seems to be somehow tied to all that's wrong with Jubilant Accosts.

And Izanami?

"You must know that there will be no returning once this is done. I trust you with this mission, but I need to know if you think you can handle it. I can send someone else if need be."

"No need, I've been preparing for this assignment for some time. To lead this new team of reapers in a new realm is an honour. Xexys doesn't frighten me and I have few attachments in this realm. I'm ready to do this. And this isn't goodbye forever. We can always catch up when you come to maintain the seal between realms. Plus, I'll have the rest of the reapers you've selected to keep me company. I'll be fine."

"Of course. I'm sure that you'll do an adequate job. Remember, you will be one of the only levels of protection this realm has. Its survival depends in part on you."

Oh Izanami, you sentimental idiot. She's the best you could pick? At least I know what this Absydee looks like now. That eye of hers is hard to forget.

"I wish you were dead! I want you to be dead! I don't want to share any realm with you, even if it means living in fucking Jubilant Accosts! You've already ruined any chance of happiness that I had, so piss off and leave me alone! Just leave me alone! We've done our job, so fucking leave!"

What a strange memory to pop up now, especially one that took place at the portal to this realm. I need to explore this further. This must mean something.

Lukas opened their eyes and saw the magic Rani had pulled, pooled beside them.

"This is it? This is what you need?"

When Rani nodded, Lukas began the work of binding the magic to the Timelady it belonged to. It was easy to reattach, as it had always belonged to Rani. Xexys had twisted it over the years, stretching it to suit his whims, but that was easy enough to fix. Lukas hadn't been the deity of Life when Jubilant Accosts had been sealed away, but it was their job now, and the magic of the realm couldn't help but bend to their will.

"This is my realm! I will not let you have it! Your predecessor became a demon, just as I am, while you are mortal created. You're as weak as the mortals here!"

Xexys raised his sword and rushed towards the deity. The assassin of Tredony had surrendered to this blade and so would this would be god. Xexys could remember the first Life deity and the power they had once wielded. This god had been created from mortals and had already reincarnated twice before. Xexys was certain that he could cause an third reincarnation, one that would buy him more time to defend his realm from the gods.

But Lukas had been prepared for the attack and easily knocked the demon to the ground with their staff.

"Those mortals I came from are the best swordsmen in the afterlife," Lukas laughed. "They taught me everything they've ever known about swordsmanship. I've fought wars against demons stronger than you. You're a joke without your little gimmick, and once I end this plague of yours, you'll be stuck in here with a proper defense against you. I'm not as easy of a target as I used to be."

Rani stared in awe at the power Lukas was sending to her. Her mind slowly began to remember all the laws of time and the delicate threads holding together the universe. Her fingers relearned the specific motions needed to open a window in time and the way to halt the flow of time altogether. The long centuries of hiding, powerless to defend herself faded away. She was a Timelady of Ticktop and she had forgotten herself after the destruction of her people, after the destruction of her colleagues defending this realm. She had lost so much over the years, but it was in her power to take back what was hers.

Xexys scowled at the Timelady's transformation. It had been hard work to steal the reins of the realm of Time, but there hadn't been a god there when he'd done it. That Tredonian assassin was still haunting his own realm at the moment, and Xexys' own son was a prisoner there. He was at a disadvantage, and he was smart enough to know when to retreat.

"So long, Life god. You won't always be so well defended, and no one can stay out of the realm of dreams forever. We will meet again with a very different outcome."

Rani gasped as Xexys vanished from sight, astounded that the demon had given up so quickly. The Xexys she remembered had destroyed everything she'd ever loved in the blink of an eye. Well, losing Absydee had been the true beginning of the end of Jubilant Accosts' defenders, but everything had begun to snowball from there.

"Thank god he left," Lukas sighed, stretching the arm holding the very heavy staff. "I'd hate to actually have to use this thing. I had to steal this from a museum and no one's used it in centuries. It's been awhile since I had to duel with a staff. I don't suppose that you have much practice with one, right?"

Rani nodded her head solemnly.

"My people were peaceful, God of Life. We manipulated time in our defense, though I have completed some training with a sword."

"Call me Lukas. We're going to be working pretty closely for the next while, and it gets annoying hearing my title over and over in every conversation I have. You can catch me up on everything that I've missed here though. Starting with the first defense to fall here. I take it that was the reapers?"

Rani lowered her eyes. Dwelling on unpleasant memories was never easy, but her superior had commanded her to do so. She had always been fond of the reapers, especially Absydee. They had had a lot of fun together.

"Yes. When the king was killed on a hunt, Absydee was sent to reap him. No one knows what took place, just that neither of their essences were recovered, and the reapers found a strange notation beside the king's name on her reaping list."

"Yes, this burning soul business," Lukas said. "Neither of their souls were found in the afterlife? I know Apophis' was never found, but the reaper's too?"

"So the other reapers said. They were lost without their leader, and couldn't travel back to their home realm to ask Death about it. Death never came back to reseal the realm either, just his associates, so they had no instructions. Later, when they were lost as well, their souls were never seen again."

"Like RIley and the others. So this Absydee could have been killed first, and her coworkers were killed centuries later? That doesn't sound right. What happened to her if the king's soul supposedly reincarnated?"

"My people will reincarnate in a way when we are faced with death," Rani suggested, hoping to be helpful. "We generate a new face and body. The Jacobeans called us shapeshifters and sinners because of it, but it's what's natural for us. Perhaps there is something in the nature of a reaper that can explain this."

Lukas shook their head, disappointing Rani.

"No, reapers have little connection to life. They can't change their form in my realm. They rely on Death's power only. Perhaps if this soul truly was 'burning' it might have consumed the reaper trying to collect it. But how did this dead soul get the power to reenter my realm? Life and Death are incompatible. There's no way for those two realms to combine at all, let alone in one soul."

"I wish you were dead! I want you to be dead! I don't want to share any realm with you, even if it means living in fucking Jubilant Accosts!"

Lukas paled as they remembered the glimpse of their past while handling Rani's power.

"Oh, shit. I think I may...but how would she...I need to confirm something. Something important. Rani, I need you to reestablish yourself in this realm. Find a place to practice using your abilities again, and wait for me to return. There's a group of teens who are from Tredony, hoping to help us win back this realm. We need to assist them, and figure out how we're going to replace a trained reaper team and a Dream Guardian. I don't know what cost the other reapers their lives, but I have a sneaking suspicion about what may have happened to their leader. There's only one place where Life and Death combine. I just need to understand what she did. I'll come find you when I know."

Abysdee. Helle could feel every detail of this woman pressed against Apophis, from the softness of the sleeves resting on his skin to the smell of flowers in her hair.

She felt the warmth of her pressed against Apophis' side as birds sang above them. The softness of the grass below them. It was as real as anything Helle had ever known.

"Apophis, love, come to bed. Your duties are done for the day, as are mine. It's our time now."

"Sorry, love. Duty calls. For a woman in command of time, Rani is not forgiving when anyone else is late."

"Forget Rani," Apophis whispered, wrapping his arms around Absydee. Helle felt a chill run down her spine. "Stay an hour. Just an hour. Rani can just adjust time and steal an hour from somewhere else. Maybe from when we're sleeping in my warm bed."

"Apophis, please," Absydee giggled, wriggling free from his grasp. "The world would stop spinning if we stayed here together. We each have our duties to attend to. Your lovely wife will miss you at court."

"My lovely wife hasn't been at court in months. She's far too fragile for politics. She spends most of her time in her chambers, praying to the Watcher that our daughter sees reason. Both of them know about our love, there's no need to hide."

"I'm not trying to hide, I'm merely trying to avoid the wrath of a certain Timelady. I'll see you tonight maybe. It depends on how work goes."

"I'll be waiting."

Abercius could hear the faint sound of snoring beside him. Adam, Theo, and Despina had fallen into a deep sleep, oblivious to Helle's dreams. Maybe it was their slightly different biology from Helle and Abercius or maybe their dream magic wasn't strong enough to withstand the dreams that plagued Helle. Either way, it wasn't exactly giving him confidence about their chances against Xexys.

"You must know that there will be no returning once this is done. I trust you with this mission, but I need to know if you think you can handle it. I can send someone else if need be."

Izanami stared at Absydee intently, looking for any sign of doubt or weakness.

"No need," she replied. Her voice never wavered. "I've been preparing for this assignment for some time. To lead this new team of reapers in a new realm is an honour. Xexys doesn't frighten me and I have few attachments in this realm. I'm ready to do this. And this isn't goodbye forever. We can always catch up when you come to maintain the seal between realms. Plus, I'll have the rest of the reapers you've selected to keep me company. I'll be fine."

"Of course. I'm sure that you'll do an adequate job. Remember, you will be one of the only levels of protection this realm has. Its survival depends in part on you."

"I accept that responsibility. I won't let you down."

"Ugh. That hit harder than usual. Is everyone okay? I feel like someone hit me over the head with a shovel."

Helle shakily pushed against the floor to stand up with a groan. The Tredonians were still fast asleep on the floor, but Abercius was slowly beginning to stand beside her.

"Is this what it's like to have these dreams?" he groaned. "I feel like what Dad looks like when he's had too much to drink with Uncle Trysten. My head might actually be splitting open."

None of the other teenagers moved. Theo began snoring, followed quickly by Adam, and Despina rolled on her side away from the noise. Abercius nudged Adam with his foot, earning a small groan as his body turned away from the intrusion.

"They're all asleep," he said worriedly. "Does that mean they've caught the plague? Are we at risk for sharing a room with them? How did this happen?"

Before Abercius could devolve into a panic, Helle grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"If they had fallen victim to the plague, they wouldn't respond to touch or be able to snore," she assured him. "I've seen the work of the plague first hand, and it disables all movement of the body. The victims don't move or hear or react. The only thing the Tredonians have to fear is embarrassment for not being able to withstand the force of my dreams. I had hope that Despina might be able to cure my nightmares tonight, but it was misplaced. Maybe they just have to get used to the force of my dreams over time before they can help. Does any of our people know how to use dream magic? It might help Despina learn faster if we had someone native to our realm to help her."

"I don't know anyone else like her. The only kind of person that I can think of with the magic to control dreams would be a demon. I can't imagine how we would find one though, if there even are demons other than Xexys."

Helle laid back down on the floor, gesturing for Abercius to join her, which he happily did.

"So how often do you have those dreams?" Abercius asked. "I can't imagine dealing with those more than once."

"Well, they're not always that bad," she replied. "I...I've never seen anything like...her. That's new."

Abercius' heart sank when he saw the look in Helle's eyes. Whoever that mysterious woman in the vision was, she had captured Helle's entire attention. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous, though he didn't know why. Helle had feelings for him, and whoever this woman was, she either died a long time ago or was the figment of their combined imaginations. People who reaped others for Death did die, didn't they? That had to be why there were no longer any reapers in their realm.

"Yeah, she seemed pretty...uh, pretty. You've never seen her before?"

Helle shook her head.

"I thought that I'd seen everything related to Apophis. I never thought there'd be something new, and something so big. He was in love with someone other than his wife. How do the records not mention that at all?"

"Well, our records aren't exactly complete," Abercius guessed. "And Apophis' daughter took over after he died, so she may have destroyed any evidence of her dad's affair."

"True. You're probably right, but how did I miss this for so long? Those Tredonians must be the answer. They aren't strong enough to handle my dreams, but they clearly triggered something. I hope that Despina will ask me to continue her exercises when they wake up. I'm curious to see what else will come to me."

"How do you know her name if you've never seen her before?" Abercius asked, trying not to sound too interested or jealous of the answer. "You seem pretty sure that her name was Absydee. I've heard the Tredonians mention an Izanami before. He's the husband of their Life deity who's currently in our realm, doing...something. No one seems to know what they're doing here, just that they're here. Izanami is apparently the god of Death."

Helle's eyes widened at this information. Two confirmed deities who were not the Watcher? Gods of both the living and the dead?

"That sounds fascinating, and I hope to meet this god someday, but I'm dreaming of someone who knows Death?"

"Or someone who worked for him, would be my guess," Abercius replied. "Apparently, our realm is supposed to have a team of reapers to help preserve our safety from Xexys, along with a Timelady, and someone called the Dream Guardian. It's part of why things have gotten so bad here. We aren't protected the way that we should be. It looks like this Absydee was supposed to protect us, but somehow, she failed."

"She fell for Apophis, that much is clear. It looked a lot like having to reap Apophis triggered something within her. What could she have done that she would have had to apologize to her boss? What happened to this reaper team?"

"No one knows yet," Abercius said with a helpless shrug. "That's something Despina wants to know too, so I'm sure she'll get to the bottom of it."

"I can't stop thinking of that woman. She feels so familiar, yet I had no idea that she even existed until today. That eye of hers...it feels like it was staring directly into my soul. Like she was waiting for me to say something. Like she felt such deep sorrow just watching me. Did you feel it too?"

Abercius paused at the question. Did he feel anything from the dream? Did he feel anything from that strange creature of death?

He couldn't lie. He did have a strange, disquieting feeling about the woman. Maybe it was his mother's years of religious conditioning, but he disapproved of anyone having an affair with a married man, whether his wife knew about it or not. Maybe it hit too close to home for him because of his father's affair, with whoever his affair partner was. If it was with a woman like this reaper or with Abercius' uncle like the Tredonians believed, it had still hurt his family. Even for a royal family who had fatal "accidents" happen, it had to hurt. Did the king and queen love each other? Was it an arranged marriage without love? Did that make an affair okay? Plus, this Absydee had also broken her word to Death himself and put Jubilant Accosts in danger.

Helle looked fascinated with this woman, and the last thing Abercius wanted to do was upset her, so he smiled and tried to follow his mother's example of keeping the peace.

"She's pretty, but I've never seen a reaper before, so I don't know what to think about her. Maybe they all have a glowing eye like hers. I don't think that I felt anything looking at her. She wasn't watching me, but it was your dream, so maybe that's why you felt like she was watching you. Whenever the Tredonians wake up, they might have a better idea. They actually have functioning reaper teams there, and that's apparently where Death chooses to live, so they might know more."

Helle smiled, but Abercius could see her becoming distant, lost in thought. This beautiful reaper had captured her attention, and he had a sinking feeling that Absydee might be the only topic of conversation Helle wanted to discuss for the rest of the night.

"We can always try to get some more sleep and see what happens," he suggested. "Maybe we'll see more. It's better than waiting for the Tredonians to wake up. I'm sure that they'll have a lot of questions."

"You want me to spend the night, do you?" she teased, making Abercius flush bright red. "I'd like that. It gets lonely by myself at home. Even the sound of Theo's snoring is pleasant compared to the silence. I'm sure that Despina will have a million questions in the morning, so staying will make it easier."

Abercius nodded, trying to force his face to stop burning with embarrassment.

"You could spend more nights with us if you want. I mean, it would be helpful to have you here to help with the scrying, and it wouldn't be so lonely for you, and we have an extra sleeping bag. Just in case you wanted to."

Helle hugged him tightly. She had a smile on her face, but her gaze was still distant.

"I'd love to. Well, on some nights. I still have a lot of work to do in my gallery, and I do love some me time. Going from living alone all my life to joining you and some noisy Tredonians every night is a big ask."

"It's something that I'm still getting used to too," Abercius confessed. "It's a lot quieter here without the noise of my family, even with the snoring."

"We'll get through this plague together, Abby," Helle promised, pulling out the extra sleeping bag hidden in a closet by the door and laying it out. "Between the two of us and our Tredonian friends, I know we'll figure this out. Things will be okay, I promise."

Abercius smiled, and pushed his sleeping bag closer to Helle's.

"I'm glad to help, but I'm mostly here for selfish reasons," Helle explained. "I want to have some relief from these dreams. They've bothered me my whole life, and they're only getting worse. It would be nice to dream of something other than medieval battles and ancient heretics. Sometimes, it feels like Apophis is my only friend for all the time I spend with him in my head."

"He's not your only friend. You have Tiffany Dean and...and you have me. I'd like to be your friend or...maybe something more than a friend?" Abercius held his breath, waiting for Helle's reply. He'd taken Despina at her word, and summoned all of his courage to ask Helle out. He knew that she usually preferred girls, but he didn't feel like a guy, and she knew that. Wherever his journey with his identity ended, he was certain that he wasn't a guy in the same way that Theo and Adam felt they were guys. There was too much going on in his life to process all of his feelings about his gender, but Helle knew that. Maybe they could work it out together, when he knew what had happened to his parents and little brother, and the realm wasn't constantly under threat from a demon.

"You're sweet, Abby." Helle wrapped Abercius in a ferocious hug, brushing her nose along his chin. "I think I'd like that too. Just, things are weird and scary right now, so we should take it slow. I don't want to rush into anything just because I'm afraid that I might not live to see tomorrow."

"We can take things as slow as you'd like," Abercius promised, his cheeks beginning to turn red with the rush of adrenaline. "We don't need to move in together or anything. My mom's never let me leave the house after seven, so this is all new to me too. I've never even kissed anyone before, so I'm fine with going slow too. I just wanted to let you know how I felt, just in case...in case..."

"Yeah, me too. Me too."

"We're ready!" Despina called, interrupting the awkward declarations of interest in the main hall. "Everyone come get ready in the living room."

Abercius had been expecting an elaborate setup of candles and pentagrams, but Despina just had a simple speaker playing soothing music and the book on dreams that she carried everywhere with her.

"So the goal tonight is to not fall asleep, but to remain in a trance like state, allowing anything important to come to you. Open your mind to the realm of time and the realm of dreams. Slow your breathing down, just like this, and relax."

Abericius did as he was told, despite his brain buzzing with euphoria. He had a girlfriend! Helle liked him back! He didn't know how he was supposed to focus on quieting his mind when he felt like this. He sneaked a peek at Adam and Theo, who looked to be having the same difficulties.

"Follow my actions," Despina commanded, drawing Abercius' attention back to his friend. "And breathe. Deep breath in, deep breath out. We're just going to-"

Despina stopped mid sentence, suddenly overcome by the image of a woman standing before a throne. The image was so powerful and overwhelming that it nearly knocked everyone but Helle off their feet. They could smell a roast cooking in the nearby kitchen, could feel the warmth of the sun fall on their face from the window. Seeing dreams of her parents had been one thing, but experiencing Helle's dreams were something else entirely. No wonder Helle was desperate to be rid of them.

"That's Queen Neith," Helle explained. "I've seen her a million times like this. She's Apophis' mother. From what I've been able to find on her, she was a fair ruler who was well liked by her people."

"Amazing," Despina murmured. "I haven't felt anything like this before. I don't even think something this intense is in my book. I can't control any of it, can you, Adam?"

Her cousin grunted in response as he tried to remain upright under the intensity of the dream.

"This is stronger than even your father," Adam replied. "I think this would crush him as much as it is us. This is insane! How do you live with these, Helle?"

Adam was interrupted by another image. Somehow, this image was even stronger than the last one. A man wearing the same crown as Queen Neith, lay dead on the ground, his body riddled with arrows.

"This is Apophis," Helle said, while everyone else around her struggled to remain on their feet. "This is how he died according to most of the historic texts. He was on a hunt when he was accidentally shot and killed."

"There's at least three arrows in his back," Despina pointed out with horror. "How is that an accident?"

"Easy. His daughter took the throne after his death and declared it to be an accident. There are conspiracy theories of course, even among writers at the time. No one was ever linked to the arrows that shot the king, and Hetepheres was about to be forced into a political marriage she wanted no part in, so she stood to benefit from her father's death. She was considered to be the prime suspect in her father's murder, but no one dared to charge the queen."

"Okay, everyone get on the floor," Despina groaned. She collapsed on the ground, followed by Theo and Adam, and then Abercius. "It's probably safer if we stay on the ground, so we don't fall while the dreams come. Each one of these is hitting like a sucker punch, so let's be safe. I-"

"My darling daughter. A prince of Effenmont has written to confirm his attendance at our next ball. I should like you to spend time with him, and introduce him to our palace. It is my dear hope that he will eventually call it home as we do. Your knight is not an appropriate choice for a husband, you must know this."

"No! This cannot be! Apophis! I cannot do my duty. I cannot! Lord Izanami, forgive me. You must forgive me!"

"The Demon of Nightmares? He hasn't been seen since my mother's reign. I believe there was some scheme involving amulets that were causing a sleeping sickness, but that was taken care of." Apophis' voice was loud and clear despite his advanced age. He spoke with the authority of a king, even when facing an angel.

"The dream guardian took care of it," the dark haired woman beside him added. "He was a great help. He should be able to handle this new tantrum of Xexys' easily. Lord Izanami promised that we would have what we needed to keep the demon weak, and he does not make promises lightly. Xexys will fail in this new endeavor, just like all the others."

Helle had never seen the dark haired woman with a glowing eye in her dreams before. This was an entirely new dream, one that somehow hit even harder than the dreams about Apophis. This woman's image was burned into her mind until every last freckle was committed to memory. Up until this moment, Helle had never seen this woman, and now with one little dream, her life had been changed forever.

"I know you're more than capable," Abercius replied, clearly still reeling from everything that had happened in the last hour. "Brion will accept you when he gets to know you better. He's just protective."

"You? What are you doing here?"

Abercius flinched at his brother's words, preparing himself to defend two children as quickly as possible.

"This man says that he's a doctor," Deia said cautiously, staying as far away from her guest as was polite.

"They're not a man or a doctor, Aunt Deia," Abercius replied, his relief obvious. "They're exactly who we need though. This is Lukas, the god in control of the realm of Life."

"A god? Impossible. The Watcher is the only god."

"You're a bad actor for someone who's lied for so long," Lukas replied, rolling their eyes at the absurdity of a woman in love with a dream demon hybrid claiming to be a devout Jacobean. "Your husband I could see believing that, but you? You're smarter than that."

Deia looked helplessly at Abercius, as he clearly was familiar with this supposed god.

"They're really a god," Abercius promised. "I used to work for their husband."

Deia threw her hands in the air and surrendered to the absurdity her life had become. She wasn't a devout Jacobean or even truly Jacobean at all, but this was all too strange to accept. A pregnant husband? A god walking through her door who knew her nephew? When it was safe to take her babies and Xanthos and leave this cursed settlement, Deia was running as far away as she could.

"Sure. That makes sense."

"Don't worry, I'm an expert at all this," Lukas assured her. "My husband's granddaughter would have died in utero if it hadn't been for me, and I helped deliver her. I've given birth to twins, and have several other children, so I know what I'm doing. You couldn't be in better hands. You're just lucky that I find your family interesting enough to keep tabs on."

"Alphaeus? I've lost you. I can hear you, but I can't see you. It's all a blur."

Lukas watched the man on the floor mumble for a moment, trying to diagnose how dire the situation was.

"Okay, demon spawn, you're carrying this man upstairs to the bedroom, while the rest of you are going to sit outside and keep yourself occupied while I work. Not you, Abby. You're going to help me with this birth. I need someone who knows how to look for the signs of death. Yeah, yeah, you're not a reaper anymore, but I need to know how close the parent and child are to death at any moment. There's only so long I can interfere before Death becomes involved and once that line is crossed, I have very few choices."

"I can't believe we're out here while Trysten is alone with a stranger and my delusional nephew," Deia lamented. She watched Desdemona play with her outside toys, while the infant slept in the bassinet Deia used when they had limited outside time. "How sure are we that this isn't a trick of Xexys'?"

"I keep telling you that it's not," Brion insisted. "At least some of us can be counted on to tell the truth. Lukas is helping restore the balance of our realm. Abercius trusts them, so I do too. My friend Theo was saved by Lukas. They're the only chance Uncle Trysten has."

"A bit convenient timing, if you ask me," Xanthos complained. "How did they know when to come here if they weren't behind this sudden change in Trysten?"

"Because they were probably watching," Helle said, as if it should be obvious. Lukas had admitted as much, but the adults were slow to catch on to the realities of their realm. "That's what they do apparently. They watch the living and interfere if they're so inclined. They're helping restore Jubilant Accosts to the way it was supposed to be."

"And how was it supposed to be? With a queen ruling over us?" Xanthos asked. "If I remember my history right, the monarch didn't do much for the people of Jubilant Accosts, especially the demons."

"You're not remembering it right," Helle insisted. "The monarch helped the nation with fair leadership and by defending their people against threats by the Demon of Nightmares. It's not demons that the monarchy swore to defend against, but one singular demon who is currently showing us just how dangerous he is. We were left here in this realm with one terrible demon, but we studied every clue left to us about the demons in the realm we were sealed away from. Over time, we even had people cross between the realms with new information on demons from where they came from. Just because we hate the demon we were sealed in here with, doesn't mean that our whole realm hates other kinds of demon."

"Yeah, Theo went to Shadowvale to learn how to control himself," Brion added. "He was sent here because we had knowledge of ancient magic and ancient demons. We don't have demons native to Jubilant Accosts, aside from the one destroying everything, but Theo told me about how extensive Shadowvale's library was when it came to demonology."

"If we can defeat Xexys, maybe we can encourage other demons to settle here," Helle said. "We can create a home for everyone, just like Tredony has. Xexys was the reason we were sealed away, so if he's gone, maybe things can be different for us."

"As I assured everyone, a baby has been born. A baby boy."

Everyone turned to face the deity who had appeared in the doorway to announce their success.

"It's a miracle!" Deia gasped, grabbing Xanthos with excitement. "The baby is alive! How is Trysten? Is he okay?"

Lukas grimaced at the reminder. The plague was a nasty illness, especially at the end.

"He's struggling. It shouldn't be long now. I need to return to him, but we need the child out of the way. One of you needs to care for him."

Deia stood, but she couldn't take a single step before Xanthos stood in front of her protectively.

"Does he have the plague? Deia, you can't risk exposing yourself to him if he does."

"His eyes are clear," Lukas replied, holding the infant out for inspection. "I can't sense any of the plague within him. If anything, he might have built up an immunity or resistance to the disease. I guess we'll find out. He's completely safe to hold, either way."

Deia didn't need to be told twice. She pushed past Xanthos, and reached for the baby.

"Come here, Alphaios," she cooed, staring at the infant in her arms with wonderment. "You're such a cutie."

"Did you just name him?" Brion asked, dumbfounded at the audacity of his aunt. He didn't know how to feel about this little half-brother/cousin, but however mad he was at his uncle, Trysten still deserved to name his son.

"It's the name Trysten chose for a boy," Deia whispered, keeping her voice low to soothe a very confused infant. "Alphaios Maitiu Vienot to be exact. He wanted to name him after the father Alphaios would never meet. He insisted on it."

Xanthos nodded to confirm her story.

"That's perfect," Helle declared, glaring at Brion to agree with her. "What a lovely gesture."

Brion mumbled something that could have been agreement with Helle, which Helle decided was still a victory. She couldn't win support for her rule if she made enemies everywhere she went.

"Great, welcome to the world, Alphaios," Lukas announced, already heading back into the house now that the baby was safely with his family and out of Lukas' care. "I've still got work to do. I'd advise staying out of the bedroom until I'm done."

"And Abercius? Is he coming back to us now that his work is done?" Helle asked hopefully. Her hopes were dashed when Lukas shook their head.

"No, I still have plans for them," they replied cryptically, vanishing into the house without another word.

"Them?" Helle repeated, looking to Brion to see if he had any clue of what the deity meant. Brion only shrugged. He hadn't truly understood anything he'd seen upon returning home. Just one mystery or tragedy after another.

"Let's get you inside," Deia sang to Alphaios, rocking him in her arms. "There's no sense waiting out here when all we need to do is avoid upstairs. Come on, Desdemona, clean up your toys."

Abercius stared at his uncle, unable to process everything he'd just seen. Clearly, Lukas knew what they were doing; the baby had been born faster than Abercius could have even imagined.

Now, Trysten lay before him, completely lost in the haze of the plague. His arm twitched slightly every minute or so, but otherwise, he was as still as a corpse. Absydee was used to seeing dead bodies in her line of work, while Abercius was still a little squeamish.

To his surprise, Lukas had been right that Abercius could still see and understand the different stages of death, without having a reaper body. He had seen the signs of Trysten's soul releasing from his body, and warned Lukas, so they could try to heal just enough to keep him alive. There was only so much that they could do though; Trysten's name was likely appearing in Absydee's old book as they spoke.

"Listen to me, I know what Lordem Lukas wants from us. They have been watching and waiting for this for some time. They need our help. Remember who we were."

Abercius jumped at the impossible sound of a familiar voice, looking around to find its owner. "Absydee?"

He blinked, and when his eyes focused, his former self was staring intently at him, holding out her hand.

"They need our help," she repeated. "Take my hand. We need both of us for this. I know that we haven't fully fused, and I sometimes feel like a different person, but we are the same. We share the same soul, we both love Apophis. We will do this together."

"Do what?" Abercius asked nervously. "If I'm you, shouldn't I know what you know?"

Absydee nodded carefully.

"Yes, and you do know, you just haven't learned to listen to that part of us yet. Take my hand, and listen."

Abercius reached out his arm to make contact with the apparition of his past self. Even though no one could see Absydee, Abercius could feel her familiar presence wash over him, whispering to him softly about what he already knew within him.

"Oh," he said softly. "I see. That might work. I can't see Lord Izanami being happy about that, but that might work until something better comes along. But in order to do anything, I need-"

Absydee vanished, fading into the smoke spilling from his uncle's cauldron, only to be replaced by Rani. She landed safely on the floor in a shower of sparkles, grinning wildly.

"Abby! Can you believe it? Life is making us kill someone! I thought that I had to have heard it wrong, but there's someone half dead already and they need help crossing over. No one ever gave us missions like this in the old days."

Abercius sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"No, you definitely heard that wrong," he said. "We're not killing anyone. Life can't kill people. It's pretty obvious that Life is going to try to make my uncle a reaper, so we can have a proper team again. I don't know if we'd even succeed, since I'm not a reaper anymore, but we're not going to kill him."

A certain deity cleared their throat and stepped into the room.

"That could be the meditation starting to relax you," Despina replied. "You're in a relaxed state, outside in the sunshine; it has to be working. I know that it will be easier to manage your dreams if you're relaxed better than before."

"No, I actually feel really funny," Helle stated, beginning to worry about how high she was off the ground and how much it might hurt if she fell. "I feel cold and sweaty and a little dizzy. This might be too much for a first try at meditation."

She closed her eyes, but that only made things worse. Images flashed in her head far too quickly to comprehend, aside from the unmistakable glowing eye of Absydee.

Apophis, please. The world would stop spinning if we stayed here together.

"I don't think that sounds right, Helle," Theo remarked. "Not even the meditation we studied in Shadowvale made me feel cold. Maybe you're getting sick."

"No one is sick," Despina declared. "I'm not going to fail this time. We can work through this and get your nightmares under control. Abercius mentioned that they were really starting to impact your daily life."

Helle tried not to cringe, just in case she broke her focus and tumbled to the ground. So Abercius had been upset about the paintings and her rambling about the dead woman she was now obsessed over. At least she now had that confirmed.

You are the king, make Hetepheres obey! She cannot marry a knight, and Watcher help us if she has his bastard child! Do something, Apophis!

A light shone that was somehow even brighter when Helle closed her eyes. First she was dreaming about the past, and now she was hearing voices. She was losing her mind.

Ranya, don't leave here angry at me. You're my sister. We can talk about this.

"It's so strong," Helle groaned, somehow managing to kick out her feet to touch the ground once more. "I think I'm going to be sick. Do you hear the voices too? They just keep getting louder."

"Voices? Are they telling you to marry Abercius or to dump him because they don't like him?" Helle could faintly hear Theo speak if she tried to focus on his voice. "You don't have to listen to them. They're not even allowed to be here. They're just really bitchy dead people for the most part. No one tells me what else they are, but there's definitely a lot of dead people with dumb opinions."

"Despina? Is this supposed to be happening?! My hand feels like it's on fire. Despina?"

Helle extended her arm, shocked to see her hand enveloped in an intense light. If she squinted hard enough, she thought she could make out the outline of an object materializing in her hand.

"No, this is definitely not dream magic!" Despina replied, staring at Helle in shock. "There is nothing written in my book about this! Theo? Is this Jubilant Accosts magic? You must have studied this!"

"They only let me study the demon stuff!" Theo insisted. "Helle's not a demon, so none of that matters!"

Helle could feel the weight of something metallic begin to settle in her hand. As the light faded, she found that the metal was cool to the touch, and encrusted with jewels that shone in the fading light.

"It...it's a crown," she whispered. The voices in her head somehow got louder, until her friends were drowned out completely.

This is yours now, Apophis. You are of age to rule. Guard this crown with your life and serve the Watcher always.

Helle slipped the crown on her head. It fit perfectly over her hair, and despite the weight of it, Helle could move her head easily.

"Helle? Did you just summon a crown?"

Helle looked down the street to the ruins of the Yacothian castle. Over the years, the various proxies had forbidden anyone from entering the area, citing the unholy acts that took place on the land. She had always wondered what the castle looked like growing up. She had no family or land aside from the gallery the Proxy gave to her, and there was a huge castle just sitting empty on the hill where people could live.

Were the sins of the royal family too great for the land to ever be reclaimed again? She didn't remember sinning all that much, though Hetepheres could have done anything when she took the throne. Her daughter was a case too hopeless for even the Watcher, she feared. No! He feared. Apophis feared. And yet-Hetepheres was also her daughter. Helle's. Apophis'. The same person, one soul in two lifetimes.

Ah, you're finally awakening. Good. I promised that I'd walk you through this, so I hope that this transition goes smoothly and triggers all at once. My last reincarnation, I awakened at thirteen, but didn't trigger all of my memories until my twenties.

With all of the chaos twisting her mind, Helle could hear the deity call for her. It took everything she had just to focus on their voice.

Your soul is less complicated than mine, so I think this will be it. Be prepared for a hell of a ride.

Here, follow my memories as an example. That's my dad, Luke. My original dad, not whoever's genetics I had inherited with this new body. Your mother was Queen Neith, but you have a genetic family in this life too, who you may want to connect with. It takes a while to get used to the idea, I know, but reincarnation goes easier if you have a support network.

"Lukas, I'm sorry. I never would have left if I'd known you were in danger. I should have stopped this. I might have fixed this, if...if...I'm so sorry."

Oops. Ignore that. You don't need a lesson in being comatose for several centuries while your ex finally knows what it's like to lose you. It's all jumbled up in my head, and I've never had to explain reincarnation to someone before.

Let's see, where did your ending begin? A love affair with an immortal just slightly less clueless about people than her boss. Someone who might break the laws of what is permitted to save her love.

Murder by your own blood. A soulmate in turmoil. Did she ever tell you just how powerful reaper bonds are with their partners?

Are you ready? Follow me.

Helle clutched her head as a blinding pain seared through her mind, purging everything but the words she could hear repeating over and over.

I heard his footsteps before he could speak. Clearly, my attempts against him had thrown him off enough that he was beginning to slip up. If I had still believed that I could hurt him, it would have been an excellent opportunity.

"Just cast your part of the spell and leave," I ordered, staring at the ground to avoid having to look at the only person I'd ever loved. It was easier that way; I might have had a moment of weakness and lost my heart all over again if I'd stared into those golden eyes.

"Lukas, be reasonable. We don't need to fight anymore. I don't even know what I've done to make you hate me so much. We have to work together. It's how things are meant to be."

Don't fall for his charm, mortal. He didn't even know why he was apologizing, despite me repeatedly shouting what he'd done at him over the years. He didn't have the right to still be angry about the whole mess with Violet, the murder prone "reaper." My plan had failed, and he had won. Really, I should be the one upset concerning the whole thing.

He extended his hand towards me and released some of the magic of his realm, expecting me to do the same.

"Whatever gets you to leave as fast as possible."

The magic of our combined realms sealed the portal beside us. I watched the energy of Life and Death swirl together, becoming one. That same combination had once sparked a potential new life in me, one that Izanami had been ashamed of.

Suddenly, the idea of sealing of this realm seemed like a cruel joke. Why were we only compatible in this one instance? If Life and Death cancelled each other out in every other circumstance, why did this stupid door to a condemned realm even matter? I could give life to anything except a piece of Death. I could create a line of champions to serve my realm, and I could make a convincing (though a little homicidal) reaper to execute my plans. I was needed to seal away a demon of considerable power, but I couldn't have the life I wanted. The family I wanted. The love of the man I wanted.

Maybe it's easier to serve the realm of the dead. Izanami oversees the ending of lives, the ending of stories. Mortals lose their lives to him, Death is loss. Death is finality. Life is potential. Maybe that's why I don't handle loss well. Well, that or Izanami could be right about the family I come from, and our spectacular penchant for drama.

I remember him reaching out for me, and feeling an uncontrollable rage overtake me in response.

"I wish you were dead! I want you to be dead! I don't want to share any realm with you, even if it means living in fucking Jubilant Accosts! You've already ruined any chance of happiness that I had, so piss off and leave me alone! Just leave me alone! We've done our job, so fucking leave!"

It wasn't my finest hour, I can admit to that much.

it would take two reincarnations and me lightly torching the afterlife for Izanami to admit how much I'd succeeded in hurting him. How he did have feelings that confused him very much. At the time though, he'd said nothing, which was probably the worst thing he could have done.

"I won't bother you any further. I'll see you the next time we need to reseal this realm. It was nice seeing you, Lukas."

We never met again regarding Jubilant Accosts. There were a few more instances where we needed to work together, but they were brief.

Eventually, I realized that if I couldn't remove Death from existence, I could do everything in my power to make him want to leave on his own.

I married one of his reapers and had several kids, just to prove that I could create life. Reapers are mere shadows of Death, and are capable of having children with both living mortals and other reapers. Most of them were once alive before working for Death, meaning that at some point, they had been within my control. It's surprisingly easy to manipulate reapers when you keep that in mind. I made a pretty convincing reaper myself for a very long time.

I created better false reapers, who I used to spy on Izanami and his realm. He's never admitted if he could tell that they didn't belong among his staff, even to this day. They're something I discuss with Gee now, as Izanami usually leaves the room when they're brought up.

I tried my best to get closer to my parents once they died and we officially met. That was a shitshow of its own, but eventually Riley and Leander were born. I had siblings to love and nurture in ways that I know that I failed with my own children. (After finally getting therapy to deal with reincarnating twice and my successful capture of the Crystal Cove throne, I can admit that my ex-wife is right to hate me. The kids too.)

And it all worked. Izanami retired during the Demon Wars, taking off to some tropical place he refuses to name, just in case he needs to escape there again. I think he's joking about that. Either way, I had my wish: Izanami was gone.

I didn't realize the cost of my actions back then or how I would hurt people over the centuries just as badly as Izanami had hurt me.

I remember that day in Pleasantview and the anger coursing through me. I remember feeling constrained by my duties and the frustration of the inevitable course of life being ended by death. Everything I could create would one day end up in Izanami's realm. I couldn't give life to any part of Death despite that being my greatest wish. So I lashed out.

And she was there. I can see it now. Here, free from the bias of my own memory, I can see her. Izanami's reaper was watching from the other side of the portal.

She saw what I did.

And now I know what she did.

A burning soul. I didn't think it was possible. I never intended for this to happen. This is something that Gee's going to freak out about when he finds out. Maybe Izanami will find it funny. It's probably karma catching up with me after all these years of living recklessly.

"Thank you, mortal," Lukas intoned, still reeling from their experience. "That was very helpful. I know now what I need to know. This isn't the work of the demon; this was my own mistake."

Despina stumbled as the trance ended. While the experience had apparently been helpful for the deity, Despina was more confused than ever. Lukas' dreams were loud and powerful and she'd been absolutely right that she couldn't control them the same way she could control her own. They weren't as aggressive as Helle's had been, but Lukas had very much been the one in control of them. Despina doubted that even her father could have interfered with the dreams of a deity, though he would have undoubtedly tried.

The experience had been exhilarating as much as it had been overwhelming. She was going to have to make a record of this to preserve every little detail she could remember. Maybe this encounter would be passed down to another dream magic student, just as King Reyes' records had been passed to her. Still, thank god that Xexys hadn't shown up.

"I'd ask you to keep what you saw in confidence," Lukas said. They looked to be in control of themselves again, ready to once again vanish from sight to carry on their secretive work. "I don't know how much of that you were able to see, but some things aren't intended for mortals to know. Especially some of my earlier...mistakes."

Despina nodded in agreement, despite knowing that she was definitely going to write as much of what she could remember down as soon as possible. Well, she could probably cut out some of the drama and pettiness. She'd hate to be remembered for the worst fight she and Jasper had had.

Theo and Adam had come downstairs for breakfast, only to find the Life deity very clearly involved in some kind of magic with Despina. It wasn't the strangest thing to happen during their time in Jubilant Accosts, and it was somewhat reassuring to finally confirm that Lukas really was doing something to help their mission, whatever it was the two of them had been up to.