Lying on the street was his naked, bleeding, barely conscious giantess of a sister. He didn't hear what Ebonheart said next, but he did hear his sister mouth "run". He didn't get anywhere before the roof was torn off and Ebonheart standing over him grinning like the devil himself. A invisible power ripped Hope from his arms and he yelled as he jumped into the air. Ebonheart grabbed him in her fist. "Remember what I said Claire?" Ebonheart asked her. Ritchie could hear her beg to let him go. His beautiful sister all bloody and bruised. Her pretty hair red from not her power but her blood. And as beaten as she was begged for his sake and not hers. Such a thing made him snap and he invoked his power one last time. He broke free of her grasp and flew right to Hope who was just hovering in the air. He reached out to grab her and as he got near, felt the pain in his chest explode. His fingers less than a millimeter from Hope, faltered as with the rest of him. The tiny boy began to fall right into Ebonheart's open palm.

"Please...he can't do anything to you now. Don't...don't kill him" Claire begged. "Too late for that. Look. He's dead already" she said bouncing his body up and down in her hand. Her breath caught in her throat as she could see the woman wasn't lying. With barely a thought, Ebonheart placed his corpse into her mouth and chewed. So horrified at the sound of her little brother being chewed to ribbons, Claire pissed herself. Every memory of her and Ritchie came flooding back into her mind as his flesh and bones were torn asunder. The day he was born, and she held him. The fights. How he snuck into her bed when he had nightmares. Birthdays. How many times he said he loved her and she scoffed. How many times she said it back and he smiled. The trip to Cancun and he almost killed himself because he thought she hated him for being born. And the worst of it all when he sobbed he didn't want to be an only sibling. Now, that sick reality had come to pass but it was he that met his end and not her. Ebonheart swallowed his remains and cruelly spat out his bloody shirt on the ground just inches from her face.       

"I'll deal with the others in a moment" Ebonheart said casting a spell to reveal the ancient Japanese box. The box hovered in front of Hope and cracked open. Claire had no words to give. No words to describe what she was going to do. Power began to surge through her once again slowly healing her but at the same time changing her. The air tasted of ozone and her hair stood on end. A massive bolt of lightning tore down the street hitting Ebonheart sending her crashing 30 ft. away. Two feet settled down before Claire. Her eyes flowed the legs right to his face. "Keith..." she muttered. They could hear Ebonheart laughing and she began to stand. "She killed him...she killed my baby brother" she sobbed. "I saw. Claire. Stand up and collect Hikari. She fell somewhere over there. After that make sure nobody gets near us" he said extending his hand. Claire gasped seeing he had carved arcane into his skin. His eyes glowing yellow with power. "What about Hope?" she asked. "We can't touch her or we'll age like she is. She's safe...for now" he replied. Claire picked herself up just in time to see Ebonheart stand up herself. A gust of wind and he was gone. Claire was astonished to see him cover such a distance in a blink of an eye.

Keith swing his sword so fast the wind picked up debris. Ebonheart parried it and they were locked. "Thought that speed trick would work on me? You not the first to try that moron. Just like you think you can best me in a swordfight" she said. "You’re mistaken if you think he's fighting alone Arleigh" Oberon said though Keith. "Do not call me by that name! MY NAME IS EBONHEART!" she screamed pushing him back. "Joyeuse? That's how you beat Claire. We won't fall into that trap just as you won't beat your old sword teacher...or have you forgotten who taught you how to wield one?" Oberon asked. "I forget nothing you old fool" she hissed. Firing a bolt of lightning. Keith deflected it as she swung. He parried down to stop it. A kick to the back of his neck he caught with his left arm. The kick close enough he could smell the blood and sweat on her sole. He broke her ankle before tossing her into a row of houses. He touched the gashes on his arm and a torrent of icicles came raining down on her. She swung her sword rapidly and each icicle was seemingly absorbed by the blade. She quickly got up and swung her sword. A cold blast of magic knocked Keith back crushing more houses. "What was that about not falling for my trap?" she asked.

"Joyeuse...didn't do that before. Not that well" Oberon groaned. "Not until this" she said showing the hilt of the sword. In it was her philosopher’s stone. "She merged them boosting its power" Oberon hissed. Keith staggered to his feet. For the next three minutes they exchanged strikes. The very shockwaves leveling homes. Claire glanced up at Hope who looked to be a teenager now and back at Keith. "Something wrong with your sword?" she asked seeing its innate glow flicker. "My Joyeuse is eating away at its enchantments. Soon it will be nothing but a length of useless metal and you will have NO defense against me" she snickered. "She's right...I can feel it. Our connection to Rune Breaker is fading" Oberon said to him. Keith gripped it tighter. "There has to be a way. Some weakness. Some..." he was saying before the sword shimmered. Keith flashed back to the night before they first went to Japan.

"What you up to?" Claire asked sitting on his desk. "Just reading up on the folklore of Japan. So many stories..." he said browsing websites. "Like what?" she asked stepping onto his laptop. Keith gently picked her up and placed her where she wouldn't step on any keys. "Well like this one of Prince Yamato..." he said.

"That's it. That's its weakness. Eva...you said you'd take the form needed most. I need this form" he prayed. The sword glowed intensely and when it stopped it was no longer the same. The blade and hilt had transformed resembling an ancient and regal katana. Keith narrowed his eyes and swung the sword even though he was at least 15 ft. away from her. A weird whistle traveled though the air and suddenly a cut formed on Ebonheart's chest cutting her shirt away right below her breasts.  A thin line of blood formed on her skin. Keith swung again as she raised her sword. This time a gust of wind cut her arms. She dropped to one knee grimacing. "I knew it. That's your weakness!" Keith yelled. "Impossible...this sword eats magic!" she yelled. "Not all of it. It can eat ice, fire, and just about anything else...except wind. No way it can absorb an element that totally surrounds it. If you even try you'd suffocate yourself! This is what will end you! Rune Breaker Kusanagi form! The sword that commands the winds! *" Keith yelled.  

(Authors note: Based on a real Japanese myth tied to the orochi. Once the hero (and God) Susanoo killed it, he found a sword in its tail. Centuries later, Prince Yamato found himself the target of a lord trying to kill him in a grassy field by setting it on fire. Yamato took Kusanagi and cut the grass trying to stem the burn. He found out every time he swung it the wind blew in that direction. Using that he pushed the fire right back at the lord, killing him and saving himself. Regarded as a nation treasure ever since.)

Keith swung over and over and with no way to absorb the attack, Ebonheart was placed square on the defensive.  Her magic defenses were barely enough to keep her from being cut down in seconds, but it was clear that she would ultimately lose. His attacks were too fast for her to counter with her own. Too precise to deflect, and too damaging to simply tank. But she saw she didn't have to withstand his assault no longer. Hope had changed to what she had needed. "Come to me child!" Ebonheart commanded. The orb surrounding Hope faded away leaving the tiny, naked, biologically 15-year-old girl exposed. Hope cocked her head to one side and floated towards her.

"Lily we got a new problem!" Susan yelled running up beside her friend and lover who stood now human sized at the main entrance of the colony. "Lily!" Susan yelled. Lily looked down and gasped seeing Sudan wasn't alone. "ROSE?!" Lily yelled grabbing her daughter up in her hands. Lily bit her quivering lip looking at her. "Mom..." Rose said. "She spoke! Susan she spoke! Say it again baby! Say it again!" Lily cried. "Mom" Rose sighed. Lily brought her to her face and kissed her all over her body. Rose's pajamas were soaked with her mother's tears. "Lily...Jesus what happened?" Susan asked seeing a full quarter of the city in utter ruin. "Hikari did away with the Mogwai leader but Ebonheart beat Claire and Hikari at the same time. Keith fought her but...it looks like Hope just sided with her" Lily replied. "And our forces?!" Susan asked. "Not...not many left. I was connected to so many in the beginning but their voices have diminished. Oh shit what about the people in the house?!" Lily asked. "Those Mogwai came in hot and heavy. Big shots. They decimated the borrower division inside. They did their best and took a little over half of them with them but they lost" Susan said.

"...how many...how many innocents?" Lily said trembling. "About 200 or so. The Mogwai are dead" Susan replied. Lily looked shocked staring at her. "Wasn't me girl. Some black girl demolished them with actual magic. Not the scribble on shit kind" Susan said. "You're sure?! Susan. There's nobody here like that. I'd know if someone who can actually conjure lived here" Lily said. "Well duh. I'd know too. Especially if she’s a minority. There aren't many here up in northern England or in borrowers in general" Susan said. "So, who is she?" Lily wondered. "I don't think she's on our side Lily. Yeah, she slaughtered Mogwai, but I think it was because they were in her way. She took the babies sweetie. Yuusha, Luke, Kannika, she took them" Susan said. Lily trembled once more.

"What have you done to my child?!" Keith yelled as Hope hovered right past him. "Aged her to a point her body could cope with casting such powerful spells, that was easy. The hard part was making her mind capable of comprehension. It would serve no purpose if her mind stayed that of a 20-minute old baby. So, I added the knowledge of an 8-year-old girl I got from a convenient donor at my hotel. Sure, it did leave the shrunken child a vegetable, but I made sure she didn't suffer too long" Ebonheart replied smirking. "You piece of shit!" Keith yelled swinging his sword at her. "Hope!" she yelled. The girl turned and raised her hand. There was an odd ping sound and a gust of wind opposite of his swing rushed back slicing him across the chest. Hope cocked her head as if to study him. "Hope. They're bad people. You should make them disappear" Ebonheart said. Hope raised her hand and a blast of light burned right their Keith's lung. Powerful enough that it negated all his defenses and extinguished the spell Oberon put on him making him human sized long ago. He shrank as he fell to the ground. "Now the others" Ebonheart commanded. Claire rushed to his side as he coughed blood.

"Don't...don't hate her" Keith muttered. "Keith...hold on" Claire said applying pressure to his wound as she tried to heal him. Lawan landed nearby rushing to him. The giantess saw his mortality pooled on the ground and then stared right at Hope. "No. I forbid you. You will not harm my daughter!" Keith yelled before coughing blood once more. "She's gonna kill us all!" Lawan yelled. "Have...faith" Keith smiled. "Kill them with a larger spell. Stop playing" Ebonheart ordered. "He said I was his daughter. Is that true?" Hope asked. Ebonheart didn't answer. "Do it myself" she hissed firing a lightning bolt. They took cover and found it hit a barrier. Hope's barrier. The tiny girl descended to them. She looked confused at the sensation of cool stone under her bare feet. She paid no attention to the two giantesses around her as she walked closer. Lawan had the urge to squash her but held off. Partly was because her husband told her not to attack but also if she was as powerful as the stories said about Etherion users, all it would do is fatally piss her off.

Keith looked up at the girl standing to his right. "Are you my daddy?" she asked. Keith smiled. She bent down and smelled him and then herself. "You smell like me" she said bending down. With a wave of her hand completely healed him. Keith staggered to his feet. Seeing her aged up with mind boggling to him. "You look so much like your mother" he said extending his hand. She stepped back. "I won't hurt you" he said. She didn't move as his hand stroked her cheek. Her eyes looked at his hand. "You hand is warm and soft" she muttered. Tears fell from her eyes. "Sweetie. This isn't what I wanted for you" Keith said looking at her body. "15 years stolen in a span of minutes" he added. "She really does look like Aspen when she was a teenager" Claire said. Hope touched her ankle and Claire shrank. "Who are you?" Hope asked. "I guess your surrogate mom" Claire said. Hope looked confused. "Don't know what that means. Show me" she said touching Claire's forehead. Claire gasped as Hope read all her memories for the last two months right up until now. Hope turned and looked at Ebonheart.

"You ate her brother. Why?" Hope asked. "Hope. They are bad people. You kill bad people" Ebonheart said. "No, they are not" Hope said sternly. With a wave of her hand, she made Ebonheart convulse. The giantess keeled over as a small collection of vomit spewed from her mouth. It froze in midair and began to take a form. Bones, organs, blood, flesh, all began to take form and when done...those present saw Ritchie. A swirl of energy took root in his body and he opened his eyes. "Where...where am I?" he asked. "By The goddess...she put him back together and even summoned his soul back from the aether!" Oberon said. "RITCHIE!" Claire screamed running to hug him. "Claire? What happened? Last thing I remember is that crazy bitch tearing off the roof" he said. Claire gave no answer as he hugged him tightly.

"Thank you Hope" Claire said to her. Her smile made the girl smile back. "ENOUGH! Hope you will do as I say!" Ebonheart yelled flashing her Philosopher stone. Hope just looked at her. "Why...why won't it work?!" she yelled. "Your mind control spell uses the darkness in people's hearts. She's 20 minutes old you fool. She hasn't lived long enough to have darkness in her heart. The spell is useless" Oberon replied. "I want to see mommy" Hope said. She snapped her fingers and Aspen appeared before them. "Hi mommy" she said. Aspen staggered to her. She looked her over. "That really is our baby Aspen" Keith said. Aspen hugged her and wept. "You lost Ebonheart. When you gave her the mind of a child you sealed your defeat. A child will obey authority, but the love of a parent and child is absolute. Surrender" Oberon said. Ebonheart said nothing as she took to the air. "Plan B. All forces buy me time as I cast my last spell!" Ebonheart yelled. "Daddy. She's gonna do something bad. Really bad. Her thoughts say...morning star" Hope said.   "No more chances" Ebonheart hissed.

Her indomitable army, the Slaugh appeared and descended upon them. One made a beeline for Lily. "LILY LOOK OUT!" Susan yelled tackling with all her might to push the giantess aside. The fiery creature barely missed her head. It swooped around and hovered. "...Lily?" it's hissed as it hovered inches from her face. It appeared to study her. Its form became sharper as it did. "Oh my god I think it's my mom" Lily muttered. "This thing is Titania?!" Susan asked. "It's you isn't it mom. Keith said you died full of resentment. Oh what have you become" Lily lamented. "...Lily..." it said. "Mom...you have to break free of this. Innocent people are dying. People like your granddaughters" Lily said holding her hands out showing Rose to her. It hovered down. "Are you insane?" Susan asked. Lily shushed her. "The mother I knew would never be anyone's slave. Remember who you are. The queen of Fae. Mother...protector...teacher" Lily said shedding tears. The fire of the Slaugh turned a cool blue as it went to touch Rose. She went rigid as it touched her cheek. "Rose?" Susan asked scared. "It's okay. It doesn't burn. Feels warm but it doesn't burn" Rose said. Titania hovered to Lily's face kissing her cheek. With no spoken words, she bid her farewell and disappeared.

"Stop...stop hurting people! RIGHT NOW!" Hope screamed. Everyone and I do mean everyone froze. Their bodies frozen and in motion. "You...can't...stop it child" Ebonheart said fighting the spell. "But I can" a voice said from above. All eyes were on the giantess as she sat her feet on the stone street. "LITA?!" Claire yelled recognizing her friend. "A black giantess...Lily...did she kill those Mogwai and kidnap those kids?" Susan asked. "I doubt this is coincidence. I had forgotten my granddaughter had a friend matching her ethnicity" Lily replied. Lots spa pled her fingers and ethereal chains grabbed Ebonheart and dragged her to the ground. "What kind of binding spell is this?! I can't break it!" she screamed. "Doubtful you could my wayward child" Lita said. "Who are you calling wayward child youngling?!" Ebonheart roared. "I haven't been you since humans still climbed trees for protection" Lita said. "Keith...her voice. Keith? Are you paying attention to this?" Oberon asked. Keith’s eyes were locked on what was hovering over her head.

He took off into the air. "Those...those are my kids. WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY KIDS?!" he yelled. Lita looked at him. "What they were born to do" she replied. Keith reached out and a barrier knocked him down to the ground. Lawan caught him before he hit the street. "Kannika is up there along with Yuusha and Luke" he said coughing. Lawan looked up panicked. "Sister...what have you done?" Pelé said through Ritchie. "Ah Pelé. Was wondering how long you were going to sit this out. How is that species of yours?" Lita asked. "Sister? Who the fuck is she?!" Claire asked. "Ikaros. She's Ikaros my twin sister" Pelé replied. "More than that. She's the one that give my kind life" Oberon said. "What are you speaking of you old fool?" Ebonheart asked tugging on her chains. "Has you mind become so mired in hate you forgot the voice of our maker? Think Arleigh. Think back to the first day which we lived. The first voice we heard" he said. "...by the powers you're right" she muttered.

"Why do you have my children?!" Keith yelled. "Keith. Splendid, virile, lustful Keith. You did me proud to make this all possible" he chuckled. "Ikaros. What have you done?" Pelé asked again. "Made a way to reclaim that which I foolishly gave away" she replied. "Etherion? A vessel has already been chosen. You can't reclaim it" Pelé said. "I can. I found a way. After I fulfilled my vow on passing my Etherion seed on to create a magical vanguard species it was not long after I saw my error. The fae were long lived but poor in reproducing. Not wanting to leave their realm, they were useless in defending this one. They needed a reason to defend humans other than my guidance. So...I made it that a human boy entered their realm and the Formorians freed of the Darklands prisons" she said. "YOU DID THAT?!" Ebonheart yelled. Lita grinned slightly at her.

"How else would a non-magical being enter a land of magic? Anyway, not long after your struggles it became clear your kind was not up to any real task. Humans, even with their weaknesses, were suited better to prosper and with Fae beginning to turn their backs on them, it became clear that I would have to regain my power" Ikaros said. "Again impossible. And with a flawed reason to boot. EVERY species has the right to determine their futures regardless of your impatience" Pelé said. "Impatience?! Sister I have waited thousands of years for this moment! Yes, I couldn't regain Etherion by simply waiting to be chosen again. I even considered taking your and our older brother's seeds in an effort to force the choosing on me but no. There was another way. Sympathetic magic. My creating links to different seeds, I could transfer Etherion to me. And that's where my cute little Keith comes into play" she said. They all looked at him.

"Keith you're a ladies man but come on. You never thought about why you tend to get into the panties of every girl you meet? You're literally charmed boy. Right from birth      

birth you were given libido and charm to fuck and impregnate girls" she said. "Why?" Keith asked confused. "Every offspring of a magical species, either it be fae, Alux, Koonago, or Menehune carry the seed of Etherion. The spark of original magic passed down through blood. By uniting bloodlines, you brought those seeds together. Well, together enough for my purposes. Observe..." she said holding her hand out. The babies began to form a circle in which Elena and Claire were yanked off their feet towards it. "Keith! Keith...AHHGH!" Elena screamed out as energy formed a ring connecting each one. The infants cried out in pain.  "And as the new inheritor of Etherion shares a Fae Etherion seed, the process of transference can begin!" Ikaros yelled.  "Claire too?!" Keith yelled. "When I merged my power with her, she became her prey. What have I done?" Pelé asked. "Fire!  Attack the giantess!" Lily ordered. 

A heavy barrage of fire impacted barrier around Ikaros. "Fools. Attacking me with my own magics" she said as she extended her spell attacking Hope. "Daddy....she's hurting me" she whimpered. "Fight it baby! FIGHT IT! You too Mogwai unless you want this bitch to rule over you!" Keith howled. Seeing Ebonheart in chains and their own survival dwindling, they actually did. "Yes...I can feel it working! Your attacks aren't going to do a thing to me! Waste your precious time!" Ikaros laughed. "She's right...even I can see it's not working. She's gonna kill her. She's gonna kill my baby" Aspen sobbed. Keith looked at her. "No, she won't" he said scribbling a spell. "Keith. She's right. Nothing is getting through" Lawan said. "I see that honey. If magic won't work...then maybe science will. I'm betting even that giant ancient cunt has to obey the laws of quantum physics" he said. 

"What are you planning?" Lily asked walking beside him and looking at the arcane. "That's a translocation spell!" Lily said recognizing it. "Yeah it is. Aspen. Is your size watch still in your room? Quickly! It's it?!" Keith asked. "Y...yes!" she yelled. "Good. I'll be right back!" he yelled finishing the symbols. Keith stepped onto the arcane and vanished in a flash of light. "Where did he go?!" Susan asked. "Somewhere close that's he’s been to before. That's how the spell works. It's incredibly dangerous to use. Get it wrong and you could end up in a wall, a floor, underground, or dozens of feet in the air" Lily replied. 

"Go Kagatsuchi! Bind her!" Hikari yelled as her water dragon rushed to stop her. Hikari was so desperate that she even used the spilled blood of the dead on the ground. Shockingly, it actually slowed Ikaros down. "Something that finally worked! Good going child! The blood in it is causing her difficulty!" Lily yelled hopeful. "I...can't hold her for long! Kagatsuchi isn't as strong as Orochi!" Hikari yelled trying to keep the dragon curled around the giantess. "I've been holding back as a gift to my Keith. I will kill you if I must!" Ikaros yelled as her arms pushed the beast free from her. "HE IS NOT YOUR KEITH! HE IS OURS!" Hikari screamed giving her all.

Keith tore her room apart after growing to human size. After fighting so long and Oberon's sizing spell broken, Keith was running on empty. "Found it!" Keith yelled finding the watch in her nightstand drawer. "Return" he whispered invoking the return part of the spell. "I'm back...oh fuck" he said seeing Ikaros strangling a dragon made of bloody water. Hikari collapsed soon after. "She gave her all. It was working but it wasn't enough" Lily said. "Might be because iron is in blood. I need someone to make a barrier. A very good fucking barrier when I say so" he said fiddling with the size watch. "I can do that. Please tell me you got a decent plan though" Lawan said. "Decent? More like fucking Hail Mary. The watch has a security feature on it. If necessary, it will go into overload and release its entire charge of boson particles all at once. The blast will shrink anything in a 150 ft. radius and the effects are permanent" he said. "Won't that shrink us too?" Lawan asked. "That's where your barrier comes into play. Instead of surrounding us, I want you to surround her with it" he replied.

"Trapping The blast around her" Aspen said nodding. "Exactly. Because it's so localized, the effect will be magnified by a good 1000%...in theory. There's a catch" he said. "There's always a catch. What is it?" Susan asked. "Two people have to go up. One to attach it to her, the other distracting her. I'd do it myself, but I'm tapped out. Worse now Elena's song has stopped. Fuck...Hope just passed out. Not to long now" he muttered. "Hand it over. We'll go" Lily said. They looked at her. "Me and Susan are the best candidates and we're out of time!" she yelled. Keith handed her the watch. "Turn it counterclockwise and press both buttons at the same time. After that you got 15 seconds before boom" he said. "Susan a flight spell please" Lily said nodding. She looked at her daughter. "Mommy's got to whoop some ass honey. Love you" she said softly as she handed her small daughter to Keith. "Change the symbol like this Susan" she said bending down. She quietly palmed a piece of rock.

"Godspeed grandma" Aspen muttered as Susan held Lily in her arms and took flight. "She called you grandma" Susan said. "She's part of the family, just like you dear. She has that right" Lily said as they neared her. "Hand it over. I'll plant it while you distract with a shot from your gun" Susan said. "Sorry but no. I might be depowered but I'm still fae. I have a natural magical resistance to her" Lily said.  Susan looked at her. She knew she could take the watch from her by force Keith didn't spell it out but the odds of whomever planted the watch surviving was low. This was that moment she feared for some time. A choice to be made which one survived the day. "It's the best option Susan. I can't gamble my daughter's life on your feelings. If you love me...you'll honor this" Lily said as they approached Ikaros. "...go get her girl" Susan said tossing Lily at her. Once freed, Susan took her gun and fired two spells. One of ice and one of fire. They mixed causing an explosion of steam that blinded the power-hungry giantess. Lily activated the watch just as Keith told her to and took the rock he had been hiding and slashed her wrist to the bone.

Lily crashed into Ikaros. "Get off me!" she yelled. "Transmutation! Iron binding!" Lily said activating an arcane. With her magical iron rich blood, she formed a thin but strong chain that bound Ikaros arms. " She's not letting go! What's that red...oh fuck me! Oh lily... NOW LAWAN!" Keith yelled. Lawan waved her hands. A shimmering barrier surrounded Ikaros and Lily who bear hugged her with all her might. "I command you! Your maker commands you to let me go!" Ikaros screamed. "You didn't make me. Titania made me and with all her faults, she was a real goddess compared to the likes of you. Hear that whine? That's thousands of years of karma coming for your ass!" Lily yelled as the watch built to detonation. There was a huge flash or red light as Ikaros screamed. And then...nothing.  "Did...did we get her?" Aspen asked. Keith looked as the babies, Claire, and Elena gently floated back to the ground. He picked up Hope and saw that while she was shaken, she was unharmed. "Yeah...we got her" he replied.

"...Lily" Susan muttered falling to her knees after landing. "Mom...where's mom? Where's my mom?!" Rose yelled. Susan took her from Aspen. "She's gone sweetie...she's gone" Susan said softly. She cradled the tiny girl to her cheek as they cried. Aspen took Hope from Keith. "Sweetie? You okay?" she asked. "Sleepy mommy" she replied. Aspen grit her teeth. "Can you make mommy big?" she asked. The girl nodded before snapping her fingers. Human Aspen menacingly towered over the smoking, partly ruined city. Her gaze turned to Ebonheart who was still in under shock after the events and then to The Mogwai standing around in a similar state. "It's over! Done! You fucking hear me done! You want to keep fighting I'll make my daughter kill you in an instant! You understand what I'm saying?!" Aspen yelled. She saw more than a few nods. "So help me if we hear of you assholes fucking with people you're fucking done. Consider this parole. Hope. Send them all home if you can" she said. Hope nodded and raised her hands. Hundreds of small spells glowed under their feet before a cascade of flashes sent them home to China. "As for you" Aspen hissed looking at Ebonheart.

"Aspen wait. Don't kill her" Oberon said. "I have every reason to!" Aspen yelled. "True but her host is innocent in this. I have a much better punishment" Oberon said to her. He reached into his pocket pulling out a soul gem crafted from Danica's blood last night. "Hope. I know you're tired, but I need you to do two things. Take the bad person out of her" Oberon said. Hope cocked her head as if peering into her soul before pulling her arm back. Ebonheart screamed as her soul was torn from her host and shoved into the gem. "And last. Make the gem end up there" he said pointing to the moon in the sky. In a flash of light, it was gone. Ebonheart screamed pounding on the surface of her ruby red prison that sat in the Sea of Tranquility. A place devoid of sound and life.

"Mommy...I wanna sleep" Hope whined. "Okay honey. Let's take you inside" Aspen said walking through city. The remaining borrowers would speak of this sight for generations. How a mother carried the most powerful child in the world in her hands to give her a nap on the eve of victory. Lawan held her daughter in her hand as Keith helped Claire and Elena. Keith handed his son to Claire. "We won?" she asked. "Yeah but with a personal cost. We lost Lily" he replied. Keith hugged her as she sobbed. Lawan looked at the devastation and bodies. "By the Buddha. What do we do now?" she asked. "First you call home. See if we still got one. And second, we just keep living" he said.

3 days later...

"I can't get it to stay daddy" Hope whined sitting on a table. "Hold still honey. Daddy with get it for you" Keith said holding a tiny elegant sandal between his fingers. He tickled her tiny foot with his fingernail delighting in her chuckle before holding her ankle between his fingers as he slipped it on her bare foot. "Sweetie? Why don't you want to be big like the humans?" he asked. Keith was curious as she had not changed size since her birth. "Dunno. Don't feel like it" she replied. "Ain't it scary being around giant people that could eat you up?" he asked. "That's silly. Nobody wants to eat me. Everybody loves me" she giggled. "Oh? You see that?" he asked. "Yep. I can sense it with my magic. I can sense all kinds of stuff like the boys want to umm...fuck me?" she said blushing. Keith cringed. "Not until you mature up there" he said pointing to her tiny head. "Is that the same for you daddy? You thought about licking my feet just now and sucking on me" she said. Keith wanted to die of embarrassment.

"That's...a little different. It's how borrowers bond honey. I get how that can be confusing" he explained. "It's pretty here" she said. "Yeah, the cathedral is pretty" he said finishing her shoe. "And everybody inside is very sad" she said. Keith nodded. "What’s death like?" she asked. "The end of life. All the days you see just end" he said softly. She grew quiet. "And you don't get better? I made Ritchie better when he died" she said. Footsteps came from behind. "Yes, we know sweetie but not everybody gets better. People just leave us" Aspen said softly bending down. She held her hand out for the girl to climb into. "So Lily isn't coming back?" she asked. "No sweetie" Aspen replied. "Truthfully, I have no damn clue about Lily or Ikaros Aspen. They're the size of an electron and shit gets weird at that size. Without observing them, they're both states like Schrodinger’s Cat" Keith whispered. Aspen hushed him. They quietly entered the chapel and sat down.

"The barrier is still good Lawan?" Keith asked. "It's amazing. Somehow it stabilized right when she was born. Like an unconscious thought. What's the word on Danica's mother?" she asked. "Shaken as hell but eternally grateful to be free. Look at this turnout" Keith said looking around. In the forefront was a special area just for borrowers. Over two hundred humans behind them. "Lily was special that much is certain. Who's in the urn anyway?" Lawan asked pointing to it. "A random borrower that died in the fight we grew to human size. With the story that Lily was killed by a firework accident, the coroner actually bought it. Well, with some magic to ease his mind" Keith replied. They watched as the vicar stepped to the podium.

"Thank you all for coming today. We gather here today to pay respects to a dear friend, a mother, and to some a savior. Lilian Rosalie Durmont was this and much more. She was a caring compassionate woman who never hesitated to help those in need regardless their species. She gave to humans that needed support and to borrowers gave them a chance at a real life. She made it a point never to judge a person's worth on their looks but by the character of their heart. I first met her back in 1997 when her late husband brought her to Easter service. She was quiet, nervous, and timid thought out the service. When he introduced me to his fiancée, he made it a point to hold her trembling hand. In my years of serving the lord, I can spot wounded souls and she had one. I never asked about it, but I always made sure my office was open. Surprisingly, it was she who counseled me"

"Years ago, just after 9/11, I was busy scribbling notes for the next Sunday's service and I was having a bit of a problem. Problem was my sermon was about not giving into hate and with the feelings prevailing at the time even I felt my words were hollow. In comes Lilian with a bag of canned goods for a church drive. "Lilian, do borrowers hate us?" I asked. She sat the bag down and turned to look at me. "Depends on the borrower you ask" she replied. "I'm serious Lily. The things I see online, do they hate us?" I asked. "...some do. Some don't" she replied. "How can some not hate us?! The ungodly things we do to them!" I said. "I council a lot of borrowers Reggie. Listen to their stories. And those that tend to hate humans spent little time around them. Those that don't have lived years in their homes. Watched them closely. Some even fell in love with humans" she said.

"She must've picked up on my doubtful expression. "I'm serious. It's easy to hate a species when you've seen the worst of those you’ve met. It's much harder when you get to know the individual. See them live their life lives with the same ups and downs as you have.  Well not the exact same. I'm sure you don't have to worry about someone getting a pet cat" she said chuckling. "Reggie, hate doesn't last. It never does. One day borrowers and humans will come together to make this word a better one" she said. "Is that why you do what you do?" I asked. "Part of it. The other reason is because I have a responsibly to the future" she said. "Responsibility?" I asked. "We don't own the world. We're just renting it. Children born of love and hope will take over the lease so to speak so it's our job to make sure hate has no purchase. What I do cleanses the hate from their hearts and gives them a chance to pass on the world to their children" she said softly.

"With that, I found myself able to give my sermon. That's the kind of person Lilian was. She thought about the future, making the world better not just for borrowers but for everyone. Everyone in this room she made their lives better not just for your sake but for your children's sake" The vicar said softly. Keith listened to Rose sobbing softly calling for her mother. Susan hugged her petting her hair. The borrowers wept quietly. One by one, people came up with a story about how Lily helped them. In the end, Rose carried the urn by herself out the chapel.

"Lovely service wasn't it?" Lawan asked. "Yeah, she helped so many. Not just borrowers either. No exaggeration to say half the businesses here owe their existence to her through her loans" Keith replied. They walked through a grove alone as the others headed to their cars. Oberon stopped Keith. "Keith...over there" he said having him look at a young girl peeking from behind an old oak tree. "Must’ve got separated" he said. "No, that is no girl" he said. "Something the matter?" Lawan asked. "Stay here" Keith said walking to the girl.

Keith saw nothing really out of the ordinary about her. About 8 years old with a black dress, black skirt, black sandals, and black painted toenails. Her eyes were a deep blue with black hair. "I see you Morrigan" Oberon said. The girl emerged fully from behind the tree. "It's been some time Oberon. You too Keith" she said softly. "It's auspicious for you to appear during a funeral" he said. "True. I take souls. I don't attend the services. I’ve been busy though" she said. "Aye, a great many borrowers did die" Oberon said. "Indeed, they did and the one called Hope nearly upset the balance" she said. "Ritchie is a Menehune. You have no purchase on him" Oberon said. "His soul was not changed" she said. "It goes by blood death God. Even I know that" Keith interjected. The girl glared at him. "That it does but she came very close to resurrecting those that died. If not her fatigue, she may have thus upsetting the balance" she said. "Is this a threat?" Keith asked. The girl disappeared behind the tree to emerge older as a middle-aged woman.

"An observation young man. Your child has the power to send the very rules of nature and causality off kilter on a global scale" she said. "She's done nothing except that which is good. She even said she turned against Ebonheart because could hear the wailing of her Koonago brother" Oberon said. "And she stopped the slaughter that was going on by freezing everyone in place" Keith said. "Yes, very noble but that's how it always starts with those who wield Etherion. Isn't that true Oberon?" she asked disappearing again to come back out an old woman. "Hope is different. Her blood straddles two species. She draws on the council of both" Oberon said. "All I'm saying is good intentions can lead one astray. Be wary old King. For it is not only I that has taken notice of her. The other Powers have too..." she said before disappearing entirely. "Powers?" Keith asked. "Morrigan isn't the only deity that still exists Keith. And those that do aren't as passive as Pelé or her. Another worry for another day. Come, there is much to do back at the manor. The lawyer will arrive at 4" he said.

Rose, Susan, Thomas, Rebecca, Keith, Lawan, Aspen, and Claire sat quietly in the foyer at the lawyer took out his brief. "Before I get started, I just want to say how sorry I am for all of you. Lily will be very much missed...including me" he said. "You knew mom well?" Rose asked. "Very much so. I was one of the first she rescued. That's right I'm a borrower" he said. "But you're..."

"Human sized. Yeah, I see that. In seriousness, she used her magic to grow me permanently and made it so I had a human identity. So, when she asked me to oversee her will, even though that's not my expertise, I accepted. Shall we get started?" he asked thumbing over pages. "Lilian Rosalie Durmont of sound mind and body hereby author the following will which will be carried out in the event of my death. To Susan Durmont, I leave you 1.6 million dollars in which you are to spend however you see fit. See the world, live your life, and for god's sake get laid. Don't stay celibate because I'm dead. Your cute tiny body is too good to waste like that. Oh, and if you have a kid make sure they don't grow up with the kooky southern drawl. I found it sexy, but many don't" he said.

"Fuck you Lily. My accent is awesome" Susan said sniffling. To my precious daughter Rose, to you I leave my majority control of Durmont Fashions. That incudes my shares and seat of CEO on the board. Furthermore, I leave ownership of the estate, cars, and the land which the estate sits on. Don’t throw any crazy parties but if you do make sure it’s the right kind of crazy. Remember who you are and where you come from. Don’t let the pain and loss change your heart. And most important, don’t forget you’re not alone. You’re a queen now and queen’s kick ass, take names, look out for their subjects, love and be loved, and look fucking fabulous doing it” he said. “…mommy” Rose sobbed quietly in Susan’s arms.

“Claire. To you I leave guardianship of my daughter until she comes of age. Furthermore, I’ve taken steps to pay off the mortgage of Aspen’s home in Ipswich. As for your wish to model, well, I hope you choose to sign on with my company. I only wish I could see it my beautiful granddaughter. Aspen, please take care of her or I’ll haunt your ass. Rebecca, sweetie it seems we keep losing one another. Hopefully this time there was meaning to it. I asked you not long ago what you wanted, and your reply was to have a safe quiet life for you and your kids. That’s something you can have here or back in America. Whatever you decide, you’re in good company to make that wish come true. And finally, Keith. Keith, you have shown me that one doesn’t need money to save people’s lives. All one needs is the will and the heart to do it. You once called me out on my way that I run missions and you were right to do it. In my quest to suppress magic, I forgot that those responsible can be innocent too. With that in mind, I leave command of THORN to you. That is if you chose to accept.”

“That’s it everyone. I was blessed to have you all in my life. Don’t dwell on my passing as I will always be with you…in spirit” the man said finishing. He wiped his eyes and sighed.

An hour or so later…

“You only smoke when you’re really stressed” Lawan said sitting at the sunroom table. Keith looked up at his giantess wife for a moment before looking back at Hope who was gigging as she held her brother Yuusha. “Lily left me a big responsibility” he replied. “One you don’t have to take” she said petting his hair. “The mogwai are still out there and Morrigan gave a not so subtle warning that there are those out there not taking Hope’s birth lightly. THORN might be the best defense against them unless we use her. I rather not subject her to a life of conflict” he said. Lawan looked at her. “She looks extremely happy playing with him” she said. “She’s eager to know her siblings. Her love for them was the tipping point” he said. “Well, come a few months she’ll have two more” Lawan said softly. “Two? I know of Elena but…you mean you…”

 “That’s right. Missed my period. Congrats stud” Lawan snickered.  Keith hugged her finger tightly. “What you decide to do I’ll support fully” she said. Keith nodded.

That evening…

“To those we lost, to those we saved, to those that will be born because we stood against the darkness” Keith said toasting that dinner. Everyone took a drink. The dinner was mostly quiet as Rose or Susan shared stories about Lily. Once done, Keith gazed at the thunderclouds gathering outside as he sat in the sunroom. “You taking the job?” Claire asked hovering onto the table with Aspen in her arms. He looked at the tiny girls and smiled. “Yeah I think I will” he said before a flash of lighting and thunder peeled overhead. They could hear the rain pelt the glass roof. “It all began on a night like this” he muttered. He picked them up one in each hand. He held each one to his face and quietly cried. “We love you too Keith” Claire said.  Each embraced the other grateful to be in one another lives. Keith had feared the death god’s warning but with Claire, Aspen, Lawan, Elena, Hikari, Susan, and Rose, he felt confident that whatever the future had in store for them, he, they, and his daughter could face it.