Six days ago....

"Control I need to know what the hell was that flash" Keith said entering the room. "Unknown. Cameras can't give me anything on it. No infrared, ultraviolet, x-Ray or radiation emission at all" someone replied. "Impossible. There was a visible flash. There had to be some detectable radiation" he said. "Negative sir. There's some good new though. That rules out a high-altitude nuclear explosion" she said. "True. That and the fact our electronics are working rules that out. What about an aurora?" he asked. "No magnetic interference" she replied. Keith heard tiny feet behind him. "Dad? What was that weird flash?" Hope asked rubbing her eyes. "Dunno honey. Why don't you go back to sleep" he said. He watched her leave. "Night night kiddo" Sarah said walking around her. "Boss? We got some scared borrowers asking questions" she said. "And I have no answers" he said. An alarm went off. "We got a hit on news media. My god...1000's not tens of thousands of hits on keywords" control said. 

"Keywords THORN looks for?" Sarah asked. "Yeah, in this case magic, shrunk, and giantess. Jesus they keep coming in!" Control yelled. "Switch to BBC" Keith said. She nodded and did. "Goddess Lilith destroys the blasphemers in Vatican City. Entire area reduced to rubble. Goddess Morrigan praises her victory. Sir, this article is dated all the way back in January" she said. "And we just now got word? Pull up a webcam for that region" Keith said. Control did and all were shocked. "Leveled right down to the dirt. The Sistine Chapel, the Basilica" Sarah muttered. "Gone. Just footprints where they stood. Sarah, initiate lockdown procedures. Nobody in or out" Keith ordered. Sarah nodded and left the room. "The entire world. Keith I'm getting alerts across the entire world" control said. "Contact our agents in the field. I need a sitrep" he said. An hour passed. "Nothing. Not a single response. Even their phones won't ping" she said. "Stay on it" Keith said. 

Five days ago...

"It's no use. Every agent we had in the field has disappeared and the world has gone fucking mad!" Control yelled. "Easy Theresa! Take a break from the console" Keith said. The small borrower got out of her chair and paced the room. "Everywhere. The US, the U.K., Asia, Latin America. Every continent except Antarctica is showing four different goddesses of legend and myth reigning over them. Human males are being persecuted across the planet. A Twitter post I found today had a female teacher describing how she shrunk and raped a teenage boy in her class hashtag #lateforclass" she sighed. Keith was quiet. "Doesn't explain that light though" he said. "It's connected. It has to be" she said. She stumbled. His giant hand caught her. "Get some sleep" he said. She looked up at him. His finger caressed her cheek. "That's an order" he said. She nodded and left the room. Keith shrunk down and began reviewing what she discovered. 

Four days ago...

"Keith. People want answers. Is lockdown is scaring them" Sarah said. Keith put down the glass of water. "Some kind of event changed the world. Or something changed us. Maybe we were sucked into an alternate universe. Be as it may, our world as we know it isn't out there anymore. Today is Sunday. Noticed no church bells?" he asked. "I noticed. Someone with my hearing notices these things" she replied hopping onto the table. "Theresa narrowed it down to four women calling themselves goddesses. Goddesses with questionable pasts. Persephone the wife of Hades rules the Mediterranean, Africa, and Central Asia. Izanami, the queen of the Japanese underworld and ruler of the dead controls the rest of Asia including Russia. Morrigan, the queen of Celtic death controls Europe. And then there's Lilith, Queen of Hell and wife of the devil himself rules over the Americas and Australia" he said. "Each one rules over death depending on belief and location" Sarah said. Keith nodded. "Are they really goddesses? We've had more than a few pretenders over the years" Sarah asked. "This Lilith flattened the Vatican. It would take a S class Mage to grow that size. I sat in there watching people stream the attack. She was standing there tanking shots that would vaporize us" he replied. Keith sniffed the air. "Hope?" he asked. No response. "Come on out honey" he said. Hope slowly emerged from her hiding place behind the kitchen entryway.

"Why you hiding from daddy?" Keith chuckled plucking his tiny daughter from the floor. "I'm scared. The world doesn't feel right at all" she replied. Sarah and Keith looked at one another. "Can you explain?" he asked. Hope picked up a sugar cube and dropped it into the water. It floated on the surface. "The flash" she said kicking the glass with her bare foot. The water rippled tearing the cube apart and mixing the sugar. "The world now" she said pointing to the milky opaque sugar water. "Reality itself was...mixed? Polluted?" Sarah asked. Hope shrugged. "Sweetie. I have to ask. Did you cast any big spells?" Keith asked. "No! This wasn't me dad!" she yelled. "I had to ask" Keith said petting her. "Then who did? Lilith?" Sarah asked. "That's where my moneys at. She's blowing up news feeds more than anyone else" Keith said. "So, what are you going to tell people?" she asked. "...send word out I'll issue a statement this afternoon" Keith said.

Three days ago...

Keith sat in the sunroom overlooking the city lights. "Mind if I sit down?" Lawan asked. "Not at all" Keith said. His wife sat beside him. "How are you holding up?" she asked looking at his sleeping daughter in his palm. He was gently petting her bare leg. "Claire and Aspen disappeared when they were in Barcelona. 20% of people's families living abroad have all vanished. They're scared, they want to leave and look for them. I told them they weren't allowed to. A man asked me if it were my kids that vanished how I could sit around and do nothing" he said. "We can't just hunker down" Lawan said. "I know which is why I'm dispatching agents into Yorkshire and London tomorrow" he said. Hope began to twitch in her sleep. "She can sense their fear and anxiety even in her sleep" he said. "Have her babysit Kannika. Maybe sitting for her sister will take her mind off of things" she said. Keith nodded. "Don't stay up too late" his wife said kissing him before leaving.

Two days ago...

"Dad? I'm thinking about having a boyfriend" Hope suddenly said soaking in the sink. "Wha? Sweetie you're a little...immature for that" Keith said. "No, I'm not. I know what love is and you gave me the talk" she said. Keith paused washing her hair with his fingers. "Having a boyfriend is a big step for borrowers. Not like the way humans do it" he said. "Then how long am I supposed to wait? Five years, ten? Am I really supposed to sit around as girls my age pair up with boys? I already feel the odd one out" she said. "I'm not trying to hurt you Hope. Love is not an easy thing to navigate. I'm trying to spare you some hurt" he said. She turned to face him. "Isn't that my decision to make?" she asked. Hope stepped out of the sink. "It is. Some things in life you'll have to learn for yourself but keep in mind what borrower boys want deep down" he said plucking her up. "A cute, yummy girl begging to be eaten up" he said kissing her nude body. "Haha! That tickles!" she giggled. "Hope. Just come to one of us when stuff gets serious. We don't want your heart to be broken" he said softly. Keith carried her out of the bathroom and placed her on the nightstand as he fumbled for her pajamas. There was a knock on the door. "Come in" he said. "Keith. You need to see this" Susan said.

Keith followed her to control. "We just now getting information about it out of Japan" she dais pointing to the main screen. "What the hell? Are they rioting?" Keith asked looking at a live feed. "Not just in Tokyo. At least five other major cities in Japan are going through this. The males have risen up and began burning down police stations, government buildings, schools. The magic system they were using suddenly just stopped working" Theresa said. "That's not even the big news. We pulled this off a JSDF server during the chaos" she said opening the jpeg. "A dead half naked Japanese woman in the woods?" Keith asked. She zoomed in. "Holy shit. Izanami. Someone killed her?" he asked. "With extreme prejudice. The blast and scorch patterns indicate a lightning or compressed fire spell well above A class spellcraft" she said. "Sloughs like we got a friend out there" he said. "Slow down hot shot. We don't know that. The enemy of our enemy isn't always our friend" Susan warned. "Any word back from our agents?" Keith asked. "They sent some footage to us. It's a full-blown case of our worst fears. It's affected millions. Probably every human on the island. Even children Keith" she said. "Some have to have shrugged off the spell. If we can..."

"A 150ft. Morrigan made Prince Harry and William lick her toes. We passed optimism three exits ago" Susan said cutting him off. "I want a plan of action this time tomorrow" he said before leaving the room.

Yesterday...

"Fiona, Susan, Theresa" Keith said sitting down in the THORN briefing room. "We put our heads together to brainstorm how to proceed. A conventional attack on Morrigan is doomed to fail. Oberon informed us that the Morrigan of legend is the same one we're dealing with but different. She is capable of perception spells but nothing like this so the theory that Lilith is behind all this still stands. Second, with so many worshipping her, it seems to have supercharged her abilities hence the 150ft. tall shit. Third, it appears she made her camp in In Ireland. Where exactly we don't know" Theresa said. "So, scrambling our troops is out of the question" he said. "Option two. Our strongest launch an all-out assault on her using Hope as support long range. Odds of success is 25%." Susan said. "You serious?" Keith asked. "Keith were talking about killing a being that can control death itself. 25% sounds generous" Oberon said quietly. "And then we have option three. We use Hope as the front runner. She engages her directly and hope for the best" Fiona said. "...odds of success?" Keith asked. "Not a fucking clue. Hope's power is almost limitless. It's only limited by her imagination and physical body. And like Oberon said how do we kill a death goddess?" Fiona replied.

Keith rubbed his eyes. "So, our best option is turning my daughter into a soldier" he sighed. "We have enough food and water to last awhile but eventually Morrigan is going to notice we're not her thralls. We're under siege by ideology alone. We can't stay cooped up forever and tensions in the colony are rising. Keeping the wifi open might've been a mistake" Susan said. "If I locked the Wi-Fi it would've been worse. We start censuring the news then we're going to have a riot ourselves" Keith said. "There's where we stand boss" Theresa said. "Dismissed" he said softly. Fiona stayed behind.  "Don't you have a baby to see to?" he asked. "He'll be okay. I'm more concerned about you. How much sleep have you gotten this week?" she asked sitting on his knee. "Two or three hours a night" he replied. "Hmm. How is Hope dealing with this. Isn't she empathic?" she asked. "She can sense the fear and anxiety yeah. She's hiding her feelings just like she hides her true thoughts. She still talks like a young kid, but I know she's grown beyond that" he said. "Maybe she does it so you won't be afraid?" Fiona said. "How are the recruits at the academy?" he asked.

"Worried but at the same time eager to be fielded. Listening to our options, what will you do?" she asked. "As a leader I can't ignore our best chance of survival is using Hope. As a father, I cannot put her in danger" he sighed. He placed her in his hand. He petted her cheek with his finger. "If you were me, what would you do?" he asked. "Probably fret just like you. In the end, fight alongside my child and pray if death does come, it chooses me instead" she replied. Keith kissed her gently. Fiona hugged his cheek. "Good night Fiona. Hug your son for me will ya?" he asked. "Can do boss" she said as he placed her on the floor. Keith went to his bedroom. "What are you watching kiddo?" he asked. "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Her magic sucks" Hope replied. Keith sat on the bed close to her. "Anyone's magic would suck compared to yours" he snickered. His finger petted her back and down to her tiny butt. "What's on your mind dad?" she asked. "What to do about our situation. Sealing ourselves off was a temporary solution. We really have to deal with Morrigan herself" he said softly. "They want me to kill her, and you don't want to put me in that position" she said using her foot to pause Netflix.

Keith looked down at her. "I'm not as naive as you think. I can feel all their fears and anxieties out there. They're literally praying to me dad. Like I'm their savior" she said looking at the window. She floated to the windowsill. "25,616 people down there want me to go out there and make the world nice again. Susan is hugging her daughter after walking into her house. She won't let go. Fiona is sitting in the park wondering if she said the right thing. Theresa is sitting on her bed softly crying. It hurt her to see you upset. She really likes you" Hope said. Keith picked her up. "It's not nice to peek at people's thoughts without permission. We've talked about that" he said. "How can I not when they're so loud? Dad when I look at you I can sense every thought you have because they're so loud. From the deepest thoughts you suppress like licking my pussy and sucking on my body. From the intermediate thoughts and fears of how much you love me and worry if I'm sad because you don't want me to suffer like you did as a kid. And of course, your thoughts on the surface about how pretty I am. How you look forward to each and every day. How you worry about the people and worry about hurting the feelings of girls around you" she said. Keith grew quiet and sniffled as a tear ran down his cheek. "Daddy I didn't mean to embarrass you, but you have to know the truth about who I am and who you are" she said softly. Keith was astonished at how profound the last part was. "You really are growing aren't you?" he asked. "I do a lot of thinking and I got good teachers. You, mommy, mommy Claire, Aunt Susan,..." she answered. She suddenly stood up in his palm. "I never even thought about that. Crap that's embarrassing..." she muttered. "What?" Keith asked.

"I never bothered to even try using my powers to find my moms" she replied. "Aw fuck you're right. Can you?" he asked. Hope sat down crossing her legs and concentrated. She reached far and wide with her clairvoyance to find them. Starting in Barcelona, she looked and looked. "Found them. They're...uh oh" she muttered. "Did you find them?" Keith asked hopeful and worried. "Yeah I found them but...they're acting weird" she replied. "Weird how?" he asked. "She's bowing before a statue of Morrigan. Momma Claire is..." she said before clasping her hands to her mouth as her eyes went wide. "A boy. She killed a boy" she gasped. Hope looked utterly terrified. Keith said nothing more and sat there silently as Hope slept. He had to sedate her just to rest. The news was troubling. Claire and Aspen had fallen to Morrigan's influence and wore yet Hope had described some kind of human sacrifice to her which they were responsible for. Keith pulled his phone out. "Susan. I know it's late but meet me in my bedroom" he texted. 20 minutes later, Susan arrived.

"I asked Hope to find Claire and Aspen" he said softly. The human sized woman sat down on the bed gently. She looked down at Hope. "I can smell anxiety and drugs on her" she said. "What she found wasn't pleasant. Aspen and Claire are alive which is the good news. Bad news is they fell to the dark side so to speak. Hope saw them in real time sacrificing a shrunken boy. Rattled the shit out of her" he explained. "The poor girl" Susan muttered petting Hope's head. "This raises questions Susan. I spoke with Hope about using her tattoo Morrigan and she was all for it but now? In this state?" he asked. "What if we forcibly brought Claire and Aspen back? It would be a morale boost for everyone" she said. "My thinking exactly. I want you to assemble a team and be ready by noon tomorrow" he said. "Consider it done boss" she said. She stood up. She hugged him from behind and kissed his head. "Get some rest" she said to him.

Early morning today...

"A dress? Really?" Skylar yawned at Alicia. "Been some changes in Dubai. With the women in charge now, it's customary to wear a long fine dress" Alicia said. "You're kidding. I was in Dubai once and women could only dress like that in the western wards out of the public" Skylar said. Alicia smoothed out the long white dress on her body. "The Middle East did a total 180 in laws and culture. Under Persephone's control, men can't even hold jobs with some kind of authority. Boys under the age of 16 aren't even allowed to be human sized. And we thought Japan was bad" she said. "So, you're leaving now?" Skylar asked. "It's easier to slip in during the late night and contact is Ahmed guy. Then I pop back as fast as I can to implement a project I'm working on. We're on the clock now our cover was blown in Japan" she said. "What project?" Skylar asked. "Markus, the asshole that wanted to conquer the world, had a bunch of projects in the mix to do it. One was a master hacking exploit to slip into cell phones. I plan to use it to cause Lilith and her cronies some trouble" Alicia smirked. "You're just now telling me?" Skylar asked. "Need to know basis. Faith left me some notes on some of the stuff even I didn't know about" she said. "When?" Skylar asked. "When she said goodbye to me privately" she muttered.

Alicia slipped her designer sandals on and used a portal to Dubai. "Good luck" Skylar said. Alicia nodded and left. She emerged right where she thought she would. The AstroTurf crunched slightly under her sandaled feet at Dubai International Stadium. She had come there two years ago on her tour just before Japan. It was a sellout crowd but now silent as the grave and barely lit. It was 2 am local time so no surprise for her. She quietly made her way out onto the street. At a glance, it seemed nothing had truly changed. The city was still clean and pristine. Now and then a Ferrari or Lambo would squeal past her. The jewel of the desert had remained intact apparently. "She said he'd find me if I made my magic stand out enough" she said. So that is what she did. She pumped up a perception spell making those that saw her take notice. A risky gamble but simple magics wasn't enough. In that area were several nightclubs and boutiques, even an Aston Martin dealership, but she needed to stand out, so she chose a random club. 

The music was booming, the smell of sweat and booze heavy in the air. "Okay then" she muttered seeing what would've been highly illegal just a few weeks ago. Women, unaccompanied women in a nightclub drinking alcohol dancing. "Welcome to the Desert Topaz. What're you having?" the bartender asked. "Gin and tonic" Alicia replied. "Coming up cutie" the bartender smiled at her. Alicia grinned slightly as the women serving drinks was obviously checking her out.  "For the lovely lady" the bartender said placing the drink down. "What brings you to Dubai?" she asked. Alicia studied the woman as she came from behind the bar. Around 22 years of age, black hair, auburn eyes, burnt caramel skin tone. She wasn't ugly by any means. "Some business" Alicia replied. The woman sat next to her. "Kadesha" she said. "Alicia" she said extending her left hand and not her right. "Polite and educated in our customs" Kadesha said. "You get a lot of customers here?" Alicia asked. "Depends on what's going on. Recently, under the benevolence of our goddess Persephone, the restrictions on serving locals were removed. Now the religious police just patrol for unruly men who have abused the gift of having the same size as we do" she replied smiling. Her answer told her a few things...

"So, it's not just Japan. It seems like they all have some kind of order or cult to enforce their will" Alicia thought. "Tell me Kadesha, does your goddess allow the use of magics like mine does?" Alicia asked. The woman smiled and yelled something in Arabic. Moments later a young man around 24 or 25 emerged from the back. The way he was dressed would indicate a dishwasher of busboy. He bowed his head before her. "For those that prove their piety yes" she said placing her finger on the man's forehead. She traced a symbol in Ancient Greek on his skin and the man shrank before her. Kadesha bent down to pick him up and placed him on the table. "Impressive but can you conjure fire?" Alicia said invoking a very weak fire spell. The flame held steadily in her palm. "Or how about this?" Kadesha said writing invisible (until they weren't) Greek alphabet in midair conjuring a gentle breeze. "Maybe you can show me more of that magic somewhere else?" Alicia whispered. The woman smiled saying "I know just the place".

Kadesha picked up the busboy and led Alicia to a back room. "The VIP lounge" she whispered to Alicia. "Won't the owner get irritated you're not working?" Alicia asked. "I am the owner" Kadesha grinned. She had her sit down as the woman opened a mini fridge and pulled out a bottle of Grey Goose and poured two drinks. "Take it off Hasim" the woman told the shrunken man. The man nodded slightly and began taking off his clothing. Within a minute, he was stark naked. "Dance for us" she told him. Hasim danced and gyrated to the beat of the music as the giantesses in front of him smiled and giggled at him. "Look at his little dick and glass jiggle" she chuckled. "He's cute though" Alicia said. Kadesha glanced at her. "...for a male" Alicia added. Kadesha smiled once more. "Males have their obvious uses but in the long run they're more trouble than they're worth. Wars, crime, unjust laws" she said. "Which is why I prefer women. We are the bearers of life after all" she said placing her hand on Alicia's thigh.  Alicia moved her leg and placed it on Kadesha's. "So, you like the new order?" Alicia asked. Kadesha looked at her sandaled foot and slipped off her shoe. "Compared to the old one absolutely" she replied rubbing Alicia's sole for a moment. "What about the cost? Surely there are some males you would want to show favor to. A father, brother, maybe a son?" she asked.

Kadesha played with her toes for a moment before responding. "My father is dead. No children and as for my brother, well he seems happy don't you Hasim?" she asked the shrunken man. Alicia stifled her shock seeing she had shrunken and turned her own brother into a sexual amusement. "He's your brother? And what if I were to say...eat him? Would you care?" Alicia asked. She looked down at him. "He's replaceable" she replied. Alicia, being how strong she was could feel spells at work. Even in this world, the feel of the perception spell was like a barely audible hum. Something you could easily dismiss or forget. Alicia felt for a split second a wavering, a half second pause in that hum. As if a counterforce acted against it. Alicia grabbed Hasim off the table. "Have you ever eaten someone before Kadesha? Nothing like it on Earth. No pleasure, power, or action is like it. The ultimate form of control. To take sometimes life and use it for your own" Alicia said. With her free hand, she caressed Kadesha's cheek. She gripped her chin and cheekbones and forced her mouth open slightly. Looking right into her eyes, Hasim was pushed into his sister's mouth.

"You can taste him can't you? Sweat from fear. The faint tickling pulse is his heart pounding. You're in full control of his fate. Your big brother is just a tasty morsel now. All those times he probably said he loved you, gave you sweets, birthday presents, hugged you when you needed extra love. They don't mean shit now do they?" Alicia asked as her voice slipped a truth spell into her targets mind. Kadesha tensed up. Her breathing quickened. Her left eye twitched ever so slightly. "You never mentioned your mother" Alicia said. "She died from a car bomb in Fallujah years ago" Kadesha mumbled. "So, the man you're about to eat alive is the last living part of your family. You'll be all alone if you just swallow and wait 5 to ten minutes. Do it Kadesha. Eat him. Fucking eat him!" Alicia hissed. A tear rolled down Kadesha's cheek. Kadesha jerked and twitched as if having a seizure and fell forward. Alicia caught her and as she did, Hasim slipped out of her mouth. He locked more panicked about his giantess sister then the fact he was almost eaten.  "Why do you care?" Alicia asked. "She's a female and I'm just a lowly male but even so...I...I..." he stammered shaking. "You love her" Alicia finished. He knew she was right and his heart, his soul struggled against the perception spell cast on the world. "Stop this" a voice said.

Alicia looked up to see a young man. "I don't think so. I want him to say it out loud" she said. "You're voice. You're Alicia. I recognize it from the time we spoke on the phone" he said. "Ahmed. Took long enough" she hissed. "I have more to look after than you. The entire world has been enthralled" he said coldly. "No shit. Sleep boy" she said putting the shrunken man asleep. "We need to talk. You brought Faith to your safe house once. Maybe we can continue this conversation there" she said. He nodded quietly and followed her out of the VIP room. It was a 30-minute quiet walk to where he was headed. Alicia didn't like Ahmed very much. Growing up Baptist left a feeling of uneasiness around him but that wasn't the true reason she had issues with him. She was sure as shit that he fucked her wife. They entered his apartment. "Remove your shoes" he said. Being polite she did. He motioned for her to sit down. He said nothing as he prepared tea. "Let us speak in low tones as my fiancée sleeps in the other room. Faith is a close friend, and you are her wife. Respect shall be awarded first instead of being earned this time" he said sitting down. Alicia was slightly ashamed of her earlier rudeness.

"I'll try to keep this as simple as possible. You know about Faith fighting gods and goddesses correct?" she asked. He nodded. "One played the long game and won. She somehow altered reality itself with a perception spell and did all of this" she said. "Persephone shouldn't be that powerful" he said. "Not her. She's just a coconspirator like Morrigan and Izanami. Who did this was Lilith" she said. Ahmed tensed up and took a deep breath. "So, you know of her?" Alicia asked. "Every Campione knows of her. The most feared one of all. She's the only one that has ever stood toe to toe with the darkest evil and cowed it. A riddle for you. What is darker than darkness? The answer is Lilith. The consort of the Fallen One himself. Yes, she could do what you say. But still, to manipulate reality in such a way should only be possible..."

"She erased the true name of God on the Sephiroth and replaced it with her own in the Garden of Eden" she finished. "There are days I wish I wasn't a Muslim so I could fucking drink" he muttered. "Faith fought her and lost. Now Lilith controls her very body" Alicia said. "Fuck it" Ahmed said standing up and taking a bottle out of the cupboard. "I keep it for medicinal purposes" he explained as he began pouring a glass of vodka. He sat quietly sipping on it. "Just two weeks ago, I was finishing the preparations for my wedding. Was soon about to invite Faith to it seeing she made it all possible. Did...did she fight well?" he asked. "With all her heart" Alicia replied. She could see tears in his eyes. "You guys were close?" Alicia asked. "In the very short time she was with me, she put things in perspective. She showed her humility, bravery, loyalty, and selflessness to all willing to see it. We were...intimate but her heart resides with another. Just as I had my harem, my heart resides with Aly" he replied softly. "She's not dead" Alicia said. "Lilith has caused the downfall of many a person. History is littered with the bones of her victims. Faith suffers a fate worse than death" he muttered.

"You sought me out to help you correct?" he asked. "She said you are a Campione like her" Alicia replied. "No, not like her. No Campione was like her. Even at the height of our time, it was rare for one of our kind to slay a god in their lifetime. Rarer still more than one. You have my blades, but I don't see how I can truly help you" he said. "Faith wanted you for a reason. She saw something in you" Alicia said taking the glass from him. "Maybe my innate jinn magics but in the face of Lilith, I am but a gnat" he said. "Then why are you still here in Dubai? Why haven't you stayed in Iram?" she asked. "Because...because I can't just turn my back to this" he replied. "I think that's what she saw in you. Your conviction. A lot of others would just run and hide but not you prince of Iram" she said. Ahmed stood up and walked to the living room mirror. He amped up his powers until his face turned to the dark ashen grey of his jinn heritage. Faith had told her of his mixed blood, so she wasn't too shocked to see the transformation. "I will need time to prepare. Hone my symbology" he said. "Fine. We won't be in a position to take down Lilith right away anyway. We need to take away her support first. One goddess down, two more to go" she said. "One down?" he asked. "Izanami. My 13-year-old daughter took her down" she replied. "What?!" he yelled. "A family friend found a way to harness and fuse her magics into a device that allows her to become a legendary warrior. She struck down a Japanese death goddess with lightning that would make you piss yourself in fear" she said. "In a child? That much power?!" he asked. "The power expenditure nearly killed her. We're going to England to pick up an artifact to help with that, along with some friends" she replied.

"Sounds like you have a plan already" he said. "Not mine. Faith's. She left a Plan B if the original plan went south. "Who is this?" a voice asked. Alicia turned to see a shrunken woman around 19 or 20 dressed in fatigues, barefoot, with disheveled hair. "A guest. She's brought dire news. Alicia, this is my fiancée Aly. Aly, this is Alicia Faith's wife" he said. Aly bowed slightly with respect. "I should go. I have some things back home to see to" Alicia said. "If you must" Ahmed said. Alicia opened a portal and left. "Have you been drinking?" Aly asked climbing up onto the sofa seat. "I have good reason to break my vow today. An ancient evil has proved victorious over Faith" he said picking her up and placing her on his thigh. "I fear the end of days may be upon us" he muttered. "Beloved, you're scaring me" Aly said. "I am scared myself. When the sun rises, we shall return to Iram. I must prepare myself for battle. I have shirked my destiny as a Campione for far too long. There is a time for being a watcher and a time to be a warrior. I have been the former too long. It has...dulled my edge" he said. "In the meantime, tell me what has happened for I must be prepared as well" she said. He looked down at her and dropped his finger to her. It touched her side and traveled down to her left bare foot. Her tiny ped resting on the fingertip. From there it went back up and stopped to play with her beautiful hair. "Lilith is our enemy. The queen of the Evil One. You still wish to fight?" he asked. "My future husband needs his wife by his side does he not?" she asked. "...he does" he replied.

Alicia had returned to their home and entered the mansion. "I'm back" she said. "Didn't know you were gone" Selah said eating cereal. "Imagine so how deep you were asleep" she said ruffling her hair and kissing it. "Damn. Never did get that tea" she muttered entering the kitchen. Alicia put on a coffee pot. "Did you check on Marco and Cordelia?" Alicia asked. "They're both asleep. Cordelia doesn't look very good" Selah replied. "Yeah I know. How do you feel?" she asked. "Alright. Eager to get that green jewel thing" she replied. "Don't let killing a goddess go to your head. Pride and foolishness go hand in hand" she warned. "Shit that smells good" Lucy muttered entering the room.  "Find a spot and I'll pour you a cup when it's done" Alicia said. Alicia and Selah looked at the borrower who was topless climb up onto the kitchen nook. "Wow. Your tits look sore" Selah blurted. "Selah that's rude" Alicia sighed. "Not easy breastfeeding three babies. Especially ones going through a growth spurt" Lucy said. Selah rubbed her finger down Lucy's bare back.  "Hmm" the borrower hummed kicking her feet out and relaxing. "When do borrower babies go on solid food?" Selah asked. "Around 12 months. Right around then we mix our breastmilk with their food to kinda wean them off" she replied. Selah leaned in real close. "You don't have any stretch marks" she said. "No, we don't. Our skin is more resilient than a human's" Lucy said. "Smooth skin. Super pretty. You borrowers are amazing!" Selah said. She gently kissed her bare back. "Haha! If you say so sweetie" Lucy chuckled. Alicia was relieved that Selah was still her lovable self. She was worried the new influx of power would corrupt her somehow.

Alicia finished making coffee and poured Lucy and herself a cup. Selah rested her chin on the nook very close to Lucy. "Ahmed said he's willing to fight. We just need to give him time to get ready" Alicia said. "Dunno time is what we have. You kinda fucked shit up in Japan. They could be looking for us as we speak" Lucy said. "I know which is why I'll be working on a distraction" she replied. Selah heard them talk back and forth but wasn't listening. She was staring at Lucy. She had not known her for long at all, but she felt herself becoming close to the woman. Lucy wasn't that much older than herself and had a kid. A thought crept into her mind. Selah wanted to fight. She wanted to transform again and feel that rush of power and lust. To taste victory and feel the joy of protecting those she loved. And then there was a fear in her heart that she wouldn't live long enough to experience growing older and starting a family of her own. Faith made it clear that bestowing Odin's power on her had shortened her life. Skylar was living proof of that. The girl was 19 but looked 25. Worse yet, it was known easily that Skylar had been given just a fraction of the power Selah had. Even if she lived through all this, she could a withered old woman by the time she was 40.

"Did you hear me?" Alicia asked. "Hmm?" Selah asked. "I said have you picked some clothes for your trip to England this afternoon" Alicia said. "Yeah last night" she replied. Alicia nodded. "Then if you'll excuse me, I have to speak with Skylar and someone else" Alicia said leaving. Selah watched her leave. "What's on your mind kiddo?" Lucy asked. "What's it like to start a family?" Selah asked. "Terrifying and fulfilling at the same time. Borrowers are taught early on that having children is one of the most important things we can ever do. We start looking around for a mate around 13, marry at 14, and start pumping out babies" she chuckled. "So, should I think about finding a boyfriend right now?" Selah asked. "Well, there's no age limit on that. Find a cute boy and try it out. Hugs, kisses, all that good stuff" she said. "So, you started having babies around 14?" Selah asked. "Yes I did" Lucy said very softly. "Bet that was interesting. So... where are they?" Selah asked. Lucy looked up at her. "I don't know. They were taken from me after six months. Selah, I was born and raised in a breeding farm. I don't even know my own parents" she replied. "I... oh god I didn't...fuck!" Selah yelled hiding her face. Lucy watched silently as tears slipped through Selah's fingers. "Hey. Look at me" Lucy said tugging on her finger. Selah reluctantly did. "I was so stupid. I feel like a fucking asshole for asking" she sniffled. "You didn't know and you're at a curious age" she said.

"Aunt Lucy I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings" she said. It was the first time Lucy had been called an aunt by her. "You didn't. I've had years to...cope with that reality. It's not our past the defines us. It's what we do now that does" Lucy told her. Selah gave her a gentle kiss. "Why don't you break out the nail polish and we can paint our toes and talk about boys" she said. Selah smiled and nodded to her.

Alicia walked silently to the city. The Valkyries Faith has brought there had completed the task of helping the displaced that lost their homes and some loved ones during Ambrosio's attack. Now they quietly sat in their dorms most of the time with only a few venturing into the city for a diversion. Faith has said that was alright as long as the people were willing to indulge them. Truthfully, not many chose that route as working around them gave them a perspective of these people being well...people. They weren't playthings, toys, or sexual aids. They had honest to god lives. For many a Valkyrie, his was cold water in their faces. Their power made them feel superior to people. Brought low and made to help people the size of ants was an ego breaker, but it served its purpose.  However, not all learned the lesson...

Alicia brought her bare feet down carefully with each step. The people cleared the way and bowed before her. She was royalty in their eyes and paid respect to her as her dusty giant soles came down close to them. Alicia walked with a purpose, a destination in mind. And when she arrived, she shrank down to their minuscule size and knocked on the door before her. "Yes? How can I...by the zodiac it's you" a young man said. "You gonna let me in?" she asked. He awkwardly opened the door for her and moved out of the way. Alicia walked into his home wiping her feet at the entryway. "I was not expecting you" he said softly. "I'm sure you felt the tremors from my feet though" she said. "Yes I did. By what do I enjoy the honor of an esteemed zodiac..."

"I'm not longer a zodiac. Alicia is fine" she said cutting him off. "Honey? What guests do we have..." a young woman said entering the living room. She bowed immediately. "Off the floor" Alicia said. "Alex, I'm here for something you were once working on" she said. He motioned for his wife to get Alicia some tea. "I don't know what you're referring. When the mas...Markus was declared dead, I became a simple man. A wife, a child, a simple job of maintaining the city's network infrastructure" he said. "Daddy? Who's she?" a young girl around five asked entering the room. "She's...a friend honey. Her name is Alicia" he said. "You're pretty" the girl told her. Alicia smiled and ruffled her hair. "Thank you" Alicia said. "Help your mother in the kitchen" he said. "Alex, I know Markus tasked you with a project involving a hacking suite for cellular phones" she said. "...yes. I am not that person anymore. I swore off using my talents for that. Alicia, when I turned my life around it got so much better. I got to see my daughter grow. No more nights stuck in the mansion slaving over programs" he said. "Alex, I'm being polite by asking. Now I got a lot of shit on my plate right now and I don't need your last-minute morality fucking that up. Recent events have had me being pulled back into a life I swore off, so I get wanting not to become the person you once were. Do not make me say something that we will both regret" Alicia said looking at his wife and daughter.

"Her birthday is in a week. Our anniversary in a month" he said. "And you all will be here to celebrate that, but you got shit to do now. Now you can finish what you were working on with Markus by choice or I can stoop to his level and threaten their lives. As they say back in Texas, make a pimp decision" she said coldly. "Honey, I have to take care of something. I'll be gone for a few days" he said. "If you must" she sighed. Alicia leaked into the kitchen starting her. She had forgotten for a moment she had been there. "Milady! I didn't mean disrespect! We are proud to serve..." she said as Alicia sipped the cup of tea. "Good tea. Nice family. Thank you for your hospitality" Alicia said smiling before walking to the door. "I need to gather my equipment" he said. "Don't dawdle. I want this done as fast as possible" she said before opening the door. The man breathed deeply after she left. Then the tremors of giant feet once again. He began gathering his equipment needed for the task and kissed his wife and child bye. Growing to human size, he began walking. In the distance he could see Alicia enter the mansion. "Oh" he muttered seeing she was more upset than he was.

A few hours later...

"So, this is where you were" Skylar said sitting next to Hana. Hana, even though koonago size was still a giantess in the city. She sat quietly with her legs out watching children play in the playground. Their parents, some of them, quietly rubbed her giant soles. "I'm worried. You haven't said much since I told you about your people" Skylar said extending her legs. With a new giantess before them, some flocked to her bare feet. "What's there to say? My people were decimated and raped on the orders of a mad goddess" Hana said softly. Skylar held her hand. "Many things to say. Scream, yell, cry" she said. "There was a time I wished for the end of the classes but to have it happen this way. I feel like a coward for not being there" she muttered. "So did your new queen. Her anger and shame nearly destroyed her. It took people she loved to step in to save her from herself" she said. "My people, my very culture was laid to waste. Even as I was treated lower than shit, I still had my pride as a koonago. Now, now that is laid bare" Hana said. She lowered her head and softly cried. Those attending her giant feet paused and looked up at her. "I don't pretend to have all the answers Hana, but I watched as your queen took the taters of your society and began to rebuild."

"Look at the people before you. Just weeks ago, they suffered the destruction of an eldritch vampire. Before that they lived and died at the whims of people. Faith told me those kids playing right there were the favorite prey of one of them. And yet they endure. You chose your name after seeing an orchid. Fitting as orchids are the few flowers whose stems don't break under pressure. Live up to your name cutie" Skylar told her. Hana wiped her eyes and hugged her tightly. "Look at those smiling faces" she said. Hana did and blushed. "They care about you too. I'd admit that more than a few are sexually attracted to you. Asian giantess with perfect feet walking around. Hey guys! She doesn't wear panties under these kimonos!" Skylar shouted. Hana turned beet red hiding her face. "You're so cute when you're embarrassed" Skylar chuckled stroking her hair. Skylar stood up. "Walk with me" she said. "Where are we going?" Hana asked. "Somewhere private. I want to do more than cuddle" she replied.

Around the same time...

"You ready to go?" Keith asked them. "Ready as we'll ever be" Susan replied. "Just you two?" he asked. "Me and Fiona are the best suited and most experienced. We go in, incapacitate, capture, and slip back. Is Hope ready?" she asked. Keith looked at his daughter as she silently looked out of the sunroom door. "I'm ready. Just bring my mommies home" she replied softly. Keith nodded quietly to Susan indicating Hope was in a stable mindset to transport them. They watched as the small girl floated through the air into the living room. "Good luck" Keith said to them. Susan smiled and gave the thumbs up. Hope opened a portal to Claire's and Aspen's location easily though she had never been there before. It reminded them that her control of Etherion surpassed the usual rules of high tier magics. The borrowers rushed through the portal closing it. It was just past 8 am local time as they arrived. The room was lit by the morning sun. A posh beautiful room decorated in old Castilian style.

Susan and Fiona were assaulted by various smells. The smell of blood and sweat. Dirty nylons and tears. The dirty nylons and blood were easily found by discarded hosiery and shoes. Susan having a keener sense of smell could smell the scent of many others in the room. Susan quietly walked along the wood floor. To the left towered a bed with snoring sounds. Giant feet poked out from the sheets. "Those are Aspen's feet" Fiona said. "I know. I can smell them. There's something else though. It reminds me of the smells I used to smell when I was..." Susan stopped talking as she saw on a table a cage. "When I was in a pet shop" she finished. Closer, the smell of sweat, tears, and wood chippings was stronger. Susan expertly climbed up the table. She cringed at the smell of piss and shit. Inside were not borrowers but shrunken human beings. Four of them all male. Three of them teenagers with the fourth a very handsome, healthy man in his late 20's. Judging by their looks, they were of the local variety. "What is it?" Fiona asked down on the floor. "Sacrifices they're keeping shrunken humans as sacrifices here. Uhhgh...I can smell traces of Aspen's and Claire's pussy juices on them from a few days ago. They must be raping them before they kill them. Oh god, what did this world do to them?" Susan asked crossing herself.

Her voice awoke one of them. "Huh? Wha?" a boy around 15 asked opening his eyes. He saw Susan and freaked backing against the bars. "Please...I just wanna go home. Don't put me in there again" he begged. "What? You think I'm with them?" Susan asked. She forced the cage door open. "Don't...don't please..." he whined crying. "Easy kid. I'm not with them" she said. The others began to wake. They panicked just like the boy. "Shhh. We're going to get you out" Susan said. Fiona heard a sound from the bed. "Susan..." Fiona said. "How long have you been here?" Susan asked. "Two...two weeks I think. There was more of us. 8 more. We were shrunk and taken in the market by them, devotees of Morrigan. Night after night one of us gets taken and used. Some return. Others don't. That poor kid's brother was taken the other night. He didn't return" the man said. "Step out of the cage and carefully use the lamp power cord to slide down to the floor" she said. "Susan..." Fiona said. "I'm busy Fiona" she said. "There's small rustling underneath the covers" Fiona warned. Susan looked at the bed and at table height saw it far better. Aspen was indeed there but Claire was not to be seen. However, a small bump in the covers near her was moving.

Susan helped the survivors to the floor. "They're human! Susan we can't bring them back. The fact they know magic..."

"Doesn't mean shit in this world anymore" Susan finished. "Jesus you're right. We need to move. We can't get sidetracked" Fiona said. "Those voices" a voice said. Claire floated out from underneath the covers. "Oh shit" Fiona muttered. "Susan. And Fiona right? Now what brings you two here? And are those our tributes escaping?" Claire asked as magic power began to crackle around her. Aspen began to wake. Susan cast fortification making her speed explode. With a blur, she climbed onto the bed, and swiftly cast a sleeping arcane on the giantess. "Fuck did you just do?" Claire asked coldly. "Claire, you need to come home. You're under the influence of a perception spell. This isn't you" Fiona said. Claire gripped the woman with invisible force lifting her off her bare feet. "I was not talking to you" Claire said coldly tossing her through the air. "Fiona!" Susan yelled running to her side. She was stopped as a stray bolt of lightning crossed her path. "I asked you a fucking question" Claire hissed. "Claire. Power down" Susan warned. The naked borrower floating in the air grew to human size.

The humans on the floor trembled. "You really want to fight? What if Aspen gets killed in the crossfire?" Susan asked. Susan narrowed her eyes and shrank back down. "Innocent people Susan? Hope saw what you two did and it broke her heart. Even Keith is distraught. Do you even care?" Susan asked. "It is for the glory of Morrigan that their lives are given. She is the way to salvation!" Claire yelled. "What if she asked you to slit Aspen's throat?" Susan asked. "Only the males are sacrificed. She would never be..."

"Then Luke perhaps. Looking at who you caught so far, your kid would be a prime sacrifice in 15 years or so. What about it Claire? Your son's blood running down an altar after some woman rapes him night after night" Susan said. Claire's power flickered violently. "She...she would never ask that of me" Claire stammered floating lower and lower to the floor. "How can you be so sure? Look at them Claire! They are somebody's sons and I'm damn sure their mothers' worship Morrigan. That man said there were 8 others. Did their mother's devotion save them from you and Aspen?" Susan asked wriggling her toes and finding her footing. "I... I don't know. No, no it didn't" Claire stuttered. Susan slipped her hand into her pocket gripping a syringe. She leaped right at the woman distracted by her words and tackled her. She drove the syringe into her neck and injected Claire with a sedative. With a howl, she blew Susan right off her. "I'm alright" Susan muttered as Fiona helped her to her feet. Claire raised her hand at her and fired off a bolt of lightning. Susan deflected it with her sword. Claire fired again with the same effect. Drugged and weakened, her magics were not a threat. "I'll...kill you" Claire hissed staggering to her. Claire collapsed on the floor. Susan called Keith. "They're down but we got four extra people coming with us. Open the portal" she said. A moment later the portal opened, and Susan and Fiona motioned for the survivors to enter. Fiona shrunk Aspen down and carried her as Susan carried Claire. "Mission complete..." Susan muttered returning. They carried Claire and Aspen to the infirmary while Keith called security to deal with their new guests.

"We all set?" Alicia asked. "I am" Skylar said with a duffel bag. "I'm good" Selah said with a suitcase. "I'm going to portal us to London airport. That's as close as I can get us to Yorkshire" she said. Alex walked up from the basement. "Just taking a piss" he said. "Work as fast as you can. If you need food or water just open the fridge" she said. They looked at Alicia. "He's working on a project" she said quietly. Before they could ask any questions, she opened a portal. "Time is ticking ladies" she said pushing them through. They emerged at the pickup terminal of Heathrow. "So now we rent a car and head out" Skylar said looking around. "No. No rental cars" Alicia said walking to the doors. They followed her to the parking lot where she looked over car after car. "You're not thinking of boosting a car are you?" Skylar asked. "We don't need anyone tracing our credit cards...assuming they still work. Ah. Here we go" she replied. She used her powers to unlock the doors of a dirty beat down car of her choice. "Get in" she said. They crammed themselves into it. "You got to be kidding me. An antique Mini Cooper that's dirtier than the jokes I tell Hana?" Skylar muttered. "No LoJack or GPS to track us" she said hot wiring the car. They cringed as she grinded the gears. "My shoe is bigger than this piece of British shit" Skylar huffed. Alicia quickly backed out of the space and exited the lot. The car groaned as she forced it into fourth gear as she merged onto the M1.

"Not so bad" Alicia sighed as she turned the radio on. There was no music at all except talk radio exalting Morrigan. She turned it off. "Not a single song" Selah said. "I thought as much surfing the web. Pandora, Spotify, even IHeart Radio is gone" Alicia said. "Why? You'd think they'd keep some music just to praise their name like in church" Skylar said. "Music has a tendency to move our hearts and souls. It can encourage a person. Give them hope. Open their minds. It can even be used as a weapon. Music is the foundation to my magics. There's a reason why music has been used in battle for centuries and reason why I sing during combat" Alicia said. "So, who was that guy?" Skylar asked. "An old colleague from once upon a time. I have him working on a project that might give us some breathing room now people know about us" she replied. She whipped the car around a slower vehicle. "Jesus who taught you how to drive?" Skylar asked. "My father. The backwoods of Texas and an old Ford pickup were the best teaching tools in the world" she replied. "You don't talk about your days before Faith" Skylar said. Alicia looked at Selah using the rear-view mirror.  "I come from Corpus Christi Texas. When I was 14 I discovered I could control people with magic if I sang. Soon I could cast simple spells including shrinking and growing ones. Thought I was the shit back then...until Markus came into town."

"Told me what I really was. A Lemurian descendant with Alux blood. I was a chosen being with the right to rule humanity with others like me. Told him to fuck off with that world domination bullshit. In response, he burned my family alive and shrank and murdered my boyfriend. He kept me in bondage for weeks beating me, raping me until I broke. I was no longer Alicia but Celine Cruz the singer.  And then I was doing his bidding controlling key humans for his master plan while I... indulged in horrible things. Truly horrible things" Alicia said gripping the steering wheel harder. They were quiet. "And then you met mom" Selah said touching her hand on the gearshift. "That's right sweetie. I met Faith" Alicia said smiling.

A little over an hour later...

They pulled up to Yorkshire Mansion. "You all feel that right?" Alicia asked. "The urge to look away and leave? Yeah. A perception spell" Skylar said. "Hold my hands" she said to them. Alicia held them tightly as they trudged up the lane to the door. Jumpy as hell as they fought the urge to flee. Alicia went to knock on the door until she saw the barrier in place. "Hmm...knock knock" she said empowering her fist and striking the barrier. A dense thud and nothing else. They waited. The door opened and before them stood Keith and Susan. "Who the hell are you?" Keith asked wary as anyone that got that close was not ordinary. "Hopefully, a friend. My name is Alicia...McCormick" she replied. "...McCormick? Keith..." Susan was saying before Keith motioned for her to be quiet. "This is my adopted daughter Selah, and this is Skylar. May we come in?" Alicia asked. Keith stepped forward backing them up. "No, you may not. There's a little voice inside me telling me you're not exactly a run of the mill person. And neither are they. Especially the girl there" Keith said pointing to Selah. "I can explain but we're kinda exposed out here. It would be best if we can enter. We really mean no harm" Alicia said looking around before extending her hand. Susan gripped her wrist causing Alicia to yelp in pain.

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