"I'm waiting" Keith said tapping his foot. "I don't where to begin" Faith said. "Try at the beginning. It's usually a good place to start" he said curtly. Faith flinched at his tone of voice. "First of all, I really am your daughter. No tricks or illusion magics. As a bit of proof, your last name is Acornwood" she said. "Which you might know with mind reading magic" he said. "The first time you licked my pussy you were scared it was the wrong thing to do. You were terrified at how bad I was in heat and you licked and sucked on me. I heard you crying alone in the bathroom that night before you decided to do it" she said softly. Keith softened his gaze. "Then how are there two of you?" he asked. 

"It all began in the last week of August 2018. You sent Aunt Suzie on an antiquing mission and things happened. Things like you learning of a secret society built around the zodiacs. Over the course of several weeks, THORN kept butting heads with them until it was a war of attrition. We take some of them out, they take some of us out. Some like Fiona" she said. "Why do I have the feeling you're giving it the soft treatment?" Keith asked. "Because the war has gotten very ugly. Ugly in ways it scarred you and Susan, and me. "What...what did it do to you?" he asked concerned. "When you had done enough damage to them, their leader Markus appeared. His wrath was...considerable. At the time I was having a philosophical crisis. I believed that humanity would eventually destroy the borrower race. Any race not of their own. Markus preyed on my fears and had me join his cause" she said. "...what cause?" Keith asked. "To place the magical races as rulers of the world. To keep humanity from destroying it, he saw that as the only way. He firmly believed that humans were inferior beings who lived to service us and in turn we were their...babysitters for lack of a better term" she replied. "And you believed him?!" Keith yelled. 

"Yes. Remember when I visited you some months before? I froze time briefly to have a conversation with the other Hope. What you did not know at the time was Hope was already thinking of being judge, jury, and executioner for the vilest humans. She changed her mind after our talk but for me, there was nobody that could give me the real insight I needed. Not even you. Oh, you tried but your words fell on deaf ears. Then Markus showed me his model utopia and..."

"And what?" he asked. "Perfection. Humans living in perfect harmony and their needs cared for. No bigotry, racism, or xenophobia. It just cost them their freedoms...and lives. Serve our whims and live in paradise. I felt powerful, respected, appreciated" she whispered. "Didn't you get some of that from me and your mothers?" Keith asked exasperated. "You don't understand. How could you? To have so much power and told not to use it. The power to fix the world, to crush evil, to make people's lives better. And to have them worship your fucking feet for it" she said. "Sounds like you miss it" he said coldly. "I think on it every day. Even when I conquered their home I thought on it. It was like shooting up raw fucking heroin. You'll never feel that high anywhere else" she said. "Conquered? Didn't you say you joined Markus?" he asked. 

"His plan came into fruition when he had me raise a long-lost continent from the sea. The Continent of Mu" she said. "Mu? I've heard of it before. It was a lost civilization kinda like Atlantis" he said. "Mu was very real and the home of an ancient race of magical beings that existed 20,000 years ago. Some of their descendants live on today. Some like Susan" she said. "You're kidding" he muttered. "No, inside Susan lies the seeds of great power. Power she used to help you win this war" she said. "So, we won?" he asked curious. "Is it a win when you lose almost everything in the process? Hikari, your army, Fiona, you?" she asked. "I... I died?" he asked. "Yes, by an evil version of Susan. I shit you not. I was the one that ended the fight when I unleashed all my power" she said. "At least...at least you came to your senses" he said. "It only cost the lives of 40 million people" she whispered. "But...not even you..."

"The continent dad. I raised a continent out of the sea" she said. "Oh god. The tsunamis and volcanic eruptions" he said. "With the loss of their pacific fleets, China, Russia, and America was slowly teetering on a nuclear conflict. Each side thinking the other would take advantage in the power vacuum not to mention rights to a new continent" she said. "But I still don't see how that leads to two of you" he said. "What's the most dangerous magic there is?" Faith asked. "Time magic" Oberon said appearing before them. Faith quietly nodded. "Oh my god. You didn't..." Keith muttered. "I went back in time and wiped out ZODIAC before you ever met them" she said. "Susan's father. That Ruby girl. The Mogwai woman they showed up on our doorstep" he said. "All because I knew how it played out before. I tried my best to preserve the good things that happened while killing the bad" she said. "You created an alternate timeline! Of course, there would be two of you. But how did you end up like this? With Etherion..."

"I gave it up. Necessary to safeguard all reality. In the final battle, reality itself was coming apart. We almost lost the Earth" she replied. "Whoa. Wait a minute. You're skipping around" he said rubbing his temples. "I'm not doing a good job at this" she sighed. "Can you show me? You have that power still?" Keith asked. "I do but...there will be a side effect. It won't be just my memories; it will also be my emotions too" she said. "I'm ready" he said sternly. Faith waved her hand shrinking him. He walked to her and sat before her. "No, you're not" she said touching his face. She closed her eyes. "I'll try to be gentle daddy" she said softly.

Later...

"They were talking and now silence. Three hours of it. What's going on in there?" Alicia asked. "Better to give them space. We're right here if she needs us" Dru replied pushing a rook on a chess board. "It must be traumatic to see him this way. To be separated from your parent and then having them thrust into your life again..." Marco muttered. Dru looked at her giant son. "I'm not saying I regret this. It's only..." he said. "Unexpected. I know son. Check by the way" she said to him. "Can we discuss the other matter?" Lucy asked looking at the new guest of the house. "What is this called again?" Mary asked. "Netflix" Theo replied. "A marvelous invention. Thousands of plays ready to be seen and heard" she said holding the remote. "It is weird having a goddess sitting on the sofa trying to binge watch The Sopranos" Cordelia said. "Cordi sweetie. You sit on the same sofa clipping your toenails" Dru said. "This isn't any goddess Dru. It's the deity of dreams for Jupiter's sake. The fact alone she has a solid ass to put on our sofa is creepy. It was just three days ago we had to show her how to use the bathroom" she said. "The dreamcatcher gave her a physical body. I'd imagine so she didn't know how to take a piss" Marco said moving his King.

"Is she connected too?" Dru asked pushing her bishop. "Yes. What that means for Faith I do not know" Cordelia replied. "Neither do I" Faith said entering the living room. "Your father..."

"Needs a moment. How are the kids?" she asked. "Sleeping for now but your babies are getting more agitated" Lucy replied. "I've been away too long" she said going to the kitchen. They stared at her as she made tea. "You okay? You seem...drained" Alicia asked. "I just shared my memories and emotions with my father on a very mental level. It was...intense" she replied sitting on the sofa next to Mary. Faith narrowed her eyes at her. "I have a few questions for you, but I will wait until this evening when I feel better to ask them" Faith said despondently. "Well were glad to have you back safe and sound" Marco said moving his knight. "What did you dream about?" Alicia asked. Faith glanced at Mary who flinched at her gaze. "My heart's desire" she replied. "Really? I thought she would've given you nightmares" Alicia said standing behind the sofa. "Like I told her it wasn't personal. I was ordered to" Mary said. Alicia grabbed her from behind and yanked her right over the sofa onto the floor. "Following orders? Just doing your job? I think that excuse pisses me off even more than if you told it was personal" Alicia growled. She cruelly stomped Mary in the face hard breaking her nose. "Alicia stop" Faith said standing up. "She damn near killed you Faith! We're are war with them!" Alicia yelled. "Them?" Cordelia asked. "Don't give me that shit. You know what I mean" Alicia told her.

"She's an asset I intend to use. Kicking her to death with your bare foot won't help me" Faith said. She bent down to the goddess. "This...is this pain? Real blood?" Mary asked frightened. "Yes" Faith said extending her hand. She began to heal her. Mary got up a moment later. "Thank..." Mary was saying until Faith grabbed her throat and lifted her off her feet.

"Save it. You live at my leisure. You serve my beck and call. Unlike the other goddess in this room, you have done NOTHING to warrant my kindness. From now on, you will not be permitted a human size unless necessary. Understood?" Faith asked. "Un....derstood" she choked. Faith let go and shrunk her on the spot. She coldly threw her on a sofa cushion. "Enjoy The Sopranos" she muttered checking the tea pot. It wasn't her words or grabbing her throat, or even shrinking her so rapidly that unnerved them. It was her lack of emotion. The same amount of emotion one would give to an ant on the ground. Alicia came behind her and petted her shoulder. "I sense the anxiety in you Alicia. I'm okay really" she said. "Then why haven't you kissed me since you woke up?" she asked with a breaking voice. Faith turned to look at her. She leaned forward and kissed her. "Now if you will excuse me" Faith said after pouring some tea into a cup. Alicia stood there utterly dejected. "Nothing. I felt nothing" Alicia said softly crying.

"I'm back. Here's some nice chamomile tea. I use it to relax" she said handing it to her shrunken father. He had to steady his hand to take the also shrunken teacup from her palm. "So much pain. So much death. Suffering. Sadness. Hope...I'm so sorry baby" he said to her as she sat back on the bed. "A lot of it was self-inflicted. I was the greatest mass murderer in history. Emotional baggage is par for the course" she said. "But you made it right. Why hide yourself from me? Did you think I wouldn't love you? Your mothers? Oh god Claire and Aspen" he said. "I'm not Hope. I just look like her. This isn't even my world" she said shifting her legs to relax. Her giant feet were on both sides of him. "No, it doesn't work that way. You are my daughter. Same DNA, same parents. You just lived a different life in the last year. That doesn't mean you're not my child" he said. He walked over to her left foot. At his height, the top of his head barely reached her big toe. "You got callouses sweetheart" he said rubbing her giant toe with his hand. "I've had to do a lot of fighting lately" she said. "Show me. Show me what you got" he said to her. "No, it would be unfair" she said. "Bawk bawk bawk!" he said clucking like a chicken. "I'm not chicken" she muttered. "Bullshit. I'm betting you'll lay an egg out of your pussy any second now" he laughed. Faith grabbed him up and stormed out of the room. She walked right past the confused others into the courtyard.

"What's going on?" Lucy asked. They shrugged and followed her. They followed her right to the training circle. She placed him on the ground and promptly shrunk. "Rules?" she asked tossing her nightgown away. "No offensive magics and no weapons. Hand to hand. First to yield wins" he said. "This isn't a good idea. Faith is imbued with deity level power right now" Cordelia said. Keith looked at the giantess for just a moment and back down to Faith. "Stay out of it. Daddy knows best" he said. Faith stretched and slid her right foot forward slightly. "Hehe...alright. Fortification!" he yelled activating arcane. He stood there a moment. "You won't even bother fortifying yourself?" he asked. "Pointless" she said. "That cockiness is going to cost you" he said growling as he attacked. Keith threw kicks and blows, most of them missing as she sidestepped back and forth. As the fight continued, he got faster and faster until she was forced to parry. "Closer and closer" he grinned. With uncanny speed, she struck his chest with her palm knocking him right off his feet. "Interesting" he muttered coughing. "This is over" she said standing over him. Keith swept her legs with his foot making her stagger. He jumped up and punched her hard in the face. "Faith!" Alicia yelled. Faith held her hand out motioning for the giantess not to interfere. She wiped the blood from her nose. "I didn't enjoy that" Keith said. Faith's eyes glowed for a moment as the very sunlight healed her instantly. 

She shifted her stance.  She threw a kick so fast Keith barely had time to dodge. His movement left his open as she used her momentum to follow up on a second roundhouse. The impact staggered him. A quick blow to his ribs followed by another and another made him spit blood. "This is stupid! You're father and daughter for Christ sakes!" Alicia yelled. Keith grabbed her wrist and shoved her hard. Off balance, he used the opening to shoulder lock her from behind. Keith squeezed hard enough her face turned reddish purple. She held out her hand and a symbology arcane flowed around it. "Whoa. What the hell is that?" Keith asked. Faith felt the overcharged fortification fill her body. She grabbed his wrist and broke it easily. Free of his hold, she pulled her arm back. "FAITH NO!" Cordelia yelled throwing her hand down. There was a loud cracking sound after Faith ended up punching the giant goddess' index finger. Keith stood motionless as the gust of wind ripped past him. Cordelia bit her lip as her index finger painfully twitched. "Cordi?" Dru asked. "She broke my finger" she muttered. "If she had punched him..."

"You would've killed me instantly" Keith said aghast. "The match is over" Faith said leaving the ring and growing to human size. "How long has been that way?" he asked them. "Since this morning. She wasn't like this before. Not cold, emotionless" Marco replied. "Something is wrong, and I have an idea who's responsible" Alicia huffed going back into the house. Mary sat quietly on the sofa cushion still nursing her neck. Alicia abruptly sat down next to her. Mary scampered away in terror until Alicia caught her in her hand. "Please don't hurt me!" she begged. "I won't but I'm betting you're the cause as to why Faith is acting weird" Alicia said opening her palm. "In what way?" Mary asked. "Her feelings of kindness, caring, sympathy is gone. She didn't even show real anger when she grabbed you" she replied. "And she's been that way since she woke up" Lucy added hopping onto the coffee table. "What did you really show her Morpheus?" Cordelia asked flexing her healed finger. "Her deepest desires. Her kids grown, a life with her parents, peace and tranquility" Mary shrugged. 

"The devil is in the details. If it was so tranquil, why did she fight it?" Keith asked standing over them. "Her deepest desires were...problematic. What she had done in her previous life..."

"She hates herself for it we know" Alicia said. "That's not all of it. Part of her wants to be that person again. I offered it to her free of charge. No consequences, no harm no foul. She refused" Mary said. "Good girl. So, it's trauma we're dealing with" he said. "No, I've seen her broken before" Alicia said. "Where is she now?" Marco asked. "With her babies" Theo said entering the room. Everyone got tense. "She's holding and breastfeeding them but, it's like she's on automatic" he said to them. "That's it?" Lucy asked. Theo nodded. "Morpheus. Do you feel the connection between you two?" Cordelia asked. "Yes, I do. It's strange as all other feelings I sense now" she replied. "So, to confirm you've never had a real body before?" she asked. "Never" she replied anxious as she slid her bare foot along Alicia's palm. "Since she bonded with me, I can sense Faith even at a distance. She even took on some of my personality traits" she said. "I noticed that. She's more cheerful lately...until this" Alicia said. "So, what if she took on Mary's?" Cordelia asked. "She doesn't seem apathetic to me" Alicia said poking the tiny girl. "I'm betting she was before. The stories say you're more or less an impartial deity. That right?" she asked Mary. "Of course. Dreams, even nightmares don't play favorites. From the beggar in the street to the King on his throne has them" she replied.

"So, you would show apathy when it came to giving them" Cordelia said. "Yes, I would" she replied. "So, Faith is acting like she doesn't give a shit about things because she absorbed Morpheus's personality?" Marco asked. "That and she does feel traumatized. Her apathy is blocking her from reaching out" Cordelia said. "So how do we fix it?" Alicia asked.  Keith stood up and left the room. He found Faith calmly sitting in the middle of her bed borrower size breastfeeding Matty while rocking Grace in her left arm. Keith sat down and shrunk before approaching her. "You mind?" he asked pointing to Grace. Faith shook her head and handed her to him. "She's beautiful. She looks so much like you" he said smiling. Keith tickled her cheek grinning and his granddaughter smiled. "I only got to hold you for three minutes. Three minutes before you were taken from me" he said. "Faith? Do you think something is wrong with you?" he asked. "I'm just a little tired is all" she said flatly. "So being tired almost caused you to decapitate me with your fist?" he asked. "You're exaggerating" she said.  "You broke the finger bone of a giantess. At our size, her finger bone was as strong as concrete. You think my tiny skull is as resilient?" he asked. Faith reminded quiet.

"We think you absorbing Morpheus' power also caused you to absorb part of her personality. That and being traumatized has caused you to emotionally shut down" he said. "That a bit of stretch. I admit I made a mistake during our match but me shutting down my emotions?" she said. "Not once have you hugged me since you awoke. I know what you felt when you looked at me last. You shared that with me. It was a pain so deep I'll never forget it. You deny that?" he asked. Faith blinked hard. "It was painful for me to be in your palm again. To smell you, feel you, hearing your voice" she muttered. "So what changed?" he asked putting Grace on his shoulder. Faith floated up to the baby crib and put Matty in it. After giving him a toy, she came back down to the bed. She took Grace from him and repeated the same. "Faith talk to me. You're worrying daddy" he said. Faith ignored him and grew to human size. She left him to take a shower.

Days old sweat scrubbed and rinsed off as she thought about what he said. She knew something was off. Over and over she thought about what it would be like if they met again. How she might react. What might be said. Of all the things she imagined, her being cold and distant was not one of them. She finished her shower and dried off. She walked slowly back to her room and paused as she could hear her father crying. Her heart skipped a beat. She entered the room and sat down on the bed finishing drying her hair. "Why are you crying?" she asked. "I don't know what to do. My little girl is so hurt she closed her heart off and I don't know what to really do" he muttered. She looked away slightly. She nearly jumped when he had walked over to touch her foot. "I'll be damned. You have the puncture scar" he said rubbing his hand across a small scar on the ball of her foot. "The one I got on our first camping trip, yes" she said. Keith sighed and reclined in the arch of her foot. "What do you feel when I say I love you very much?" he asked. Faith shifted slightly. "Nice I guess" she replied. "Your brothers? Sister?" he asked. "It's not my life dad. Not anymore" she said quietly.

Keith got up and walked to her crotch. "Sometimes I think our family has a curse on it. How many times have I asked when we can truly be happy? No world to save. No great threat to society as we know it. I was even robbed the chance to see you give birth. My god you look so much like your mother" he said. His hand rubbed the inside of her pussy for a moment. "Taste and smell like her too. I'm not going to let you simply die on the inside. If I have to bring you back...then so be it" he said using her juices to make a lightning arcane. "What are you..."

*crack*

Faith's eyes went wide as Keith channeled a lightning bolt right into his own heart. The tiny man fell dead before her. Her breath quickened to almost a panic state as she restarted his heart. Keith gasped for air. "Why...why..." she muttered. Keith climbed up her crotch. "Don't...don't touch me" she said as he walked to her belly. Faith laid back on the bed not wanting to touch him as conflicting emotions struggled to break to the surface. His bare feet sank into her soft flesh as he walked up her chest. It rose and fell rapidly. Her large heart beating at a fast pace. He paused between her breasts smelling the traces of breastmilk on her nipples. His mouth watered but he was not there to indulge. "Please...please...daddy don't touch me" she begged. "Why? What are you so afraid of?  he asked. He kept walking up to her neck and hopped off. She strolled to her left ear and whispered..."it's okay to not be okay but don't be not okay alone".

"PLEASE DON'T HATE ME!" she begged sobbing. Her emotional break was so intense her growth spell broke causing her to shrink before him. "My dream was Hope was dead and I took her place and..."

"Shhh. It's okay" he said placing her in his lap. Keith held her close and rocked back and forth as he petted her hair. He never recalled her ever crying so hard. It hurt him so much to see his child in so much pain. No amount of licking her pussy or sucking her toes would calm her right then. She listened to him sing softly. "Well I love, love you darlin' come and go with me. Come home with me, way beyond the sea. I need you darlin', so come and go with me." he sang. 

There was a pause. 

"Come, come, cone, come, come into my heart. Tell me darlin' we will never part. I need you darlin' so come and go with me..."  Faith sang. "Ah you remember!" Keith grinned. "Of course, I do. You sing that song all the time. Why?" she asked. "The first time you ever danced was to it" he replied. Faith had to think long and hard to remember that first time she heard it. Late July 2018.  She was barely three weeks old and still experiencing things for the first time. Keith was busy overlooking old journals he'd come across that belonged to Lily while Hope (now Faith) was busy browsing YouTube. To keep some of her curiosity in check, he had the safe search turned on. She found herself touching and opening a playlist of songs which began. The blast of music startled her, and she found the repetitive beats alluring. She felt the urge to move her body with the rhythm. Worried, she looked at her father to see his head slightly nodding to the sound. "So, it's natural" she thought. She stood up and began to tap her tiny foot. Her hands clapped. Keith glanced over. "Oh" he chuckled. Keith quietly got up and tiptoed behind her. He smiled as his little girl danced before him. The song ended with him clapping. "Daddy! Scared me" she sighed turning around.

"Couldn't help it. You like that song?" he asked looking at the screen. "It's okay" she shrugged. "Come Go With Me by the Del-Vikings. Your grandmother Beth had this on vinyl" he said. "What's vinyl?" she asked. "An old physical format for music" he replied. "Is there more by these Del-Vikings?" she asked. "Let's check their Wikipedia" he said. Father and daughter read their page. "Daddy? Why weren't they allowed to perform in the South?" she asked. Keith was slightly worried about the answer as he didn't want her to know about racism so early. However, he didn't have the heart to lie or ignore her. "They were an integrated music group. In those days, humans in America had problems with white and black humans mixing socially...and physically" he replied. "Why?" she asked. "...sometimes hate doesn't need a reason why. Hate can be taught and passed down. Some hate because they're too afraid not to. Or maybe...they hate themselves" he said softly. "I don't understand daddy" she said. "I hope you never do munchkin" he said kissing her.

"I remember now. I remember what you said afterwards. After you went to bed that night, I turned off safe search and browsed YouTube again. I learned what hate was. I learned other words too. Rape, torture, vore" she said. "My god. Faith..." he muttered. "It was probably then I wondered what humanity really was about. Where my doubts began" she said. He looked at her worried. Faith kissed him. "I understand now that not all of them are that way. That they have to be given a chance " she said to him. Her stomach growled. "Guess someone is hungry" he chuckled. "Then this someone should get something to eat" she chuckled getting off his lap. She grew to human size and got dressed. She looked at her babies and smiled seeing them sleeping peacefully. Keith grew and held her hand as they left.

They were all quiet as they entered the living room. "Who wants lunch?" Faith asked grinning. "I do" Keith said. Faith nodded and went to the kitchen. "Whoa. What did you all say?" Lucy asked. "Some things. Part of the problem was she feared I'd hate her. Another is whatever is going on here is causing her depression. That goddess there compounded it all. She needs a vacation" Keith replied. "A vacation. Never thought about that" Alicia said. "Where could she go? She's being hunted" Marco asked. "Indeed. Last thing we want is more innocents involved" Dru said. "Yorkshire? Seeing her mom and siblings could help. Oh damn...the other Hope" Alicia said. "Oh damn is right. Aspen, Claire, and Lawan don't know of her yet. It could make it all worse" Keith said.  "Then where could she go?" Cordelia asked. "What about Eden? You know back in the island in Indonesia?" Theo asked. They looked at him. "Or not?" he muttered. "No, that's actually a really good idea. It's defended and has really nice beaches" Alicia said. "I've been meaning to check on the place" Faith said boiling water. Keith pointed to his ears. "Oh right. Borrower hearing" Marco muttered.

Faith made them some light pasta and they all joined in except Dru who couldn't eat. Even Mary was invited to eat.  "So this is what chicken parmesan tastes like" Mary said eating a bit of it as she sat on the table. "So Mary, who sent you?" Faith asked. "Wait. Didn't Morrigan send her?" Alicia asked. "No, Morpheus said as much before my dream prison ended. Pass the wine please" Faith replied. Mary stopped eating. "Can you protect me?" Mary asked. "If you cooperate..."

"CAN YOU PROTECT ME?!" Mary screamed terrified. They all looked at her. "Yeah, yeah I will" Faith replied. Faith reached over and picked her up. She placed her next to her plate and petted her head. "Mary, is the one who sent you that bad?" Faith asked. Mary's body trembled as she nodded. "Who is it?" Cordelia asked. "The first one. The first woman" Mary replied softly. "Eve as in Adam and Eve?" Alicia snickered. Mary shook her head. "Eve was not the first. It was her" Mary said. Marco tensed up. "I thought Eve was the first woman at least for Christians" Alicia said. Mary dabbed her hand into the giant plate of pasta. Coating her hands in sauce, she wrote out the name she dared not speak aloud.

"That's it? I knew a girl with that name in middle school" Alicia said. "Where do you think it first came from?" Mary asked. "But I don't recall seeing a Lili..."

"Shh! Don't speak it aloud! Just doing so could incur her gaze!" Mary yelled. "Oh come on. Since when do we play by Beetlejuice rules?" Alicia snorted. Marco raised his hand and his symbology activated. He surrounded them all in a barrier. "Hmm. Nice work" Keith said plucking the barrier. "A barrier within a barrier? Marco you know something about this?" Faith asked. "You recall that the houses of Campioné were formed during the council of Nicaea right? You remember the public reason why it was formed as well?" he asked. "Joseph told me it was to edit the bible. Like what books to include and not to include" she replied. "Exactly. One of the books not included was the full version of the book of Genesis. In it, there were two humans. Adam...and Lilith."

Mary shuddered at the name. "Right. Lilith was created exactly the same as Adam, however she refused to be subservient to him. Well the final straw was broken when she wanted to be on top when having sex and Adam didn't. Adam complained to God and Lilith gave them both lip. God kicked her out of Eden and as revenge swore she would murder his offspring. Some believers of Judaism still hold their belief in her" he said. "Enough belief she became real" Faith said. Marco nodded. "So, the Campioné knew she was out there? Why haven't they taken her out yet?" Lucy asked. "You think they haven't tried? She's an Elder class goddess. Probably the first of them all. We don't even know the full extent of her power" he replied. "She can control any man on the planet. Bring death to any child. Render women barren of womb. Assume the form of any woman. Goddess knows what else she can do" Mary said softly.

Meanwhile in Indonesia...

Juli woke up and saw her lover was not in bed with her. She checked the sheets making sure he or her (she didn't remember) was not crawling around having their own bit of fun with her giant body. Nobody. "...Maya...yes her name was Maya. Maya?" she called out. No answer. She was not accustomed to her lovers leaving in the middle of the night and was annoyed as she laid back down. She heard a heavy thump down the stairs. The Indian woman rose from her bed and placed her bare feet on the floor. "Damn it's cold" she muttered as she walked out of the bedroom. "Maya? You okay?" she asked worried. She had chosen Maya from the ranks of mages for some fun that weekend which was allowed as long as it was consensual. Juli being exceptionally beautiful was rarely denied requests. The steps creaked with her weight as she went down. A faint light coming from the fridge illuminated the floor. "Maya?" Juli asked. "MAYA?!" she yelled finding the naked girl on the floor. A small pool of blood near her throat. Juli panicked and went to heal her immediately. "Thank god she's still breathing. Maya who did this?!" she asked. Maya began to open her eyes...red glowing eyes.

Suddenly, an ice-cold hand grabbed her throat by behind. "Finally. One with some flavor" a chilly voice growled. Juli raised her hand to strike down her attacker only to find her hands bound with magic. Magic being used by Maya. "She is yours sire" Maya said. Juli gasped at the sight. Two puncture marks in her neck. Her pretty peanut butter skin pale and the irises of her eyes glowing red. Juli let out a whimper as she felt something bite right into her jugular. She could feel it sucking, slurping, drinking her blood. She felt weak. Her magic fading. And then something queer enter her being. The hand let go of her and she fell to the floor. Her vision blurry she looked at who attacked her. A pale visage of a half-naked man with glowing eyes. Juli slipped into unconsciousness. Sometime later, she awoke. "Rise" he commanded. Juli rose to her feet. Her senses sharper now. Night vision, hearing and smell more acute. Most alarming was her incisor teeth were sharp and pointed like daggers now. She saw him what she considered glory. A man with black hair and ruby eyes. His skin flawless like alabaster. A torn robe dressed his form. He flexed his hand as raw magical energy crackled from it. "Excellent. Your power and lifeblood mine now" he chuckled. Juli felt a hunger in her. Hunger for him...and blood. "More...I want more" he said. "As you will milord" she said opening the front door. She began leading him right to the Mage dorms...

"Why can't she wait till morning?" Alicia asked. "Her father said the sooner the better. Apparently, depression can be very dangerous to a borrower" Dru replied. "It is. There were times..." Lucy sighed. Theo sat next to her and hugged her. She kissed him lovingly until their baby began crying. "May I?" Mary asked sitting on the adjacent sofa cushion. Reluctantly, Lucy handed her son to her. Mary placed the infant on her shoulder and patted her until she burped. "Whoo..." Mary said. Lucy watched her for a few minutes as she cared for him. "You're pretty good" Lucy said. "I've been caring for infants for thousands of years. Well, in their dreams anyway" she said. "None of yours?" Theo asked. "Nobody means no womb" Mary replied. "What's a baby's dream like?" Lucy asked. "Distorted mostly except when they're...abused. Flashes of light and sound blinding and deafening" she replied softly. "It just occurred to me you've seen some really bad shit" Lucy said. "I am impartial. Good or bad is meaningless to me" she said. "It doesn't seem that way now" Lucy said. "These new sensations have given me more perspective. Holding your son feels very nice to me. Is this what it's like to be a mother?" she asked. "Just a part of it. Feeding them. Smelling them. Looking into those perfect eyes" Lucy said. "Now that I have a body it occurs to me that I can bear a child. Is anyone willing to fuck me?" Mary asked flatly. Alicia spat her iced tea in surprise. "It's not that simple" Alicia said. 

"It seems so. I have seen the dreams of many mortal where they meet up and fuck somewhere. Is this not true in real life?" Mary asked handing the boy back to Lucy. "It is but don't you care about romance, courtship, marriage?" Cordelia asked. "I'm curious of these things as well but they are not critical to conceding a child" she replied. "Morpheus..."

"Mary. Morpheus was what I was. I am no longer that" she said cutting her off. "You have been corporeal for just four days. There is a wide variety to what you're asking. It is one thing to bear a child. But is far more to wanting your mate to be there to raise it. To take care of not just it but you" Cordelia said. "If you say so. You know more about that than I would" she said quietly looking at Marco.

"So how many humans live on your island?" Keith asked. "Oh, about 50,000 by now" she replied as she packed her suitcase. "You're shitting me" he said. "Nope. Markus had been taking humans in since the Middle Ages. Their city is about a half mile long and a quarter mile wide. It's quite remarkable. Very modern with little to no crime" she said. "What's the catch?" he asked. "Subject to dying horribly. You saw my memories" she replied quietly. "How do you run something that complicated with him gone?" he asked. "My assistant Juli takes care of the busywork but they still kinda worship us. It's a work in progress" she shrugged. "Juli, wasn't she a ZODIAC?" he asked. "Reformed. One of only three I spared. Her, Alicia, and Susan's surrogate dad" she replied. "Surrogate? Faith you never said anything about that" he said touching her shoulder. "Teagan has his own problems. Serving them warped his mind severely. His artifact didn't help. He chose not to come back into her life" she said. "Don't you think she should know?" he asked. "And tell her what exactly?" Faith asked. Keith didn't know what to say to that.

"I weighed every option carefully including what to do with Markus' daughter. Everything that happened was the best outcome I could work with" she said. Keith petted her shoulder.  "Hmm. My bikini top is a little small. There we go" she said enlarging it with magic. "When was the last time you actually took a vacation?" he asked. "Technically never. When we lived in Washington State it was peaceful. Me, Alicia, Lucy, Theo, and the kids" she said. Keith could see the sadness coming back in her eyes as he closed her suitcase. "You sure you don't want Alicia coming?" he asked. "I need her here to watch Mary. She's not happy but she understands" she replied picking up the case. She carried it into the living room. "How long will you be gone?" Lucy asked her. "Three days tops. Long enough to clear my head" she replied bending down to gently tap her babies being looked after by Alicia. She kissed her wife before standing back up. "Three days" Alicia mumbled. "Three days" Faith said. "We'll see you when you get back honey" Dru said to her. Faith nodded and opened the translocation portal. She waved to them before entering. Keith followed her through.

"Welcome to the private island of Eden in the Indonesia archipelago. The local time is...4:33 am" Faith said as she carried her case up the stairs. Keith looked around. "Wow" he said. "It's nice yes" Faith said. "Anyone else stay in here with you?" he asked. "Now? Juli has a bedroom on the top floor next to the master, guest rooms on the lower level along with the maid on duty for the week" she replied. Keith walked up the stairs. "Are those silk sheets?" he asked as she kicked off her sandals. "Yep" she replied taking her clothing off. "Even Lily didn't live like this" he said. Faith shrank down and stretched out on the pillow. "Marks had a taste for the finer things in life. Women too" she said. Keith took off his clothes and climbed into bed. "Did you love him?" he asked softly as he ran his finger up her delicate back. "Yeah I did. And he loved me to. Killing him was the hardest thing I ever did...physically and emotionally" she replied rolling onto her back. "But you didn't kill him remember?" he asked. "In my heart I did. Shrinking small enough that a proton is the size of Jupiter is no different to me" she said coldly. His fingers began rubbing her little feet. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you" he said.

She curled her toes on his fingernail. "I'm not upset. Just cranky" she said. "Cranky girls get kisses" he chuckled leaning over to kiss her belly. "Daddy that tickles" she giggled. His kisses traveled to her breasts and she squirmed. Then they came to her pussy. She could feel his warm breath on her. She opened her legs for her giant daddy. With his right hand he played with her long hair. His left steadied her legs as he slipped his tongue between them. The tiny woman cooed softly as he gently licked her little snatch. "She really is my daughter" he thought tasting her familiar sweetness. Her bare feet dug into his cheeks as he began to gently suck her crotch. Her tiny fists clenching as he gave her the intimacy she craved from him. And with a sigh she came on his tongue. Keith watched in silence as she rested. He wondered what to do after all this. There was no way he could simply walk out of her life. Two Hopes. Each one dear and precious to him and needing a father. He kissed her one more time before closing his eyes to go to sleep.

"Faith wake up" he said poking her. "D... daddy? Wha?" she asked groggy. "Something is wrong" he said. Faith rubbed her eyes. "It's still dark outside" she said rolling over. "Exactly. It's 10:30 in the morning and it's pitch black outside" he said. Faith got up and looked at the clock and then the window. "...you're right" she mumbled as she enlarged and went to the bathroom. She came back as he was dressing. Faith threw on some clothing from her suitcase. "Juli?" she asked in the hallway. No response. She sniffed the air. "Her scent is weak. She hasn't been in the house for a whole day and a half" she said. "Strange?" Keith asked. "For Juli not entirely. She's...well she's a sex addict. Not uncommon for her to stay over somewhere to fuck. What's strange is I'm not finding any other...hold on..." she said walking down the steps to the living room. "Smell that?" she asked. Keith sniffed the air. "Bleach, sweat, and blood" he replied tensing up. Faith walked onto the veranda. "The lights in the city are on. No smoke, fires, no collective screaming. So, what's up with...a barrier?" she asked.

"There a barrier?" he asked. "We have one surrounding the island to protect from magical attacks and to safeguard the shrunken citizens from the elements. It's been tampered with. Not a beam of sunlight is getting through" she said. "Oberon said to would take a huge amount of magic to make a barrier this large" Keith said. "Oberon is right. The city streets themselves make an array. Every human here powers the barrier. It's uses life energy" she said. Keith looked at her. "It's perfectly safe. The load is spread out evenly between 50,000 people after all. What I'm concerned with is who could tamper with the array to this degree. To block out the sun would take more than 100 times the energy" she said. "Then is the is barrier still safe?" he asked. "...no" she replied softly walking off the veranda. "Where you going?" he asked. "The academy. I need answers" she replied. "Academy?" he asked. "Here is the home of over 1000 mages. It was used as a kind of boot camp. Think evil version of Hogwarts. Now it's used as a reform school and training academy" she said. "Whoa" Keith said seeing a human sized dorm building and then much smaller buildings close by. "Class A mages stay here. Class B and C there" she explained. She opened the doors to Class A. Silence. "Blood. More blood" Keith muttered.

 "HELLO! Anyone awake?!" Faith yelled. Her voice echoed down the hallway. They could hear the pattering of bare feet on cold floor approaching. "Faith? We were not expecting you back so soon" Juli said emerging from the corner. "Juli!" Faith yelled running up to her. She hugged her. "What the hell is going on here?!" she yelled. Keith kept an eye on the woman. There was something odd about her. "Whatever do you mean? I've been here for a while and have not noticed anything unusual" Juli said. "Are you kidding me! Look out the window!" Faith said turning around to point at one. Juli took a step towards her. She opened her mouth revealing her fangs. "BEHIND YOU!" Keith screamed as Juli sunk her teeth into her neck. Faith yelped in pain as Keith swung at Juli. Juli easily grabbed his wrist with unnatural speed and with unnatural strength threw him hard into the wall. Hard enough to crater the drywall. Faith raised her hand to attack her but felt paralysis creeping into her body. "Fort....fortification" Keith said activating an arcane. His bruised body healed slightly as he stood back up. Keith threw an even faster punch this time connecting with Juli's face. She fell backwards hissing. Her glowing red eyes locked on him. "Oh shit" he muttered.

He summoned Rune Breaker to his hand. "Don't..." Faith mumbled as she began shrinking. Juli attacked him with the ferocity of a wild beast. Hissing, clawing, growling. He had to fortify himself again just to keep even. "Kusanagi form!" he yelled changing the blade into a curved katana. It made his power drop but gave him an extra speed advantage as it harnessed wind magics. With a flurry of slashes, Juli backed away. "It's clear my daughter cares about you. Don't make me do this" he begged. Juli laughed. "Her blood is exquisite! More than enough for my master. Come little borrower. See your death through me and our legion!" Juli yelled holding her hand above her head. Keith could hear the shuffling of feet behind her. A few, five, a dozen, dozens of mages came through the various doors linked to the main hallway. Mages with glowing eyes. Chains of pure dark magics bound him where he stood. "Oberon!" Keith yelled. The old fae took control of his body and forced light magic through him. The chains cracked and broke. Juli growled in annoyance and went to restrain him. "Jesus, you're not even alive" he muttered as he grappled with her while trying not to let go of his sword.

With a burst of light magic Juli fell back. Keith pivoted his feet and ashes with blinding speed cutting her head clean off. Nearly instantly, Juli turned to dust and bones. "Juli..." Faith whimpered. Keith grabbed his small daughter off the floor and found himself slowly being surrounded. Then a chill filled the air. The lights flickered as a long figure emerged from the horde. "Give her to me and you will live" the strange man demanded. "Eat a dick" Keith replied getting ready to fight. Faith could feel his hand trembling. The fear and terror in his heart. Fear and terror not for him, but for her. "Sh... shrink" she muttered. "What?!" Keith asked. "Do...it" she said. Seeing no other option, he trusted her and shrank down. Keith held her in his arms. "Translocation" she muttered forming a portal underneath them. "STOP THEM!" the man commanded. The horde descended upon them just as they fell through. Keith and Faith landed hard in the middle of a town square demolishing tiny trees and benches. He looked around to find even though he was borrower sized. They were still a giant and giantess compared to everything else. Faith weakly shrank them further and with not a word, implanted an image into his mind. "Okay...okay" he muttered taking off running.

Keith ran like mad through down the street to where he needed to go. Luckily, it was not far, and his fortification sped up his footwork. He arrived at the front door and pounded it nearly breaking it down. Faith had lost consciousness as blood still trickled down her neck. "OPEN UP! OPEN UP DAMMIT!" he yelled. The door opened revealing an older man and woman. "My daughter...my daughter told me to come here. Please...please we need help" he begged. "Faith?! It's the goddess!   Quick inside!" the man said leading them in. "Clear the floor!" Keith yelled. The husband and wife pulled the rug up and tossed it aside. Keith tore Faith's clothing off after positioning her. Keith grabbed a knife and cut his hand. "What happened?!" the woman asked. "It sounds nutty, but we were attacked by fucking vampires. Jesus Christ. Immortals, body jumping fairies, gods, now fucking vampires? What's next the tooth fairy on crack?" Keith hissed as he dripped blood in a circle around his daughter. He quickly began scribbling runes to form an array. "Do you know any magics?" he asked. "None. We were never blessed with the aptitude. Thankfully, we were blessed with a son cute enough to be either eaten or used for sexual..."

"Alex, we are not to think at way anymore. We were commanded by the goddess" his wife interjected. "Christ. Can either of you tell me why she chose this place of all places for us to go?" Keith asked. "Probably because our son is the father to her child Matthew. We are truly blessed" the woman replied clapping her hands in prayer. Keith shook his head. "Don't ask a question unless..." he whispered as he put the finishing touches on the array. "Fae healing magic. Array activate. Restoration!" he commanded. The array glowed to life and began to heal Faith. The punctures in her neck closed and then she began to have a seizure. "Hold her down but don't smudge the blood!" Keith yelled. The man and wife did as told as Keith concentrated. "No...no no no! Her heart is stopping!" he yelled. Faith began to sit up even through the man held her arms. She looked dead at her father with glowing eyes. "He's calling me" she said. "Fight it! Fight it dammit!" he yelled. A dark energy began to seep from her. "You're not a quitter so don't you dare start now!" he yelled holding her. Keith tried to restrain her as she stood up. Keith kissed her deeply. His tongue invading her mouth. He could feel her vampiric teeth slowly growing. "Daddy' begging you. Don't leave him alone. He's so scared" he whimpered crying. Faith looked at him once more as a tear fell from her eyes. "Do...not...follow daddy" she stammered.  She pushed him aside and oddly walked down into the basement. Keith couldn't help but follow terrified for her. The basement door was closed and just before he forced it open, there was an intense light and a scream coming from behind it.

The playing card box sized house shook intensely. Dinner plates crashed to the floor. Lamps fell. A column of light tore through the floor scorching the ceiling. Then...silence. Keith kicked the door in to find his daughter on the floor. The sheer heat from the concrete made it feel like an oven in the basement. "I got ya baby" he said picking her up and carrying her upstairs. "Water..." she whispered. The wife hurriedly got a glass of water for her. Faith gulped it down. "It's out of my system. I burned it right out" she said. "I thought I lost you" Keith said shaking. She held his hand. "You almost did. Your heart. I heard your heart through the darkness. He's a monster. I saw what he is" she said. Keith sat next to her and wiped the sweat off her face. "You're still hot" he said. "I'll run a cold-water bath" the wife said to them. Once she had, Keith carried her to the tub and placed her in it. "Fuck that feels better" she sighed. Keith used his hands to pour water on her head. "When I felt his call, I could see into his very being. He's a shade" she said. "A what?" he asked. "A reanimated soul given physical form" she replied. "I thought he was a vampire" he said. "He is. He's the first vampire in all of history. His name is Ambrogio*"

(Authors note: While doing research for this chapter, I was surprised to find the actual origins to what we would consider a western vampire. The story dates back to 450 BCE Delphi Greece involving the ill-fated love between a man named Ambrogio and an oracle Selene)

"He's a plague upon mortal kind. He drinks blood to invigorate himself, but he also absorbs the magical essence of those that have it. He sucks them dry until only a mind-controlled shell of the victim remains. His curses are passed from victim to victim like a disease. The bite itself acts like paralyzing venom and holds the victim until the job is done" she muttered. "I had to kill your friend" Keith said. "...you didn't kill her. You freed her" Faith said softly. "If you know so much about him then surely you know how to stop him" he said. "Light and silver. His weakness is light and silver. A curse bestowed by Apollo and Artemis. I purged him only by focusing Ishtar's light within me and burning his curses. It left me weak though" she said. "So, you can't use it on the others? There were dozens coming after us" he said. "Hundreds. More like hundreds by now. He devoured every scrap of magic from the Class A and a good amount from Class B. It's the only way I can think of to use so much power to corrupt the barrier. But to sustain it..."

"He's using the citizens. He knows he can't leave here so he's using them to keep the darkness barrier up until he drains this place dry, including you" he finished. Faith stood up and got out of the tub. She faltered and Keith caught her in time. "He'll kill them all. I can't sit around and do nothing" she said. "You have to. You can barely stand let alone fight" he said. "I have the power of goddesses in me. I am stronger than you think" she said coldly. Keith took his finger and slipped it up her pussy. "The hell?!" she yelled. "Stop me" he said. Faith struggled in his grip. She tried using magic only to see it fizzle out. He pulled his finger out. "If you can't stop this you can't stop him. This is partly my fault. You get your stubbornness from me. I know you want to fight. I know you want to protect these people with all your heart, but you have to play the long game. You go out there he will drink you fucking dry and everyone is fucked. You want that?" he asked. "...no daddy" she whispered. "Then rest" he said grabbing a towel.