Should we bury it?

They stood over the corpse.

A tar-like substance oozed from the neck of the demon sprawled across the gym floor, thick and putrid.

“Should we… bury it?” Charlene asked, her voice quiet, unsure.

“I’m not sure,” Issa replied, covering his nose with his shirt. “It smells awful.”

“Like death and sewage had a baby,” Idris muttered, pinching his nostrils shut. “What even is this thing?”

“A demon,” Seth answered, his expression darkening.

Charlene's eyes flicked to his. “How do you know?”

“Because I could never sense anything from it,” Seth said, jaw clenched. “No emotions, no feelings, nothing. It never ate. It never even… slept.”

“Dude!” Idris gaped. “Did that thing sleep in your bed? With you? Like… actually with you?”

He leaned in, eyeing Seth like he smelled foul too.

“And you didn’t know?” Idris grimaced. “Ew.”

“Dude!” Seth barked. “Shut up!”

He punched Idris in the shoulder, but it was more frustrated than playful.

“I didn’t know. My Tamera was warm, full of life. She adored our baby girl. But this thing… it was cold. Standoffish.” His voice cracked. “I didn’t want to believe it.”

The gym door creaked. Argun stepped in, unimpressed.

“What are we looking at?” he asked with a bored glance. “Oh. Seth’s demon wife.” He scoffed and turned to leave.

“Wait—what?” Charlene spun toward him. “Did you know it was a demon?”

Argun paused. “When she introduced herself. Yesterday.”

“YESTERDAY?” everyone shouted at once.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Idris asked, eyes wide with disbelief.

Argun blinked. “I thought you knew. I mean… love is love.” He shrugged.

Seth stared at him, stunned. Why in the world would I marry a demon?

“Only a Fate, angel, demon, or god can exist here in the white room,” Idris reminded him gently. “Humans… die when they arrive. They’re not meant to be here.”

“I beg you,” Seth turned to Argun. “Next time—if you sense something like this—pull me aside. Tell me.”

He looked around the room, voice firm. “That goes for all of you. We’re a team. We have to communicate.”

“We got you, man,” Idris nodded, a little shame flickering behind his eyes. He should’ve said something from day one.

“Yeah, yeah,” he added. “Yes, Dad. No worries.”

Seth rolled his eyes. “Now what do we do with it?”

“Nothing,” Argun said flatly, already walking away.

The headless corpse crumbled into ashes.

“Well, that’s convenient,” Idris muttered.

Charlene wasn’t listening anymore. Her heart was elsewhere.

Gigi… I need you to wake up. The words echoed in her thoughts.

Steph noticed the shadow in her daughter’s eyes. “Princess, are you okay?”

“I’m okay.” Charlene forced a smile. “I just need a minute.”

Seth understood. He nodded, letting her go.

“Open sesame,” she said softly as the stone door shifted aside with a heavy rumble. “Close sesame.”

Charlene stepped out onto the dunes high above the city, the wind cool against her skin. She crossed her arms and walked to the same place she'd been with her gigi—her heart aching.

“She’s not dead,” ReNew whispered from her arm. “Only sleeping.”

“I know,” Charlene said aloud. “I just miss her. I didn’t have a grandmother my whole life… and now that I finally do…”

She sat, knees hugged to her chest.

“I understand,” a calm voice said.

Startled, she turned.

He stood just behind her—sandals on feet the color of bronze, the spear in hand, used like a staff. The light of the setting sun outlined him in gold.

“Sorry,” she said, “I didn’t see you.”

“Don’t let me interrupt your thoughts,” he said kindly. “Continue.”

“I… I just had questions for my gigi,” she murmured.

“And you’re wondering if I can answer them?” he smiled.

“Well… yeah. If you don’t mind.”

“It depends on the question.”

She hesitated, then asked, “Are you aware of the demon that was in my home?”

“I was.”

“It posed as my mother.”

“I know.”

“It said my mother was dead.” Her voice broke.

“Don’t concern yourself with what demons say,” he said gently. “They are known to lie.”

“I’ve heard that.” She lowered her gaze. “But my question still stands.”

She brushed her foot across the sand, creating a small avalanche down the dune.

“Where is my mother?”

“That, my child, is unknown… for now. But believe me—if she were truly gone, we would know. Let that give you some comfort.”

Charlene swallowed hard. “I have another question.”

“Go ahead.”

“Why are demons suddenly interested in the realm?”

“A Fate has made them promises.”

She froze. “What Fate?”

“One named Torrock.”

Charlene’s stomach turned. “Why would he do that?”

“He wants to rule the Realm. And to do that… he needs an army.”

“We took out his last army,” she whispered. “The Guard.”

“Correct.”

“But now—he’s creating a new one.” Her eyes widened. “Wait… creating?”

“Yes.”

“Creating what? Fates? That would take decades…”

Her voice trailed off.

“The demon.”

“Yes.”

“He’s creating an army of demons.”

The realization struck like lightning. “We have to stop him!” she gasped. “I have to talk to my father. Thank you!”

She bolted down the dune.

“Thank you for the talk!” she shouted over her shoulder.

“You’re welcome,” he said with a quiet smile.

---

In the war room, Seth stood with his hands braced against the table, surrounded by his counsel.

They waited in respectful silence. He’d been deep in thought, weighing every decision carefully.

“Professor E will oversee the university,” Seth began. “Idris—you’re handling infrastructure. Make sure the city runs smoothly. Start assembling the Journeyers—they’ll be our soldiers. Argun, you’ll train them, along with Charlene, Heth, and ReNew.”

He turned. “Doctor Gilead, you’ll handle medical concerns. Tabitha—mental health and physical therapy.”

Seth walked the room, eyes meeting theirs one by one.

“We are every Fate’s voice. We meet their needs. We speak on their behalf.”

Just then, the doors slammed open.

Charlene burst in, breathless. “We have to stop Torrock. He’s building an army—of demons!”

---