The recap

The portal flared to life, casting glowing tendrils of light across the cavern walls as they transported Issa back to the cave. His body hung limp, still recovering from the attack. As they crossed the threshold, Issa’s twin sisters caught sight of him and froze in shock.

“ISSA!” they cried in unison, their voices high and trembling. “What’s wrong with him?”

Betsy burst into tears instantly. “Daddy, what’s happening?” she sobbed. “Is Issa dying?”

Professor E rushed over, kneeling in front of them with urgency but gentleness in his voice. “Shhh now, girls, he’s okay. We’re just being careful not to hurt him worse.” He motioned toward Issa, now resting on a soft bedding mat near the fire. “He just needs to relax until the doctor finishes checking him out, alright?”

The girls sniffled, wiping their faces with their sleeves. “Yes, Daddy. We’ll be good.”

Professor E’s wife, Tabitha, stood off to the side, struggling to remain composed. She was grateful her son was alive, but the fear that something internal might be wrong gnawed at her. Still, she didn’t want to add to the chaos. Her eyes remained locked on Issa.

“Girls, go with your dad for some hot chocolate,” she said, offering them a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Dr. Gilead and I need to work.”

“Yes, Mommy,” they said in small voices as Professor E led them away.

Charlene hesitated near the entrance. She kept her gaze low, not wanting to face anyone. ReNew noticed immediately and walked over, wrapping her arms around Charlene in a quiet but firm hug.

“Let’s go to your room,” she whispered.

And in the blink of an eye—they were there.

Charlene looked around, stunned. “Since when can we do that?” she gasped.

ReNew blinked too. “I don’t know… When did we learn how to do that, Char?”

Charlene shook her head slowly. “I just... I didn’t want to be there anymore. I thought about my room—and now here we are.”

Somehow, her anxiety had triggered a new surge of power. Without blinking or touching the mark on her arm, she had transported them instantly. Her abilities were evolving faster than expected.

“We’ll talk about that later,” ReNew said, eyes wide. “Right now—what happened?”

“CHARLENE? Are you in here?” Her father’s voice called from the other side of the door.

“I’m in my room, Dad!” she answered.

Seth swung the door open with a grin that nearly split his face. He was bursting with pride. “What in the world?” he laughed, lifting her off the floor and spinning her around. “You teleported! When were you gonna tell me my baby girl could blink like that?”

Charlene blushed, guilt gnawing at her again. “Dad, put me down,” she murmured. “We shouldn’t be celebrating. Issa’s hurt.”

“Pfft. That boy’s got some bruised ribs—he’ll live!”

Charlene scowled. “That’s not funny. It’s my fault. If I’d blinked faster—if I’d reacted—he wouldn’t have gotten hurt.” Her voice cracked.

Seth’s expression softened. “Hey, hey. Don’t start crying, sweetheart. You saved him. If you hadn’t acted, he’d be possessed by now. He didn’t even get the mark. We’d have had to… you know.”

Charlene swallowed hard.

“He said he had a good time—until that moment. You two were smiling, laughing. From what I saw, it was a good date.”

“Wait… What you saw?” she snapped. “Were you spying on me?”

Seth tried to look innocent. “Me? Spy? Never!” he said, clearly lying. “Your grandmother and Argun and I just happened to be monitoring the realm…”

“Uh-huh.” Charlene folded her arms. “Don’t drag Grandma and Argun into your excuse.”

ReNew collapsed onto the carpet laughing hysterically. “This is better than reality TV,” she wheezed.

“Anyway,” Seth coughed, trying to change the subject. “You wanna know the real shocker? I walked in on Grandma and Argun.”

Charlene paused. “Doing what, exactly?”

“Dish the tea!” ReNew gasped, suddenly back on her feet.

Seth hesitated dramatically. “I shouldn’t say…”

“Daddy!” Charlene warned. “Don’t make me kick you in the knees!”

“Okay, okay, but you can’t tell anybody—not even your uncle.”

“Promise!” both girls chorused, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Seth leaned in. “So after the theater, I went to check the war room monitors. And there they were—Destiny and Argun. Except the monitors weren’t watching the realm. The realm was watching them.”

Both girls screamed. “DO WHAT?!”

“They were kissing!”

Charlene gasped. “No way! How long’s that been going on?”

“I have no idea. They played it off when I walked in. Changed the subject.”

“What’d they say?” Charlene asked.

“They brought up some rule the council passed—about the hounds.” Seth shook his head. “Apparently, there are restrictions on talking animals now.”

“Yeah, we already knew the hounds could talk,” Charlene said, grinning. “Remember Aerial?”

ReNew nodded. “She screamed when we screamed in the catacombs.”

Seth raised a brow. “She what?”

Charlene’s smile faded a little. “She’s afraid of us knowing. Afraid to be herself.”

Seth’s face turned serious. “That’s awful.”

Charlene’s chest tightened. “Yeah. It reminded me of Earth. Hiding. Pretending to be something you’re not. It’s not right.”

“Too many Fates live like that,” Seth agreed. “Remember those ones in the grand hall’s lower levels? Starving, dirty…”

“The realm needs healing,” Charlene said. “But we’ll fix it, Dad. Me, you, the Queen—we’re going to lead them to a better tomorrow.”

ReNew threw up her hand for a high-five. “You know that’s right!”

Charlene’s smile dimmed. “But we need to visit them. Soon. I don’t want them to slip back into old habits. Not on my watch.”

Seth nodded. “Then that’s our next move.”

Charlene looked out her window, a fire in her eyes. This realm is under my protection. And I will make sure they know it.