ImprobableLemon

What a great story and a nice ending which leaves the door open for more. You did an awesome job.

The premise is cool and unique for either the diaper dimension or its own self contained world.

I'm interested to see where you take it from here. I'm very much enjoying the buildup.

“Ahhh ha ha… Oh man, I can’t get enough.” John Eroldt sighs and leans back in his chair. He fiddles with his phone, working on getting the footage of Thomas’ sister sent to the little. The man is in his mid-30’s and in good shape, appearing to those who don’t know any better as a man in his 20’s. He wears a grey and white button-up shirt with a dark tie loosened and hanging from his neck. Black khakis and loafers adorn the legs he’s propped up on his desk. His face is well proportioned and attractive. Intelligent, bright blue eyes. Light, brown hair in a side part. Once the video has been sent, he gently throws the phone onto the desk and sits up. Drumming his now free fingers along the top of the desk. “Well, I guess it’s time to get to business. Can’t have fun all evening.” The man reaches pulls a remote from his pocket and clicks a button. A large screen descends from the ceiling and fizzles to life. Displaying footage of a laboratory with scientists working away at computers and bustling around. “Ahem.” The attention of the men and women in lab coats is immediately grabbed by the simple clearing of his throat. All within view stop what they’re doing and immediately look towards the screen on their end. John smiles ear to ear. Enjoying the scene and the reactions of his employees. “Sorry to bother you fine workers. I know time is money and boy do I love money, so I’ll keep this short. Where’s the current supervisor… Hrm… What’s his name again? James, Jack, Dave…” John rubs his forehead, caught up trying to remember the leading scientist. Moments later, he stops and throws the hand up, appearing to finally remember. “It was Jeremy, that’s it. Where’s Jeremy. I want to see him. Now.” Sheepishly a young Amazon woman, hand raised, walks forward into focus in the lab. “Um sir… You ‘fired’ Jeremy several months ago. I am the current project lead, my name is…” “Jeremy. Great. Now let’s get down to business. It’s been a minute since I checked in on you fine people. Any problems, anything I should know about?” “No sir, everything is running smoothly. We are still trying to gain access to other worlds in the discovered dimension. Actually, there have been some developments if you would like to hear them.” At this revelation John’s eyebrows raise slightly. The smile twitches slightly. “Oh, no problems? Nothing? That’s great, love to hear it. It’s just… There’s one teensy, small, microscopic, thing. You. Goddamned. IMBECILES. BROUGHT. A. SECOND. LITTLE.” John’s calm voice rises into an angry yell at the end of his statement. ‘Jeremy’ winces and other scientists in the background try their best to minimize their presence on the screen. The smile is gone, replaced by a derisive sneer. “We’ll get back to the developments in a minute… But I want to know just one thing. How in the fuck do you shit brained cock weasels screw up this badly? Go on, I’m waiting.” “W-Well sir, we are dealing with new technologies and unforeseen complications in breaking through dimension barri-“ John abruptly slams a fist on the desk, interrupting the project lead. She jumps, startled. “I DON’T FUCKING CARE. DO YOUR FUCKING JOBS!” He runs his hands through his hair and after pausing for a moment, begins speaking to the Amazons in the lab. “Look… This is your one freebie. All of you are allowed just this one fuck up. There won’t be any more. Trust me. Next time you can kiss drinking coffee from a mug goodbye, you’ll all be suckling milk from your new mommy’s tit. And that will only happen after I've burned everything you all love and hold dear to the ground.” “Y-Yes sir, we are sorry sir.” “Glad we’re on the same page, truly. To clean up this little problem, I want a team to get together and go over footage we’ve recorded from the world we grabbed from. Any information on that cloaked little that was up on the chopping block. I’ll get the old ball and chain to ask Elizabeth what she knows. Once you know what we’re dealing with, I want that team to work out a way to deal with the problem. Top priority, second only to getting these portals fully operational.” “Consider it done, sir.” “Great. Awesome. Now what was that about developments?” John leans in, clearly interested. ‘Jeremy’ stands a little straighter. “We have received… Communications from the portal. It’s a language we do not understand, we are working on deciphering it. We are also working on determining where the communications are coming from.” “Cool, sounds good to me. Keep me informed. Signing out.” The amazon presses the button on his remote again, and the screen fizzles out and returns into the ceiling. He places his hands behind his head and leans back comfortably. Content and happy. “Ah, John… You’ve done it once again. And soon… It’ll all be mine. Everything!” Chapter 11 (First Half) ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I'm glad you're enjoying it! There's a fair bit going on now that they've "split the party". Well we may just see very, very soon. I'm glad you're enjoying the character! Probably the best way to do it. Conditional is really the smartest way. Who am I to disappoint, here we go. Here is the first half of chapter 11. I was busy over the weekend and work was a pain so work on this chapter was kind of limited. The second half of the chapter is halfway done but I didn't want to rush it to get the full thing released. The plan is to release the second half either Thursday or Friday. I hope everyone enjoys this little taste in the meantime.

After the death of [[Heat]] the [[Witch]] was left in a difficult position. The god was right. She desired companionship, needed it. Humans are social creatures and her loneliness was unbearable. But nothing could live long enough in her eyes. No sentient race could live longer than a couple hundred years at the most. And she had just discovered that even gods would pass with the fall of their favor. And then, an idea. Create immortals. Like her. Surely there are beings out there who would wish to join in the [[Witch]]’s curse. They could keep each other company. Forever. She would not have to be alone. Despite the desires of the [[Witch]], she did not wish to curse anyone like she had herself. She knew how hard it was to watch time march on, leaving her in the dust. Never would she do that to another. The [[Witch]] got to work. It was time to perfect the formula she had tattooed herself with. She could not save herself. Her curse was bound to her and she to it. But with a perfected method surely, she could give immortality to another for as long as they wished to live. With the knowledge and magical prowess she had accumulated over these hundreds of thousands of years, this was more than possible. ~~~ “Need help, come back.” The text from Amelia flashes across Gale’s phone. Gale turns around immediately, swerving her car into a u-turn on the empty street. Worries and fears swirl around her mind as she speeds back to her girlfriend. What if she’s hurt. What if there’s a break-in. What if it’s an Amazon. She tightens her grip on the steering wheel and banishes the thoughts from her head. Don’t think, stay calm. The Amazon woman hurriedly pulls up to the space in front of the darkened alley and sprints to the apartment complex. The dim light of her cell phone guiding her way. Gale breaks through the labyrinth of alleys and steps out into the illuminated apartment complex. The woman breathes a sigh of relief upon seeing the lights inside Amelia’s apartment on. She takes a few steps into the open area before suddenly stopping. The dull thud of her footsteps turning into wet squelches. Angling the phone light down she quickly realizes the sound is coming from the pool of crimson she’s stepping in. The splatter reaching many feet away. “What the fuck…” Dumbfounded confusion takes hold on both her mind and face. The girl is no doctor, but this much blood should definitely have left a body in her opinion. She was just here not longer than 20 minutes ago. What happened? Quickly investigating the ground, Gale spots a small shape a few feet away from the pool of blood. Picking it up and giving it a closer look, she confirms it to be Amelia’s phone. “No, Amelia!” Confusion gives way to fear as she runs past the horrid scene and up the stairs to Amelia’s apartment. Pocketing the phone on the way. She tries the knob and finds it locked. With shaking hands, she pulls out her ring of keys and unlocks the door with Amelia’s spare. Opening the door, she takes a tentative step in and immediately spots Amelia lying face-down on the living room floor. Splashes of red along the side of her lower body, concentrated towards the front. “No…!” With a surprised gasp, Gale hunches over and quickly makes her way to Amelia’s side. She gets on her knees and begins to check her over. “Amelia! Amelia! Are you okay!?” Gale checks for a pulse and finds one. Then gingerly flips Amelia over, pulling the girl into her arms. Ah… I’m not finding any injuries. She seems… Fine. She puts a hand to her girlfriend’s face and begins to stroke it; her Amazonian hand cupping the little’s face. Amelia’s eyes blink open in confusion once or twice before opening wide, looking up at the Amazon. “Are you okay?” “A… Amelia’s fine. Just overwhelmed. How did you get here?” “Ha, with my car and two feet obviously. But really, I got a text from you telling me to come back. Your phone was outside near a pool of blood, what the hell happened after I left!?” Amelia’s face goes blank before remembrance and realization dawn upon her. “Oh, that must’ve been him… The guy Witch was… Talking to. A lot happened while you were gone, Gale... A lot.” “Well, shit. Let’s hear it then.” “When Amelia got back from walking you to the car, Witch and a man dressed like a Hellcat were talking in the lot. It was tense and Amelia isn’t sure what they were talking about. But when Amelia walked out of the alley they yelled and… Witch was shot…” “All that blood came from Witch? Is she okay!?” “A-Amelia doesn’t know, there was so much blood and the wound looked really bad… Even like that… She still tried to reassure Amelia… And then she said something strange…” “What do you mean?” Amelia looks down, away from Gale and off in the distance. Her brow furrows in deep concentration, a hand to her chin. “It’s weird, the language was off, but Amelia swears Amelia has heard it before… When… When Amelia was about to be regressed Amelia heard something similar…” “I’m not following Amelia, what are you talking about?” “Amelia thinks… That Witch has been helping us in ways we don’t understand… After she said those words, something seemed to surround Amelia. They shot Witch again and again and again. It… It was terrible. But with so many bullets flying, Amelia should have been hit with something. Chipped pavement, ricochets, anything.” “You think Witch helped you fall asleep and saved you from harm tonight…?” Amelia lowers the hand on her chin, now certain of her thoughts. She returns Gale’s gaze from her spot in the larger girls’ arms. “Amelia knows… After what happened… Witch isn’t exactly a normal person… With all those injuries she still moved. She grabbed the man when he walked towards me, with a scary look on her face she beat him, till he gave up…” “Damn. She took out a Hellcat? Those guys are tough and got the best tech.” The little’s face darkens as she recalls the next part. Obviously close to breaking down. Tears begin to leak from the corner of her green eyes. “It was over then… But Witch turned to Amelia. Amelia was so frightened and shocked. Amelia couldn’t do anything… She looked so sad. It was a pained expression on her face… She reached her hand out and… A-And… Amelia couldn’t help it… Amelia backed away.” “…” “Witch has saved Amelia twice now and t-this is how Amelia repays her!?” Gale remains silent as she pulls the crying girl into a close hug. The emotional weight of tonight crushing the poor little. Gale wears a mix of emotions on her face, her mind a whirlwind. Concern for her girlfriend and new friend, and confusion over the situation are at the forefront. The Amazon waits for her smaller girlfriend to calm down before continuing the conversation. “What happened to Witch? It sounds like she was okay, at least physically, despite everything…” “She ran away after Amelia rejected her, she’s out there in the city. Alone now…” “Well, we’ll just have to find her then, won’t we?” “A-Are you sure… Amelia hurt her… Witch may not want to see Amelia again…” Amelia’s statement drops off into silence. It echoes painfully throughout the apartment. Gale looks at the sad expression on her face and loudly slaps her knees with the palms of her hands. Be strong for her. Be strong for me. Gone are the concern and confusion that clouded her heart. All that remains is focus and dedication. “I don’t care about anything like that! She is our friend! We’re going to find her, you can apologize, and then we can talk about what’s going on! That’s all there is to it.” “…” “So, no more tears Amelia. Let’s make it right!” Gale’s infectious positivity and energy seems to work its magic, and Amelia wipes her remaining tears on the sleeve of her shirt before looking up at Gale with sparkling eyes. “Yeah, thanks Gale. For everything.” From her spot in Gale’s lap, Amelia wraps her arms around Gale’s neck. She pulls herself up towards her girlfriend’s face and plants a gentle kiss on the Amazon’s cheek. The very same cheek flushes bright red just seconds later as Gale blushes. “A-A-Ah I-It’s nothing, no p-problem!” Amelia giggles, obviously entertained by Gale’s embarrassment. Gale scowls good naturedly before continuing. “As for tonight, it’s too late now to do anything. I’ll call Franz tomorrow in case Witch visits Solstice. We should sleep, tomorrow is going to be a busy day.” Amelia agrees and the two prepare themselves for bed. It takes a short argument, but Amelia eventually manages to convince Gale to share her bed rather than have the Amazon sleep on the little sized couch. However, the bed wasn’t particularly made for Amazon bodies in mind. Gale takes up the majority of the space, and Amelia cuddles close. “You know, I didn’t expect our first time sleeping together to be so hectic… I certainly expected there to be a lot less blood.” “You expected any amount of blood!?” “Heh goodnight, Amelia.” “Goodnight, Gale.” As they embrace each other so too does sleep embrace them both. ~~~ I thought things could be different here. I hoped they could be. But I’ve ruined everything once again. I’ve fled from Amelia and that man. Now I’m aimlessly wandering the streets. It’s night so no one is out for the most part; just typical night life. In order to have some time to myself I’ve assumed a gaseous state. A spell to rid myself of my physical form and become something of a misty cloud. At night it’s near impossible to see me like this. And no one can touch me. I’m really and truly alone. I stop and sit on the sidewalk. Leaning my incorporeal form against a building. Looking up, there are no stars in the sky. Too cloudy or too far into the city. I don’t know. My head shakes almost on impulse. My mind is a mess right now, I’m all over the place. I need to focus. I need to think. What do I do now? I can’t go back after showing Amelia that terrible scene. Gale by proxy is out of the question as well. And Franz… Is their friend. It was only a week but being with these people has been the most at peace I’ve been in a long time. Before I knew it, they’d become dear to me. So… Do I go back where I belong? There’s nothing for me there anymore. Elizabeth knows I can’t be seen with her anymore, considering everyone else thinks I’m dead. But it’s not like I have anything here now. It would be slightly difficult to create a gate back to my dimension. The distance between these places is massive. However, it wouldn’t be impossible. Not like I’d ask that man for help anyway considering the fight we just had. My concentration and pained thoughts are broken by the sound of wheels rolling down the sidewalk. Despite being late at night, a younger Amazon couple are going for a late walk while pushing a stroller. Something about the scene itches the back of my mind. I float off the ground and get a better look at the contents of the stroller. Inside is a little. A young man no older than 25. He appears tranquil and happy. His eyes still hold the spark of sentient, intelligent life. Though he’s dressed and treated in a manner unbefitting his age, he is without a doubt enjoying his lot in life. The family continues, leaving me behind. What I would give to be so happy. So loved. So accepted. … I stop. Gears turning in my head. The beginnings of a great. Terrible. Idea. Sprouting forth in my mind. Wait wait wait wait wait wait. Why not try it out. If I’m going to leave anyway, I might as well give it a shot before I go. Right? Inwardly I smile, the idea taking root and giving me some measure of excitement. Tomorrow I get to work. I’ll need to find an Amazon. ~~~ With the perfected immortality completed, the [[Witch]] set out. Across the land and seas, she searched. Seeking out kindred spirits. Over the course of 20 years, she built herself a small family. A human, a half-orc, and a dragonborn. These three sought companionship and a new life. They agreed to join the [[Witch]] in immortality. With much glee she tattooed a single script above each of their hearts. It held all the power of her immortality but could be removed by and only with the will of the individual or the [[Witch]]. For thousands of years, they lived together. Through thick and thin, good times and bad, the four of them had each other. Even as the world around them aged, mortal friends aged and died. The four of them still had each other. Though. As good as things were. Eventually. It came tumbling down. Hearts are fragile things. They can only take so much. The [[Witch]]’s companions got to see the very best of what life had to offer. But with that, they also bore witness to some of the very worst. Sentient beings can be extremely cruel to one another. Endless conflict. Crime. Destruction. It never ends. Across all planes and worlds, they visited. Ad nauseum. The good times locked within their hearts only existed as shields to numb the terrible things they witnessed. Their hearts would be worn down, ground to the limit by the horrors of eternal life. They couldn’t forget. Eventually it would wear the heart down to nothing. The human and dragonborn broke first. They sought to end everything. Bring about the finale to this godawful and cruel reality. The [[Witch]] and the half-orc loved the two like family. They were supposed to be brothers and sisters in arms. But they couldn’t let them go down this path. The two fought through damned armies and reached their fallen brethren. The four fought tooth and nail but eventually the [[Witch]] and half-orc were successful. Her overwhelming magic combined with the might of the half-orc would fall any opponent. The human and dragonborn kneeled before her, prepared to meet their demise. Heads lowered before their maker. She forced them to look her in the eyes a final time. To feel what they felt. They tried to deny her, force their gaze away. But. I. She saw. What she saw caused her indescribable grief. They were grateful. Happy to finally, finally go where their souls belong. To be with everyone they’ve ever known. Everyone that had passed. At that moment she knew this whole event was all an act. It was a scripted play where they, the villains, would be cut down by the heroes. The [[Witch]] knew them well enough by now. They couldn’t end their immortality themselves. They couldn’t leave her alone to grieve their decision. The pair wanted to become heinous villains. Unforgivable in her eyes. And then be stripped of their power. Since that would be easier to swallow for the [[Witch]]. All this charade, for her. She broke down. Collapsing to the scorched earth. Her weakness. The [[Witch]]’s frail heart forced this fate upon her friends. Blinded by her own happiness. By her own joy at having companions like her. She was ignorant to the true and agonized thoughts of those closest to her. With the scheme up, the two hugged the [[Witch]] tightly. Shedding tears as well. Apologizing for everything. The two knew that they could not allow the [[Witch]] to kill them now. It would be too much. Too much. They broke the spell themselves. Their bodies crumbled into dust. Finally freeing their souls after all these years. Their cracked lips whispering a final goodbye to the one they had spent so long with. This event profoundly affected the [[Witch]] and the half-orc. While the two would travel together for many more years, eventually the half-orc would express a desire to end as well. This. This… T h i s. Was supposed to be different. Is it really. Really so impossible for sentient life to remain forever. If my the [[Witch]]’s companions could last for only but a small fraction of the time she’d been alive. Tell me. What did that say about the [[Witch]]. Was she even human anymore. Was she more monster than man. What am I. Chapter 10: Alone Again ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Then do I have just the thing for you. We're only slightly late here. 30 minutes past Wednesday should still count. Right? This chapter was a doozy to write. I'm particularly happy about it, and I hope everyone enjoys it. Hopefully you all find the quality worth the wait. Thanks again to the readers and commenters following the story.

Haha, I'm glad people are feeling strongly about John. It's fun to write someone so unashamedly evil. He's like a slimy car salesman, but worse.

Thomas’ parents were captured and adopted early in his life. However, his sister was able to build a niche for them with her athletic accomplishments from middle school and into high school. Life wasn’t perfect for the two. But it was as good as they could hope for. Pride of the town, she was safe from adoption. And by proxy he was as well. At least. They thought. Laura, his sister, was walking home from a scholarship tournament that could rocket her and her brother to an easy life. With one match remaining the two littles were, for once, excited about the future. But she never returned home. It wouldn’t be for another few months that Thomas learned of his sisters’ fate. She’d been grabbed right off the street. She was gone. Thomas vowed right then and there. He would get her back. He would do anything. Anything. ~~~ The moment the name ‘John Eroldt’ graces Thomas’ ears, his face darkens and his phone creaks under his tightening grip. “That rat bastard.” “What? Did you say something?” “No. Nothing. I will take it from here. Tell everyone they have done well and drinks are on me this weekend.” “Aw hell yeah. Thanks, si- Thomas!” He hangs up the phone and pulls himself into a sitting position. He pulls open his phone’s contacts and scrolls to John Eroldt. Mentally and physically steeling himself, he calls the number. The phone rings for a while, but just before going to voicemail the call is answered. “Hey champ, been a while since you last called me unprovoked. What pleasure do I owe this call? Need someone to tuck you in?” Thomas lowers his voice. The glass separating him from the driver is up. Regardless, he takes precautions to prevent this conversation from being heard. “Cut the shit John, I know you are operating illegal portals under a clothing store. What the fuck are you thinking?” “Ooooh that? Just a little side gig, nothing to be so grumpy about. The wife wanted something special and who am I to deny her when it can also make me a buck or two.” “Listen asshole, you are making a big mistake. Blatantly disregarding laws that have no business being trifled with. And a byproduct of your little portal opening escapades beat me half to death and escaped into the city.” “I’m making a mistake? Listen, Tommy. I know you’re just a dumb little boy but try to use that head of yours for a minute. Try to remember that for all intents and purposes, I currently own you. Our relationship is simple, I give the orders and you obey like a good child. I tell you to bark and you damn well better bark. I tell you to jump, you ask how high and long before leaping to perfection.” “You…” The start of a condemnation blooms forth from Thomas’ lips. The word choked and angry. But John gives the little no room to enter. “Sure, you’re an angry little tyke right now and maybe you want out of our deal because you got your head kicked around and aren’t thinking. That’s cool with me. Why don’t I just sell your ‘older’ sister to the highest bidder, how does that sound? Plenty of depraved Amazons out there who would love to get their hands on that cutie, and you’d never find her again. What do ya say, sport? Ready to cut the dead weight loose and move on with your life? I’d do the same.” Thomas’ face is flushed with anger. His free hand digging into the back seat of the car. A drop of blood drips from his lip as he bites down hard to prevent himself from misspeaking. A moment later and he’s managed to regain control over himself. The volume of his voice ratches up slightly, still quiet enough to conceal the conversation from the driver. “The deal… Is still on. You get five breaks and then I get Laura back. Unharmed and as herself. This ‘stunt’ is break number four, John. Opening portals to unapproved locations and in unregistered facilities is illegal.” “Yeah, yeah, whatever kiddo. Give me the rundown, how’d you find out and what does my venture have to do with you getting a boo-boo?” “Nearly a week ago, a secretive little in a cloak appeared in a field just out of town. She showed signs of having technology beyond our understanding. While tracking her down we checked with the power company to see where a portal could have been opened. It took a day or two of pestering and your building eventually came up.” “Interesting… They cowered before your men far too quickly. I’ll have a chat with them later. Continue.” “We caught up with the little tonight. Things went south, we dump countless rounds into her, and she pops right up and goes to town on me. She then fled into the city.” There was no way Thomas was going to give John the satisfaction of knowing that his team’s screwup was what led to the meetup going sour. “Huh, kind of sad I missed out on that. If you happen to have any video footage of that, let me know. Would love to see it.” “Jackass. What can you tell me about the location of the portal you opened?” “Hm hm hm… I’ll try to explain it in a way easy for you to understand. Mrs. Eroldt wanted a special little. A unique little. Anyone can grab a little off the street. Anyone can hire a portal agency to nab a little from a pre-approved dimension. So, I hired a team of scientists to think bigger. We’ve broken through to another dimension, and a unique one at that. There we found a collection of inter-connected worlds, almost self-contained in bubbles of sorts. After trying to access some of these worlds, we found one we could connect to.” “What… What have you done…?” “Revolutionized the portal industry, no biggie. Anyway, the world we were able to connect to was kind of like that ‘Earth’ dimension we commonly grab littles from, but a lot less developed. They swing swords, pray to ‘gods’, and believe in magic or whatever. Bunch of simpletons. Huge variety of littles to grab though, it’s perfect. With a little more testing we’re going to make a killing pulling littles of all different types from this place.” “Less developed than Earth? There is no way... Magic? She clearly…” Thomas trails off into deep thought. The new information mingling with what he has personally experienced. John as usual, interrupts. “I’m gonna stop you right there. What’s more likely boy; that magic is real, and she smacked you around with some ‘hocus pocus’, or you just suck and got laid flat by some oddball little. I think we both know the answer here.” “…” “Anyway, long story short, we spied around the world for prospective littles and my wife found one she couldn’t live without. Some long black-haired twig named Elizabeth. We grabbed her in a crowd while the savages were publicly executing some criminals… Now that I think about it… I think there was a little on the gallows wearing a cloak…” “So, you grabbed this ‘Elizabeth’ and the other girl was sucked in as well.” “Huh… It seems like the power company might have to wait. I think some of the scientists under my generous employment need to be reminded about the consequences of failure. Don’t worry about little miss bullet proof. I’ll make sure the lab coats come up with something to fix their mistake.” Internally Thomas sighs deeply. The conversation has pissed him off and drained him mentally. If he can tie up the loose end, more power to him. “Yeah well, I will let you get to that then.” “I guess talking with you wasn’t an entire waste of my time. Hell, I suppose I’m feeling pretty generous tonight. I’ll send you some footage of your sister on the house. Just to show that I’ve kept our end of the deal. She’s still here safe, and ready to be fixed up when you keep your end. We’re taking good care of her.” “…” “Adios Tommy. Always a laugh.” The phone goes silent. Thomas finally releases the tight grip on the device. Moments later, as promised, he receives a text from John. It’s a video file. Against his better judgement Thomas plays the video. A female little appearing physically to be slightly older than Thomas’ 23 is the star of the footage. The woman’s long black hair is done up in braid. Her grey eyes contain none of the intelligence, focus, or drive they held in her youth. She wears a childish, frilly, and short pink shirt that ends just above her bellybutton. On her waist is an overly babyish crawler brand diaper for littles. It’s pink, thick, and it’s been thoroughly used. The muscles she’d once been proud of and trained have softened through years of misuse. Laura babbles behind her pacifier as she lays on her back and shakes a stuffed animal in the air. The surveillance timestamp reveals the footage came from earlier today. “GOD DAMN IT!” Thomas throws his phone to the floor in anger, breathing unevenly. The action tearing open small wounds that his nanites had managed to barely seal. The phone screen shatters, now frozen on the image of the poor girl. Her dull eyes gazing at the camera. This prick, he does this shit on purpose. A sick and demented son of a bitch. The Amazon Hellcats driver hears his enraged howl and sends a sympathetic gaze to the young man behind him from the rear-view mirror. The night has clearly taken a toll on Thomas. Pained by the reopening of his wounds, he winces but focuses on the cracked picture of his sister. Driven harder than ever before. Hang on Laura, just hang on. It will not be much longer. I will be there soon. Just. Hang. On. ~~~ And anything is what Thomas did. He trained like hell for the next 3 years. While already muscular like his sister, he’d never taken it as seriously as her. But with intense dedication, the then 18-year-old had likely surpassed Laura when she was at this age. Using his honed skills he appealed to the Hellcats, desiring to join. He passed initiation with flying colors and was given a junior leadership role. With these new connections he tried to uncover what had happened to his sister. But… The trail was cold. It had been 4 years now. On the verge of despair, having nothing left, having worked hard for nothing, Thomas threw himself into his work to distract himself. He moved up in rank several times. Time flew by, and on his 21st birthday he received a card in the mail. It was a birthday card. From John Eroldt. Enclosed was a picture of his sister, clearly regressed. The Amazon had come under ownership of her and sought out Thomas to make a deal. ‘Anything’. The little murmured to himself. And a deal was forged. Chapter 9: The Deal ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ As promised I make my faithful return. I was quite busy playing GoFest all weekend, it was a grand adventure. Thank you all for reading, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and remains seated for the wild ride.

That means a lot, you praise me too much. I'm a big fan of your stories! (Ornaments is probably my favorite) I'm glad people are finding [[Witch]] relatable. I think the one thing that most everyone can relate to is feeling alone. I hope you and everyone else continues to enjoy the story as it unfolds. Next chapter drops next Wednesday. Unless I get too excited and drop it early...

I'm enjoying the build up you've got going on, I'm excited to see where it keeps going!

The name is a bit familiar, maybe it appears elsewhere. If you get the quote in the next attempt there will be a slight and real prize.

A good assumption, but to be the true winner I need to see the conversation that backs this up. If you believe yourself correct, CTRL+F may be of help.

Winner, winner! For the other half of the mystery, who is keeping her captive? An unassuming conversation prior to chapter 8.5 between characters hints to this.

You're on the right track. Just slightly off course. Lumina, the elf promised to reincarnate and asked to be found again. However she can only reincarnate in the other world, as an Elf. And she was never sought out. I'll give another slight hint: Her name appears just twice, one of which in chapter 8.5.

The solitary little captive in a nursery has been a bit of a small plot point for a few chapters now. It is time for that to pay dividends. I won't explicitly say anything because I think putting 2 and 2 together is more fun. So as to avoid outright saying anything, I will leave you with a hint. The answers to the questions you seek may be found with CTRL+F. The next chapter will spell it all out. However, the first person to put together the entirety of the big reveal with the small nuggets I've slipped into the story thus far (before I spill the beans) will have my undying kudos and forever in my eyes be a winner. I eagerly await to see who, if anyone, gets it first. Thank you! I am excited as well.

“Target spotted entering the alley with the two civilians.” Thomas speaks into his radio, informing the other members of the team what he’s spotted from within his car. The hooded little stops just before entering the alley and turns, staring at him through the tinted windows. She knows. He averts his gaze; the girl turns away and enters the alley, just steps behind the other two. “We wait for the target to leave the apartment alone or for the other two to leave. No one moves without command.” With his final orders issued he settles back into the seat. Thomas pulls open the drone footage, waiting for the moment to strike. ~~~ The little had slowly become adjusted to this new solitary life. In this strange room. She climbed into a strange bed with bars to sleep. She ‘played’ with the odd objects, toys, that littered the floor. She ate the strange and mushy foods that were delivered through the floor. She no longer cried out for the [[Witch]]. She no longer cried out for anyone. Help was not coming. That was clear. In her heart she knew she was someone’s captive now. And this is how they wanted her currently. But. There was a break in the monotony. A portion of the pink wall on the opposite side of the room faded away. Leaving a doorway. A well-dressed lady and gentleman in their late 30’s enter. They tower over the little. She shies away from the giants, afraid. The gentleman then speaks. “Elizabeth, you may call me Father…” ~~~ It wasn’t till night that Thomas saw Amelia and Gale leave the apartment and head towards one of the alleys. “Move out, the operation is starting now. Snipers get in location. No one fires without explicit order.” The little undresses in the back of the large vehicle. Quickly he throws on a Hellcats combat suit which conforms to his muscular shape. Made of lightweight and threaded metal, the suit is capable of taking quite the beating. It is also equipped with nothing short of a small arsenal – guns, knives, stun devices, chemical sprays, etc. The helmet’s visor offers real-time combat assistance. Just to be safe. The last thing we want is a fight. “I will be back shortly, with or without the target.” Thomas throws those words to his Amazon driver and exits the vehicle. He jogs down the empty street to a different alley entrance, to avoid the couple leaving the apartment. Time to get this over with. ~~~ Thomas stares at the target he has chased this past week. A little wearing a black cloak with leather armor poking through, a long skirt, and lace up boots. Features hidden beneath the cloak’s hood. The two size each other up. Moments later, the enigmatic figure finally shuffles a little nervously. “So… Should we trade names or something?” “My name is Thomas, a Major in the Hellcats; an organization charged with keeping the peace of this world. You would be Witch. Correct?” “Yeah. I see you’ve done some research. Can I help you?” “I would first like to start off with an apology for your abrupt transportation into this dimension. Understand that portals to other worlds are opened routinely here, sometimes people like you slip through the cracks and get brought in unintentionally.” “It’s alright, I don’t have much to go back to anyway.” It would have been easier if she had been looking for a way home. Let us get right to it then. “I suppose I should cut to the chase then. We have two options for you moving forward.” “Hm? What options?” “One, come with us right now. We take you to our lab, we crack open a portal back to your world, and you leave in peace.” “…” “Two, you join the Hellcats. You live under our supervision, take part in missions, and are allowed to remain in this dimension.” “What kind of options are these? Go back home or become Hellcat property?” I mean when you say it like that, they are not the best options. But it is all we can offer. All I can offer. The laws are absolute. For the good of the world. “Frankly speaking you do not belong here. There is no place for you here.” This seems to affect the hooded little. She lets out a ragged breath and her hands clench. “What… What do you know? You don’t know anything...” “We know that the technology you’ve brought in with you far exceeds what we have access to at this time. Moments after arrival you knew you were being filmed and instantly evaded our cameras. Was it nanites? A brain implant? Something in your clothing? We have no clue. Frankly speaking you are a monster we are not prepared for.” “It’s not… I’m not…” “And that is the only thing we can confirm you are capable of. We can not let a liability run around with the ability to uproot the foundation of this dimension. Even if we trust you and allow you to go, what if someone captures you and figures out how you work, what then? Sorry, but we have no other choice.” “…” “You choose, Witch. Go back and take your tech with you. Or join the Hellcats. What will it be?” “What if I refuse. What then?” ‘Negotiations’, if they could even be called that, are breaking down. You are putting me in a bad spot here. “I do not want it to come to that. But you would leave us no choice...” “…” The girl’s posture changes slightly, tensing up as if to prepare for a fight. Thomas notices this change and he takes a stance as well. He speaks slowly into the microphone in his helmet. “Be prepared but no one move. The target looks ready to fight but I will attempt de-escalation.” From Thomas’ position he gets a good view of Amelia walking out of the alley behind the target. Damn. I thought we had more time. “Witch…?” Actually, this might be for the best. Maybe she can help convince the target to stand down. She needs to distance herself though. “AMELIA GET BACK!” “BACK THE FUCK UP.” Both of them yell at Amelia, who is too shocked to move. Then, suddenly. Before his eyes, the target is shot. With the assistance from the helmet’s visor, Thomas sees everything in great detail. The bullet punches through the girl like nothing. A clean, perfect hit. From the trajectory it likely got her heart. What. The. Fuck. No orders were given. What is his team doing? He gets back on the coms. “Delta what the fuck did you just do?” “I-I-I’m sorry sir, I-I got nervous, and that girl appeared, and you yelled and…” “For fucks sake, get back to the goddamned base. I will personally shove my boots up the ass of the next asshole that shoots without order.” At this point blood is everywhere, and the target has fallen to her knees. Amazingly enough Thomas still sees vital signs from his visor coming from the mortally wounded girl. “Hrk.. Guh…..” She slowly and unsteadily places her hands on the ground. As if to push herself to her feet. Must be nanites. And fairly strong ones at that. I do not believe our combat nanites would perform this well. No matter how good her nanites are, they cannot regenerate a heart and all the lost blood in time. “S-Stop… Please Witch, don’t… Don’t move. It… It’s going to be okay.” “Fin…Fine. It’s… Fine. I… Am……. Okay………” “...” We fucked up here. This should not have gone down like this. But… Finishing her off now is a mercy. Enough damage and her nanites should stop trying to delay the inevitable. Thomas speaks into his comms once more. “Light her up, end her suffering.” The target speaks a strange, very foreign language. It is incomprehensible to Thomas. Whatever she said came out broken through bloodied lips. A hail of gunfire is unleashed on the target. Her body goes still. Finally putting an end to the suffering outsider. “Stand down, target eliminated.” Thank God. Thomas walks over to the fallen form of his target. A quick glance confirms her demise. He turns to Amelia, preparing to ask her a few questions. I guess now we see how much damage has been done to the dimension already. “We’re going to have a talk. Has the individual you have been harboring done or shown you anything strange?” “You… Why… Why this…” “You will be coming with us, there will be time to calm down during the ride.” Thomas begins to walk towards the girl when he’s abruptly stopped. “You… Get the fuck… Away… FROM HER.” The target’s ruined hand grabs Thomas by the leg. His leg is pulled out from under him, and he falls to the ground. In a flash, the target is on him. SHE IS STILL ALIVE!? From his position beneath her, he takes in her form. Long, black hair and black eyes. Her cloak and clothing little more than scraps stuck to her thin but slightly muscular frame by the blood coating her body. Strange symbols are tattooed over most of her skin, visible through the crimson. Her flesh is dotted with holes, however not nearly as many as there should be given the amount of fire she was under. The expression on her face is one of great rage. A cruel smile warps her bloodied but beautiful features. An angel. An angel of death. The enraged girl repeatedly smashes her fists into Thomas’ body and head. His armor and helmet doing little to ease the results of her fury. The reinforced clothing bending and breaking under her diligence. Gotta do something. Gonna die if she keeps up. Thomas rips a knife from a sheath on his leg and starts slashing away at his attacker. She ignores this feeble attempt at defense and continues her carnage. Finally, as if accepting his fate, he goes limp. No longer able to move. The target holds him up by his collar. This is it. “You… Demon.” “No, you did this. You’re the demon here, not me.” Thomas looks over the girl’s shoulder. He sees Amelia petrified and sitting on the floor. Scared out of her mind. This may be it… My last out… “Tell that… To your friend.” Thomas falls to the ground in a heap as the target drops him. A lonely and sad expression now on her face. “Amelia… It’s… I can explain.” The target extends a hand to the girl she believed to be her friend. But the girl looks at it fearfully. The target moves for the alley, Amelia shirking away. They share a final look with each other. From his position, Thomas can only see Amelia’s face. Instead of fear, now she wears a look of sadness, shame, and regret. “I… I’ll stay away. Thank you for everything.” The target makes her escape down the alley before the other girl can respond. Amelia shakily stands and takes a quick step forward before falling to her knees. “No Witch… Don’t go! A-Amelia is sorry… Amelia didn’t mean it… Sorry…” The girl cries out into the empty alley, her words not reaching her friend. ~~~ Inside Thomas’ body, his nanites have been busy attempting to bring function back to his body. On the ground he shifts, still largely incapable of movement. He knows he’s certainly broken an arm, a rib, and bruised up all over. Maybe more. Over the course of 15 minutes, Amelia’s sobs turn to whimpers and her whimpers turn to nothing. The girl shuffles back to her apartment in a catatonic-like state. Emotionally devastated. It isn’t until an hour after the exchange that Thomas’ body has recovered itself enough that he can muster enough strength to stand. The man walks over to the alley, ready to leave. He surveys the remnants of the scene one final time and notices a phone where Amelia once sat. I should just ignore it. It is none of my concern. But… I really, really fucked this up. Against his better judgement he picks up the girl’s phone and cracks the lock. He enters her recent messages and shoots a quick text to Gale. “Need help, come back.” Satisfied, he drops the phone and slowly walks back to his waiting vehicle. Where he falls into the back seat. “Take us back to base, I need a medic.” “Your phone went off while you were gone, Thomas.” Great. What else tonight. He fumbles around in the dark, looking for his phone. He finds it and checks his missed calls. The caller ID informs him that someone from his team attempted to reach him. Thomas calls them back. The phone rings for a moment before it is picked up. “Thomas, are you there?” “Yeah… I am, somehow.” “You sound awful man, what happened?” “More importantly what were you calling for?” “Ah yes, well we have pretty big news in regard to Sunny-Elms Boutique.” “Really? It has only been 24 hours. What did you get?” “Actually, it was fairly easy investigating on our part. The clothing store itself is owned by some unassuming entrepreneur. Probably unrelated. The building owner, however, is by far something else.” “Cut to the chase. I am not exactly in the mood to play games, who owns the building?” “The most powerful and influential Amazon on the island. Descendant of Elmsbury’s founder, political powerhouse, and property mogul. John Eroldt.” Chapter 8.5: Another Perspective _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ That's good thinking, I like where your head is at. I'm glad you think so! I hope not! But I imagine living forever is a lot more fun on paper than in reality. Watching everyone leave you behind is hard. Thanks for reading and commenting yet again. I hope you all enjoy this half-chapter. A little short and a bit of recycled content since a good bit is just from another perspective, but I felt it necessary. Next chapter will probably release around the 21st on the usual schedule. Just wanted to throw this out while Chapter 8 was still kind of fresh and get ahead of next Wednesday because I'll be a bit busy this coming week.

Cautiously enjoying the past few happy chapters. Can't be too careful for a last minute gut punch lol.

This is going to be a bit of a slow burn (though a fairly tense one). The [[Witch]] has lived too long to go over her entire history so everyone is getting the sparknotes version. Soon enough we'll catch up though. Yeah just a wee bit I'd say. But the Hellcats aren't really known for their restraint. I'm glad to hear it! We'll see if you're right sooner than later! Thank you all for comments, I'm glad to see you've enjoyed the chapter. Just thought I'd reply to some replies while also giving some info on the next chapter I forgot to include in the chapter 8 post. Next chapter will be releasing a bit before Wednesday and *may* be slightly shorter. Consider it something akin to a chapter 8.5. See you all then.

The shining figure introduced itself as [[Heat]]. It spoke the same ancient language that the [[Witch]]’s people had, long ago. Its form was that of a tall human made up of glowing energy. Its face was an empty glowing slate. She was interested. And confused. Never had she seen a god in person. But the power and magic it radiated was unlike anything she’d seen. As for its origins… It called itself [[Heat]]. That must be the name that it was worshipped under. To a primitive people fire and the heat it gives off could be considered life itself. The [[Witch]] strongly suspected that [[Heat]] was a god of life, perhaps one of the original and most ancient gods of this world. [[Heat]] in turn was interested in the [[Witch]]. She was the first human it had seen to go beyond the limits of humanity and overcome mortality. It had watched her since the very day she had carved the spells into her body. Only when her body went out of control, did the god decide to directly intervene. The cloak was infused with [[Heat]]’s divine essence. It would prevent her body from running amok and soak up curses. The two sat and talked in the desolate wasteland of the [[Witch]]’s own creation. The god did most of the talking, since it had been watching it knew pretty much everything that had happened to this point. [[Heat]] had a theory about the [[Witch]]. The curses that spewed forth from her were the accumulation of hundreds of millennium worth of negativity. Humans are built to bounce back from stress and emotional trauma by forgetting. The pain dulls due to the passage of time and new memories overwriting the old. But the immortality that the [[Witch]] had cursed herself with kept her body in pristine condition. Painful memories built up and built up. Never overwritten. Never forgotten. The good times she had with Olivia and Henderson, Lumina, Sir William, and the countless other companions she had met could only be momentary distractions from the tidal wave of despair that would drown her when they too were lost. With the human lust for companionship, she would be trapped in an endless cycle of loss and gain. Forever. But that was only [[Heat]]’s theory. It spoke without malice, only keen interest. It could not comprehend the thoughts and feelings of living creatures, or so it explained. Therefore, while it too was immortal, it knew of but could not understand the [[Witch]]’s emotions. This saddened the [[Witch]]. What a lonely existence [[Heat]] had lived. Even if it could not understand that, she felt compelled to do something. She stood up and reached a hand to the god. Perhaps she could teach [[Heat]] about life and emotions. Perhaps their timeless friendship could fill the endless void inside her that had nearly destroyed this world. Perhaps her greatest wish could be granted. [[Heat]] accepted her hand. ~~~ Franz and I exit the kitchen and walk towards the table where Amelia and Gale are looking cute together. As our steps grow closer their eye contact breaks and the women appear embarrassed. “What a show ladies, I am most certainly touched.” “You aren’t even going to deny watching us!?” I elbow Franz’s thigh and try to recover the conversation. “We… Uh… Couldn’t help but notice what was going on? We weren’t exactly peeking…” “Amelia is not entirely convinced by this.” “I’m not buying it either.” Franz and I are done for. I guess this is it. It was an honor serving with you. Thankfully, Franz takes over again, sparing us a fate worse than death. “Leaving all that aside, would it be a correct assumption to wish a warm congratulations to this new happy couple?” “Yeah, Amelia feels the same as I do and we’re going to take our relationship slow.” “Congratulations, it was about time the two of you got together. This old man has been exasperated watching the two of you so oblivious to each other’s feelings.” “Oh god were we that bad?” “I have known the two of you for some time, so it is no surprise for me. But for even Witch to notice in the short time she has been here, it was fairly obvious you both shared feelings.” “Amelia can’t hear this anymore; Amelia is going to die from embarrassment!” Amelia clutches her head in her hands, face glowing brightly. Gale wears a slight blush as well. The four of us laugh as Franz and I heartily congratulate the two. Heather returns with our drinks and we order a lengthy list of food. Franz gives no indication that our gluttony is an issue, in fact suggesting new items for us to try. Heather crinkles away with our order, heading for the kitchen. With a little reorganizing at our table the happy couple are seated side-by-side while Franz and I sit across from them. Slightly curious about their new arrangement I speak up. “So, what does this new relationship mean really, is anything going to change?” “Hm… I’m not really sure. I’ve always been too focused on athletics and training to do much dating.” “Amelia kept to herself throughout high school to avoid getting adopted, no experience here either. It would seem that any progress made here is going to be extraordinarily slow. “I mean the two of you have worked together and known each other for years now, right? What about moving in together?” “I-Isn’t that too fast? Shouldn’t Amelia and I go out for a bit before that?” “A-Amelia agrees!” They’re too pure, they’re a blinding light before my eyes. “Refrain from teasing the ladies too much, Witch. I am certain they will become adjusted to their new life together soon enough.” So says Franz with a smirk. That smirk combined with the gleam in his eyes is all I need to know that he feels the same as I do. I sigh internally. Baby steps I suppose. “Fine… I’ll relent for now. But you both are going on a first date sooner rather than later.” “Why does it feel like the two of you are my concerned parents?” “Amelia feels the same way, Gale.” The four of us spent several hours like this, joking and talking amongst ourselves. Around 3 o’clock we decide to call it and leave Franz to his work. I urge Amelia and Gale ahead and turn to Franz once more. However, he beats me to the punch. “You have my apologies again, Witch.” “It’s alright, maybe they just want to talk. If not… Well, I’ll take care of it.” “I figured as much, I pride myself on being a good judge of character and ability. You appear very capable for someone your age.” “You’re quite the tease Franz, to continually regard me as some young woman.” Franz furrows his brow, seemingly confused by my words. “Hm… I have caught a few glimpses of you under that hood. You certainly do not appear any older than 24. Perhaps appearances are misleading…” “Perhaps they are.” With that I walk towards the entrance, leaving Franz behind me. However. Before leaving I turn around, impulsively I open my mouth. “And no more apologies, Franz. But… If you really do wish to atone then perhaps, we could go out sometime. The two of us.” His eyes and mouth contort in surprise for a short moment. The older man’s features settle on a slight smile that ever so slightly twists my heart. “I believe that can be arranged, Witch.” I turn and leave Solstice, walking quickly to catch up to Gale and Amelia. Internally I cheer and chastise myself over that impulsive request. What has gotten into me? Is it being so close to Amelia and Gale’s budding romance? Is it the dreams of my past? Is it the resemblance he shares with Sir William? I shake my head, likely a mix of everything and more. Franz is sharp and skilled. He attracts me like a lantern would a moth. We head back towards Amelia’s place; it’s only a few streets over. I walk behind the two girls whose hands are intertwined. This isn’t helping. They’re too cute. It’s a fairly busy day out. Amazons pack the streets today. Eyeing Amelia and I but keeping their distance due to Gale’s uninviting presence. I half pay attention to their conversation as I follow, mostly stuck in my own head. Thoughts of Amelia and Gale, Franz, and the people seeking me out all swirling around. As we enter our usual alley leading to the apartment, I feel fresh eyes on us. It’s unlike the Amazon’s gaze, and it’s on me and me alone. Coming from a parked car with darkened windows. It must be them. Hellcats. “Does that sound good to you, Witch?” I snap out of it, looking back to Gale. “Um, I’m sorry. What was that?” “Ah no problem, we were just wondering if you were interested in watching a movie when we get back.” “Sounds good to me.” I hope they wait to get me alone. The last thing I want is to put them in any danger. No one is following us on foot at least, that’s good. We get through the labyrinth-like alley unhindered and arrive at the apartment. In the open space I feel eyes on us again. It’s the same way I felt when first coming to this world. When I first experienced being filmed. Once we’re inside the feeling goes away. Apparently, they haven’t gone as far as to break into the apartment. Amelia and Gale settle down on the larger couch. Amelia leaning against the larger girl’s torso while complaining that Gale makes an uncomfortable pillow. I commandeer one of the chairs next to them. Again, I half pay attention to the movie and conversation. Focusing most of my attention on scanning the area surrounding the apartment for unusual presences with my magic. I detect nothing. They must be waiting. While I feel anxious, I also feel better knowing that perhaps Amelia and Gale won’t be involved. Around the halfway point of the movie, I drop my guard slightly and apply warnings to the area around us. Just something to alert me if anyone unusual draws near. I can start to pay better attention to the movie and loosen up. It’s about the same time that Gale looks over at Amelia who is spread out half over the couch and half over her. She pauses the film, picks up Amelia throwing the girl over her shoulder like a sack of flour, and begins to head toward Amelia’s bedroom. “H-H-Hey! What’s the big idea!? Amelia was watching that!” “Yeah, yeah. I just couldn’t help but notice that a certain someone needs a change.” “What do you mean, Amelia hasn’t had to go?” “Amelia… Did you forget about the hypnosis? You haven’t been changed since this morning, you’re one more accident away from soaking the couch.” Amelia quickly throws a hand down her jeans to check the padding around her waist. Her hand presses in with an audible squish. Her face goes bright red, and she goes limp; hiding her face in Gale’s back. “P-Put Amelia down, Amelia will handle it.” “I’m your girlfriend, if I can’t change your soggy pants, who can? Besides this isn’t our first rodeo.” “Grrr…” They enter the bedroom and despite continued loud complaints on Amelia’s behalf, the two reenter the living room after several minutes. Gale with a wry smile and Amelia hiding in her girlfriend’s arms. They’re too sweet, I’m gonna throw up if they keep this up. We settle back down and continue the show. ~~~ Hours later, night has fallen and it’s about time for Gale to go back home. If anything is happening tonight, it’s going to be soon. “Amelia is going to walk Gale back to her car. Do you wanna come, Witch?” “It’s alright, I’ll let you guys have some time to yourselves.” This gets a rise out of both women as they leave the apartment. I stand up from the chair and stretch slightly. I’ll give them a few moments to make sure they’re gone before heading outside. Heart heavy, I step out of the apartment. Down the steps and I’m in the open area of the complex. It’s well lit with several lamps on the perimeter. Gale and Amelia are nowhere nearby. I feel the cameras still watching, aiming themselves at me. Footsteps approach from one of the alleyways. A male little taller than me approaches from the dark. His muscular frame barely concealed beneath a dark combat uniform designed to camouflage in the city’s night. A helmet fully covers the man’s head. Holsters containing knives, weapons, and other tools line his waist and legs. It’s impressive but I almost want to laugh. He looks like someone straight out of one of the shows I’ve watched. I step forward as well and we stop roughly 10 feet away each other. We stare in complete silence. This is pretty awkward… I clear my throat and speak up. “So… Should we trade names or something?” The man continues sizing me up for a moment longer. Finally, he relents. “My name is Thomas, a Major in the Hellcats; an organization charged with keeping the peace of this world. You would be Witch. Correct?” “Yeah. I see you’ve done some research. Can I help you?” “I would first like to start off with an apology for your abrupt transportation into this dimension. Understand that portals to other worlds are opened routinely here, sometimes people like you slip through the cracks and get brought in unintentionally.” “It’s alright, I don’t have much to go back to anyway.” Thomas pauses at this. It seems that answer is not what he had wanted to hear. “I suppose I should cut to the chase then. We have two options for you moving forward.” “Hm? What options?” “One, come with us right now. We take you to our lab, we crack open a portal back to your world, and you leave in peace.” “…” “Two, you join the Hellcats. You live under our supervision, take part in missions, and are allowed to remain in this dimension.” “What kind of options are these? Go back home or become Hellcat property?” “Frankly speaking you do not belong here. There is no place for you here.” Those words stab me to my core. My breath tightens and my hands close into fists. “What… What do you know? You don’t know anything...” “We know that the technology you’ve brought in with you far exceeds what we have access to at this time. Moments after arrival you knew you were being filmed and instantly evaded our cameras. Was it nanites? A brain implant? Something in your clothing? We have no clue. Frankly speaking you are a monster we are not prepared for.” “It’s not… I’m not…” “And that is the only thing we can confirm you are capable of. We can not let a liability run around with the ability to uproot the foundation of this dimension. Even if we trust you and allow you to go, what if someone captures you and figures out how you work, what then? Sorry, but we have no other choice.” “…” “You choose, Witch. Go back and take your tech with you. Or join the Hellcats. What will it be?” I won’t go back. I’m not going back. There is no happiness there for me in that place. I’ve met people here. Maybe things can be different. I am not going back. I am not going to be anyone’s property. “What if I refuse. What then?” “I do not want it to come to that. But you would leave us no choice...” “…” I want to resolve this peacefully as well. Getting into a fight with the Hellcats could lead to trouble for Gale and Amelia. That’s the last thing I want. Perhaps… There is a way. Subdue this man and everyone he brought. It’ll take some time but if I tweak their memories, they won’t remember any of this or me. Yes, it’s the only way. Silently I strengthen myself and my senses with magic. I tense my body, preparing to spring into action. He wants a monster, it’s a monster he’ll get. He must notice the change in me because he tenses as well. With my improved senses I hear him faintly communicating with others in his helmet. I can’t make out their voices. But there are others. I’ll make him talk, hunt them all down. Then everything will be alright. It will be okay. Right? “Witch…?” Oh no. No. No no no no no. Too focused on Thomas and the unfolding situation I failed to notice the footsteps sneaking up on us. Amelia is back from walking Gale to her car. She’s about 5 feet behind me. I turn my head and shout at the girl. “AMELIA GET BACK!” “BACK THE FUCK UP.” Thomas and I shout at Amelia, my panicked cry mixing with his forceful command. Amelia freezes in place unable to move in shock. I turn back to Thomas just in time to see something far off in the distance. A quick flash of light coming from a tall building far off. Amelia being here throws a wrench in things, I don’t want her to see me like this. Maybe Thomas can be talked down, he didn’t seem to want to involve them either. I loosen back up an- “N-No, Witch!” Amelia gasps behind me. I turn around, almost stumbling. My body feels sluggish and uncooperative. My eyes go wide as I survey the scene before me. The ground as well as Amelia’s shoes and pants are splattered with fresh blood, the scent quickly filling the air. Amelia is shaking and her eyes are tearing up. One hand covering her mouth while the other shakily points at me. I follow her gaze and realization hits. There’s a small hole going through my left breast. A memory flashes through my mind of the shows I’ve watched these past nights. A gun. The bullet tore through my cloak and the leather armor beneath it with ease. Ripping through my heart and exploding out my lower shoulder. Blood pools freely from the large exit wound. I fall to my knees with an audible squelch, the ever-expanding pool of blood coating my lower body. The adrenaline must be wearing off because the immense pain hits immediately. “Hrk.. Guh…..” My face contorts in agony. My hands seem to move on their own and clutch the wound in a feeble attempt to contain the blood. I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t. I can’t think. It. Hurts. But my body is already starting to stitch itself back up. The remnants of my heart already pulling themselves together. I force my hands to move and put them on the ground in front of me. Have to push myself up. Have to end this. “S-Stop… Please Witch, don’t… Don’t move. It… It’s going to be okay.” Amelia reassures me, on the verge of sobs. Surely aware that this kind of wound with this much blood is fatal. At least to a normal person. “Fin…Fine. It’s… Fine. I… Am……. Okay………” “...” Behind me I hear Thomas whispering into his helmet. If it’s anything like last time I know what to expect. “[[Ssh…iel..d]]” Quickly I throw a barrier around Amelia, barely able to get the words out through the blood cascading from my mouth. If they keep this up, she might get hurt. The barrier forms just in time, as a volley of bullets rain down on my body. Flesh tears, bones snap, and blood flies. This is one of the worst torments I’ve had to endure. But worse than the pain. Worse than anything. Is knowing that Amelia is watching. “Stand down, target eliminated.” I remain still, waiting for my body to pull itself together. He isn’t getting another chance to break me like this. Beneath the agony I seethe. Thomas walks over to the ruined form of the [[Witch]]. He looks at the mess for a moment and then switches his gaze to Amelia. “We’re going to have a talk. Has the individual you have been harboring done or shown you anything strange?” Amelia has turned away from the carnage, gasping for air and dry heaving on her hands and knees. “You… Why… Why this…” “You will be coming with us, there will be time to calm down during the ride.” Thomas begins to walk towards the girl when he’s abruptly stopped. “You… Get the fuck… Away… FROM HER.” My body has reformed itself enough for me to grab his leg. I pull his leg out from under him and he falls to the ground. I jump atop him. In a rage I rain blow after blow on him. Bruising his flesh and breaking bones. The helmet’s visor shatters. He’s grabbed one of the knives on his leg and is carving me up. But I don’t care. I don’t feel it anymore. I don’t feel anything. Except rage. Finally, the exchange ends as I stand, holding the bloodied and battered man up. He’s limp in my arms, having given up his futile resistance. “You… Demon.” “No, you did this. You’re the demon here, not me.” “Tell that… To your friend.” I freeze at his words. Shakily I turn my head to look back at Amelia. She’s looking at me with wide eyes. Her entire body is trembling and pale. The poor girl oozes terror. My grasp on Thomas loosens and he falls to the ground. I look at myself with a gasp, finally seeing what Amelia does. My still forming body is covered in holes, wounds, and blood. My clothing is reforming but isn’t hiding the damage. My hood fell down earlier in the fight, exposing my bloodied and twisted expressions of battle and anger. I look like a monster. I am a monster. “Amelia… It’s… I can explain.” I extend a hand towards the girl, but she looks at it fearfully. I’ve done it again. I walk to the alley; Amelia shrinks away from me. That breaks my heart. One last time, I turn my head to Amelia. Her expression changes somewhat, as I wipe my face with my hands. Blood and crimson tinged tears coming away. “I… I’ll stay away. Thank you for everything.” Before Amelia can respond I turn back to the alley and begin walking quickly away. My vision is blurry, and I can’t see well as I make my way. “Goodbye…” ~~~ [[Heat]] and the [[Witch]] roamed the world together for four and a half years. She did her best to teach it how to live. Progress was certainly made, but slow going. It was after that four and a half years that she realized something was terribly wrong. The once blinding light that [[Heat]] gave off was slowly dulling. She confronted the god and it revealed what was going on. For some time now it had been losing more worshippers than it had been gaining. [[Heat]] was unsure what would happen when its following dipped low enough but sensed it would be an end. For the remainder of its days, it wished to live in the world alongside the [[Witch]] and learn about mortality. This was partly why it approached her initially. She couldn’t believe her ears. It was a god; it couldn’t just end. There had to be something they could do. But [[Heat]] was adamant. This was its nature, the nature of a god. Others would come to take its place and the cycle would continue. On the fifth year of their friendship, both knew it was time. She sat with [[Heat]] already grieving their time together. It was calm, ready to greet what was to come. It looked at her one last time. The glowing slate that was its face, shifted to a close approximation to a human’s face. It was beautiful and glorious. [[Heat]] smiled warmly, the expression warmed her heart. It thanked her, for teaching it how to live. Without her, it would have just disappeared knowing nothing. No one any the wiser. It wanted to learn to live before it died. And it was gone. The energy that made up [[Heat]] dissipated and returned to the world. The only reminder of its existence was the [[Witch]]’s cloak and ancient tales carved upon stone walls. That day she learned that even gods would disappear before the timeless [[Witch]]. Chapter 8: Life _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Well do I have just the thing for you! I wonder, I'm sure it won't be that bad. You live long enough and I'm sure we all accidentally break a few war crimes here and there... Right? Here we are, back again for the next chapter. Thanks for your continued readership and I hope everyone enjoys. On a side note, I've commissioned a portrait of the [[Witch]]. The Sketch came out looking really good so I'm excited for the final product.

Sweet relief lol, what a series of chapters this has been. Great work writing, you're pulling me in deep.

Lol don't worry, it's killing me in a good way. Pretty interested to see what the result of the house fire is. Liv probably makes it out unless we're going sad route, and Madison is almost surely dead since she probably took most of the blast being on top/in front of Liv.

Augh this story is killing me. I hope everything turns out alright!!!

The [[Witch]] sat atop the tower she and William had lived in. Clutching the man dearly to her chest. It was not long before the Duke heard word that the companion of the [[Witch]] was finally bested. He ordered a new expedition to assail the tower. And so, they assaulted the tower one last time. They broke down the door. Grabbed anything of value and smashed everything else. Then they reached the top and found the immortal [[Witch]]. All according to legend. And all that was left was to subdue her. The knights of the expedition moved forward against the still girl. With their swords and spears they gouged her flesh through, pinning her to the tower’s stone roof. They began to make preparations to take her with them. The [[Witch]] had made few sounds to this point. Only a light gasp as the air was forced from her pierced lungs. Meanwhile her mental state was quickly deteriorating. Alone again. Why her. Why William. Why now. These greedy humans. That greedy Duke. They all want to take everything from me the [[Witch]]. If not for them. If not for them all. It should just disappear. J u s t. D i s a p p e a r. It became too much. A pained maniacal laugh slipped from her lips. Thousands of years’ worth of negative emotions burst forth as the [[Witch]] formed curse after curse. Black ooze seeped from her tattoos, sliding down her skin and pooling beneath her. Her laughter came out choked as the tattoos carved in her mouth began to seep as well. The physical manifestation of her suffering melted and consumed everything it touched. The weapons pinning her down, her clothing, William whom she clutched to herself, and the expedition party. All swallowed whole. Even the tower beneath her began to crumble under the unrelenting diligence of the curses. The [[Witch]]’s laughter echoed unheard throughout the plains as her anguish spread through the duchy. ~~~ I sit up with a jolt, immediately awake. My breathes come out uneven and my mind is a jumbled mess. Anything but that horrible, terrible memory. Panicked I feel myself to make sure my cloak is still on. It is, I sigh in relief. It’s okay. I’m okay. Only a dream… A memory. After a few moments I bring myself under control. Just in time as I hear the garage door opening. With ease I vault over the crib bars and head back to the living room. Gale reenters the house with a sleepy Amelia in her arms, the garage door closing behind the two. The Amazon makes a motion for me to hold on as she heads towards the nursery. Minutes later Gale returns to the living room without Amelia. “Sorry for the wait, I helped Amelia get ready for bed.” “She sleeps in the nursery?” “I’ve told her she can take the couch or share my bed but she’s in love with that crib mattress. I’ve felt it and I can’t say I blame her…” We’re all in agreement then, that level of comfort is too dangerous to be in mortal hands. “Anyway, how’d it go?” “Ah well… Our investigation went alright. Nothing out of the ordinary on either of our ends. Amelia did get exposed to some hypnosis but thankfully no ‘major’ side effects.” “That’s good to hear, hopefully you guys have some time before your next performance.” “Yeah, yeah…” Our conversation dies down to silence. Gale looks slightly awkward as she rubs the back of her neck. “Before we left, you remember how I said we’d talk later right?” “Yeah.” “I was ready to come back from the party and tell you that I wouldn’t talk to Amelia about my feelings. That it would be better to just keep the status quo.” “You were ready? What changed?” “I thought I had lost her. It destroyed me. I can’t lie to her or myself anymore.” “It’ll work out, you two get along too well for it not to.” “Thanks for the vote of confidence. We’ll talk in the coming days. Maybe the next time we go to Solstice. I’m just nervous and talking about it helps.” “I haven’t known you long but nervous isn’t really a word I’d use to describe you.” “True, true. I guess I’ll rush forward with my typical overwhelming confidence!” “Heh, you should get some sleep Ms. Confidence.” “Goodnight Witch, have a good snooze.” With that we part, Gale seeming satisfied by our conversation and looking less troubled. I hope their conversation turns out well. Surely it will. I won’t sleep any more tonight, it’ll be another sleepless TV night. Using the remote I flick on the screen and make myself comfortable on the couch. ~~~ The little had no idea how long she’d been here. In this unfamiliar place the passage of time seemed slow. She had seen no other people. Food delivered through a hole in the ground. The foreign object around her waist could not be removed. Forced to relieve herself in it; when she woke up it would be clean. She paced the room like a frightened animal. She cried. She screamed. She begged. [[Witch]] please. Save me. But no one heard her. No one that could help her. ~~~ Thomas lounged in the back of his chauffeured car, the tinted windows offering no view to those outside. Parked on a street with an alley that would lead to Amelia’s home, per Franz’s instructions. On a laptop, video footage from a drone pointed at the apartment played in real time. They are still out? What a waste of time. Just as that thought crosses his mind, his phone starts to ring. He picks it up. “What have you got for me?” “Si-Thomas we have an update. We leaned a little harder on the power supplier and we have a location. Some clothing store downtown selling little’s clothing for Amazon parents used a hell of a lot of power around the time of the incident. Sunny-Elms Boutique.” “Would it happen to be enough power to open a portal?” “Yeah… And a big one at that.” “Alright, I want to know everything about Sunny-Elms Boutique. Get our men investigating that pronto.” “Already on it, figured you would want as much.” “Good, call me when you hear something. Our men on the stakeout will remain here until the evening they return. No engagement until nightfall they return.” With a click Thomas turns off his phone. He settles down and closes his eyes for a quick rest. Nothing probably is going to happen tonight, and the drone will throw an alert if any of the suspects are caught on video. ~~~ Gale and Amelia woke up around 11 the next morning. Both wearing their usual, non-disguised outfits. However, Amelia had a noticeable bulge in her jeans. I look at her questioningly. She notices and quickly blushes before forming a reply. “Side-effect from last night. Amelia should be able to fix it back at the apartment.” “How about I throw together some brunch for us?” Amelia and I voice our agreement while we head towards the kitchen. We stop halfway as Gale’s phone blares. She looks at it quickly before turning to face us. “Never mind, it would seem that Franz is inviting us over for brunch on him. It would be rude not to head over and eat him out of house and home.” “Amelia worries for the future of Solstice and Franz.” Abandoning our trip to the kitchen, we head to the garage. We pile in and head back towards the city. A fairly short ride full of Amelia and Gale bickering like an elderly couple later and Gale pulls the car in front of Solstice. Entering, we see all the familiar sights. Same décor, same atmosphere, same Heather now wearing a short skirt advertising her padded state. I’ve only been here once before but… How nostalgic. “Welcome to Solstice, how may I… Ah…” “Hey, how’s our favorite server?” Gale couldn’t seem to help herself. Wearing a wide shit eating grin, she teases the flustered employee. I can’t exactly blame her. Something about Heather just screams ‘tease me’. “I-I am well. May I show you to your table?” Mercifully, Gale lets her off the hook and she led us to the table we sat at last time. Gale assists us into our seats on the booth and she slides into her own. We order drinks and wait patiently. “I think I’m going to make Franz regret picking up our tab today. What’s widdle Amelia gonna get?” “Grr… Amelia is pretty hungry this morning. My apologies to Franz, but Amelia agrees with you.” From the corner of my eye, I see Franz motioning for me from a doorway leading to the kitchen. In the blink of an eye, he’s gone again. I should probably go see what he wants. This should also be as good a moment as any for Gale. I hop down from my seat at the booth. “I’m going to uh… Take a moment and hit the bathroom before we order. I leave it to you, Gale.” Amelia looks at me quizzically and Gale’s face briefly flashes red. I leave them to it and quickly make my way towards the back. Entering the kitchen, I see several Amazons working in a fairly large and well stocked cooking area. To my left I see Franz looking out a one-way window towards Gale and Amelia. His normally stoic face wears a slight smile. “Did you wish to see me Franz?” “Welcome Witch, it is my pleasure. I am afraid you are right. A… Situation has come up. One that may very well concern you. Be wary of an ambush. I trust you can handle yourself.” “Something like that… Who if I can ask?” “Hellcats, a littles only wing of the military. They have a lot of leeway in how they operate and a fair bit of power.” “Thanks for the heads up, Franz.” “Think nothing of it. It is my arm that was twisted to give up information on you. To protect the two beautiful flowers out there, but that is merely an excuse for a foolish old man.” “You did the right thing; I wouldn’t want them to suffer for me.” Franz’s face lightens at this, perhaps feeling slightly less guilty about his actions. The Amazon offers a hand to me. I step forward accepting, Franz carefully places me on his shoulder so I may have a view through the window as well. We look out back at the two girls. “It looks like quite the serious conversation, is this what I think it is?” “Yeah. All we can do is hope it goes alright.” “Certainly. I wish nothing but the best for those two.” “You’re such a grandfather.” “Hmph, I am just a meddling old man.” We laugh to ourselves as we pray their conversation goes well. ~~~ “So… How about that weather…?” “What’s the deal here Gale, you look like you’re about to puke all over Amelia and you’re asking about the weather?” “Hrk… I guess I should be blunt then, just come out and say it.” “…?” “Amelia… I… I want to be with you.” “You’re with Amelia right now, what’re you on about?” “Ugh you’re dense, I mean I’d like to date you.” “O-O-O-Oh… W-What brought this about?” “I’ve felt this way about you for quite some time. I was so worried about what you would think and if it would ruin our friendship… But thinking I’d lost you last night made me realize that life is short. Happiness is something that won’t fall into my lap, I need to chase and grab it for myself.” “…” “I want to be your strength. I want to be with you, hold you, adore you. I want us to give it a shot. If you’d have me...” “Are you not worried about what others would think.” The combination of Amelia’s monotone voice and her downturned face hiding her feelings disheartens Gale and takes some of the momentum away. But she refocuses and finds her rhythm again. Determination gleaming in her eyes. “I can easily say I don’t give a damn. The only others I care about, my parents, died years ago. They would want me to be happy. And as far as society goes, anyone with a problem can meet my fists. I care about you, Amelia. More than anything. More than anyone.” “…” “What… What do you think Amelia? I’m sorry to suddenly dump this on you… I’m sorry if you don’t or can’t feel the same way. And I know you hate Amazons… I’m sorry for being like this…” Silence hangs over the women. Until Amelia slams her palms on the table, her face lifting to meet Gale’s gaze. Tears roll down the little’s face, dripping onto the table below. “You idiot, you don’t need to apologize for anything! Amelia may hate most Amazons, but Amelia could never hate you, Gale. It’s because you’re an Amazon you were able to save Amelia when it mattered most! Amelia… knows you were the one who saved Amelia back then.” “You… Knew?” “Of course, Amelia knew! Amelia could never forget leaving that torture room. Being held in your strong arms and feeling safe. The feeling of being held so close and reassuringly to you will never leave Amelia. As soon as Amelia recovered Amelia asked the join the LRS and work alongside you…” “Ha, I asked to be partnered with you as well when I heard you were joining.” “So don’t apologize Gale, Amelia will beat you up if you keep it up.” “Yeah, thanks Amelia. I… I’m glad that’s how you feel.” “A-And as far as a relationship goes… Amelia feels the same… The time we’ve spent together has been the best moments of Amelia’s life. You mean the world to Amelia, and Amelia would happily date you, Gale.” Gale pauses mouth agape. Seemingly surprised by this outcome. After her brain finally finishes digesting Amelia’s words she grabs the littles’ small hands in hers. Gale begins to tear up alongside Amelia, the two girls looking into each other’s eyes. “You’ve made me the happiest girl in the world. We’ll never be apart, Amelia.” “Amelia wouldn’t have it any other way. A-And don’t expect Amelia to say the ‘L’ word first!” Amelia blushes deeply as Gale laughs. The sound echoing throughout Solstice, ringing a vibrant start to their new relationship. ~~~ The [[Witch]]’s curse spread through the duchy. Destroying all that it touched, leaving a large pool of black in its wake. Eventually it had arrived at the city the Duke resided in. All the inhabitants were caught unaware. Before any spellcaster could utter a single spell to try and counter the sludge, they were swept up. Only few capable of flight were able to get to the safety of the sky in time. Nearly all of the men, women, and children in the duchy were killed in the [[Witch]]’s sorrow. The Duke was no exception. Holed up in his mansion, curses ate through the barriers and safety mechanisms that protected him. The man fell screaming into the endless pool of curses, having seen everything he had ever owned and worked for be consumed before him. And when it was done, the [[Witch]] felt no satisfaction. She felt just as empty as before. Now the burden of having killed so many innocents hung deeply on her conscience. She felt worse. So insignificant, so small. What a weak person she was. Regretting her actions, she called the curse back into herself. She could not bring the duchy back, but she could prevent more destruction. Except. The endless tide of despair did not obey. It continued to trickle forth from her, unending. It did not want to be sealed again within her. This was it. The end of the world was nigh. Her curses would spread throughout the entire planet. Consuming all life. The [[Witch]] cried out in earnest. Doing anything she could think of to stop the flow. Once again, she attempted to end her life numerous times in many different ways. No matter what, her battered flesh would knit itself together and her tattoos would once again continue to spout her poison. Finally, she had given up. She lay in the ruined rubble of her tower, the beautiful plains now a sea of swirling black. The world would be destroyed, and she would be the last thing left. Alone for all eternity with only the vile curses to keep her company. Just as she deserved. Then. The sky broke apart with a glorious golden light. A shining figure from the heavens descended and stood before the [[Witch]]. In its arms was a black cloak that it soon draped over the girl. Unlike everything else, the cloak did not melt. Rather it seemed to absorb the malice. It affected the [[Witch]]’s body as well. Her tattoos stopped leaking and began to suck up the curses that had spewed out. While the duchy had been destroyed, the world at large had been saved. Her curses had receded inward, and the only reminder of this incident were the tales of those who had escaped and the remains of the duchy that had been razed to stone and dirt. The golden figure helped the [[Witch]] to her feet and she slipped the cloak on. The enigmatic figure looked at her and smiled warmly. It was an existence as incomprehensible as the [[Witch]]’s. So would begin her friendship with a god. Chapter 7: Feelings of Love _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Well do I have a treat for you! It was only a little scary. I'm sure she'll be fine... Anything is possible, I like reading what readers think is happening or what they think is going to happen. I'm glad that you're enjoying the ride. Thank you to all those who read and comment. I couldn't wait a few hours to get this posted. I'm just too excited to get it out. I'll see you all next week with the next installment.

Gale has always been strong and active. Even as a child; she ran, climbed, jumped, and fought. Taking up various martial arts in her early teenage years. While this is not unusual (especially for an Amazon), Gale has always taken her fitness to a level exceeding the norm. Perhaps it’s due to her unique Amazon biology. At least that is what some of the doctors throughout her life would say. Gale lacks the hormones that drive many Amazons crazy for littles and babies. Maybe to compensate, her physiology worked double-time in boosting its physical attributes. It is due to this as well as her vicious intellect, that Gale excelled in every sport and martial art that she tried. There was no one that could face her. She was the very best. That is, until she reached high school. Gale had met her match in the form of a 5ft little. A girl with short black hair and grey eyes. She exuded confidence and strength in waves. Too strong to compete in the little leagues, she had to compete with Amazons. And she excelled. The two undefeated champions clashed. Both feeling refreshed at finally having an even match. Finally feeling less alone. They were the best of friends and the greatest of rivals. The two were the pride of the school and as such, the little was off limits. At least during school hours. Not that any Amazon could grab her. Then, it was graduation. The girls had one last chance to settle their rivalry. A scholarship sponsored mixed martial arts tournament to decide which of the two were superior. Obviously, they both made it to the top over the course of several days. Demolishing the competition. A major match was to be held between the two victors. The fight of their lives. Gale entered the ring. And waited. And waited. And waited. But the little – her friend – never came. ~~~ This old memory forced itself to the front of Gale’s mind as she entered the nursery to collect Amelia. Walking past the maid still on her phone. The sight before her triggered this memory. Time seemed to halt for the Amazon. Looking down at her friend nursing a pacifier, in deep sleep. The TV in front of the small girl, blaring programming meant to reprogram littles. The other littles in the room seem to be in a similar state. Something trickles down her lip and drips onto her hand. Blood. She’d bitten down too hard and split her own lip. Gale felt a lot of things well up, all at once. Sadness. Grief. Worry. Panic. Anger. Rage. She slowly turns to the maid still oblivious to the situation. Gale quickly moves to stand before her and roughly grabs her by the jaw. The shorter Amazon is forcefully stood up and made to look Gale in the eyes. “What did you do. To. My. Girl.” “W-what’s the matter, it’s just a hypnosis show?” “Wrong. Answer.” The maid struggles to break from Gale’s iron grasp. After a few attempts Gale uses her free hand to roughly pin one of the shorter Amazon’s arms to her side. “When I left Allie here, I expected to retrieve her later in the same condition. No doubt the other parents felt the same. Should I or anyone else be thrilled to find the maid in charge of the nursery playing on her damn phone and exposing our littles to god knows what?” “I-I’m sorry, please let me go. I’m new, I didn’t know!” “What effects. Were on. That. Show.” “E-everything… I think…” I’m going to kill her. Break every goddamned bone in her body. Gale’s hand slips from the maid’s jaw and quickly latches onto her neck. “Hk pplease sto…” The maid manages to gasp a plea to the enraged Gale. Though she doesn’t seem to hear or care. The maid’s attempts to free herself growing weaker and feebler as the seconds tick away. She’ll pay for what she’s done. She’ll pay. She’ll pay. She’ll pay. She. Will. Pay. “Ughhh…” Suddenly a groan from behind stops Gale in her tracks. Looking over her shoulder she sees Amelia stirring in her sleep. The fog of rage begins to subside, leaving Gale empty. She lets go and the maid drops to the floor gasping and rubbing her throat. Gale carefully walks over to Amelia and picks her up. They head for the door, Gale stopping to throw one last warning to the recovering maid. “You slack off or pull some shit like this again with my girl and you’ll look back at this experience like it’s a fond memory.” They leave the luxurious mansion. The butler manning the door bidding them a good evening on their way out. Gale hurries to the car, gently strapping Amelia into the car seat, jumping into the driver’s seat, and turning around to the little. She begins poking and prodding Amelia, trying to rouse the girl. “Hey, Amelia. Come on, wake up. Please, Amelia. Please.” I should have been more careful. Am I really going to lose someone else again in the same fucking way? I can’t do this without you Amelia, don’t leave me alone. Just as Gale’s emotions start to swirl and rage inside her, Amelia’s eyes flutter open. She looks around confusedly, eyes still containing her usual intelligence. “Um, what’s wrong Gale? Are you crying?” “Amelia! Oh, thank God you’re alright! What the hell happened in there!? I thought you were gone!” “Gone? Well, the last thing Amelia remembers is doing the usual, checking the other littles for abuse, when… Oh shit, the maid turned on some hypnosis show. Amelia couldn’t stop looking at it, when suddenly Amelia heard a voice and then Amelia fell asleep.” “I’m just glad you’re alright. No side effects? Do you feel any urges, can you still count, spell, and tell time?” Amelia quickly runs through the alphabet, counts, tells time, and does whatever else she can think of to rule out effects. “Thankfully, it seems like you fell asleep at just the right time. We must be more careful moving forward. You almost gave me a heart attack!” “Amelia agrees, we need countermeasures for sudden hypnosis. Maybe we should ask our superiors about that?” Gale pulls out of their parking spot and begins driving back towards her place. The pair discuss their options on the way. Looking through the rear-view mirror Gale sees Amelia stop mid-sentence, her face growing pale and then flushed. “What’s wrong Amelia? Are you okay?” “A-Ah… Amelia just wet without knowing… While awake…” “Well… Hopefully that’s the extent of the hypnosis. Small price to pay for you to still be… You.” “That’s easy for you to say! Amelia’s the one wetting herself here!” “Yeah, yeah. Mommy Gale will do her best to take care of you while you recover.” “That’s not the point!” Amelia shouts indignantly while Gale laughs. Both women ultimately happy that things didn’t go too wrong tonight. Eventually their exchanges lead to silence as both fall into deep thought. Amelia thinking about her close encounter with hypnosis and Gale thinking about her old high school friend. I won’t fail again. I swear it. ~~~ Gale was crowned victor by default. A trophy and the scholarship were hers. She was devastated. She wanted nothing more than one last fight to prove herself against her friend and rival. Winning by default was the worst possible outcome, defeat would have been preferable to this. The trophy was thrown aside, and she gave the scholarship to third place. She couldn’t accept any of it. This cursed hollow victory. Her motivation was gone. She felt lost and defeated. And that is how she would remain for several months. Until she found out the truth. It was a relatively small town; most knew of the rivalry and friendship between Gale and the little. A shopkeeper on the main street was reviewing his tapes from the last few months before throwing them out. On those tapes he discovered the fate of Gale’s friend. He reached out and showed Gale the footage. It was a weekend evening. All shops closed early. The little was walking home from her penultimate victory in the tournament. The bout between her and Gale would have been the next day. An indistinguishable van started following the little. She was smart, it was clear from the footage that she realized what was going to happen. Her pace picked up, and the van matched it. Keeping even with the girl. A man in black wearing shades jumped out and attempted to grab her. With the girl’s skills he was easily beaten to submission. As he fell to the pavement, more men and women in black jumped out. Some carrying tools. Against one or two the little had an advantage, but their sheer numbers worked in their favor. Ultimately a woman in black got the little with a clean hit from a shock baton. With the lack of audio, the little screamed wordlessly and collapsed. The men and women in black who got dropped by her dusted themselves off and reentered the van with her in tow. They took off fast down the street. She was gone. Fate unknown. It wasn’t Gale’s fault. Logically she knew that she couldn’t have known or done anything. But that didn’t stop her from feeling responsible. What kind of friend was she that this could happen on her watch? What was the point of her ridiculous strength if she couldn’t help those beside her? This wouldn’t happen again. This wound engraved itself on her heart and spurred her on. She couldn’t save her friend, but she could save others. This wouldn’t happen again… Chapter 6: Again _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Anything is possible, I'm sure it's a lot more convenient to go whenever she wishes while on the clock. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! Here we are, I managed to make my deadline! Some with a close eye may notice that this chapter is a wee bit short. Late last week and into the weekend I had a bit of a health scare and couldn't focus on writing. Thankfully rather than a fracture, it's just a sprain! Next chapter should be more the usual length. Thanks for reading and I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter.

The [[Witch]] left the Elven forests. She wanted solitude, a place she could ignore the world. She went east and eventually found herself at a large open prairie. Miles away from any civilization. From the earth she summoned a tower tall enough to pierce the sky. The [[Witch]] sat at the top and waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. And wai- A thousand years passed in the blink of an eye. The [[Witch]] lived a meaningless and meager existence. Running through the motions, doing the bare minimum. But civilization continued. Growing. Expanding… Encroaching. Eventually her tower was within a day’s carriage ride to a fairly large city. Her residence had unwittingly become a legendary tale. The residing Duke sent all sorts of people to the [[Witch]]’s tower to learn her secrets. Knights, adventurers, scholars, everyone. She turned them all away and repelled attempts at violence with ease. Until that fateful day. A group had come to assail her tower and the [[Witch]] went out to greet them. They were wiped out in an instant. But as she turned to leave, her eyes couldn’t leave the face of a boy. A boy barely old enough to swing a sword. He had dead eyes. Like hers. She approached him and asked him about his circumstances. His village was wiped out by monsters. He was the sole survivor. To avoid being a starving beggar he picked up the sword. His name was William. The [[Witch]] was moved, and not unlike a stray animal she brought him into the tower. Having lived impossibly long already, the [[Witch]] was familiar enough with swords and had done her fair share of reading on the subject. She trained him. Over the years the boy became a man. And that man became her knight. He vowed to protect and serve her. To make the impossible, possible if it meant making her happy. To love and treasure her. His name was Sir William. The [[Witch]] was besides herself with happiness. Never had she been the protected. ~~~ My eyes shoot open. From the light filtering through the blinds and the sound of birds, it’s morning. The television is still on from my research the night prior. I had fallen asleep. Even more unusual, it wasn’t exactly a bad dream. That old fool… Why would I dream of him? I flip the TV off just as the door to Amelia’s room swings open. The girl is simultaneously yawning with one hand and holding her head with the other. Her white pajama shirt doing nothing to cover the sagging flowery diaper around her waist. “Uh I’m no expert but I think you should change.” “Ow ow ow Amelia’s poor headdd… Amelia needs to get food in Amelia before anything. Then a shower because Amelia feels disgusting from all that drinking.” “Alright, I’ll make an early lunch.” “Amelia’s hero!” The hungover little gets to the kitchen table and deflates into a chair, head planted firmly on the table. I get off the couch, turn the coffee machine on, pull out some grapes, and start putting together sandwiches. Once it’s all done, I bring our plates and mugs to the table. We both dig in with gusto. “What’s the plan today, Amelia?” “Ah shit, Amelia forgot… Gale and Amelia need to attend an undercover event.” “Why, I thought you didn’t have any ongoing jobs right now?” “We still have to sometimes dress the part and go to some Amazon gatherings. If the people at the top of Elmsbury don’t see us playing our undercover roles sometimes, then we can’t build trust. The two of us are playing the long con here.” Amelia quickly finishes her lunch and dashes back to her room to get showered and changed. I turn the TV back on and turn my attention to that. An advertisement for a daycare? A mixture of genuine Amazon children and littles are featured, all of whom appear happy to be there. I can’t imagine that isn’t compulsory. After the ad finishes the next program appears. Some sort of movie about an Amazon scientist and his little assistant with a time travelling car? Engrossed by the movie I jump in surprise as Amelia’s door clicks open. I look over at Amelia and my jaw drops in surprise. Amelia is wearing a cute short pink and white dress with lots of frill. The dress does nothing to hide the puffy pink diaper wrapped around her bottom. Pink shoes with frilly socks adorn her feet. Her short blond hair is tucked under a long brown wig, the white puffy hat still atop her head. Green eyes now covered by dark brown contacts. A large pacifier dangles from a ribbon attached to her dress. Amelia’s eyes narrow at my reaction. “You wanna shut your mouth before a bug flies in?” “Sorry, I was just… Surprised.” “This is our cover, Amelia is Gale’s little and Gale is Amelia’s mommy. And obviously we need to wear disguises.” There’s a knock on the door. Amelia rushes over and looks through the peep hole. She quickly unlocks and opens the door. An Amazon wearing a long-sleeved, flowing red dress that struggles to contain a large bust stoops in. Long platinum blond hair. Blue eyes behind a pair of glasses. I’m completely confused until the Amazon speaks up. “Hey guys, you ready to go?” “G-Gale!?” “Hahaha, do I really look that different?” “You’re an entirely different person! That dress is doing an amazing job concealing your muscular build and what’s with those boobs!? You could kill someone with those.” “We have to be very careful about our identities. Looking as different as possible keeps us safe. And can we please stop talking about my breasts or lack thereof, I still haven’t mentally recovered from yesterday.” “So... Should I just stay here and hang around Amelia’s place while you guys do your work?” “Well, Amelia and I are going to run over to the house we use as cover and put some finishing touches on. You can come with and hang out there while we work if you want.” “Eh sure.” Gale grabs Amelia and I follow them out the apartment, locking up as we leave. A short walk to the main road and we jump in Gale’s car. A booster seat prepared for me and a car seat for Amelia. ~~~ Thomas is once again lounging in his temporary Elmsbury office. He holds a framed picture in his hands, his usually stoic face contains a hint of sadness. A preteen Thomas next to a slightly older girl. They bear a resemblance. They look happy in the picture. His phone rings and he sets the frame back on his desk, turning it away from him. He takes a quick look at the caller ID and answers. “Any new information?” “Yes si-Thomas. The team got the cameras working shortly after your orders. The past several days we have had hits for a little showing up on thermals but not visuals. Notably the anomaly was spotted walking with another little and an Amazon just yesterday. They entered a place called ‘Solstice’. Previously the anomaly has been spotted leaving and entering alleys leading to the predominately little part of town late at night.” “I want any data we have on the little and Amazon the anomaly has been spotted with, as well as information on ‘Solstice’. Then I will be heading out for my investigation.” “Right away.” “Any update on the power usage?” “We have sent several requests to the main power supplier on the island. They are holding firm on not supplying the information.” “Hm. If they want to refuse us so badly, they must be hiding something. Push harder and get that data. If someone high up is involved with this, it will not end well…” “That is what we are thinking as well. I will email you shortly with what we have on those with close contact to the anomaly.” “Thanks.” Thomas hangs up and leans back in his chair. Throwing a quick glance to the picture he’s turned away from himself, he returns to his stoic expression. Ready to get to work. ~~~ On our car ride Gale and Amelia explained about the house we were heading to. Officially it is the house where Gale and Amelia’s false identities live. Gale lives there full time acting as a live-in maid for anyone asking around about their cover. While Amelia’s apartment is provided by the LRS, Gale apparently is well off. Her parents left her quite the fortune when they passed. A 15-minute drive away from Amelia’s apartment and we arrive. It’s on the edge of town with plenty of yard space to keep neighbors at bay. The place is huge, essentially a mansion. We pull into the garage to avoid me being seen by any nosy neighbors. “Uh, I didn’t know Gale lived in a mansion.” “To get buddy-buddy with the high society types causing trouble for littles Amelia and I need to act the part. I may be well off but I’m not a big home kinda gal. Less money for training equipment and food!” “Trust Amelia, all Gale cares about is mixed martial arts and gorging herself.” “Gah, when you put it like that I sound like some sorta monster!” Amelia and Gale continue to tease each other as I get the short tour of the house. Living room, kitchen, master bedroom, several guest rooms, stocked nursery for appearances, 2 bathrooms, Gale’s training room, and attic. All of which are huge, each room easily the size of a small home from my world. We return to the living room, and I sink into the comfiest couch I’ve ever sat on. The cushions engulfing my body and sending me to eternal bliss. Gale throws me the remote to the large TV on the other side of the room mounted above the fireplace. Amelia went to the garage to wait for Gale to finish setting me up. “We’ll be back after the event. Try not to have too much fun. Feel free to take a bath in my room, it’d be like a pool for you.” “Thanks, I might take you up on that. Good luck and be careful.” “Ha, careful is my middle name! And… About our conversation last night…” “Yeah?” “… Never mind. We’ll talk more later. See ya.” Gale departs for the garage, from my spot on the couch I couldn’t get a good look at her face. I’ll ask her about what she wanted to talk about next time. Minutes later I hear them pull out and down the street. I fiddle with the remote for a second before managing to get the TV turned on… Not. Who in their right mind would watch TV when I could be watching Gale and Amelia’s event? With little effort my soul exits my body. A pale and invisible form looking like my physical body. My astral body. A thin silver cord connects my body and soul. I depart after the car, sliding through walls and trees. What better way to learn about this world than watch Gale and Amelia in the field? ~~~ Thomas sits in the back seat of his chauffeured car, looking over the documents his subordinate has given him. Amelia Arte and Gale Renar. He is chuckles to himself; the anomaly has become involved with interesting people. He steps out of the car, signaling to his driver to wait. Just a few steps away is the entrance to Solstice. He opens the door and steps inside, the dark interior greeting him alongside a young Amazon woman in a short black dress doing little to hide her padded condition. Her nametag reads ‘Heather’. “Welcome sir, would you like a seat?” “Yes please and tell Franz that he has a guest.” “Of course, sir.” Heather leads the man to a quiet section of the establishment, towards the back. She leaves him with a water and the promise to deliver his message to her boss. In no time at all, Franz swiftly materializes before Thomas. The old Amazon appraises the little with his eyes, digging through him. “You have my greetings, what can this old man do for a member of the Hellcats?” “You know who I am?” “You have the appearance of a capable young man. Few littles dedicate themselves to training their bodies so harshly without reason.” “I should expect nothing less from you, Franz. Or should I say the Grey Phantom.” A wry smile graces Franz’s face. “It has been quite some time since I was called that… May I have your name as well?” “Thomas. Mind telling me what a master assassin is doing operating a small restaurant like this?” Franz puts a hand to his chin and begins to stroke it thoughtfully, appearing to think hard. “Hmm… I don’t think I will.” “That is alright and expected. Just my personal interest. Actually, I am here on business.” “Oho, what may that be?” “I want you to tell me about the three women who visited yesterday.” The smile on Franz’s face disappears. Blank face, the slightest hint of controlled anger. “My apologies but I cannot give up information on my customers.” “Cut the shit, Franz. We know about Amelia, Gale, and Solstice. The Hellcats let the activities of the LRS go because they are a small-time group, and no love is lost on our end as far as Amazons are concerned.” “What are you planning? If harm is brought to those ladies…” “The last thing I want is you as an enemy. I am confident in my abilities, not foolish. We only care about the thing Amelia and Gale were with. Those two will be unharmed.” Franz’s overbearing presence settles slightly. The veiled anger now replaced with agitation. “Thing?” “The other little in a cloak, long black skirt. Look, you give her up and we interfere no further. With you and the other girls.” “I… Do not like this. That lady, Witch, is their friend and a kind person. But if it is to protect Amelia and Gale… What do you want to know?” “All I need to know is the location of the house they are staying at. Cameras are limited around the little part of town; we have not been able to find its location. Also, any information you have on this ‘Witch’.” Regretfully Franz gives Thomas what he wants to know. Afterwards bidding the member of Hellcats farewell. Franz walks to the back office, feeling unusually irritated. Not even the sight of the formerly overconfident Heather begging her supervisor for a change could rouse the sadistic side of his personality. He was mad with himself. How soft have I become? At his desk he unlocks a secret compartment. A file is pulled out and opened, documents spill forth. A picture of Amelia and Gale. Franz begins to make new notes in the margins. Giving up someone to save another, how foolish. But... Those girls. They are like grandchildren to me. Forgive me, Witch. The file and its contents are returned to the compartment and locked away. Franz sits in silence a moment longer, before getting back to work. Hmph, the Grey Phantom a grandfather. Hell hath frozen over indeed. ~~~ I followed their car for some time before their arrival at a mansion somehow even larger than Gale’s. Numerous cars line the long driveway. Must be a big turnout. Gale exits the car and heads to the backseat to unbuckle Amelia from her car seat. She picks her up and they make their way to the front door being manned by a servant. They whisper to each other quietly while outside the range of others. “Alright Amelia, just like we’ve done before. I’ll drop you off with the other littles. Look for signs of abuse and blend in. I’ll mingle with the Amazons and listen for anything on my end.” “Augh let’s just get this over with. Amelia hates these sorts of events. Be careful yourself.” “Yeah, yeah. Don’t get your diaper in a twist. Time to get in character.” Amelia pops the pacifier locked to her dress into her mouth and does her best to look the part of a brain drained little. They arrive at the door where the butler greets them with a slight bow. “Good evening, Ms. Farston and little Allie as well. Need I show you the way?” “Good evening to you. I can manage on my own, thank you.” With that, Amelia and Gale… Or should I say ‘Ms. Farston’ and ‘Allie’… make their way through the fancy and elaborate hallways of the mansion. The pair reach a door and Gale knocks. The door is opened by an Amazon dressed as a maid, further in the room are other littles dressed similarly to how Amelia is and a large nursery. Gale steps in, gently depositing Amelia on the ground and giving the little a peck on the forehead. “Mommy will be back soon sweetie, play nice.” Gale throws Amelia a quick look of concern before turning back to the maid, nodding, and leaving the room. For now, I float after Gale as she continues forward, towards a larger set of elaborate doors also manned by two butlers. The men give Gale a once over before each grab a handle, pulling both doors open simultaneously. Gale steps into what could only be described as a large open ball room. Food and beverages line one side of the wall. Tables surrounded by chairs close by, and an open space where numerous Amazons stand and talk amongst themselves. A live band plays soft music from a stage at the far end of the room. This is like some kind of King’s castle! What sort of insane luxury is this!? I unconsciously drift over to the food, their wonderous scents reaching my astral form. Internally I cry out in torment as I can’t eat like this. I can only look on in agony as I watch others consume the heavenly bounty before me. I turn away spectral tears in my eyes, looking to find Gale in the crowd. It isn’t long before I see her again and zip my way over. She’s talking to a fancy pair of Amazons, a husband and wife by the ring on their fingers and their body language. “Thank you for the invite to this wonderful party, Mr. and Mrs. Eroldt.” “It is no trouble dear; we cherish your company. How is little Allie? She is such an adorable little girl; you are so lucky.” “Allie is great, very well behaved and cute. What about you Mrs. Eroldt? Have you found ‘the right one’ yet?” “As a matter of fact, we have! She is the most darling little thing. I picked her out myself, and the moment I saw her I knew it was destiny. We almost missed our chance to get her too! Hopefully, we will be able to show the little angel off soon. Not quite ready yet.” “Well, that’s great to hear. I will leave the two of you to greeting the other guests. Good evening.” Bidding her depart from the conversation they amicably break up, Gale going her separate way to speak with other partygoers. It’s amazing to see how well Gale is blending in, it’s easy to tell she’s been doing this for a while. The other Amazons adore her and suspect nothing. Wanting to get away from the… Amazing food… I head back towards the nursery Amelia was left at. See how well her side of things is going. Amelia is sitting on the plush floor, playing with blocks with several other littles. With her back to the maid, she’s looking through the crowd of littles and seeking out signs of abuse. Seeing such a stern face on someone dressed so cutely is quite the contrast, I barely contain a laugh. I drift through the crowd of littles getting a close look at them all. They’ve had all their personalities removed. They’re nothing more than babies now. I feel a pang of sadness. This is basically death. Death of the mind. Of the soul. What will become of them when they die? I leave these morbid thoughts behind me, better not to think about it. I refocus my gaze back to Amelia. She seems to have got a good look at every little, she settles down and does her best to blend in. Playing quietly amongst the others. Suddenly the nurse speaks up. “Alright children, it is time to watch TV!” Amelia stiffens up at these words, this seems to be unexpected. A look of fear flashes on her face quickly but she manages to suppress it to avoid causing a stir. One by one littles are grabbed and lined up before a large TV. Amelia attempts feigning sleep, but the Amazon rouses her enough that she cannot pretend any longer. The girl does her best to avoid looking at the flashing colors and screen but the compelling audio forces her eyes ahead. I see horror and panic reflecting in her eyes. The knowledge that she was damned if she looks and damned if she speaks up. An inescapable nightmare. Satisfied that all littles are watching, the Maid begins typing away at her phone. Amelia’s eyes begin to glaze over, her mouth opening enough that her pacifier drops, hanging by its ribbon. A little more and she’ll be sucked in completely. Oh shit oh fuck, I should probably do something, right??? “[[Sleep]]” The moment the word exits my lips, Amelia’s glazed eyes droop closed, and she nods off. Hopefully, no damage done as quickly as I put her under. Satisfied, I return to my body. Gale will continue her networking and Amelia should sleep the rest of the evening away. Job well done if I say so myself. I stand and stretch my physical body, once again acclimating myself to the constraints of a fleshy form. That place and the people were interesting. So many Amazons treating littles like dolls. Toys that they could mold and reprogram. My heart goes out to those poor littles, but a small part of me feels… odd. Perhaps it’s the idea behind that kind of treatment, being protected and treasured. The positives without mental death. Perhaps it’s why I dreamed of William. A reminder of one of the few times I felt that way in my life. Gale has a nursery here for show… Would it be bad to take a closer look? I rush over to the nursery and open its doors. Pastel colors adorn the walls and the contents of the room. Crib, changing table, toys, everything. I climb up the crib walls and fall in, landing on the soft bedding. Ah, this is comfortable. It feels wrong, but it also feels very right. Safe. Comfortable. Since coming to this world, I’ve been thinking about those I’ve known before a lot. Olivia and Henderson. Lumina. Now William. Back home I banished those thoughts to the very dark recesses of my mind. But now they surface again. Why? I wrap myself in the soft, warm blankets in the crib. My weary eyes have grown heavy. Perhaps I will willingly offer myself to sleep tonight. Maybe I can see Sir William… One more time… And with that I allow sleep to take me. ~~~ William kept his vow; he was a knight among knights. He repelled all attempts on the [[Witch]]’s life. For decades he did this. Whenever the [[Witch]] asked if he wanted immortality, he would reject it. His honor as a knight would not permit it. In his old age his hair greyed, and wrinkles dotted his face in the right places, but his ferociousness with the sword never dwindled. Physically the Franz that the [[Witch]] knows today bears some resemblance to this knight. She was preparing a gift for his 63rd birthday. He was outside defending his lady from another kingdom’s onslaught. Unusually he cried out in pain, transforming it into a bellow of effort. The sound of his shout echoing throughout the plains. After it died down, there were no more sounds outside. The [[Witch]] jumped from the tower, quickly going to William’s side. It was too late. He had been pierced through his stomach. But even then, he had fought on, ensuring the last of his enemies laid still before succumbing to his wounds. His pale face wore a sweet smile. This was his knight’s honor. Dying for his loved one. She carried William up the tower, their home. Weeping bitter tears and cursing his knight’s honor. What point was there if I she could not see him again. The [[Witch]] would rather he live on with her than for him to throw his life away for her. Gingerly she held him close. At the top of the tower, she watched the beautiful sunset. And countless years later… In another dimension… The [[Witch]] cried out in her sleep. For the greatest knight, Sir William. Chapter 5: To be Protected _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ And we're back! Sorry for the wait, I hope it was worth it. I think I'm going to try to get a chapter a week done because my schedule just won't let up you know? You have my continued thanks readers, commenters, and followers.

I'm glad that you guys enjoyed the interaction with Heather at Solstice. It's their favorite food establishment, I'm sure they'll go back and visit their new friend Heather... Haha I hope it was a good 'a lot'! Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the flow of the narrative. I'm the kind of person who likes it when TV and movies show us rather than tell us, so I've been trying to make that work in this story. Obviously I can't really 'show' because it's writing. But instead of having characters just say what their history or motivations are I wanted to give the readers a direct look into events that have formed them. Thank you to all the repliers and readers. I really didn't expect so many continuous views and replies to this story. The next chapter is in-progress. It may be up sometime late next week if my schedule can calm down.