Lewd repeated the name more quietly.
“Drago.”
Her fingers rested against the edge of the black-rose table Pest had created. The table floated in the endless darkness of the Soul Seam, surrounded by wandering lights and distant chains.
“We have heard that name before, but nobody has ever explained enough for it to mean anything. Every time someone mentions Drago, it feels as though an entire story is supposed to follow.”
Pest's enormous lop ears shifted.
“There was an entire story.”
Lewd leaned forward.
“Then I want to know who he was, because every answer involving Derpy seems to create three more questions.”
Pest opened her mouth.
WHOOOOOOOOOOOMP!
A violent wave of musical energy screamed through the Soul Seam.
Lewd nearly fell from her chair.
Pest merely sighed.
Without turning around, she flicked two fingers over her shoulder.
A wall of black roses and thorns erupted behind her.
BOOOOOOOOM!
The blast struck the barrier.
The black-rose table shook violently beneath Lewd's hands.
She grabbed its edges.
Pest yawned.
Far across the Soul Seam, the merged form of the four Derpy fragments floated with both hands resting against his knees, breathing heavily.
Pest still did not look at him.
“A mighty sound and dreadful roar,
yet somehow you have failed once more.”
The merged fragment straightened.
“I came considerably closer than I did the previous five times, so I would appreciate some recognition for the improvement.”
“You announced your attack from halfway across my kingdom. You will never defeat me by replacing strategy with excessive volume.”
The merged fragment's eye twitched.
“Could you stop explaining what I did wrong every time I fail?”
Pest finally glanced over her shoulder.
“If you would stop repeating the same mistakes, I would have considerably less to explain.”
The merged fragment stared at her.
Lewd looked between them.
“Do the two of you behave like this every time you are together?”
Pest answered immediately.
“He has attempted to ambush me six times since you arrived, so unfortunately this has become a recurring problem.”
The merged fragment folded his arms.
“That is an unfair description. I have been training.”
Pest raised an eyebrow.
“You bit me during the third attempt.”
“That was still part of the training.”
“You also screamed that I was an oversized rabbit and demanded that I die.”
The merged fragment pointed toward her.
“I was motivating myself.”
Lewd covered her mouth.
She tried desperately not to laugh.
Pest narrowed her eyes.
“Do not encourage him, dear. He is already difficult enough without an audience.”
The merged fragment looked delighted.
“You see? She likes me enough to complain about me.”
Pest turned toward Lewd.
“She believes he is an idiot.”
The merged fragment shrugged.
“I am willing to count that as affection.”
Black thorns slowly emerged beneath his feet.
The merged fragment looked down.
“Pest, perhaps we can resolve this conversation without using the painful vines.”
Pest gestured toward the empty space beside Lewd.
“Come sit with us, fragment. You have fought enough for the moment, and what I am about to explain concerns you far more than you realize.”
“I would prefer not to participate in whatever lesson you have planned.”
Black electricity crackled through the thorns.
A moment later, the merged fragment was sitting beside Lewd.
Lewd blinked.
“You changed your mind remarkably quickly.”
The merged fragment rubbed his side.
“Those thorns hurt considerably more than they appear to.”
Pest smiled.
“Now that everyone capable of interrupting me is seated, we can return to Drago.”
Lewd nodded.
“I would very much like that.”
Pest lifted one hand.
A sphere descended from somewhere above them.
Unlike the thousands of souls drifting throughout the Seam, this sphere contained no person.
It contained pictures.
Broken pictures.
Fragments of places that no longer seemed to exist.
Lewd saw mountains beneath unfamiliar skies.
Creatures she had never encountered.
Seven silhouettes standing beneath stars.
Then—
A Dragon-Wolf.
Lewd leaned closer.
“Is that the person you have been calling Drago?”
Pest did not answer immediately.
The merged fragment stared into the sphere.
Something about his expression made Lewd look toward him.
“You look as though you recognize something, even if you cannot explain what it is.”
His eyes remained fixed upon the image.
“That is the problem. I do not recognize him, but something inside me feels as though I should.”
Pest's gaze shifted toward him.
The merged fragment noticed.
“You were watching me just now. What did you recognize?”
Pest rested her fingers against the sphere.
“What matters is that Drago's name still exists because the people responsible for erasing him failed to remove every trace.”
Lewd frowned.
“You cannot say that someone was erased from existence and then casually refuse to tell me who did it.”
“You will understand before the story is finished.”
Lewd stared at her.
“Pest, that answer would annoy anyone.”
Pest stared back.
“Lewd, I have existed since nearly the beginning of time. I believe I have earned the right to be mysterious occasionally.”
The merged fragment leaned slightly toward Lewd.
“She behaves like this constantly.”
Pest ignored him.
Lewd pointed toward the sphere.
“When you say Drago was erased, do you mean everyone eventually forgot him?”
“Eventually, yes.”
“How does anyone erase a person so completely that history itself forgets they existed?”
Pest's expression hardened.
“You do not begin by destroying the person.”
Her fingers touched the sphere.
“You begin by destroying their story.”
The sphere opened.
Light swallowed them.
Lewd expected darkness.
Instead, she smelled grass.
Wind brushed across her fur.
When she opened her eyes, the Soul Seam had disappeared.
There were no chains.
No wandering souls.
No endless darkness.
She stood beneath an enormous blue-violet sky.
Forests stretched farther than she could see.
Mountains floated in the distance.
Creatures unlike anything she recognized wandered openly across the plains.
Lewd looked down at herself.
“For a moment, I thought you had actually returned me to life.”
“You are still very much dead.”
Pest walked past her.
Lewd turned.
Present-day Pest remained nearby.
Farther ahead stood another version of her.
Younger.
Smaller.
The same enormous lop ears.
The same purple eyes.
But without the weight that now seemed permanently settled behind them.
Lewd looked between the two.
“You were adorable when you were younger.”
Pest's eyes narrowed.
“When I was younger?”
Lewd immediately pointed toward the horizon.
“There appears to be an enormous amount of ancient history happening over there, and I believe we should focus on that instead.”
The merged fragment laughed.
Pest sighed.
“This is a memory. You may observe it, walk through it, and hear what happened. Nothing inside the memory can harm you.”
A roar tore through the plains.
Something enormous lunged from the nearby forest.
Lewd immediately jumped behind the merged fragment.
Two massive creatures collided.
One sank its teeth into the other's neck.
A sickening crack followed.
The second creature collapsed.
The victor immediately began eating it.
Lewd stared.
“Pest, that creature just killed another living thing.”
“I can see that.”
“And nobody around us seems concerned.”
“Why would they be?”
Lewd stared at her.
“Because one creature just killed another creature and started eating it.”
“The creature was hungry.”
“That does not make killing acceptable.”
A faint smile appeared across Pest's face.
“Now you are beginning to understand what this memory is supposed to teach you.”
Nearby, another beast slept beneath a tree while several smaller creatures climbed across its body.
Farther away, two enormous animals began mating in the middle of an open field.
Lewd stared for approximately half a second.
Then spun around.
“I have seen enough of that particular piece of ancient history.”
The merged fragment looked.
Lewd grabbed his face and turned his head away.
“You absolutely do not need to watch them.”
He blinked against her hands.
“I do not understand why you are reacting like this.”
“You understand perfectly well, and I refuse to believe otherwise.”
Pest laughed.
Lewd glared at her.
“What exactly is so entertaining?”
“You are applying the morality of your world to a time when those concepts had not yet been created.”
Lewd released the merged fragment.
“What does that mean?”
Pest gestured around them.
“There was no obscenity in what those creatures were doing.”
Lewd pointed toward the animal eating its kill.
“There was still murder.”
“No. There was killing.”
Lewd frowned.
“You are going to have to explain the distinction.”
“Intent. Law. Morality. Judgment. Responsibility. None of those ideas had been formalized yet.”
Lewd stared at her.
“You mean none of them existed?”
“There was hunger. Fear. Exhaustion. Desire. Pain. Pleasure. Territorial instinct. Affection. Rage.”
Pest looked toward Lewd.
“But there was no recognized concept of good.”
Then her gaze moved toward the merged fragment.
“And there was no recognized concept of evil.”
The merged fragment frowned.
“Then how did anyone know whether something was right?”
A woman's voice answered from behind them.
“They did not.”
Lewd turned.
Seven figures had gathered beneath an enormous tree.
Young Pest stood among them.
Present-day Pest's expression softened slightly.
“My family.”
Lewd counted them.
“There are seven of you.”
“Myself and my six sisters.”
One of the sisters paced angrily.
“We cannot continue living like this.”
Another scoffed.
“You need to explain what you believe is wrong before demanding that existence change.”
A third sister pointed toward the creature eating its kill.
“That is what is wrong.”
“It was hungry.”
“It killed another living creature.”
“And what meaning are we supposed to assign to that?”
“Perhaps killing should have meaning.”
A laugh came from a nearby stone.
Lewd turned.
A woman lounged across it with her head resting against one hand.
Present-day Pest's voice became quieter.
“That woman is my sister Roae.”
Lewd stared.
“So that is what Roae looked like before everything happened.”
Pest glanced toward her.
“Choose your next sentence carefully.”
Lewd hesitated.
“I was going to say she looks remarkably normal.”
Pest's expression became offended.
“That somehow managed to be worse.”
Inside the memory, Roae sat upright.
“So we are planning to tell every creature in existence when it is allowed to kill?”
One sister answered.
“We are discussing whether existence requires rules.”
“For killing?”
“For everything.”
Roae laughed.
“You intend to create rules for everything that lives?”
Young Pest folded her arms.
“You could contribute something useful instead of mocking every suggestion.”
“I am contributing.”
“You have disagreed with every idea anyone offered.”
“That means I have successfully eliminated several terrible ideas.”
Young Pest stared at her.
“You have not offered a good one.”
Roae smiled.
“That is because I have not heard a problem worth solving.”
Another sister snapped.
“Look around you.”
“I have been looking.”
“Creatures kill each other.”
“They always have.”
“They take whatever they want.”
“They always have.”
“They mate with whatever accepts them.”
Roae shrugged.
“That arrangement seems mutually efficient.”
Young Pest rubbed her forehead.
“Roae, we are attempting to create civilization.”
“And I am attempting to understand why civilization requires us to tell everyone that they have been existing incorrectly.”
A male voice came from behind her.
“Because apparently eating your neighbor creates difficulties when everyone tries to build a community together.”
Roae's expression brightened immediately.
“You finally decided to join us.”
Lewd turned.
Drago walked toward the gathering.
He looked younger than Lewd expected.
Not weak.
Never weak.
But relaxed.
Alive.
Wolf features blended with dragon traits across his body, and something about him seemed slightly displaced from the world around him—as though reality had to continuously reconsider itself whenever he moved.
Drago sat beside Roae.
She nudged him with one shoulder.
“Where have you been while everyone else was arguing?”
“I became hungry.”
Roae stared at him.
“You do not need to eat.”
“I wanted fruit.”
A tree exploded from the ground beside them.
Everyone jumped.
Fruit rained from its branches.
One struck Roae directly on the head.
Thunk.
Silence.
Drago slowly looked toward her.
Roae picked up the fruit.
Young Pest covered her mouth.
Drago winced.
“I should probably apologize for that.”
Roae threw the fruit directly at him.
He ducked.
Young Pest burst out laughing.
Drago pointed toward her.
“She laughed at you.”
Roae glared at him.
“You created an entire tree directly beside me and dropped fruit on my head.”
“I did not intentionally drop anything on you.”
“You thought the tree into existence less than a step from where I was sitting.”
“I told you that I was hungry.”
“You do not require food to survive.”
Drago looked offended.
“I still enjoy fruit.”
Young Pest picked one up.
“I enjoy fruit as well.”
Roae stared at her sister.
“You are a traitor.”
Drago smiled.
Present-day Lewd looked toward Pest.
“You really cared about him.”
Pest's smile weakened slightly.
“He was family.”
The merged fragment had not spoken.
He remained focused entirely on Drago.
“What exactly was he capable of doing?”
Pest looked toward him.
“Watch carefully.”
Inside the memory, Drago examined the tree.
“I believe I made this much larger than necessary.”
The tree shrank.
Lewd's ears shot upward.
Roae groaned.
“Please stop changing things every time they become mildly inconvenient.”
Drago frowned.
“I created the tree.”
“That does not mean you should constantly rewrite it.”
“I literally created it.”
“You are missing my point.”
“I am not convinced you have one.”
Roae narrowed her eyes.
Drago looked toward the fruit.
“Perhaps they would taste better if they were blue.”
Every piece of fruit turned blue.
Roae slapped his arm.
“Drago, stop changing everything.”
“What exactly did I do wrong this time?”
“The fruit did not need to become blue.”
The fruit immediately returned to normal.
Lewd stared.
“He changes reality.”
Pest nodded.
“Whatever Drago truly thought could become real.”
Lewd slowly looked toward her.
“When you say whatever he thought, how literal are you being?”
“With enough intention, emotion, or concentration, very literal.”
“Could he create a living person?”
“Yes.”
“Could he destroy one?”
“Yes.”
Lewd swallowed.
“Could he bring someone back after they died?”
Pest hesitated.
“In theory, he possessed enough authority to attempt it.”
Lewd stared at Drago.
“That is terrifying.”
Pest watched him laughing beside Roae.
“Yes.”
The memory shifted.
Time passed.
Lewd watched the seven sisters argue again and again.
Not for hours.
For years.
They debated whether killing for survival was different from killing for pleasure.
Whether taking food was wrong if starvation was the alternative.
Whether lying was wrong if the truth caused unnecessary suffering.
Whether mercy was always good.
Whether punishment could become cruelty.
Whether intention mattered more than consequence.
One evening, Lewd found Roae, Drago, and young Pest sitting beneath the same tree.
Roae looked exhausted.
“I have decided that I hate morality.”
Young Pest laughed.
“We have not invented morality yet.”
“I have decided to hate it in advance.”
Drago lay across the grass.
“I think everyone is overcomplicating this.”
Roae looked down at him.
“You can alter reality simply by thinking. You are not allowed to have opinions about complicated systems.”
“That sounds discriminatory.”
“It is absolutely discriminatory.”
Young Pest smiled.
Drago looked toward her.
“What do you think we should do?”
Pest considered the question.
“I think our sisters are correct about one thing.”
Roae groaned.
“Which terrible idea are you supporting now?”
“We need words for actions that benefit others and actions that harm them.”
Roae plucked grass from the ground.
“Why do we need words for that?”
“So intelligent creatures can understand what others expect from them.”
“And what happens when those expectations conflict?”
“Then we continue refining the definitions.”
“For how long?”
Young Pest shrugged.
“Probably forever.”
Roae stared at her.
“That sounds miserable.”
Drago laughed.
Another sister approached.
“We have reached a decision.”
Roae looked up.
“That sentence has never resulted in anything pleasant.”
“We are assigning the concepts.”
Roae's expression became more interested.
The sisters gathered beneath the tree.
One responsibility after another was discussed.
Creation.
Destruction.
Order.
Chaos.
Other forces that would eventually become foundational pieces of existence.
Then came—
Good.
And evil.
Silence followed.
Nobody volunteered for evil.
Roae looked around.
“For the love of existence, someone has to carry it. I will take evil.”
Drago sat upright immediately.
“I do not think you should do that.”
Roae turned toward him.
“You do not get to decide what I carry.”
“I know that.”
“Then why are you objecting?”
“Because I think accepting that title is a terrible idea.”
Young Pest nodded.
“I agree with him.”
Roae stared between them.
“You two become incredibly irritating whenever you cooperate.”
Drago stood.
“Roae, please listen to me before you decide.”
“It is only a title.”
“Today it is.”
Roae paused.
Drago approached her.
“Today, we are deciding what those words mean. What happens a thousand years from now?”
“They will still mean what we decide.”
“You cannot know that.”
Roae folded her arms.
“Then tell me what you are actually afraid of.”
Drago stared at her.
“I am afraid that one day people will stop saying that Roae carries evil.”
He stepped closer.
“And instead they will begin saying that Roae is evil.”
Her smile disappeared.
Young Pest watched them carefully.
Roae eventually answered.
“Then correct them.”
Drago frowned.
“Who am I supposed to correct?”
“Everyone who misunderstands.”
“Every single person?”
“If necessary.”
Drago stared at her.
“You realize that sounds insane.”
“You have eternity.”
“So do you.”
Roae smiled.
“Then we will correct them together.”
Drago sighed.
Roae squeezed his hand.
“There. Problem solved.”
“No, it is not solved.”
She looked into his eyes.
“Drago, I know who I am.”
“I know.”
“You know who I am.”
“I do.”
“Pest knows who I am.”
Young Pest nodded.
“Unfortunately, I know far too much about you.”
Roae ignored her.
“So why should I care what someone calls me?”
Drago squeezed her hand.
“Because words change people.”
Roae's expression softened.
“Then you will remind me who I am if I ever forget.”
“And if the world refuses to listen?”
Roae leaned against him.
“You are Drago.”
He waited.
She smiled.
“If the world refuses to listen, make reality listen.”
Drago did not smile.
Roae looked up.
“That was supposed to be a joke.”
“You need to start announcing those beforehand.”
“Why should I have to announce my jokes?”
“Because reality listens to me.”
Roae laughed.
Young Pest joined her.
Eventually, Drago did too.
Present-day Pest did not.
Lewd noticed.
“You stopped smiling.”
Pest continued watching her sister holding Drago's hand.
“I told you to keep watching.”
Centuries passed within moments.
But Pest slowed certain memories.
Not battles.
Not world-changing events.
Small things.
Roae and Drago arguing over food.
Drago attempting to cook without using his reality-changing power.
Roae immediately catching him cheating.
“You altered the soup.”
Drago looked offended.
“I did not alter anything.”
“You changed the soup.”
“I added seasoning.”
“You thought the seasoning into existence.”
“That still technically counts as adding seasoning.”
“Use your hands like everyone else.”
“Why should I?”
“Because normal people use their hands when they cook.”
“We are not normal people.”
Young Pest tasted the soup.
“This is actually very good.”
Roae pointed at her.
“You are not allowed to encourage him.”
Pest took another spoonful.
“I think I like him more than I like you.”
Drago smiled.
“Finally, someone is willing to admit it.”
Roae threw bread at both of them.
Another memory appeared.
Roae slept with her head in Drago's lap while he carefully ran his fingers through her hair.
Young Pest approached.
Drago raised one finger to his lips.
Pest lowered her voice.
“Did she finally fall asleep?”
Roae's eyes remained closed.
“I am completely asleep.”
Pest sat beside them.
“You are talking.”
“I am very talented.”
Drago smiled.
Pest looked toward him.
“You are happy.”
Roae opened one eye.
“Why would he not be happy?”
“I asked him, not you.”
Drago looked down at Roae.
Then toward Pest.
“I am happy.”
Pest nodded.
“That is good.”
Drago blinked.
“That is all you wanted?”
“I wanted to make certain.”
Roae closed her eye again.
“My sister is protective.”
Drago smiled.
“I noticed.”
“She will threaten you eventually.”
Young Pest folded her arms.
“I already threatened him.”
Drago nodded.
“Three times.”
Roae smiled without opening her eyes.
“She only threatened you three times? She must really like you.”
Present-day Lewd looked toward Pest.
“You loved him.”
Pest remained silent.
Lewd studied her.
Then corrected herself.
“You still love him.”
Pest's gaze remained fixed upon the memory.
“He was my sister's heart.”
“That was not what I asked.”
Pest finally looked toward her.
“I know.”
The merged fragment remained quiet beside Lewd.
A woman stood in the distance.
Watching.
Lewd noticed her first.
“Who is the woman watching them?”
Pest's expression changed instantly.
“She is the sister who eventually claimed the title Goddess of Origin.”
Lewd looked toward Pest.
“She is one of the seven sisters?”
“Yes.”
“So she is your sister as well?”
“Yes.”
Lewd looked toward the distant woman.
“What was her name?”
Pest's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
“She surrendered it when she accepted the title.”
“She abandoned her entire name?”
“She decided that the title was sufficient and that an individual name was a liability.”
Lewd glanced toward the Goddess of Origin.
“That decision says something unpleasant about her.”
Pest's voice became colder.
“Yes. It does.”
The memory changed.
Young Pest approached the Goddess of Origin alone.
“You have been watching Roae and Drago.”
The goddess continued staring toward them.
“I watch everything.”
“You watch them more than everything else.”
“They concern me.”
Pest stepped closer.
“Are you concerned about Roae?”
“Both of them.”
“Then explain why.”
The Goddess of Origin finally turned.
“Your sister carries evil.”
“She embodies a concept.”
“She chose evil.”
“She chose to carry a burden no one else wanted.”
“And then she attached herself to the most dangerous creature existence has ever produced.”
Young Pest's ears lowered.
“Drago is not dangerous.”
The goddess laughed softly.
“You cannot possibly believe that.”
“I believe he controls himself.”
“For now.”
“He has controlled himself for centuries.”
“For now.”
Pest folded her arms.
“You hate him.”
“I do not.”
“You hate Roae?”
“I do not hate her either.”
Pest stared at her.
“You hate them together.”
The Goddess of Origin remained silent.
Pest stepped closer.
“That is worse.”
“You misunderstand my concern.”
“Then explain it.”
The goddess looked toward Drago.
“He loves her.”
“Yes.”
“Completely?”
Pest frowned.
“What kind of question is that?”
“A necessary one.”
“Yes. Drago loves her completely.”
The Goddess of Origin nodded slowly.
“Then imagine Roae dies.”
Pest's expression hardened.
“She will not.”
“Imagine it.”
“I will not.”
“Imagine someone kills her.”
Pest stepped closer.
“Stop speaking.”
“Imagine Drago holding her body.”
“I told you to stop.”
“Imagine the thought entering his mind—”
Pest grabbed the goddess's wrist.
“That is enough.”
The Goddess of Origin looked at Pest's hand.
Then into her eyes.
“Imagine him thinking, ‘I wish death did not exist.’”
Pest went still.
The goddess continued.
“Or perhaps he thinks, ‘I wish the person who killed Roae had never been born.’”
Pest's grip tightened.
“Drago would never do that.”
“Would never?”
The goddess leaned closer.
“Or has never?”
Pest released her.
“You are afraid of something that has not happened.”
“I am preventing something that can never be allowed to happen.”
Pest stared at her.
“You are considering killing him.”
“I did not say that.”
“You did not need to.”
The Goddess of Origin looked toward Drago.
“You see a member of your family.”
“I do.”
“I see existence balanced upon the emotional stability of a single creature.”
Pest's eyes narrowed.
“And I see something else hiding behind your concern for existence.”
For the first time, anger flashed across the Goddess of Origin's face.
Pest saw it.
And understood.
The anger was not the anger of someone falsely accused.
It was the anger of someone who had been seen.
The first animal ran from Drago three days later.
Then another.
A month later, entire herds changed direction whenever he approached.
Eventually, intelligent creatures began doing the same.
One evening, Drago returned home alone.
Roae sat beside Pest beneath the old tree.
She smiled when she saw him.
“There you are. We were beginning to wonder where you had gone.”
Drago did not answer.
Roae's smile faded.
“What happened?”
Drago looked at Pest.
“Am I frightening?”
Pest frowned.
“Why are you asking me something like that?”
Drago looked toward Roae.
“Am I frightening?”
Roae stood.
“Who told you that?”
“No one said anything directly.”
“Then why are you asking?”
“Because nobody speaks to me anymore.”
Roae approached him.
“What happened today?”
“I walked through three settlements.”
“And what did they do?”
“They hid.”
Pest stood.
“They hid from you?”
Drago laughed nervously.
“Apparently.”
Roae touched his arm.
“Perhaps something else frightened them.”
“They were looking directly at me.”
Roae's expression tightened.
“Then they are idiots.”
Drago sighed.
“Roae, animals are avoiding me too.”
Pest and Roae exchanged a look.
Drago immediately noticed.
“What was that?”
Pest answered too quickly.
“There was nothing.”
“You both just made the look.”
Roae frowned.
“We do not have a look.”
“You absolutely have a look.”
Pest nodded.
“We do.”
Roae glared at her.
“You are not helping.”
Drago stepped away.
“I started wondering why everyone was afraid.”
Roae froze.
“Drago, do not follow that thought.”
“And then I thought perhaps they should be afraid.”
The ground trembled.
Drago looked down.
Fear filled his face.
“That was not supposed to happen.”
Roae reached for him.
He backed away.
“Please do not come closer.”
Roae stopped.
“Why are you moving away from me?”
“Because I just thought about you dying.”
Roae went still.
Pest felt cold spread through her body.
Drago grabbed both sides of his head.
“I do not want you dead.”
“I know you do not.”
“I do not want that thought anywhere inside me.”
“I know.”
“Then why did I think it?”
The sky cracked.
A massive fracture tore across the heavens.
Pest looked upward.
Drago saw it.
His breathing quickened.
“This is getting worse.”
Another crack split the sky.
Roae stepped toward him.
“Drago, look at me.”
“Do not come any closer.”
“Look at me.”
“I could kill you.”
“You will not.”
“You cannot possibly know that.”
Roae's voice became firmer.
“I know you.”
Drago shouted.
“How is knowing me supposed to protect you from something I can think into reality?”
Roae grabbed his face.
“Because I know the person having the thoughts.”
The world shook.
Drago squeezed his eyes shut.
“That is not enough anymore.”
“It is enough for me.”
“Roae, please—”
“Open your eyes.”
“I cannot do that.”
“Drago, open them.”
Eventually, he did.
Roae pressed her forehead against his.
“Tell me exactly what you are thinking.”
“You.”
“What about me?”
“I am afraid.”
“Are you afraid of me?”
“I am afraid for you.”
Roae tightened her grip.
“Then be afraid for me.”
Drago blinked.
Roae continued.
“Think about protecting me. Think about my voice. Think about my hands. Think about every annoying argument we have ever had.”
The shaking began to slow.
“Think about that terrible soup you cheated while making.”
A tiny laugh escaped him.
“I did not cheat.”
“You rewrote dinner.”
“The soup needed salt.”
Pest almost laughed.
Roae smiled through tears.
“There you are.”
Drago closed his eyes.
But Pest looked beyond them.
Far away, the Goddess of Origin watched.
It became worse.
Every day.
Reality feared Drago.
And because reality feared him, everything living within reality slowly learned to fear him too.
Drago began isolating himself.
Roae refused to let him.
They argued constantly.
“Please go away, Roae.”
“I am not leaving.”
“You are making this harder.”
“Then I am glad.”
Drago stared at her.
“How could making my life harder possibly be good?”
“Because if I am making your life difficult, then you are still living it.”
He stared at her.
“You cannot remain beside me forever.”
“I absolutely can.”
“You need sleep.”
“So do you.”
“I do not.”
“Then I will sleep twice as much and cover both of us.”
Despite everything, Drago smiled.
Then the smile faded.
“What happens if I hurt you?”
Roae sat beside him.
“Then I will hit you.”
“I am being serious.”
“So am I.”
“I could erase you.”
Roae looked directly at him.
“Would you?”
Drago's answer came immediately.
“I would never choose to erase you.”
“Then stop treating every unwanted thought as though it were a confession of what you secretly want.”
Drago shook his head.
“You do not understand what it feels like.”
“Then explain it to me.”
His hands trembled.
“When someone tells you not to think about something, what is the first thing your mind does?”
Roae became quiet.
“You think about it,” Drago whispered.
He looked toward the horizon.
“Every second of every day, I am thinking about what I must never think about.”
Roae's expression broke.
“And every time I do…”
Somewhere in the distance, a mountain vanished.
Drago closed his eyes.
“…reality listens.”
The end did not come with a battle.
That was what Pest remembered most.
There should have been one.
Something enormous.
Something worthy of Drago.
Instead, there was only Roae.
Pest.
And him.
Drago sat beneath the same ancient tree where they had once argued about morality, eaten fruit, ruined soup, and laughed when Roae called Pest a traitor.
Roae stood in front of him.
Her expression changed before he said anything.
“I already know what you are going to tell me, and I refuse to accept it.”
Drago smiled faintly.
“I have not said anything yet.”
“You do not need to.”
Pest approached them.
“What happened?”
Drago looked toward her.
“It is almost finished.”
Pest's ears lowered.
“What is almost finished?”
Drago looked down at his fading hands.
“Me.”
Roae grabbed him.
“Do not say that.”
“Reality does not want me anymore.”
Roae's grip tightened.
“Then change reality.”
Drago laughed softly.
“I tried.”
“Then try again.”
“Roae—”
“Try again.”
He took her hands.
She fought against him.
“Do not start saying goodbye.”
“Please listen to me.”
“I will not listen to this.”
“Roae.”
“I said I will not.”
Pest had never heard her sister sound afraid before.
Not like this.
Roae pulled against Drago's hands.
“You promised me.”
Drago frowned.
“What promise?”
“You promised that you would correct them.”
Understanding reached his face.
Tears filled Roae's eyes.
“You said you would remind everyone that carrying evil did not make me evil.”
“I remember.”
“You said you would make them listen.”
“I remember that too.”
“Then do it.”
Drago touched her cheek.
“I do not think reality remembers me anymore.”
Roae shook her head violently.
“I remember you.”
Pest stepped closer.
“So do I.”
Beside Lewd, the merged fragment had stopped moving.
He stood completely still, watching Drago's fading hands against Roae's face.
Lewd glanced toward him.
There was something in his expression she could not name.
Almost as though the fragments inside that merged body were watching the ending of a life whose beginning had somehow always existed inside them.
Drago looked toward Pest.
She swallowed.
“I remember you.”
He smiled.
“Then perhaps that is enough.”
Roae immediately shook her head.
“It is not enough.”
Drago looked back toward her.
“For me, it is.”
“You do not get to decide that alone.”
“Roae…”
“You do not get to leave me carrying all of this.”
“I do not want to leave you.”
“Then stay.”
His body began fading.
Roae grabbed him harder.
“Drago, do not disappear on me!”
He looked into her eyes.
“I love you.”
Roae shook her head.
“Do not say that like a goodbye.”
“I am not saying goodbye.”
“Then what are you saying?”
Drago smiled.
“The last thing I want reality to hear me think.”
Roae's face crumpled.
Drago pressed his forehead against hers.
“I love you.”
And disappeared.
Roae's arms closed around nothing.
Pest stood nearby, unable to move.
Unable to speak.
Her sister stared at the empty space.
Then turned.
“Bring him back.”
Pest's throat tightened.
She could not answer.
Roae looked directly at her.
“Pest, bring him back.”
“I cannot.”
Roae stepped toward her.
“You rule the dead. Bring him back to me.”
“I cannot bring him back.”
“Why?”
Pest's voice broke.
“Because he is not dead.”
Roae froze.
Pest struggled to breathe.
“There is no soul waiting for me. Nothing entered the Seam.”
Roae's eyes widened.
Pest whispered the only truth she had.
“He is gone.”
The memory did not end.
Records changed.
Pictures altered.
Names disappeared.
Stories rewrote themselves.
At first, the records said:
ROAE, BEARER OF EVIL.
Later:
ROAE, THE EVIL ONE.
Then:
ROAE, THE GREAT EVIL.
Drago's name disappeared from books.
Then monuments.
Then memory.
Roae watched it happen.
Present-day Pest's hands tightened against the black-rose table.
“She killed him twice.”
Lewd looked toward her.
“You mean the Goddess of Origin?”
Pest's voice trembled beneath restrained anger.
“She destroyed Drago first. Then she destroyed the fact that Drago had ever existed.”
The Goddess of Origin's replacement story spread.
Roae would devour creation.
Roae desired the destruction of all life.
Roae had corrupted the world.
The bearer of evil became evil itself.
Lewd looked toward Pest.
“Then Roae was never actually evil?”
Pest turned toward her.
“No, little hare. What I am telling you is that my sister was not born evil.”
Lewd frowned.
“That is not the same answer.”
Pest's eyes remained on hers.
“No. It is not.”
She looked toward the fading image of Roae.
“My sister has existed for an incomprehensibly long time while carrying a title the world gradually forced her to become.”
Lewd hesitated.
“Has she done terrible things since then?”
“Yes.”
“Are we talking about mistakes, or things that would genuinely deserve to be called evil?”
Pest became silent.
Lewd understood.
“That silence answered the question.”
Pest looked toward her.
“I love my sister. I will not insult you by pretending love makes every choice she has made innocent.”
The merged fragment continued watching Roae.
“She did not begin as the monster everyone remembers.”
Pest looked toward him.
“No.”
Her voice hardened.
“Someone wrote her into that role.”
The memory moved again.
Roae was running.
Alone.
Eventually, she found Noxis.
The dragon girl stared at her.
Her hair shifted from blue to yellow.
Then red.
“Roae? You look terrible.”
Roae stopped in front of her.
“Thank you for noticing.”
Noxis frowned.
“I was not making a joke.”
“Neither was I.”
Noxis approached.
“Everyone is looking for you.”
“I know.”
“What happened?”
Roae did not answer.
Noxis's eyes narrowed.
“Where is Drago?”
Roae went completely still.
“What name did you just say?”
Noxis blinked.
“I asked where…”
She stopped.
Confusion spread across her face.
“Where…”
Her hair turned black.
Roae's eyes filled with tears.
“No. Please do not tell me you forgot too.”
Noxis looked alarmed.
“Roae, what is happening?”
Roae grabbed her shoulders.
“You forgot him.”
“Forgot who?”
Roae screamed.
Noxis recoiled.
Then Roae grabbed her again.
“I am sorry.”
Noxis stared at her.
“What are you apologizing for?”
“I need somewhere to hide.”
“You can stay in my home.”
Roae shook her head.
“My home is not enough.”
Noxis frowned.
“Then where do you expect to hide?”
Roae placed one hand against Noxis's chest.
“Inside you.”
Noxis stared at her.
“That is an exceptionally terrible idea.”
“I know.”
“Will this hurt?”
“Yes.”
“Could it kill me?”
“I do not believe it will.”
Noxis's hair turned yellow.
“You do not believe it will?”
Roae almost smiled.
“I am mostly certain.”
“That answer is somehow worse.”
They stared at one another.
Eventually, Noxis's hair shifted blue.
Her posture softened.
“If I agree to this, will you still be able to hear me?”
“Yes.”
“And will I be able to hear you?”
“Whenever I speak.”
“Can you control my body?”
Roae hesitated.
Noxis noticed immediately.
“Do not avoid the question.”
“I could influence you.”
“That was not what I asked.”
Roae closed her eyes briefly.
“I possess enough power that I could interfere with your body.”
Noxis waited.
Roae sighed.
“But I will not take your body away from you.”
“Promise me.”
“I promise.”
Noxis looked into her eyes.
“You lost someone.”
Roae did not answer.
Noxis somehow understood anyway.
“Then come here.”
Roae blinked.
“You are actually agreeing?”
“I am agreeing before another personality decides this is too dangerous.”
A tiny laugh escaped Roae.
Broken.
But still a laugh.
She pressed her hand against Noxis.
And disappeared inside her.
Years became centuries.
Noxis hid.
Four personalities shared one body.
Her hair changed with them.
Roae whispered warnings through her—sometimes gently, sometimes firmly, and sometimes with enough force to overwhelm anyone who refused to listen.
Eventually, Noxis encountered others similar enough to herself that she no longer wandered completely alone.
Pest showed Lewd one woman.
“That is Lunara's mother.”
Lewd's ears rose.
She knew the name Lunara.
Not personally.
But from Phantasm's pages.
From Derpy's history.
From the horns and tail on the creature that had bitten her in Whisperfen.
Lewd glanced toward the merged fragment.
He watched the woman with an expression she could not fully read.
Pest showed another.
“And that woman is Celica's mother.”
Time moved again.
Lunara appeared.
And eventually—
An egg.
Lewd leaned forward.
The shell carried features she recognized immediately.
“That is a Wolf-Dragon egg.”
Inside Noxis, something awakened.
Roae.
Her voice whispered through Noxis's mind.
“Guard the egg.”
Noxis froze.
“Roae? You have not spoken to me in years.”
“Guard it.”
Noxis placed one hand against the shell.
“What is inside?”
For a moment, there was silence.
Then Roae answered.
“Potential.”
Noxis frowned.
“That is not a useful answer.”
“It is the only answer you need right now.”
“What do you want from him?”
Roae's voice softened.
“Protect him first.”
Noxis waited.
“And afterward?”
“Prepare him for me.”
“For what?”
A long silence followed.
Then—
“I will make him my disciple.”
Noxis looked down at the egg.
“Why him?”
Inside her, Roae remembered.
A fruit tree.
Terrible soup.
A hand held beneath an ancient sky.
A final promise reality refused to preserve.
Her voice hardened.
“Because this world was built upon false hope created from a lie.”
Noxis's hair changed.
“Roae, what are you planning?”
“And someday…”
The memory darkened.
“…I will take it back.”
The memory shattered.
Lewd found herself seated at Pest's table once more.
The merged fragment remained beside her.
Nobody spoke for several moments.
Then Lewd raised her hand.
Pest stared at it.
“You are sitting directly in front of me. Why are you raising your hand?”
Lewd kept it raised.
“Because I have an unreasonable number of questions.”
“You still do not need permission to speak.”
Lewd lowered her hand.
“Fine. I want to begin with Roae. Are you telling me that your sister is not evil?”
Pest sighed.
“That is not what I said.”
“Everyone calls her the embodiment of evil.”
“She carried evil.”
Lewd frowned.
“I need a clearer distinction.”
Pest considered her.
“An executioner may carry an axe without becoming an axe.”
Lewd thought about it.
Her ears slowly rose.
“That is actually a very good explanation.”
Pest inclined her head.
“Thank you.”
“So Roae did not begin as an evil person.”
“That is correct.”
“But she has committed evil acts.”
“Yes.”
Lewd hesitated.
“Extremely evil acts?”
Pest became silent.
Lewd leaned back.
“That silence is another answer.”
“I love my sister, Lewd. I will not lie to you simply because I love her.”
Lewd slowly nodded.
“Then let me make certain I understand everything you just showed us.”
Pest sighed.
“I suspect this will be painful, but continue.”
Lewd began counting on her fingers.
“You and your six sisters helped create the concepts that eventually became morality.”
“Yes.”
“Roae volunteered to carry evil.”
“Yes.”
“She fell in love with Drago.”
Pest corrected her.
“She loved him before accepting the title, but the rest is accurate.”
“Drago possessed the ability to make his thoughts become reality.”
“Yes.”
“One of your sisters decided that made him too dangerous to exist.”
Pest tilted her head.
“That simplifies her reasoning considerably.”
Lewd stared at her.
“She decided he was too dangerous.”
Pest sighed.
“That is close enough.”
“She made reality afraid of him.”
“Yes.”
“Reality eventually erased him.”
“Yes.”
“Then she changed history until everyone believed Roae had always been an actual monster.”
“Yes.”
“Roae hid inside Noxis.”
“Yes.”
“Noxis eventually found the Wolf-Dragon egg.”
“Yes.”
“And now Roae intends to train the Wolf-Dragon as her disciple because she wants to take the world back from the system created after Drago disappeared.”
Pest stared at her.
“That is an offensively simplified description of several epochs of history.”
Lewd threw both hands into the air.
“I am a mouse, Pest! Sometimes I need the short version before my brain collapses!”
The merged fragment snorted.
Pest looked toward him.
“Do not encourage her.”
He smiled.
“I have not done anything.”
“You are thinking about doing something.”
“Perhaps.”
Pest narrowed her eyes.
The merged fragment fired.
WHOOOOOMP!
Pest raised a barrier.
The blast disappeared.
Lewd ducked beneath the table.
“Could the two of you please finish the ancient conspiracy before returning to attempted murder?”
Pest remained seated.
“Your shoulder rose before the attack. Correct that flaw and you may eventually surprise me.”
The merged fragment shouted from across the Seam.
“Stop teaching me while I am trying to attack you!”
Pest smiled.
“He is improving.”
Lewd slowly emerged from beneath the table.
“The two of you have serious problems.”
Pest nodded.
“That assessment is fair.”
The merged fragment pointed toward her.
“Most of the problems are hers.”
Pest flicked one wrist.
A thorn struck him in the forehead.
He grabbed his head.
“That was unnecessary.”
Lewd laughed.
Pest leaned back.
“There is another truth you should understand before making your decision.”
Lewd's smile vanished.
“I am beginning to dislike sentences that start like that.”
“Most rabbits believe they were created by the Mother of Creation.”
Lewd nodded.
“Lenora believes that.”
“She is wrong.”
Lewd stared.
“What do you mean when you say she is wrong?”
“My sisters and I birthed the first rabbits.”
Silence.
Lewd looked at the merged fragment.
The merged fragment looked at Lewd.
Both looked toward Pest.
Lewd eventually spoke.
“You are telling me that you and your sisters created rabbits.”
“We gave birth to the lineage that eventually became the rabbit peoples you know.”
“All rabbit peoples?”
“Our descendants diversified considerably over time, but yes.”
Lewd's ears lowered.
“Then why does nobody know?”
Pest looked toward the wandering souls.
“Because we left.”
Lewd stared at her.
“Why would you abandon your own descendants?”
Pest's eyes snapped toward her.
The reaction made Lewd immediately regret the wording.
Pest's voice became quieter.
“We did not abandon them.”
Lewd waited.
“We watched.”
“From the Soul Seam?”
“From our own kingdoms.”
“Then why did you never tell them who you were?”
Pest looked into the distance.
“After what happened to Roae, my sisters and I realized that remaining close to our descendants could make them targets.”
Lewd looked down.
“So you stayed away because you believed distance would protect them.”
“Sometimes loving your children means allowing them to live without inheriting your enemies.”
Lewd became very still.
Pest noticed.
“Your childhood is not the same.”
Lewd looked toward her.
“I did not say that it was.”
“You thought it.”
Lewd folded her arms.
“You keep doing that.”
“You think loudly.”
“So does the merged fragment.”
Pest looked toward the distance.
“He mostly thinks about attacking me.”
A musical charge began building behind her.
Pest sighed.
“You see what I mean.”
WHOOOOOOOMP!
Her barrier appeared.
The blast vanished.
Lewd stared toward the merged fragment.
“You truly do not know when to stop.”
He looked pleased with himself.
“I nearly hit her.”
Lewd shook her head.
“You did not.”
The merged fragment's ears lowered.
“Whose side are you supposed to be on?”
Lewd laughed.
Pest waved one hand.
The Dragon-Wolf crest gently peeled away from Lewd's soul and floated on her right.
Then Pest summoned the black rose.
It opened on Lewd's left.
Lewd's laughter disappeared.
“I had almost forgotten that I still need to make this decision.”
Pest nodded.
“The choice belongs to you.”
Lewd looked between the marks.
“Explain your crest again before I decide.”
“My crest would increase your power considerably.”
“How much stronger would I become?”
“That depends on how much of its authority you eventually learn to use.”
“That answer is extremely vague.”
“Because you would need time to grow into it.”
Lewd studied the rose.
“If I carried your crest, could I fight Little Devil?”
Pest answered immediately.
“You would no longer need to avoid it.”
Lewd became quiet.
Then her gaze moved downward.
“What happens if I eventually have a child?”
Pest nodded.
“My crest could pass aspects of my authority through you.”
“What exactly does that mean?”
“Abilities.”
“What abilities?”
“Potentially some of mine.”
Lewd gave her a look.
“Pest, you are once again refusing to provide useful details.”
“I possess many abilities.”
Lewd pointed toward her enormous ears.
“Would my child look like you?”
“Possibly.”
Lewd stared at the massive lop ears.
Pest frowned.
“Why are you making that expression?”
“I did not say anything.”
“You made a face.”
“I was imagining a mouse baby with ears larger than its entire body.”
Pest's expression brightened.
“That would be adorable.”
“That child would not be able to walk.”
“It would adapt.”
Lewd looked horrified.
Pest laughed.
“I am teasing you.”
Lewd pointed accusingly.
“I genuinely cannot tell when you are joking.”
“You will learn eventually.”
Lewd looked toward the Dragon-Wolf crest.
“You mentioned feathers as another possibility.”
“Divine inheritance can express itself in unusual ways.”
“So the Dragon-Wolf crest means my future children could inherit characteristics from the original Derpy.”
“Yes.”
“Your crest means they could inherit characteristics from you.”
“Yes.”
“And if I accepted both?”
Pest brought the two marks slightly closer.
“They could inherit aspects from either.”
Lewd swallowed.
“And what would accepting both do to me?”
“It would increase your strength significantly.”
“How significantly?”
Pest's expression became serious.
“Enough that Little Devil would no longer be something you needed to fear.”
Lewd became quiet.
Pest watched her.
“You want power.”
Lewd did not deny it.
“You died because you believed you were not strong enough to survive what attacked you.”
Lewd's ears lowered.
“You are going to remember that feeling.”
“I already do.”
“You will wonder whether taking both crests could prevent it from ever happening again.”
Lewd looked directly at her.
“Are you trying to convince me to accept yours?”
Pest shook her head.
“I am not.”
“You are telling me exactly why I would want it.”
“Because pretending the temptation does not exist would make your decision meaningless.”
Lewd looked toward both crests.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
Pest went flying.
Lewd shot upright.
“Pest!”
The merged fragment grabbed her shoulders.
“Lewd, listen to me.”
She turned.
The merged fragment was breathing heavily.
But he was smiling.
“I finally hit her.”
Lewd stared.
“You just blasted the goddess who controls the realm containing your soul.”
“She will be fine.”
“How could you possibly know that?”
“She always is.”
The merged fragment grabbed the Dragon-Wolf crest.
His expression became serious.
“We do not have much time before she returns, so I need you to understand something before you choose.”
Lewd's expression changed.
“What do I need to understand?”
“If you take our crest, there is a price.”
“I know there is.”
“Knowing there is a price and understanding the price are different things.”
Lewd stared into his eyes.
The merged fragment's voice softened.
“We cannot force you to accept it.”
“I understand.”
“We cannot force you to reject Pest's crest either.”
“I understand that too.”
“And if you decide you want both, that choice belongs to you.”
Lewd blinked.
“You would genuinely allow me to take both?”
The merged fragment answered immediately.
“We would not like it.”
Lewd stared.
He smiled awkwardly.
“But whether we like it does not change the fact that your soul belongs to you.”
Lewd's expression softened.
He held the Dragon-Wolf crest toward her.
“If you choose ours, find us.”
“Where am I supposed to find you?”
“The crest knows.”
Lewd frowned.
“That explanation makes absolutely no sense.”
“Think of it as a beacon.”
She touched the mark.
“It will lead me to all four of you?”
“To us.”
For one brief moment, four voices separated beneath the merged voice.
Rabbit.
Wolf.
Dragon.
Harpy.
Lewd smiled.
The merged fragment smiled back.
“We also gave you something.”
Her ears immediately rose.
“You brought me a present?”
“Yes.”
“What did you give me?”
“You will see when you wake up.”
Lewd's eyes narrowed.
“I would prefer to know before I wake up.”
The merged fragment shook his head.
“You might look slightly different.”
Lewd froze.
“What exactly did all of you change?”
“Nothing dangerous.”
“That was not my question.”
“It is a present.”
“What kind of present changes how I look?”
Black vines exploded around the merged fragment.
He sighed.
“She returned.”
The vines wrapped him into a cocoon.
Pest floated toward them.
Smoke curled from her clothing.
Lewd stared at her.
“He actually hit you.”
Pest immediately answered.
“He did not.”
Lewd pointed.
“You were launched halfway across the Soul Seam.”
“I strategically relocated.”
“That was not strategic.”
“It was extremely strategic.”
A muffled voice came from inside the cocoon.
“I GOT HER!”
Pest slapped the cocoon.
“Remain quiet while the adults are speaking.”
A muffled complaint followed.
Lewd tried not to laugh.
Pest looked toward her.
“Now choose.”
Her rose floated forward.
“My crest.”
The Dragon-Wolf mark glowed.
“Theirs.”
Then both hovered beside one another.
“Or both.”
Lewd stared.
She thought about Little Devil.
About dying.
About Phantasm desperately trying to save her.
About how powerless she had felt.
About never wanting to feel that helpless again.
Then she looked toward the cocoon containing the four merged fragments.
“I choose their crest.”
Pest frowned.
“You are certain?”
“Yes.”
“You are refusing a considerable amount of power.”
“I understand.”
“Then tell me why.”
Lewd smiled.
“Because their crest is connected to the person I love.”
Pest studied her.
No argument.
No threat.
She simply nodded.
“Very well. I will respect your choice.”
Lewd reached toward the Dragon-Wolf crest.
Then stopped.
“If I somehow manage to die again, I may reconsider your offer.”
Pest raised an eyebrow.
Lewd pointed toward the black rose.
“I am serious. If I come back, I might take yours next time.”
Pest laughed.
“If you return here again, little hare, my bargain may have changed considerably.”
Lewd shrugged.
“Then I will take that chance.”
Pest smiled.
“I like you.”
Lewd's body began fading.
She looked down.
“My body is disappearing.”
Pest glanced toward her.
“That means your physical body is ready.”
“Phantasm managed to repair it?”
“Mostly.”
Lewd winced.
“She is going to be furious.”
“Extremely.”
Lewd groaned.
“She is going to lecture me until I wish I had stayed dead.”
Pest's amusement returned.
“You should consider yourself fortunate enough to hear it.”
Lewd's legs disappeared.
Pest stepped closer.
“There is one final thing I want you to remember.”
Lewd looked up.
“What is it?”
“Think about your childhood.”
Lewd frowned.
“Why?”
“Because you told me you were born in Whisperfen.”
“I was born there.”
Pest shook her head.
“No. You were raised there.”
Lewd stared at her.
“Miserra raised me.”
“Yes.”
“She told me—”
“Then speak to her.”
Lewd's expression changed.
Something settled inside her chest.
It felt less like learning something new and more like hearing a word she had always known but had never been permitted to say aloud.
She had carried abandoned throughout her entire life as though it were the opening sentence of her story.
Pest was telling her that someone else may have written that sentence for her.
Lewd's ears lowered.
“You truly believe I have royal blood?”
Pest's purple eyes met hers.
“I do not believe it.”
She leaned closer.
“I can sense it.”
Lewd swallowed.
“Then why would someone with royal blood be abandoned in Whisperfen?”
Pest's expression softened.
“That, my dear, is precisely the question you should begin asking.”
Lewd faded farther.
Then her expression became annoyed.
“My name is Lewd, by the way.”
Pest smiled.
“I already know your name.”
“Then please stop calling me little hare.”
“I have no intention of doing that.”
Lewd's ears shot upward.
“I am a mouse!”
Pest's smile widened.
“I know exactly what you are.”
“PEST—”
Lewd vanished.
For three seconds, the Soul Seam was peaceful.
Pest looked toward the cocoon.
It shook.
She sighed.
“Very well. You may come out.”
The cocoon opened.
Four Derpy fragments exploded from it.
Rabbit Derpy went high.
Wolf Derpy went low.
Dragon Derpy attacked head-on.
Harpy Derpy circled behind.
Pest smiled.
“Four little fragments, back once more,
perhaps you've learned what pain is for.”
Rabbit attacked first.
Pest dodged.
Wolf followed immediately.
She caught his wrist.
Dragon did not wait for her counterattack.
Fire erupted.
Pest released Wolf and raised her barrier.
Harpy's musical blade came from behind.
Pest ducked.
Several strands of her hair drifted into the darkness.
Silence.
Harpy stared.
Rabbit stared.
Wolf stared.
Dragon stared.
Pest slowly touched the missing strands.
Harpy's expression changed.
“I strongly recommend that all four of us run before she decides how angry she is.”
The fragments fled.
Pest smiled.
Then chased them.
“At last, a thought both wise and bright!
Now run, you fools—improve your flight!”
Rabbit shouted something insulting over his shoulder.
Pest sent black thorns after him.
For a moment, she laughed.
Then Dragon Derpy turned in the distance.
He fired another blast.
For the briefest instant—
Pest did not see Dragon.
She saw a boy sitting beneath an ancient tree.
“I was hungry.”
A fruit tree erupted from the earth.
Roae screamed when fruit struck her head.
Drago laughed.
Pest's smile faltered.
Drago.
She remembered.
She would always remember.
A blast struck her barrier.
Pest's attention returned.
The fragments were attacking together again.
Better spacing.
Better timing.
Better coordination.
Pest smiled.
“You hold my kingdom's souls today,
but even strongest thrones decay.”
The four fragments surrounded her.
Pest raised her staff.
“So learn while death still grants you room.
Grow past the strength that sealed your doom.”
Dragon attacked.
Pest blocked.
Rabbit appeared behind her.
She turned.
Too late.
Rabbit's fingers actually touched her shoulder before she knocked him away.
Pest blinked.
Rabbit stared at his hand.
For one glorious second, he looked completely stunned.
Then his face erupted with excitement.
“I actually touched you! That absolutely counts as a victory!”
Pest smiled.
Rabbit's expression immediately changed.
“I may have celebrated too soon.”
Pest launched him across the Soul Seam.
Wolf laughed.
She launched him after Rabbit.
Harpy attempted to escape.
Black vines caught his ankle.
Dragon charged her instead.
Pest's smile widened.
Better.
Much better.
“Your road is long, your training too,
but one day you'll return anew.”
She met Dragon's attack.
The Soul Seam shook.
“And when these broken four are done…”
For one brief moment, Pest remembered her sister holding Drago beneath that ancient tree.
Then she looked toward the fragments of another Dragon-Wolf god.
“…you'll take your strength back home as one.”
Music thundered through the kingdom of souls.
Black thorns answered.
The four fragments attacked again.
Pest laughed and met them head-on.
And somewhere far beyond the Soul Seam—
inside the body Phantasm had refused to abandon—
Lewd's heart beat.
Once.
A pause followed.
Then it beat again.