I immediately started to weave the Modify spell inside my hand, in case this mysterious wizard was a danger to me and my family. Was this the Church of Equality Overseer that my parents were talking about?

There was something funky going on under the coat. The entire surface of it bulged and rippled constantly. In my mana-vision it looked like a thousand little stars danced under the cloth.

I aimed [Modify] at the stranger. Thick, round goggles glinted back at me. I could not see his face or expression under the thick scarf. If he was here to kill me or hurt my parents, I wouldn't go out without a fight. While I could not use Destruction it didn't mean that I couldn't think of a thousand other ways to break a person with Create-Modify-Life. People required air. Aralsk-7 had taught me plenty about death. As seconds ticked by, my mind went over the world’s most famous poisons and their chemical compositions. Aconite, arsenic, belladonna, botulinum toxin, dimethylmercury, elemental mercury, hemlock, polonium, tetrodotoxin, cyanide and… anthrax. In seconds Bessie calculated the necessary mana, ran through the list of death, trying to estimate the most effective weapon to create.

Seconds dragged on, my heart thumped faster and faster. There were gaps in my memories. I wouldn't be able to create polonium or arsenic or the mercury compounds without local references. Dimethyl mercury was a slow acting brain killer. It wouldn't work in a combat situation. Maybe I could create pure ethanol for the more immediate result? Either way the strange wizard would have to touch me to inject something into them, since my Modify couldn't reach far out beyond my own skin.

A gloved hand slowly pulled a piece of paper from within the depths of the robe, without crossing the threshold of our home.

I peered at the scarf-covered face, scanned it as far as my skill allowed. My mom holding me took a step forward. With terror I determined that there was nothing underneath the scarf. No expression, no skin, just more shimmering, constantly moving… living things. What the hell was this monstrosity?! I started to panic. I couldn't pick which poison or chemical composition to create! I didn't even know if this THING was human!

Dad wasn't scared, he didn't have mana-scanning eyes. He looked at the paper presented to him by the overdressed wizard at an angle I couldn't see. He started to read the words on the note out loud.

“Greetings my dear Georgi and Cassandra,

I am Delta Alana Skyisle, the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz. I was born in Skyisle village 242 years ago and had travelled to the far reaches of the world to the Emerald City where I had presided until I received the prophecy about your boy. I am your great-great-great-great-aunt. Please permit me to enter your home so that I may bless your future hero."

Dad’s eyebrows went up and up, nearly escaping from his face. I’ve never seen him this befuddled. Mom looked tense and confused. Neither of them had expected the absolute absurdity of this note. I alone knew what it meant.

In fact, I nearly choked out loud when I heard her name and the… other reference. The Wizard of Oz novel by L. Frank Baum was adapted into Russian by Alexander Volkov in 1939. Volkov was a Physics and Mathematics teacher and he didn't just translate the original, he expanded it to an entire generation-long series. It was one of my favorite books when I was a kid. The second book by Volkov about the Emerald City was published in 1963. It featured a girl from Kansas and her uncle utilizing rationality and modern technology against an evil warlord. I enjoyed reading it as an adult in the 1960s.

Since Delta had absorbed all of my memories, she knew the books I read when I was nine! She knew exactly how I felt when I saw the brilliant vibrancy of Skyisle for the first time. My experience had momentarily reminded me of the the American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In it, Ellie who lived in black-and-white Kansas mundanity saw Oz for the first time in over-saturated color. This was because the 1939 film used 'Three-strip Technicolor', a groundbreaking technological innovation of its time.

There was a deep, hidden message in her words that only I could understand. It said "Please trust me - you and I share mutual memories, dreams and hopes! I'm not infected anymore!"

The lanky wizard handed dad another note.

“Do not be surprised!” He read it. “I am here to help and guide your son - Dante Alan Skyisle. I will be his vigilant instructor and protector. His birth was prophesied long ago by the Grand Academia of the Wizards of Oz. His stats are real. He is indeed level 6, a hero destined to save the world!”

“...my son… is a hero?” Mom blinked at Delta. “Also, what’s that buzzing? Are you buzzing?”

Delta handed dad another piece of paper. He read it for us.

“One of my core skills is control of insects. Long ago, I had taken a sacred Vow of silence, giving up my beautiful singing voice to increase my Wizard powers. There are indeed a few bees in my coat, but they are quite harmless to you. Do not be afraid. I am in full control of them.”

A fat, incredibly fuzzy yellow and black striped bumble-bee emerged from Delta’s coat pocket. It looked small and adorable. It looked at me and my parents and then crawled back into her pocket wiggling its tiny bee bottom.

Mom giggled nervously. Delta handed dad another note.

“Did you know that there’s a wasp nest in your attic? I will put a nest of my bees in your attic to protect your son. They will kill the wasp infestation. I do not require a room. I will be travelling often to Agamemnon on further business. I will teleport into your attic whenever I am needed. Please assign me as a Guest into the house Wards, so that I may enter and do magic inside your home,” he read.

“Well, aren’t you demanding?” Dad muttered, squinting at Delta.

Mom gave him ‘the look’.

“Yeah, I know. I was going to deal with that wasp nest... but I keep putting it off.” He made an apologetic face at her.

“Can we trust… this Delta of Oz?” Mom asked him, still looking quite concerned.

I reached out towards Delta with my tiny baby hands, displaying my brightest smile.

“She’s clearly not an Equalizer and it looks like Dante trusts this Wizard of Oz!” Dad looked at me. There was immense pride in his eyes. He had bought Delta’s beautifully-wrapped up lie about me being born a hero.

I was no hero. The Omniscience didn’t start my Novazem life narrative with the premise of “You’re a hero that this world needs”.

In fact, he didn’t tell me anything in regards to a mission and shoved me into a girl’s body that already had a soul in it. Heroes didn’t start up with that sort of dark predicate! If it wasn’t for my Infoscope and the attack of the Phantom-Squid my larger soul would likely completely absorb and dissolve Delta’s!

“Be warned - the house ward will know if your Alana name is fake,” Dad sternly told Delta. He reached out and touched the control rune keystone that was embedded into the right side of the doorframe. The keystone flashed in acknowledgement of his magic.

“Add... Delta Alana Skyisle as a temporary Guest into the house ward!” Dad spoke into the keystone rune.

"Put your hand onto the glowing Keystone outside for the ward to add you." Dad ordered.

Delta did as instructed.

The rune on our side flashed once again, acknowledging the order. Delta nodded and stepped through the door. The ward had accepted her! She had done a brilliant job of tricking my parents - she made them adjust the defense runes that would take her apart!

“So you are our… long lost 4-times-great-aunt?” Mom spoke as she watched Delta with squinted eyes. Dad had returned to her side. I saw that mom was hitting Delta with [Identify] spells.

“Can we trust her? I’m only identifying the bees on her,” she whispered to dad.

Delta handed dad another piece of paper from her coat.

“I am indeed your Great-aunt,” he read the words. “But, you can just call me Delta! I don’t mind. Also, I know every brick in this house. I helped renovate this lovely cottage with my grandfather Miller Alan Skyisle for Anatolia Alana Skyisle 202 years ago. There’s a metal plaque embedded within the central brick inside the fireplace, underneath the mantel.”

Delta must have used her advanced information-gathering skills to get this little tidbit about the house. Dad went up to the fireplace and looked underneath it.

“Oh… there is a very small, soot-covered plaque here within the central brick. I didn’t even know about this!” He yelled back at us, wiping the plaque with his sleeve.

“This hearth is dedicated to Anatolia Alana Skyisle by Miller Alan Skyisle, year 7847. Long may it keep you warm. By Ishira! That’s exactly two hundred and two years ago!” Dad read and wiped a small tear from his eyes. He was totally convinced now. If Delta asked him to spin in a circle and touch his nose for the greater good of the Alan family, he probably would.

“This home is your home once again, Elder! Thank you for bringing us the good news about our son! We were so worried!” Dad’s voice trembled as he spoke. There were nearly tears in his eyes. “I’ll add you as Family member to the house ward!”

Delta nodded.

“Welcome back to the family, Great-aunt Delta!” Mom smiled, now fully convinced that our ancient aunt had returned to Skyisle. I saw that she had let go of the [Destruction] spell that she was tensely holding with her left hand out of Delta’s theoretical line of sight.

I exhaled. She was rather overprotective of me. Delta’s ruse had worked well, quelling mom’s worries.

Delta cautiously stepped towards my mom and I and bowed, offering me a gloved hand with an outstretched finger. I lifted my hand towards the gloved finger and grabbed at it with my small baby hand. I noticed that a tiny, barely visible silver thread of the Infoscope stretched out to me.

When it touched my hand, I shot the [Info-tether] at the thread. It snagged onto the Infoscope.

An avatar of Delta flashed into mind, and she manifested within my Mindspace. She smashed into me with an all-encompassing hug. Silver sparks rained from her eyes. I didn’t resist the unexpected hug.

“I missed you very much, brother,” she whispered, holding onto me tightly. “Thank you for giving me a new life!”

As I hugged her back, I realized that this was the first truly familial, earnest hug I had given anyone in both of my lives. My grandparents had died in the great war with the German Reich and my parents had been tempered by war and their losses - they had never shown me affection, which was probably why I had dedicated my life to science and not towards building relationships.

I felt that I had made the right choice in saving my soul-sister. I finally had someone that I could trust. I didn't have to lie to Delta about my origins or passions or my dreams - didn't have to deceive her. She already absolutely knew everything about who I was.