Exiting the White Room a bit earlier than usual, Sora arrived back home at 7 p.m., surprising Mofupsi, who was enjoying some popcorn while watching Sora’s vampire drama. She giggled at the woman’s apologetic bow, having been secretly binging the show without permission.

Sora waved it off; she could enjoy whatever was on the magical show-watcher device White had given them. Mofupsi mentioned that Ella—holder of the Violet Seat—was fascinated by the projection and asked if she could show the purple-furred vulpes the item. It wasn’t the first time she’d talked about Ella.

A curious smile lifted Sora’s mouth and creased her left ear. “You’ve mentioned that Ella has been doing things with you recently; she wasn’t close to you before, right?”

Mofupsi shook her head, looking into her past as if watching a movie. “As I have spent time with Ella in the Great Libraries of each world, I have noticed her inquisitive mind is without limits. She seeks to better deliver innovative means to those under her care, and the Desire Magic you have given me is proving to be quite helpful to her theories, it seems.”

Sora laughed. “I’m glad you’ve found a friend after thousands of years. For sure, invite her over for movie night, and spend more time with her, because we’re going to be leaving in several weeks. Have fun.”

“Heh, you are unreasonably kind, Mistress,” the woman whispered, eyeing the choker around Sora’s neck before touching her own. “Having so much freedom to explore while having a place where an order is kept upon returning home has been very accommodating. I am your servant, and I wish to make you happy… It has been… strange.”

“Oh?” Sora fiddled with the bracelet her mother had given her. “Not only seeking your own happiness but uplifting someone else does have that sensation. Just be careful not to go too far like I did. We need to take care of ourselves, too.”

“Of course, Mistress.”

She let Mofupsi go to inform Ella that they could study the relationships and world setting inside of the dramas together tomorrow; it was cute seeing Mofupsi slowly stepping out of her isolationist bubble of distrust to make friends.

Heading upstairs, Sora laid down on her bed and repositioned her tails before pulling her hair across her front; relaxing and trying to get comfortable, she focused her desires on her bracelet, letting the phenomenally powerful artifact carry her across Existence to meet her mother.

Sora’s vision opened to a snowy valley; she stood on a cold, desolate planet with dozens of worlds overhead. Colossal sheets of ice hovered into the heavens, drawn in by the gravitational force of the locked globes, and the area was by no means capable of supporting human life, yet this didn’t affect her all that much anymore.

Knowing her mother had been rung, all she could do was wait for her to pick up and meet her here; she didn’t expect her to always be free and was content to be patient—which was why she’d come home early.

She took the time to float through the magical, airless environment, letting her Null-Void senses weave through the forces surrounding the distant omniverse her Intelligence had been transported to.

Crystal-like formations left dazzling shapes that molded and fused with multi-colored ice, leaving sparkling lights that reflected off the eight suns that circled each other; while waiting, she decided to check out what was keeping all of this in perfect synchronization.

Without a body, it was simple to will herself toward the heart of this celestial phenomenon, and a smile brightened her face as a white, twelve-pointed star came into focus; it was the size of a football stadium, and when she neared, she saw tiny ripples moving along its surface. The object was likely some type of hyper-compressed liquid rather than a solid.

Ruby gems were pushed out of the object’s indents to spin around the star in a pattern before merging with the tip, creating several semi-broken halos that went to each point; it was mesmerizing to watch.

Fire erupted beside her, revealing her mother, this time dressed in an eastern style outfit that made Sora snicker. “Aunt Inari dress you today?”

“Hehe. You could say we’ve had a bit more bonding time as of late,” she returned, plucking at her long sleeve. “It’s been ages since we’ve been able to enjoy each other’s company, and it’s all because of you, honey. How has My Little Firefly been?”

“Emi?” Sora mused, getting the mental picture of her tails flashing off and on. “She’s been totally absorbed in romances lately since we all expect wedding bells next week.”

“Do tell,” her mother laughed, vision shifting to the star below them and likely knowing it had caught her interest. “Ah, and this is a Lily Star Sapphire; it doesn’t happen naturally in the type of universe you’re accustomed to, but inside all of that is an immensely powerful core that blossoms like a flower once reaching maturity.”

“That sounds beautiful,” Sora whispered. “Just to be sure, it makes, like… an actual flower, right? A super-charged space flower?”

“Mhm.”

“Huh. Could you bring one for Emi’s birthday? I’m sure she’d love it, and, heh, I can tease her that I have a special gift for the grand finale.”

Mia floated forward to run her fingers along the edge. “I’d love to, and it would provide an excellent source of extra power if she needed it while also acting as an adorable hair accessory. Good choice. Romances?” she asked, bringing them back to the previous topic.

“Heh, right. On Thursday, Tola officially conquers White’s challenge; honestly, hehe, I think he might break and jump her skirt before she rips his robe off. She’s been growing a lot by taking in the simple lessons White teaches Emilia about controlling her desires and applying them to herself.”

Sora looked back on the last fourteen weeks, allowing her tails to sway left and right. “I didn’t see it at first, but the more I read Emilia’s journal and hear about her day, the more I see Tola doing her absolute best to show White he’s not only capable of being loved, but he’s worthy of it, too.”

“Cute,” her mother cooed. “I had many flings that blazed with passion in my long life.”

“Mom…”

“Haha. I know you’d rather not hear about the spicy details,” she winked. “No child wishes to picture their parents in that light, yet fleeting emotions such as attraction and passion grow dull given even a few centuries. Love is not a word anyone my age uses lightly, and for good reason, as we’ve come to understand its depths. I love your father.”

“Aww. Okay, that’s adorable,” Sora admitted, hugging her mom. “Yeah, I think I’m too young for any of that; I have eternity and so many friends I want to explore and grow with.”

Her mother gave her a smirk. “A daughter to worry over?”

“Ugh! Tell me about it,” she groaned. “I’m going to need the whole family’s help with her in the next few years. Haha. I can already tell she’s going to be such a handful.”

“I’m sure we’d all love nothing more than to support you. Oh, and speaking about support,” she hummed, questioning the purpose of her call.

“Can’t I just call my mom randomly?” Sora returned, holding her tighter. “I want to get stronger faster so I can help you… be with you.”

“I know,” her mother whispered, scratching her ear in a way that made Sora melt in her arms. “You’re a lot like me, you know.”

“Mmm. Imagine that. Hehe.”

“Right?” Her mother chuckled. “How’s everyone else holding up?”

Sora thought back on her companions and went into detail regarding Jin’s one-hundredth birthday, Eyia’s training on dimensions, and the valkyrie’s hatred for Kari. The fenris wolf’s internal honing to confront her father, Wendy’s struggle to differentiate herself from Sora, and Mofupsi’s personality growth.

Aiden and Liz appeared to be getting along wonderfully, although the pink-furred vulpes was very hard on herself, and she was trying to keep up with them without much success. Sora could understand her position; Aiden wouldn’t leave Kari, and Kari was advancing to the multiversal level with Sora.

It wouldn’t be too much longer until they left this protective realm, and she didn’t want to be a burden on Aiden; he would literally have to carry her and protect her through the dimensional boundaries, which Sora had to admit would beef him up, but also weigh heavily on Liz’s self-confidence.

Sora already planned to hold Emilia’s hand through the whole process, but she first needed her Desire Magic back to be able to do that effectively.

Mia took all of the information in and guided her to a well-positioned asteroid with an excellent view of the Lily Star Sapphire; taking a seat on the imaginary sofa she conjured for them, her mother reached out to take her hand.

“I’m sorry to say it, Sora, but Liz will be a burden. It’s not possible for her to reach the same heights at the speed you all are developing with the structure of her essence. I’m sure Aiden has more than accepted this and is working harder to keep her by his side, which means she must find other ways of supporting him.”

Sora breathed in and out. “Is there nothing I can do?”

Her mother’s flaming locks shifted against her shoulders with her head’s movements. “I’m afraid not. You’ve used up most of the residual forces from the process of your birth within your Oltera Nexus that allowed Wendy and Mofupsi to overcome their base essence structure, and the conflict between your two halves has destabilized the rest.”

“Hmm…”

The depressing thought that it might not have been the best idea to use the limited resources within her on Mofupsi popped into her mind, but she swiftly rejected the notion; Mofupsi was her sister, and it was an insult to even consider that line of thought. Mofupsi needed a family, structure, and ‘forced’ freedom to survive, which she was happy to be able to provide. Plus, she made an excellent sitter and future guide for Emilia.

It soon clicked that perhaps that was also part of the reason Mofupsi was hanging out with Ella; she was with the most knowledgeable vulpes she knew on the topic without taking away White from Emilia. Mofupsi was working hard, including refining her culinary skills.

A small smile came to her as she leaned over to rest against her mom’s arm. “I guess she can support Aiden in other ways than fighting beside him. We all can’t be fighters, I suppose.”

“Give her time, and I’m sure she’ll come to find her place by Aiden’s side,” her mother counseled. “Jin, on the other hand…”

Sora’s eyebrows drew together. “What about Jin?”

Mia hummed, eyes searching the shimmering nebula and stars around them for the words to express her thoughts. “It’s… a complicated situation that could go many ways. Bobo seems to have noticed and believes it will be positive, which it might be. Jin will be left with a choice, and I think she will need Eyia and you to help her through it.”

“I see…” Sora trailed off, following her mother’s gaze. “I guess that means I need to get stronger, which is why I called on my stunning fire opal of a mother for help!”

“Aww. You’re too much,” her mother chuckled, kissing her left ear as their tails found each other to hug. “You’ve discovered something about your Null-Void and Desire Magic?”

Sora had two of her chakrams leave her tails to hover ahead of them, and the still picture of her grandmother and father materialized within the rings. “I learned the secret of our Desire Magic; it comes from grandma, and it binds our whole family.”

“Very good!” her mother cheered, tails tightening around hers in recognition of her accomplishment. “You really are a genius, My Little Ember. It took us centuries to look beyond our pride to see our mother was the spark of our flames. Our power is strengthened with every new ember added to our tree.”

“Huh? I didn’t get that far,” Sora laughed. “Wow, so Emi, Wendy, and Mofupsi actually help me grow, and I help them?”

“Mhm!” Her mother nudged her with her elbow. “Hehe. You’ve made our small family garden a bright bed of color in such a short time while bringing your aunts back, further brightening the eternal budding desires of your grandmother. Someone wanted to curb that blooming growth.”

It clicked in Sora’s mind, now realizing why the curse had been placed on her mother and Aunt Inari. “Someone’s been trying to stop the Founders from getting too much power?”

“That’s my theory,” her mother sighed. “It shouldn’t concern you right now, though. Let the matriarchs of our family deal with the big stuff. Hehe, even if you’ve given your grandmother, aunts, and me more power without even realizing it. Of course…”

“Aunt Inari planned it all,” Sora chuckled, showing a bit of chagrin. “She’s such a schemer; she really did have a billion reasons when using my essence to create Emi.”

“That’s your aunt!” Mia returned with a strained laugh. “Sorry to derail you. You were saying?”

“Right… Haha. Well, I figured out how I was born.”

Her mother’s hand flew to her mouth in feigned shock. “How innocent has your father raised you?”

“Oh, shut up, Mom,” she growled, elbowing her snickering woman. “Null-Void needs Existence, and Existence needs Null-Void… It was the union of essence between you two that—get your mind out of the gutter, Mom!” she huffed upon seeing her smiling, thoughtful blush.

“Hehe. You do know your father is technically an ax? What a ‘union’ that was. Haha. Man had wood… and that shaft can be a bit…”

“Really, Mom? Don’t put weird thoughts into my head,” Sora grumbled, rolling her eyes and trying to keep her mind away from the disruptive visual. “I know Frank made a human sleeve or whatever for Dad, so don’t even try.”

“You were thinking about it, and you should have seen your dad’s, ahem, figure… Hehe. Frank knew what he was doing.”

“Not even! Eww. Mom, stop!”

“I’m having fun,” she laughed, not letting her tails go as Sora tried to scoot away. “No need to be shy; we’re animals!”

“You’re the animal!” Sora couldn’t escape her mother’s iron-locked tails that had not only surrounded her tails but her true chakram. “Hehe… I still love you, though. Weirdo. I don’t want to know your strange fetishes with Dad, like… ever! Can we move away from this embarrassing topic and move back to a more innocent love?”

“Ho-ho. Bold of you to think there’s such a thing,” her mother chimed, shifting to tackle her against the sofa and hold her close. “Haha. I have to enjoy these moments when I get the chance, but okay… I’ll restrain myself,” she relented, drawing back and adjusting her kimono. “I’m listening.”

“Huu-haaa. Uh-huh…”

“Hehe. Don’t give me that look. We are vulpes,” she grinned. “It’s natural to tease.”

“Correction, half-vulpes.” Sora giggled as her mother put a hand over her heart as if shot. “Anyway, yeah, I learned I need to get both sides to realize they need each other.”

Her mother’s poise returned with a gentle smile. “You imagine your father as ravenous insects while I am the budding field, delivering nutrients. Isn’t your answer right in front of you?”

The dots linked together, making Sora’s eyes defocus for a moment. “The fire and the fuel… They’re at war when the field wants to feed someone.”

“It wishes to feed your desire,” her mother nodded. “And the insects…”

“Want to give me power, so it consumes the field… I’ve been the reason for the war! Gah, how could I be so blind?!”

Mia reached over to scratch behind her ear, causing Sora’s mind to blank for a second. “Every child must learn how to control their body, and it is no different with a Founder and their magic. You’ve been so preoccupied with gaining power that your father’s Null-Void was naturally drawn to the closest nutrients it could feast upon to provide what you wanted to output.”

Sora let her tight muscles go, sinking into her mother’s welcoming embrace. “Haaa. So, I have to slow down on the power struggle and focus on retraining myself to draw power from other sources than my vulpes side?”

“Not necessarily,” her mother whispered, swapping their positions to lay against the couch as her mom held her against her body. “If you require a huge influx of power to fuel your Null-Void, then you can simply desire for your vulpes side to produce it. Your issue stems from the conflicting desire of wanting to perform vulpes magic and Null-Void. If you want them to interact…”

“I need to train them to be more symbiotic… Well, to train my own instincts when using them to be more symbiotic. First, I need to get both halves to not see each other as enemies. Well, I have my direction. How long do we have until Emi comes home?”

“Based on when you called me… twenty minutes?”

“Mmh. Enough time for a short nap,” Sora yawned, feeling a bit mentally exhausted from using the Outer Body Technique so often throughout the week.

Her mother kissed her forehead, making her ears twitch as she sank into her arms, allowing the fluffy, nine-tailed blanket to embrace her. “I’d love to be your pillow for a while.”

The warmth that filled her wasn’t just physical, enveloping her in a wealth of positive energy that washed away all thought. It didn’t last long, yet was more than enough to ease all the stress she’d felt recently.

When the heat left, a smile lifted Sora’s eyes as her own daughter’s voice carried up the stairs. “Mom, Mofupsi, I’m home. What’s for dinner?”

Sounds came from the kitchen as Mofupsi bustled around in it, having come back at some point when Sora had been with her mother. “Welcome home, Mistress Emilia, Mistress Sora; I have prepared the spinach and feta bread dish you asked me to make yesterday.”

“Wooh! Cheesy bread! Oh, can we make cheesy bread pizza tomorrow?”

Stretching out on her bed, Sora yawned. “Mmh… I don’t see why not.”

“Mom! Why do you sound like you’re in bed; did you go back to bed when I left today?” Her daughter zipped through the air, up the stairs, and was outside her door in seconds, Emi’s concerned glare shooting through the darkness like daggers. “Are you sick again? Don’t lie to me!”

“When have I lied to you about being sick?” Sora chuckled, rising to the edge of her bed to smile at her leery-eyed daughter. “You made sure I was bedridden for a week the last time I was sick.”

“And I may need to ground you again!” Emilia huffed. “You can’t be pushing your frisbees too hard, Mom; it’s not good for your health.”

Sora wanted to laugh and ask her adorably angry and worried daughter what she knew about frisbee health but let the topic go. Walking forward, Sora drew Emilia into a hug before picking her up and carrying her downstairs.

“Huh? Eh-heh. Hey, ugh; I can walk—fly—downstairs! Huh? I can’t fly—Mom, stop… trapping me… You’re too strong! ARGH!”

“Hehe. C’mon, can’t break free from your sick mother? How am I ever going to let you out into the world if you can’t even beat me?”

“That’s—cheating! You’re eating my magic!”

“Nom-nom-nom,” Sora grinning, snapping her teeth; it was easy to draw out Emilia’s magic since it was so close to her own. “Maybe I should nibble on you a bit each morning; it may make me feel better!”

“Mom!” Finally letting her go into the kitchen, she giggled as the twelve-year-old hid behind Mofupsi’s tails. “You’re the worst mom ever! Ugh… I feel so weak.”

“Sounds like you’ve got an appetite,” Sora snickered. “Triple servings tonight?”

Emilia’s head poked around the woman’s bushy orange tails. “No take-backs?”

“Hehe. No take-backs. If you use a bunch of magic, food can help you restore a bit!”

Emilia’s narrowed eyes didn’t leave her as she scooted around the island to one of the plates Mofupsi had given; the woman was chuckling to herself while summoning her pipe to draw from it—sometimes, she liked a short smoke before the meal.

“What mom eats her daughter’s spiritual energy?”

“This mom,” Sora brightly returned, pointing at herself and floating onto the bar stool. “Want to know how you taste?”

“Ewww! No…” Emilia sat, staring at her cheesy bread before her gaze shifted back to her. “Aren’t you going to tell me?”

Sora thanked Mofupsi and bit into her warm, delicious piece, which helped ease the burning in her mouth. “Mmh? I thought you didn’t want to know.”

“Just… tell me already; geez, don’t make me spell it out! Do I taste like chocolate?”

Sticking out her tongue, Sora hissed and forced a smile. “Spicy… really spicy. Probably because I got a bit of your own Null-Void with it. You’ve got a natural defense.”

“Hah! Yes,” Emilia cheered, likely happy she’d caused her some discomfort back. “Wait, my own Null-Void? Hehehe. Next time, it will be a volcano, so think five times before ambushing me again, Mom!” She gestured at her eyes and Sora. “I’ll be ready.”

Laughing and continuing their banter, they finished ‘extended’ dinner and went to the living room to watch more movies; Emilia made marshmallow popcorn for them, and when bedtime came, Sora had to carry her daughter to her room since she’d passed out shortly after Wendy showed up at 10 p.m.

Mofupsi told her on the way up that Emi had been pushing herself with White and Tola’s training recently; that, along with Sora extracting her energy, probably made her daughter go into hibernation mode. Sora wanted to enjoy these peaceful times while they could.

Heading to bed, she woke up early with a confused expression upon seeing her daughter floating over her, Sora’s hair in her hands as she tried nibbling on her chakram. “How… do you do this?!” she growled, clearly trying to emulate what Sora had done the night before.

Lifting an eyebrow, Sora felt Mofupsi stretching out by her feet. “Having trouble, Firefly?”

“Mmgm… I’ll eat your energy as payback someday, Mom; just you wait!”

“Goodness,” Sora smirked. “I don’t think a daughter should eat their mom.”

“You did it to me first!”

Wendy’s messy brown hair came into view in the hallway. “Eh… what’s this about eating each other?”

Emilia gave her a look that said not to bring her auntie into this, possibly not wanting another shark-like threat lurking in the house. “Uh. Nothing! I’m going to take a bath.”

Sora giggled as she flew off, slamming the bathroom door shut.

Wendy shrugged and paused as she took one step toward the bathroom. “Oh. Guess I’ll wait to shower. We doing anything today, Sora?”

Pondering it, Sora got up to examine the drool her daughter left on her chakram with a wry smirk. “I think we’re dedicating it to a Tola romance marathon. I talked with mom.”

“Oh?” Wendy’s eyes brightened, moving to sit at the edge of her bed. “Tell me about it.”

Mofuspi went downstairs as they talked, and the rest of the day went smoothly; Tola mentioned soreness recently, which came from her wavering spiritual energy, showing White was still affecting her, but the man had totally gone MIA after dropping Emilia off the previous night.

Sora figured he’d be back Monday since Emilia spent Sundays with her now; he had a bit of a reprieve from Tola’s alluring virgin pulse that raddled him.

Emilia seemed to be fixated on learning how to drain her energy now as payback, faking it behind affectionate hugs while trying to use her magic, which was only repelled by her natural Null-Void defense.

Sora wasn’t complaining; she got a lot of hugs, and she even got a few tail hugs in throughout the day; by nighttime, Emilia was grumbling for her to teach her how to do it, and Sora put her to bed, promising to try in the morning.

Life is good.