The reunion between Kalli and Shiv melted my heart. The young girl flew off of the throne, tossing her tiara to the floor before throwing herself into Kalli’s arms all while sobbing loudly. Her attendants made a point of looking distracted and letting the sisters have the moment. I decided to escort Shara back to the portal that led to Blood Moon. She offered to show herself out but I refused to take no for an answer. She’s done so much for us.

“We’re bad luck for each other,” she said as she opened the door leading home.

“What do you mean?” I asked, wondering if she thought I was making a pass at her.

Shara laughed. “Well, the first time we met, my mom died, and now yours has. I’d hate to think what might happen if we ever meet again.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” I replied. “Besides, if it wasn’t for you, I’d still be trapped on Origin.”

“It wasn’t your fault either, you know,” she said, resting a hand on my shoulder. “Daddy told me the things she did to stay alive so long.”

It was a strange feeling. When I’d met her she was a hyper kid and here she was older than me. She gave me a sad look and hugged me before turning to leave.

“I’m sure we will meet again,” I called after her, not wanting it to be goodbye forever.

“I’d like that,” she whispered as the door slipped shut.

After Shara left, I checked in with Sylvia. She wasn’t phased at all by the news that Lavender had died.

“I already knew,” she sighed. “We said our goodbyes. That’s why she trained me in the first place. The day you saved my life, you set this future into motion.”

“What else happens in the future?” I asked, hoping the kid would be more forthcoming than her predecessor had been.

Sylvia giggled and shoved me playfully. “You know I can’t tell you that. Think about it. If I told you you’d live happily ever after, you’d do something to screw it up. But if I told you something bad would happen, you’d probably make it worse by trying to stop it.”

I chuckled. “Life as a fate must be tough.”

“You have no idea,” she replied, looking much older at that moment. “All of my dreams are nightmares now. I don’t remember the last time I had a regular one.”

“Do you need me to save the universe again?” I asked, wanting to help out somehow.

Sylvia laughed. “I’m sure you’ll rise to the occasion when the time comes. Just-”

“Just what?” I asked, realizing she’d been about to tell me something.

She looked up thoughtfully. “Well, take care of your daughter. She is going to need you. She is, um, special.”

I knew Sin was going to be special. However, I didn’t like the way Sylvia said it. I didn’t press her to elaborate. The last thing I wanted was to accidentally trigger another apocalypse by asking a fate too many questions.

While I was on Earth, I decided to visit Mrs. Hodgins. With Mom and Lavender gone, the old Scholar from the library was as close to family as I had left. While I could have just teleported, I decided to call my old friend Mac.

“Melvin, is that you buddy?” His voice reeked of excitement when he answered the phone.

“Hey, Mac. Can I get a lift?”

“Sure!” He yelled so loud I had to pull the phone back from my ear. “I’ll be right there.”

It took him about an hour to get there from wherever he was. I spent that time catching up with Sylvia and Eddie, who were now living alone in Lavender’s house like an underaged married couple.

Sylvia was happy to see me while Eddie blamed me for Lavender’s death. He spent most of the time with his back to me and when he did speak to me, it was usually short answers. Sylvia, on the other hand, acted like she’d aged a hundred years. She sat me down to tea and lectured me about the importance of being a responsible Administrator for the system.

When Mac arrived, he wanted to know all about my adventures during the drive. He also told me about his life. It turned out, the Humcab made him somewhat of a celebrity in the taxi circuit.

“They’re a two-week waiting list to get a ride in this bad boy,” he explained. “I had to cancel three appointments just to pick you up.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll pay for it,” I replied, rummaging through my fanny pack for something of value.

“Don’t even think about it,” Mac replied, not looking back at me. “Your money’s no good here. Any time you need a ride, it’s on the house.”

I didn’t bother telling him I could teleport, but I did tell him about the adventures Kalli and I went on, only leaving out the parts of the story where we nearly died. There were way too many of those. He continued to make chitchat and I found my attention starting to wander over to a conversation Wendy and Kalli were having back on Gaia.

“What? You too?” Wendy swooned when Kalli told her the news of our engagement.

“Yeah,” Kalli replied. “Though he didn’t exactly propose. I sort of blurted it out to Father when we discussed something Mother said. Mel did make me a diamond for my ring though.”

“He didn’t propose?” Wendy asked in disbelief.

Kalli blushed. While we had discussed marrying many times, it was more of a forgone conclusion than any question I actually asked. Back when I confessed to her, I’d been terrified of her saying no even though we were already formed the mate bond. Only a short while later, I deepened the bond by adding a conditional contract, vowing to die instantly should I ever stop loving her. That was where Inseparable was born. Then on Gaia, we’d become intertwined in an effort to share our innermost feelings. The final step came when we were separated by Merlin. Our souls merged. That one was called Unity. Now it was hard to tell where she ended and I began. Or was it where I ended? I couldn’t keep track anymore.

Kalli giggled. Stop pondering our bond. You’re making me laugh over here.

I was spared having to apologize when Mac said, “We’re here.”

Walking up to the door, I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to say to Mrs. Hodgins. So much had happened since the last time I saw her, so many people had died. How did I tell her about Mom and Lavender? Or about the universe almost ending.

It was all a moot point because the moment I walked into the room, Kalli chose that moment to switch with me and I found myself in her body staring at a puzzled Wendy.

“Are you okay?” Wendy asked.

I must have been making a face. Nobody knew we could switch places but us. Kalli wasted no time hugging a bewildered Mrs. Hodgins. I was never that affectionate. She was going to give us away. Wendy repeated the question.

“Um, yeah I’m fine,” I replied, trying to come up with an excuse. “Mel did something silly that caught me off-guard.”

It was so weird hearing Kalli’s voice come out of my mouth. She sounded totally different from her perspective.

Wendy giggled. “Yeah, Joe does that to me too. You said Melvin made you a ring? Where is it?”

I rubbed the back of my head as I thought about it.

Yeah, Kalli. Where is the ring we made?

Kalli stopped chatting with Mrs. Hodgins as she thought about it. Um, uh oh, Mel. We gave the diamond to Daddy.

That was a problem. It could be literally anywhere.

I know! We should ask him what he did with it.

The suggestion set off a chain reaction of events. I watched in shocked silence as Kalli told Mrs. Hodgins she had to go. Then the shocked expression on Wendy’s face when I suddenly appeared next to us. What followed was an insistent tugging sensation as Kalli urgently requested her body back.

Once we were situated, she grabbed me. “Okay! Let’s go.”

I stood there slack-jawed while my mind caught up to Kalli. “What? Oh, you want to go see your parents. I think I have an idea.”

Wendy gaped at us. “Um, what’s going on? Why is Melvin here?”

Kalli gave her that smile that always disarmed me whenever she used it. It appeared to have the same effect on Wendy because she just shrugged. “Fine. Go with him but you owe me some answers when you get back.”

“You’ll get them for sure,” Kalli replied, grabbing my shirt. “Are you ready, Mel?”

Being one with me had its perks and Kalli immediately knew what I had in mind. Not waiting for me to answer, she wrapped mana around us and teleported.

Once we were alone in the void, she rounded on me. “Okay, where do we go next? You sounded so sure of yourself.”

I smiled. The first time I went to Luna was without Kalli. She hadn’t experienced the afterlife like I had. I knew Elysiana could take us there. The question was, would she?

Looking at planets other than Origin was a new experience in the void. I was tempted to wander around, looking at other locations sprinkled in the distance I’d never been to. However, Kalli’s sense of urgency won out and I went to Luna. Structures around the planet told me that the Ancients were hard at work rebuilding their lost civilization.

I selected the Lunar version of Celestea Castle and we appeared in the throne room. Unlike the previous times I’d visited, It was vacant. The darkened room was well maintained even though it didn’t serve a purpose.

Taking a guess, I spoke out loud. “Um, are any gods around today?”

The shadows came to life and a Shade appeared in front of me. “Welcome back, Lord Melvin. Why do you request an audience today?”

“We need to visit the afterlife,” I explained while Kalli squeezed my arm excitedly.

“I’m afraid that isn’t possible,” the Shade replied. “While the Goddess of Death did escort you in the past, it was because your friend did not belong. Unfortunately, you have no business in the-”

The Shade was cut off when my shadow came to life. Tuatha grew until he towered over the shade. “Please fetch your master. The new lord of the system requests an audience.”

The Shade froze, either speechless or unable to reply. I was about to ask if we broke it when the gods appeared. They came out in force, all seven Gaian gods.

Jagriel floated over to me, puffing his chest out. “You dare make demands of my-”

Tuatha floated in front of me. “Silence, Jagriel, God of Destruction. You are in the presence of he who can erase you at a whim. I suggest you pay some respect.”

To my surprise, the god knelt. “I apologize, My Lord. I did not know he had ascended.”

When the other gods also fell to their knees, I started to wonder just how much power the system had over them.

Tuatha seemed to read my mind. They pay homage to me. My existence predates them. Fear not, they will obey you all the same. Make your request.

“Please, take me to my parents,” Kalli blurted, not waiting for me to say anything.

Elysiana rose, casting a glance back at Jagriel before approaching us. “Very well. Please prepare for some disorientation. Passage into the afterlife can be somewhat jarring for mortals with bodies.”

I tried to remember if I’d felt sick the last time but I was too focused on Stefanie at the time. Judging from the look in Kalli’s eyes, I figured the last thing she was worried about was her stomach.

“We’re ready,” I told the goddess, giving Kalli’s hand a squeeze for reassurance.

We faded more than teleported before reappearing outdoors in a valley filled with fog that came up to our waist. Elysiana stopped Kalli as she started to walk forward. “No. You cannot cross completely over. You won’t want to come back. Wait here for them to come to you.”