Chapter 28, Part 1: Who Broke It?

MIKO

It was freezing outside, but the bar was full of sims pressed together, dancing, laughing, making their own heat. Ages ago, before the mantle of fate was placed on her shoulders, Miko enjoyed nights like this. 

But those days were long gone. Now, the only thing she could think of was safety and apocalypses. Or rather, this apocalypse—the one that threads binding the universes kept warning her was not what it seemed. 

She felt it in her bones. 

This time was different. 

Shaking off the bad feeling, she approached the couches in the corner, surprised to find a singer serenading Somnus and almost no one else. 

It wouldn’t do to ask for privacy. The God of Sleep was a dangerous being to ask for anything. He could fashion your question into a fantasy and just as easily change it to a nightmare if the mood suited him.

“I need a place to stay,” she said. 

Somnus leaned back, his legs crossed as if he had not a care in the world. “And how long until the God of Death figures out you’ve escaped from her prison in Tarturus and comes banging on my door?”

ALICE

Lilith’s greeting when Alice showed up at her door was curt. 

“I am already doing your bidding; what else could you possibly need from me?”

“Our bidding,” Alice corrected, wishing Vlad was awake and available to help with this part. “It’s not just me. And I’m just dropping by because we need to talk.” 

“Indeed we do,” Lilith folded her arms, “What are your intentions with my father?”

“Excuse me?”

“If you plan to leave him and break his heart, you might as well just admit it now so I can kill you and get it over with.” 

Alice had driven here along back roads, dodging suspicious vehicles and ignoring all the college students complimenting her “rad” tattoos because she thought telling Vlad’s daughter this face-to-face was important. Maybe Lilith would even respect it. “My intentions with your dad are that I love him.”

“Even though he’s been married to—”

Alice cut her off, trying not to show her disappointment. Latimer warned her this wouldn’t be easy. “Whatever you’re about to say, I’m not gonna answer because as much as you seem chill”—this was a lie, Lilith did not seem chill at all— “I’m never gonna talk to you about me and your dad’s personal shit.” 

A look of surprise flitted across her face. “B-but he doesn’t love you.”

Vlad’s daughter wasn’t just rude as hell; she was delusional. Still, Alice tried to summon some empathy from…somewhere. “Lilith, your dad can love more than one thing. He doesn’t want to abandon you, but there are lots of things vying for his attention, and yes, I’m aware that one of those things is me—”

“Well, at least we agree on the problem.”

Threats are a language, Alice reminded herself. “We’re temporarily relocating, but I’m hoping you can come spend time with your dad once he’s—”

“Oh, I see, so my father won’t be doing what he promised and coming to Brindleton Bay.”

“Lilith, you’re aware of the situation we’re in. We—”

“He.”

Alice closed her eyes and breathed deeply. “He can’t go galavanting around while someone is trying to kill him—”

“You.”

How? How did Vlad do this and not lose his ever-loving mind?

“Alright,” Alice slid her sunglasses down. “That was a freebie, but I come from a long line of women who are not in the business of taking anyone’s shit, so this little attitude you have stops now. You’re a grown-ass woman, Lilith. Plans change. You can either be flexible and come visit your dad and maybe, just maybe, get a chance to hear about how I can cast my consciousness into a bunch of shambling zombies. Or you can keep being difficult, and I keep my death magic to myself.”

“You can do that? I mean, I don’t care if you can,” Lilith replied quickly. “I suppose I could come to you; that sounds…mildly interesting.” 

“Cool,” Alice shrugged. It wasn’t an enthusiastic agreement, but a win was a win. “And I think we should set a few ground rules about how we communicate.”  

“I don’t like rules.”

“Yeah,” Alice sighed. “That sounds about right.”

MIKO

“Is that your answer?” Miko snorted, “You won’t help me because you’re afraid Phobos is gonna hunt you down and hack you apart?” 

Somnus chuckled. Quick as a whip, he summoned a bartender, ordered drinks, and beckoned her to sit. 

“Well?” she demanded.

“Well,” he murmured, fingers curled around his glass, “Why don’t you ask me for what you want?” 

“Puhlease. You’re as crafty as the Fae when it comes to words. I ain’t askin’ you for shit.” 

“They should be. After all, it was my magic that made them.” 

Miko shivered. There was something about the slow cadence of his speech, the way his words curved so sweetly as if dipped in honey. It would be her downfall if she let it. 

“It’s an audition, by the way.” He nodded at the stage.

“In a crowded bar with a jukebox blasting in the corner?” Miko rolled her eyes, “She must be thrilled.”

“If she can draw a crowd, the jukebox won’t matter. It’s her dream, after all.” 

“Bullshit, I know you. That girl has a dream, and you’ll grant it to her with some hidden clause because one of the gods wants to bind a musician’s spirit to their court for eternity, and you want to get paid for it.”

“You flatter me.” Somnus laughed, “I promise I’m just doing my job. Elmyra despises musicians, Omar would never take my suggestions, and Sol and Nyx don’t want anyone at the Court of Night who they can’t sleep with.”

“And the God of Death?”

“There’s already a devil at the crossroads,” Somnus reminded her. “And that little lady could sell me her soul and still not surpass his talent. Now,” he paused to shake his drink, the ice clinking in the glass, “Tell me what it is you want, and I promise not to bind you in any way unless you ask for it.”

Once, the God of Sleep had held her prisoner. He fed off her dreams and magic for months, using them to power an army that had, predictably, led to an apocalypse. 

“I’m not a Thread. I’ve had a promotion, as you well know.” 

“Oh? And what of your compatriots?” he asked, clearly fishing for information, “Three Fates are better than one. All that work…” 

“Is a pain in my ass,” she agreed but didn’t elaborate. Information was her currency; she couldn’t waste it all right now, and certainly not on Somnus. “Anyways, it’s like I said: I need a place to stay.”

His gaze turned melancholy as he picked up his glass, staring into it. “I’m fond of them,” he said.

“Who?”

“The Fae.”

Miko’s drink soured in her stomach. “You want to talk about Akira.”

Somnus sat back, the corner of his mouth kicking up in amusement. “Of course. Don’t you?”

B’OLLITHIRANON

Corporeal forms were tricky beasts. They never behaved. Sometimes, they crumbled, cracked, or if you were as unlucky as Grim, you had an eye snatched out by the physical manifestation of Fear Itself, and it never grew back. 

That’s why this particular situation was so unnerving. Magic could do all sorts of things, but bodies? They had minds of their own. 

“If you’re looking for your torso, I’ve placed it outside your line of sight.”

Ben refocused on Lilith. There wasn’t a speck of plasma on her. She remained graceful even while hacking them to pieces. Or maybe showy was a better term. Flamboyance was a Straud family trait. 

“I’ve placed all your parts in various locations,” she continued, “I thought that would be more fun.”

Grim snorted. He disagreed with Ben’s assessment that Lilith would make an excellent god. The Reaper thought stumbling through a field while having his appendages sliced off randomly was a stressful experience. 

Not that Ben enjoyed being cut up; the pain was excruciating, and he thought his heart would burst from terror. But upon reflection, he could appreciate the creativity of her approach. “So why are you doing this…uh…”—‘Scavenger Hunt’ didn’t seem like the proper term—“Thing that you’re doing. You know we can’t be killed. Why go to all the trouble?”

“Because you’re mysterious ancient beings sniffing around Alice.”

Ben brightened. “You’re protecting her! I was worried you didn’t like her.”

“I don’t,” Lilith squinted at a piece of paper in her hand, crumpled it up, and tossed it over her shoulder. “I think she’s insufferable and needy, and she’ll ruin my father’s life. But it was my task to slow you down, even if you’ll just go after her again and feed her some other lie about your presence.”

Ben smiled, “Oh, I don’t lie. I obfuscate.”

“Whatever,” Lilith narrowed her eyes, “I can’t believe I risked being late for you two assholes.” With a rude gesture, she disappeared in a hail of sparks. As soon as she was gone, the Grim Reaper exploded. 

“I am done with this stupid favor. Fuck you, and fuck Morgyn. When I get my godsdamned body back, you are on your own. For fucks sake, we are not even supposed to be here!”

The Reaper’s fury was understandable, but Ben couldn’t allow him to leave. “Your husband is here.”

“What?” 

There was a herald of grief in that one word. Ben would feel bad about it, except gods were cruel and capricious, and it was hard to shed old habits. “In this universe, Deacon still exists and—” Ben paused at the sound of a vehicle rumbling up the driveway. “Do you hear that?”

“Hear what? You telling me that I’ve been mourning my husband for nothing?”

“No.” Ben shushed him. “Like I said, we’re exactly where we’re supposed to be. Someone just pulled up to Alice’s house.”

VLAD

Vlad’s eyes flew open as tiny fingers poked his face and pinched his eyebrows. He steadied Gwendolyn, whose feet were perilously close to kicking him somewhere painful. “What in the holy mother of the occult is going on?”

She giggled, that high-pitched happy sound that was death on his ears and a balm to his heart. “I pack you!” The toddler jumped down before he could stop her and ran around the bed shouting, “Mommy, I pack Monster! I all done!”

Alice leaned against the doorway with a happy sigh. “Monster is already coming with us, but good job.”

“Ok, thank you,” she blew a kiss, “I play!” 

“Not on the stairs. Stay on the landing where we can see you,” Alice instructed.

Vlad stretched. He felt strangely calm, the anxious energy that had collected like a knot in his skull a distant memory. “I slept?” 

“You did,” Alice replied, “For almost a week. How do you feel?”

“Odd. My back hurts.” He glanced down, noticing that he’d bled all over the pillows. “My eardrum burst.”

Alice looked apologetic. “I know, Gwendolyn was in rare form. And I think you were just…uh…” she twisted her hands nervously.

“Falling apart after transforming into a ravenous beast who stalked your killers through the woods?” he smirked. “Fitting that I would be felled by a screaming toddler and not the adrenaline-drunk soldier who tried to hit me with a tree.”

“Since you actually took that tree and drove through his torso, I don’t really think you were anywhere near being ‘felled’ by that guy.”

“True,” he smiled, “So we’re leaving? You and Latimer have a plan?”

“Mostly,” she squeaked. “It’s…uh…you know, cobbled together and sort of a hot mess because even though you were being a huge dick and definitely operating in overdrive, you were right. Everything is fucking complicated.”

Vlad grabbed her hand, “I don’t care about being right. And I’m sorry for being a dick, I was…in shambles.”

Alice’s laugh was soft, almost embarrassed. “Yeah. Bet you didn’t think this was what you signed up for when you boned me in that laundromat.”  

“You have a penchant for lifting expensive artifacts and a new hunger for brains,” he winked, “It’s even better than what I signed up for. Speaking of which, shall I hunt?”

He watched the telltale signs of hunger flash across her face, but she winced. “I…I need to feel a little normal right now. Can we have pizza?”

Now Vlad winced. “If we must…”

“It’ll make me feel better,” she insisted. “What about you? Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t need more rest?”

“More rest? I haven’t slept in decades, and I’m fine. At my age, I hardly need it.” He waved a hand, “This was a fluke.”

“About that,” she sighed, her brow furrowed, “We need a new rule. You have to at least try to sleep a few hours a night.”

“Pardon?” Vlad drew back, horror coursing through him. “I thought we made up! Why would I want to lie around, playacting death for hours on end? Voluntarily?”

“Because you’re out of your mind,” Latimer called out as he came up the stairs. “Now, I need you two to stop flirting. Time is of the essence. We need to get everyone off our tails and disappear, and you,” he pointed at Vlad, “You haven’t even packed yet!” 

CALEB

Caleb cleared his throat for the fourth time, trying to get Titania or Akira’s attention.

“Quit shouting, or you’ll wake up Grandma before it’s time!” the Queen of the Fae shouted. 

“I am not fucking shouting!” Akira shouted in response.

An elderly fae woman suddenly appeared in the doorway. “You’re both shouting, and it’s rude.” The crazy thing was that she was shouting, too. She thrust a bony finger in Titania’s direction, “If those chickens peck at my door one more time, I’ll set this godsdamned realm on fire.” The finger moved to Akira, “Carry my suitcase up to my room.” And then to Caleb, “Fuckin’ vampires and their fuckin’ dramatics.” 

Before Caleb could respond, she popped out of existence. 

“She is not staying here,” Akira vowed as he snatched up the suitcases and stormed back into the house. 

Caleb lurched forward, unsure of how to respond. “Should we help or stop him or…?”

“No,” Titania shrugged. “I’d rather he carry it upstairs. It’ll make things more dramatic when I cover her stuff in a corrosive poison later. He’s right. She definitely can’t stay here.”

The family dynamics of fae royalty were a minefield—not that he was judging. Caleb couldn’t imagine his whole family staying in one house, either. “About our last date. When you said you were twelve out of ten mad—”

“Sixteen,” she corrected, “It’s been two weeks. I’ve had time to think.”

Well, shit. “I promised to apologize,” Caleb started.

“I don’t want your half-hearted apology; you don’t even know why I’m upset.”

“I do.”

“And even if you did,” she continued as if he hadn’t spoken, “You wouldn’t know how to fix it because vampires are notoriously self-absorbed.”

“Notoriously?” Caleb reared back. “Who said we’re self-absorbed? I’ve never heard that. And anyway, aren’t all immortal creatures a bit self-focused? I think—”

Akira’s panicked and furious yell cut him off. Caleb glanced up in time to watch his friend fly out of a top-floor window and land on the ground in front of them with a thud.

Caleb rushed over, kneeling down to help. “Are you alright?”

The marksman wheezed a cough. “Fuckin’ fine. I just need a minute, and then I am definitely going to fight her.”

“Battle Royale with grandma on your own time,” Titania instructed, examining her nails as if the sight of her brother nearly falling to his death was a regular occurrence. “We need her.”

“For what exactly?” Caleb asked as he helped Akira up. He was wary of being anywhere near Titania’s grandmother.

“Grandma is an oracle,” Titania explained, “Direct line to the Moon Herself and a semi-direct line to the gods you no longer know or worship. If anyone can tell us about this wand, it’s her.”

“That’s great,” Caleb replied, still focused on her earlier comment. “But I don’t just want your help. I want to do what I pledged.” He winced, realizing how that sounded. “Not because I want to have sex; I mean, obviously, I do. But I don’t only want sex. I like you, and I realize now that we were dating, and it seemed like I wasn’t taking it seriously, but I am. And—”

“Caleb.”

“Yes?”

“Go fuck yourself. And when you’re finished, check your phone. I’ll let you know when Grandma is ready.”

With that, Titania swept past him into the house. Akira laughed so hard he wiped tears out of his eyes. “Caleb, my dude, you have got to stop apologizing like a vampire.”

Caleb frowned and scratched the back of his head. “I don’t know what that means.”

“Figures,” Akira chuckled. “If you intend to date my sister, you are gonna have to try harder. But don’t worry,” he clicked his tongue and winked, “I have faith. You’re a real sucker for pain.”

What did that even mean? “Where are you going?” Caleb called out as his friend strolled towards the portal.

Akirabrushed a hand over his chest before spreading his arms wide. “Got an appointment. Apparently, I’m a real sucker for pain too.” 

MIKO

“Once again, my name is Sonia Bjersten,” the girl on stage announced, “This next song is a little slower and sweeter, so grab the one you love and get close.”  

A few more sims had gathered, murmuring quietly and swaying as she began strumming the guitar.

“Dance with me,” Somnus said suddenly.  

Miko hesitated. Pressed against him, moving to the music, it’d be too easy to forget all the horrors he’d visited upon her.

And all the horrors she visited upon him in return.

“This better not be a trick,” she grumbled.

He pulled her closer, resting his hands on the curve of her backside, “Lucky for you, I’m not God of Tricks.” 

“Yeah, well, don’t get any ideas. I am not your lover,” she huffed, but Somnus was undeterred, his smile slow. 

“You came to the safest place you know to seek help from the only God you trust. Am I not tattooed on your heart, Thread of Fate? Are we not in the business of saving each other?”

He was such a smug bastard. 

“You’ve never saved me,” Miko huffed.

Somnus chuckled, but the look in his eyes was reverent. “Come now, we both know the order of operations hardly matters for a being like you. Of course, I’ll save you. You’re here, aren’t you?”

She shouldn’t feel warmed by that vow, and she definitely shouldn’t flirt with him in return. Still, Miko found herself stretching onto her tippy toes, whispering in his ear, “You might save me, but I wouldn’t spit on you if you were on fire.”

His response was a laugh, a low, raspy sound that was entirely too enticing. 

“You’re such a little liar,” he teased as he spun her around. “I recall a universe where the Goddess of Sound shattered the world with her song. And you tracked back to grab me right before I burst into a million little pieces.” 

“Did not,” Miko lied. 

“And yet here I am, whole and complete,” he tilted her chin up, running his thumb along her lower lip, “Not having rebuilt myself from dust. That is an act of love.” 

Miko didn’t answer. It didn’t matter if she liked or loved him. Mostly, she tried not to think about it because it wasn’t an option.

“Tell me. Are you still carrying a torch for dear Akira?”

“Tell me. Why are all the gods hanging out in this universe?” 

His eyes sparkled with mischief as he studied her. “Now you deign to ask me for what you want.”

“I’m not asking anything for me,” she clarified, feeling his magic pressing at her temples. “It’s just a question in general.”

“Do you love him?”

Every version of Akira she ever met she broke. Now, it was as if he’d inherited that brokenness. He fell for her whenever he saw her, and the whole loop started again. It wasn’t love; it was torture, and she was doomed to repeat it. “If you cared, you’d help me,” she croaked, “And it wouldn’t matter what I felt or didn’t feel or…why are you doing this? Why do you even care? You’re a god, and he’s just…he’s just a creature!” 

And he was a mess, Miko wanted to add. He mourned and pined for her; the least she could do was honor that and, maybe this time, fix it. 

The song finished, and he stepped back from her. “I suppose I have my answer, then. I’ll show you the apartment upstairs. You’ll be safe for as long as you need to stay there.”

VLAD

“I am not denigrating your plan; I’m trying to improve it,” Vlad argued. 

“You are nitpicking,” Latimer snapped. “William said we can have use of the villa. It’s on its own island, its—”

“Mine,” Vlad corrected, gripping his nectar glass tightly in annoyance. He loved his brother, but it was just like that bastard to do them a favor and still not bother to pick up the occult-forsaken phone. “That he stole it off me during an illicit card game doesn’t give him ownership.” 

“Then what? We can sail to Suluani, but if you wanna go somewhere else, it’s probably gonna require an airport, and if you hadn’t noticed, you two are unlikely to get past security while Clive has his eye on you!” 

Alice jumped up, “Security! That’s where I know her from!”

“Who?” Vlad asked. 

“The bitch who killed me. She was security at the museum I robbed. She pointed me out when the cops came.”

Vlad narrowed his eyes. “Well, that changes everything.”

“How so?” 

“It means Clive does not have enough buy-in for his plan. Why go through the elaborate set-up of getting a high-ranking general’s daughter to take the fall for a crime and then cover it up? The government could’ve just seized the item you were sent to steal. It’d be cleaner.”

“No way,” Alice swiped her hand through the air. “It was a mess; my dad had to call in so many favors to get me off. And even after doing half-time, I was on house arrest.”  

“You were pregnant,” Vlad reminded her, “They weren’t being kind; they were avoiding bad press.” 

“I’m not famous.”

“You’re a general’s daughter who, as far as the public knows, had a bout of kleptomania and tried to steal some display from a museum exhibit.” 

“Are you saying all of this is a set-up?” she shook her head, “That’s insane…it’s…it’s too costly.” 

“For whom? It cost me a few million to my ex-wife’s lawyers to get you out, which might be a lot of money, except I’m immortal and lack scruples, so it didn’t cost me much at all.” Vlad stood, “The same goes for Clive. He signed some papers and shook hands with a few judges. In fact, you, being Cyrus’s daughter, was a boon. No one would question him bending the rules to get you out.”

“That doesn’t even make sense!” Alice fumed, “How did he know I had the skills or that I’d do it? I mean, it wasn’t even my idea to steal the Ascension Container. Salim said—” she broke off. “No. He’s a shitty baby’s daddy, but he is not…he isn’t… it’s impossible. He didn’t know I’d be any good.”

“But you are good,” Vlad held her gaze. “Better than good. Excellent. You took to it like a fish to water, and thus, the mission continued.”

“No one would sacrifice a decade to be in a fake relationship no matter how much the government paid them,” she scowled, “And for one job? I love you, but you’re nuts.”

“Am I? Ten years, and despite everything you stole, you were still living paycheck to paycheck?”

“Because we didn’t want to get caught! Salim said when the heat died down, we’d find a good fence and…” she trailed off, swiping at her eyes.

“Why you crying?” Gwendolyn asked, “Mommy need help?” She started to toddle over, “I see Daddy? Gwendolyn big girl, she help.”

Vlad stepped in front of Alice, shielding her from the Tiny Terror’s view. “No, my little hellion, your father is away, and he cannot help your mother.” He picked up his laptop and set it on the floor. “Come sit. Tonight is special. You can watch all the Voidcritters you want until you fall asleep, and then Monster will tuck you in.” 

As soon as she was settled, he turned back to Alice. “Salim gaslit you. I don’t doubt that Eliza was his exit plan.” 

She was no longer on the verge of tears. In fact, she looked determined, borderline angry. “That motherfucker.”

“Yeah, he is. But something’s been bothering me,” Latimer interrupted, “We still don’t know why. What is Clive working on? Why keep tabs on Alice even after the crime was done? And what the hell is an Ascension Container?”

 “I don’t know. It was in the space section,” Alice shrugged, “I thought it was just an expensive piece of art because, you know, aliens aren’t real. Wait, are aliens real?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Vlad replied. 

“And that squad you fought wasn’t completely sims; they wouldn’t lasted an hour if they had been. So Clive must know something about magic,” Latimer added.

“The question is how much.” Vlad rubbed his chin, “We’d need to know more about their research. Caleb said the lab was cleared out, but Clive must keep the information somewhere on base. We could infiltrate—”

“No,” Alice cut him off. “I’m confident, but I’m not completely detached from reality. That place is a fortress. Even on my best day, I couldn’t breach it.”

“Then we’ll just have to storm in,” Vlad leaned back on the table and tugged her over until she stood between his legs, “Fangs blazing.” 

Alice’s laugh was soft, “Slow your roll. I can’t steal information from the base, but I can steal it from somewhere less secure.”

“Like from a mobile unit sent to track you?” 

She kissed him. “It’s like we’re vibrating on the same frequency.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not,” Latimer crossed his arms, “We’ve got 48 hours before we’re supposed to leave. You can’t tack a heist on top of us trying to make a subtle exit.” 

Alice turned, allowing Vlad to wrap his arms around her. “A good heist is subtle. And look at Vlad; he’s been hiding in plain sight for centuries.” 

Vlad flashed his fangs at Latimer’s disgruntled expression, “Exactly. I am a paragon of subtlety. Now, let’s talk more about what we need and who we might have to kill to get it.” 

MIKO

Somnus’s room looked nothing like his palace in the Realm of Dreams. It was warm—packed to the gills with books, knick-knacks, and plants. Miko felt comfortable and even safe. She pulled on a worn pair of leggings and a bra, rolling her shoulders to release some tension as she poked around his space. 

“Why do you have all this stuff?” she asked when he walked in.

“I dream the past, present, and future, and frankly, I’m never sure if the thing I’ve seen is for now or later, so I’ve just gotten in the habit of collecting every symbol.”

Miko understood better than she let on. No matter what she told Somnus, there were three Fates—there had to be. It worked in their favor to let creatures think they were omniscient, but that wasn’t true. The Fates didn’t know why things happened, only what needed to be put in place for fate to take its course. 

“I dreamed you, too,” Somnus said.

“What does that mean?”

“It means I will answer your question even though I know you’ll accuse me of lying. The gods are here because this gate was left open. The only creature we knew who could close it without losing themself was in a jail cell in the Underworld. We had a chance to be somewhere we hadn’t destroyed, so we took it.”

“You are right; I do think you’re lying! There are tons of universes. Y’all always show up and fuck ‘em up.”

“Not this one.” Somnus tapped his fingers impatiently on the table before blowing out a breath. “They don’t even know the gods exist here. Our presence is mostly myth, a light touch. And we like it that way. None of us is here permanently—we maintain our realms and have a schedule, so there’s no fighting.” 

“I don’t buy that.”

“You should. The Owl of Undoing changed everything. Our losses were…permanent.” 

Suddenly, it dawned on Miko why the sims in the bar were so familiar. “They were yours,” she gasped, “Your acolytes.”

Somnus nodded. “I’m here because downstairs, they are just sims in the tumble of their youth, and I haven’t yet had to watch them fall. I am not a nice god or a good god, but I have experienced the folly of my hubris. You are here hunting the cause of an apocalypse, and I am here to tell you that this time, it isn’t me.”

She dropped to the floor, half in defeat, half in relief. Somnus walked over and shoved a chair aside, crouching beside her. 

“I would’ve been so pissed if it was you,” she choked out. “I’m not trying to ruin anyone’s fun, but this time is different. Something is off; I’m not lying about that.”

“I know. The Fates don’t lie; they obfuscate.”

“I’m not even doing that. I…” Miko’s hands shook, “Every thread that runs through me is screaming it. Everything is tangled, Somnus. I don’t see anything after this. It’s not the Owl of Ascension or Undoing or whatever the fuck. It’s…it’s like the worlds have been devoured, and there’s not a speck of anything left.”

He put his hand on her knee, squeezing it gently. “I know.”

“You do?”

“I wasn’t completely forthcoming. Sulis is here, as is Morgyn.” Before Miko could interrupt, he put a finger to her lips, “But I don’t think Untamed Magic and my dear sister are your culprits. They’re too tied up in the comforts of this world. They have a child; I can’t imagine them ending it.”

“Then who?” Miko begged. Working backward while simultaneously ensuring that things happened so the future didn’t disappear was a problem all three Fates had been working on for a measure of time so complex, there was no word for it.

Somnus sighed. “Why don’t we sneak down to the kitchens and steal some gumbo before we embark on your morbid little whodunit.”

Miko snorted, “Only you would refer to the end of everything like that. Come on, Somnus, give me a clue. I got suspects to track.” 

“Do you have yourself on that list?”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve dreamed of many Mikos. Tell me, my little Thread of Fate, which one are you?”

Credits

In addition to the  CC I regularly use in the game and buildings from the Fleuralia Save File, I used the following builds and custom content. This story takes a ton of mods and cc, so if you see your work and I failed to tag it somewhere, please message me.