Vernisha stared at the man who caused so much suffering—for foolish reasons.

  She blinked a few times.

  She didn’t move, didn’t speak, didn’t really feel much of anything. And that made her wonder why.

  When she first learned this piece of shit was responsible for Lo'jul’s death, she had been furious.

  She had wanted to kill him. And yet… even with his lifeless body right in front of her, even after killing him, she felt nothing.

  No joy. No satisfaction. Nothing.

  Vernisha took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling. She couldn’t see it clearly, but she knew which way was up.

  Hmm. Now that she thought about it… she had felt something. She felt like she had done what she was supposed to do.

  She had killed a dangerous person. She had avenged Lo'jul. Even if her heart didn’t leap with joy over the victory, she still knew it was a victory.

  But more importantly… she had met Natasha. She had spoken to her. She was alive.

  And that… that made Vernisha feel warm inside.

  She smiled and triggered her healing aura. The light from the bright red glow lit up the cave.

  We're not cursed. Just different.

  Her smile grew. “Mom. Can you show yourself?”

  She waited a few seconds, hoping to see a black cat pop out of nowhere. That didn’t happen.

  For some reason, Natasha was keeping herself hidden. Vernisha wondered why. She wondered what she even was. Why she decided to have children.

  Was it just to experience being a mother? Vernisha didn’t know…

  Her breathing grew labored, and she gasped. She was definitely low on energy—too much healing for one day.

  She started gulping down air, but it barely helped.

  Shit…

  Her legs weakened, and she stumbled backward. Before she knew it, she collapsed onto the hard ground.

  She lay there, limbs splayed, staring up. She was… more than a little drained.

  No—ether. She had been refusing to call it what it really was for so long. Ether. She used ether, like a monster. And now, she was about to die like one.

  Goodness. She had never even heard of a monster dying from using too much ether.

  Her chest burned, and every muscle in her body was giving out.

  But… her left hand twitched—like a dying spider refusing to die.

  Vernisha suddenly awoke…

  Above her was a white concrete ceiling that looked extremely familiar.

  She looked down. She was on a bed. A king-sized bunker bed.

  She was back at the mansion. She didn’t understand how that could be.

  Did Ferzan find her? He knew where she was? Had he known all along and just let her believe she had her own secret lair?

  Oh, come on…

  She was happy to be alive, and she should have been grateful. She owed him her life, but…

  Damn it.

  “What’s on your mind?”

  Vernisha turned to her right and saw Tarnisha sitting on a wooden chair, looking at her.

  There was a strange look in Tarnisha’s eyes. Blank—not joyful, not hateful.

  Just… empty.

  The door opened and Ferzan and Katie peeked in. When they saw her, their faces lit up in relief.

  Katie rushed over first, tears in her eyes. She hugged Vernisha so tightly it almost felt like she was trying to hurt her.

  She shook Vernisha in her grip. “I thought you were going to die!”

  Vernisha let her hold her in that awkward, crushing hug. She didn’t know what to say.

  But… she was happy. Very happy.

  Then Vernisha asked Ferzan, “How’d you find me? I messed with my scent before going to that cave.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t find you. Tarnisha did.”

  What?

  Vernisha found that hard to believe and turned toward her with sharp eyes. “You’ve got good intuition.”

  She tried her best to smile warmly, but it didn’t come out right. She wasn’t afraid of Tarnisha—but she was confused. Deeply confused.

  There was also the time Tarnisha had somehow killed those men at the Balash Temple in Vaera.

  Tarnisha gave a smile just as fake as hers. “It was just a lucky guess.”

  Ferzan noticed the tension and decided to get serious. “The guy. Do you know where he went?”

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  For a moment, Vernisha was confused by the question—then realized. Of course he thought she couldn’t beat him. Logically, she shouldn’t have been able to.

  “I said, “He’s dead. He lost his mind during the fight, and I used that to kill him.”

  Katie pulled back and said, “I think that’s the first time someone going Broken was actually a good thing. So… what did he want with you?”

  Vernisha didn’t really know. She had been curious, but not curious enough. And now, she was angry she hadn’t forced a real answer out of him.

  “No idea,” she replied.

  Ferzan stayed quiet, but there was something different about him. For a while, Vernisha couldn’t put her finger on it. But after watching him—his frown, his eyes—she realized what it was.

  They lacked that usual confidence.

  Was it guilt? Shame?

  Huh. They had fought before she left. Maybe it was about that.

  Vernisha didn’t want to apologize, though. He was in the wrong.

  Tarnisha spoke. “I want to talk to Vernisha. Alone.”

  All eyes in the room turned to her. Katie tried not to frown, but her lips twitched wildly before finally giving up and curving downward. “For what?”

  “Just a little secret between us. It won’t take long.”

  Katie’s mouth twitched again, but she gave up and shrugged. “I’ll be back in five.”

  Ferzan said nothing. He just turned and left.

  Once the door closed, the first thing Vernisha asked was, “What secret?”

  Tarnisha stood and raised her right hand toward the ceiling. “Your heart was shutting down, you know that?”

  How did she…

  Vernisha scratched her lips and responded, “You’re a doctor now?”

  She continued, “Whatever trick you pulled—it’s attracted trouble. Don’t do it again.”

  Vernisha swung off the bed. “How much do you know? And how do you even know what you know?”

  She shrugged. “I know about you… because I know about myself.”

  Vernisha stared at her for a while. That statement was suspicious.

  Tarnisha sighed and grabbed Vernisha’s left hand, forcing it open. Vernisha’s heart dropped, and instinctively, she lashed out—her fingers flying for Tarnisha’s neck like a wild cat.

  But what she saw in the next second stopped her cold. Tarnisha’s right hand was raised, blocking her face, fingers splayed wide.

  In the center of her palm was a black spider.

  “You’re a freak,” Vernisha blurted out without thinking.

  Tarnisha rolled her eyes. “Oh, fuck off. We’re the same.”

  “Should we even be doing this here? In this house, of all places?”

  “It’s safe. We’re in a private bedroom.”

  Vernisha slowly nodded. “Wait… who are you, really? Yours is on your right palm. You have black hair, I have brown, and we look like identical twins.”

  She got up and slowly walked around Tarnisha.

  Tarnisha said, “If we were complete opposites like you’re thinking, your hair would be white, not brown.”

  “That’s the only mismatch. But come on, it’s more than suspicious. You can’t deny that.”

  “Of course it is. But to be fair, I knew what you were from the beginning. Kind of. I knew you had a connection to them.”

  “What else do you know?” Vernisha asked.

  “You’re special. Like me. Not on my level, but special nonetheless.”

  “Yeah? And what makes you say that?”

  Tarnisha chuckled. “Ho ho ho. I wonder. I think I’ll keep that secret, since you clearly still want to be secretive.”

  “I’m not secretive.”

  Tarnisha shrugged.

  Vernisha grunted. “Fine, but what I keep secret has no benefit to you.”

  “Give me something, and I’ll give you something.”

  Vernisha hesitated before saying, “Whenever I sleep, I float in a world of dark fog. I don’t dream. The fog just constructs things from my imagination to trick me.”

  “Oh. Same. It can do more than that, you know?”

  “What, like defense against psychological attacks?”

  “It can do that? Interesting. But no, I meant, we’re strongest when asleep. Closest to what makes us... us,” Tarnisha said.

  “And what does make us ‘us’? Since we’re so similar.”

  “I don’t know. Maybe we’re actually sisters?” Tarnisha laughed. “Related parents?”

  That... wasn’t impossible. Natasha wasn’t human.

  Vernisha decided to ask, “Was your mother human?”

  Tarnisha’s smile faded. “What kind of question is that?”

  “Mine wasn’t, and we have similarities.”

  “Oh… no. Mine wasn’t either.”

  Vernisha was shocked. She really couldn't believe it.

  “Maybe we are actually sisters.”

  Tarnisha’s mouth opened fast in protest. “That makes no sense. Our mothers looked different.”

  “Our mothers weren’t human. They could probably take on any form they wanted. Mine could.”

  But… Vernisha couldn’t imagine Natasha having a second family. Or abandoning a child.

  …Actually, she guessed she could.

  Was getting ‘killed’ while being Tarnisha’s mom the reason she left her?

  And why have a second family at all? A daughter so similar to her too, but just different enough?

  Vernisha also wondered if Tarnisha could also heal monsters. Or kill them with a touch.

  Tarnisha’s frown deepened. “She would’ve told me. We look similar, sure, but assuming we’re sisters is ridiculous... They were probably just related somehow.”

  “Is it really that strange? What if she kept it secret because you were just a kid?”

  Tarnisha scoffed and leaned back. “Uh-huh. A ‘kid’, sure. And the sky is made out falling rocks.”

  “You’re kind of an asshole for no reason.” Vernisha almost glowered at her.

  “I saved you. I’m the opposite of an asshole.”

  Vernisha sighed. She was still tired and didn’t feel like arguing. “I appreciate it. I owe you for that.”

  “Yes…” Tarnisha stood up. “Sleep well. And… don’t mess with the dark.”

  Vernisha watched her head toward the door before stopping her. “Wait.”

  Tarnisha paused and slightly turned toward her.

  “Tell me more about the seals. I know the basics, what everyone knows. But why does it hurt when we’re near each other? And at other times?”

  “I only know the basics too, but... you can guess. It’s a form of communication. Maybe to say, ‘hi, look a fellow servant.’”

  If that was the case, then was it calling for Tarnisha when Vernisha fainted in the cave? That must’ve been how she found her.

  But that also made Vernisha wonder who else it could have been calling.

  It didn’t take long for her to remember Tarnisha’s warnings. That she had attracted people.

  Oh fuck my life.

  Tarnisha pushed the door open and left.

  Afterward, Katie and Ferzan came and went.

  As Vernisha sat in silence, her mind drifted to the interaction she’d had with Natasha. She wanted to call her Mom, but it felt strange when she wasn’t in an emotional state.

  She was very thankful for that talk. Because of her, Vernisha knew what she wanted. She had come to terms with the selfish desires of her heart.

  Four hours later, Vernisha met with Abella outside on the porch. The sunlight was shining on her, casting a long shadow across the wall.

  Abella noticed her and adjusted her position on the railing before asking, “You’re fully rested?”

  “A bit, yeah. Um… sorry for my attitude earlier. I was emotional.”

  “It’s okay. You only endangered yourself.”

  Vernisha raised an eyebrow. That didn’t sound like her.

  Abella brushed her hair back and said, “I phrased that wrong. What I mean is, if you’re going to go off doing your own thing and ignore authority, the least you can do is make sure no one else gets caught up in it. But Ferzan has no real authority over you, and even he couldn’t help, so… you didn’t really do anything wrong.”

  Vernisha gave a small nod. “Right.”

  “Anyway, what do you want?”

  “I know what I want now.”

  Abella raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding.

  Vernisha clarified, “You asked me what my plans were. What I wanted to do, to be. Something like that.”

  Abella seemed to remember, and motioned for her to continue.

  “I don’t care for cheap adrenaline rushes anymore. I want friends. I want to live. I want to be happy… with friends.”

  Vernisha paused. “I think, eventually, I’d like to create a family too. I lost mine, so it would be nice to have people I can call mine again.”

  Abella’s face lit up. “I like that. I really like that answer. So, what do you want to do now? Or tomorrow?”

  “Well… I want to have a life of my own. A job would be nice.”

  “You still want to be strong?”

  “Of course. I’m a Vlandos, after all.”

  Abella seemed satisfied with that and flicked the air. A small split opened, and she reached her hand into it.

  When she pulled it back out, she was holding a silver ring with a metal bird mounted on top.

  She handed it to Vernisha. “It’s a Freebird ring. Wear it, and you can roam the monster zones as much as you like.”

  Vernisha believed Katie also had one.

  She was stunned, but didn’t hesitate to take the ring. “So I just have to show this?”

  “Yes. I already did all the paperwork in advance.”

  “Thank you. I really mean it.”

  “You’re most welcome.” Abella pushed herself off the railing.

  “One more thing,” Vernisha said, holding the ring. “What other privileges does this give me?”