223 - Home

Lexie was having a little trouble breathing.

She didn’t know if it was because of how hard Aiden was squeezing her during their extended hug, or if it was because of the chaos storm.

Or if it was…something else.

She was trying to be patient with the hug, though she was a little uncomfortable with it. Her father was still crying, and she was emotional too.

Or she had been emotional, until she noticed how heavy the air felt.

“Um…Dad…” She tapped him on the back. “Aiden..”

He pulled back and stared at her with tear-stained eyes. Then he finally sniffled. “Ah. Sorry. I shouldn't have broken down all over you like that. I just…I can’t believe you’re here. How did you find me? And how did you get through the security protocol and how–”

“Dad.” Lexie interrupted. “I’m not sure, but…I think I can’t breathe.”

“Oh. Oh! Of course. You shouldn’t even be here. This place isn't safe."

Lexie found herself swept up in his arms. She’d hated it when the other people touched her, but she didn’t mind this time.

It felt nice, despite the Eldritch particles rioting at it.

“Let’s go home.”

"Wait," Lexie said, before Aiden could storm off. She pointed at the boy on the ground. “Tate.”

“Oh, of course.” Aiden seemed to just notice him, and he held out his other hand for Tate. Tate looked a little uncomfortable taking it, but he had no choice.

They had to stick together or they would get separated by the storm. With both children in hand, Aiden began hurrying out of the chaos, using his magic to clear the way.

Even after they got through the security protocol and Aiden teleported them all back to his front porch, Lexie’s breathlessness wasn’t getting better.

It wasn’t like she was suffocating necessarily. She could still breathe, but it was just…she wasn’t sure. She felt heavy. It was an odd feeling for sure, like something that she had never felt before. But she could feel herself getting weaker.

It scared her a little.

She had to tell her Dad. He would know what to do.

“Dad,” she said as he walked into their home and set her on the couch. He squatted beside her, holding her hand as though he couldn’t bear to be apart from her.

"What is it, honeybee?"

“I think… something’s wrong. I can’t breathe.”

“What do you mean?” He was instantly alarmed. “Why?”

“I’m not sure. I thought it was exhaustion at first, but…there’s like a pressure…” It was hard to describe how she was suffocating but not suffocating. She also wanted to explain it completely to Aiden, but not in front of Tate, who was still standing there. 

She glanced at Tate and, thankfully, he instantly understood what she was trying to convey.

“Yeah, I’ll just…give you two a minute,” he said as he awkwardly took several steps toward the staircase. He looked like he wanted to go upstairs, but then he hesitated and then doubled back. “Actually, I’ll just be outside.”

“Yes, of course.Thank you,” Aiden said, without taking his eyes off Lexie.

"No problem," Tate said, but he sounded odd, and a weird tension, almost like hurt, passed over his expression as he left.

Once the door closed, Lexie swallowed and told her dad, “I don’t know how to explain this.”

“It’s alright. You don’t have to explain all of it; Max already told me most of the story. You can just tell me what’s happening to you right now.”

"I'm more Eldritch than I was before. Maybe more Eldritch than I am human. I can’t stay on Earth for very long because of the Oath that protects it, unless I possess something which is very unlikely, given I’m not primarily soul-based. I could also attach myself to someone here, like Naem does with the Ambassador, but I don't know how to do that."

Aiden nodded, like he knew what she was talking about. That brought her some relief. 

“I bound my soul to a land card and bound that in the dungeon I was in,” she said. “Basically, it means that even though I’m Eldritch living in this world, I technically register as being back in the dungeon. I also lowered the amount of Eldritch mana I have just to pass the checks. That should have protected me from Oath, but I don't think it's working anymore. I’m not sure what else I can do.”

Aiden took some time to think about it.

“Have you tried lowering the mana you have right now to the absolute minimum?”

Lexie shook her head slowly. "That might work."

It was so obvious she should have thought of it on her own, but somehow it felt better hearing her father say it.

It was funny because she’d been self-reliant all that time in the dungeon. She'd taken care of herself and really only trusted herself.

But now that she was back on Earth for a few minutes, she was already falling back into old patterns, relying on her dad for knowledge that she probably could have figured out on her own.

She reduced her mana even further, and while the effect was alleviated, now she just felt…weak. Human.

She didn’t like it.

She didn’t feel like herself.

“That's not a long-term fix," Aiden said. "It sounds to me like there's a problem somewhere, and we'll need to figure out a way to stabilize your soul somewhat. Maybe we need to tweak the cards a little to enable you to use more without the Oath affecting it.”

“You don’t know what the Oath is?”

“No.” He swept some of her hair back, behind her ears. “Not in exact language. But I know exactly how to find out.”

They were interrupted by pounding on the door, loud and clamorous. 

“Aiden!” Max yelled. “You in there?”

Aiden sighed and hung his head. “I was hoping we would have a few more minutes to ourselves.”

Lexie shrugged. “We could just pretend no one’s home.”

Aiden smiled. “I don’t think that would work on Max. He has a nose like a bloodhound. Besides, we might need his help to keep the rest of them away.”

“The rest of who?”

“The people who all probably want to see you right now.”

“Oh,” Lexie said, twiddling her thumbs. She hadn't planned on seeing anyone else, mostly because she hadn't planned on staying very long. She should probably go back to the dungeon before any of these people got there, but there were people she wanted to see, too, if only to check in on them.

The way she’d left Earth the last time was wrong.

It was too sudden, with no goodbye. No nothing. 

This time, she would do it the right way.

She waited as her Dad unlocked the door. He’d barely gotten it open before Max was pushing his way in past Aiden, and he was storming to Lexie. 

He grabbed her by the shoulder, lifted her, and shook her in the air. 

“Hey,” Aiden protested, but Max ignored him.

“Don’t ever do that again,” he bit out, looking Lexie dead in the eye with the most serious expression she'd ever seen on him. “I don’t care how big and bad you think you are or if you think you’re saving me or whatever. Don't you ever make a decision like that for me again.”

Though his eyes were fiery and his expression grave, Lexie knew he wouldn’t hurt her. She wasn’t even close to feeling threatened, and instead, she wanted to poke fun at him. 

“You’re welcome,” she said and smiled when he glared at her. 

“Put her down,” Aiden said sternly. “She’s not feeling too good.”

Max did put her back on the couch, but then he squatted and ruffled her hair. "What's wrong with her? Besides looking and smelling terrible, that is."

"Hey." The comment wiped the smile off Lexie's face.

“She's Eldritch," Aiden responded. "Earth's atmosphere isn’t great for her.”

“So what are we going to do?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.” Aiden glanced out the doorway again with a puzzled expression. “Where did Tate go? I thought he was right outside.”

“I don’t know. There was no one here when I got here.

Aiden frowned. “That’s strange.”

“What you should be worried about is that Emma and my brother are right behind me. And probably a whole host of reporters. Bane sent me the videos of Lexie appearing in the arena of an AFC match during a fight between Torin Firebringer and some other guy. You made quite a scene, didn't you, squirt?"

It just then occurred to Lexie that she had indeed landed at one of the AFC stadiums. She hadn't really noticed before, because too much was happening. “Who won?”

“How the devil would I know? I don’t even know if the matches continued for the day. The place looked to be in total chaos in the video. So yeah, a whole host of people are probably on their way here right about–”

The half-open door was pushed even further open, smacking into Aiden's face as Emma and Luke rushed in. Emma stopped suddenly, breathing hard, her scrubs stained and her hair all around her face. 

She saw Lexie, paled, and simply burst into tears.

It was the second time Lexie had to emotionally comfort an adult that day.

Emma enfolded her in a giant hug, dragged Lexie into her lap, and cried into Lexie's hair.

Luke was a lot better composed, but he took her hand, squeezed it really tight, and said in a heavy voice, “I’m so glad you’re back.”

Lexie smiled at him. “I’m glad to be back, too.” She felt a prick of guilt because she knew she would be leaving again. But she didn't bring it up right now.

Aiden left for a few seconds while Emma held Lexie, rocking her back and forth on the couch. That, and Luke's murmured assurances, seemed to calm the woman down somewhat.

When Aiden came back, he dusted his hands. 

“Where did you go?” Max asked. 

“Just to erect some protective force fields around the area. Just so no one can just come onto the property without my knowledge.”

“How did you do that?”

“Uh…with mechs.”

Max clearly didn’t buy it, and neither did Luke from the look on his face, but Emma nodded with all sincerity.

She finally released Lexie and said, “Xena called. She said she’s been trying to call you on the system, Lexie, but you weren’t picking up. She’s…well, she’s in a state.”

Lexie swallowed.

She didn’t know why the system calls hadn’t worked. Was it because she was an Eldritch now?

“System calls won’t work for some time,” Aiden told Lexie. “You spent too long in the dungeon. You have to get everything reconfigured."

"Yeah. I had to do the same," Max said.

Lexie nodded. She didn't know if their explanation was real or if they were lying to cover for her, but she would accept that for now. 

“Oh, you must be hungry,” Emma continued. “My word, look at the state of you. You're so skinny, poor thing. You must not have had any food for months. How awful. How did you even–” She bit her lip and shook her head.

Lexie knew Emma had been about to ask her how she even survived, but she stopped herself.

Maybe she thought that Lexie would be traumatized by talking about it, or perhaps she herself was traumatized thinking about it.

Either way, she forced a smile onto her lips and said, “How about I make you something? Or maybe I can bring over some leftover casserole–”

“No,” Aiden, Max, and Luke barked at the same time.

When Emma frowned at them, Max and Aiden looked away, with only Luke coming up with an explanation.

“We just don't want you to bother,” Luke said, softening his tone. “I’m sure Aiden has something here that he can heat up.”

“Of course. I have some leftover potato soup in the fridge," Aiden said instantly. "And some Muan tea."

“I'll warm the soup.” Emma clearly had a lot of excess energy she was eager to spend, and she climbed to her feet. "I'll do that right now, Lexie. Would you like that?"

Lexie wasn’t sure she remembered what potato soup tasted like, but she nodded anyway. 

Aiden went to the kitchen with Emma to brew the Muan tea.

Max and Luke kept Lexie company, Max asking her about what happened at the AFC match. Lexie could tell Max wanted to ask more personal questions than he was currently asking her, but he couldn't. Not with everyone still there.

Emma hummed while she got things together. Max told Lexie she'd probably have to chop all her hair off, and Luke told him he was being an ass.

Lexie only paid attention with half a mind. Lexie felt…well, she didn’t know how she felt. Happy. Unsettled. Tired.

But also strangely at peace.

It all felt so...familiar, yet different at the same time. It didn't feel real. It felt like she was stuck in one of those dreams she used to have in the dungeon, and she would wake up again, crying for something she'd lost.

“Vacek is here,” Aiden announced suddenly. “I’m going to go out and meet him before he comes in.”

“Alright,” Max said. “I'll watch her. Make sure she doesn’t go anywhere”.

Lexie cocked an eyebrow at her Uncle. Even weak, she was probably still stronger than he and could go anywhere she wanted, if she wanted.

But right now, she didn't want to.

She should be doing a lot of things, like checking in on Cecilia or going back to make sure that Neqal didn’t denature Pvilycht. 

But she didn’t want to do any of that.

She just rested on her father’s couch, breathed in the scent of herbs and nutmeg, and listened to Emma sing and her Uncles argue.

She was home.

****

Dominic Vacek looked nearly feverish with excitement when Aiden saw him, so much so that he didn't even flinch when Aiden appeared in front of him. 

The President of the Hero's Association tried to walk around him, but Aiden disappeared and appeared again to block his path. “Stop.”

“Is it really her?” Vacek asked, and Aiden was sickened by the greed in the other man’s eyes. 

“Yes, and I don’t know what you’re planning on doing with her, but you should know that I’m not going to let it happen. So just get that out of your head right now."

“You understand how unprecedented this is, Aiden,” Vacek said, and though his expression was as composed as ever, Aiden could smell the desperation on the other man. "You realize what this means."

"My daughter is not going to be a political tool for you to use against the Fae.”

“You don’t understand. This isn’t just about her or the Fae. This isn't about politics. This is about…” He cut himself off, running his hand over his face. “The world, Aiden. Our world, and some others. This is about everything. You have no idea what Lexie means to us.”

“I stand by what I said,” Aiden said. ‘I don’t really give a shit about the world, right now, or any other planets. I’m going to protect my daughter from everyone. Even you.”

“Do you think you can protect her from the Fae?” Vacek said, taking a step closer to him. “Because I have to tell you, they are interested in her. Very interested. The Ambassador wants us to bring her over to him immediately, and the only reason he didn't come with me is because of our jurisdiction agreement. But we both know he can overrule that if he really wants to. I told him that we would have to run an evaluation on her first, and he said that they would run their separate evaluation after he’s done.”

“Vacek–”

“You can only protect her so much,” Vacek said. “And I can’t help you protect her if you don’t tell me the truth about what’s going on.”

Aidne pressed his lips together.  

“Trust me, Aiden,” Vacek said. “Please. Just a little. We both want the same thing here.”

No, we don’t, Aiden thought, but Vacek was right. Aiden couldn’t protect Lexie on his own, not from the Fae. And unfortunately, apparently, Lexie’s appearance had caused a stir in the media, which meant that he would need Vacek to help protect her from that, too. 

But Aiden would keep Vacek close. If Vacek ever tried to get Lexie alone...

Well, Aiden would kill him and disappear with his daughter once and for all.

***

Come here.

Vulcan heard the message in his head, clear as day, and he was expecting it.

He'd been out having some fun. Bird watching mostly, but occasionally striking up conversations with unsuspecting strangers.

He'd recently had to kill all his friends–thanks to being put on the wanted list by the association–so now he had to make new ones.

He also had to wear a magic skin suit that changed his appearance, and it itched a little, but it was a small price to pay for being a free man.

Anyway, regardless, today was going to be a good day.

Today was the day Aiden Sparrrowfoot would retrieve the key from the Dark Tower.  

With any luck, he would die while doing so. If not, then immediately after. Then the Key to the doors would be theirs. 

Well, it would be the Alchemists’, but Vulcan had his own plan to get the Key for himself. He just had to be very careful with the other man. 

Vulcan finished up his conversation with his new bird-watching friend and walked a bit away before activating his orb.

When he appeared in the Alchemist's new funhouse, he could immediately sense something was wrong.

It wasn't anything obvious. The Alchemist was still working on his new golem as usual, just with a little more agitation than necessary.

"What's up?" Vulcan asked.  

“Change of plans.”

"What is it?”

Instead of responding, he gestured in the air for the black blob to move and turn into some kind of screen playing a video.

Vulcan squinted at it, saw a bunch of people running around, security fighting, meaningless chaos, until he focused on....

"Is that..." He couldn't speak for a few seconds, shifting forward to take a closer look while the Alchemist worked in the background. "It can't be."

"It is." The Alchemist sounded like he wanted to laugh and scream at the same time.  

"It can't be." Vulcan shook his head, squeezing his left hand so hard his fingernails cut skin. He jabbed his right index finger at the screen. "It can't. I got rid of her. I know I did. I–"

"The same way you got rid of Max?"

"Yes, but I took extra precautions and I even...so tell me–" He took a deep breath through his nose, trying to calm down, but he couldn't. There wasn't enough air in the world to calm him down, and he'd left his stress ball at home, damn it.

"Tell me that isn't LEXIE FUCKING SPARROWFOOT!"