Tempora, Cloud City, the day of Zoi's reawakening…
Aliceria sat with a child in her lap inside the backroom of Picaro's Shadow; Cambridge, Neveline, and Donny were also in attendance. She tickled the boy's flat belly, and he smiled with a mouth full of gaps. His bare, stubby toes knocked over the bag of chocolates they were eating from before. With a silent gesture, he begged Aliceria for another, and she was helpless to resist his wide, precious eyes.
"Okay, but just one more, yeah?" she said, insincerely.
"You're good with him," Neveline complimented. "Very motherly."
"I always wanted a younger sibling," Aliceria expressed fondly. "But where are his parents?"
"That's the thing, girl," Donny interjected. "We don't know."
"As far as records show, this kid has no kin in this city," said Cambridge. "I tried asking him, but he doesn't respond to much besides sweets."
"And I wonder who's fault that is…" Aliceria sighed.
The boy spun around, facing her directly, his palms reaching out. She joined her hands with his, humming playfully as they swayed from side to side… But this union triggered something within her; a surge of memories flashed in an instant, and suddenly, she found herself alone in a home she did not recognize.
"G-Guys?" her voice echoed.
The house was dark and in ruins; the only source of light was the hectic static of the living room television. Before she could move, something prickly brushed between her ankles, causing her to jump back. But it was merely a simple cat. Though one so starved that its ribs were visible, even in the barely lit room. The feline meowed, staring right back at her; it knew she was there, meaning this was not a dream. With wobbly steps, it led her to its bowl before collapsing beside it. Aliceria scrambled around the messy apartment to find something for it to eat, completely forgetting that she was in unfamiliar surroundings. That was when she stumbled upon the resident—sitting in a dark corner of the kitchen—looking in her direction.
"H-Hello…?" She greeted. But there was no response. The man just stared, drooling, his pupils shrouded in a hazy white.
Still, Aliceria could not take her mind off the hungry cat. "Y-Y-You should re-really feed your ca—"
"Son!?" he sprang to life—charging at her like a man possessed—stomping on downed animal like trash in the street. Uncertainty froze Aliceria. This felt like a nightmare; perhaps accepting this momentary fate was her only means of escape, but as the man's psychotic grip snatched at her, she instinctively smashed him with a lamp, affording her mere seconds to retreat into the coat closet. A foul stench then assaulted her senses, and as the door began to split apart from the crazed man's assault, the flickering light from the television poured inside, illuminating the rotten corpse of a woman. No longer able to deny it, all she could do was scream; so loud that it drowned out the madness around her—and as the man grabbed her—she awoke in Picaro's Shadow, unharmed and in a cold sweat.
"Aliceria, what happened!?" Cambridge shook her. What did you see!?"
"I-I…! I don't…!"
"It happened when she touched the boy," Donny noted. "She's a disorderly, alright."
"Of the Soma variety, it looks like," added Neveline.
The boy cowered in a corner, covering his ears; Neveline scooped him up, assuring him that none of this was his doing. Donny brought Aliceria a bottle of water from the bar, handing it over to Cambride.
"Try to tell us what happened," Cambridge said, opening the water.
She took a shaky sip, water spilling onto her skirt. "I-I-I was at this… apartment! There was this-this guy and a starving cat and-and-and a DEAD woman in the closet!"
"Donny, can you…?"
"Yeah. I'm on it."
He grabbed Aliceria by the head and took a deep breath.
"Try to stay calm, okay, I just wanna see what you saw."
She took deep breaths alongside him, which helped her become relatively calm, and in seconds, they returned to the dark apartment. The terrifying man from before was passed out on the floor, bleeding from the nose; his hands full of splinters from the door.
"Where's the woman you mentioned?' asked Donny.
Aliceria silently pointed at the closet.
"Okay, stay here, okay," Donny urged. "Don't wanna risk your ego getting displaced."
After a quick look inside the closet, he opened the front door of the apartment. There was no mistake; this was the Wernicke District—on the other side of the city. Aliceria stepped out into the light and fresh air, escaping the suffocating horror behind her, but none of it made sense. How could they have possibly traveled such a great distance without leaving the bar?
"How… How did we…?"
"It's like Willy told you, Princess," Donny looked at her with admiration in his eyes. "You're a disorderly. A pretty remarkable one at that."
"I don't…" Her body suddenly felt numb as her hands began to fade away.
"Whoops, time to go!" Donny took her in his arms. "And don't stress about driving this time, I'll take the wheel."
And with a blink of an eye, they returned to the others.
***
That night, Aliceria rested upstairs while the others discussed her condition at the bar. Donny shut the club down for the night, posting a sign out front that it was booked for a private event. He then poured three glasses of apple whisky and one glass of lemonade for the boy, unaware that he had already fallen asleep on the pink sofa.
"I don't think you truly grasp how special that girl is," he expressed to Cambridge. "A disorderly is one thing, but one with soma abilities is rare. She has a very potent soul."
Cambridge took a small sip of the whisky before recoiling with disgust. "I've only met two other disorderlies besides you and me; none of us can do something as crazy as astral projection."
"Well, most disorderlies awaken due to prolonged exposure to either a deathling or some form of distortion that doesn't belong on this side of the fence."
"Yeah, we know this song already, like how Neveline awakened me."
Neveline shared no thoughts, just smiled as she sipped from her drink.
"Yes, Willy, but there's nuance to the situation," Donny continued. "Y'see, plenty of deathlings come and go from Phenoma to Noumenis. Hell, many live with Phebians—excuse me—human families…"
Cambridge brushed the whisky to the side and opened a two-toned chocolate bar, one side milk chocolate, the other white chocolate. Before he could take a bite, Donny grabbed the snack.
"Deathlings come in flavors," he snapped the chocolate in half, holding up the darker end first. "There's your standard, plain Jane, the type that collects their souls and earns just enough cathexis to live a somewhat peaceful eternity."
He hands the darker half back to Cambridge, now holding only the white chocolate half.
"Then you have the special types, the ones that require a lot more fuel in the tank to keep the engine hummin'. The kind that utilizes mementos to serve their ends. This is the type that triggers and awakens a disorderly such as yourself."
He tosses the white chocolate at Cambridge.
"Okay, still waiting for the part when you get to Aliceria's case."
"Neveline, mind layin' him to bed for me?" requested Donny.
"Mmmm, most certainly, love," she obliged. "Like the sweets your heart so desires, deathlings come in all shapes and sizes. The standards, such as yours truly, can activate a slight response in the ego of a human. Triggering a heightened sense of smell, hearing, sight, or taste…"
She walked behind Cambridge, massaging his shoulders sensually.
"But it takes a foul one, like that licorice-flavored taffy you hate so much, to trigger a response that awakens the sense of touch."
"So in other words… she's been dancing with the devil?" surmised Cambridge.
"The devil dances in the shadow of all children," said Donny as the three of them looked over at the sleeping boy. "That's why we're born fearing the dark…"
The three continued their discussion well into the night, unaware that upstairs, Aliceria's ego was once again adrift from her body.
***
Back in First Dominia, Mika and Miriam accompanied Lea'natas to their tower. Miriam glanced at Mika, who whistled without a care in the world; she was of little concern. The source of the uneasiness that stirred her stomach stemmed from the Dominus. A deathling that typically only kept the company of those of either import or power. Speaking out of turn to such a being meant instant assimilation, no matter how old, your existence reduced to cosmic dust, lost to the dunes of the universe.
"Sooo… what are you exactly?" Mika blurted, rudely, Miriam stunned by her impudence.
"Whatever do you mean?" Lea'natas indulged the girl.
"I mean, your voice is like a guy's, but you're pretty like a chick."
"[HMPF, HMPF] How do I appear to you?" they chuckled.
"Mmmm… a chick."
"Then I am a chick."
"Dope, Imma call you Leah. Okay, Leah?"
No longer able to bear her uncouth nature, Miriam placed her hand on Mika's mouth before another thought could charge out. Hers was the grace of a buffalo let loose at a wedding, but Leah did not seem to mind.
"Leah… Shorthand and beautiful. Very dope indeed. Thank you… We have arrived."
The tower formed from the darkness of the city, reaching high into the green sky. Inside, the main hall was a gallery of many art pieces—most depicting a multitude of different faces. Mika skipped along cheerfully, coming across a swirling pool of colors on the wall that formed her face.
"Whoooaaa! How'd it do that?" Her mouth gaped with astonishment.
"The walls here are imprinted with the faces of my many guests throughout the years. I thank you for joining, but try not to stare for too long. I would rather your heart remain in its chest."
Miriam found an impressive piece of Lea'natas standing with the other eight Domina. The quality of the art had visibly weathered throughout the centuries, but even so, she could still make out Laurehli's unique features. That thick, wavy cyan hair of hers. The way she used to wrap it into a bun before cooking, revealing the gentle concentration on her face. At that moment, her anger subsided as she was enraptured by nostalgia… that was until the sharp glare behind Laurehli called to her. The face was warped, but she knew who it was; there was no mistaking those eyes. She was powerless that day, against a force that threatened to devour the world itself. Lea'natas took notice of her frustration.
"She was a magnificent being, your dearest, Laurehli. I'm sure she would be proud of the woman you've become."
"[Sniff] Come, my lord. I wish to speak with the Rinel boy," Miriam walked away.
As they approached the elevator, Mika's voice echoed from around the corner. "Heyaaa… Leah, is this supposed to be Zoi?"
"Hm. I am unsure…"
The image was smeared, but Zoi's bright eyes and pale skin were undeniable.
"The hair is way too long, but kinda fits him, he used to get picked on for lookin' like a girl."
"A curiosity… nonetheless, this elevator will take us to his chamber. Come." Lea'natas directed.
With each passing floor, Miriam's emotions rose.
"The absconder…"
"Ms. Golbez?" Lea'natas turned to her.
"He was the one who… why did he turn on the Uber-ich? What was taken from the World Channel?"
Lean'natas looked forward without a word. Whether they chose not to speak or genuinely did not possess the answers did not matter; to pry such information from a Dominus would not only be insubordinate but also foolish.
"We have arrived."
A single door stood before them. With a gentle tap, it pushed open.
"Well, this certainly is a surprise," said Lea'natas in an incredulous tone.
"What lemme see," Mika squeezed in between the two—her eyes filling with tears as she rushed into the room, leaping onto Zoi and an impossible individual; a person who, against all possibilities, traveled to this world on a wish.
"Mika!!!" Aliceria cried with joy as she embraced her sister, nestled between the reunion, a sleeping Zoi, his hair now at shoulder length. Miriam was stunned to see that the rude, brazen punk she had spent the day with truly was nothing more than a child. And with that, her heart softened, opting to give them a moment as she waited beside the elevator.
Lea'natas gazed deeply at Zoi, the luminous glints in their eyes returned, and the divine being had but one question on their mind. "Who will you choose to be in this life, Zoi Rinel?"