Hey All

I am loving this new Bindery feature! Click on get a rec (you can include a cool image if you want!) and I will be posting the recs to my Instagram stories!

Book summary

A collection of essays on resistance, resilience, and collective power in the age of climate disaster from Chamorro human rights lawyer and organizer Julian Aguon.

My review

This book touched me deeply. Aguon's writing feels like a warm hug and creates moments of hope admist the nightmares in today's world. I learned so much from reading this book and this book is a rallying cry to do something about it.

Everything I learned

• In the 1900s, the US navy established a leper colony in Guam where Chammorros thought to be afflicted were quarantined on a beach. In 1912, they were forcibly deported to the Culion Leper Colony in the Philippines.

Photo from https://www.guampedia.com/us-naval-era-leprosy-local-reaction/

• From 1946-1958 the U.S. conducted a nuclear testing program in the Marshall Islands where it detonated 67 automatic and thermonucelar weapons. The worst of these tests was "Bravo" which deposited life-threatening quanitities of radioactive fallout (3x the estimated external dose people in Chernobyl were exposed to) onto the Marshallese.
  
  These tests resulted in forced exile, increase in congeneital diseases, birth defeects, miscarraiges, and cancers.

  • "The truth is this. Nucelar weapons do not have to be used to be deadly."-Julian Aguon

  
  

• The U.S. Department of Defense is relocating 5,000 Marines from Okinawa to Guam, destroying historical and cultural sites in order to build a firing range complex, which is dangerously close to Guam's primary source of drinking water: the Northern Guam Lens Aquifer. It's also being built 100 feet away from the last remaining håyon lågu tree.
  
  
  Further reading

• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261967252_Re-membering_the_Past_Photography_leprosy_and_the_Chamorros_of_Guam_1898-_1924

• https://www.boell.de/en/2023/10/09/ongoing-consequences-us-nuclear-testing-program-marshall-islands

• https://www.guampedia.com/we-are-guahan/

I'm so excited to share that Bindery has a new feature where you can get a personalized book recommendation from me any time you need one!

All you have to do is click on the new "Get a rec" button at the top of my profile, answer a few questions, and it'll be sent my way. I'll share all of my recs in my Instagram story for everyone (and you) to see. If you want, you can share your Instagram handle and I'll tag you so you don't miss it.

Right now, because this feature is in beta, it's just available on desktop.

Honestly, this is the perfect time of year for this because you can get recs for yourself or I can help you think of a book to gift your friends and family this year.

Send all of your requests my way🎉

Admit it - you need more books for your TBR!

Bindery just rolled out a really cool new feature where you can ask me for a book recommendation! When you go to the main site, there is a button in the top right that says "Get a Rec."

When you click on that it will ask you for a name, your social media handles if you want the request and response shared and tagged there. It will then ask you some questions about what you're looking for.

Once completed, I get an email, and I can figure out what to recommend and share it on any of my social channels.

This is a fun beta feature, and I'm interested to try it out. I already got one request that is posted to my Instagram stories if you want to see what that looks like.

SO if you need a recommendation, give it a shot. Or, clink on the link above and join us on Discord, where there are a whole bunch of us who can recommend you books!

Happy Reading!

Exciting news, Bindery has launched Get A Rec!

Needing help picking your next read? Come to my profile page on the web and click get a rec. After you fill out some info, I’ll get an email with your request. From there the match making will begin!

You can share your username on insta and I’ll tag you in your rec reveal, or you can remain anonymous.

I am so excited to share these with you. 🥰

Hi friends!

The good people at Bindery have just rolled out a new feature that allows you to request a custom book recommendation HERE.

Sign in, fill out a prompt (or upload a vibe picture! Extra credit to those who do) and the Sunny's elves will get to work. It's free! I've ported over a few from our now defunct Holiday Hotline form, and you can expect such offerings as the below:

I would LOVE to help you out with your niche book requests this season, there is nothing I love to do more as a bookseller. Happy requesting!

CJ

Love what we do? Become a paid subscriber for less than a cup of coffee a month. Your ongoing support helps us plan ahead, fund causes we care about, and create meaningful programming for our community.

Hello my loves! As we start to reckon with the conclusion of the year, we also get to dream about how much better 2026 is going to be - especially here on my Bindery! It's taken me a bit to get going, but I'm working on the research for my first longform video (which I'll introduce soon!) as well as bolstering other Bindery content.

It's time to announce our Book Club! 🎉 We'll be doing one book a quarter (so no matter how fast you read, you can join us!)

How will this work?
Once we decide on a title (vote below!), I'll create a graphic breaking down when we'll be reading each chapter! For your best experience, you can join the Discord server linked above, though there's no pressure to do so. I'll film reactionary/ rant videos each month to go over what we've read, and anyone along on the journey can interact there.

What if I've already read the book you choose?
That's totally okay! If you find that you have already read the book we pick for book club, feel free to wait for the next quarterly read, or reread! You can be our wise guide on the story's journey.

What happens at the end of the read?
For Everyone:
We'll chat on Discord each month and then wrap it all up there at the conclusion of the read! Bring along your hot takes and we'll have some fun!
For Insiders:
My current plan is to do some kind of live event at the conclusion of our read, and I'll bring my Sommelier / Bartender skills along for the ride, pairing a wine and creating a custom mocktail/ cocktail curated for my Inkspoken Insiders that you can make for the (digital) party!

The live event might be an Instagram live, but I'm exploring other ideas as well. If you don't finish the book, or don't want to take part, that's okay! (only Insiders will have access to the Live)

Identity exploration and normal variability deserve better marketing. Why do so many people expect identity to arrive fully formed, laminated, and unchanged or like with a flashing neon sign that gives you the answer. If only it was that easy, I'd be out of a job.

Identity, for many people can often be fluid across years because development responds to context. Research in developmental psychology shows identity formation continues across adulthood, not only during adolescence. Stay with my because I'm about to nerd out for a second, Erikson described identity as an ongoing task across the lifespan. Later researchers expanded this view. Kroger and Marcia (more dead psychology researchers) tracked identity statuses across decades and found shifts tied to relationships, work roles, parenting, loss, and social pressure. Longitudinal studies show stability in core values alongside movement in expression, labels, and priorities.

Society sells a story promising "one big self discovery" moment. Cue montage music and some 90s mega movie stars in dressing rooms. Real life looks closer to repeated software updates. Some updates fix bugs. Others introduce new ones. No release notes included.

Think about it like the kids you went to high school with who knew what they wanted to do with their life, went to college for exactly that, and now 25 years later are doing the same (my brother and sister actually...for sure not me) And there are people like me who tried on about 35 different identities and personalities until the perfect shape fit into the whole (wait this analogy is getting too sexual ... you get it) My identity did not break, it adapted, it evolved.

So just like figuring out who we want to be when we grow up, attraction patterns shift. Gender expression shifts. Political views shift. Faith shifts. Nervous systems mature. Trauma responses soften or flare. Social roles change. Identity tracks survival, safety, meaning, and belonging. Consistency across all contexts would signal rigidity, not health. I was "straight" for like 20+ years, then I was bisexual, then I was non-binary, then I was trans-masc, now I'm feeling gender fluid, maybe lesbian? Maybe pansexual, who the fuck knows and honestly labels aren't as important to me as knowing what's true for me.

Neuroscience supports this view, not of me being pansexual, but like the science of change. Brain development related to self concept, emotional regulation, and perspective taking continues well into adulthood. Research on narrative identity by Dan McAdams shows people revise personal stories across life stages to integrate new experiences. Each revision keeps coherence while updating meaning. Identity behaves less like a statue and more like an ongoing draft.

Relationship research adds another layer. Studies on attachment and intimacy show people shape identity in response to connection and rupture. Falling in love reorganizes priorities. Ending a relationship does the same. Chronic stress reshapes self perception. Identity responds because survival demands responsiveness.

For queer and trans people, fluidity often reflects honesty rather than confusion. Research on sexual orientation and gender development shows variation across time, especially when safety increases. As environments grow safer, our exploration expands. Suppression decreases. Labels change to match lived experience rather than external demand.

Here comes the practical takeaway. If your identity feels different from five years ago, nothing went wrong. Development simply continued. Here's a ti: curiosity helps more than panic, reflection works better than force. Asking what fits now supports mental health more than clinging to outdated roles.

Questions worth asking:
What feels true in daily behavior rather than fantasy?
What drains energy versus restores energy?
Which identities emerged during safety versus during threat?
Which parts feel chosen versus inherited?

Now the book recommendations because like, that's why we are all here. Each title supports identity exploration without promising fixed answers. Most are non-fiction but I've thrown some fiction into the mix too.

Queer.
Queer: A Graphic History by Meg-John Barker.
Gender Trouble by Judith Butler
Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg
Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashely Herring Blake
Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters a piece of classic lesbian literature
On the Same Page by Haley Cass
Late Bloomer by Mazzy Eddings
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
The Romance Recipe by Ruby Barrett
The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
The Stories We Live By by Dan McAdams
What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo

Identity changes because life changes. Stability comes from values and self awareness, not from freezing identity in time. Growth looks messy. Growth looks human.

Hi guys,

We missed our giveaway in September and I do want to apologise that we missed the September one, it's been a whirlwind of a season, what with the delivery delays of the items and then me not feeling well

I wanted to make this a double giveaway! Therefore, we're going to have two winners from both paid tiers and there is a form below where you can indicate whether you'd like to participate or not.

Additionally, Mere from Lore & Whimsy (who designed the lovely cottagecore gamers sticker collection) will be sending out a gift of the stickers to all of you guys too as a thank you for supporting Chanterelle Solace. Before we dive into it all, check out the Cottagecore Gamer's Collection by Lore & Whimsy

Here is the form that you should fill out to join any of the giveaways below:

• Giveaway one: Mushroomcore Box (look below for the photos)

• Giveaway two: Steam/Bookshop.org giftcard

• A thank you envelope for Cottagecore Gamers Stickers from Lore & Whimsy

Giveaway 1: Mushroomcore Box

Here is a list of all the items below:

• Mushroomcore book: Human Scars on Planet Skin (guys I LOVED this book ahhh)

• Mushroom Sleeve by Paper and Word

• Mushroom Calendar for 2026 by Mellow Apricot Studio

• Cottagecore Gamer Stickers by Lore & Whimsy

This giveaway will continue till next Friday the 19th and winner will be announced Saturday December 20th with the box shipping shortly afterwards so you can get it in time for New Years (hopefully)!

Thank you for sticking around and I can't wait to see us building our community in 2026 together!

Hello again,

I hope you guys enjoyed this volume. If you've made it this far, thank you for trusting me with this story. I hope you are doing well.

These are the last few chapters of this volume. Volume 2 will be coming 2026.

Excerpt will be after reminders.

Reminders:

If you want to support, there are a few ways you can do so.

I accidentally published my ebook on my birthday on the following websites. To read the full formatted manuscript now, you can buy it below:

Everand: https://www.everand.com/book/958055757/Spike-s-Last-Life-The-Power-Crystal-Chronicles-1

Fable: fable.co/book/spikes-last-life-by-noel-alvarado-9798993888309

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/spike-s-last-life?sId=837cb562-66fe-47f8-b22a-014520910771&ssId=H_UpB-c4Ulr-QfiIEFbIl

Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spikes-last-life-noel-alvarado/1148842799;jsessionid=852BE3834A709F3E9FBACFD05C2DA1CB.prodny_store01-atgap03?ean=2940183309881&st=AFF&2sid=Draft2Digital_7968444_NA&sourceId=AFFDraft2Digital

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/spikes-last-life/id6755915622

Pre-order Kindle version here:

https://a.co/d/gwtp1Na

Thank you for reading til the end.

Chapter 31: AXEL

Six years. For six years, I haven’t seen Simon.

These years were pretty boring. Summed up to a few limited experiences and learning in a stagnant period.

Chaos Salem sent me home with basic reading materials to work on until I became nineteen. My task being to memorize every single word in all thirteen of the books given to me by Chaos Salem. Each one representing a Coven member and their tribes. Every day between my studies I wondered where Simon was. Mama Reyna made it clear I was a threat. Warlocks and witches surrounded Mama Amanda’s cottage never letting me leave. I was a prisoner trapped for six years in the cottage with only my familiar, Lavender, and Mama Amanda for company. One day I was tired of it all. I would look for a solution to escape the cottage in the books. As I would go to perform them, the spells would vanish and move to another area of the book.

Six years of solitude. I cried, screamed, lost all sanity, and rebelled in every which way.

For example, one day, when Mama Amanda went to teach her students, I burned the house down. I let Lavender loose before it happened. She was my main priority. But they had to let me out and let me leave if there was no cottage. Right?

The fire was snuffed out by Mama Reyna in two minutes. Every charred wall and furniture piece restored. Black fumes dissipated to clean forest air.

I burnt down the house five times.

Mama Reyna scolded me each time. She would tie my feet to the highest branch of a tree for three days and leave me there hanging.

Mama Amanda finally convinced Mama Reyna to let me have a few days to wander around before I did it a sixth time.

That didn’t stop me from doing it a sixth time.

The same punishment was dished out though.

My first night out, during my sixteenth year, I used it to explore the woods. I missed fresh air. The creatures. Nature. Lavender guided me to her clan of familiars nesting grounds in a circular meadow. At the bottom of each tree trunk, a hole leading to the nesting tunnels. They showed me the underground tunnels beneath Mama Amanda’s Forest leading to Salem’s cathedral and we stopped before we reached one of Rae’s underground hubs.

They allowed me out once a week. The cats started guiding me around Rae’s tunnels. I took advantage of the situation and mapped as much of Rae’s tunnels without getting caught. They showed me hidden entrances to Thorn and Grave’s cavern homes across the western section of the planet. I would pack a whole day’s worth of food. Travel around for half a day exploring as much of Epsilon as I could through Rae’s tunnels. And the other half of the day, I would use following cats back to Mama Amanda’s cottage.

One day, the fun ended. The cats showed me Rae’s headquarters at the center of the entire planet. A map on the wall of the tunnel displayed the headquarters being the return point to all tunnels and blocking access to all other tunnels on Epsilon. Which basically meant, the half day it took for me to reach this point would take longer to get to any of the other destinations on the map. That isn’t even accounting for how stealthy I would have to be to make it through the hive-shaped headquarters to access the other tunnels.

I drew the map in a pocket journal I used to map the tunnels in the first place. I ripped out my map and overlaid it on the new map I copied. It matched pretty closely if I do say so myself. The bummer of all of this exploring was realizing I’d never get to explore the other areas of the map. Not until I was nineteen at least.

I still traveled in to the tunnels from time to time, but the idea of never seeing anything new made it boring. My curiosity craved new information. At times, I would ask myself: is it me that wants to know this information or Kairos? Do I have any real thoughts or emotions or ideas? Or does he fabricate my reality? A puppet commanded like a dog to their owner’s will. Or a curious sixteen year old curious as to what mysteries live beyond his cage?

* * *

Every witch, warlock, or warwick is assigned to a member of the Coven to train with on their nineteenth birthday. The Thirteen bid for their picks. The Coven member with the highest seniority in the group would get their pick of students.

Six years later, I am cattle-called into the Kaleidoscope Cathedral with three hundred other potential students that come from all over Epsilon. Three hundred of us share the same birthday. Three hundred of us turn nineteen today and our lives will change forever.

I want Chaos Salem. I don’t want the others. My anxiety peaks. What if Mama Reyna picks me so that she could somehow bully me and withhold information? That thought quickly gets brushed under the rug once I hear the other’s conversations.

The mages that are expected to be the top students automatically will go with Mama Reyna as she is the oldest and wisest. Others gossip, “Those kids have been training since they were born. Mama Reyna had a magical regiment for future commanders that she puts specific citizens through. The magical regiment follows them from infancy to adulthood creating the strongest offense and defense warriors in the Epsilon army.”

The Thirteen Coven members silence the chatter and begin.

Mama Reyna and her twenty picks file out the room.

Two hundred and eighty candidates left.

Esmeralda and Queenie are next as they were the first to join Mama Reyna’s side in Epsilon’s previous wars. They each take fifteen and go.

Two hundred and fifty candidates left.

Thorn and Grave.

Thirty-five and thirty-five split.

My anxiety starts to ebb when I realize that I’m basically contagious to be seen with. If these children gossip as much as they do, their parents must be worse. And what would it look like to have an accused Time Absorber be a part of your team? As insulted as I am, I don’t want them either. Chaos Salem stood up for me when I needed them too. I need a trainer like them.

It still kinda stings to not be picked.

One hundred and eighty candidates left.

Piper and my mom, Amanda.

My mom skips me as I am a conflict of interest.

Thirty, thirty split.

One hundred and twenty candidates.

Myst.

Sixty for one instructor? Damn.

Sixty candidates left.

Wren.

Thirty out.

Thirty candidates left.

Rae.

Ten out.

Twenty candidates left.

Avery

Ten out.

Ten candidates left.

Knox.

Nine.

One candidate left.

I stand in the cathedral alone with Chaos Salem. Their heels click on the colorful mosaic floors.

“I guess it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be to get you.” Salem cheers.

“That’s all good. I didn’t want them anyway.” I add. “Where do we go for training?”

“Right here.” Salem motions to the cathedral, “This cathedral is mine. It is the center of everything. I am the thirteenth Coven member. My place represents numbers one and three. One for new beginnings. And three for community. Thirteen on its own is a sacred number. Each member of the Coven is given an area to house and train their students. Reyna has the Necromancer’s Skull Temple at the edge of the forest. Esmeralda and Queenie have their castles. Thorn and Grave use their cavern homes. Piper and Amanda have their cottage colony they have set up in the forest. You grew up in one of them. Myst lives in the Sky Ships protecting the planet. Wren lives in temples across the mountains providing aerial support and training soldiers that can survive in icy cold conditions. Avery built large aviaries all across the planet to train levitating mages and to help them control small birds. Knox built secret stone forts across the planet that can only be accessed by his students and Rae. Rae trains her mages in the interconnected tunnels below ground. They connect to each area above. All of us combined create unity. A working body with different cells, atoms, and limbs all doing its own function to thrive and evolve. There is no survival without community.”

“Will we visit all of the other areas?”

“Only if we are called upon. Certain times throughout the year, Coven members cross train in order to simulate the counter attacks an enemy force would pose. Speciality attacks that can only be passed on from one coven tribe to another.”

“When would we be called?”

“When the Threads of the universe come in to play.”

“Is that what you teach?”

“Specifically, Thread manipulation. All Coven members know the basics of Thread manipulation but they rely on their natural born abilities. Natural born abilities are easier to use as they come from your core. They do not always require permissions from the Ethereals to use. But you will learn everything. Although, beings obsessed with the idea of evolution has always been my primary interest. What will beings do to evolve to their highest form? How much would they sacrifice including their own community members? Their obsession with a superior form intrigues me.” Chaos Salem pauses to catch their breath. “Each week I will teach you a lesson. At the end of the week, you will be given a Task. For every Task you pass, we move on to the next lesson. If you fail, I will stop teaching you what I know.”

“Are we trying to prove something to the other Coven leaders?”

“We have nothing to prove to them.”

“Then why threaten me to stop teaching me.”

“It’s an incentive. All the other students will be pushed to their limits during their Tasks. The Coven lives under the belief that through evolution we can gain the highest forms of beings. Even the weak can prosper if they are pushed far enough. While I don’t fully agree with that statement, I must adhere to my colleagues teachings to be on equal footing with them. The idea I agree with is: A being does not grow if they are stationary. A being does not grow without knowledge. A being does not grow without adversity. You and the other students must prove to yourselves that you want to live more than the monsters you face.”

“That’s cruel.”

“And necessary. It is a cruel world, Axel. This world is only fair to those that want to survive and even then some still die. We are called upon as a Coven to protect each other and defend those that can’t.”

Chapter 32: AXEL

The next morning, Chaos Salem dresses me in charcoal mage robes, a brown scarf, and a black shirt and pants. We meet in the cathedral again. This time, they are in a matching outfit like mine. Heels have been replaced with brown combat boots.

“Our magic works off the manipulation of the Threads that make up the universe. We Weave the Threads in to…”

They wait for me to respond, “Shapes.”

“What are the six cardinal shapes a mage needs to survive?”

“Hexagon, Squares, Triangles, Stars, Circles, and Diamonds.”

“Why these six?”

“They wield the most successful results.”

Chaos Salem draws six red lines in the air. They slowly bring them together.

“Hexagon is used to stop objects, people, and time. The number six represents harmony. Six years of solitude. Six years of learning. Six years of learning everything you need to know about the world before the world tries to devour you. This will be your foundation for all magical spells. To pull the Threads of the universe, you first need to ask the universe to bend for you. Hold out your hand and act as if you are going to pinch someone.”

I hold it as they ask. At first, nothing happens. Chaos Salem just stares at me smiling. The mischievous smile that demands a little trust. A red ripple passes through my fingers as if the air was made of water. Slight resistance crawls under my fingers and I instinctively squeeze. A red taut strand pulls away from me. I don’t let go. I create my first line. It stays hovering in the air. The next five are easier. And like a needle with thread, I Weave the strands together. The hexagon spins counter clockwise. A wind pushes past us stopping Chaos Salem for a second. The wind returns and time starts again.

“How did that feel?” Salem grins proudly.

“I stopped time.”

“And you will do so many times in the future.”

“I stopped you.”

“I let you. A student cannot move forward without practice and making mistakes. I expect both success and failure from you in these practice sessions. Use the practice sessions to fail as many times as needed because in the Task you will be afforded no such luxury.”

* * *

I spend the rest of the day watching Salem form the remaining symbols around the hexagon. Three squares make up the center of the hexagon. Squares are used for equal distribution of power. They can be used to share strength with another mage. Squares are the structure to the foundation. We add two lines above and below the squares to make six triangles. Three above the squares and three below. Triangles are used to work in tandem while amplifying abilities. When mages use the same spell at the same time, they can create a tsunami of energy hurled at an enemy. Six triangles are placed along the flat side of the hexagon to create a star. Stars can be used for explosions. They are the evolutionary result of smaller pieces and cogs working together to create a large whole. The result of a community’s energies being used for good or bad. A circle encompasses the tips of the eight triangles. Circles are the innovation, progress, and protection one is awarded after they’ve worked as a team. Each circle provides protection against an outside force or keeps someone in. Four lines brush the circle to create a diamond. Diamonds are the final phase of the cycle. They represent a new foundation. Through all the iterations of innovations, a new idea will emerge whether this is a new invention, new way of doing things, new way of treating people fairly, or new way of working cohesively. The final goal is always to reach a diamond stage. Diamonds are also the hardest form of magic to create. This final pillar of the universe requires full body movements to create diamonds. The only ones to ever individually achieve a diamond have been each of the thirteen Coven members.

* * *

“I want you to create a diamond by the end of this year.”

“You just said it was nearly impossible to do them.”

“Impossible things happen when you apply care instead of fear to action. Through near death or practice, you will end the year knowing how to perform a diamond.”

“You know it was easier to learn shapes when I was a toddler.”

“Then pretend that you are a toddler if it will make it easier.” Chaos Salem retorts.

* * *

Once I have mastered hexagons, Chaos Salem gives me an amethyst gemstone with smooth sides and the schematics to Esmeralda’s castle.

“Your first Task will be to deposit this in Esmeralda’s bedroom and return without being caught. This will be simple.”

“They will think I’m the enemy if I get caug…” I trail off.

Chaos Salem sneers at me.

“Don’t get caught. Got it.” I sigh.

“Precisely.”

* * *

Chaos Salem gives me climbing gear, a granola bar, and a small flask filled with nothing. They drop me off at the edge of Esmeralda’s castle and wish me luck.

Esmeralda’s castle is a fifty-story white building made of opaque quartz. A moat surrounds the main building with guards in white uniforms protecting the exterior. There are four entrances in to the castle that bypass the front door. The security quarters, the escape channels underground controlled by Rae, the receiving dock at the other side of the moat, and an aerial entrance for Wren and their paragliding soldiers.

Two entrances aren’t currently viable. I can’t fly and Rae protects her tunnels to certain places with heavy spells.

That leaves me with the security quarters and the receiving dock.

I spend an entire day trekking around the castle to where the receiving dock sits. By midnight, I make it to the rear of the castle having not rested all day. Minimal guards protect this entrance. The moat is the deepest here. A spell makes the waves erratic. The schematics made the waves seem tame. These monstrous waves move according to the movement and noises around them. They roar in defiance of any intruders.

I think the granola bar was meant to get me across the water.

I tear apart the wrapper and split the granola bar into six different pieces. This will give me one shot across the moat.

I come close to the edge of the raging water, enamored and terrified of the colossal waves. They roar at my footsteps matching my screaming adrenaline.

Fuck.

I sigh and toss two pieces of granola on opposite sides of the waves. The waves near me rapidly split in different directions. I form six walls comprised of hexagons to create a lengthy fifty-foot chamber. The waves return smashing against the hexagonal chamber. They stop for a few seconds affected by the hexagonal spell. I jump in to the transparent, red chamber hovering over the clear, deep water. Reptilian creatures, with long claws and round, slimy, greyish-green heads, and huge eyes, stare up at me smiling. They extend their neck and head fins in a threatening motion. They wait on the moat’s floor swirling slowly to the top of the water.

My heart starts to palpitate.

Chaos Salem definitely did not tell me about them.

I toss the next two pieces of granola and the waves part again. I build a new chamber crossing in to it and returning the energy of the old one to my body. I’m seventy-five percent across the moat when the reptilian creatures start scratching at the hexagons ripping the chamber open in certain parts. They start to screech. Why isn’t the spell stopping them?

Guards round the corner to the castle.

I repeat the process. Throw the granola. Build a faulty chamber. Run across. And tumble through empty air. I belly flop on to the shipping dock. Air knocked cleaned out of me. The reptilian creatures climb on to the hexagonal chamber chasing after me. I’m off the ground racing across the dock’s creaking wooden planks. Guards shout at me rushing from my right where their guard quarters are at. At my rear, six more reptilian creatures climb on to the dock screeching. I start forming hexagons as the claws trail at my feet. I build two hexagon walls behind me. Creatures thud against the barriers. The guards aim their spears tossing them at my head. I duck and it takes out two of the reptilian creatures chasing me.

I keep running until the dock ends with a huge area for holding supplies unloaded from Crafts. I trip on a piece of fabric but keep running. Behind the holding area are stairs that lead up to the servants’ quarters, the main castle, and, at the top, Esmeralda’s room. I climb up the stairs two at a time heaving every inhale and exhale. My breaths take up all the noise in my ears. That’s when I notice the reptilian creatures feasting on the guards that were following me below. Their bodies are mangled. And eyes lifeless.

Fuck. That was my fault.

But why did the moat creatures attack their masters?

The creatures finish eating and return to the water. The erratic waves crash under the hexagon’s expired spell.

I return to the dock and strip the clothes off the shortest man.

* * *

“Help!” I run in to servant’s quarters covered in blood. “I was attacked by a moat creature.”

An older man scurries to grab me a healer. With his back turned, I knock him over the head with the climbing gear.

* * *

I ascend the stairs to Esmeralda’s bedchamber in the servant’s uniform with a food tray in hand. Climbing gear wrapped around my waist under my pants.

Esmeralda stirs in her velvet-four-poster-king bed but doesn’t wake up. I put the food on her light purple dresser slowly crossing over to her bed. She tosses again. I wait to see if she’s awake. Still asleep. I creep over and deposit the amethyst stone under her pillow in a jagged slot.

A purple glow shines from under the pillow causing Esmeralda to stir.

What the fuck is that about?

She groans startling me, “Go away, Fred. I am not hungry.”

I anchor up the climbing gear to her bed frame. Loud clambering footsteps pound up the tower causing Esmeralda to awaken even further. I remove my outer layer of clothes and deposit them neatly folded under the bed.

I climb on to the window’s ledge in full gear and propel myself down the tower.

My legs groan in pain as I haphazardly try to rush down the side. My knees lock and bend flimsily.

I’m three stories off the ground when the guards peer over the windowsill and start to cut at my chord. I won’t survive that drop. And if I do, I’m fucked, obviously. I slide down the remaining rope burning my palms. My feet hit the front entrance landing as the rope snaps overhead.

My palms are raw and cut open. Stinging pains sear from my hands and up my arms.

I run towards the bridge in front of the castle ignoring all the guards’ arms trying to grab me. Guards blur in my peripheral. My adrenaline pushes me over, under, sideways, and up obstacles. A large man stands in front of the exit across the moat. I throw the flask at his nuts and slide under his legs. They start to lift the bridge that hovers over the moat. I run up it until the incline forces me to pick at holes and edges. My hands screaming in pain. I toss myself on to the flat edge of the raised bridge, bend my knees, and jump across to the grassy field.

I land on my stomach again with my legs dangling over the edge. All the air has been knocked out my fucking body. I see stars, planets, and fuck nuggets. My wheezing lungs clash with the serene, crisp breeze clearing the imaginary stars and fuck nuggets from my vision. I drag myself over the edge.

Chaos Salem stands over me and snaps their fingers.

* * *

“I got men killed.” I guiltily confess to Chaos Salem once we’re back at the Cathedral.

“They have necromancers working on them as we speak.”

“Is it wrong what I did?”

“Depends on why you did it?”

“To survive. If they knew it was me, they would’ve found a reason to try to have you execute me.”

“So, is your life worth more than their lives?”

I don’t know the morally right answer to the question.

“How does one measure such a thing?”

“It is a conundrum. You versus them. Is your survival more important than their survival? You survived. That resulted in deaths. But you completed your Task. How does that make you feel?”

“Weird. I continued with the Task because I couldn’t face the Coven again. I was scared of the idea of them killing me.”

“You place two people in a room. One has an ill parent that is dying. The other person has a family to feed. But you must select one person to survive and the other to die. Who will it be?”

“Why can’t both live?”

“That depends on you. You add meaning to the scenario. I can ask Mama Reyna this question and her biases would inform her decision. Her lived experiences will have her picking the family to feed because in her mind the community is more important than the dying individual. So, who would you pick?”

“Neither. Both deserve to live.”

“So, let’s add a stipulation. If you let them survive, you must take their place. What would you do then?”

I… I answered that question today. I would pick one of the two choices. I would pick me to survive. Yet, I can’t bring myself to pick me to die in this scenario.

“I would pick me to survive and one other.”

“Now why is that?”

“I can’t help one of them if I am dead.”

“Kairos will stop at nothing to accomplish his mission in life. I helped him to some capacity at a certain point in time. And beings will always make excuses as to why their mission in life outweighs the life of another. So, what breaks the cycle? What ends this tyranny of oppression? When do the excuses stop and we face the monsters? When do we take the action to save everyone even if it means our life is on the line?”

The way they say monsters tugs the wrong way. It veers me in to a line of thinking I don’t like.

No. It…

“You placed those monsters in the moat.”

“What makes you say that?”

“They weren’t in the schematics.”

Chaos Salem smiles, “And what else?”

“What else do you expect me to know?”

They laugh manically, “It was illusion magic. Esmeralda’s castle was real. Your spells were real. But the guards and the creatures were,” Red mists of dead guards being devoured by creatures hang in the air, “in the mind.”

“How did I take a uniform off one of the guards?”

“I planted it there before today’s Task. You tripped on it on your way in.”

Salem was there for the first Task.

“This entire time you made me live with the guilt of their deaths.”

“Yes. Because killing is not for the weak. It carries a heavy burden. I’m not saying to never kill. In order to survive this universe, you will have to stain your hands red. But be wise as to whose life you steal.”

Chaos Salem grows quiet. In their silence, the Cathedral echoes. Slowly, tears in the universe lead to Fourth Dimensional souls screaming ear piercing wails. A pitch so loud musicians could study it and create new music theories from its existence. I shield my ears by cupping them with my hands. Cries leak through. Unavoidable and miserable. This goes on for thirty seconds before they stop.

“What was that?”

“Those are the unaccomplished dreams of the souls I helped reap when we cut the seven timelines.” My jaw struggles to remain in place. I let them speak before I interject again. “They live with me for all of eternity. They follow me in the darkest rooms. They strike when I sleep. I will never rest peacefully for what I helped do.”

“And what was that?”

“I created the Spear to end the seven timelines Kairos erased. I am the last known Guerrero in existence. The rest were killed off. I was near death when Mama Reyna rescued me and brought me here as a prisoner of war. The Coven saved me to protect an endangered species. They treated me like the animal I was. They taught me their magic and allowed me to be the thirteenth member in their Coven. They believed the mages were stronger with the enemy they knew.”

“Why did you create the Spear?” My mind tries to piece together why they would help Kairos at all.

They stay quiet for a second, “The lesson that I want you to learn is that we were so scared of our own extinction, that we caused the demise of trillions. We were thinking about our own demise so much we disregarded everyone else. We believed Kairos would save us and, instead, we gave him the tools to topple entire timelines and destroy families and loved ones. He sowed division with the idea that ones’ survival was more important than everyone else.”

I take a moment to digest everything. My mind wandering back to the supplies I was given. I ask, “Did I use everything correctly to accomplish this Task?”

“Axel, you have all the tools you need to accomplish these Tasks. Everything I gave you was merely a bonus.”

Chapter 33: AXEL

“Queenie’s castle is the next Task.” Chaos Salem hands me another amethyst stone. “By the end of the week, this will go behind her throne.”

Another week goes by and we stay on the hexagon. Salem drives me insane with the endless repetition. They won’t teach me anything else.

I spin the webs of the hexagon over and over and over and over and over and over again until my brain is on autopilot mush.

My hands following a repetitive motion until my eyes glaze to boredom.

To make matters worse, they have me doing all of this while carrying the amethyst stone in my hand. My arm goes numb under the weight of the crystal.

* * *

Each morning, I woke up, ate, showered, put on my clothes, and repeated the endless motions.

On the first day, we built a spiraling step ladder from the hexagons.

Day two, step ladder and inclined bridges.

Day three. Step ladder, inclined bridges, and stopping time for short increments.

Day four. All of the above while stopping time for longer periods of time and hanging upside down.

Day five. Salem gave me schematics of Queenie’s castle. They expanded the size of the cathedral through illusions and built a mockup of her castle.

The castle has round spires. The main building of the castle is made of clear quartz. Inside of the throne room, pomegranate trees and various plants provide shade from the harsh solar rays coming into the castle. A cool humid environment fills the room with misty vapors. Black columns line one side and white columns line the other.

“Queenie sits and sleeps on the throne at the end of each day. The energy the plants receive from the sun recharges her.” Salem informs me while projecting a holographic version of Queenie on to the throne, “Everything you learned this week will be to infiltrate the castle. You will spend the rest of today figuring out how the puzzle pieces I gave you fit in the castle.”

Chaos Salem disappears leaving me alone with the illusion.

I spin the schematics of the castle every which way looking for the best possible entrance.

So far, the only reasonable entrance looks like it would be the student’s quarters window. The window would match with the steps that lead to an inclined bridge reaching up to the throne room balcony.

I build the circuit Salem had me construct on to the layout of the castle. The circuit fits like the perfect puzzle piece to complete the picture. I run through it four times. I fail the first three attempts when Queenie and her guards spot me and throw me in jail. On the fourth, I turn upside down and drop the amethyst behind the throne.

That was easier than I expected.

* * *

Throughout the day, I run the course twenty times all with successes. Salem finally stops me.

“You think you’re ready?”

I’m hesitant. I don’t answer right away. In each successful simulation, it seemed too easy. There is something missing. Salem thrives on never telling me everything. They want me to reach conclusions on my own. What was that thing they said that I have all the tools to the answers in front of me, or something like that?

“The castle can’t be mapped on schematics or in simulations.” I point out.

“How could you tell?”

“The last twenty circuit runs I did were odd. Each one had a blurriness to it like it was hiding something.”

“Queenie has hidden doorways to secret chambers in her castle depending on one’s spatial position. The spells on her castle open doors to you if you are upright, sideways, or upside down. Each perspective leads to a different entry. Esmeralda and Queenie’s tasks I expected to be easy. But, the next few tasks will require your maneuverability of the visible Fourth Dimension spectrum of this universe. There is a hidden Fourth Dimension that can only be accessed through Threads. And there is a visible one all around us that relies on changes in positions, angles, and perspectives to be seen.”

“What does a visible Fourth Dimension look like?”

“My cathedral does not rely on the visible Fourth Dimension. It is illusion based. It looks smaller than it is because I will it to do so. Other Coven members use the visible Fourth Dimension to hide things in plain sight. I cannot explain it enough for you or show you in a simulation what it looks like. You must experience it for yourself. Hence, the need to hang upside down behind the throne.”

“What is behind her throne”

“From this point on, I will no longer be providing you crystals. You will need two sets of: two amethyst, two lapis lazuli, two aventurine, three moonstone, three citrine, and one rose quartz.”

“Each set comes out to thirteen. One crystal for each Coven member.”

“Yes. But, you must take double the amount. One for completing Tasks, and one set for casting shapes.”

“Why?”

“Each crystal corresponds to a magical ability. Hexagons to amethyst. Squares and lapis lazuli. Aventurine and triangles, moonstone and stars, citrine and circles, and rose quartz and diamonds. The crystals can enhance your ability to use a certain shape or energy can be Siphoned from crystals to power one self up after a great battle. The strongest crystal and magical shape will be the hardest Task. The crystals channel the energy of each respective coven member if you hold all thirteen at the same time.”

“Making it possible to eventually create a diamond shape if I train and carry all thirteen crystals.”

“Precisely.”

* * *

On the seventh day, Chaos Salem suits me in a student’s uniform with an illusion of one of Queenie’s student’s faces. They snap their fingers and…

* * *

I wake up in the middle of the night in Queenie’s castle beside a bunch of other students. Rows of individual beds fill a chiseled stone room with vaulted ceilings. Students are sound asleep undisturbed by my presence. I rush to the window and throw it open running through the first part of the circuit. I Weave the circuit from my mind letting the steps form around the castle and lead in to the incline bridges.

I run through the first portion of the obstacle course with no problems. I jump on to the balcony in front of the throne room. Guards walk back and forth behind the doors. I wait until they are out of sight to stop time.

I open the doors. A cool humidity strikes me. Two columns sit on both sides of a sleeping, Queenie.

I build up an inclined bridge, that flattens in to a series of hexagonal bridges between the trees and columns which ends directly behind the throne room.

My feet rush through the sky bridges between the trees and columns. I lean over the edge of the sky bridge hanging by my feet.

I’m upside down, but I feel like I’m standing on a solid surface mid-air. My legs don’t take any of my weight. I’m suspended in this space by some invisible force.

A door appears on the back of Queenie’s throne. In the center, pomegranates light up in neon reds and yellows. A divot sits in the shape of the missing crystal at the bottom of the fruit. I set the amethyst in the divot and a doorway behind the throne opens.

I throw myself through the door way and land on rib-vaulted ceilings.

The room groans and shifts.

I stand up and everything is upside down in this vault, but also right side up. The ceiling is now the floor and now everything on the floor is on the ceiling devoid of gravitational bounds. My mind is trying to make sense of everything. Piles of gold, crystals, and candles fill the cavernous room’s floor hanging upside down like stalagmites. Desks lined with inventory counts and leather-bound books sit beside the piles of books. The arched floors make it hard to reach the treasure above. I build red hexagonal steps up to the upside-down crystal piles and upside-down desks above.

I grab a sack from my student’s jacket sorting the crystals I need.

Two, two, two, three, three, one.

Amethyst, lapis, aventurine, moonstone, rose quartz.

My hands pick at the crystals in order of what I was told and stuff the crystals in my pockets. I go a second round for another set of thirteen making it an even twenty-six. I quickly start to head back down the steps once I’m done.

A throat clears the silence of the room. Queenie stands in the middle of an archway. Her long, brown braids cascade from her scalp to her thick thighs. She wears a white dress with leg slits and long sleeves that float. Her dark skin shines in the moonlight creeping in behind her. Her voice is sweet like honey to match her warm glimmering eyes. “The Templite becomes the first to break past me from this class of students. Salem is working hard with you. Every time we underestimate them, they surprise us.”

“Did I fail the Task?”

“Your Task was to set the stone behind the throne. You did just that.”

“Do all the other students share the same Tasks?”

“Yes and no. Salem apparently has you on an accelerated course. The Crystal Tasks are meant to be the final Tasks in a mage’s training. From what I’ve heard, you’ve completed one of thirteen Crystal Tasks. Technically, you completed mine too so that makes it two out of thirteen. Be prepared to have the other Coven member’s students going up against you through the Crystal Tasks.”

This is all news to me. Again, Salem not explaining everything out right.

“Do you get anything from completing the Tasks before anyone else?”

“The first mage from their tribe to complete the Tasks becomes the next in line to be among the Thirteen Coven Members. No one has successfully completed Mama Reyna’s trials. Their results led them to different placements among our community and armies. This year, we have her protégé son, Simon, who we all assume will be the next in line to be the Necromancer leader in the Coven. You and him will go up against each other. You are destined for great things in this Coven. Salem is really trying to ruffle some feather among the Coven leaders by sending you out so early.”

“How come Salem didn’t explain any of this to me?”

“I think you may have already noticed. Salem does not give answers so easily. You must earn them or figure them out mostly on your own. Their teaching style requires you to think for yourself and see everything that cannot be truly seen with the naked eye.”

That’s why Salem said they’d stop teaching me if I failed. I can’t fail. They expect me to be their successor as their next Coven leader. So, if I fail, there is no point in teaching me everything they know.

“You think I can complete the Tasks perfectly.”

“Nothing is ever set in stone,” Queenie giggles at her play on words as she morphs the room around me. It starts to melt. Crystals falling towards my head. Books collapsing all over the room. I build steps out to the bridge outside of the doorway and rush out of the vault. Crystals knick me here and there. Books slam against the steps behind me. I leap through the doorway as it closes behind me. Time resumes. I hit the ground face first skimming against the rough stone floor. Queenie continues to giggle on her throne.

Guards see me on the ground behind her throne and rush at me.

I hear Queenie’s fingers snap and I’m launched in to Chaos Salem’s chest.

I’m back in the Cathedral.

“You did it.” Chaos Salem cheers once they see what I’m holding.

“Eleven to go.” I sneer.

Salem smiles, “Eleven to go.”

* * *

The very next day, we start on squares.

“A square is meant for two. It builds off the idea that the individual should not do everything alone. They can accomplish a lot alone, but together their powers become stronger. Form three squares along the middle of the hexagon.”

Salem and I work in tandem to feed off each other’s energies. A purple satchel that contains the twenty-six crystals bounces on my thigh with every motion. I master the squares within thirty minutes.

Chaos Salem snaps their fingers. We appear at the edge of Mama Amanda’s woods. She stands there looking around tapping her foot.

“I brought him.” Salem speaks up.

Mama Amanda rushes at me and hugs me, “I’ve missed you so much, my darling child.”

I snuggle in her embrace missing her affection. It’s been almost four weeks since I last saw her. She pulls apart searching me for any signs of damage. She asks worriedly, “How have the Tasks been? They told me you completed two of the thirteen Crystal Tasks.”

“Tedious. I didn’t know learning magic would be this frustrating.”

“The Crystal Tasks have never been easy. I almost failed mine three times.”

“Why am I here?” I ask.

“Always straight to the point.” Simon snickers stepping out from behind a tree. He wears an emerald cloak. His garments consist of dark green harem pants and a long, black sleeve with a green silk belt. He looks so damn handsome in his form fitting uniform. Muscles protrude from his clothes distracting me. I wonder if the clothes tags still bother him… or if he ripped off his shirt… I mean… if he ripped the tags off his shirts?

I run to hug him, and he embraces me back, “What the fuck are you doing here?”

I missed him so much. Mama Reyna took my best friend away from me. She took everyone away from me for six years. And now, he’s here. His embrace grows tighter.

This is just what I needed. I needed a boyfriend. A friend that is a boy by gender. I’m just going to stop myself.

“Mama Reyna can’t have me losing to you.” Simon’s words come out harsh.

“Ouch.” I push away feeling like he gutted me.

“I mean… I don’t care. I want us both to win these Tasks,” Simon clears the air, “But she told me it would look bad to lose to a Templite.”

“I thought the Crystal Tasks were personal trials to try and become the successor to a Coven leader.” I state confused.

“Yes, they can be,” Chaos Salem starts, “But, the Coven sees it as a competition and try to sabotage each other in order for the best candidates to complete all thirteen Tasks.” That’s fucked. “Their idea is that the Tasks should forge a war-ready Coven leader. Throughout the Crystal Tasks, Coven leaders can decide to form alliances to help their candidates reach the finish line.”

“You agreed to this?” I ask Salem.

“I wanted you and Simon to come to a decision together. I will not force anything upon you two. But the remaining trials will need the magic of the square to complete them. It is around this time that Coven leaders make pacts and match up the best students. I wanted to catch them off guard. None of the other Covens have students ready to finish the Tasks, but that does not mean they will not try to foolishly send them out before they are ready.”

Does starting with Simon mean I’ll have to start everything all over again? Were the last two trials just a waste?

“What concerns you?” Salem asks.

“I completed two Tasks. So, are we going to have to run them again?”

“No. The Coven sees the square phase as the most crucial part of the Crystal Tasks. Every leader in all of space history has made alliances in order to grow their land or remain in power. With shared power comes shared lands, resources, and accomplishments. And if one person gets caught in the partnership, but the other completes The task, then they both succeed since one finished the Task.”

My brain cells bring the pieces together, “That bitch. Reyna wants me because I already completed two Tasks and that would mean my partner would have completed them too.”

Salem and Mama nod.

Mama speaks up next, “Parents can give their children advantages in the Tasks. Which Mama Reyna has afforded to Simon.”

I turn to Simon, “What does that mean?”

“I completed the Thorn and Grave Tasks of my own free will, but she allowed me to win her trial without push back.”

“She let you win her Task without trying.”

Simon nods.

Fucking nepotism.

“If you agree to this partnership, between you and Simon, you will have five victories.” Mama Amanda adds smiling, “And while I can’t say overtly that I would do the same thing Mama Reyna did, you would be one closer to the end with my Crystal Task.”

I look to Salem to see if they disapprove of this kind of talk. They turn from Simon to me.

“With two more wins, that would put you at seven, and you would only need six more Tasks to complete the Crystal Tasks.”

Salem and Mama Amanda would just give us their wins so we could focus on the last six. Mama Reyna wins her wanted successor if Simon wins.

And Salem gets theirs.

And the Coven would be forced to take me in as their own.

“I agree to the partnership.”

“Bind your magic together.”

“How do we do that?” I ask.

“If this partnership is to work, your energies will naturally work together. Allow your magic to build in to his with the squares.”

Simon and I build the hexagon and squares together, seamlessly binding us together with magic. The red glow of the hexagon and squares lights up our faces as we stare deeply in to each other’s eyes. Simon smiles. The corners of my mouth lift a little.

I’m not alone anymore.

* * *

Chaos Salem and Mama Amanda let us run their Tasks without any pushbacks. Seven completed out of the thirteen.

Chapter 34: AXEL

With completing two Tasks in one go, Simon and I have been given two weeks to study for Piper’s trial. Mama Reyna has restricted me from entering her Necromancer Temple. So, Simon trains at the cathedral part of the week and the other half spends it at the Necromancer Temple. His guest bedroom is right across from mine on the second story of the cathedral. At nights, Simon and I go in to each other’s rooms to read the training texts on Piper’s mages. Candles and moonlight illuminate the floor to ceiling mountains of books.

Simon would never admit that he was stuck on me like adhesive. The people that divided us before no longer having a choice in our unity. It was partly why I agreed to have him as a partner. I could’ve completed the Tasks by struggling through them and barely making it out. But this path covered two bases: my completion of the Crystal Tasks and my love for Simon.

We take turns bringing each other snacks, drinks, food, and using the restroom. I have to remind him to take a shower between study sessions because his hyperfocusing drives him up the wall. Here and there, I usually end up distracting him and asking him questions. Simon gives me short answers so that he can get back to learning.

From time to time, I lean my back on his arm and read my book. Simon wraps his arm around my body occasionally reaching over me to flip the page with his hand. After a few hours of studying each night, we spend the rest of the night looking out a round window in the ceiling towards the visible moons of Lykos.

“It’s just weird. That out of all universes and out of all places I could be, I was born here.” Simon says randomly breaking the silence.

“I wish I could say the same. Apparently, I was placed here with no real choice.”

“Do any of us really have a choice in where our souls find themselves in the universe?”

“Do you believe in the Tesoro de Almas theory?” The Treasure of Souls theory was the idea that the moment soulmates passed on, the soulmates would spend their entire lifetimes looking for each other until they found each other again in another universe. A neon beacon would emit to where their soulmate landed and the other soul searching would go to it. Souls did this until they were destroyed or passed on to the Cataclysm Realm.

“Maybe. Do you think that’s possible? For two souls to find each other after they died?”

I snuggle my book against my chest, “Even if it isn’t real, it’s romantic. The idea that someone loved someone so much in their lifetime that they created a hopeful dream. One in which you spend eternity with said person intertwined in each other’s fates and chasing after each other.”

“Who were we in a past lifetime then?” Simon brushes my cheek with his thumb repeatedly.

“I don’t know. Maybe we were two ducks or two cats just wandering the universe together. Maybe we were specs colliding into nothing. Atoms on a microscopic level hoping to be more.”

“I think I got lucky to find you again.”

“Again?”

“Mhmm.”

“You remember your last life?” I ask Simon.

“Here and there. I started having dreams of you. An older version of you. You appear in a Venus body in front of me. Birds surround us. I’m in a Gamma-2 body. Oh, and they hate you there too.”

Well, at least I know I’m hated even in past lives. Never having to be too worried about being popular.

“You think it is the past?”

“The alternative is a sub-theory to the Tesoro de Almas theory. We are inexplicably so interconnected that your visions are becoming mine. Our powers are transferring over to one another. Your visions become mine. My power becomes yours. A future with you is a future worth living.” He cuddles half my body, “You are my beacon. You are the warm fire in a winter’s night that I have been searching for. You are my home.”

* * *

Each night, Simon and I would cuddle in bed. Simon’s body runs like a furnace, so I have to turn away once his survival-heat turns insufferable. I miss his heat whenever he returns to Mama Reyna. She picks him up halfway through the week from the cathedral and gives me the death glare.

Chaos Salem gives me extra chores each day to keep me preoccupied. They try to fill my plate with more reading, but I have already read every book in the basic mage’s curriculum. I had six years of memorizing every last word in those thirteen books.

I repeat the memorable phrases out loud as I do chores:

Templites rose from hatred. Kairos corrupted the masses. Many fell for his words of hope. While he continued to poison them and blame it on the new travelers from the different timelines.

The shapes are silly in theory but can save a life if overlooked. Our power relies on the universe bending to our will. The shapes are how the universe bends to us. To other beings, the universe will bend in other ways. We have to be well equipped in our methods of arming our children in order to fight wannabe oppressors.

El Tesoro De Almas or The Treasure of Souls can occur with only a true soulmate or soulmates. Each soul leaves a piece of themselves when they leave their physical bodies. Though, this may not be enough to revive a being, it is enough to know what their unaccomplished hopes, dreams, and desires were left behind. Faeries and Guerreros that can sew back the Threads of the universe can use the help of necromancers to piece together these mysteries.

I would have to ask Simon what that means later.

Once I’m done with my chores, I wander over to Salem in the main cathedral.

“I miss the boy.” I admit to Chaos Salem, “I’m sorry if that is an overshare. I’ve just been so lonely for so many years.”

“It is okay to feel. It is not something to be ashamed of. Just don’t go burning down my cathedral, you hear me?”

I sneer, “I only did that because they kept me imprisoned.”

“Are you free here?”

“Witches and warlocks crowded my house for six years and kept me trapped. I was a teenager, and they treated me like a criminal. I am of mage flesh and since been branded as the enemy. Hating me for existing is odd. Hating me for the decisions of colonizing extremists is unfair. The only one stopping me from leaving now to Tempus is you. And I don’t want to leave here because out there I am the Templites’ enemy. I have no true home to return to or memories of the past. Yet, I am shoved aside. You and Mama Amanda are the only ones who see me as me. So, yes I feel free here.”

A puzzling look comes over Chaos Salem. They say, “He’ll be back in no time. Distance from loved ones can be healthy. Loved ones have tethers that bind them to each other. The Threads of the universe can be seen if you look hard enough. In the meantime, let’s distract you. ”

Chaos Salem gives me the run down on the next Crystal Task.

“Piper is…”

White clouds my eyes. Chaos Salem’s words disappear beyond the vision.

Simon dies.

The child is hidden with Mama Reyna. They look like me and Simon combined.

A child is born of war.

War Ships enter Epsilon’s atmosphere… Our son is at least ten years older.

The Spear that cut the timelines is given to me and Simon.

The Crystal Tasks are completed and a celebration with us on gold pedestals.

Simon is turned in to a vampire somewhere near the end of the Tasks.

The Crystal Tasks flash past me.

Piper sits on a throne like Queenie. Though she has clouded eyes like mine. The throne is made of moss, mushrooms, flowers, and tree roots. Her hands firmly grip the arm rests speaking in hushed whispers. Piper’s ruby, frizzy hair floats in the air as if it has been electrified. Her albino skin is lightened with rouge lipstick and dark iridescent eyeshadow. A drowning purple dress hides the Coven member. Vines wrap around her body and throne.

“What are you doing here?” Piper looks at me directly talking to a million other souls at the same time. Her body duplicates into a million shadows around her.

“You can see me?”

“The ancestors are pointing you out. They are forming an image around you. Spike?” Her face splits in to millions  of faces.

“My name is Axel.”

“You have many names and many more names coming to you.”

“I thought there were no other Seers on Epsilon.”

“I am not a Seer. I am a Medium. I am the messenger between living and dead. Seers long past communicate with me still. Dead Seers are free to travel from the past, present, and future.”

“So, I am the Templite boy they were worried about?”

“Heir to the Templite throne. Holder of a Power Crystal. Lover of Simon. Father to Simon Jr.”

“Father?”

“You saw it yourself.”

Out of my peripheral, I see the crystal pedestal at the top of the throne. Branches twist in the shape of one of the aventurine crystals I stole from Queenie. Inside of it, the crystal is missing.

“I don’t really plan on having children. That seems like a lot of work.”

“You are still young.”

“Super weird to tell a nineteen-year-old they’ll be a parent one day.”

My eyes discreetly trail to the entrance to the forest holding her throne. A small opening from the base of a tree opens to the rest of the forest.

“I will not make this Task easy for you.”

The white from my eyes retreats. Chaos Salem stands in front of me.

“What did you see?”

“The entrance to Piper’s throne room. It is hidden at the base of a tree.”

Chaos Salem summons a stone table with a snap of their fingers. They lay the schematics on the table. The forest is a labyrinth of tree roots, rivers, creatures, and paths that move every few hours. The map changes in intervals to show the path shifting every six hours. Four changes in one day.

“This is her throne.” Chaos points to the end of the schematic where a ring of trees protects a throne.

I search the drawing for the specific tree. At the edge of the map, a tree with a thick trunk and a darker shade of brown stands out slightly from the rest.

“That one has the hole.”

Chaos Salem uses their illusions magic to conjure a three-dimensional map with me and Simon working our way backwards from the tree. They incorporate the distance it would require traveling across the entire woods. The simulation provides Salem with a concrete plan, given the monsters can be slain, and adequate rest is given to each of us.

“The task would take approximately four to six days to complete.”

“So, we have to have a week’s supply of food and equipment ready. This is not what I expected from this Task. The last few were a breeze.”

“From now on, each Task will prove your worthiness to the Coven. You already have a leg up on the other students with Simon by your side.”

“Teach me the triangle.”

“Why?”

“The square will not be enough. If I need to amplify his powers for any reason, we will need to know how to do so.”

Salem nods. The next few hours, I struggle to form the squares in tandem with Salem’s energy. That’s odd. I wasn’t struggling before. What changed? Around the fifth hour, we finally create the three squares needed to proceed to the triangle. My hands shake as I form the lines above and below the squares in the hexagon to complete the six triangles. Salem’s energy is supporting me. It keeps me standing and prevents my wobbly knees from tumbling. But, the resistance is there. Our energies are not compatible. Salem and I repeat the triangles twenty-six more times before I can no longer try.

I collapse on my knees heaving. Sweat drips on the floor uncontrollably. A headache looms across my forehead and eyes. I rock back and forth.

“Wait for Simon to practice. You know how to do this. Teach him. It will work better.”

My eyes go white again.

War Ships in the sky.

Dragons attack the initial wave of Ships.

“Make a deal with the dragons.” Mama Reyna shouts at me, “Demand this of me. I will mock you and diminish you. But spite me. Force me to listen. Say whatever you have to say.”

“What? But they are already here in the sky.”

“Right now. Call Toxotes.” Mama Reyna shouts at me.

Astrea and her dragon husband stand beside me. She cradles my face, “Axel, I know you and Mama Reyna hate each other right now, but, one day, that will all be resolved.”

“Who are you?” My brain splits, “Astrea. What is happening? Why are you touching me?”

“You’re having a vision but your eyes aren’t white. You’re split between here and back then. You’re caught between your mirror visions of the past, present, and future.”

“Where is Simon?”

“He went with the other dragons to awaken the Ancient One. But, we can’t do that without the dragons. None of this future can happen without you. Do it for me and Simon. Do it for Simon Jr. and my babies.” She starts to cry, “My wyverns are all gone. Please. They tried to combine their energy to defeat the Dark Pharaoh. They tried to create the Power Source and instead melded in to each other.”

The ground rumbles below us. A tentacle from a Ship releases preparing to hit the planet. The planet splits where Rae’s headquarters were as a weathered scaly gray dragon’s face erupts. Her long body trailing on for miles. Spikes along his spine crack the planet even further.

The Ship’s tentacle latches on to the Ancient One. The immense dragon snatches the tentacle out of the sky and crushes the Ship in her hand. More Ships appear in the sky adding reinforcements. My ears nearly burst as the dragon roars.

Time Keepers open Pulses around the dragon attacking her body. The attacked scales spin on the dragon’s body flying towards the Time Keepers. Razors at the end of the scales split Time Keepers mid air. The scales fly up to the surrounding Ships destroying their control centers and engines. Debris descends upon the planet. Wren’s paragliding soldiers take flight using shapes to redirect or obliterate the debris from civilians below. Myst’s Sky Ships surround the skies creating forcefields over densely populated areas. Mages in the Epsilon Ships work to protect their people.

My eyes return. My mind is working on over drive. My body is shaking and I am sweating heavily.

“We need to make a deal with the dragons of Toxotes.” I say as I try to relax my nerves.

“What do you mean?”

“Call the dragons. Call Toxotes. They are coming. War Ships are coming.”

“When?”

“Eleven years from now.”

* * *

“Why have we been called here?” Mama Reyna speaks first.

The entire Coven surrounds me. Shadows of faces hang ominously in the candle lit darkness of the cathedral. I stand in chains again. Déjà vu, mother fuckers. At least I ripped all of my shirt tags off since the last time.

“Eleven years.” I speak up, “We have Eleven years until the War Ships arrive.”

“Call the dragons, Reyna.” Salem adds, “Call on Toxotes aid. The Ancient One needs to be awakened and Rae has not made progress. We need the dragons’ energies to bring the Ancient One back to life. We need the Toxotes dragons to unite and connect their Power Sources to the Ancient One.”

“What did the visions tell you?” Mama Reyna scoffs and asks me.

“You told me to tell you to call the dragons.” I inform her.

“Are our reinforcements not enough? Are our Sky Ships not protecting us in this distant future?”

“They were dealing with the debris from the amount of Ships Kairos sent.”

The Coven stays quiet. Everyone stares at each other in worried silence.

“How do we know Kairos didn’t plant this vision in your head with the help of another Seer?” She retorts.

“Believe what you want. Your indecision will bring Epsilon’s demise.” Salem snaps. “You know Kairos will see our disadvantages and take them out.”

Mama Reyna stays silent for a good minute, “Any other opinions?”

The Coven remains tight-lipped.

“Everyone in favor of ignoring the vision.”

Not one Coven member raises their hands.

“All in favor of calling on the dragons of Toxotes?”

All thirteen Coven members raise their hands.

Salem snaps their fingers and I am teleported in to the crowd next to Simon. A multitude of families and students sit in the crowd behind a misty, translucent, black veil.

“Tempus is coming to Epsilon?” Simons asks.

I nod. “But we win if the dragons accept our call.”

The thirteen Coven members move in unison drawing the shapes in the middle of the cathedral. They start with the hexagon, build the three squares in the middle, draw two lines above and below the squares in the hexagon, add triangles to each exterior side of the hexagon, draw a circle around it, and cement the call with the diamond. All the while, the shapes spin as they’re being built. The multi-colored diamond spins counter clockwise blinding the audience. The colors of the Threads in the diamond cast a rainbow of light against the stained glass of the Cathedral.

The Coven chants:

We call on the dragons for aide,

Help us not fade,

Our lives are on the line.

Send our message through the divine.

The ancestors that I saw in my vision of Piper appear one by one in the room. Their specter forms a misty blue haze. Every ghost repeats the chant moving their bodies in the same way as the Coven members.

Ancestors be our bridge in this time of need.

Bring our query with dire speed.

The ghosts all add their own incantations before they vanish skyward.

Mama Reyna snaps her fingers.

We are teleported to Mama Amanda’s cottage. Simon and I sit on the black, velvet couch in the living room. Salem, Amanda, and Reyna stand in front of us.

“Why eleven years?” Mama Reyna asks me.

“It is what I was told.”

Mama Amanda speaks up, “The population of Toxotes has risen post Timeline Wars. Many soldiers that returned home missed their partners. They are facing overpopulation. We could help them. We have the room on Epsilon. We take some of their excess dragons. They help us with Kairos.”

Salem adds, “On the same note, with a dragon’s ability to reproduce in great volumes it will repopulate our armies. That way, we still have citizens and a planet to carry on our legacy once we are gone.”

Everyone stays quiet at the implication.

“You think many will die?” I ask.

“There is no war with zero causalities.” Salem states callously.

“You are the problem.” Mama Reyna hisses at me.

“Then send me home. Get rid of me.”

She is taken aback by the comment.

“Axel…” Salem adds before I interrupt them.

“No, if everyone is so worried about what I will become, throw me to the wolves. Send me to Tempus. I’m just as worried of Epsilon as everyone else. This is all I know. This is my home. Six years I was locked up for being considered one of them. I’m tired of being looked at like scum. I might be a Templite, but I don’t remember that lifetime. I don’t remember anything about that boy or who he was. Epsilon is all I have ever known. And, here, I am worth nothing. So do it. Send me back. Murder me if you need to but that will not solve any of your problems.”

“That is no way to speak to an elder.” Mama Reyna snaps.

“You have no respect for me so I will treat you as you treat me. Just because you’re an old bitch doesn’t mean I have to respect you. Kairos is coming.”

Mama Reyna slaps me. She turns to Mama Amanda, “Have you nothing to say about this?”

“Yes, I do.” Mama Amanda stands between me and Mama Reyna. She pushes Mama Reyna back, “Figure your shit out. Respect is an equal exchange, not a matter of years lived. For the past six years, I have watched the witch I followed in to the darkness coated in blood and entrails treat my son as a criminal. Salem is keeping him on the right path. He has given us intel that will help us survive. It is a pity to see someone I respected fall so easily for the hatred Kairos infected the universe with.”

Mama Reyna looks for someone to defend her. She turns to Salem.

“Don’t look at me.” Salem scoffs. “You barely tolerate me.”

She looks to Simon.

“You partnered me up with him.” Simon shrugs, “So, I’m on his side.”

“Enjoy the company you keep.” She turns to Simon, “Don’t bother returning to the Necromancer Temple until you successfully pass the Crystal Tasks.”

Oh no, whatever will I do with Simon spending more time with me.

Mama Reyna snaps herself out of the room.

“I could offer you a room in my colony.” Mama Amanda offers.

“I have a room at the Cathedral. I’ll be okay.” Simon responds.

“I’m sorry she refuses to take you back.” Salem adds.

“Mama Reyna has taught me everything she needed to. She trained me with more knowledge than any of her other trainees. She wants me to complete these trials. She’s just throwing a temper tantrum since she didn’t get her way for once.”

Salem smiles, “You said it.”

“Thank you for standing up for me.” I hug Mama Amanda.

“Anything for you baby. That vile witch needs to relax. She forgets we are all on the same side.”

Chapter 35: AXEL

Back at the Cathedral, Simon returns to his room to wash up from the day. I want to follow him when Salem grabs my wrist and leads me towards the diamond burned in to the Cathedral floor. Red and green Thread benches form in the middle of the cathedral. They motion for me to sit on pews they created with their Thread manipulation.

They hesitate to speak and it has me worried. Their mood seems grave like if they have to throw up bad food.

“Are you okay Salem?”

They nod, “I am. But there is no easy way to say this. You know I helped Kairos create the Spear to cut the timelines, but that’s not the full story. Before we continue your trials, I want you to know something. You may hate me freely after I speak, but I must say what I have to say.”

“Does this have to do with the reason that the Coven despises you? The Spear?”

“Partially. Yes. I… I have many truths to tell you. You will ask me what people did to stop what happened. But the answer will be glaringly depressing. This story will be a juggling act. One that happens all at the same time and ends in disaster. Let me begin with the rise of Kairos. Kairos was an influential charismatic man who promised his entire universe a better life. At the time, all thirteen timelines were free to travel and explore the galaxy through Thread manipulation. Time Keepers could hardly master the art. So only witches and fairies could explore the galaxy. They could escape to another universe if a totalitarian regime blossomed in their universe. Even when things were good, people who could manipulate Threads were thought to have an advantage over others.

“Political tensions across all planets were at an all-time high. Food was scarce. Medical treatments were costly. Billionaires needed someone else to blame other than themselves for the money problems they created. They couldn’t take accountability for poisoning their citizens hydration sources, killed their clean air, censoring all media blaming billionaires, and raised their entire cost of living in the pursuit of capital gains. So, they started with a small idea. The idea was: remember a time when things were good. When money flowed freely. Wouldn’t you want to go back to such a time?”

“It was a simple idea. Political leaders controlled by billionaires across planets were told to run with that idea. They campaigned with the slogan, “Return to A Better World.” All while scheming. They needed to appease the general population so they fed them lies upon lies. But the populations were smarter than them. For a time at least. What the politicians needed was an enemy. Someone to blame for billionaires creating poverty. A tangible person, race, or being that could be the “real” villain and if they took those people out, everyone would be happier. A scapegoat is easier to blame and discard than losing profits and loyalty of the people you control.”

“Now let’s add context. Kairos was born in to the Lycan Lineage. Titus Kronos, the old Time Lord, conceived Kairos with the queen of Necropolis. He was a bastard. There is a tradition to the Lycan Throne. All children born to the Royal Lycan Family must either concede and give their throne to the next in line. Or all children must fight to the death and ascend the throne. Their antiquated beliefs thought that evolution brings the best leader much like Mama Reyna. As a teenager, Kairos’s mother and step-father died mysteriously. The Queen and King dead led to an investigation which came out inconclusive. All seven children, including Kairos, fought for the throne. But Kairos had an advantage. Kairos could produce black holes called Pulses. It was his secondary ability. So, he allowed the competition to weed themselves out. And when the last one left standing decided to charge at Kairos. He sliced the wolf in half by opening a Pulse at his center.”

“Kairos became King of Necropolis that day. Many historians pinpoint that day as the day everything went sideways. But I think they’re wrong. I think everything went sideways when he was born. Kairos changed the name to Lykos because he wanted a name that told people who they were. They were wolves and the universe needed to remember that. He wanted them to remember the power they wielded.”

“I digress. Kairos as the King of Lykos was loved by many for his charm and out of pocket language that wasn’t restricted. He said whatever he wanted and came to mind without caring if he harmed anyone. The general population that sided with Kairos were tired of having to respect everyone. They craved an enemy to channel all their anger towards. And ironically, they were tired of the rich exploiting them. Kairos was a funny character. He judged the rich among his Lycan people while catering to the whims of the wealthy. The highest bidders threw all kinds of money and physical objects to keep him doing their selfish bidding. Any time a reporter or journalist would start to track where the money came from, they would disappear, be jailed, or be called crazy for spewing so-called false hoods and blacklisted from their careers.”

“By allowing the billionaires to do as they pleased, Kairos gave them free rein to poison their waters, kill public figures as they pleased, pollute their planets, and amount wealth through taxing the poor. He figured if you can tax the poor and keep the rich tax exempt, you can keep a population of ethical slaves. They go to a job and clock-in for money, while they were given a paycheck where money was skimmed off the top and deposited to Kairos’s rich friends’ accounts. The same friends that are in turn not paying these people a living wage. Keeping them stuck in a helpless never ending cycle of poverty.”

“To distract people from finding out what Kairos had done, he did what he had to to keep the blood hounds from tracking his scent. He gave the people an enemy.”

“That’s where my story comes in. I am a Guerrero. I am and always will be as long as I shall live. My people lived on Gamma-1 and Flounce. We had access to all timelines through our abilities by cutting through the fabric of the universe. We were emissaries for Titus. He sent us to other galaxies to find new and innovate ways of helping our people overcome dictatorships and oligarchs. Anything you can think of we brought back from our travels.” Salem smiles, “I met many people and fell in love many times. There was one person I loved most of all and she lived in the sixth timeline Titus had me frequent. It was much like our universe with very similar beings. She was a divine work of art spun beautifully by the masters of the universe. Her name was Azra. She was from Earth. In our universe, we call Earth, Venus. And everyday with her was magical.”

“There came a day when Titus used the information all of us Guerreros had gathered and started weeding out the rich oligarchs and their corporations. He started with planets furthest from Tempus and worked his way towards Tempus. Titus cleaned up after his son’s mess for years. The Scorned Planets were easy to take care of except for Lykos. Kairos’s grip on Lykos was strong at the time. They were blinded by the barrage of propaganda hitting them that the Sirens, Time Keepers and Guerreros were bad people. They painted Sirens, Time Keepers and Guerreros as the enemy. They had to be dealt with. Kairos led a campaign against the three groups among what we now know as the Neutralists and Templite Loyalists Planets. It worked effectively on the Loyalists but the Neutralists were not completely convinced by his charm. It didn’t matter. Eventually, Kairos had amassed the support of half the universe. He convinced them that Guerreros and Time Keepers were the reason they couldn’t afford to live. To half the universe, our travels were the reason their water sources were poisoned. Their food was so expensive because Guerreros supposedly consumed more of it on their journeys. Their lives were unlivable because of us. He convinced them that their taxes were so high because their taxes funded our exploration in to other timelines. Of course, it wasn’t true but a strong lie never has to be. A scapegoat just has to be a scapegoat. A being to blame to allow others to delve in to their awful behaviors. On every planet, we had people who did not believe Kairos, but their voices were drowned out or they had to temporarily assimilate to survive the next part.”

“History is gradual. It only seems quick in history lessons, like today, because a short period of time is diminished to a few sentences. Entire lives forgotten and not remembered through our short attention spans. Guerreros were brought front and center as enemy number one. They were hunted down and murdered. And when they could, the Guerreros escaped in to other timelines to survive. Guerreros went in to hiding. They disguised themselves as other citizens. People wanted justice for their supposed actions. They wanted Kairos to enlist the Time Keepers and use his father’s influence to hunt down the Guerreros in our universe and other universes. Since we were the enemy, the people mutilated us, ate us, killed us slowly, tortured us, and used us as their punching bags.”

“During all of this, Kairos ignited a civil war among all the Templite Loyalist Planets. Those in favor of Guerreros and those opposed battled it out in the streets with lasers and their powers. People killed each other for the rights and lives that were being stripped of the Guerreros. Funny how the only solution to wanting respect is to fight against a bigoted aggressor. The victor then scrubs history to their liking.”

“A few of us Guerreros came to Titus for help. We needed sanctuary from all the murders. Your grandfather hid me in the Templite Castle. Titus saved my friends and family. It felt nice to be safe again for a few years. Until the unrest grew. Kairos gained more influence through the Neutralists and Templite Loyalists Planets. You see, Kairos never stopped helping the oligarchs. He just enabled them further in to stripping the rights of his people. So, while civil wars were going on to protect and kill Guerreros, the rich were profiting off our dead bodies through multiple avenues. Arms dealers. Hospitals. Food. Soldiers. All used for profit. And when people came looking for an enemy, Kairos presented us on a silver platter over and over again. The story Kairos portrayed said ‘After the Guerreros escaped in to other universes, they left the economies of all planets tanked and politicians struggled to recover.’ The people wanted blood. They were hungry. And the rich needed shields.”

“Kairos came up with an outlandish plan: cut seven of the timelines Guerreros were known to frequent. To do so, he needed strong enough, self-hating Guerreros to create a Spear that could do such a task. Kairos had Guerreros that complied to his regime but they were weak. He needed me or one of my family members to make the Spear.”

Salem stops speaking. They give me a second to digest everything and to come to my own conclusion.

But I don’t like the ending. I know the ending. The timelines were cut. But what were the details?

“What did you do Salem?” I ask.

“It is complicated. Kairos wanted to cut the seven timelines to travel across our timeline more efficiently with Pulses. The Pulses were blackholes that would unexpectedly cut through timelines and kill hundreds of thousands of people where they were opened. Kairos would give tours of other timelines to his billionaire friends. And when the people of other timelines started seeing their people killed by our leaders and rich people, they revolted. They would kill anyone that would Pulse to their universe. The rich that liked to vacation in exotic destinations demanded Kairos and his Templite Loyalists fix this issue. The rich wanted the seven timelines, closest to us and most likely to kill rich people, to be eradicated. The rich needed a liminal space between their favorite timelines. Or, what we now know as Limbo. They were tired of fighting timelines wars in order to get to their favorite destinations after a few “accidental” deaths. Pulsing freely was their goal. So, when the time came to do so, Kairos flooded so much propaganda down his follower’s throats they were fully gagged and in support of his cause.”

“Billionaires funded his plan knowing the blood that would be on their hands. Kairos started kidnapping and testing all Guerreros to see if their abilities could create the Spear he needed to cut the timelines. Any that couldn’t were used for servitude or killed.”

“Titus came to me and my family and asked us for a favor. He asked if we could create a fail safe for our universe. It was only a matter of time before Kairos turned on every planet. He would keep making excuses and scapegoating different beings until every planet was poisoned and destroyed. Until all citizens were killed or he killed other planets. Kairos wanted them subjugated or dead. The blood could never stop spilling or else people realized who the real bad guys were. I would infiltrate Kairos’s Guerreros, create the Spear for Kairos, and then cut the seven of the thirteen universes myself.”

“Why would my grandfather want you to kill trillions for Kairos?” I ask.

“Kairos would eventually kill those seven timelines so we wanted it done on our terms. Titus knew how to protect the seven timelines and make it look like I cut them.” They answer. “I would solidify the seven timelines in to seven Crystals and tie their Essence to the structural Threads in our universe. The Crystals were free to move around our galaxy once I returned. But my job would be to distribute them to different beings across the Scorned and Neutralist planets. All seven Crystals combined made up the Power Crystal that would be implanted in Titus until Kairos committed to his mutiny. At that point, I would split the Crystals up in to seven pieces and scatter them to the cosmos. The idea was that if Kairos decided to turn on his people and start killing them at random, then he would commence the collapse of his universe if he accidentally killed a Crystal Wielder. Kairos would have the tools to revive the individual but not without damage and warping being done to the timeline. The Crystals themselves would be kill switches for our universe if Kairos decided he wanted to fuck around. This would essentially slow him down from killing the entire universe.”

“What happened to the beings in the Crystals?”

“For those beings inside the Crystals, their lives are momentarily in stasis. The other half of them, that were useful to our universe, were transported in to our galaxy with the help of Templite Ships. They were eventually dispersed across our twenty-four planets and integrated with our citizens. Thus, the timelines were cut, Limbo was created, and now, Kairos had new people to call an enemy. So, what did you expect happened?”

“He turned his people against the refugees from the other timelines.”

“Kairos did it so effectively. He had laid the blue print down with my people, the Guerreros. He practiced making us suffer so that he could perfect the suffering on the next group. Kairos was scared a person from one of the seven timelines would cause a rebellion against him for his decision to cut the timelines. He allowed for the species to intermingle across planets. As they grew up and their powers presented themselves, he had his new enemy. A child born of two or more races with powers hellbent on revenge. Kairos planted the seed in to the minds of his paranoid followers. They were all scared karma would be swift and the mixed children would exact revenge for their lost relatives. It was so easy to work off paranoid individuals. They wanted to hide their sins so bad, Kairos did almost no work to convince them to stay loyal.”

“Kairos knew he couldn’t start mass killing people from different planets if Titus was still alive. So, he convinced his followers to commit a coupe. He wanted to take out Titus once and for all. But Titus knew this would be his plan all along. He summoned me from Epsilon, had me collect the Crystals in that one second that he stopped time before his death, and had me split them in to seven separate pieces. He had you as the first Crystal Wielder. And Titus had his daughter, May, left to unravel any unrest Kairos created in the universe.”

Salem pulls out their necklace from their robes. Six crystals remain on the necklace, “Those worthy of wielding the Crystals have yet to be born, except you. Kairos dropped you off on my door step as a threat. He came to find me. And see what I’ve been up to. He can know all this information because I know I can just disappear, if need be, to another planet or the remaining timelines if he comes for us, which I know he will.”

“So, the reason I’ve told you all of this is because I know your Data Link will tell him every thing he needs to know. I want him to see how fortified we are. I want him to prepare as we will. He can know our moves and how we plan to strike back. But we can counter him. I wanted to answer the question as to why Kairos is attacking us. He is scared of you, Spike. He is scared of me. He is scared we will expose his secrets and live to tell the tale. Now, you can hate me. You can think that what I did was callous and unnecessary. I’m completely fine and I will accept you if you believe so. But work still needs to be done. Those beings in the Crystals can still be saved. The seven timelines can be restored. Now, it’s up to you and the six others that I will pick. And Kairos, I may not live to see the day you die, but know your death will come from one of my seven Crystal children.”

“Are you speaking to him or to me?”

“Both.”

What the fuck. From afar, I see the picture they have painted, but up close, I hate it. I understand why they did what they did. I would have done the same. But all Ethereals, this is fucked. I know that I would have been no better. Yet…Yet, it feels weird to accept all of this. To agree with the reasoning behind my grandpa’s plan. Salem’s plan.

“This was the only way to save all those people?” I ask feeling everything and nothing. Pressured to know this has always been my fight to take up. My mantle that has been waiting for me to come back to.

“Titus and I came to the conclusion that this was one avenue.”

“Were there any other options?”

“Allow people to die and hope that satisfied Loyalist’s bloodlust.”

“But it wouldn’t have. Those Crystals. They are the end all be all.”

“These Crystal Tasks were created by me. Each witch, warlock, or warwick had one chance to earn their place as the next coven leader. They had to prove they could do anything to save their people with only one chance.”

“How did you get Reyna to allow you to do the Tasks?”

“The same way you convinced her to save her people. Reyna loves her people. You pull the right Threads, and she caves. Her heartstrings are the easiest to pull. Easiest to manipulate.”

“That’s why none of the others picked me. They knew that you would eventually have to confess all of this to me.”

“Yes. And no. They knew my responsibilities to pass on the torch to you. But they are still very hateful towards Templites.”

“You’re crazy.” I accidentally say out loud. “I mean, no, I would have done what you did but…”

Salem holds up a hand for me to stop. They continue.

“To save the universe, we had to play Kairos’s crazy game. There is no real change without a little bit of crazy. Peaceful protests got the Guerreros nearly extinct fighting for their right to live freely. If we fought from the beginning and so did everyone else, there would be a lot more of us Guerreros around. On paper, my people are dead and I’m the lone survivor. But the Guerreros live on. Hidden and ready to take down Kairos. As do Templites that were from your time. Kairos waged a war on us and it is only fair that a Guerrero takes him out.”

“And who would that be?”

“You.”

“Me? How?”

“Your real mother was a Seer. And your grandfather was never faithful. He bore your uncle from the Queen of Wolves. And he bore your mother from the Queen of the Guerreros. Our queen was also a Seer. You possess all of her gifts. Your lineage is equipped with all the tools to take down Kairos. More powers will develop as you grow older. My people had many unique abilities that have since gone extinct. Thread Manipulation was the number one reason our colonizers wanted us enslaved. They couldn’t easily travel through the universe. They lacked the years of dedication it took to hone any skills. They lacked the power required to open and travel through the Fourth Dimension. So, they created their discounted version of our power that only knew how to destroy. Their false powers could only work through the subjugation and elimination of those that did not look like them. But they did not realize we hid our other gifts from the world. You, Spike, can very well destroy the universe with the power you will accumulate.”

“Kairos will come for me. How will I hide them?”

Salem spins a web of Threads unravelling the world around them. They reach their hand in to a box-shaped hole they created and pull out a briefcase. They pop it open, “Does this look familiar?”

Twenty-five chess piece like figures sit in the suitcase.

“No.”

“May, your real mother, predicted twenty-six lives. Twenty-five lived in service to Kairos. And one to bring him down. Predictions can change but we assume that is how long it will take to develop all Guerrero abilities. Then, your mission is to hide away your memories and powers in these pieces for Kairos to never find.”

I’m going to die twenty-five times. This can’t be real. This has to be a sick joke. I don’t want to lose Salem, Mama Amanda, or Simon.

“Why do you need the Guerrero abilities?”

“Guerrero abilities can’t be controlled by Ethereals. Have you ever wondered how they can go on allowing this behavior from Kairos? They are fickle beings. The Ethereals can take powers away from innocent people if they get angry at them or if the corrupt ones compensate them fairly. We have a few good Ethereals but most of them have just stood by as all of this has happened. Madame Destiny is the only consistent one that has been fighting on our side. A few others are predators and murderers. With no Ethereals or Kairos controlling you, you can put an end to all of this suffering. Guerrero magic grants you powers with no hurdles.”

“And Mama Reyna is worried that if I gain too much strength I can use those powers to be worse than Kairos?”

“Axel, when the time comes, if you are worse than Kairos I will be the one to take you out. I made that promise. Neither of us is worried you will be worse than him. She is just worried you will end up on his side. And I have complete faith in you. Faith you will restore the timelines. I have faith you and the other Crystal children will be the ones to end this nightmare once and for all. Kill Kairos. Kill the Ethereals. And, Spike Guerrero assume the Templite Throne. Let’s end them together.”

End of Volume 1.

If you're not influencing your teenager's YouTube algorithm, are you even parenting?

I have mixed feelings already on allowing my teen to have access to YouTube. But if there is ANYTHING that parenting has taught me (and my own dad has taught me about myself,) it's that limiting access to things is a great way to encourage your teen to sneak around getting them anyway. Knowing that, is it a better choice to allow them to have guardrail access and log into their account checking their history and adjusting accordingly? That's the choice I've made, right wrong or indifferent.

If you already know what I'm afraid of, skip this paragraph and read on. But if you don't, get on YouTube or Tiktok and create a new account, setting the age to 13 and the gender to male. And I want you to notice what it shows you, before that algorithm even has a chance to know you. Buckle up, because it will horrify you how quickly you are shown the yellow brick road to the alt right pipeline. If you haven't run across a young white male Christian Nationalist within 5 minutes, I'll eat my sock. So if you don't want your child parroting Nick Fuentes "women in the kitchen" talking points the next time you tell him to unload the dishwasher, what should you do? Keep them completely off the internet? That's my kneejerk reaction. But I know my kid is getting show videos by his friends, watching YouTube on any smart TV he has access to, and running across these talking points who knows where else, and I want to teach him media literacy. How do I do that without allowing him some media consumption? And trust me, I have the FEAR. I'm as terrified about allowing him to open YouTube as I am to let him get behind the wheel of a car. But I want to raise a person who can servive without me looking over his shoulder constantly, so I have to ease him in.

But HOW? YouTube is actually worse than tiktok about guardrails. On a teen account (not YouTube kids), there are no guardrails other than that you can see their history and block explicit content just like you would for yours. You can't block hashtags, it's very difficult to hard block creators, you can only mark that you are uninterested in this creator. But then they show you Joe Rogan instead of Nick Fuentes. Their algorithm is almost determined to push my teen boy down a path I don't want him to walk.

So I log into YouTube as him and slog through videogame content to adjust his algorithm and mark INCEL propaganda with a thumbs down. After spending hours upon hours doing this, here is what I've learned:

1. You may have heard that Gen Alpha boys are leaning more conservative and the girls are leaning more progressive. I am now 100% convinced that this is due almost exclusively to social media, though the polarization of politics is absolutely contributing to that.

2. You can thumbs down the bullshit all you want, but YouTube doesn't seem to learn not to show you similar content. I may thumbs down a Nick Fuentes video and tell YouTube not to show me anything from that creator. It will then show me other creators who have TALKED about Nick Fuentes's videos in a positive way. WTAF?!

3. And for my final point and the reason I'm writing this post - There do not seem to be any teen boys or young men creating progressive content for my teen to watch. And I think I know why.

For all of Republicans' talk about "liberals are groomers," THEY are the ones who are statistically grooming children, not just for Epsteiny things, but for the red pill pipeline. There are tons of young 20 and 30 year old men posing as teens with clean shaven faces and shaggy haircuts telling boys about how the Bible says that women should submit to them. And what is more attractive to a teen boy, a child whose amygdala has outgrown their decision making capabilities and they have the body of an adult with the authority of a child, than having more power over other people? Especially people like their mother, who is more than likely the default parent?

I don't believe there are many self respecting progressive men who think that influencing teens on the internet is inherently good. And there are very few progressive parents that want their kids creating content for the public. Just the idea of it is ick, isn't it? But therein lies a problem.

In this day and age of teens on the internet, there are very few good influences that look like them, even the white boys. (Please don't mistake me as saying, "oh the underrepresented white boy, how I lament for thee!" I'm saying there are no good ones I want my child watching.)

Do I think there are easy answers to this problem? Of course not. But there are a few things that I think we, as a collective, can do to help.

1. We should all be emailing YouTube demanding we get some of the same algorithm control we have with tiktok. Blocking creators, blocking hashtags, blocking key words.

2. We should popularize marginalized creators, whose voices NEED to be heard by more people. Including our teens. This means when you watch a video by a creator you like, watch it ALL THE WAY THROUGH.

3. Consume some content together. I will occasionally ask my teen, hey! Want to watch videos together? Compare and contrast. Laugh together at your goofy parent algorithm, and watch with genuine interest the things your kid is interested in. Talk together. Laugh at things that make you want to scream. WAIT WHAT? I said what I said. If you see a man talking about how God said women should dress modestly, laugh and say "Jesus told men to scoop their eyes out. No, seriously!" Point our when you see AI. Engage with media critically, and pick it apart, but have fun with it. When your child starts noticing things, compliment them on their media literacy. "Wow, good catch!"

Remember that making things and people ridiculous takes away far more of their power than making them scary. Don't believe me? Look at how Germans currently portray Hitler. They make him ridiculous, foolish. Not terrifying. Why? Because fear can be powerful. But nobody made ridiculous holds much influence or power. Empower your kids with the media literacy they will so desperately need in this end stage capilist AI era.

I've compiled a short list of reads below that I plan to study and share with my teen.

How do you handle YouTube with your kids?

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Hello, Sickos! Through the extreme generosity and kindness of one of our members, I have found myself the lucky owner of an extra hardcover copy of The Devils by Joe Abercrombie. We decided the best thing would be to give it a new home where it could be read and appreciated. Thus, we got a giveaway!

To enter, be a "Kist Reads" Follower, Sicko, or Mega Sicko in the US and leave a comment (it can be a salute or fire emoji, idc, just do it so we can make the winner selection & shipping as quick as possible). I'll throw all the terms & conditions* at the bottom, and here's a pic of this beauty:

I'll randomly draw the winner on 12/17 and reach out via email if you've won. Good luck!

Here's the blurb for this banger grimdark fantasy:

A brand-new epic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Joe Abercrombie, featuring a notorious band of anti-heroes on a delightfully bloody and raucous journey

Holy work sometimes requires unholy deeds.

Brother Diaz has been summoned to the Sacred City, where he is certain a commendation and grand holy assignment awaits him. But his new flock is made up of unrepentant murderers, practitioners of ghastly magic, and outright monsters. The mission he is tasked with will require bloody measures from them all in order to achieve its righteous ends.

Elves lurk at our borders and hunger for our flesh, while greedy princes care for nothing but their own ambitions and comfort. With a hellish journey before him, it's a good thing Brother Diaz has the devils on his side.

*No purchase needed. Open to U.S. residents, 18+ only. Void where prohibited.
How to enter:
Open to all “Kist Reads” Bindery members - any tier (including free “Follower” members) – comment to enter (Limit 1 entry per person.)

Prize Value: $29.99
Timing: Runs 12/12/25 - 12/17/25
Winner will be selected at random and notified via email within 3 days of the giveaway’s end. The winner must respond within 3 days to claim their prize.
Other details:
By entering, you agree to these rules and all U.S. & Florida laws. No cash substitute. Sponsor not liable for entry or delivery issues.
Sponsor: Kist Reads, Sun City Center, FL • Kistreadsbooks@gmail.com

Good evening, mis internet amigxs!

I will make this quick tonight, although prepare yourselves for a much longer post coming up very soon.

I have a quick question for you tonight...do you want to receive a holiday card from me?

If so FILL OUT THIS GOOGLE FORM by noon EST, Sunday, December 14th!

We've got my most anticipated books of 2026, Latine book bingo, as well as my best of 2025 coming up very soon on socials.

I appreciate you being here and all of your support this year!

xoxo,

Carmen

Hi team,

so as you know the December Revenge BookClub pick was The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. As it’ll be a live chat discussion and it’s also the holiday season, I propose that we schedule a slot in the first week of January for the chat on discord! I hope this will suit everyone looking to join in - so excited for our very first club chat! I know some people have finished the book already, and others are planning to start it closer to the end of December - I’m just finishing up Lightbringer then I’ll be straight on it!

Ed x