I didn't see Octavia this morning. My assumption is that she's grieving. It can't be easy... She sacrificed herself for the safety of her daughter and she ended up getting erased from the family tree.

I left a note with my condolences atop a desk in my studio before leaving. I also left her in charge of my house, in case any busters break in.

Right now I'm taking the Mary Blaine to my parents house. I'll be there in 3 more hours. I suppose I'll have to put this pen down soon, I get sick of writing while in motion.

...

The industrial city is far behind me. I'm in a dainty coffee house right now. I do hope Samson and Tara aren't missing me too much...
...

Hello again, Journal. I write this entry by candlelight, my mother and sister are too poor for electricity. Either that, or they're too old-fashioned for it. Yes, they're like that.

They were clearly excited to see me. Juliet and my mother gave me bear when they saw me in the doorway. My mother wept tears of joy while Juliet whooped. You'd think I came back from the dead. A month has not even passed!

We ate turkey for dinner with a side of mashed potatoes. Truthfully, it was the best feast I'd had in a good while.

"I had an odd dream last night," I started a lie.

"What was it?" My mother and sister asked in unison.

"A woman visited me in my dreams. She told me her name was Blythe."

Juliet's jaw dropped and my mother's eyes widened.

"Kenneth, that's your great great great- GREAT grandmother!" My mother cried in disbelief. "But why would she visit you in a dream?"

"She told me it was time I learned about my ancestry. That's part of why I've come here. I was hoping you two- especially you, mother, could teach me more?"

My mother smiled sweetly. "I thought you'd never ask. Blythe is a very important woman in our history. She saved countless lives, and showed bravery in the darkest times."

"Saved lives..?" I echoed.

"Yes. Mother, can we tell him?" Juliet asked. My mother nodded.

"Ken, us women in the Paradox family are witch hunters."

It was my turn to be surprised. No words left my gaping mouth.

"Sadly, people in this day and age are very accepting of witches," my mother mourned.

Finally, I regained my voice. "Witch hunters. You don't say? What do you do when you catch them?" I remembered Octavia's death and gulped. "Do you burn them at the stake?" I whispered.

"Of course not!" They laughed.

"Burning at the stake is outdated," my mother began.

"Modern methods call for hanging," my sister continued.

"How do you know they're guilty?"

"We catch them if we feel suspicious. Next, we 'swim the witch'," my mother explained.

"Ah yes, 'swimming the witch'!" Juliet clapped. "For that, we push them into the water. If they float, they're guilty. If they're innocent, they'll sink!"

I felt a great uneasiness at the way their eyes lit up explaining such a topic.

"Ken, have you run into any witches in your town?" Juliet leaned in.

"N-no! Of course not! Anyway, how would I know?"

"It could be anyone, honey. Those witches have a knack for hiding in plain sight," My mother said before taking a bite off a turkey leg.

"It could be an old hag," Juliet suggested.

"Or the old man who owns the archives," My mother added.

"Or a succubus?" My sister's eyes widened.

"What's that?!" I startled.

"A succubus is a demon who takes the form of an enticing woman to seduce men, leaving them weak if not dead."

"My, they're very dangerous..." my mother murmured.

"Yes they are," Juliet nodded.

Is Tara a succubus? No. Octavia was a vampire... I think she wrote it herself!

"Did you know? They sleep with men so that they can have a cambion child," my sister said.

Octavia slept with a random man so that she could have Amethyst...

"Although a cambion child is half human-half demon, they are more powerful than both."

In that case, would Octavia's descendants become stronger than her? Or weaker?

"Ken," My mother interrupted. She reached out to place her hand on mine. "You would tell us if you saw a witch, demon, or any supernatural being wouldn't you?"

I stayed silent, unsure of how to answer. Hell, I still didn't know how to react to all of this!

Juliet chuckled. "You must think we're crazy, huh? Well, we're not. We've already cleansed a good portion of this town."

Cleansed?!

"Why don't we go visit yours?" My mother smiled.

"Wonderful!" Juliet cheered. "I want to see how you're doing over there."

"Have you moved to a bigger house?" My mother wanted to know.

"Did you find a lady friend yet?" Juliet gushed.

I laughed and explained that I hadn't moved yet, but I'd received a lot of money for a portrait I made. They swooned as I told them about Tara.

"Will you marry her?" My sister jumped from her seat, excited.

"Bring me grandchildren before I die!"

"Women!" I was mortified.

"We're visiting. You can't hold us back!"