It was all dark Chariot's Sanctuary. The rain had stopped, but it was humid now, and the dense forest surrounding the cozy house was misty. Crickets and frogs could be heard chirping the night away all around, while the birds heard during the day slept. Similarly, everyone in the Vines household was fast asleep. The couple, and the guest.

This was their plan exactly.

In the cloak of the night, the unwelcomed figure in the Sanctuary glided along the path outside towards the front door. The steps they made were silent, as though they were barely touching the ground. The door was unlocked, as intruders in the Sanctuary were normally impossible, and the figure was able to easily slip inside, still without making a sound. They left the door open behind them.

They looked around them, as if they had never been in the house before. After a moment, they moved to the wooden stairs like a shadow. They stopped, however, at the sight of a picture frame sitting upon the end table by the couch. They picked up the frame, a reaction almost like the ghost of curiosity, and looked down at it, observing. The picture was of five males and a girl. The first male was shorter than all the rest and in the middle of the group, smiling wide, eyes shut happily. He had black hair and fair skin, and he seemed to be quite beautiful as all the legends suggested. The male behind him was far taller, with far darker skin and a far bigger smile. His hair was dark and short as well, but curlier. He was standing behind the first male, with his hands on his shoulders. The figure recognized the couple as his target.

To the left and right sides of them were two boys who looked rather similar in complexion and facial composition, but not much else besides the same brown eyes. One had black hair, the other brown. One was taller and seemed stronger than the other. They both were smiling, though the smaller one was smiling a little bigger.

The last two were sitting on the ground side by side in front of the couple, though they looked nothing alike. One was a boy, younger than the rest, and the other was a girl around the same age as him. The boy looked very similar to the first male, with black hair, fair skin, and kind brown eyes though they held a sense of mischief in them. The girl had darker skin, long, bushy black hair, and a shy smile. Her eyes were green, and she was holding a fluffy white cat in her lap. It was easy to tell that the frame held a family picture. The figure tried not to pay much attention to the fact as they placed the frame back down in the exact place it had been before.

The figure finally reached the stairs and glided up, still not making a single sound. They didn't even seem to be breathing. The first bedroom they passed on the second floor had the door cracked open, and they just had to push it in a little more in order to go in. The light was off, as expected, and he could see a lump in the bed were another person was sleeping; small, like a child. There was also another lump at the end of the bed – the lump of a small animal. Both creatures were sleeping soundly and breathing steadily. The figure didn't disturb the child.

They moved on from the room, going onto the next past the bathroom. This door was just slightly ajar as well. They slid in, again like a shadow, like they weren't really there, not making a noise. The second bedroom was larger, with a big window at one wall and a desk on the other, and bed in the middle pushed up against the back wall. In said bed were two people this time – one much smaller than the other though they were pressed together, almost like one person. Both seemed to be out cold, thankfully. The figure drifted to the window-side of the bed, where the smaller male was laying, but the stranger didn't touch him. He wasn't interested in the legendary first Earth Mage of Archangel. He was much more interested in the certain object placed on his bedside table...

As soon as they had done their job, they were out the front door again in a flash, without a sound, shutting the door behind them before teleporting out of the Sanctuary as though they had never been there at all.

Like a shadow.

Thorn and Chariot were sad to see me go, which was refreshing. They waved goodbye to me from the door, though they both seemed very tired, when Bodil came to pick me up.

"Come back anytime dear~!" Thorn called, smiling wide, waving with one hand as he held Chariot's with the other. "You're always welcome here!"

Bodil smiled softly. "Thanks guys!"

"Bye!" I called, before Bodil warned me and then we teleported home, to his Sanctuary. It had only been one night away from the cabin by the lake in the green valley, but to be honest, I missed it a lot. I was glad to be home. The dizziness I felt upon teleporting this time wasn't as bad as it had been before. It felt good knowing that I was getting used to it. I hoped I would get to live this kind of life as long as I lived.

Then, after I had settled back in, I went upstairs and put pen to paper. Or, rather, I put my fingers to the keyboard.

That didn't last long. Ten minutes in, I found myself sitting on my bed in my room, staring at my screen blankly, unable to think of what should come next.

Christie snapped his book shut and... then what? I was a person, writing about a character who's trying to decide what to do with their characters in their book. This was so confusing... I sat back and rubbed my face, particularly my eyes, which were sick of staring at the screen and not doing anything. I thought about going out with friends – but then I realized that I... didn't have any. None my age. The Demigods were nice and fun to talk to and I loved Thorn and Irene but... it's not the same. I breathed a sigh, before I hesitated and got up. Maybe I could explore God's Realm. Maybe I could befriend some Valkyrie.

I shouted downstairs telling Tyler and Bodil where I was going before using my necklace to teleport my somewhere. It was only after I arrived that I realized I had never teleported on my own and I had never been so dizzy in my life. I stumbled, falling on my behind in the middle of the corridor. There were some soft gasps and murmurs. I felt somebody take my arm. "Are you alright?"

"U-Uh..." I stumbled as I shook my head to clear it, before I looked up and blinked. The Valkyrie who helped me was unfamiliar. He was very tall, with brown wings and horns, and lighter brown hair that was pretty long. And he wasn't wearing a shirt. Definitely no shirt. Nope.

His head was tilted as he stared. "Miss?"

"I-I'm fine!" I said quickly. "Thank you."

"I am glad to be of assistance." He simply nodded and kept walking down the hall like nothing happened. I watched him go, still a little mystified. I had hoped maybe he would be my friend, but... well, the Valkyrie were somewhat boring, weren't they? I mean, it's not their fault, they are literally incapable of feeling emotion. I pictured myself with a couple of Valkyrie hanging out or watching a movie. It would feel very one-sided, wouldn't it? Besides, they have jobs to do, and they're probably, like, hundreds of years older than me... I was beginning to feel a bit like a black sheep.

So... Now what?

I stood in the middle of the hallway feeling kinda stupid because of my fall and because I had no idea of where to go. I started walking down the corridor, not wanting to try to teleport somewhere else and attract more attention. I left the citadel again and went into the main village. I had never fully explored God's Realm yet. It was bigger than just a meeting room and a few bedrooms, it was a whole city. I couldn't help but wonder who lived there...

I passed the library, and officially was someplace I had never been before. I walked down the first street I saw. I really had no idea where I was going or why. Finally, I just stopped and sighed, calming myself down. No one was around. I chewed my lip thoughtfully. What now?

Suddenly, as I stopped moving, I heard some voices behind me, muffled, a little distant, but there. They were like the voices I heard at school – it was a kid laughing. I was drawn closer, some hope in my chest. I opened the front door of the building the laughter was coming from, and as I stepped inside, I saw a lobby area with an aquarium of strange, colorful fish and a desk, but nobody was there. I glanced around. The voices were coming from behind another door, to the left. I could hear more voices now that I was closer. I thought about the idea that maybe I wasn't supposed to be here, but then I dismissed the thought and went through the door anyway.

The room was full of kids of all ages. It was a big room, with a playground inside and an area with picnic tables for eating. The latter area was surrounded by wide windows which showed the vast blue sky. A lot of the younger kids were on the playground, while most of the older ones – the ones my age – were at the tables. There were a few Valkyrie out and about as well, watching them but not getting involved. I approached one near me. "Excuse me – what is this place?"

The Valkyrie glanced at me before she blinked and confusion flashed in her eyes. "You are not one of the children residing here."

"No, my name is Wolf, I'm staying with Bodil and Tyler."

The Valkyrie nodded. "I see." She looked out at the playground again. "This is the orphanage."

My eyes widened a little. "Orphanage?" I asked. "Why does God's Realm have an orphanage?"

"This is where the children whose parents are lost to Demigod affairs that are out of control are kept to keep them safe as they grow and mature." The Valkyrie stated, like she had to repeat it all day to all their visitors. "Are you here to adopt a child?"

My eyes widened. "Uh... No, thanks though..."

"Feel free to look around." The Valkyrie said, and then she seemed to stop caring about my presence. I stayed next to her for a moment simply because I didn't know where else to go, before I stepped away, feeling out of place. If it was possible for a Valkyrie to dislike someone, I was sure that lady didn't like me.

I was beginning to regret coming in here. Did I really think it would be that easy to make friends? Just wander in and wait for them to come up to me? I wasn't even a likable person... I turned to leave.

"Hey, are you new?" A voice suddenly said.

I jumped in surprise and glanced over my shoulder. There was a tall boy sitting atop the pull-up bar, smiling at me curiously. He was probably my age or younger, with dark hair, mocha-colored skin, and an accent I was pretty sure was from India or somewhere near there. His eyes were brown and lit up with life. "Are you?" He asked again.

"Um... I mean..." I caught my bearings again. "I'm new to God's Realm."

"Are you an orphan?"

"No, no. I'm staying with Bodil and Tyler."

"Ohhhh, you're that Veronica girl!" He hopped down off the bar with ease, like he did it all the time.

I blinked. "You know me?"

"Sure, everybody's talking about how you got adopted! This is very abnormal. In fact, I don't know why they even did it or why you didn't come here. Oh well." He held out a hand. "I'm Ami."

"Ah... It's... It's nice to meet you." I smiled, shaking his hand. This guy was so nice, he was already making me feel less nervous.

"What are you doing in here?" Ami asked, swinging up onto the pull-up bar and hanging upside down from his knees easily. "You're not here to adopt, are you?"

"No, no, I'm only fourteen."

"Hey, I'm gonna be sixteen in a month!" Ami smiled. "I look younger, don't I? Everyone says so."

I shrugged. "I could see that. So... Where are you from?"

"I was born in Stockcrash, you?"

I blinked a few times. "You were born where?"

"Ohh, you're new to the realms, aren't you?" Ami swung down from the pull-up bar and went over to one of the indoor picnic tables, sitting down. I followed suit, sitting across from him. "Well, Stockcrash is a charming little realm where the black market is the only ruling power and the trading of human beings is not only legal but the most profitable."

My eyes widened. "Oh..."

Ami nodded. "It's not nice there. It's widely regarded as one of the least friendly realms – as in, if you were to travel there, you wouldn't have any fun. Anyways, where are you from?"

"Just... Just Earth."

Ami nodded. "I wish I was from there. It's much nicer... You haven't met any monsters, then, have you, if you're from Earth?"

"...Monsters?"

"Wolves, trolls, dragons, people who try to kill you with swords and all that. They don't have any of that on Earth, do they?"

I stared at him. "Well... We do have wolves, but I never ran into any. What do you mean by dragons though, are those real?"

"Oh yeah, they're all over the realms. So are trolls. There are even vampires if you go to the right places. But that doesn't make them monsters... There are all sorts of bad people anywhere you go that are like monsters. Sometimes good people can turn into monsters too... See, that's what happened to my parents. A dark Demigod killed them for no reason, and I was left an orphan, so the council took me in and I've lived here ever since."

I winced. "Oh, I'm sorry..." I couldn't help but be curious about the concept of "dark Demigods" but I decided not to pursue the matter for the time being. "So... Do you have any friends here?"

"Well, I know just about everybody, I've been here so long." Ami answered. He looked around, and pointed at a couple of younger girls who were on the nearby swings together. "Those are the sisters, Chou and Macy. Their village burned down a few years ago, and since it was a fight the Demigods were involved in, they were brought here." He gestured to a very young boy, two or three, who had just come down from the slide. "That's Hugo. He's from Earth, just like you, but from France. His mother – only living relative – was pushed over the edge of a building by a passing Valkyrie on accident. She's in a coma now, so he's staying with us until she's stable again. We're pretty sure she'll be alright..." He looked around for another orphan to describe. The whole time he was talking, I had been staring over at a boy who was sitting alone at a table, reading.

"What about him?" I asked.

"Hm?" Ami followed my gaze, and I'm pretty sure he stopped breathing when he saw who I was looking at. "Oh... That's Cecil Ninnius..." He said. I looked at him, and I saw sadness in his eyes, but also hope. There was also something else, and I had a feeling I knew what it was, but I didn't want to jump to conclusions. "He's had it rough... It's a sad story... Are you sure you want to hear?"

I nodded.

Ami took a breath. "Alright... Well, he's from Pure, as in the Pure realm. It was ironically named. It's a pocket realm full of corruption and anarchy under a cruel leader. The people there only fight to keep themselves alive. There are no laws. There are hardly any kind people. Cecil might be the only one..." He hesitated, like he forgot to speak for a moment. "Anyways... His father... well... he would... abuse him pretty bad... in... a lot of ways..."

I winced. "I know what you mean, you don't have to say it."

Ami nodded in understanding. "Well, one day, his father died, when he was thirteen. Unable to pay the high taxes for his house, he was thrown onto the streets of the capitol city of Pure, and that is someplace you really don't want to be... Horrible things happened to him there, and he barely had enough food to stay alive. He still has scars from then... I just... He's such a sweet boy, he didn't deserve a life like that..." Ami was quiet for a moment again. "...Eventually, he couldn't take it anymore... so he... he climbed to the top of a building, and... and he..." Ami swallowed.

I stared at him with wide eyes. I hadn't expected him to react to strongly... I suddenly felt awful for making him tell the story. "...Hey..." I said gently as I touched his hand.

Ami looked at me and smiled, laughing a little as he rubbed his eyes. "Sorry, I-I guess it's strange to cry around your new friend who you're talking to for the first time..."

Friend. My heart swelled at the word, but I pushed down my feelings. "You don't have to tell me the rest."

"Nah, nah." Ami seemed fully recovered. "If I left off there, it wouldn't make any sense, now, would it?" He cleared his throat. "Anyway... he was dead as soon as he hit the ground. But Zek - he's a reaper on the council – Zek didn't let him die. He said he still had things to do in life. So he brought him back with permission from the Universe herself and he came here. But... he hasn't spoken a word since he showed up... we only know his story because of Zek..." Ami stared over at the boy, not speaking for awhile once more.

I took the time to take in the boy – Cecil's – appearance. He was tall and lanky, though he was hunched over the table to read. He was wearing a light pink collared shirt with long sleeves and jeans, with some old-looking brown loafers. He was pale, like he didn't go outside much, and he had a lot of faint freckles. His eyes were bright blue though dull from obvious struggle, and his dark brown hair was curly and messy, but short.

I looked at Ami, and saw him still staring. "...He's seventeen now..." Ami said. "He's been here four years..." He breathed a sigh. "When he first came here, I tried to be his friend harder than anyone, but he just wanted to be left alone..."

I stared at him knowingly. "Why don't you go over to him?"

He quickly shook his head. "No, no, no!" He said. "He wants to be left alone. Trust me. He's busy. See? He's looking at sewing patterns, he won't want to be distracted. Besides, even if I do go over, he won't say anything to me. He hasn't spoken since he arrived. There's no point, I should just leave him be."

I shrugged. "Alright, that's fair... But you know, you don't necessarily have to talk to him. You can just read a book next to him. Just keep him company."

Ami was quiet a moment, before he shook his head and promptly shook his head. "So what do you like to do?"

Ami was a cool guy. He liked playing clarinet and coloring kid's coloring books, which he wanted to turn into a career. Not the coloring books, the clarinet part. He also liked doing the other orphan's hair, particularly the girls. He put my hair in a bun for me while we were talking. I also learned that we had a shared dislike of a certain chocolate, but he was more of a dog person while I liked cats. After a few hours, when I decided it was time for me to go home, he gave me his phone number and promised to text me if he got bored. I liked him. I was excited to have him as a friend... I had never had another gay friend before.

As I was leaving the orphanage, I noticed Notch finishing up a conversation with Hero, the Magist Demigod. I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure their either gay or brothers... no, wait, they can't be gay, Irene said she's Notch's wife. Never mind. What's happening again? Hero was walking away from Notch now, waving.

I had been meaning to ask Notch about something for awhile now. As I remembered, I ran over to him. "Notch!"

He glanced over at my call and blinked. "Wolf." He greeted. "What is it?"

"I wanted to ask a favor." I said, my heart beating with hope at what I was about to ask for.

Notch blinked again. "What do you need?"

I prepared myself, before I took a breath and told him. As I did, he looked increasingly more hesitant. "I was going to ask Bodil, but... yeah." I finished.

Notch nodded slowly. "I suppose I can try. I'm very busy at the moment, but as soon as I have the time, I'll give it a shot."

I smiled, nodding. "Thank you!" I hugged him tight. "Thanks so much, Notch!" I beamed at him, stepping back, before I teleported home.

Bodil came in through the front door carrying his fishing pole and tackle box. He had heard the music from outside, but when he came in, it was even louder. Almost unbearable. He winced slightly. "Ah..."

Tyler looked up from his book. "I know... But she's a teenager, so..."

Bodil hesitated, shifting from foot to foot awkwardly for a few moments before a particularly high pitched note was hit and he winced harder. "That's pretty loud..."

Tyler stared at him a moment, before his eyes widened in realization and he sat up, setting his book down. "I'll go tell her to turn it down."

"No, no!" Bodil held up his hands. "I-I'll just go back outside!"

"Bodil, you can't just hide outside every time she wants to play music! You'll have to reach an understanding."

"...Yeah, but..."

"You have to set rules." Tyler said. "That's what parents do. You don't have to scold her or anything... just ask her nicely. She'll do it."

Bodil nodded slowly. He finally sighed and set his tackle box down, leaning his pole against the wall beside it. "Oh... alright..."

Tyler smiled and didn't say anything as he shuffled towards the stairs. Once he was gone, he picked up his book again.

The music got louder and louder the closer he got to my door. He resisted the urge to cover his ears as he tapped on my door. "Wolf?"

I jumped at the sudden voice and turned. "Huh?"

Bodil asked something quietly, but I couldn't hear him.

"What."

"C... Can you turn that down a little?" He repeated.

I blinked, before I nodded and quickly turned the music down quite a bit. I saw the human Demigod sigh in relief. I winced. "Sorry, I forgot... Your ears are sensitive, aren't they?"

"It's not a big deal!" Bodil said quickly. "I'll leave you be now. You're writing there, aren't you? I'll leave you alone."

"Wait!"

He stopped leaving, poking his head back into my room in question.

"I went to the orphanage in God's Realm today." I said.

"Did you?" Bodil asked interestedly. He moved back into the doorway, leaning against the frame.

I nodded in answer. "I made a friend, who told me about... about some dangerous stuff that happens in the realms. I've been thinking about that and... I was wondering if I should learn some self-defense."

Bodil blinked slowly. "...Self-defense." He repeated.

I nodded again. "I think it would be useful, so maybe if I get in trouble... You know, just in case..."

Bodil thought a moment. "Well... We can certainly consider the idea." He said. "...Hm... I'll leave you to your writing. Have fun!" He waved, before he left. I went back to my work without another word, hoping he would decide to help me.

When Bodil brought it up downstairs, Tyler shrugged and nodded mildly. "I think learning some minor self-defense wouldn't be a bad idea." He said. "I mean we won't train her to be an expert crossbow wielder or anything, but we could show her how to properly punch an asshole in the throat if they try to grab her."

"That's what I was thinking." Bodil said, even though he had been leaning towards the master crossbow wielder idea. "I can teach her!"

Tyler choked. "No."

Bodil's face fell. "Why not?"

Tyler sighed, sitting up and squeezing his hand. "It's not that you're a bad teacher, dear, you're a fantastic teacher! It's just that... you're too good."

"What do you mean?"

"You tend to... well... you're a little rough."

"What? No I'm not, I'm a nice guy."

"Bodil, you kicked my ass."

"No..."

"Yes, yes you did."

Bodil chewed on his cheek. "...Did I really?"

"You took my scythe away, that's a huge deal to Soulsuckers."

"I know, but..." Bodil sighed and gave in. "Okay, you're right. But who will we get to teach her instead?"

The pair looked at each other uncertainly as they tried to think of someone else who was qualified enough to teach a teenager how to punch a stranger in the neck.