"You what!!??" Alma exclaimed, staring at Max and Jasmine as they sat on the couch.
The room felt smaller somehow, as though the walls themselves had leaned inward to hear the confession.
"Yeah, we kinda told the President that we were your children, and that I made an entryway into the infinite space surrounding the college..." Max said, then gestured toward Jasmine. "We did."
Jasmine's head snapped toward Max in disbelief, her glare sharp and immediate, before she quickly turned back to Alma and shook her head. "I didn't have anything to do with it!"
"Did you not realize what that would do to you??!" Alma said, the strain in his voice unmistakable. "How many saw and knew that you were my kids?"
"Only the President knows that we're your kids. But a few officers saw us, but they didn't hear our conversation with the President." Max said.
The explanation softened something in Alma, if only slightly.
"Well... I guess that makes things better. But still, I can't believe that you would go behind my back and do it." Alma said.
"What other way was there? You were trapped inside that infinite realm, or whatever, and we couldn't exactly call you and ask if it was okay." Max said. "All we knew, was that our father was in danger, and he needed to be helped immediately."
Jasmine nodded in firm agreement.
Alma looked at both of their faces—stern, unwavering. They understood the consequences. They had known the risks and acted anyway. His careful plan to keep them uninvolved had shattered in a single decision. He trusted Emmanuel to keep the secret, or at least he hoped he would, but trust did not erase the possibility of investigation.
He sighed.
It was the only response he could manage—not to Max's words, but to the weight of the situation now pressing down on him.
"Thank you." Alma said at last. "You showed that your studying payed off. Well done."
Max's expression brightened instantly. He flashed Jasmine a thumbs up, triumphant.
"However, if you plan to do something like that again that interrupts or interferes with what I'm doing, please consult me first, okay?" Alma said.
They both nodded.
"We promise." Max said.
Alma smiled, and then his expression shifted as something else surfaced in his mind. "Oh! I forgot. Today, I'm supposed to be getting my check from being the Dragon Monarch."
"Really? This late? I thought they were supposed to give you one immediately after?" Max asked.
"I was a special case. Emmanuel said that the reason my payment was so delayed, was because the government wasn't sure if they should fund me yet." Alma said. "Though I am shocked that I haven't received a letter or even an email stating that my payment has been delayed another month over what happened at the college."
"Yeah... well, that means we can go buy luxuries, right?" Jasmine asked.
Alma chuckled softly. "If anything, we're going to buy an actual house. This apartment we've been living in is nice and all. Has really supported us in times of need, but... it can be really better."
The idea seemed to brighten the air itself.
"Alright! Can we get a house with an attached garage and basement? That would be an awesome place to start up an actual lab!" Max exclaimed, stars practically visible in his eyes.
Jasmine rolled hers and looked straight at him. "You better not be creating monsters or some vile goo down there. Worse than that, an apocalypse! I've seen too many movies where a scientist goes mad and creates some kind of messed up creature that nearly ends humanity."
"Yeah, exactly why those movies are 'sci-fi' in the first place. They aren't real, nor am I like every scientist, in real life or even in fiction." Max said.
"Easy you two." Alma stepped closer and rested a hand on Max's shoulder. "I'll try to get that whole setup arranged, Max. We'll need to maximize how much you learn per day so that you'll achieve better results. I know you're not satisfied at your current level. Trust me, I've been there with my parents. So I'll teach you everything I know, plus what the books tell you. I wouldn't be surprised if you become the top scientist in a year or two."
Max looked up at him, smiling. "Thanks, dad. I love you."
"I love you too." Alma said, tapping his shoulder.
He walked into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. The steam rose gently as he lifted it, taking a large gulp before exhaling slowly.
For a moment, everything felt normal.
"Oh, right. We need groceries." He set the mug down and walked back into the living room. "I'll go get them. Do you two want anything specific?"
"Milk." Jasmine said immediately.
"Sheets of paper, pencils, test tubes, and a protractor." Max said.
"A protractor? Are we being serious?" Jasmine asked.
"What? Mine got... uh... broken... yeah." Max said.
He remembered, very clearly, how he had nearly collapsed the entire apartment complex by tapping that protractor against a glass container holding immense gravity.
"Uhuh." Jasmine said.
"Okay, milk, paper, test tubes, and a protractor. Got it. Anything else?" Alma asked.
They both shook their heads.
"Okay. Great. I'll be back in maybe half an hour or a whole one."
He formed the hand sign for the Endless Labyrinth.
In an instant, he vanished.
The air where he had stood seemed to settle a second later, as though reality itself had adjusted to the absence.
"I forget he can teleport." Jasmine said quietly.
"Yeah. What a way to make the door I spent 34 percent of my life on that can go anywhere in the world obsolete." Max said, his voice lowering into a faintly depressed sigh.
---
Las Vegas, Nevada, January 21st, 2033.
Weston Cooper, the Centaur Monarch, sat at a small table outside a coffee shop. The morning air was cool, and he leaned back in his chair with a long breath, sipping his drink in quiet peace.
It had been a month since Orson had nearly killed him. A month since he had felt that presence near Alma—something beyond simple malice. Even now, he could not name it. But he knew it had been wrong. Not evil in the conventional sense.
Something deeper.
Something that made his very being recoil.
Amelia Spring, the Dryad Monarch, approached and sat across from him, holding her own coffee. She took a sip and exhaled in satisfaction before her eyes drifted to the white sack covering his head.
She studied it quietly.
Whether he wore it to forget, to process, or to move on, she could not tell.
After a stretch of silence, she finally spoke. "I know it's been a month, but, are you ready to get back out there?"
"Yes. I am sure." Weston said, setting his cup down carefully. "My mind is sharp. I am no longer scared of what's out there."
"And about the Dragon Monarch? Have you gotten over your, uh... scare?" Amelia asked gently.
"Yes. I've spoken with him lately. That presence I felt... disappeared." Weston said.
Amelia blinked.
She was shocked for more than one reason.
"What? A presence?" Amelia said, choosing her words carefully, trying to understand what he meant rather than letting the uncertainty sit between them.
"Yeah. It was something I've never felt before. Neither from people, from the world, Beasts of Ruin, or those advanced ones, either." Weston said, his gaze drifting toward the people passing by on the sidewalk, their normal lives continuing as if nothing had ever happened. "It was something new. Wrong. I don't know how else to describe it other than that."
Amelia nodded slowly, absorbing his words before speaking again. "Well, that's fine. You've told me more than anyone in the world. Which... if you don't mind me asking... why is that?"
"I didn't want to worry you." Weston said almost instantly.
Confusion crossed her face before she could stop it.
"You do know that, that choice makes me worry more, right? I've thought about you every day since then. I've gone to sleep worrying about you." Amelia said.
"I know. You're a good person to be around. To talk to, to go to when all you need is words let out. But you have to understand, Amelia," Weston said, then continued, "what happened to me—to us? Was a clear sign that we will die if we stay the way we are."
Amelia looked at him, genuinely confused. "What are you saying?"
"Power, strength, the authority to do anything. We lack all of them. If we were strong enough, we could have dealt with those three Beasts of Ruin ourselves. Instead, the Dragon Monarch shows up and effortlessly incapacitates one of them." Weston said.
"But he didn't kill them. Not even one." Amelia said.
"Yeah, to save us. He let them get away to protect us. If he hadn't, those three would have died." Weston said, his tone firm, leaving no room for doubt.
He straightened in his chair, the calm from earlier gone.
"What happened December 4th, should have been an eye opener. As we are... we are weak. Pathetic. That goes for every Monarch except Emmanuel." Weston said, standing up. "How long will we let him continue to be that exception? Not just you and me, but the Monarchs as a whole. The world is changing, threats are becoming more dangerous. And we better meet them head on."
He stepped away from the table, already moving toward the sidewalk.
"Wait! Where are you going?" Amelia shouted, pushing herself up from her seat.
"To get stronger." Weston said simply, not stopping.
Amelia stood there, watching him for a moment, her thoughts racing as she weighed her options. The noise of the street seemed to fade as she made her decision.
"Wait! I'm coming with you!"
Weston felt her presence draw closer and kept walking, slowing just enough to let her catch up.
"So, what will we do first?" Amelia asked.
"We need to develop our bonds with our Mythical Creature. That's the only way any amount of progress can be made." Weston said, then continued, "Currently, we are ranked 9th and 10th strongest Monarchs across the board, seven and eighth if you count Monarchs alive. That won't be, and clearly isn't, enough to survive."
"So are you saying being as powerful as the Dragon Monarch?" Amelia said.
"No. That strength is the only thing impossible in this world to achieve. If Emmanuel can't do it, what shot do we have? However, my goal is to approach that level, without ever actually getting there." He said.
"Welp, you're the boss. What's next?" Amelia asked.
"Call all the Monarchs except for the Dragon Monarch and Emmanuel. I'll handle the Leviathan. We all need to help each other grow stronger." Weston said.
"Rodger." Amelia said, sending roots throughout the Earth.
---
Alma appeared in front of the apartment door with groceries in hand, unlocked it, and stepped inside.
Max looked at him with clear confusion, while Jasmine glanced around nervously, as if she were expecting something to be there that wasn't. Alma closed and locked the door before heading into the kitchen to set the groceries down. As he began unpacking, Max followed him in, partly to help and partly because something was on his mind.
"Why didn't you just teleport inside the apartment?" Max asked.
"Because, if I teleported inside, both of you would get startled. It's not like there's a warning or a sign, I just appear there." Alma said, then continued, "Going through the door gives you time to react."
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense." Max said with a sigh.
Alma paused for a moment and glanced past him. "What's with Jasmine? Do you know why she looks like that? Scared, I mean. Like she's seen a ghost, or something."
"I don't know. She was fine after you left, but then she suddenly just got like that. I don't know what's gotten into her." Max said.
As if on cue, Jasmine stepped into the kitchen. She looked tense, her hands clenched, her expression tight with worry and something close to fear.
"Can we talk? I have something that I want to tell you... both."
Alma nodded. Max did too.
They followed her back into the living room and sat down on the couch, while Jasmine stood in front of them, clearly struggling to find the right words.
"I am..." Jasmine began, hesitating, stumbling over her breath. "The next heir of the Sierra Family."