Ivy spent the next ten minutes giving a crash course to Tobi and Bryce, but mostly Bryce about energy and how it worked and what they’ve been doing the past couple of months. Bryce found his attention would shift from Ivy to Kaly, not sure what to make of her.

  He cleared his throat awkwardly, his voice strained. “So, um...your highness, Kaly…good job,” he said, forcing out a smile, trying to make it look like he wasn’t about to shit himself in fear. He gave an unconvincing thumbs-up before quickly shoving his hands back into his pockets.

  As they descended the mountain trail, Ivy chatted with Kaly, her laughter echoed through the trees. Kaly grinned, her usual guarded demeanor completely gone, replaced by a relaxed and carefree aura. The blood on her hands had dried into dark, crusted streaks.

  Trailing behind them, Tobi and Bryce exchanged uneasy glances. Tobi could still feel his heart pounding in his chest, though the adrenaline had started to fade. Bryce, on the other hand, looked like he was barely holding it together. His eyes kept darting to Kaly's bloodied hands, then back to Tobi as if expecting him to explain away everything. Muttering under his breath, “I should’ve stayed in bed this morning… Slept in a little longer…”

  Tobi’s mind raced as he tried to process what had just happened. ‘At least Ivy doesn’t seem bothered by it at all,’ he thought.

  Bryce leaned closer to Tobi, mouthing the words, “Bruh. What. The. Fuck.”

  “I know.” He mouthed back. He looked ahead at Ivy and Kaly, who were now walking shoulder to shoulder, giggling.

  When they got back to town, it was dark out. Bryce quickly hopped out of the car, babbling about how he had to go do something for him parents, and jogged away before anyone could say anything.

  Tobi watched him go, sighing. He turned to Ivy, asking, “That reminds me: any update on your mom? You didn’t learn anything at that training?”

  Ivy’s expression fell, “No…nothing really. I was hoping she was going to be there or leave me a sign or something, but…” She trailed off.

  Tobi frowned, sensing Ivy's disappointment, not knowing other than, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring it up like that.”

  “No, it’s fine,” Ivy’s face lit back up again.

  Tobi hesitated, then turned to Kaly, “What about you? How are your parents?”

  “Don’t have any,” Kaly said quickly.

  “Like they’re dead?” He proded.

  “No, I’ve just never had any parents. No mom, no dad.”

  Wait, so…” His brow furrowed as he tried to wrap his head around it. “How were you even born?”

  Kaly shrugged, her voice monotone, “Well, so this monk was getting attacked by bandits, right? While he was being murdered, he started to pray. And through that prayer, I was born. I then decapitated all the bandits and drank their blood. He didn’t make it, though.”

  Tobi stared at her, mouth slightly agape. His brain scrambled for something to say, but all he managed was a quiet, “Oh. That’s…cool.”

  Seeing his expression, Kaly said, “Look, you asked, man.”

  Ivy, looked at Kali with wide-eyed wonder. “The more I learn about you, the more amazing you are!”

  Kali’s eyes snapped toward Ivy, her blue face quickly darkening with embarrassment. “Ivy! Stop being weird!” she snapped, her voice a little higher than usual.

  “Sheesh,” Tobi muttered under his breath, glancing at Ivy, who seemed oblivious to Kali’s discomfort. A grin slowly spread across his face.

  “How am I being weird? I just think you’re amazing,” Ivy said, tilting her head in genuine confusion.

  Kali sighed, rubbing the back of her neck with one of her upper hands. “I—never mind,” she muttered, turning her gaze upward to the night sky. The stars above sparkled.

  A week later.

  Most mornings and evenings, Ivy and Kaly would head out to train. It wasn’t for any particular reason, just a shared agreement to stay sharp. Their sparring sessions became a ritual, first thing in the morning and right before going to sleep.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  One morning, Tobi finally convinced Bryce to hang out with him again. They strolled into the hotel room, exchanging a glance when they heard muffled voices from the bathroom. Ivy emerged, wrapped in a towel, her long black hair dripping. Steam billowed from the room behind her. “Oh hey,” she nodded.

  “What were you doing?”

  “We were just taking a shower,” Ivy said, slipping into the closet, changing into her usual clothes. She reappeared, wearing cargo shorts and a tank top.

  Bryce crossed his arms. “‘We were just taking a shower,’ you said. ‘We,’ as in, together? At the same time?”

  There was a long pause as Ivy’s face remained deadpan. “No, I said ‘me.’”

  Tobi looked incredulous, “Ivy that doesn’t even make sense.”

  “You don’t make sense.”

  Bryce grinned, “What doesn’t make sense is why you got rid of the other bed in this room. Sharing a bed in a two person room…I’m just sayin’...kinda weird.”

  Ivy looked genuinely offended. “For one, it’s efficient. Look how much more space we have! Why would we need two beds? That’s like saying we need two TVs, two phones, two toothbrushes-”

  Tobi groaned, “Toothbrushes? Ivy… no. You’re joking.”

  “There’s nothing funny about dental hygiene, Tobi.” Seeing Kaly walk from the bathroom, Ivy gestured toward her, “Kaly, they just don’t get it.”

  “Yeah, you’re right,” Tobi said flatly, “I don’t.”

  A different day, close to dusk, they ventured into the desert, making sure they were far enough away from civilization so all they could see were the golden sands stretching endlessly beneath the orange and purple sky. The heat of the day lingered in the air, sweat already forming on them.

  Ivy took a deep breath in and energy began bubbling from the pores in her skin.

  Kaly stood across from her, her energy like steam, slowly rising from her frame. She smirked, her extra set of arms unfurling with a fluid motion. “Ready?”

  Ivy grinned, her stance widening. “Oh, yeah.”

  They lunged at each other, their movements precise and fierce. The desert wind howled around them, carrying the sounds of their fight.

  Ivy’s boots dug into the shifting sand as she parried an oncoming strike from Kaly’s upper left arm, only to immediately block another jab from her lower right.

  “You’re slipping, Ivy,” Kaly taunted, her blue skin glistening under the fading desert sun. “You’re not tired already, are you?”

  Ivy smirked, sweat dripping down, “What? Not at all!”

  Kaly’s advantage was undeniable. With her four arms, Kaly’s attacks came quickly, forcing Ivy onto the defensive almost immediately. For every blow Ivy deflected or dodged, two more seemed to follow.

  Kaly hopped back, pointing two fingers forward, firing a ball of energy which flew towards Ivy.

  Kaly leapt back with feline agility, her extra arms gracefully retracting before she snapped two fingers forward. A crackling orb of energy formed at her fingertips, pulsing with raw power, before it shot toward Ivy with a high-pitched hum.

  “Okay,” Ivy breathed, bracing herself, and holding her palms out toward the incoming ball.

  “You got this, Ivy!” Kaly called, “Concentrate on feeling my energy. Hold it! Hold-”

  “Ah!” Ivy’s energy flickered, her eyes widened with fear, and the ball of energy exploded, dust and sand erupting into the air.

  Kaly winced.

  When the area settled, Ivy was on her back, staring up at the sky. She leaned up, shaking the sand out of her hair.

  They clashed again, their battle escalating as bursts of energy sent streaks of light through the empty desert.

  Kaly suddenly feinted left and spun around Ivy, using her lower arms to sweep Ivy’s legs out from under her. Ivy hit the sand with a grunt but quickly rolled to avoid Kaly’s follow-up strike. She sprang to her feet and lunged forward, her fist aimed at Kaly’s torso. At the last second, Kaly caught the punch with two hands. A brief stalemate.

  “That was close,” Kaly said, breathing hard, her face inches away from Ivy’s.

  “Yeah,” Ivy’s eyes glimmered. The hum in the air intensified as Ivy’s aura began to expand. Using her free hand, she twisted her arm free, pivoting to deliver a swift kick to Kaly’s side. Kaly stumbled, her bare feet skidding slightly in the sand, but she recovered quickly.

  The two paused, catching their breath as the desert quieted around them. The sun dipped below the horizon, casting the sky in deep purples and blues, the first stars beginning to blink into existence.

  Kaly followed Ivy’s gaze after noticing the strange look on her face. A strong beam of light shined down from the sky, as if a star was signaling something to them. As soon as they both noticed it, the ray disappeared.

  “What the hell was that?” Kaly asked, her voice low and cautious.

  Ivy didn’t respond. Instead, she jogged toward the spot where the light had touched the ground. As she reached it, she noticed something partially buried in the sand. Kneeling down, she brushed away the grains, revealing a small, weathered box, painted in soft hues of blue, pink, and white. After, gingerly picking it up, and examining it in her hands, “Wow,” Ivy whispered, her voice barely audible. Her eyes widened as she ran her fingers along its edges. “I can’t believe it.”

  “What?” Kaly asked, approaching.

  “This…” Ivy murmured, holding the box up to the fading light. “This was mine. From years ago. I must’ve been six or seven when I had it. I lost it back then—just disappeared one day.”

  Kaly stared at the box, her brow furrowing deeper. “And now it’s here,” she said flatly, her tone filled with skepticism. “After all this time. In the middle of the desert?”

  “Yeah,” she said softly, her voice carrying a tinge of wonder. “Somehow, it’s here.”

  “Is it locked?”

  Ivy shook her head and carefully pried it open. The hinges creaked loudly, the sound almost too sharp.

  Kaly leaned in, squinting. “Is that you?” she asked, pointing.

  “No,” Ivy said, her voice barely above a whisper. She stared at the image, her eyes softening. “That’s my mother. Lilith.”