Kai had barely left Kady's place when he stopped mid-step on the empty street on his way back to brakebills. His hand slipped into his pocket and pulled out a white card. He stared at it in silence, thumb brushing its edges before sighing.
"Ah, what the hell," he muttered, slipping it back into his pocket. In the next second he blurred forward, vanishing from sight.
When he reappeared, he was standing before an abandoned building. The windows were cracked, the paint chipped, and the walls covered in graffiti. Kai picked up a stone from the ground and casually levitated it between his hands, making it vanish and reappear at random, a magician's boredom trick he'd picked up as of late.
The sound of footsteps reached him. He ignored them until a familiar voice cut through the silence.
"So… it would seem you're back. Finally."
Kai didn't turn.
"Multiversal vacation treating you good?" the voice continued, sly, teasing. "Or did you hate it so much you ran back to our sad little universe?"
Kai arched a brow, turning slowly to see Marina leaning casually in the doorway.
"Marina," he said with a dry smile. "I'd say it's nice to see you, but that'd be a lie. And no, the scenery over there wasn't exactly to my taste. Too… apocalyptic and dull for my liking."
She smirked. "That's rich, coming from the guy who seems to thrive in chaos."
Kai gave a small, humorless laugh. "Chaos is one thing. Being in a universe that was a re-run of one part death to a thirty-nine times sequence? Different vibe."
"I'm not sure what you mean but I must say, I'm surprised you reached out," she said after a pause, watching him carefully.
Kai tilted his head. "Yeah, well… you risked coming to me first when you made contact with Julia. I thought, why not see what you actually want?"
A faint smile tugged at his lips, unsettling Marina just enough to shift her stance.
"I want a truce," she said finally.
Kai blinked slowly. "A truce?"
"Yes," Marina said firmly. "Whatever happened between me and Julia doesn't need to hang over us anymore. She and I we're not best friends, but we're… acquaintances now. Civil. Which, trust me, is as good as it gets with Julia."
Kai listened, amused, lips twitching.
"So you might have wormed your way into Julia's 'good graces,'" he said mockingly, "but what makes you think you can do the same with me?"
Marina's jaw tightened. "Because I was about to help her pull you back from that alternate world before she collapsed."
Kai snorted. "How generous of you." In a blur, he vamp-sped in front of her, invading her space. Marina got startled and he could hear her heart pounding loudly.
Kai's smile sharpened. "Impressive. You actually came in person. And…" he brushed a strand of her hair aside, his hand glowing faintly red, "…no trickery in place?"
Her breath caught, but she kept her composure. "I've learned if I want trust, I have to earn it. Stupid notion, maybe but here I am. So no, no deceptions this time."
Kai studied her a moment before stepping back. "Out of character for you, Marina."
"You think I'm comfortable saying any of this?" she shot back.
Kai smirked. "Fair."
After a pause, she shifted. "So tell me. How was this other world? Julia mentioned… the other me there was..."
"Dead," Kai confirmed.
Marina snorted. "Sheesh. Couldn't be me."
Kai blinked at her in disbelief. "You do realize she IS you. Just a version that made different choices."
"Exactly," Marina said with a shrug. "That's what makes me smarter. I didn't screw up like she did."
Kai muttered under his breath, "Only Marina can insult herself in such a manner I guess," before shaking his head. "Whatever."
His expression then hardened. "The reason I wanted this little meeting is because of our mutual friend. She had a nasty run-in with a god."
Marina sucked her teeth. "Sheesh. Nasty bunch, gods. I wouldn't mess with them for any reason. Last thing I want is to end up… creatively dismembered."
Kai chuckled darkly.
"Wait," she said suddenly. "Who was it? Julia?"
He shook his head. "Kady."
Marina froze. "Kady? Kady? Wow She's the last person I'd expect to be reckless enough to deal with a god."
Kai rolled his eyes. "It was a summoning spell gone wrong. It wasn't just her who was involved in trying to summon a god, it was the whole group she was with."
"Oh wow," Marina laughed. "She summoned a god?"
"More like the god hijacked their ritual," Kai corrected. "And what showed up was… different." He thought briefly of the carnage, body parts scattered across the floor, and added with dark sarcasm, "Morbid, really."
Marina raised a brow. "And she's still alive?"
"She made it out," Kai said. "Not intact, I don't think anyone would be after seeing her group hey brutally murdered and almost getting raped as well, but she's alive."
"Shit… then you know that thing will come after her," Marina pressed.
"Normally, yes. But…" Kai leaned closer. "…I dealt him a blow."
"Come again?"
"I petrified him."
Marina laughed until she realized Kai wasn't joking. "Wait. Holy shit. You petrified a god? Which god?"
Kai nodded, voice even. "Reynard the Fox. Trickster of the faithful and pure of heart."
Marina's face went pale. "Yeah… that's… totally normal."
"The power it would takes to petrify something like him would be—"
"Enormous," Kai cut in, dismissive. "Yes, yes, I know. Doesn't matter. He escaped. Thanks to his doting mother."
"Mother?"
"Yes, Persephone. The Lady Underground. Whatever title she wants to use."
Marina blinked.
"So here's what I want," Kai said sharply. "Protect Kady. And her new liability—someone else survived the ritual."
Marina scoffed. "Protect Kady? She'd rather kill me than let me help."
"She doesn't have to know." Kai's tone brooked no argument. "And while you're at it, find me everything you can on the Lady Underground. Her followers, her shrines, her servants. All of it."
"Why?"
Kai's jaw clenched, black veins spreading faintly beneath his eyes. "Because her son was mine to deal with. And she stole him from me. Now I've got unfinished business."
Whatever Marina had been about to retort with died on her tongue as she saw his face change right in front of her. She swallowed. "…Fine. Anything else?"
Kai's smile returned, bright and mocking. "Nope. That'll be all."
And then he was gone.
Marina exhaled shakily, muttering under her breath.
"…What the fuck did I just get myself into?"
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