"In that journey, Darius gained much and lost even more," whispered Aileen. "I imagine that's why he doesn't like to talk about it. Mere flesh wasn't enough to contain the power Eve sought. Every Harbinger lost a part of themselves, to be replaced with something greater. But he took the power he received and used it to bring her down." She looked down at her reflection in the last dregs of tea in her cup. "Their battle even made international news. A nuclear disaster in Shinjuku—that's what we told the media, at least. That was certainly an eventful year."

  "Is it okay for you to tell us all this?" asked Erina quietly. She couldn't resist the feeling she was invading someone's privacy.

  "You're his friends, no?" Aileen smiled lightly. "Ones who would even come all this way to pay his dear old mum a visit. I think you deserve at least this much."

  Erina shrank down, hiding her face by finishing her tea. Those kind words were like a knife through the heart.

  "But to him, those were hard days." Aileen looked at the teapot. A stream of liquid exited the spout on its own, refilling all of their cups to the brim.

  "You said he was friends with a girl named Karin?" asked Akira.

  "He was," said Aileen. "She loved the occult. If it wasn't for Eve, she probably would've ended up leading Darius into our world. She wasn't chosen, but when they came for him, she was sucked into it too. She fought to undo their plans, but things fell apart. In the end…" She smiled sadly. "Time was short, and matters were desperate. Eve needed all of the Harbingers alive to complete the ritual. In other words, if any of them were to die, the world would be saved. All Karin had to do was kill him—her dearest, closest, beloved childhood friend. And in the end, he, with his own two hands…"

  Akira drew back slightly, discomfort on her face.

  Aileen shook her head. "After all of that, I understand why he wants nothing to do with me. I wasn't there for him."

  "You weren't?" asked Erina.

  "I'm the greatest mage alive," said Aileen. "I gave up everything to earn that title. I spearheaded the Association, yes. I brought peace to the world during my tenure as High Magus. But when my family needed me, I wasn't there. I was away in the mountains, ignorant to it all, training to become even stronger. When I heard the news, I realized… Why was I training so hard? Why did I want power if I wasn't even willing to use it for the people I was supposed to love?"

  Akira crossed her arms. Erina's face fell.

  "He doesn't call back," she murmured. "He doesn't answer my texts. He's never home when I try to pay him a visit. And I can't find it in myself to blame him after what I've done."

  "Aileen-san…" said Erina quietly.

  That seemed to bring her back to reality. "Oh, please do forgive me." The kindly old lady seemed embarrassed. "I just haven't had anyone to talk to about this in such a long time. I've been rambling for so long. I didn't mean to dump all of that on you."

  "It's fine," said Erina. "Thank you for sharing with us. It's an honor." A brief silence passed over the table as they drank their tea and shared the biscuits. "Excuse me. Can you tell me more about Eve and her Harbingers?"

  "I don't know very much about Eve," admitted Aileen. "But I don't suppose you've met any of the other four?"

  She nodded. "We have. I've met Julian and Patriarch Kirigami."

  "My, my. It sure is a small world." If Aileen thought anything of how she referred to Goukei, she didn't say it. "As for Lazarus, hmm… I've only seen her once. She's very striking. It's hard to forget her hair—pure white, with blue streaks like lightning. And—"

  Erina's eyes went wide. She scooted closer to the table. "Can you please tell me more about her? Do you know where she is today?"

  "You're very eager to meet new people," noted Aileen.

  Erina realized how excited she was getting. She settled back into her seat, her cheeks a faint pink.

  "I'd tell you to be careful around strangers, but if you've already met Goukei, I'd say you've already encountered the worst of the four." Aileen smiled and sipped her tea. "I'm afraid I can't tell you much else. I only met Lazarus in passing once, by accident more than anything. It was shortly after the battle in Shinjuku where Darius defeated Eve. We converged on the area to assess the damages and begin restoration efforts. We were searching for anyone under the wreckage. I spotted her at a distance, but she was gone before I could follow her. That's the only time I saw her."

  "Oh…." Erina looked down at her lap. "I see."

  Akira reached over and patted her once on the back. "Thanks for having us," she said to Aileen. "It was good to meet you."

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Going so soon? Please, I'd love to have you stay for supper."

  Akira tried to deflect, but not even she could withstand the polite insistence of a kind old lady. There were some things in the world that were simply too powerful for anyone to defeat. Erina and Akira found themselves strolling the backyard garden of the Lohrs manor and marveling at the intricate statues of unmelting ice before being seated at the table again for supper. They talked with Aileen, recounting their recent battle with Goukei and listening as she regaled them with stories of the past—of encounters with legendary beasts, explorations for mystic weapons whispered of in legend, battles with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. She regularly circled back around to her son, eager to tell them everything she knew—embarrassing childhood moments recounted to her by her husband, proud achievements in the seven years since he joined the Binding Association and rose to the top ranks much like his mother once did.

  Erina was amazed. She had thought her life would be a quiet, simple, uneventful thing. She thought it would be the same for everyone. So much could happen in the span of just one person's life. It made her wonder—what was life like for those who lived longer? What of Akira or Goukei, whose lives could stretch into the hundreds of years or perhaps even further? Akira seemed interested as well, listening along to Aileen's tales.

  In the end, they returned to a Surface in the late evening. The sun had gone down and the stars were out with a crescent moon among them. Aileen watched as their taxi pulled up and waved them goodbye with a warm smile.

  "Bye!" Akira called through the window.

  "Come again soon!" Aileen called back, watching them go.

  When their car had driven off and rounded a bend out of sight, a hint of exhaustion crept into her smile. Aileen returned to the fountain. The water jumped from the basin and enveloped her, carrying her to the Reverse in its grasp. When it receded, she was as dry as day.

  A thin film of water erupted around her feet and carried her just off the ground. Aileen glided through the door, barely needing to move her body as she headed downstairs to the basement.

  The air crackled. Tiny shards of ice materialized from thin air, flicked the light switches on, and sublimated back into vapor. A clear stream of water flowed from the tap with a life of its own, grabbing the salt and jars off the wooden table and pouring it out into an intricate pentagram on the floor. Splashes of water flashed into being, nudging bits of salt into the perfect positions, and then vanishing just as fast. Catalysts were deposited onto plates along the perimeter of the circle. Candles dropped into place around those.

  A strand of water plucked a grimoire off the shelf and passed it into Aileen's hand. The air snapped again. The rapid change of moisture in the air caused a burst of static electricity. Sparks jumped, and the candles ignited.

  Aileen had but one magic afforded to her: manipulation of water. A lifetime of training had refined her control to the point that controlling every drop of it in her vicinity came as naturally as breathing.

  She opened the grimoire and whispered the incantation under her breath.

  The power cut out. The candles extinguished as a cold wind blew through the basement. Aileen waited in the darkness.

  A new flame overtook the candles—an unnatural blood red. It spread down them, consuming the pentagram in flame and then roaring into a tall blaze of hellfire that whipped up the ends of Aileen's coat. Slowly, a pattern emerged in the flame—a massively built man, his figure defined by flame.

  "Well, fuck me sideways," said Goukei. His voice was distorted by the crackling fire. "It's been a damn while, Aile. When I gave ya that grimoire back then, I didn't expect ya to actually go ahead 'n use it."

  "Then you shouldn't have given it to me," said Aileen with a light smile. She completed the incantation by stating, "Grant me knowledge."

  Goukei groaned out loud before getting into the ritual proper. "What wish fills your mind?"

  "Teach me the current location of Josef Lazarus."

  The flaming likeness of the oni raised his arm, drinking from a bottle that couldn't be seen. He wiped his mouth on the back of his arm and said, "The fuck you on about, exactly?"

  "Darius' friends came to see me today," said Aileen. "Two kind and polite young girls. I can tell one of them is looking for answers. She's on a special journey that has brought our paths together—one that crosses where he once walked. I want to help her."

  "Man." Goukei turned away briefly, a hand to his head. "Times like these really make me wish I was a mage. Y'know, I can't just fork that over, yeah? The nature of an exchange is give 'n take. 'S how it's always been, 's how it always will be. Can't fight it if I tried. 'Specially with a request like this?" He looked her in the eye. "I can't give without takin' somethin' in return."

  "I know," she said evenly. "I'm sure you'll make it work."

  "Fuckin' hell, granny," he grumbled. "Work with me here, wouldja?" He sighed, and his posture changed. The look in his eyes hardened. "Your time's running short enough." The sleazy drawl in his voice melted away, and the god of death came to the forefront. "A hero should live out her life to its fullest and find the river's bank at the end of a peaceful sleep. Asking me a question like that… and the price I'll have to exact for it…"

  Aileen stood tall, unfaltering and unerring.

  "Don't disturb the flow of fate," he warned her in a deep rumble. "You don't know what course it'll take. Neither man nor god is above destiny."

  "Then, answer me at least this much," she said. "From one warrior to another. How long do I have?"

  Goukei didn't react at all. It was as if she hadn't said a word.

  "…So that is how it is," she said softly. She understood well the true meaning of his silence. "Tell me. What do I have to lose?"

  "Value the light of the sun," he said. "Each and every ray you witness."

  Aileen smiled. "O god of death and war. O seer of the winding roads. Tell me what I seek."

  "All roads lead to the river," he responded. "Aileen Lohrs. Ours is a contract bound beyond death." His shoulders fell. Goukei let out a short snarl as he adjusted the bindings over his right eye. "Fuck's sake. Ya better not come askin' for a refund, Aile. Yer not gettin' one."

  "Thank you, Goukei," she said lightly.

  Her thoughts went to her estranged son. He had found success beyond her wing. Had he found happiness there as well?

  If she could help them even a little—if eventually, this small act could perhaps reverberate to her son in the tiniest way—Aileen would ask for nothing else. She would have gladly paid far more.

  If she had so little left to take, what did it matter to shave off the tip of the glacier already all but sunken under the waves?

  The god of war and death regarded her with his one good eye. Then, the fires extinguished, and she was alone with an empty circle of salt before her.