"So, Loki—what do you need from me?"
Astraea drew a long breath and picked up the silver ring. She had accepted the invitation—for her children, and for the world whose course had begun to bend.
"I need you—and your familia—to back Tsunayoshi completely," Loki said. "He's at the pivot of this world's turn. The power is proof enough. Compared to the child fated to be a 'hero' someday, I believe Tsunayoshi is the one with the greater claim—potential and power both."
Whether or not Loki was overselling, Astraea had seen enough. At a level that should have limited him, the boy had still spirited her girls out of danger with ease—that was not something equals, or even many betters, could do.
But the word "future" nettled her.
"You said 'future'. You saw a fragment?" she asked.
"If I told you what I know came from what Tsunayoshi knows?" Loki replied.
Astraea blinked, then caught up. "Another world reflected a corner of our future—a tale that spread there. A 'shared legend' between worlds."
Loki tilted her head. "And what happens the closer a world crawls toward its end?"
"It stops changing," Astraea answered without thinking—then froze as the truth settled. "Not a 'corner' of the future—an end already written."
Near apocalypse, all roads harden into one. Scripts replace choices. A world that cannot bend, breaks.
Now, an outside world had nudged this one and given it motion again. Which meant before the nudge, it had already been drifting into stillness.
Cold sweat prickled at Astraea's nape.
"A fixed script—a single road—leads to ruin. So the future that boy 'saw' was the ordained result?"
Loki gave a small nod.
"To live, the world needs flux," she said. "Not sameness. Change is the breathing of the world."
Astraea closed her eyes, then opened them clear. "All right. I'm in."
"Good." Loki's smile flashed. "Then here's the shape."
She tapped the ring between them. "First, we shield your children. Tsunayoshi can supply more of these—anti-charm gear hidden as buttons, clasps, fittings. We'll prioritize your key cadres."
"My key—" Astraea's eyes softened as names surfaced. "Alise, Kaguya, Lyra… Neze, Nea…" She exhaled. "And the little ones who never stop trying."
"Next," Loki continued, "eligibility. We'll start with those not racing parameters or those who've hit ceilings without the deed to level. In our house, Tiona, Tione, Finn, Gareth… Riveria and Bete are on the list. Ais comes later—her plate is full by choice."
Astraea nodded. "In mine, I'll send you Alise first. Kaguya will insist, but she'll pass. Lyra has the head for it. The rest will wait until they've carved their basics deep."
"Perfect." Loki rested her chin on one hand. "Training format: Tsunayoshi will 'ping' each candidate's inner frequency and match attributes. No one is forced. No one is rushed. Those under Level 3 stay focused on foundations."
"And inter-familia etiquette?" Astraea asked. "Rumors, eyes, the dark covens?"
"We go quiet," Loki said. "Your girls will call it discipline. Mine will call it fun. Either way, we keep it under the lid until it's unhideable."
Astraea turned the ring in her fingers, then slid it on. It settled with a subtle coolness.
"About the so-called 'hero' child," she added. "Whose patron?"
"Hestia," Loki said plainly.
Astraea's brows rose—then lowered in thought. "If the world is moving again, even that story can diverge. All the better."
"Exactly." Loki's grin turned fox-bright. "We don't need to beat a prophecy. We just need to add enough variables that it stops being one."
A soft knock at the doorframe. A redhead leaned in like a spark with legs.
"Lady Astraea? Loki? I heard we had visitors—oh!" Alise's eyes landed on the ring, then on Loki's matching glint. "Is this a… joint operation?"
"In a sense," Astraea said, warmth in her tone. "Alise, fetch Kaguya and Lyra. We're meeting a teacher."
"A teacher?" Alise brightened dangerously. "Do we spar them?"
"Eventually," Loki laughed. "First, you'll learn how to burn without burning out."
Alise zipped away, voice echoing down the hall. Kaguya's cool reply drifted back, followed by Lyra's amused chuckle.
Astraea looked to Loki. "When?"
"Today," Loki said. "Finn and Gareth were just screened. Finn, the greedy little general, lit three—Sun, Storm, Rain. Gareth? Lightning. A fine, stubborn rod to draw the worst away."
"Fitting," Astraea said. "Then we'll start fitting pieces on our board as well."
She lifted her right hand—the silver band catching the light. "For my children, for the world that breathes, and for the change that keeps it alive—I, Astraea, pledge my support."
"Good," Loki murmured, eyes soft for once. "Then let's go make some trouble the script can't predict."
(End of Chapter)
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