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Zarian caught her. He helped her down to her knees gently. She shivered in his arms, squirming against his chest, not to get away, but to delve deeper into his embrace.

Para wrapped them both up, providing comfort and adoration with her cloak form. As expected, Bianca’s waterworks came, and they sounded traumatic.

Naomi bent down and rubbed her hand over Bianca’s head as the Cuban girl cried and cried. Zarian wondered if he should pass Bianca over to Naomi, but the way Bianca clung onto him suggested he had to play his role as the shoulder for her to cry on. Naomi kept petting and combing through Bianca’s hair.

“I’m so sorry!” Bianca blubbered. “I’m sorry! I couldn’t control it! I couldn’t be me. I couldn’t do anything. I was stuck in my head. And that thing took over. I’m sorry!”

Bianca transitioned into a rant of Cuban Spanish that was too fast for the non-fluent speakers. Para was just fluent enough to say some simple phrases and keep consoling Bianca.

Zarian let out a long, exasperated sigh.

This was what he wanted. The cost was almost too high. But at least Bianca was herself again.

Naomi frowned. One hand curled into a trembling fist. The other kept petting Bianca’s head to comfort her. Zarian imagined Naomi was mad because of the gods. Zarian still had his divine naughty list, but the gods seemed so small to him now.

Well, except that bastard Sinfeast.

Bianca kept crying. She wasn’t going to stop crying for a while.

Hannah came over. “Is there a way for us to be that strong? To be as strong as you? Or at least halfway?”

She sounded cold.

Withdrawn.

The pale-skinned and mousy brunette who had transferred from Alabama to Florida was the type most people would’ve overlooked. Zarian had seen how brilliant and bold she could be in the heat of conflict. He’d also encouraged and discouraged her dark side in equal measures.

Hannah had an edge to her.

When fully unleashed, Hannah could be more dangerous than Naomi sometimes.

Right now, that edge was showing.

“That’s part of my many goals,” Zarian explained, still acting as the shoulder for Bianca to cry on. “To make my best friends into high-quality gods. We’ll need to go on our adventures with more nuance. Oh, and you can join the freedom alignment, too. Become a Freedom Leader and get a nice, juicy divine achievement.”

“I would very much like that, please,” Hannah said curtly.

Zarian gave her the offer.

Hannah took it.

Now there was only one.

Gilbert picked himself up and lumbered over to the rest of the Floridians. He looked like a walking corpse. He hadn’t bothered to heal himself.

Maybe he wanted to feel the pain and let his natural vitality do the heavy lifting. Zarian felt the same way.

“I think I get it now,” Gilbert said cryptically.

“What did you get?” Zarian asked.

“This is my test. From the Big G. Bigger than your grandpapa, grandmama, and whoever. My test is to be your healer. To set you straight. To keep you on the righteous path of redemption.”

“Does that include my little sister? She’s fairly evil. She enjoys living as the ever-expanding apocalypse, I think.”

“Oh, she’s definitely a part of the test. She appeared right in front of me when I was trying to save you.”

Zarian nearly jolted from hearing that. Ariana had never shown herself to anyone before.

Could she have appeared wherever or whenever she wanted this whole time?

The implications of that were shocking.

He was having a hard time bouncing back after hearing that. He was still reeling when another voice, much younger, much more familiar, interceded.

“Oh, darn it, Gilbert McDonald! Why’d you have to say that? Now my cover is ruined!” Ariana complained, appearing between them all.

She was still dressed in her Sunday best. Sparkling white dress. Pearly white shoes. All adorned on a four-year-old body as cute as a button.

She smiled before letting out a cheer. “Big Bro, Big Bro, let’s do that again! Let’s eat! Let’s play! Let’s spread the darkness of the Darkruns forever and evermore!”

Nobody could say a thing for a while.

Especially not Zarian.

They all just gawked at Ariana Darkrun. The little sister. The phantom of Zarian’s broken psyche. The ghost who existed in both the old universe and in this universe.

The hits just wouldn’t stop coming for Zarian.

Finally, Naomi broke the silence with a drawl. “Zarian, I’m going to have to bend your sister over my knee and whoop that little behind. That is a very naughty girl. I can feel the badness of her.”

Ariana placed her fingers to her cheeks, her indexes on her dimples. She flashed a simple human smile. Then she sealed her lips before she flashed another smile.

This one had wicked fangs.

“You’ll have to meet me where all bad little girls stay, Naomi Washington,” Ariana said with a demented and creepy voice.

Zarian leaned on his Willpower stat to regain his composure. He still didn’t know what to say, and he didn’t want to use his free evil +3.

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Gilbert mumbled for the power of Christian God.

Hannah watched with cold fascination.

Bianca sniffled, curling deeper into Zarian’s and Para’s embrace.

And Naomi crossed her arms, head cocked to the side. “Where’s that?”

Ariana laughed. “In hell! Ha ha ha! You must meet me in Infinita, Hidden Hell, to be exact. But you’re all far too weak for that. It’ll be easier for me to wake up and see you myself. But if that happens … I’m going to be really, really hungry, in a different way.”

“Ariana,” Zarian called.

The evil little sister snapped her attention to him. She softened her features and gave him a cute, bubbly smile with little human teeth.

“Big Bro, I know you want to play pretend with these tiny mortals. But we’re bigger, grander, greater than anything they can conceive. We shouldn’t hide from our destiny. We should embrace it.”

“And get stuck in a jar,” Naomi quipped.

Ariana snapped around and revealed her fangs again. “My Big Bro’s favorite little pet, I tolerate you because it’s amusing to see you struggle despite your lack of talent. Do not take my kindness for weakness. All it would take to squish you is the press of my littlest toe.”

Ariana smiled venomously up at Naomi.

To everyone’s surprise, the Rumble Psion held her tongue. Naomi could only push so much.

Ariana refocused on Zarian with a human and soft smile. “If you’re concerned about my placement, don’t be. I’m quite fine in hell. It’s a good place for my lame body to sleep. But I don’t care about it much. I don’t care about any of these mud ball worlds or system restraints. We were born to a lineage that far surpasses them all!”

“Okay. Whew. I think I’ve gotten past the shock,” Zarian said.

“Good. Now do you agree with me?” Ariana pressed.

“No, Ariana! You’re speaking like a megalomaniacal villain! You’re so terrible you sound like a Saturday morning cartoon cornball!”

Ariana flinched back, surprised. Then she rebounded. “But you’re edgy!”

“Yes, I’m edgy. But I want to use my edginess to, ugh, do decent things. And regardless of that, I don’t want to be a mass of ever-expanding darkness that only eats and eats.” Zarian sighed. “I like having friends and touching grass.”

Ariana nodded seriously. “I think your dislike of our destiny stems from not fully embracing it. It’s much better when you embrace it. And just for you, Big Bro, I can contain these little pets and some grass for you using my dark body. I know you can’t control your appetite. But I can. Would that convince you?”

Zarian shook his head. “I want us to live to be better people and have some fun adventures. Throw in a training montage soundtrack, and we’re living the life here.”

Ariana snorted. “What does being better people mean compared to being the ultimate existence? Who needs adventures? Training? Bah! None of that matters! Only power matters! More and more power! That’s what everyone wants, and we have it! So let’s do the logical thing and be overpowered together and forget the rest!”

Zarian had never seen Ariana act so passionately before. She really cared about what she was saying.

His mind was his own because of his Thematic Law. That didn’t mean he couldn’t end up breaking or debuffing his own Willpower from having sheer doubt.

Would free evil +3 make it easier to debate Ariana? Or would that turn against him? Having the choice to dip into his evil intellect or not had its own difficulties compared to having it as a constant presence.

Maybe I should have it on all the time and learn to deal with that.

Before taking that risk, one of his friends stepped in boldly. This came as another surprise.

“Being better people is the ultimate existence,” Gilbert said with a sudden burst of conviction. “It’s caring for your neighbors. Forgiving those who’ve wronged you without forgetting to hold them accountable. It’s accepting the grace of life and the miracles that every day we breathe can bring us. And it’s knowing our lives are finite and making the most out of them. You may scoff at the simplicity of it all, but this right here is the best living we can have.”

Ariana scoffed. “You must be joking. I refused to be told off by a hypocritical, dogmatic, religious fanatic like you. Especially one who sleeps with a witch!”

“Oh, damn,” Naomi said.

“Sorry,” Bianca mumbled.

Hannah held her silence and kept watching.

Zarian felt like he was part of a play. He was both an actor and an audience member. He felt bad for Gilbert, because the one-night-stand with a witch was supposed to be a joke for later.

Ariana, like most evil little sisters, had overheard or discovered the secret on her own. She used it like a dagger for a critical mortal blow.

Gilbert took it without batting an eye. He kept going. “Little demoness, you spawn of hell, I won’t let you make me doubt my belief. I’m a sinner, just like any other. But all can be forgiven by my God and savior. I won’t let you turn me away from my mission. I won’t let Zarian fall off the righteous path. And you will be cleansed into the good little girl you should be.”

Ariana staggered back, baffled by Gilbert’s audacity.

“I’m with him,” Naomi said. “I’ll fight your littlest toe if I have to.”

Hannah said nothing.

Bianca hid under the cloak.

And Zarian looked at his little sister sadly. “Yeah, I know. Despite everything, even the witch, Gilbert stays a hardcore, bible-thumping Christian. Even on his best days, he could be annoying about it. But I’m with him.”

Ariana took one deep breath in through her nostrils and out through her mouth. She repeated the gesture a few more times.

“Okay. It’s alright. It’s fine. I’ve gotten too excited. The rush of having the ultimate form and tasting so many juicy worlds while mortals and gods alike become reduced to little delightful seasoning was … well … a trip. I’ve acted incorrectly here. I hope you understand I’m always on your side, Big Bro, and I’m always cheering you on. It’s just … I have my…”

“Demons,” Gilbert drawled.

“Urges,” Ariana spat. “I have urges that are more ingrained into me than you, Big Bro. So, yes, your appetite is much more vast and unstoppable. But I’m …”

Ariana trailed off. She shook her head. “My body will be awake sooner or later. We shall meet again either in the spirit or in the flesh. But until then, I’ll leave you with some helpful news, since I’m the best little sister and very caring for my Big Bro and his little pets.”

“Can you not call my friends ‘little pets?’” Zarian asked.

Ariana huffed. “When you and your little ‘friends’ go face the Grimrock Warlock, prepare yourselves to the best of your abilities. She wouldn’t have caught my attention if she had stayed unambitious. But after recent events of the most wonderful kind, she’s not being subtle anymore.”

“How so?” Zarian asked.

“I’m not saying specifics. The Creepiest Matant warned me about cheating too much. That’s aunt in Haitian Creole, by the way. You’re lucky you have the Funnest looking over you, because the Creepiest is the most annoying creature ever. Nonetheless, I must listen until we combine forces and be greater than the old ones, Big Bro.”

“Or until we learn to control ourselves and not be the ultimate evil assholes, Ariana,” Zarian grumbled.

She snorted and shook her head. Then, with a sigh, she looked at Zarian adoringly. “Hey.”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too, you evil munchkin.”

Ariana giggled cutely before she disappeared.

Zarian looked at the spot his little sister had occupied. He wondered if they should set up a runic spirit catcher or something. He might have to consider his little sister as a rival of sorts.

They were having a big debate.

He wanted to enjoy the simpler pleasures.

She wanted to enjoy the darkest urges.

He wanted to see his friends grow.

She wanted power to eat all of life.

If she kills me, she would get her way, Zarian thought.

Despite Ariana’s evilness and manipulations, he couldn’t see her going for the direct approach. That could break their relationship to an irreparable degree.

Putting aside his concerns for his evil little sister, Zarian turned to Gilbert. “Want to join the freedom alignment as a leader? You’ll be free for real from foreign controls, and you can grow that.”

Gilbert looked better now. His vitality was kicking in hugely.

He didn’t answer right away and chewed on the offer. Then he asked, “Do you mean we’re spreading freedom?”

A magical bald bird cried out in the background.

Zarian answered, “Yes.”

They shook on it like men, and Gilbert joined the freedom alignment as the fifth leader. Two seats remained.