I stared back at the Olgoi-Khorkhoi's flesh-maw face through Vespera's ID tag projection. Solace looked exhausted, broken, distraught.

  "Sup Sol?" I asked her.

  "A-alex," she stammered out finally, both of her mouths opening and closing. "Why do you have Vee's tag?"

  "Mmmm, why wouldn't my human husbando not have my tag?" Vee's beak came to rest on my left shoulder. "Sup, dude? Why you callin' so late? We're just ‘bout to head to bed for some quality cuddle-pile time."

  "H-h-human h-h-hhusbando?" The Mongolian Death Worm choked.

  "Yes, human husbando," Vespera clicked cheerfully. "Pretty good at magic for a human too, ha ha har. Anyway, what's up? Did Em finally drive you completely bonkers with her conspiracy theories about my adorable pink disaster here? You ready to join the dark side of I'm-with-human?"

  "Vee. We're... being executed tomorrow," Solace revealed.

  "Executed? For what?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "Em attacked some fox lady at the Adventurers Guild so the City Watch arrested us. We’ve been accused of Treason against the Shadow Empire. The Shandrian Scruts think we work for a Topaz-peddling Necromancer and that we're some kind of undead 200-year-old serial killers who unleashed a plague in Undertown and..."

  "Oooh, that sounds rough buddy," Vespera said sympathetically. "Have you tried not working for a Necromancer?"

  "Vee!" Sol begged. "This... this isn't a joke! They collared Em and stripped our armor and weapons off except for the Laz bracelets! Please, I need your help, they're really going to execute us tomorrow at noon, burn our bodies in the central square and then lock our bracelets in some deep vault!"

  "Hrmmm," I tapped my chin thoughtfully. "That does sound like quite a predicament you got yourselves into. I fail to see how this is our problem though, right, Primo-waifu-birb?"

  "Right you are, my human meatsickle," Vespera sent sparks raining across my shoulder. "Em did try to murder you back in school. Repeatedly. Without askin' permission. That's like superrrr rude. Maybe she could sit on a shelf for a couple of hundred years. Karma's a beerch, ya kno'."

  "Please," Solace begged, her gold eyes filling with tears. "I... I'm sorry for whatever stupid shit I did or said! Please! I don't... I don't want to die here! Aren't... aren't we best friends, Vee?"

  "Aww, look at that face," Vespera cooed. "She's actually crying. That's new. Usually she's all 'rawr, imma punch you' and stuff."

  "Should we help them?" I asked Vee thoughtfully.

  "I dunno," the Thunderbird clicked. "What do you think, Ci?"

  Cinder's rainbow-feathered head appeared on my right side. "Meh. Let them rot."

  "Cinder!" Solace exclaimed. "Please! You... you used to be our friend!"

  "Friend?" Cinder's feathers shifted through angry reds. "Piss off with that. We were never friends."

  "I... I'm really sorry, for bein' a shit friend then," Solace sobbed. "I... I'm a stupid knob.... please! I don't want to die here!"

  "Neither did Sarah," Cinder said coldly. "But that didn't stop you and Em, did it?"

  "Y-you didn't help her either!" Solace blinked tears out of her eyes. "N-nobody helped the n-nullie and now t-the Shandrian Scruts think that we p-perma-killed her!"

  "What the shit do you want us to do?" Cinder demanded, glaring at the Worm-girl. "If you knobs got yourself locked in prison cus Em assaulted someone important, how's that our problem?"

  "Ye," Vee nodded. "I'm like mega-cozy 'w my new 'ship. Seems like a lotta hassle untangling my wings from my husbando's and Hearth-waifu's arms just to save some annoying jerks."

  "Please..." Solace begged. "I can't speak for... Quint or Em, but I'll do anything! Just... help me! I just... I just want to go home! The... Omnid chapel isn't answering the emergency retrieval cast signal!"

  "Anything?" I raised an eyebrow, feeling somewhat concerned about her words.

  "Yes!" Solace nodded vigorously. "Whatever you want!"

  "Even if I asked you to sign a contract pledging eternal servitude to my clan as a secret sixie?" I asked.

  "C-clan?" Solace blinked.

  "I Love You," I said.

  "I..." Solace blinked, wiping her eyes with a clawed hand. "What? I don't understand. Isn't that just your delving team's name?"

  "Not anymore," I said. "That's our clan. We have a crystal Mage Tower citadel going up right now. Vee's my Primo-wife to be. Cinder is my Hearth-Keeper to be. Io and Kat are our Primo-Knights."

  The Worm's eyes went wide, both mouths opening and closing.

  "Y-you're kidding, right?" She asked. "When did this happen?"

  "Mmmmm... Nope," Vee clicked. "Not kidding. We're making engagement plans."

  "But he... but you..." Solas choked, wide, tear-filled eyes flashing between us. "When the eff did you even...?"

  "I'ma gon' be super honest now, bestie," Vee said. "Me, Lexy and Ci got soul-bonded last night."

  "WHAT?!.. This is a joke, right?" the Mongolian Worm looked at me and Cinder. "Please, I really need your help... I'm completely out of options!"

  "It's not a joke, Sol," Cinder exhaled. "Vee, Alex and I are soul bonded."

  "But he's... he's a mixie..." Solace choked, staring at Vespera. "D-don't you have a fiance in Thunderland?!"

  "And?" Vespera tilted her head across my face.

  "I don't understand..." Solace stammered. "How could you... You're contractually engaged to one of the wealthiest Clans in Thunderland... You don't even have to do anything to drown in mana, money and beast cores courtesy of Golden Star Omnicorp!"

  "Meh," Vee shrugged. "Thunderland's overrated. Zheng might be my match in terms of power level n' mana, but the heart wants what it wants ya kno'?"

  "But you're a firstborn Primo," Solace frowned. "Primos don’t get to choose love. Your dad will never accept you hitchin' with a halfsie! You'll lose everything! You're throwing away your future for... for what?!"

  "I'm not throwing anything away, ya knob," Vespera shook her beak. "You're not seeing the whole picture."

  "We're starting our own company," I said. "One that'll hopefully surpass Golden Star."

  "And if it fails horribly?" The Death Worm asked, staring at Vespera.

  "Unless my arms and legs fall off tomorrow, it won't," Vee said. "Look, Solly, I'm a busy birb with an entire mage tower to decorate with death-skulls. You can either keep licking Em's boots and die as her Knight or you can get on board as our intern and work your way up. Them's the beans."

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  "I just... I don't understand," Solace shook her head. "What could a nullie possibly offer that's worth throwing away your entire inheritance for?"

  "Worth?" Vespera clicked thoughtfully. "Sol, you're still thinking in terms of obvs', linear power levels and stats. Like everything's some kind of game where the highest numbers win. That's such an Em way of looking at things."

  "Isn't it?" Solace demanded. "Aren't you funding whatever it is you're doing?"

  "Nope," Vee shook her head. "I watched Lex make millions outta thin air and then I watched him apply them with wisdom in an investment and then I watched him slaughter his competition with merciless brutality befitting a true business shark. Zheng Xing Ker inherited his gold from his parents. I've known him since I was seven and he hasn't changed one bit, hasn't done a single thing to impress me. He is stale like an old swamp, stuck in his ways, boring like a toad sitting on a rock."

  Solace frowned.

  "Alex isn't just some 'nullie' to be measured by his mana count," Vespera continued. "He's like... you know when you're modding your bike and suddenly realize there's this whole other way to configure the engine that nobody's thought of before? That moment when you see past the standard builds everyone uses?"

  Solace's face became thoughtful.

  "He doesn't just think outside the box," Vee clicked. "He questions why there's a box in the first place. Why we accept certain limitations as unchangeable. Why we let others define our worth by their standards."

  She grabbed my cheek with her talons and squeezed, making me wince.

  "He's not perfect," Vespera continued her marketing of my person. "Far from it. He's got more issues than a comic book store. But his flaws aren't what you think they are. He's not weak because he's mostly human or because he can't breathe fire or fly."

  "Then what are his flaws?" Solace blinked. "'Cus I don't really understand what's going on with you, or Io, or Ci..."

  "He's ruthless," Vee clicked. "Dangerously so. Remember how Em would bully people? Alex doesn't bully - he systematically dismantles them, sideways. Takes everything they have, everything they are, and turns it against them. And he does it with a Cheshire cat smile."

  "That sounds... worse than Em," Solace frowned.

  "Oh, it is," Vee nodded. "Em's like a sledgehammer - crude, direct, predictable. Alex is more like... like a very dangerous computer virus. He gets inside systems, figures out how they work, and then reprograms them from within. He doesn't just break things - he changes them fundamentally. Do you know why you're in that cell, Solly?"

  "No," Solace shook her head. "The Scrutimancer Officer said it's because we are insane, undead minions who work for a Necromancer… but that’s obvious bullshit since he didn’t give a fuck about the gate testimony.”

  "Uh-huh," Vee clicked. "You're in that cell because Em and Zalimar went up against Lexy, just like I went up against that blasted Captain entity that reflected my own lightning into my own dum’ face."

  "So it's his fault that I'm in here?" Solace glared at me.

  "No," Vee clicked. "Em got herself and you in there by being a violent knob. Alex just... made sure certain evidence came to light at the right time. He's not some all-powerful mastermind - he just pays attention and uses what he learns."

  "But you just said he systematically dismantles people!" Solace protested.

  "Yeah, when they give him the tools to do it," Vee shrugged. "Em practically gift-wrapped herself for him."

  "I didn't make her attack anyone," I added. "Honestly, I thought that she'd fall into a well or something else mildly inconvenient. This is way above my expectations."

  "So you did set us up!" Solace accused.

  "Nah," I grinned. "Em set herself up. I just made sure the right people noticed. Your dragon bestie has been doing incredibly stupid violent stuff for years–all I did was make it visible to the right people at the right time."

  "That's... cold," Solace shuddered.

  "Yep," I nodded. "But effective. Anyways, are you in as our secret sixie?"

  "Do I even have a choice?" The Worm-girl asked.

  "Not really," I shrugged. "Either you end up on a shelf forever or you play your part. I'm not asking you to change anything about you. You can do whatever and still be Em's bestie."

  "Till I have to stab her in the back?" the Death Worm asked.

  "I don't know what you're complaining about," Vespera said. "We ain't gonna treat you like dirt."

  "Stabbing people in the back isn't my thing," I said.

  "Then what? Then help me understand what you actually want from me," Solace huffed.

  "I want you outta prison so you can bully me harder," I grinned.

  "Bully you... harder?" Solace blinked in confusion. "What?"

  "Yep," I nodded. "Keep being Em's bestie. Keep being extra mean to me. Just... do it flashier. Make it look good. More dramatically punchy."

  "I don't understand," Solace frowned. "You want me to keep bullying you? Why?! I thought that you were gonna demand something completely different like... making sure Em leaves you alone."

  "I subvert expectations," I grinned. "Consider this - the more you and Em bully me, the more sympathy I get from others. The more people see me as the underdog. It's great marketing."

  "Marketing?" Solace blinked. "You... you want us to be your heel?"

  "Every hero needs a villain," I said. "This whole 'you're a filthy human' stick is absolutely hilarious. I want you to lean into it harder. Absurdly, over the top hard. Violence me up, challenge me to duels. Almost beat me and then... lose."

  "You want me to... throw fights?"

  "No. I want you to go all out," I said. "Be yourself. Be free. Challenge the human. Less permanent damage, more dramatic posturing. Less rude swearing. More showmanship. Hunt me down, try to catch me, throw me into a locker. Etcetera."

  "Abyss," Cinder muttered beside me, staring at me with sky-blue eyes. "You've been doing this to all of us, haven't you?"

  "Obviously," I winked at her. "You're all killers and hunters and your monster needs aren't being met. You've all segregated yourself from humans and pushed half-humans out of school with excessive hatred and murder. You need prey that can think, that can challenge you."

  Solace frowned.

  "You've forgotten what it truly means to be predators," I continued, meeting Solace's gaze. "Real predation isn't about mindless violence or sense of superiority - it's about balance. The dance between hunter and prey, each making the other stronger, helping each party... evolve. Em's Predator Equalizer Theory where everyone is a predator is utter nonsense because it offers no room for love."

  "Love?" Solace's gold eyes widened.

  "Yes. Love. The love of the chase," I said. "You've all forgotten that humans aren't just weak prey to be discarded. We're the species that learned to think our way around being eaten. If my Mom's stories about the Leviathan are to be believed, then the very first Omnid was born from the heart of the Wormwood Star-beast, created to love a human."

  My companions and Solace looked at me with wide eyes.

  "Not to eat them, not to rule them, but to love them. To dance with them in an eternal cycle of chase and fight, of strength meeting cunning, of magic power meeting wisdom," I said. "Yin and Yang. A wheel unbroken. A storm created through currents of cold and warm air. Negative and positive poles. That's my predator theory. Every Omnid needs a human to chase, to feed on."

  "But humans are weak," Solace protested weakly. "We're supposed to..."

  "Supposed to what?" I cut her off. "Segregate humans off to the poles, deprive them of resources, kill them all off? Then what?"

  "Grow," Solace said. "Spread. Multiply. Conquer worlds."

  "You're in a cold, dark cell, about to be executed, Miss Conqueror," I pointed out. "While I riled up my girls enough to make me a Mage Tower. Omnithornia cast humanity aside, pushed it to the fringes, forgot that it is the vital ingredient necessary for success."

  This wasn't a speech just for a Olgoi-Khorkhoi in a prison cell. I was aiming my metaphorical gun at all of my Omnid besties inhabiting the crystalline dining hall with me now.

  "Think of it like this - you can have the most powerful engine in the world, but without fuel it's just a hunk of metal," I said. "Humans are your fuel. Your inspiration. Your reason to live. Your magical resonance. Without us to chase and challenge you're all simply put.... fundamentally unhappy."

  "What?!" A chorus of voices.

  "Tell me that I'm wrong," I said. "Point me to an Omnid trio whose relationship created a Mage Tower."

  There was silence as my Omnid companions and the imprisoned girl processed my words.

  "You... really made a Mage Tower?" Sol asked.

  "Yep," I nodded. "It is very shiny."

  "We're not freaking adding Sol to our triangle!" Cinder suddenly let out. "I don't want a freaking harem over here! Vee is annoying enough!"

  I laughed.

  "Sol doesn't need to be in our triangle 'ship. She just needs to be our worthy opponent," I explained. "Our wicked rival. Someone to compete against. Love is incredibly hard to box conceptually. You don't see me making out with Kat or Io and yet I am feeding them well. Right?"

  I glanced at Io.

  "Absolutely," Io sent me a thumbs up. "Your catastrophe-levels are off the charts. I'm content."

  I looked at Katherine. She shrugged at me. Guess, I had to work harder to feed my kitten. Maybe nomming on Echoes and walking in dark places wasn't enough for her.

  "Go on," I turned my attention to Solace. "Tell me that you're perfectly satisfied with your life. Tell me there's no hole in your crystalline heart missing something vital, essential. Tell me that your forehead mouth isn't starving all the time. Tell me there's no gnawing emptiness in your chest wanting to be filled."

  Solace swallowed, the petals of her flesh-face opened and closed.

  She blinked.

  "Oh. You want it bad," I said. "I know you do because every Omnid I've met thus far wants it bad. Omnid magic requires humans to resonate against. Without human besties to terrorize, chase and paw at, you're all starving, all the time. You're an entire nation of wolves with barely any rabbits to go around."

  Solace's flower face folded and unfolded, the forehead mouth biting the air.

  "Sheet," she said with a shudder, gold eyes boring a hole in me. "Sheet. I think you actually might be onto something... Alex."