As Carl, Kyubi, Klaire ate breakfast, discussing the trip they were about to set off on and making sure that they had everything they intended to take with them.

The kids were being unusually clingy as well, Kitsunoko claiming her Dad for once, though to Carl it seemed like she was simply trying to make the act of eating awkward and just as he was about to ask for some space there was a knock at the door.

"Come in! We can't move right now!" Carl shouted, regretting the phrasing immediately as he knew who it was by the knock.

"Ew, if you need an hour you could have messaged."

"Shut up Gil, kids are being clingy." Klaire grumbled, not entirely prepared for his energy.

As the door opened, revealing Gillian, Scylla, Blanc, Sophie and the vampire Grenda, they all entered and found a seat as they examined the situation.

"Isn't one missing? Where's Omedra?" Sophie asked, a little surprised to not see her saying goodbye to them.

"Bed, she stayed up late and immortal or not, dragons like their sleep." Kyubi explained as she tried to eat around Raziel's wings as they flapped in her face.

"Yeah... Ow, sit still... Dragons like their sleep... Ow and they aren't good at keeping their horns and tails hidden when they're sleepy..." Klaire tried to join the conversation, but Tiamutael was struggling to stay awake and was falling into her rhythmically with partially sprouting horns.

"Okay, well I think we should be saying our goodbyes..." The moment Carl said it, the kids latched on to them with renewed energy, luckily they new their children's weaknesses and before long they were being carried. "...We'll just chuck these three at their sister and we can go."

As the six of them disappeared towards Omedra's room, Gillian looked around the room. "I've known you guys for a long time, Squidge, Levi. You know your parents won't be happy if you stow-away."

"Damn..." Squidge and Levi grumble at and about Gillian for a bit. "...How did you even know?"

"You know lycans smell a lot more than most?"

"Yeah, but we don't give off a scent when we hide."

"Yeah and sometimes no scent at all is just as suspicious as when it's there."

Squidge and Levi left it at that, Gillian had already rendered their efforts to tag along redundant, so they slinked off after the others.

"Do any of you guys know where we're headed first?" Grenda asked, a bit nervous about the trip she had been told absolutely nothing about.

"Nah, but I think we're going to be on Earth. Carl wants to know more about the world mankind lost way back when, I think he wants to try and understand what makes it so special." Blanc answered, clearly just making an educated guess.

"I mean, it's your homeworld... Why wouldn't humans try to take it back?"

"Grenda, don't be dense, humans are selfish and material. They don't get stuck up on concepts like home, at least not to that point. I think Carl is simply hoping he's wrong." Gillian said with no small amount of condescension.

"About what exactly, Gil?" Scylla asked with a firm tone, warning him to watch his.

"He's really hoping he's wrong about them only caring that it's gone because it means someone took it from them. I don't think he'll be too happy if there isn't something special about Earth that they are fighting for, I mean he did abandon committee space without a second thought, they could have done the same thing and stopped the bloodshed."

"Damn, that sucks, it's gonna hit hard when he realises there isn't and it's just a lump of rock like any other." Blanc mused as continued to be oblivious to Sophie trying to hold his hand.

[ PRIVATE MESSAGE SENT FROM GILLIAN : BRO. HAND. HOLD HER HAND. ]

Gillian watched as he accidentally made to hold Grenda's hand and couldn't quite believe the way he played it off like nothing happened.

"Yeah... Well, I wouldn't count on it either way. There are still things that only our enemies seem to know and what a surprise they were some of the strongest guys about." Gillian said with a frustrated nod to secrets kept from all but the oldest and strongest entities.

"I see your point, like this "that one", that Carl mentioned. I mean don't get me wrong, we could feel it through the portals how intense that guy was. I just don't see them sitting on something fr-"

"Blanc, you really don't know those things very well. Do I need to remind you that they kept the origin laws that Carl uses secret from us?" Grenda replied, still look at him with an incredulous expression after his mistake.

As they chatted away, Carl, Kyubi and Klaire emerged. "Sorry guys, the kids are not fans of space, either that or being left out. Anyway, let's head out while we can, big plans guys."

As he finished speaking, he grabbed a slice of toast waiting for him on his the plate he abandoned and walked towards the door.

When he opened it, everyone was waiting outside to see them off.

"Carl, you do realise that as a leader, you cannot simply disappear. You should give your inner circle a chance to say good bye at the very least." Lillim scolded, knowing full well he planned to flee before anyone could make a scene.

"Ugh, yes Grandma, we'll try to be back as soon as possible. Take care of yourselves everyone and everyone else too. Love all you guys."

"Right, I guess that will do, but next time I expect you to do a departure tour." It is important to see how your people feel in that moment, it can give you an entirely new perspective on their opinion of you.

"Well, considering I'm leaving you all to deal with a city's worth of transfers while we go galavanting around creation on a property hunt."

"You're very good at making important things sound worthless, if you can make that work the other way, maybe you can make Gilgamesh kill himself to save a moth." Lillim grumbled with dissatisfaction.

"Oooo, maybe when I learn how to better control inversion I can do that!"

Lillim smacked him across the side of the head whilst continuing to grumble. "This isn't a joke Carl, all of you must be very careful. No man's land plays by no man's rules, treaties, pacts and bargains are meaningless in some places you may find yourselves. You may struggle to believe this, but there are realms and dimensions where neither law, nor magic hold any sway."

"Don't worry Lillim, I'll be educating them while we're gone."

"That is some of what worries me you cradle-snatching fox, make sure these idiots and yourself don't give in to curiosity."

"Lillim, as delightful as it is to see you so worried about us all, you can relax. I promise we will all return, stronger, wiser and more focused than ever." Kyubi chuckled as she moved to hug the panicked demon matriarch.

"If you get into anything you can't handle, Don't be afraid to call for back-up."

"We will, don't forget we told Raziel to start activating her ability, it's going to be difficult to see until her power balances out. Don't be afraid to make Tiamutael do some heavy lifting, he said he wanted to start training that more effectively and moving things and people en masse is the best way."

"Are you going or not?" Tiamat groaned as she wanted to get on with her day.

With that, they all said goodbye and Kyubi opened a portal to one of the territories she knew to be unclaimed.

"Huh? Where the hell is this? I thought we were going to earth first." Gillian said, as he examined the surroundings.

The sky was white with a magenta hue to it, they stood on some kind of beach of black sand and to their right was a sea of amethyst.

"This is a realm once belonging to Mobius, he lost ownership when the system went haywire and everyone left it be in the hopes that he would have need of it again one day."

"Well that's great, I can claim it, mess it up a little for casting me through time and then give it back to him when he comes to his senses."

"Not quite my thought, but it was the first one that came to mind."

"Well, it's appreciated and speaking of first things that come to mind..." Carl constructed a perception blocking aura field and the others followed suit. "...About your people Kyubi, Jupiterran told me who orchestrated their massacre."

Everyone froze and winced, except Kyubi and Klaire who both knew, all though they were surprised he picked that moment. "Right, err, okay..." She sat down on the black sand, as though sensing she was about to be knocked flat. "...I'm ready, who was it?"

"The daughter of Terra, Luna..." Carl tensed up immediately. "...I wish I had a good reason for it, but honestly, Jupiterran thinks it was solely because you adorned her namesake."

"Luna..." Kyubi was terrifyingly calm in response. "...It's good to have a name to hold responsible after all this time. Unfortunately, I get the impression killing her family won't be enough to balance the score, I'll give it some thought."

After that she stood and gave Carl and Klaire a kiss and a cuddle.

"Kyubi, I don't know how you're feeling, will you tell me?" Carl said as the two of them swayed gently.

"Honestly I feel the same, a bit happier if anything. I have been, and always will be vengeful and furious about it, but it also led me to you two, our family and now answers..." She released him and stood back, then a wicked grin crept across her face. "...I also think I just thought of a fitting punishment, she can wait until you fulfill your obligation to Amaterasu."

"Why's that?..." Carl let the question linger, a bit concerned about Kyubi's expression.

"You may not want to here this, but Amaterasu didn't kill Tsukuyomi quickly and no matter how we feel and whether or not we forgive her, she will feel guilty. Giving her the opportunity to burn the witch who massacred her brother's people, well that will be both fitting punishment for Luna and fitting repentance for her."

Carl kissed her again and then, after her prodding, claimed the realm...

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