A bit of time later.

  “I promise you, from the bottom of my heart,” Alex suppressed a laugh while holding a hand over his chest. “That you look awesome. Not at all silly. They’re all going to love you.”

  Emilio didn’t respond. Instead, he turned away in a pout to look at the empty front of Nino’s pizza, which jingled the bell he wore. Alex shook uncontrollably but managed to keep a mostly straight face. He was incredibly close to convincing the cat.

  Heavy flakes of snow fell gently outside, blanketing the street as Adventurers and civilians bundled up and hurried through last minute shopping. Enchanted Christmas lights drifted and twirled through the air with clacking nutcrackers and dancing ornaments of every shape and size. Children barrelled down streets on magical toboggans, safe with the citywide ban on cars for the week. Someone had cast a ward that blasted retro holiday music across the entire neighbourhood.

  The Eve of Christmas had a way of doing that in a post System world. For a few precious days, the biting cold mystically relaxed and people simply leaned into the spirit of the season. Sure, the legendary Monster known as [St. Nick] would wreak havoc in north-western Europe, as he did every year around this time, but an army of Adventurers would hopefully deal with it.

  And for Alex, experiencing his first real celebration in more than a decade, it was impossible not to feel giddy with cheer.

  “Come on, come on,” he said, scritching Emilio under the chin while holding up the enormous, mushroom-capped loaf of sweet-smelling bread. “Nina said she wanted to get whatever this is ready before—”

  “Alex! Porta il panettone!” Bring the panettone Nina’s voice rang from somewhere near the back door, the one that led to the Secret Garden.

  “Coming!” Alex called over his shoulder before turning back and smiling at his cat. “Bring the cheer, Emilio!”

  He jogged to the back of the store toward the Secret garden and staircase, which led to Nina and Nino’s apartment. Rather than exit into the Mediterranean sun or trot upstairs, Alex turned right and entered the warbly portal to the newly opened location, which the old Lich couple had aptly branded Nina’s Pizza.

  It didn’t flash him through the unspace. Instead, it operated much in the same way a Dungeon Boss’s Domain portal did. Less a doorway and more like stepping through a beaded curtain without the beads. The world rippled, and in a single step Alex crossed the city, emerging into the East End of Toronto inside a freshly cleaned-out and renovated kitchen that had once been the crusty backroom of Bits & Bobbles.

  Nina and Nino had expanded directly into the remnants of The Collector’s old Domain, cursed clutter gone, replaced by gleaming pizza ovens delivered straight from mice blacksmiths in the dead of night that Beep and Zippy knew. The Relics were gone too, every one of them, though Nino did wink and tap his nose if asked. And come to think of it, Nina’s food had been extra delicious as of late.

  Emilio shuffled nervously alone in the kitchen of Nino’s Pizza, sensitive ears catching the laughter and bustle spilling through the portal. He glanced down at the festive fabric fitted over his veritable girth, and decided that yes, he quite liked clothes. The red did accentuate his form. Besides, he was the [Hidden Demigod of Felines], of course they would splendor over his holiday getup. With a satisfied grunt, he jingled his costume’s bells and leapt through the portal into the Lich’s upgraded territory.

  “Oh, my System, you are so cute in your Santa outfit Emilio!” Snu squealed, first to see him, bending down to make an offering of scritches. “Even the hat! Giat!” Alex’s mate, in her own holiday sweater, let the platter of piping hot veal cutlets float in the air with Nina’s magic, and called her sister. “Look at him!”

  Giat peeled herself off Brody’s tuxedo, which he insisted Alex buy him, and squealed as well at his adorableness. The whole gang cheered at his entrance to the Christmas Eve dinner, which of course was perfectly acceptable and welcome. After their humble offering of compliments, Emilio leapt onto a stool at the head of the table, right next to Alex and Snu, to join the feast. A perfect place, especially since he’d gained his new title to his laundry list. [Master Hunter].

  And what a feast it was. Nina had outdone herself. Pasta, sausages, lasagna, bread, salad, cutlets, peppers and onions, grilled seafood and stuffed mussels. Everything was perfectly cooked, doused in olive oil, and enjoyed multiple times by all.

  Everyone crowded around the only thing they kept from The Collector. A massive table stretched across the front of house while the food floated above the transformed surface. Snu’s most well behaved gashapong tore through the miniature Christmas village that covered the table like joyous little lunatics, rampaging between buildings as the mechanical train looped. It was complete with snowy shops and animatronic, non-sentient toys that the gashapong danced around.

  “Again, Petal! Do it again!” Aria demanded of the healed Eternal Gnome, who had absorbed a fair amount of aluminum from the cans of the Honest Ed’s Dungeon. His porcelain body was back but now interwoven with a light lattice that looked like expertly done tribal tattoos.

  Petal made a scene about how he could fit no more as Aria and Zippy jammed another massive piece of lasagna into his mouth. “I can’t fit another bite,” he huffed before winking at his two wives. “Oh, alright, if you insist. I can’t be rude to our gracious hosts.”

  Then Aria used [Thrice This], multiplying the entire piece of lasagna in Petal’s mouth. The Steward of Sun and Shade pretended to barely handle it but relished as the absurd amount of delicious food was easily swallowed.

  Beepy, Zippy, and Aria cheered together at Petal’s display. Francesca herself wouldn’t stop asking about the intricacies of Gnomish relationship norms, much to Petunia’s and Marzipan’s delight. Vrshkeuc, stuffed into a onesie, wouldn’t stop fawning over Francesca and asking her about how to get dates.

  “Sassage,” Brody forced out of his mouth. “Pass…sassage. Plee.”

  “Very good, Brody!” Giat smothered him in her chest. “Every day, your speaking gets a little better!” Brody nuzzled in.

  Alex’s clone was all healed up and growing in ways that made him speechless every day. He could even manage a full twenty four hours out of the unspace. Giat’s “lessons” seemed to be working as well.

  Jemin stumbled to a stand, drunk off Nino’s homemade wine. “To Nina and Nino! Merry Christmas and thank you for hosting us all!”

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  Everyone hollered for the old couple, standing at the entrance of their new kitchen like proud grandparents, and downed their cup. Snu, bloated and tipsy herself, smooched Alex deeply, prompting another cheer and for Giat to pick Brody up by his tux and lay one on him. That, in turn, made Mary kiss Jemin, and just like that the cheers turned into a celebration of friendship, romanticism, laughter, and fun.

  Nino grasped Nina’s hand and squeezed. The old couple, who since their expansion had age-regressed another ten years, smiled at each other with loving eyes. Nina had always made his heart flutter, but now, with both of them having reached level 100 in their respective Skills and achieved Gold Grade Lichdom, she looked closer to forty. Healthy, and more importantly, beaming inside and out. He stole a quick kiss before anyone noticed.

  The room erupted anyways. Soon enough, the gang went back to stuffing their faces and celebrating.

  “Oh,” A high-pitched voice pipped up behind them. “Please tell me now that I’m stuck with you that you aren’t going to be all…rubby-rubby all the time?”

  Nino snorted as they both turned towards their newest addition, and the very reason they’d ascended to Gold Grade, Mr. Mystical.

  He “stood” cross-armed, “leaning” against the sink in a translucent quarter-zip and khakis an inch off the ground, grinning at them. The only way to save and reform his soul from the attacks of The Collector had been to integrate him into the Lich of Nino and Nina. They couldn’t read his thoughts, and nor could he read theirs. But he had been something broken. And after being melted just enough, he’d immediately wanted to lead Nina and Emilio toward something else that happened to be forsaken. Thing was, since Nina was a Lich, she could immediately sniff out it's taint infecting the ghost.

  It was an easy decision for her. Nina had saved an old friend she’d supported long before the System arrived. People made terrible choices. That didn’t mean they were beyond forgiveness.

  She floated over and laid an unwrinkled hand on his face, connecting because she too had some dead in her. “Merry Christmas, Barty,” glancing down at the silver ring floating around his miasma. “I know is not easy, but you carry on his legacy. He would not want you to let go of life. You have so much more left to give. Capice?”

  Mr. Mystical looked sad for a moment, but the laughter from the feast brought him back to life. He looked into Nina’s eyes warmly. “Thank you for the best gift someone could ever have.”

  “Eh? Gift?” Nino waved his hand. “You already thank us. No need for more. But now you connected to us,” he waggled a massive finger at him. “Because your form, you can come and go. Ma no more fuck around, si?”

  Nino clapped him on the shoulder. Mr. Mystical laughed as a tear formed and disappeared in back into his ghostly body. The old ghost looked over the feast and glowed more brightly.

  “No,” he said as Nino pulled him forward. “Thank you for bringing me into your family. It’s all I ever needed.”

  He may not be able to read their thoughts, but Mr. Mystical could certainly feel his connection to the boundless, rarely given love of Nino and Nina’s Lichdom.

  “Come,” Nino pulled him out of the kitchen into the feast. “You no need food, but everyone need food. Si? Maybe show the youngsters how you make entire platter of food disappear.”

  Nina hung back to admire her Domain as Mr. Mystical joined the feast. They’d all already made-up weeks ago. The ghost hadn’t chosen another form to possess. He was still trying to figure out exactly who he wanted to be. She wanted to give her old friend all the time he needed, and now, being integrated into the Lich, he’d have all the time in the world.

  The heart of the Lich felt every bit of emotion flowing through her Domain, and she let it fill her Core as she watched them celebrate. And eat. Better float out another tray of sausage and peppers. Alex’s appetite seemed endless.

  BANG BANG BANG

  Someone knocked on their first store, Nino’s. She, Nino, and now Mr. Mystical could feel it. Probably a customer looking for pizza. Too bad for them, they were closed for the week. It was family time. She floated over the homemade panettone and hummed to herself, reminiscing of her ascension.

  Expanding their Domain hadn’t been a ghastly thing. For some Lich’s, it was horrid sacrifices or demonic rituals. Her and Nino simply needed to assemble the requirements in the appropriate way. Together, they buried the items in their Garden while Nina worked her Italian voodoo chants. When her Skill was complete, they connected with the System to expand. It asked for available space. Thankfully, due to a certain Lich’s disappearance, they knew just the place. And would you look at that…it had been owned for so long by the same individual the paperwork was missing for the land transfer tax the local Council demanded? Easy pickings for them. Nina giggled as she began cutting the doughy, warm egg-bread stuffed with chocolate and fruit.

  Something given, a feather from a magical parrot. Something taken, a strange electronic Relic from Alex. Something broken, an old friend who needed to see the beauty of life. Finally, something she didn’t want to touch but had to. Something forsaken. A cracked Cursed Bracelet floating in the unspace, waiting to infect someone with malice, which Mr. Mystical led her and Emilio right to. The cat wanted to destroy it, hissing and frothing soon as they’d gotten near, but Nina needed it.

  The damn thing was taking a long time to compost in their Secret Garden. It would eventually, of course. And a Lich could certainly handle evil things. The problem was that it was powerful magic she instantly recognized. Nina thought its creator was long dead.

  She may just need to pay her dear older sister a visit. If she could find her.

  BANG BANG BANG

  “Alex!” Nina called from the kitchen. “You mind telling customer on other side to go away? If they no shut up, I give them some pasta.”

  Her favourite delivery boy, who she now considered family, placed the massive gift his girlfriend was shoving onto him gently on the floor. Like the nice boy he was, Nina saw him kiss her before grinning and leaping quickly through the portal to do her bidding. The old lich saw the Dungeon Boss blushing at his backside, and when Nina caught Snu’s eye, she winked and sent her a little butt pinch.

  Snu yelped and went back to eating the pasta Mr. Mystical was shoveling on her plate. Nino, her love, regaled Francesca, the drones, the Gnomes, and a wasted Vrshkeuc with yet another story involving dastardly racoons.

  It was best to remind the little Dungeon Boss just how powerful she was. Even a Lich needs her fun. Nina chuckled to herself and brought out the final touch for the holiday dessert bread. A serious helping of powdered sugar.

  On the other side of the portal, Alex couldn’t make out who kept banging on the door. The snow was so heavy that all he could make out was two shapes. One small and one gigantic. Turning the lock, the familiar chime of the door opening sounded, and the cold of outside swept in.

  “Sir Alex!” Dorge, the blue [Garbage Garmen], stood in just a fur hat at the door. His blue feet shuffled as he held out a small box wrapped in sopping wet tissue paper. “Dorge want to bring you gift! Dorge and Marnia say thank you for all you do! A Happy Holiday, Sir Alex! You been mighty nice to old Dorge!”

  Alex blinked up, not down, at the massive creature standing behind Dorge.

  It was at least twelve feet tall. The Monster behind Dorge also looked exactly like him. Except in place of Dorge’s blue, it was bright pink and looked…young in the face.

  “I…I…D—” Alex was at a loss for words as he [Identified] the gargantuan creature.

  [Korge – Young Garbage Garmen]

  “Oh yeah,” Dorge said and moved to the side, waving his hands upwards. “Say hi to Korge! Korge Dorge son. He big because of Relic Sir Alex give me and I give Marnia! She very happy and give Dorge hat and even butterfly kiss his face! Woooo—eeeh, Alex, that woman!”

  “Hello, Sir Alex! I saw clipboard over there.” Korge said in a child’s voice, waving adorably.

  Alex shook his head and yelled over his shoulder. “Nina! You might want to get some more food ready!”

  Then he stepped aside. It took a minute to convince the Monsters to come in for Christmas dinner, but eventually he got there. Korge ate even more than Petal, much to the Gnome’s frustration.

  The whole while, a very grumpy group of people wearing black trenchcoats watched in the snow and scribbled on their clipboards. The food smelled delicious and they would not receive any. Emilio and Nina shared knowing glances at each other and ignored them.

  They would just deal with them in the spring. Tonight was about celebrating family.