Eni froze on the threshold of the lounge. Curiosity wouldn't allow her to simply ignore the foreign sound, but charging into a room where children were sleeping with her sword drawn felt excessive—even for her. Moving as silently as her heavy boots permitted, she crept back down to the kitchen.

  "Mina," Eni whispered, approaching the woman who was intently scrubbing the countertop. "Am I losing it, or are the runts playing with someone up there?"

  Mina slowly raised her eyes and gave a barely perceptible nod. There was no fear in her gaze—only a strange, reverent resignation, as if the presence of a guest on the flying island was an inevitability. Realizing she wasn't suffering from exhaustion-induced hallucinations, Eni turned decisively and climbed back to the third floor.

  What she saw made her lose her voice for a heartbeat. Emily and Fel were sitting on the rug, and between them sat the strangest girl Eni had ever laid eyes on. She looked about twelve. From a thick mane of ink-black hair that cascaded over her shoulders peeked a pair of neat fox ears, while a fluffy tail flicked lazily behind her. But it was her eyes that were truly arresting: the left was a brilliant amber, like trapped resin, while the right was a soft, tender pink. She was dressed in a modern black sweatshirt with cryptic kanji on the back, joggers, and pristine black sneakers—clothing that looked as out of place in this world as the girl herself.

  Noticing Eni, the guest showed no sign of fear. She rose gracefully and performed a flawless Keirei—a traditional thirty-degree bow.

  "Oh, hello, Eni!" she chirped.

  Eni felt a chill crawl down her spine. She was disoriented; this girl knew her name despite them having never met. "Uh... who the hell are you? And what are you doing here?"

  "Ah, my name is Vee," the girl replied, returning to the rug and sliding a piece across a Monopoly board. "I’m sorry for entering your home without permission. I just had absolutely no one to play with. My dad wins constantly... it’s so boring. His luck is just unbearable."

  Eni stood in a stupor. She scanned the room for signs of a break-in, but everything was quiet. "Okay, wait. How did you even find this island? It’s in the sky, for starters."

  Vee looked up at her with large eyes full of feigned pity. "Just don’t tell my dad, okay? He forbids me from talking to people. He says they don't live long enough, unlike Heroes. He thinks if I make friends with someone, I’ll just get upset when they die of old age."

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  "Well... he’s not wrong," Eni muttered, leaning against the doorframe. "Everyone dies sooner or later. Me, you..."

  "I definitely won’t die of old age!" Vee interrupted indignantly, stomping her foot. "I’m the daughter of Heroes, and Heroes don't age! Besides, I’m half-kitsune, half-demon! Why would I get old?"

  Eni rubbed her temple. The child’s logic was bulletproof. "Fine, fair enough. But I’m guessing your parents are turning the world upside down looking for you. Don't you think running away like this is a bad idea?"

  "Let them look!" Vee grumbled. "I want to hang out with people my own age. Everyone in the Coalition is either too weird or too... lucky? I’ve never beaten my dad once, all because of his stupid luck! It just breaks the whole game."

  "Listen, you have to respect your father," Eni tried to channel an 'adult' persona. "He raised you, he loves you..."

  "Dad himself said he doesn't want me to talk to him like a 'father'! We’re like friends!" Vee interrupted again. "Yes, I love him, but that doesn't mean that by switching my social persona, I can't speak negatively about him sometimes. Besides, I insulted his ability, not him! Those are different things."

  Eni was stunned. This twelve-year-old was discussing social personas and destructive luck as if she had a degree in philosophy. "You’re... remarkably sharp for your age."

  "Of course!" Vee straightened up proudly. "I inherited my dad's genes. Plus, he teaches me a lot so I can help him in the Coalition when I grow up!"

  "The Coalition?" Eni tensed.

  Vee looked at her with slight condescension, like a teacher explaining that the earth is round. "Oh, my dad is the Leader of the Archon Coalition. The smartest and strongest in this world. His name is Nick. You’ve probably heard of him?"

  Eni tried to simulate surprise. "Oh... Right. Yeah, I’ve heard. He’s the one who sent me to kill the Cyclops that was only a few hundred yards from Captain Joe’s base. By the way, why didn't Joe just kill it himself? He’s an Archon too."

  Vee giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh, I remember Dad talking about that! He sent you because Uncle Joe is too... small. The Cyclops would have just snatched Uncle Joe with one hand, and he wouldn't have been able to do anything—his reach is too short. Uncle Joe is obsessed with his knightly codes. He would have walked out, challenged the Cyclops to a duel by all the rules, and the monster would have just caught and eaten him while Uncle Joe was still reading the articles of indictment."

  Eni sighed, realizing this little kitsune had as much irony and cynicism as the Voice in her own head. "Fine, I get it. You have an answer for everything. Go on, keep playing with the girls. I’m going."

  Vee gave a short nod and turned back to the Monopoly board. Eni headed down to the first floor to discuss the situation with Mina, but before she could utter a word, a frantic pounding erupted at the door.

  Captain Joe was on the doorstep. He looked like a man who had just had the meaning of life snatched away and replaced with the prospect of an immediate execution. He started screaming before he was even inside, waving his mangy tricorne: "ENI! THE LEADER HAS LOST HIS TREASURE! HIS DAUGHTER! IF I DON'T FIND HER, I’LL BE THE FIRST ONE SCRAPPED BECAUSE I ALREADY ANNOY EVERYONE!"

  Without giving Eni a chance to speak, Joe burst into the house like a frantic bobblehead, racing around the first floor and even peering under the dining table. Finding nothing suspicious, he lunged back toward Eni. "Have you seen a girl?! A bit shorter than me, ears, tail, black hair?" He looked at her with such desperate hope that for a split second, Eni almost felt sorry for him.

  But, remembering Vee’s pleading eyes and her simple desire to play, Eni kept her face like stone. "No, Captain. Haven't seen anyone like that. My island is closed to outsiders, as you well know."

  Joe withered. His face took on the sour hue of a rotten lemon. "Curse it... If she’s fallen into the hands of wild monsters, the Leader will grind me into ink powder."

  Muttering curses, the Archon trudged back toward the Obelisk, never even thinking to check the second floor, let alone the third. Eni closed the door. She had the daughter of the most powerful being in the world in her house Й, while a terrified Archon was spiraling outside her door.