As the true weight of what he was facing dawned on Pride, his once-imponderable ego began to crack from within:

  No longer was it a simple issue of a "mortal" insulting his pride. No longer was he dealing with some random pop idol and her friends; he’d stumbled upon a being with more than just power at her fingertips.

  She could kill him. She could exterminate his very existence, without breaking a sweat.

  His form flickered slightly. "I...you can't....”

  Pride was visibly shaken, his entire body now visibly wavering as he struggled to comprehend the sheer magnitude of the situation.

  He sputtered out a weak attempt to reassert himself: "You...you wouldn't." as if hoping to convince both her and himself.

  But Alice, with her steel-tipped gloves drawn, merely stared him down, and her next words landed like a hammer blow:

  "Try me."

  Pride's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

  His voice cracked as he screeched: "YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS! THAT'S—THAT'S A BLUFF!!"

  But Alice didn’t even blink. She just kept that same terrifying, unflinching stare, her golden gaze burning straight through his pathetic bravado. Her fingers twitched slightly, and for a split second…the air around her rippled with something ancient and hungry.

  Juniper let out a nervous chuckle from behind them: "Uh...maybe don't test the goddess?" she whispered to Chie.

  Chie swallowed hard in agreement while Tenzing muttered under her breath: "...I am so glad I brought my paints." (For whatever reason.)

  Pride looked at all of them—their expressions ranging from awe to sheer terror—and then back at Alice.

  And in that moment?

  He realized.

  This wasn't some random mortal hanging with an upstart pop idol and her friends.

  This was Death Incarnate staring him right in the face.

  Pride's face twisted in pure, unadulterated horror as the weight of her words crashed into him. His form flickered violently, like a candle flame about to be snuffed out.

  "Y-You... You can't just..." he stammered, his voice cracking under the sheer impossibility of it all. "I am PRIDE! I am an Archdemon! I was forged from divine wrath and worshipped across eons!!"

  Alice didn’t even blink. Her golden gaze remained fixed on him with cold precision, her fingers still poised in that deceptively simple pose:

  "Names mean nothing when you're holding the scissors."

  A beat passed.

  Then another.

  The air grew so thick with tension that Juniper audibly gulped; Tenzing’s grip on her palette tightened like she was ready to throw it as a shield; Chie looked seconds away from passing out entirely.

  ---

  And then?

  Pride did something no god or demon had ever done before:

  He fled.

  With a shout so high-pitched it shattered nearby windows, Pride turned around and dashed off at blinding speeds. This made him run right into a wire thread trap secretly set by Alice around his body, turning him into chunks of bone and flesh.

  With Pride dead, the others were free from their confines. The sudden shift in atmosphere was like a breath of relief as the others took in the sight of Pride's scattered body parts.

  "That... worked?" Tenzing croaked out, her voice cracking from disbelief.

  Alice nodded, her face still as composed as ever. "That worked."

  Juniper let out a breathless chuckle: "Ay, he had it comin'. Literally."

  Chie just stared at Pride's remains in shock and awe. "I...I did not think I'd see a god get torn to literal shreds today."

  Alice shrugged nonchalantly as she began walking through the now-silent warehouse: "Neither did I. But hey, looks like there's a first time for everything."

  Tenzing blinked in disbelief: "Just...like that? You killed a god."

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  Alice nodded once again: "Yep. Pretty much."

  They all looked at her as if she'd casually mentioned the weather.

  A beat of silence.

  Then? "Hell nah, that was hella anticlimactic, no cap," Juniper blurted out.

  Tenzing looked at Juniper, her usually stoic eyes now narrowed. "...What does 'no cap' mean?”

  Juniper blinked, then burst out laughing so hard she had to brace herself on a nearby crate. "Ohhhh my god—Tenzing! That's just slang for 'no lie' or 'for real'!"

  Tenzing frowned slightly, processing this new information. "...I see." A pause. Then: "Is that something you say often?"

  Juniper smirked before nudging Alice with her elbow. "Tell 'er, Al."

  Alice nodded as she wiped blood off her fingers with a cloth from her pocket: "...Juniper...grew up in the hood."

  Tenzing blinked, giving Juniper a look. It wasn't hostile, no, but there were thousands of questions behind that look.

  Juniper took a deep breath, then let it out with an explosive sigh: "Ohhhh noooo, I know whatcha thinkin’. We are NOT doing this right now." She jabbed a finger at Tenzing’s face. "First of all? I was raised around Black people my WHOLE life. My best friend since middle school is Black! Her mom practically adopted me after my dad bailed!" Her voice rose slightly as she gestured wildly between herself and Alice: "SECOND? You really think some random monk gets to waltz in here and start judging a motherfucka like that?? For real?? Hell to the nah!!"

  Tenzing took a step back, visibly stunned by the unexpected reaction. "I just...I'm surprised, that's all," she mumbled, her usually stoic expression betraying a trace of unease.

  Juniper took another deep breath, running a hand through her blue-tipped hair. "I get that. It's just...it's annoying, y'know? I'm white outside but I'm me inside, and that's what matters. Not my skin tone. You feel me?”

  Tenzing looked away awkwardly, suddenly looking a lot less sure of herself. "...Y-Yeah. Sorry, I didn't mean to..."

  Alice spoke up in a calm, even tone: "It's alright. You didn't know. People make assumptions all the time."

  Juniper nodded, her anger visibly cooling down. "Yeah, it's just...people don't get it, y'know? They think cause I look one way, I gotta act another. Already gotta deal with the industry saying I'm "Trying to be Black so bad" as if I can help who I was raised around — let alone raised BY.”

  Tenzing's expression softened slightly, a hint of understanding gleaming in her eyes. "It sounds tiring," she admitted quietly. "...Sorry."

  Alice nodded in agreement as she spoke up: "It's exhausting, honestly. People assume things about you based on appearances. Been dealing with that most of my life."

  Juniper let out a bitter laugh: "You're tellin' me…”

  Tenzing looked between Alice and Juniper, realizing she had more in common with them than she thought, at least regarding how it felt to be judged based on appearances. "...Sounds like we're all...in the same boat, kinda," she admitted.

  Alice smiled faintly and nodded. "Guess we are."

  Juniper chuckled once more, the tension in the air starting to ease: "Yeah, what's that thing they say? 'Birds of a feather, flock together?'”

  Alice smirked slightly at Juniper's quip: "Or 'misery loves company'?"

  Juniper laughed again: "Oh that's the one, yo. Misery loves company!"

  Tenzing gave a small, genuine smile—the first real one they've seen from her all day.

  Alice grinned, feeling the air around them getting lighter: "So...we all good now?"

  Juniper nodded, now in a much better mood: "Hell yeah, we're all good. Question now is, now that Pride is dealt with, where to next in Euphoria?"

  "That, I can help ya with," Chie said with a sly grin.

  Alice raised an eyebrow, amused by Chie's sudden confidence. "Oh yeah? Got a secret up your sleeve or what?"

  Chie chuckled, her eyes twinkling mischievously: "...You could say that.”

  Juniper leaned in, intrigued: "Now you can't just tease us like that, yo."

  Alice smirked, folding her arms: "Yeah, spill it.”

  Chie laughed at their eager expressions. "Ya see, there are 14 nations who border each other, yet also kinda beef with each other. As a ninja, I've been sneakin' around these places and gathering info, and boy have I struck a goldmine…”

  The others listened intently, their curiosity piqued. Juniper's eyes widened, a grin spreading across her face. "What kind of goldmine, Chie? C'mon, don't leave us hangin'!”

  Alice's eyes sharpened at the mention of Euphoria. "A city that forgets? Now that sounds like trouble."

  Juniper whistled low: "Forgets, huh? Like, people just...wake up and don't remember yesterday?"

  Chie nodded seriously. "Worse—whole groups vanish overnight. No bodies, no warnings…just gone." She crossed her arms. "I was sent to investigate after a fellow agent disappeared there three weeks ago."

  Tenzing finally spoke up again, her voice cautious: "...That is not natural amnesia or mass hysteria levels of missing persons cases..."

  Alice exhaled through her nose as she pieced it together aloud: "Someone—or something—in Euphoria isn't just making people forget. They're making them disappear entirely before they can even realize it happened."

  A beat passed.

  Then Juniper grinned sharply and cracked her knuckles:

  "So when do we leave?"

  Chie smiled in excitement at their ready willingness, while Tenzing was less inclined to go barging head-first into unknown dangers.

  "...We should approach this carefully," she cautioned, fixing Juniper with a stern look. "We went in prepared for Pride and still ended up nearly dead. Rushing headlong into another battle without planning would be irresponsible."

  Juniper scoffed, clearly eager for action: "Oh, come on! Where's your sense of adventure, Ten?”

  Tenzing stared her down, unblinking, completely unimpressed. "I left it at home," she retorted flatly.

  Alice couldn't help but chime in with a touch of sarcasm: "Along with her humor, judging by that expression."

  Tenzing shot Alice a very annoyed glare. "Ha ha, very funny, Alice.”

  Juniper laughed aloud, thoroughly amused by Tenzing's deadpan retort. "Damn, someone needs to take that stick outta your butt, girl."

  Tenzing didn't react visibly, but her jaw visibly flexed, signaling her growing annoyance. "...Chie, if you may lead us, please…”

  Alice gave a slow, approving nod. "Good call."

  Juniper groaned dramatically, flopping her head back: "Ughhhh, fine! But I'm not happy about it!"

  Tenzing smirked—just slightly—for the first time since this whole mess started. "...Glad we agree on something."

  Chie clapped her hands together with sudden energy: "Alright then! Let's move out!" She gestured toward a small path winding through the trees leading to Euphoria's outskirts. "We'll go in light and quiet—no flashy entrances or dramatic reveals unless absolutely necessary. Got it?”

  Juniper sighed overdramatically, but nodded in agreement. "Yeah, yeah. I'll keep my sass and sarcasm on mute."

  Alice chuckled under her breath, then gave a nod of her own. "Got it. Stealth and caution. We're good to go."

  Tenzing cracked a small, genuine smile, her expression noticeably lighter. "Good. Then, onwards we go.”