10th Day of the 2nd Earth Cycle[1], 2000, g.c.
The smooth sounds of disco and jazz rolled through the Grand Hall as the wall lanterns glowed softer.
Silver-blue light washed over Castle Midnight's black stone walls, turning them into a midnight-blue shimmer that was comfortable on the eyes. The light made everybody look a little richer, a little prettier, and a lot more suspicious, like they were standing too still. The chandeliers hung overhead like frozen pieces of the night sky, each crystal catching the music's vibration in tiny trembles. Violet-blue voidsilk and satin drifted between columns with lazy elegance, brushing the air.
The dance floor had more bodies than before.
Nobles who entered that bitch stiff and cautious were starting to loosen their shoulders. The women were moving with more sway, more hip, more confidence. Even a few guards on break were trying not to look like they wanted to dance. I saw one of them nodding too hard to the bass, catch himself, then suddenly become fascinated by a pillar.
I respected the struggle.
I watched the room, noticing the new shift in the energy since I made my appearance. It wasn't feeling like a court no mo'. I was actually starting to see a real party. Luda was talking with Sumo near the drink table, both of them holding drinks and looking like they were discussing trade routes and trees in the same sentence. Steez and Swamp were already acting like they had been raised in the same house, separated by poor decision-making and a few thousand miles. Swamp pointed at one of the mana-powered speakers with excited curiosity, while Steez leaned beside him like he was either explaining the technology or teaching him three new slang words.
Alex was trying to look relaxed, but Danica kept circling him with a smile.
That woman had a predator's patience on lock. She walked around my cousin like a starving wolf, every pass close enough to make his shoulders tighten. Alex tried to play it cool, but confidence was sweating down his neck. Every time another woman's eyes lingered on him too long, Danica's smile grew brighter. Who knew love was a battle?
Speaking of battles, nobody was fighting.
Ass was starting to move around. Drinks were still flowing.
It was a true peace to bask in and enjoy. Something I had been drip-fed before, little drops here and there between bloodshed and bullshit. Now it was a pool big enough for me to drown in. The crazy part was that I wanted to. Just for a little while. I wanted to let the music carry me, let the smell of good weed and bad bitches stay sweet, let the laughter be real, and let the castle feel like a home people came to celebrate.
That was when a new presence caught my attention. Vasilisa Belova stood there looking like the RIAA sent their most dangerous registrar.
And this bitch was fine.
She had light, cream-toned skin that looked smooth under the ballroom glow, polished by silver-blue light until every sharp line of her face looked intentional. Platinum-blonde hair sat in a sleek bob that fell over one eye like she was hiding half her patience and all of her mercy. The style made her look sharp, modern, and rich without needing to do too much. One visible gray eye watched the room with calm precision, framed by clean liner. Full lips. Controlled expression. Grown-woman beauty that didn't beg for attention.
Her black dress hugged her body with quiet violence.
High collar. Open chest cutout. Bare midriff window. Long sleeves. High slit showing off one long leg, like professionalism had clocked out for the evening. The beige-gold lining gave the whole fit this polished luxury finish. Those white heels made her look even colder. She was as attractive as a good job.
She approached me with practiced elegance, moving through the room like every step had been trained by etiquette and sharpened by battlefield instincts. Her heels clicked softly against the marble. Her drink rested in one hand. Her posture stayed tall, but not stiff. She had the energy of someone used to being recognized before she introduced herself, which meant I respected the fact that she still made the introduction proper.
She stopped before me and gave me a soft bow, her platinum bob sliding forward just enough to shadow her visible eye.
"Good evening, Your Majesty. My name is Vasilisa Belova. I am Grand Registrar of the Royal Intercontinental Alliance of Artists. It is pleasure to finally make your acquaintance."
Vasilisa was a Half-Celestial, Half-Human Herowalker from the country of Wyvernia. She once visited Talasi, back when I was a toddler, looking for strong Sociovore Artists. Mom turned her request to join the RIAA down, explaining that she had no interest in a future of more battles. Vericka may not have wanted the smoke from Gaia, but I never forgot where Vasilisa told her she could find her if she changed her mind.
So I sent a Soul Raven to bring her back my way. I wanted that smoke and glory.
Her voice carried that East Wyvernian accent with accidental seduction dripping around the edges. Like she was trying to sound professional, but every consonant came with a thigh-high boot and a secret. She gave me a welcoming smile.
But those titties had superstar manager energy the way they moved around with her subtle motion.
I shook my head as I brought my eyes back up to meet hers. Had to lock in. Had to stop letting cleavage pull my attention.
"I'm sorry. I was a bit distracted there. But it's a joy to meet the head of the RIAA. I read about you in an old magazine from the Holy Lands. I was expecting an intimidation machine, but what I received was a beautiful woman with a scary reputation."
Vasilisa's smile deepened just enough to tell me she enjoyed the compliment and filed it away professionally.
"Vell, I am sure you are familiar vith how titles can overshadow zeir owners' true personas. Da, Devil of Velonica?"
"It's Midnight King, now. But you couldn't be more correct. Anyways, how are you enjoying the Ball?"
She turned her visible eye toward the dance floor, watching Talasi locals move without looking like haunted statues. The music shifted under her pause, a horn line curling through the air while a servant crossed behind her with a tray of glowing drinks.
"Vith more fun than I anticipated. These gatherings are often boring and stagnant, yet yours continues to grow and refresh itself vith new life. I am taking notes, if you do not mind."
"I'll be happy to give a few pointers if you ever need help. I'm known to... cause a lil' chaos."
Her eye returned to mine.
"As are all Oni."
She said it with a flirty smile.
That little smile had experience behind it. She wasn't some blushing noblewoman trying to test the Devil's patience. Vasilisa had been around enough true monsters, Artists, warriors, kings, and guild legends to know exactly how close she could stand to danger before it stopped being networking and started being foreplay. The annoying part was that she was good at it.
She lifted her glass slightly, voice softening beneath the music.
"Allow me to express my joy at ze news that Velonica is growing vith a new vorld power that vill shake ze continent. Someone like you has been needed since ze vanishing of Demon Lord Ghost Gum."
"Now, Ms. Belova, why would you want that?"
Her expression sharpened.
"Humans, Your Highness."
"What's wrong with the Homosapiens?"
Vasilisa's gaze drifted across the Grand Hall. Toward the noble gowns. The Sociovores dancing. The bloodlines standing in a castle built by my hands. The mixed species of Velonica laughing under a roof that had once been quiet. Something old and bitter moved behind her gray eye, but she kept her voice polished.
"Ever since zey arrived from Xanadu, zey have completely taken control of Arcadia's wealth from Sociovores. Treating Sociovores and Biracial Sociovores as if ve are second-class citizens in our own homelands."
Her fingers tightened around her glass, just a little.
"Zey need to be humbled. Zey need to be scared. As zey vere back vhen ze Four Devas kept Arcadia in line."
"That's romanticizing. My mother wasn't a ruler."
I didn't disagree with every wound she pointed at, but wounds had a nasty habit of turning into excuses when powerful people got emotional.
"No, she vas not. But her presence alone vas enough of a deterrent back then."
The words sat between us with a little weight.
Vericka had been many things before I was born. The Crimson Lady of Velonica. Deva of the South. Demon Lord. Protector. Threat. The kind of woman whose existence made nations calculate twice before they acted stupid. Mom might not have sat on a throne, but she had been one of those people who made thrones nervous.
"Then I can't wait to see if I got the same clout as my mother."
Vasilisa's lips curled, but her eyes stayed serious.
"King Mikazuki, may I ask a personal question?"
"I've got enough gin in me with my [Toxin Nullification] turned off. Go ahead, what do you want to know?"
She didn't waste the opening.
"Are you ze one behind this teleportation card?"
"Oh? My Midnight Invitations? Yeah, they were made to fix a problem I didn't want everyone dealing with. I was expecting the question to be something more personal."
Vasilisa stared at me. For a second, the professional mask held. Then it cracked around the edges.
"More personal? Milord, do you not know exactly vhat you did?"
"Aww shit. From the sounds of your voice, I must have done something abnormal, again."
"That is putting it lightly. Anyone educated in Mana Arts and Magick Theory vould recognize ze perfect control of hyperspace gate using Spatial Magick. This is Spatial Magick ve are talking about. Literally ze second hardest Mana Affinity to learn, use, or perfect."
Her tone sharpened with every sentence. The kind of awe that came from someone who spent decades around high-level Artists and knew when a breakthrough was standing in front of her. I scratched the side of my face.
"Really? I've been doing spatial magick since I was a kid. But I'm glad it got you from the Holy Lands. Otherwise, you would have had to cross Endora to get here."
Her glass stopped halfway to her mouth.
Vasilisa was visibly stunned, but fighting to keep her professional look from breaking its mask. Her eye widened by the smallest amount. Her mouth parted, then closed. She brought her glass closer like she needed a sip to stabilize her entire worldview. The next words to flow from her mouth were coated with new desire laced within them.
"I see. Vell... vhat else can your magick do?"
"Make dreams come true."
That answer hit her softer than the Spatial Magick talk, but deeper in a different way. Her eye moved around the Grand Hall again, taking in Castle Midnight's magitech, the wall lanterns, the floating signs, the music player, the portals, the servants moving with purpose, and the people dancing under lights that hadn't existed here a fortnight ago.
"From a glance around me, I can see improvements of all natures."
"Velonica still has a long way to go, but I needed to get home base upgraded first. Make a few people nervous about the future."
"For my line of vork, nervous attention is still good attention."
Vasilisa gulped her drink.
That told me plenty. She was excited. Very excited. Business excited, political excited, maybe thighs-pressing-together excited, and she was too disciplined to let any one of those take the wheel fully.
"King Mikazuki, zere are two more things I vould like to discuss vith you at later time. One is establishing RIAA Guild House in Talasi."
"Is the other about business, recruitment, or politics?"
Her smile returned, professional and wickedly smooth.
"All three, naturally."
That was when Alex, Steez, and Luda joined us.
They were looking for me, moving through the crowd like the room naturally made space for them. Luda came first, calm and regal. Alex moved beside him with that sharp Tengu posture. Steez followed, with Swamp trailing somewhere behind for half a second before getting distracted by Danni calling him from the side. Even when we weren't trying to make a scene, the original Wolfpak had a way of gathering attention like gravity owed us money.
I took that moment to introduce them to Vasilisa. Suddenly, something switched in her. It must have hit her with the full reality that she was standing near all four of us. Four beyond S-Class men dressed for a royal party, carrying enough future violence in our souls to make history start sweating through its shirt. Our combined presence was too much for her senses to ignore. Her visible gray eye glowed celadon as she looked each one of us up and down before taking this professional whiff, like a chef in a kitchen catching the first breath of a meal she knew was about to ruin her diet.
[Moon Sage: Tsukuyomi] immediately clocked the effects of her Ultra Skill activating.
Vasilisa's sense of smell and sight penetrated each of our mana signatures, ignoring the restrained surface-level pressures that we allowed the room to feel. I mean, shawty got deep. Her perception slipped under the polite masks, under the tailored suits, under the controlled signatures, and reached toward the true scent of what our souls carried. Her body didn't know how to react, creating additional feelings as sensations spread through her other senses.
Her face stayed mostly professional.
Mostly.
But the little details snitched. The slight tension in her thighs. The way her fingers pressed into the glass. The tiny hitch in her breath. The half-second too long she spent looking at Luda's chest, then Alex's shoulders, then Steez's smile, then back to me like she was trying to build a spreadsheet while her hormones set the office on fire.
Her thoughts brushed close enough for Tsukuyomi to read the shape of them.
"Vhat is this view of endless midnight vithin Demon Lord Xiro? This smell of death and pride. This bottomless depth that makes me hesitate?"
Her celadon eye lingered on me first.
She saw the restrained night beneath my skin. It made her hesitate, and Vasilisa Belova did not strike me as a woman who hesitated often.
Then her attention slid to Luda.
"Demon Lord Luda feels almost inversed. That endless light. That smell of conquest and greed. That abundance so deep, ze wealth seems meaningless."
Luda stood with his drink in hand, calm as ever, not realizing his signature was currently giving this woman religious damage.
Vasilisa moved her attention over to Alex and Steez.
"Lord Alex carries ze fallen heat of angelic fire. Yet, ze smell of war and wrath clings to him tightly. Ze feeling of peaceful storm waiting for permission to become violent."
Alex's face stayed casual, but his aura had that dangerous stillness to it.
"Even Lord Steez feels like something beyond time. Ze scent of famine and sloth cloaks him behind that gorgeous smile. And something so fast, I can't even comprehend it."
Steez had that same smug, relaxed smile he always wore when he knew people were watching. But beneath it, his time-bent signature moved wrong to normal senses. Too fast to catch, too lazy to hurry.
Vasilisa's lips parted before she could stop herself.
"Just vho are zey?"
She accidentally murmured it to herself.
I tilted my head. "You talking to me?"
Her celadon glow blinked down, and the gray returned to her visible eye. She straightened like someone had snapped her leash back into professional posture.
"Huh? Forgive me. My thoughts slipped."
Alex, who had clearly missed half of that but felt the weirdness, looked from her to me and decided to pursue a completely unrelated issue because that was my cousin.
"So, Xi, when do I get me a Nightcrawler?"
"You want a car?"
"Actually, I want one of those two-wheeled cars."
Steez pointed at him immediately.
"You mean a bike. Yo, bro, make me one of those bitches, too."
"Fine. We'll create motorcycles tomorrow."
Vasilisa stared at us like we had casually mentioned inventing a new type of warhorse in the middle of her professional meltdown. And honestly, we kind of had.
Her thoughts slipped again, hotter this time, less analytical.
"I have not smelled strength like this in decades. Bozhe moi, these men are driving me vild. If only I did not have to be professional. Still."
Her eye moved between us, and the professional mask fought for its life.
"He called zeir party Wolfpak. Zey easily smell like zey could break ticket sales and bones. And probably several beds. Stay composed, Lisa."
I mean, she wasn't wrong.
Alex turned back to her, polite despite the confusion in his eyes.
"Ms. Belova..."
She answered too quickly.
"Please... call me Lisa."
Alex paused a fraction, probably catching the softness in her tone and deciding to ignore it for safety.
"Who's the current strongest person in the RIAA?"
"That vould be Demon Lord Kneon Sky or Demon Lord Ghost Gum. Before him, Demon Lord Mike Jaxon claimed that title."
Alex's eyes sharpened with immediate interest.
"Just wonder who I should challenge first, before Xiro gets to them."
Vasilisa studied him again, her expression turning professionally appreciative while her eye absolutely failed to behave.
"A man like you, already standing in ze realm of Demon Lords, vould do more than fine vithin ze ranks of RIAA."
Alex thanked her politely, but he looked slightly confused by the intensity in her eyes. He knew women started to find him attractive. Alex wasn't blind. But Vasilisa was looking at him like she wasn't just seeing his face. She was smelling apocalypse on his shoulders and trying not to lean closer.
Her gaze moved to Luda and Steez.
"You two as vell, Prince Luda and Lord Steez. Your royal bearing and Lord Steez's beautiful smile could easily move crowds of fans and worshippers."
Luda gave her a calm nod, looking way too cool for her not to bite her bottom lip on reaction. The motion was small, but it happened. Her discipline caught it a second too late. Steez smiled wider, naturally making the situation worse, before Akai called him away from the side for some assistance. He turned with casual speed and slipped out of the cluster, which seemed to ease a bit of pressure off Vasilisa.
If the squirming got any worse, she would have brought on far more attention. She took a breath, collected the pieces of herself that our presence had rudely scattered, and turned her attention back to me.
"Your Majesty, I have to be honest. The RIAA has always struggled to market Sociovore greatness to Arcadia's public vithout fear-mongering, fetishizing, or flattening it into spectacle."
"So, you want to use me."
"No more than any other woman." Her smile came quick, seductive by accident or design. With her, it was getting hard to tell. "But vhat I really vant is to sign you. Sign ze four of you. Not as rumors or monsters. As Special Artists, powerful enough to bring back ze lost job class of Rappers."
Something in my soul sat up straighter at that word. Luda's brows lifted.
"Rappers. Aren't those the ancient warriors who used to fight for sport?"
Vasilisa looked pleased. The recruiter in her loved an informed prospect.
"Vell read, I see. I vouldn't have expected anything less."
She glanced around the Grand Hall as if seeing the stage already forming in her head. The crowds. The posters. The Request Missions. The ticket sales. The fear. The pride. The chance to take four men everyone would call monsters and make Arcadia pay to watch them become legends in public.
"But Rappers were more than just a good show. Zey were ze pinnacle of Artists on Gaia. Matching and often surpassing ze Humans' Popstars."
"From what I know, they were so powerful, the Trappers killed them first during the first invasion."
Vasilisa's expression hardened with reverence and anger sharing the same breath.
"It's time to bring back ze apex predator. Return glory to ze Monster Nations."
The words carried heat.
I looked at her for a moment and saw past the expensive dress, the dangerous curves, the accidental seduction, and the professional mask. Vasilisa Belova was not only recruiting talent, but was seeing a cultural weapon. A correction. A future where Sociovores didn't have to be marketed as monsters to be profitable, respected, or feared. She wanted to turn us into a movement.
That was interesting as hell, though.
"We'll chat more about it later."
"Understood, milord. But I fear I've taken up enough of your time. Find me later if you seek more conversation... or company."
With one more bow, the Grand Registrar departed from us with a twist in her walk that had all three of us watching. The posture was professional, but those thoughts were anything but. Her hips moved with restrained rhythm. The lining of her black dress caught the lantern light as she slipped between dancers and nobles.
Luda watched her leave, then glanced toward me.
"I know she was recruiting us. But did anyone else feel like she was undressing them?"
Alex folded his arms slowly.
"I swear I thought I was the only one."
"I call that min-maxing. She's an efficient woman."
That got a short laugh from Luda, while Alex shook his head like he didn't want to admit the joke made sense. I watched Vasilisa vanish into the crowd and thought about what a Guild House in Talasi would bring. More business. More money. More travelers. A larger reputation. More problems. What more could I ask for?
The future was looking bright at night.
Upstairs, Jojo ran into someone from his past.
The second floor wrapped around the Grand Hall like a shadowed crown. From the balcony, the party looked less like a celebration and more like a living map of temptation, ambition, and mistakes waiting for the right glass of liquor. Music rolled upward in warm waves, distorted by height. Laughter broke against the vaulted ceiling. Smoke, incense, meat, and chilled fruit nectar drifted through the air.
Jojo spotted Auburn near one of the side corridors leading toward the balcony.
Auburn wasn't mingling much. But like an owl, he was watching. Studying. He avoided my direct orbit, always positioning himself on the opposite side of the room or the opposite side of a crowd. Smooth bastard. He kept Beatrix nearby enough to find, but far enough to maintain appearances. Every now and then, he leaned toward a female noble, smiled, said something low enough to feel intimate, and let the conversation die before it became memorable. That was a dangerous kind of social movement. Present enough to gather information. Distant enough to deny interest. Pretty enough to get away with it.
Jojo approached him.
The air between them was anything but welcoming.
Auburn turned his head slightly, and his smile appeared without warmth. The polished glass in his hand caught the lantern light, tinting his fingers amber. He looked at Jojo like he was looking at a ghost that disappointed him by surviving.
"Good soldiers usually die on the battlefield. But you were never worth much, so of course you couldn't even manage that."
Jojo stopped a few feet away.
The old Hero of Mankind didn't flinch. His beard framed his face in dark waves, and his hands remained relaxed at his sides. The music from downstairs slipped through the pause, bright and alive, which made the bitterness between those two men feel colder. Jojo had been through a lot lately. Betrayal. Collapse of faith. Realizing the people who raised him as a weapon had never planned to love the man holding it. Still, he stood there with enough calm to surprise anybody who remembered the version of him that would've reached for pride before reason.
"With so much life left in me, why should I give it up for people who never saw the value in it?"
Auburn's eyes narrowed over the rim of his glass.
"Your life hasn't been valuable since the Church of Holy Madness found you."
"The Church never knew true value. If they were right, I wouldn't be standing here now."
Auburn didn't respond.
He simply sipped his drink, looking away unimpressed. The movement was small but calculated, the kind of dismissal meant to make someone chase validation. He wanted Jojo irritated. Wanted him loud. Wanted him emotional enough to look weak in a room full of important ears.
Jojo didn't take the bait, though.
"I know the Bohemian Grove sent me on a suicide mission. None of you expected me or Krystal to return. And planned to kill me regardless of the outcome."
Auburn's expression barely shifted. Maybe a little amusement at the corner of his mouth. Maybe contempt.
"You say that as if it's supposed to hurt me that you know. Saint Sister Mary said you were a liability a long time ago. She used the Devil of Velonica to give you a chance to prove her wrong. But everyone outside of Queen Hedaria knew you wouldn't succeed."
Jojo's jaw tightened.
For a second, the balcony seemed to shrink around him. The music below became muffled. The laughter became far away. Old memories probably flashed behind his eyes. Holy banners. Orders given with smiles. Prayers. Lies.
"I can't believe I gave so many years of my life working with you fuckers."
Auburn's glass lowered.
"Weakness and uselessness often look like tragedy to people carrying them."
Jojo paused.
That one hit.
Not because Auburn was right. More because a lifetime of hearing similar cruelty had left grooves in Jojo's spirit, and old grooves make ugly words easier to slide into. His fingers curled once, slow and controlled. The Hero of Mankind might have been broken out of the Church's grip, but the wound was still fresh enough to bleed if somebody pressed hard.
He breathed through it.
"Useless, huh? I can't agree. The Demon Lord saw worth in me. But you standing in the home of the man you failed to understand will only bring you his rage when he finds out you're with the Church of Madness."
Auburn's gaze cut back toward him.
Jojo stepped half a pace closer, voice still low enough not to turn the balcony into a scene.
"So let me show you one last time my value with a warning. You should leave before Demon Lord Xiro gets upset and you regret it."
Auburn glanced toward the Grand Hall.
From upstairs, he could see me moving through the party below. Laughing. Talking. Letting people approach. Acting like the host instead of a storm. He could see Omnia near the food table, glowing with that quiet goddess beauty. He could see Luda across the room. Auburn's eyes measured the obvious dangers first, because fools and strategists both liked things they could put a number on.
"The only presence in this castle worth any worry is the Queen and the Celestial Demon Lord. That Midnight King or whatever is nothing to fear."
Jojo looked over at Omnia. Then across to Luda.
Then he simply shook his head.
The man had fought me. He had watched me rewrite the shape of his life by refusing to kill him when the Church expected martyrdom. Jojo knew a thing or two about being wrong in front of me. He had survived the lesson. Auburn was standing there with a drink, about to enroll without reading the syllabus.
"Consider that my last favor because we were once friends. But, if you won't heed my warning, I hope you planned out your funeral."
Auburn's smile finally returned.
"I always plan ahead."
Jojo turned around and walked away.
He left Auburn to finish drinking like he hadn't just warned him about death. If this were a few month-cycles ago, Jojo might have tried to fight to defend his pride. He might have raised his voice, stepped closer, put his hands on somebody just to prove he wasn't the useless thing they called him. But this was a new Jojo. He knew some men only learned from consequences.
Jojo reached the balcony rail and glanced over toward me across the room.
For a second, sudden and strange sympathy crossed his face.
"People keep underestimating the Devil of Velonica because Lord Xiro doesn't roar every second. If only they knew... the most dangerous kind of monster is the one with manners."
Downstairs, beside the food table, Omnia found herself in front of a fruit tray full of bright Gaia fruits.
The table looked like somebody had raided a rainbow and hired a chef to make it presentable. Sliced melon-like sweets shimmered in pale green and sunset orange. Star-shaped berries sat in little crystal bowls, dusted with sugar flakes and chilled mana frost. Dark purple grapes the size of marbles glistened beside gold-skinned fruit that smelled like peach, honey, and vanilla got together for an orgy. Small bowls of chilled nectar rested between the trays, their surfaces glowing softly beneath cooling sigils.
Omnia reached for one of the star-shaped berries at the same time Jennifer Nox did.
Their fingers almost touched.
Both women paused.
Jennifer laughed softly, withdrawing her hand with an elegance that made the movement look less like surrender and more like flirting with etiquette.
"Apologies, my Queen. I didn't mean to steal from the throne."
Omnia's cyan eyes shifted toward her, amused and curious. She picked up the fruit anyway, holding it between two fingers as if considering whether the little star was worth the diplomatic moment it had created.
"I'm curious, which fruit do you think is the best up here?"
Jennifer's brow lifted.
"Is this a test?"
"Most things are, but this one can be friendly."
With those words, Jennifer found herself tattooed with a smile and a new liking for the Queen of Velonica. Omnia had that effect when she wasn't terrifying people. She could make danger feel warm. Not safe. Jennifer picked up a slice of gold-skinned fruit and dipped it lightly into one of the chilled nectar bowls.
"This one, if you enjoy sweetness with a little bite. It starts soft, then gets sharp on the tongue. Good fruit should know how to flirt back."
Omnia tasted the star-shaped berry first, then smiled like she approved of the philosophy.
"Your ensemble for this evening is a masterfully lewd and beautiful compliment to your body. Clearly, the Nox Clan understands presentation as both a strategy and art."
Jennifer's smile widened in instant delight.
A compliment from me was one thing. A compliment from Omnia hit the pride different.
"To receive such praise from the Queen." Jennifer dipped her head with theatrical gratitude, then glanced toward the dance floor where I was moving through another conversation. "By the way, you and Demon Lord Xiro make a gorgeous couple. Easily, relationship goals for the country."
Bringing up my name sharpened the smile on Omnia's face. It didn't turn jealous. Nor did it turn cold. Instead, it turned interested.
"Speaking of my beloved... what do you really think of Master Xiro?"
Jennifer looked at the fruit in her hand for a moment.
Her expression changed just enough to become sincere. The lust stayed because Jennifer was still a Nox, but beneath it sat years of watching me grow up around Talasi. That personal hometown knowledge.
"Ever since Demon Lord Xiro was a kid, he has been secretly helping. Whether killing dangerous beasts that got too close or giving everyone indoor plumbing. He's been making everyone's life softer."
Omnia softened by a fraction. Jennifer continued, voice lower now.
"Even when most of the city feared the little Majin child throwing around mana. Distrusted him because he was a Majin. Lord Xiro still did what he felt was right for others, regardless."
Omnia's smile grew warm and knowing.
"Sounds like him. He always does whatever he wants."
"I've always admired that. He ignored fear and reputation. And the city kept finding itself getting better. With the kind of power I've seen him use, he could easily have ignored us and watched Talasi fall. But he didn't."
Jennifer's eyes turned toward the dance floor, where music, laughter, and bodies moved under silver-blue lanterns.
"We're truly blessed to have him."
Omnia softened after hearing that.
Just that quick, she found a new depth to Jennifer's attraction to me and was already plotting. I knew my woman. Omnia could hear some sincere appreciation for me and immediately start to plot. She was also a bit of a cuckquean, and she liked it when others understood why she loved me. And if somebody fine, loyal, and grown enough to know the difference between lust and admiration said all that? Yeah, Omnia's mind went somewhere spicy.
"Mistress Nox, do you have available time after the Ball?"
Jennifer paused for a moment before her grin grew wickedly.
"Depends on what the Queen has in mind."
Omnia lifted a chilled fruit slice to her lips, took a small bite, and let the pause stretch just long enough to become dangerous.
"I prefer to discuss certain invitations somewhere warmer."
Jennifer's fan snapped open halfway, hiding the lower half of her grin.
"I do love warm rooms."
The Twilight Goddess glanced across the ballroom at me.
I was laughing with the Ebony Witch, Danni Thicc, completely unaware that two incredibly sexy women were plotting on me over fruit. Danni had one hand on her hip, one hand holding a drink, and a laugh loud enough to shake her own cleavage. I was saying something foolish, thinking I was safe. Like an idiot.
Omnia's eyes softened from across the room.
"There are people in his hometown who appreciate him more than he would ever know. He doesn't need the validation of his father. Not when people like Jennifer can see just how wonderful he is with little question."
While Omnia was pulling Jennifer into the corridor to find another room, I was moving through the crowd again.
Using a weak release of [Love/Hate] around my body, it kept people from bumping into me while I walked. Well, it technically kept people from being able to touch me at all. A gentle repulsive affection field. That sounded stupid, but it worked. Drunk nobles had a terrible habit of getting familiar with their hands once the music and drinks started tag-teaming their judgment. Early in the night, people still had manners. As they got drunker, that stiffness vanished, leading to much more random touching.
And I was trying to host, not get grabbed by every tipsy noblewoman with a fantasy and a glass of wine.
That was when I spotted Lynnette Judas. Lynnette slid into view, and I had to pause for a second because, respectfully, nobody warned me she was that damn fine. That violet hair swept across one side of her face before gathering into a thick curly ponytail, rich and full with enough bounce to make the lantern light catch in different shades of purple. Her teal eyes were bright and direct, too, as if she were already measuring the room and finding most people lacking. Her skin was this rich brown tone that made the black dress and iridescent purple-blue trim hit crazy under the ballroom lights.
And that dress? Black. Glossy. High-slit. Jeweled. Cut in all the places that made common sense start coughing blood.
The bodice hugged her body tight, shaping her waist and chest with surgical disrespect. The chest cut was bold as hell, putting dangerous cleavage on display. Lynnette did not have delicate beauty. She had "I can ruin you in heels looking bored" beauty. It was cute on her.
I blinked like my eyes needed to reload as I approached her.
"Hold up... Ms. Lynnette, is that you? Damn. Somebody should've told me you were stacked like this. You look good."
The Human Sword Singer blushed like a timid schoolgirl receiving a note from a crush. That caught me off guard more than the dress. Lynnette Judas, the woman who could swing Divine Beast-level pressure around, looked down for a second with color warming her cheeks. Her hands shifted around her glass, and the hard edge of her expression softened into something almost bashful.
"I was wondering if the Devil of Velonica had forgotten how to be polite."
"Sometimes. But not tonight. Your lips look spectacular."
She touched them lightly with one finger, amused now.
"Thank you, milord. I can only take some of the credit. My magickal lip gloss does a lot of the heavy lifting for me."
"Now that I've seen you dressed in bad intentions, I don't think I'll be able to get the image out of my head."
Lynnette laughed.
Clearly amused by the flirting. The sound was smoother than I expected, low and warm, cutting through her usual sword-singer severity. We talked for a while, letting the party move around us as the music shifted into something slower. Guests passed behind her in flashes of silk and jewelry, while the wall lanterns painted her dark skin in silver-blue highlights. She told me what she thought of Talasi and the citizens, how she had never seen so many unique dishes at a party before. How she finally got a chance to meet my mother.
"I was expecting a Demihuman ruler shaped by cruelty, hunger, and the old stories I used to hear about the Crimson Lady."
She glanced toward Vericka, who was currently speaking with an older clan representative while holding a plate and a smile.
"Instead, I only found a sweet older lady. A woman with more restraint than many Human monarchs I've stood near."
"Yeah, it's always amazing how different someone can be outside the rumors of their title."
Lynnette's gaze moved across the Grand Hall.
The dancing locals. The servants laughing quietly when they thought nobody important saw them. The Nox women flirting near the drink table. Luda speaking with Sumo. Steez and Swamp being menaces near the music setup. Omnia disappearing down a corridor with Jennifer, which I did not notice at the time and would probably regret not noticing later.
"My entire time here has been eye-opening. None of the other Demihuman villages and cities felt this tight or as close a community. After what I've seen in Madness, I'm starting to believe Demihumans are the more humane."
Her voice dropped slightly.
"If a place like here exists, then I'm fine with leaving the Human Empires behind."
I swirled the gin and juice mix in my glass, watching the liquid catch silver-blue reflections from the lanterns.
"Don't get too lost in the sauce. All races and species have their good and bad people. Humans. Sociovores. Feys. Daemons. Even Outer Gods."
Jojo was proof enough that Human systems could make weapons out of good people.
Lynnette looked back at me. I lifted the glass slightly, letting the thought settle before I continued.
"It only matters who you keep around you daily, who you let shape your habits, and who you trust enough to stand beside when things get ugly."
Lynnette looked at me for a moment while I sipped my gin and juice mix.
Her teal eyes narrowed, but not with suspicion. More like she was trying to reconcile the man in front of her with the Devil in the stories. She had probably expected sharper cruelty. More hunger. Less patience. Instead, she got me holding a drink, giving life advice in a ballroom full of monsters and good weed.
"So you're a wise young king. And nowhere near as evil or scary as the rumors made you out to be."
"It runs in my family. I'm only a threat when I'm the opposition."
Lynnette's smile softened.
"I'm not sure if I want you back on that side. I like you as an ally and friend."
"Friends don't call me Lord."
She paused. Then her smile grew.
"Well put. I'll keep that in mind. Now, if you excuse me, I shall bid you farewell for the moment, Xiro."
"Sounding friendlier already."
Lynnette laughed as we both bowed before she left to rejoin Krystal.
I watched her walk away, the high slit in that black dress flashing powerful thighs with every step, sheer sleeves trailing behind her like shadow ribbons. She moved with calm confidence, booty jiggling with every heel tap. Krystal waved her over from near the side of the hall, and Lynnette's expression shifted back toward her composed sword-singer poise as she returned to familiar company.
That left me with a moment to myself, where I ended up reflecting on our conversation.
"Maybe I should have told her that I might be one of the bad people dressed in good intentions."
[Midnight Star: Belial] couldn't avoid interjecting in his opinion.
"Boss, you're more like a good person with a bad attitude."
"Belial... Shut up. You're just mad I won't crash out at every chance."
[Moon Sage: Tsukuyomi] didn't want to be left out.
"Truly, master, you are a being capable of both whenever you choose. As you hold the power to make the impossible possible."
"Thanks, Tsukuyomi. I appreciate the reminder."
I caught myself smiling at that when the shift in the music brought me back to reality. Life truly was whatever I made it.
The sounds of uptempo disco transitioned into early Hip-Hop tunes, causing the drums to gain more bounce. The whole Grand Hall felt that shift immediately. The bass got heavier. The rhythm started jumping with more attitude. Those smooth strings and glossy disco horns slid back just enough for sharper snares, rolling kicks, and looped percussion to take control of the floor. The mana-powered speakers pulsed with warm golden light in their resonance crystals, each beat making the marble beneath everyone's feet vibrate like the castle had found a second heartbeat. The silver wall lanterns flickered in time, soft shadows bouncing across gowns, suits, horns, wings, tails, jewelry, and drunk smiles that had gotten way too comfortable around my expensive-looking furniture.
People who had been swaying politely started adding more shoulder. The two-step got bolder. The guards on break stopped pretending they weren't nodding along. Talasi locals moved like they already knew what to do when the drums started talking. Some of the nobles tried to follow them, and you could see the culture gap in real time. A few had rhythm hiding somewhere in their bloodline. Others looked like their ancestors had personally outlawed knees.
Somebody laughing too loudly near the dance floor brought my attention to Swamp chatting with Alex.
Swamp had that young troublemaker grin on his face, standing close to my cousin with a cup in one hand and pure instigation in the other. His dark green dreadlocks bounced slightly as he moved to the beat, eyes bright with the confidence of a man who had found a button and intended to press it until the machine exploded. Alex stood across from him, trying to act casual, while still slightly exhausted from what Danica had put on that man. His red wings were active and folded behind him, pretending he wasn't about to get peer-pressured into greatness.
Swamp pointed down at Alex's feet.
"Bro, you not finna keep pretending you're not one of the cleanest dancers in the room. If you're going to lie, bro, at least lie while hiding your footwork."
Alex shifted his weight, immediately proving Swamp's point by catching the rhythm without thinking.
"Nah, my nigga. I'm not trying to break dance at the royal ball. Everyone is chilling right now."
Swamp's grin widened like Alex had just handed him a loaded weapon.
"That's exactly why you should."
Cali Terrantino stood nearby, chillin' like a polar bear's toenail, holding his drink with one hand while the other rested near his side. His round glasses caught the light, hiding the amusement in his eyes until his mouth betrayed him with the smallest smile.
"I wouldn't mind seeing you kick that shit. If you can survive your lady all night, surely a Tengu like you could survive a dance floor."
Cali took a sip of his drink as Alex glared him down.
That glare had weight in it. Friend-level shit-talking. Male camaraderie at its finest, which is really just harassment with loyalty attached. Swamp and his instigation just needed one more push, and that push came floating in with divine timing and thighs.
Danica clapped her hands together with bright amusement.
Her smile was too pretty to be innocent. She stood behind Alex with that glow in her eyes, looking at him like she still expected another feeding. Her dress shimmered around her body, and the light catching her face made her excitement look almost harmless. Almost. Danica was many things, but harmless was not on the résumé.
"Do it, Master Alex. I would love to see your rhythmic expression."
That was all it took.
The crowd started chanting lightly, playfully, and warmly. Not aggressive or no shit. Just with enough pressure to make backing down feel worse than dancing. A few Talasi locals clapped in rhythm. Swamp started the chant louder. Steez picked it up from the other side of the circle with a laugh, because my baby brother never missed an opportunity to make someone else perform under stress. Even some Nox women joined in, Nobles waving, eyes bright, voices sweet enough to sound supportive while clearly hoping Alex would lose his shirt somehow.
Alex looked around the circle forming around him. Then he exhaled, rolled his neck once, and stepped forward. The floor opened for him immediately.
Alex stood at the center of the circle with his shoulders relaxed, head low, one hand brushing the front of his crimson vest like he was trying to convince himself this was casual. The beat snapped beneath him. Drums bounced. The bass rolled. The horn line dipped out like the music itself wanted to watch.
He rolled his shoulders. Then dropped.
The Grand Hall erupted.
Alex hit the floor clean, one hand catching his weight while his legs sliced outward in a sharp kick-out. His red wings flared just enough to balance him, feathers flashing crimson against the silver-blue glow. He spun low, shoes skimming over black marble in a fast circle, then kicked both legs through a smooth sweep that made the nearest nobles jump back with delighted shock. The man moved like gravity was an option.
He blended Earth street moves with Tengu unnatural balance so cleanly it looked like a fighting style got invited to a block party.
His hands slapped the floor in rhythm. One palm caught him. His body lifted. Legs scissored through the air. He twisted into a one-handed handstand, holding it for a beat long enough for the crowd to gasp, then rotated his hips and dropped into a controlled spin that sent the tails of his jacket flaring around him. The polished red-and-white shoes flashed under the chandelier lights like sparks. His wings angled subtly, not enough to fly, just enough to make every movement look impossible.
Then he snapped through a sequence of footwork that had Swamp screaming like he had invested money in the performance.
Alex slid backward on one hand, kicked out, tucked in, twisted through a windmill-like rotation, then used his wings and core strength to throw himself into a flip that would have broken the confidence of half the room if they tried it sober. He landed on one palm again, body angled sideways, then pushed up, spun, and snapped back to his feet with a grin like he hadn't just shut down the whole damn floor.
For one breath, the room froze.
Then the Grand Hall lost its mind.
The Nox women lost their minds the loudest. Locals snapped. Hands clapped. Steez cheered with both arms raised, like he personally trained Alex from birth. Swamp pointed at him, laughing and giving him his props at the same time.
"Nigga said he wasn't trying to dance and then committed a felony on the floor."
Alex wiped imaginary dust from his shoulder, trying to look cool while breathing heavier than he wanted the room to notice. Danica had this look in her eyes like she was ready to drag him into another quiet room immediately.
Alex's showcase broke the floodgates on restraint, and nobles flooded the dance floor like dignity had stopped paying rent.
People started clapping in rhythm as R&B tunes progressed the sounds again, the beat smoothing out into something warmer and wider. The party shifted from watching to joining. A few nobles tried to imitate Alex and failed with drunken confidence. One young baron attempted a low spin and ended up sliding across the marble on his side like a rich broom. A Light Elf tried to kick out, got half a kick into it, and turned the motion into a bow like he meant to do that. The nearby crowd clapped anyway because nobody wanted the poor man's soul to leave his body from embarrassment.
Auntie Glynis danced with Alex and Danica for a short moment, shocking a few older guests and delighting many Talasi locals.
My auntie stepped in like she hadn't spent the whole night scanning debts, watching politics, and silently threatening foolishness. She caught the rhythm with ease, shoulders rolling, hips moving with grown-woman confidence, one hand lifting as Alex laughed and matched her. Danica spun beside them, bright and graceful. Aeon energy softened into pure enjoyment. A few older guests stared like they had just witnessed a law break. Talasi locals cheered harder.
Lynnette and Krystal both watched from near the food table while enjoying plates of soul food. Lynnette looked like she was still reassessing everything she thought she knew about Demihuman cities, one bite of cornbread at a time. She held her plate with the discipline of a swordswoman, but her smile kept sneaking out whenever another noble embarrassed themselves trying to dance. Krystal leaned closer, laughing softly as she sampled greens, fried meats, and cornbread like she had discovered a new school of religious experience. Both were amused by how quickly the entire function stopped pretending to be proper.
Swamp and Steez started coaching people badly.
That was when things got dangerous in the dumbest way.
Swamp tried to explain footwork to a noble's son by saying, "Just let your ankles believe in themselves." Steez told a Celestial woman to "lean into the rock," which was not an instruction, but it sounded wise enough that she tried. That led to two stumbles, one dramatic recovery, and a servant catching a falling drink with Water Mana before it hit the floor. Sumo couldn't stop laughing, almost spilling his drink with every chuckle. The Duke of Kymberli had fully entered party mode now, shoulders bouncing, sea-bright eyes watering from laughter.
Near the edge of the crowd, Luvina swayed with a glass in hand, smiling like the music had told her a secret.
That should have been my first warning.
The Umdori moved with lazy satisfaction, hips rolling softly, her bioluminescent patterns sliding across her skin beneath her outfit like living neon. Her smile was calm, amused, and too damn pleased with itself.
Vasilisa watched the Wolfpak with glittering eyes. The realization that we weren't just strong, that we were also magnetic, had her in a chokehold. She stood near one of the side pillars with her drink held close, platinum bob framing that visible gray eye as it followed Alex, then Luda, then Steez, then me. She looked like a professional trying to maintain a straight face while watching ticket sales, cultural relevance, and sex appeal do choreography in the same room.
Her thoughts were fighting for their lives.
"Hidden strength that feels beyond normal. Attractive. And they can move a room without ordering it. This is exactly what the RIAA needs."
I watched more of the Ball loosen up.
I was enjoying it at first. This was what I wanted. Some people were relaxing, others were dancing, a few were eating, and everyone was letting the fortress become something warmer. But the shift was deeper than it should have been. The room got warmer.
The laughter got louder.
Flirtations became much bolder than before. Touches lingered longer. Nobles who barely spoke earlier were leaning in closer, lips hovering near ears, hands brushing arms, shoulders, lower backs. Many women became more direct, fans lowering, eyes sharpening, smiles turning from polite to predatory. Many men lost the tension of their pride with less resistance, letting themselves laugh, dance, brag, flirt, and step into conversations they had been avoiding all night.
A married noblewoman almost kissed a man who definitely wasn't her husband before catching herself with a laugh too sharp to be innocent. I narrowed my eyes at the sight of it all.
"Something changed way too fast."
[Moon Sage: Tsukuyomi] answered from within, calm and precise.
"Master, we have detected the presence of Luvina Puff's [Dominus Luxuriae] permeating through the Grand Hall. Its effects are not taking away free will, but it is intensifying what already lies below the surface."
[Midnight Star: Belial]'s voice came next, pleased in the worst way.
"Desire. Jealousy. Attraction. Confidence. Need. Hunger. All those low-simmering emotions are being fed like oil to a fire."
I immediately looked across the room to find the Umdori again. Luvina locked eyes with me and smiled, like she knew exactly why I was looking. The nerve of that woman.
She raised her glass slightly, not in apology, but in acknowledgment. Like she had just seasoned the room and wanted the chef to know the flavor was intentional.
"I need to put a leash on that woman..." I muttered under my breath.
Then my brain betrayed me.
"Then again, I wonder if she would enjoy that too much."
My brain gave that one too much attention for half a second.
Nobody was panicking. The room was happier, looser, more vivid. The dancing had more life. The laughter had more belly in it. The affection between couples seemed warmer, and shy people were finding enough nerve to move. But power like that was never harmless. A little amplified desire could make a shy person dance, but it could also make a bitter person speak. It could make love braver. It could make envy louder. Luvina didn't create the emotions in the room, but she did turn them shits up. Meaning whatever happened next was already lurking inside and waiting. The question was, whose inner demon would speak first? I didn't need to wait long. The answer arrived from the middle of the crowd.
Beau Soleil's voice cut through the music.
At first, it was just raised irritation, a sharp little ripple of French-coded disdain slicing between the rhythm and laughter. Then it grew louder. Became uglier. Became a public scene. He was yelling at this Sky Celestial chick while her Dark Elf friend hovered nearby, looking like he wanted to help and run away at the same time.
Cierra Chandra stood in front of him with her wings tight behind her, chin raised, frost-burn scars still faintly visible along her arms and feathers beneath her formal wear. Beau's face had gone sharp with rage.
"Pathetic Chandra scum. You dare show your face at a public event after turning your back on moi?"
Cierra's eyes flashed.
"Last I checked, this wasn't your Ball. And you should be the one scared to show their face in public, after that failed attempt to take the throne of the Demon Lord."
The nearest guests stopped dancing. Then the next ring of people noticed.
Then the next.
The music kept going, but conversations began falling away like candles being snuffed out one by one. Beau stepped closer, his polished pride cracking under the heat of Luvina's influence and Cierra's disrespect. His lips curled, his voice dripping old resentment.
"Of course, your weak clan knows nothing of loyalty. Quickly abandoning ze Illuminati when loyalty became inconvenient."
Cierra's laugh came out bitter.
"You're just incompetent. You killed your father and led the Illuminati nowhere. My clan was stupid for following you anywhere."
Beau's face twitched before rage covered it. The guests went quiet.
That one hit him.
Even the people who didn't know the full history understood the shape of that accusation. Murdered father. Failed leadership. Broken clans. Illuminati shame dragged out into my ballroom under silver-blue lights. A few Soleil-aligned guests stiffened. Some Vale members looked down. The Chandra name suddenly had a voice in the room, and that voice had apparently chosen violence with excellent projection.
Cierra stepped forward, wings shifting behind her.
"The reason every clan that left Talasi couldn't get back on their feet was due to you. Your shitty choices and leadership. All because you kept chasing Lady Vericka Mikazuki's crown like a spoiled prince after a mirror. Instead of building anything useful for the clans that followed you."
Her voice shook on the word "clan," just once, before anger swallowed it again. Beau's anger sharpened.
I felt it from across the room, hot and cutting, fed by Luvina's Sonata Skill. Jealousy and rage, which he had been suppressing all night, started rising through him. His fingers curled. His jaw clenched. Magitons prickled beneath his skin, yellow-green and bitter, twitching in short pulses around his shoulders.
Cierra didn't stop. Of course, she didn't.
"Honestly, I'm glad the Chandra Clan turned away from you. Even traitors get tired of supporting losers."
That was the killing blow that froze the room. At that point, I had no choice but to make my way over to the circle.
People parted my path like a sea opening for Moses. The music didn't stop at first, but the magitech speakers did lower as more people noticed the confrontation. The bass softened. The drums pulled back. The horn line faded into a low, uneasy loop. Castle Midnight's lighting shifted subtly, wall lanterns dimming a fraction like the building itself had turned its head toward the drama.
Ma Dukes saw Beau.
Aunt Glynis saw Cierra.
Luvina watched with a smile that was a little too satisfied.
Even Omnia's attention was pulled away from Jennifer as they both looked over from the corridor entrance. Omnia's cyan eyes narrowed, calm but alert. Jennifer's fan paused halfway to her lips, pinkish-red eyes bright with the excitement of a woman who loved gossip but knew this situation had teeth. Sumo tapped Luda to show him, while Alex stopped dancing near the edge of the floor. Danica smiled because trouble had finally arrived, dressed as entertainment.
Jojo watched Auburn watch the scene unfold. That was its own problem.
Jojo knew Auburn was studying me. Waiting to see what I did. How fast I moved. Whether I shouted. Whether I punished. Whether I smiled. Auburn wasn't alone in that either. Vasilisa's eyes sharpened from near the pillar, because she knew this kind of public moment revealed whether a man was only powerful or truly stage-worthy. A performer could own a crowd when everything was going well. A ruler owned the room when the night tried to embarrass him.
I floated over, calmly.
Inside, I was already annoyed, but I didn't want that to show on my face. We had good music, sexy women, old friends, new allies, and about two hours of good peace. And this Soleil motherfucka had to go and fuck it up.
My shoes never touched the floor as I crossed the last few yards. A thin glow of dark indigo wind gathered beneath me, quiet and smooth, lifting me just above the marble. No dramatic flare. No pressure wave. Just enough levitation to remind the room that the host had arrived without needing to stomp. My coat trailed behind me, violet interior catching the lantern light like a slice of night being dragged through the party.
When I reached the edge of the forming circle, the entire crowd shifted.
The warmth in the Grand Hall didn't vanish, but it altered.
Party heat became spotlight hot.
People weren't dancing now. They were watching. Waiting. Breathing carefully. The scent of liquor and amplified desire sat heavy in the air, sweet and dangerous. Beau stood on one side with rage in his eyes and pride bleeding through his teeth. Cierra stood on the other side with her chin lifted too high for someone who definitely didn't have an invitation she earned. Stamps looked like his soul had left the building and was waiting outside with the horses.
I looked at Cierra. Then Beau. Then I glanced back at Luvina in the back, giving me the sweetest, least innocent smile in Castle Midnight. I let out a sigh.
The Player's Ball had finally started becoming a true party, but people rarely vibed responsibly.
[End of Chapter]
[1] May on Earth.