It had been a slow day, and by nightfall, Ray was so bored that he decided to drop in the base to see if he could help on patrol or research or even helping to train some newbies. That all changed when he stepped inside the door. He ignored the people cheerfully greeting him and instead concentrated on his senses. Ash was bleeding. Ray could smell the scent of his blood as soon as he entered the base. He growled lowly and headed straight for the source. Everyone that caught a glimpse of him seemed to know to keep out of his way. Some though were not quite quick enough to dodge the blur that raced through the halls and found themselves being tossed aside in his haste. He traced the scent to the infirmary and found Ash, looking paler than ever, stretched across one of the beds while Type and Man were doing their best to patch him up with bandages and healing runes. “Have you even called Papa yet?” he asked.Both siblings looked up at him in shoc

“And you were the only one who could take him?” Ray asked in disbelief staring at the toddler waddling around the playpen that had been set up in their living room. Bright kept one on hand for whenever clients had bring their children. Ray had thought it disappeared whenever it wasn’t in use, but apparently he had been wrong about that.“No one had time to look after him at the base,” Ash replied from the kitchen where he was putting together a snack for their visitor. Ray really hoped he was a visitor anyway.“I thought you told Papa you weren’t going to be bringing home work anymore.”Ash handed the still unnamed child a sippy cup of juice and placed a bowl of cheerios within his reach, seemingly unconcerned about the cereal being spilled. The child immediately plopped his hand in and began shoveling dry cereal into his mouth, and yeah okay that was cute. Still, why did he have to be there. Ash glanced up at Ray.

“What’s this?” Ash asked holding up a book that had seemingly found its own way to their coffee table.Bright glanced over. “That is an old legend actually about the Great One, an ancient man who sacrificed so much to save this world that he fell under a sleeping curse.”“And what happened to him?”“Well, when the book was written he was still under the curse. According to the story, he will wake one day. In the meantime, his body has been hidden away, and a fierce warrior stands guard to kill any who dare to threaten him, and both of them suck in their age when cruse only then they will get older.”“Is the legend true?”Bright shrugged. “As far as I know, to most people, it’s just a bedtime story to inspire all the little boys in the world. There are very few technology with the power to do what the legend says this one did, but it’s always a possibility. Did you g

Ray peeked out quietly from his hiding space on the patio. He had managed to get the cameras set up at the perfect angles, and for good measure, he had even had Michael over to lend a hand. The same Michael, who was currently hiding next to him and doing a horrible job of suppressing his excitement.“Do not ruin this,” Ray warned half-heartedly. He knew Michael couldn’t help but be excited. After all, he had been absent the first time as well through no fault of his own.“Here they come!” Michael said gleefully, and he and Ray both darted down behind the bushes. Ray had been working with Ash for weeks on the plan after his dad had pulled him aside and asked for his advice. It had been an ongoing game of sorts. Bright had nearly been driven mad by not being told what it was that Ash was planning. Every morning started with Bright proposing a new idea, and Ash only replying “you’ll see” before launching into a new topic altogether. It had taken every

Ray blinks, and Sammy transforms from a sweet little seven year old to an incredibly cunning fourteen year old. That’s not really how it happens, but that’s how it feels. One day he’s helping her to color in her coloring books, and the next she’s engaging him in debates about literature and movies. She’s nearly grown to the point that he can stop looking at her as a child he cares for and instead look at her as a trusted friend. Or well, maybe not so much a trusted friend as a friend that will possibly drive him up the wall as Bright had once (and still on occasion) managed to do.Sammy over at their mansion. Seth, Bright, and Ash are in the living room chatting over after dinner cocktails and have left the “kids” to entertain themselves. It’s an old habit from back in the days when Ray would be asked to escort Sammy off to another room to keep her out of earshot of the “adult conversations”. Their excuse back then had been that he was the only one capable of hearing the conve