Author: Simone, Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2021 7:50 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Simone rubbed her nose against his and smiled at him, “I love you too.”

Mia spoke up, “My happiest moment was when Xeik realized I was trying to get him to date me!”

Simone started to burst out laughing, “We won five hundred silver on the fact that Xeik has NO idea what the hell Mia was trying to tell him. We worked so hard to make it as straight forward as possible and Xeik STILL didn’t get it.”

Thinking though she looked at Assassin and smirked, “Every day, at around three… Our house fills with laughter. Sometimes it is screaming from Everett and Alshaya fighting but most of the time it’s laughter. Lewis and I venture down and greet all the kids. They hug us and tell us all about their day at school. We weren’t going to sent them to the school. I was going to home school them but… We decided we needed to trust people a little bit plus our kids are absolute nightmares sometimes.”

She was in the thought tank again and she smirked, “One day you were sleeping on the couch… You never used to sleep before we started sleeping in the same bed back in the tower but you were never REALLY asleep until the castle. But you were asleep on the couch with Everett on your chest. He was only a few months old. He was being cranky and you tried everything to calm him down and that’s what did it. He ended up rolling and falling off but you woke up in a startle grabbing him. I’ve never seen you panic like that.”

Then there was a look on her face and she started to laugh hysterically, “The day Alshaya said she was going to marry Xeik for the first time. I thought Lewis was going to lose his shit. He had Xeik pinned to the wall and Xeik was trying to explain he did nothing wrong. That’s when we found out how much of a drama queen our Alshaya was. Every time she said she had a boyfriend Lewis would go stalk the poor kid. He would just say he knew how boys thought and he knows what he did. Even with Alshaya being a teenager now… Lewis is worse. He thought he would get over it but he can’t let his daughters go. Well… Fiori can take care of herself. Mira too… The rest of them he watches like a hawk.”

Author: Dusk, Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2021 7:38 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

“You were pretty good at getting me to take responsibility,” Lewis said with a sigh. “You’re always good at making me do a lot of things. You’ve always inspired me to be better, and for that…” He smiled. “I love you.”

There was a fake gagging noise from the side of the room with Edge, but everyone else did their best to ignore it. The truth of the matter was that everyone except Edge was invested in the stories being told. Even Assassin seemed to be intrigued by all of the memories being tossed around. There was a part of him that wanted to be included, but these were supposed to be happy memories being tossed around.

He cleared his throat, and everyone looked at him with curious eyes.

“It’s not a memory of…Simone or anything like that,” he said as he looked around. “But I remember that the happiest I had ever felt was coming home to the tavern halls to hear the sounds of my fellow guildmates laughing. It wasn’t something that I had ever remembered hearing while growing up on the streets. It was…different. I don’t know if that’s what happiness is, but they were happy…and that made me feel secure.”

Lewis smirked. “I remember that. I’ll let you decide for yourself if that was happiness, though…” Of course, the true Lewis already knew the answer to that question. “The Guild was amazing. Xeik was amazing. We were just kids, but we seemed to somehow survive and thrive.”

Author: Simone, Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2021 7:12 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Mia nodded and was fascinated having never actually asked this question before. “Simone?”

Simone put her finger on her chin, “It’s going to be different for three of me.” She looked at the Guide and Damsel. “Because up until the very end I was segmented… It meant I had to fall in love with Lewis three times. Lewis worked really hard to make it happen though I don’t know if he realized that.”

The Guide blushed a bit, “…Lewis was rough around the edges and rough with me…”

“Literally, against a rocky cliff,” Simone said dryly. “He is still impulsive. Continue.”

“But I think it was when Lewis killed the first sin to save us. He was serious about it!” The Guide gave a smile and a little dance.

Damsel looked worried for a moment, “When I realized he wasn’t really a bad person just a bit misguided. Even though… He was a bit of a jerk he relented quite often to my demands. He made me comfortable in the tower even though he didn’t have to. Despite how much he complained about doing so he never hesitated. He did try to cut my finger off though!”

Simone was still thinking, “I hated Lewis. He was a means to an end. Lewis at some point realized how much I disliked him even though Damsel was in love with him. I was very, very stubborn about it. He would coax me out and try to ask me questions or do things for me. He was very, very persistent. I didn’t actually realize I loved him so deeply until we laid dying at the fey lord’s feet moments before he set me free. Then I made him marry me.” She shrugged at Lewis. “You had to take responsibility.”

Author: Dusk, Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2021 7:02 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Lewis scoffed, “Asking the easy questions.” His answer was dripping with sarcasm. Of course, only a few of the Simones could tell. Ironically, none of the other Lewis’ could tell. “Snow can go first.”

Snow glanced away, turning bright red. “During the dream dive. There was…I don’t know…just a connection. I don’t remember when I became acutely aware of it, but…”

Lewis nodded, “It’s impossible to tell when it started. The reality is that it may have even been before that when we realized. After all, what sane person jumps into the dreams of another…hell, what sane person jumps out of a window and calls a Goddess into another God’s realm…” He smirked. “

Snow blushed, “Yeah, that might have been the breaking point for Lord Raith.”

“It was worth it in the end,” Lewis replied. “We wouldn’t have come this far had we stayed underneath him.”

“He did a lot to help,” Snow replied. “I owe him a lot.”

“You owe him nothing,” Lewis replied. “He was using you. Which is fine, because in the end, we were using him. It was mutually beneficial until it wasn’t. And we’re better off without.” The ex-assassin seemed pretty adamant about that. After all, if it hadn’t been for Lord Raith kicking him and Simone out, they would have never found the island, nor all of their beloved children.

“Blessings in disguise,” Lewis replied with a smile. “In the end, I promise it was all for the best.”

Author: Simone, Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2021 6:50 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Simone and Damsel both smiled a bit and did the little thing where she pushed her hair behind her ears. At least that much hadn’t changed about her.

Damsel looked at Snow and thought about it, “You… filled the room with lilacs. From wall to wall with vases of lilacs. I was sad and you panicked. When I came back from the library you had filled my room with lilacs. Snowball was quite pleased with himself too.” She blushed a bit, “I thought I misplaced a book and I had to go talk with the librarian about it because… I was scared they would keep me out of the library after that… Lewis ended up finding it in his bed. I had been reading it there while waiting for him to come home.”

“Mine… The date on the terrace is up there but mine is… a bit different,” She thought about it and smirked. “I wasn’t feeling well and you wouldn’t let me out of bed. Instead, you went downstairs and tried cooking breakfast and brought it up on a bed tray. You even got a little vase with a flower… Everett and Alshaya were carrying it. They couldn’t have been older than a year and a half… Fiori had the cup of juice. “You turned it into a huge date but the kids somehow got involved.” She laughed as she thought about the kids when they were younger. “You pouted for a bit but not very long once Fiori climbed into your lap. She ended up eating the bread you worked so hard on. But… if it can’t have the kids…”

She thought about it, “Every morning.”

“That’s cheating,” Mia laughed.

“No, every morning… We end up outside on the bench Lewis built… Though we did end up having to buy an actual well built bench after the weather ruined it finally… We share a blanket and have a cup of tea and a cup of coffee while staring out at our island. It’s quiet… It’s before the kids are up. We don’t talk often just snuggle and watch the sky together. When we do talk normally it’s you breaking the ice with some sort of joke.” Her smile was warm. “Our life is so relaxing now just like all of our mornings.”

“What do you do when it rains?” Mia was curious.

“We curl up by the fireplace in our room or take a nice hot bath together. When it rains it makes us sad but we still find ways to be together.”

Then Simone’s eyes got wide and she chuckled, “There is another one though… When I was seven months pregnant… I was in bed as Lewis often made me do. He had his head on my belly listening to them and feeling them. Lewis’s favorite thing is to try and figure out what type of people our kids will be. Remy and Damond are our little blessings. We got to experience pregnancy for the first and last time and Lewis was soaking up everything he could. He must have read dozens of books, went out of his way to talk to Angela about what he should be doing, he was so attentive. He would fill the room with flowers that I like… and he always made sure he wasn’t that far away if I needed him.”

“Actually I don’t remember Lewis ever leaving your side,” Mia made a face.

“You’re right… He didn’t often. He was afraid of missing something. After all, we made the decision for him to retire so we could be a family all the time. Lewis’s favorite thing at first was just waking up in the morning with me. He would watch me for an hour or so before I woke up. It took me a while to get him to admit that’s what he was doing,” Simone chuckled towards Lewis. “We’re soulmates after all… We possess the rare red heartstring. I trust him completely.”

Mia tilted her head and giggled, “Lewis, when did you first realize you liked Simone?” She looked between Snow and Lewis for an answer.

Author: Dusk, Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2021 6:32 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Snow thought about it for a moment, and closed his eyes. “I came home one time from a job, and she was just…there. I had never really thought about having someone to come home to, and yet, here I was with someone to come home to.” He opened his eyes, and looked away. Despite knowing that there was a future for him and Simone, he still knew that his version, Damsel, would have to die first. And that…

“Anyway, she was there, looking out the window. She got startled when I came in, and nearly fell out. That was the day I met Snowball. The way she was so earnestly trying to defend the poor bird…the shock on her face when I said yes….it was something to remember.”

Lewis smirked, “That’s a good memory.” He walked over to his Simone, and looked at her, smiling. “One of my favorite memories of you was the night we dined out on the terrace of our castle the first time. The moons were high, and you could see the shimmering water in the distance. I had never given thought to the beauty of the world around us until I lost what was most important to me. Bringing you back was worth the price. I would have done anything for you, and more. Being able to share that night with you…the calm, serene beauty, was worth it all.”

It was such a simple memory, and he wondered if she even considered it as one of her favorites.

“I would be moved,” Xeik said as he smirked, “But hearing your monotone dull voice mixed with that passionate speech made it nearly impossible.”

Author: Simone, Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2021 6:23 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Mia looked between everyone during the silence. Simone was shamefully looking down at the ground avoiding eye contact. That wasn’t something she would have wanted anyone but Lewis to see. She understood that. “…When you think of Lewis what are the words that pop up!”

Simone snapped out of her daze and looked up at Mia, “Loyal. Strong. Loving.”

Mia clapped and smiled at Simone before looking at Damsel, “What about you?”

Damsel thought about it, “Stubborn, prideful, and…” She blushed a bit. “Passionate.”

Mia gave another grin and looked at Snow, “When you think of Simone what are the words that pop up?!”

She repeated it for the real Lewis too.

Then finally, “What is your favorite memory of your Simone?” She phrased it to both Snow and Lewis.

Author: Dusk, Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2021 6:17 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Lewis swiftly took care of the ‘problem’, making sure that Simone didn’t have to see or deal with it. Once the seal was back in place, Lewis reinforced it with his own, newly acquired black phoenix magic. It was still a work in progress for him, and at the moment he was mostly just reinforcing it using Simone’s knowledge.

The being that had come through the door had spread a dark silence across the room. The whole mood had shifted again, and now no one seemed willing to break the silence.

It was Xeik who stepped up, looking around the room. “This isn’t the time to be moping about. This is a rare opportunity we have to gather around and talk.” This wasn’t like his usual ‘we can talk through anything’ speeches, more of a way to try and break the spell that had been cast over the room.

“Or a game? Chess is always fun. Though…the Lewis’ aren’t too good at it…” He thought for a moment. “We can…no..that might turn violent.” He furrowed his brow. “Actually…there doesn’t seem like much we can do other than talk, now that I think about it…”

Assassin scoffed, “Talk about what? Our feelings?:

Lewis stood up, “Why not? Can make it a game in itself. See if I can’t make my younger selves realize how much they’re missing. Might not do anything fancy, but could pass the time.”

Edge rolled his eyes, “Would rather die…”

“That can be arranged,” Lewis replied. “Though…I can’t exactly have you actually dying. Might just torture you…”

Xeik sighed, “We went over this already…you can’t hurt yourself.”

Author: Simone, Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2021 6:03 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

It took her a few good minutes but Simone wandered back in and crossed her arms, “There are rules that even Lewis follows with me. Don’t touch me if I don’t want to be touched. Even Lewis goes to lengths to make sure people don’t touch me if I don’t want it.” She was glaring over the others. “It took a toll on our marriage… Not a big one.” She was upset a bit. “My inability to talk about just how bad it was.”

“The important thing is that we’ve slowly gotten you to open up to Lewis,” Xeik chimed in finally with a smile. “And that’s a relief for all of us.”

Simone nodded but she looked at the door, “The seal weakened again because of Edge touching me.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose before looking at Edge. “I don’t like feeling weak… If you weren’t a part of Lewis I would have dismembered you… Broke you like a toy… Do you understand? There would be nothing you could do to stop me. I have access to all the skills you possess.”

The door’s seal broke just like Simone had been worried about. Her eyes wavered on the door. What would come through? It was quiet at first but when it did open. It was a tortured Simone. She was crawling towards them. “Help.”

Simone looked away from it, “Lewis, get rid of it.”

"Please… Stop them," the Simone cried the best she could.

Author: Dusk, Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2021 5:53 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

“You’re lucky to be alive,” Lewis said as he sat down across from Simone. “Most men would have lost a hand at minimum.” He sat back in the chair, and closed his eyes. “Not that we’re lacking in our own traumas, mind you. It’s just hard to admit it in your state.”

Edge gave Lewis a glare, and walked off, rubbing the place where Simone had kicked him. It was harsh, yes, but it was one of the first things that Simone and Lewis had talked in depth about, and how to navigate it. For the most part, Lewis was capable of telling when Simone was allowed to be touched. There was a constant signaling between the two, and if that signaling was gone, it was a surefire way to tell that Simone was not in the mood.

And when it came to anyone who wasn’t the real Lewis, previous versions included, it was always a “no.” Even Angela knew how to respect those boundaries, though the Goddess seemed far more aware of the emotional states than Lewis ever could, even with the resonance helping.

“Don’t take it personally, Mia…” Lewis said as he opened his eyes for a moment when Simone walked away, obviously upset. “She’ll come back when she’s ready.”

And if you don’t, that’s fine too… He wanted to make sure that she knew.

Author: Simone, Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2021 5:43 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

“Please, I’m capable of multitasking. Raine is talking to the twins because they won’t debate with me. They see me as un-debatable.” She smirked a bit at Xeik.

“As for you… I’ve got no interest in Lewis. Not really, I just wanted to get a reaction out of one of the Simones. She normally takes jealousy very well…” Angela put her finger to her chin. “Dala told me she fought off some women Lewis used to visit at a brothel when they were younger though…” She smirked at Damsel who got bright red. “Where was it? The Canary?”

“THAT IS NOT WHAT HAPPENED,” she puffed up her face and looked away.

“…It is too….” Both Lewis and Snow looked at the younger Simone.

Simone rubbed her forehead, “I never said I didn’t get jealous…”

“Oh, certainly but you don’t just kill them or scare them off like Lewis does. You let him scare them off.”

“They are a waste of my time,” Simone sighed. “They won’t stop unless Lewis tells them off so what’s the point.”

“Exactly, which is how far grown-up you are compared to Damsel~” Angela clapped her hands. “AH! I can stop playing with them now… Raine just won and the twins are pouting. It will be an hour from now. Bye~!” The goddess disappeared once more and Simone sighed a bit. She walked over and sat down.

“She is… too much sometimes,” She propped her head up and looked at Lewis. “You have gained a lot of weight since I started to force-feed you.” She looked between them all and back at Lewis. “And your hair has a sheen now.” It was much better kept than it used to be. “I’m pretty proud of my masterpiece.”

Edge came to grab her and she glared at him, “Don’t fucking touch me. I didn’t give you permission to.” She kicked him back and her face was twisted into a grimace. “No one touches me. Do you understand?” It was vastly different from Damsel who didn’t seem to care. Simone’s skin had even bumped up from Edge almost grabbing her giving her shivers. “Even Lewis asks for permission. Even if you can’t hear it.”

Mia frowned, “Mone, I thought we worked on this.”

“A couple years of therapy with Xeik isn’t going to fix a thousand years of torture and rape Mia,” Simone was stern before she pushed herself up and went to the corner of the room by herself.

Mia frowned at Lewis, “I’m sorry… I said the wrong thing…”

Author: Dusk, Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2021 5:25 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

“I’ve learned that you’re a nosy Goddess who can’t keep her hands to herself,” Lewis replied with sass as he walked over. “Stop traumatizing my past selves…please.” He added the please at the end as a courtesy. Not that she would listen anyway, but he had to at least put forth a semblance of an effort.

Edge scrambled away from the Goddess, and shook his head. “How the hell do you deal with that nutcase.” Having heard she was previously the Mother of Assassins did not help the fact that he saw her as nothing more than a molesting pervert.

From across the way, Damsel puffed up her cheeks. The Goddess was more or less toying with a version of Lewis that she physically recognized, and it made her feel jealous. She pulled Snow into him, and huffed. “Don’t you dare come for my Lewlew.”

Edge and Assassin both, despite their concern for Angela, stared at Snow and Damsel. “The fuck is a ‘Lewlew.”

“Oh here we go,” Lewis said with an eyeroll. “Get used to it. It’s your future. And for fucks sake, it’s nowhere near as bad as you think it is from the start.” He had no idea why he was telling them anything. They weren’t ever going to really ‘grow’. They were literally echoes of his past self, and nothing more.

“Shouldn't you get back to work?” Xeik asked Angela. “Or can you break their bond from in here?”

Author: Angela Rose, Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 8:48 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Angela gave Edge a look, “A little young for me… but…” She appeared behind him and started to harass him. “Lewis you were just so cute as an edgy little shit.” She was hugging him and he was trying to stab her. She got stabbed and ripped it out dropping it before harassing him again. “Immortal… Remember?”

Looking the actual Lewis over while she put Edge in a headlock and ruffled his hair, “Well… To be fair, Raile was planning on renovating the Wandering Swan. So don’t fall for any of his silver tongue shit about how you wrecked his restaurant. If he gives you any problems just tell him… I’ll spike his drinks with Sweet Lily.”

Xeik went white, “Ang, that’s a fertility plant.”

“I know,” She gave an evil smirk.

“You are evil,” Xeik groaned. “I feel bad for Raile.”

“Don’t, he’s tried to use his silver tongue on me a few times. He’s given up though. Raile is charming but I’ve dealt with enough Railes in my lifetime. It takes a lot more than honeyed words to get me interested in something. He has two of my daughters in bed, isn’t that enough? He should owe me for that,” Angela smirked and kissed Edge on the cheek watching his reactions. “Awwww, he hates it. He’ll love it when it’s Simone though. I remember the first time he set his eyes on Simone after the dream dive. How much he declared Simone was his.” Looking over Assassin she tilted her head, “I’ll tell you what I told Snow. Closing off your emotions doesn’t make you stronger… It makes you weaker. You are the worst form of what you could be. Your potential is stalled under Raith because he fails to tell you what you need to hear.”

Xeik sighed a bit, “You are wasting your knowledge on him… Also, quit giving assassins tips.”

“I used to be the Mother of Assassins my dear. I was the one they prayed to when they wanted a smooth kill. I’ve tasted the blood of innocent,” her eyes darkened as they drilled into Assassin and then into Edge. “So listen to me when I tell you these words. You are weaker without her. She is stuck in a weak form at first but by her side, you are at your strongest. I have forged you a weapon.”

“Are you still salty that Lewis didn’t listen to you?” Simone said.

“Yes, I’m still pissed that Lewis didn’t listen to me,” Angela pouted. “And what did Lewis learn?”

Author: Dusk, Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 8:35 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Lewis smirked, “But you don’t like it when I cut the resonance either.” He poked and teased Simone for a moment and smiled. “But that’s okay. I’ll accept the fact that you called me out. This time, at least…”

Xeik gave Assassin a look, and started to chuckle. “She acts like a clown, sure…” His eyes met Assassin’s, and darkened. “But I can guarantee that she’s the real deal. I’ve seen her cure world ending plagues in a day, resurrect long dead races…” he thought for a moment. “She even killed another God…though, that was before I studied under her.” He sighed. “And she’s a workaholic. I swear I can’t get her to take a break worth anything…”

“Have you met yourself?” Lewis asked. “You work almost as much as she does.”

Xeiks shrugged. “Always did struggle to sit still.”

“So..another hour of dealing with this bullshit,” Edge said as he wandered around in circles. “Then I can be rid of all of you.”

“More the other way around,” Lewis replied.

“Shut up,” Edge shot back venomously.

“Ang…thank you,” Lewis said as he turned his attention to the Goddess. “If you hadn’t arrived when you did…well, let’s just say I don’t want to owe Raile any more favors…’

Author: Simone, Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 8:26 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

“Not really,” Angela smirked a bit and ruffled Xeik’s hair. “You get all embarrassed it’s kind of cute.”

“When… how… WHY ARE YOU BEING LIKE THAT,” Snow pointed at Angela. “You weren’t like this before.”

“Oh, I was… but see my clergy makes me act all holy and professional in front of the public. You both are family now so…” She started to harass Xeik again and was rubbing her cheek against his. “It’s going to be another hour. Lila and Janus aren’t okay with separating despite talking to you. They have to relax first because if I try to force this… Someone will get hurt. It requires them not being stubborn… and well…” Angela looked at Simone.

“What?”

“Do you realize how stubborn you are?”

“…I’m not stubborn.” Simone looked away.

Lewis gave her a glare, “Yeah and I’m not a trained killer.”

Simone blushed a bit and looked at Lewis, “Don’t call me out like this.”

“Anyways, that’s what I’m waiting on. Janus is the one being stubborn. His attachment with Simone is giving him anxiety,” Angela frowned towards Simone. “It happens. He’s a momma’s boy after all. He just doesn’t realize he doesn’t have to be this attached to you to lay in your lap. He’s worse than Lewis.”

“They are about the same…” Simone smirked a bit. “Lewis can’t stand being separated or turning off the resonance either. He always gets worried when I do it.”

Angela disappeared so she could continue to try to argue with the Terrowin twins. Assassin stood up and stared at them, “THAT’S the mighty Goddess Angela? She’s the one I’ve heard tales about? She acts like a joke.”

Author: Dusk, Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 8:16 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

At the mention of Raine drawing on his face, Xeik glared at Angela. “Oh…okay. That’s fine.” He looked to Lewis. “I have a target for this year’s prank. I’ll pay you…”

Lewis grinned, “I bet you will. Let’s just get out of this situation first, and we can talk details.”

Xeik rolled his eyes, still trying to fight off his pervy Goddess. “Do you MIND!? I’m trying to have a serious conversation here.”

“Angela,” Lewis asked. “How much longer are we talking? We’ve got a relative peace settled here, but the younger me’s are a bit…feisty.”

“That’s an understatement.” Xeik said as he shoved Angela off of him for the fourth time. “So what else is there to do? Anything I need to help with, Miss Goddess.” He was being snarky with her, as she was being highly unprofessional. Not that she ever was when it came to him or the Terrowin family.

Author: Simone, Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 8:10 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

“Xeik is finally getting to have his moment…” Simone smiled and laughed.

“I did not cry. There’s no way,” Snow answered.

“He screamed for Simone to have pain medication so he didn’t have to feel,” Xeik replied. “And Simone wasn’t screaming in pain. Women are amazing.”

“When did I get this dark sense of humor,” the younger Xeik said with a frown. “I even hurt others.”

“…You need to meet Angela… The Mother of All… She is a fucking sadist,” Simone frowned. “Just like Xeik.”

For a moment, there was silence and then power filled the room as Angela appeared behind Xeik. “Xeik!!!!!” Angela yelled as she grabbed his cheeks from behind and started to pull on them. “It’s going to be a bit longer. I hope that’s okay. I got you two stabilized. The twos are going to take a while because they are delicate and if I mess up you’ll kill Xeik.”

“…Why not you?” Simone made a face.

“Immortal. Xeik would hurt me more. All that time I spent on him forging him into a scalpel. Lost,” Angela made a joke like she only cared he learned her skills. “Isn’t that right my precious little Divine Mender?” Angela began to assault Xeik. “Raine is drawing on your face. I can’t stop her while I’m trying to do this. I think she is using henna… Which means its not going away any time soon.”

Author: Dusk, Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 8:02 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

“I am not a tyrant,” Lewis said proudly. “I was just concerned. I had to make sure everything went perfect.”

“You were a tyrant,” Xeik said as he and Mia approached them. “I can vouch for that. Calling me at all hours for the slightest hiccup…”

“She could have been dying,” Lewis replied quickly. “I had no way of knowing.”

“You’re quite literally connected. I’m pretty sure you would have known.” The Divine Mender smirked. “Though…that connection also meant you got to experience the joys of birth yourself.”

Lewis paled for a moment. “We don’t talk about that.”

“My exact words, Lewis,” Xeik started with a sadistic smile. “Was that I would not tell another soul. And technically, Lewis, these other aspects of yourself are the same soul.”

“I hate you, sometimes…” Lewis replied with a dark look.

“I’ve never heard a man cry so much…”

Author: Simone, Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 7:52 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Simone snuggled into Lewis and gave a sad smile before nodded, “Please don’t let them fly. I can’t believe you told them to spread their wings. What were you thinking? What if they try to jump off the top of the castle now? That sounds very Lila… Not Janus.” A lecture made her laugh but still, the tears were still going and it took a moment to clear her eyes.

Mia smiled at Xeik and held his hand, “I miss Myrri too.”

Mone snuggled into Lewis and sighed as she put her head into his neck, “Those little trouble makers are going to be too much for the world…” She looked over at Assassin and gave him a smile, “It doesn’t shock me that the twins knew what you were going to do. After all, they can borrow our experience so Janus and Lila could probably in some way connect to the way you are thinking. Lila likes beating Xeik in chess.”

Mia chuckles, “Xeik spends hours researching new chess moves but Lila always learns them just from watching. He’s only beat her about five times since she was three.”

“The twins are terrifyingly smart but they are still children. You can tell by how much they need us and snuggles. Though they don’t snuggle as much as they used to.”

“That doesn’t mean that you need to go find more kids,” Mia teased.

“You know very well we don’t find them… They find us.” Simone smirked.

“Who are Remy and Damond?” Mouse asked.

“They are our second set of biological children,” Simone booped Mouse’s nose. “Regular babies not like Janus and Lila. They have my black hair, your shaggy hair type, and your eyes~”

“They have Simone’s nose though,” Lewis spoke up. “Before she says they don’t look like her.” Simone just smirked though.

“They are three months old. You should have seen yourself Mouse. When Lewis found out that I was pregnant he wouldn’t let me get out of bed. The babies weren’t even bigger than your fingertip. I had to beg Xeik to come negotiate. Lewis declared war on all the things he thought were bad for pregnant women,” Simone smirked more and Mouse giggled. “Lewis the Tyrant.”

Author: Dusk, Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 7:41 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Lewis was on Simone in an instant, pulling her into a loving embrace as she started to cry into his shoulder. “It’s okay, Simone. This is for the best. They’ll be fine. We’ll be fine…” He was stroking her back.

Assassin seemed to back off at this, unsure of how to accurately handle the situation at hand. There was far too much going on for him to make a move now, and it was pretty damning that a child could see his moves. He felt…defeated.

Xeik looked around, and smiled. “It’ll be over soon. I think Angela is starting to make good progress. I can feel the energy in this place…it’s more vibrant. The feedback loop is fading. We’ll be gone soon enough.” He looked to Mia. “And then we can get back to our baby.” He was a little sad that he wouldn’t be able to hear Mia’s voice, but he wondered if that mattered as much. Sure, her voice was amazing, but…he had her. His Mia.

Lewis nodded, “Close to home. Then we can go give all of the children the love they deserve, right? Surrounded by our cherished children…”

Author: Simone, Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 7:35 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Lila looked at the dagger with him, “Were you going to hurt us? Or were you going to try to hurt Daddy?” Her eyes darkened and she was giving Assassin one of the deadliest looks Lewis had.

“Lila, what did we say?” Simone spoke up. “Even without the resonance, I’ll have you two know that I’m on point when you kids act up.”

“THAT’S BECAUSE YOU HAVE EYES IN THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD AND IT ISN’T FAIR!” Lila yelled as she threw her hands up. “Fun killer.”

Mouse and Innocent came over to look at them. They were mirrors of each other almost. “We look alike!” Innocent shouted before covering her mouth.

“Yeah… It’s like a funny mirror,” Mouse whispered.

“That’s because Janus and Lila were born from our Resonance. They are split of our emotions and looks. They weren’t born normally as I said before,” Simone came over and pet Janus’s hair.

Assassin went for another dagger and Lila held her hand up as his hand caught fire, “You should behave.” Lila shot him a death stare. “We do see you.”

Simone sighed a bit and kissed the kids some more, “You two should go so Grandma Ang can work more.”

Janus and Lila nodded and hugged Simone before running over and hugging Lewis. “We love you so much!”

Simone wasn’t looking at them but she was tearing up, “We love you too. We’ll see you when we get home okay?” The twins nodded but once they were gone Simone lost the strength in her legs and started to cry. This was a type of heartbreak similar to when they lost the ability to have children like the twins.

Author: Dusk, Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 7:26 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Xeik sat back and watched the Terrowin family with a smile on his face. Through all of this, he was starting to miss Myrri. The look on his face must have given his feelings away, cause Mia hugged him from behind, and gave a tight squeeze. She was missing her baby boy too.

Lewis let Lila down, and smirked as he looked over at the other Lewis’ and Simone’s. “No, you can’t hurt them. They're from our past. They’re like..echoes. They’re who we used to be.”

Janus pointed towards Edge, “He looks cool.”

“You would like that,” Lila responded with a grin. “Gotta be all serious all the time!”

“I do not!” Janus shot back with a frumpy face.

“Only thing you’re serious about is naps,” Lewis said with a laugh.

Assassin rolled his eyes, “It would seem that we’re quite relaxed in the future. I bet he’s not even paying attention…” He started to reach for a dagger for a ‘test’, but paused when he realized there was a young boy now staring at him, his dagger in hand.

“Wow, cool!” Janus said as he looked at the dagger. “Daddy! He was gonna pull this! I felt it!”

“Good job,” Lewis replied with a smirk. “I bet he didn’t even see you coming…”

Author: Simone, Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 7:13 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Simone held the five-year-old in her arms and chuckled, “You are starting to be too big for me to do this~”

Janus pouted up at her, “I can ask Grandma Ang to turn me younger!”

“No,” Simone shook her head, “as much as I would love that… Your father wants to see what you’ll do when you get bigger.” She smiled at Lewis as they huddled together and Simone kissed Lila’s forehead. “You know what though?”

“What?!” The twins got excited as they looked at their parents.

“You’ll always be able to find us. Just go bother your Uncle Xeik… Or look around the castle. We are NEVER going to go anywhere without you kids knowing. Have we ever done that before?”

The kids shook their heads, “No.”

“Then why would we start? I’ll tell you what… Until you get used to the Resonance being cut Mommy and Daddy can leave their door unlocked for you. You can come get in bed with us… BUT only if you knock first okay?”

The twins nodded and clung to them, “We promise to knock.”

Lila spoke up first, “Because Daddy likes Mommy’s butt too much.”

“Yes, yes,” Simone laughed and she kissed both of the twins.

“Can Remy and Damond get in bed with us too?” The twins asked.

“They are too young just yet… Let them get a bit older where it won’t be dangerous and you can… You understand right? That they aren’t big enough… They aren’t like you two who were so smart,” Simone reassured them both.

“Who are they?” Janus gave the Lewis’s a look. “I got enough Daddy with just mine. I can’t have all of them here.”

Simone smirked, “Oh?”

“It’s bad enough I gotta share MY mommy with Daddy,” Janus gave them a death stare. “Can we get rid of them?” Janus looked at Lila who was going to nod her head but Simone gave them a stern look.

Author: Dusk, Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 7:02 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Front he corner, Innocent and Mouse stared at the twins that had just arrived. At a glance, it was almost as if they were seeing clones of themselves, though with the wrong hair color. That alone was fascinating to them, and each of them carefully watched. It was almost cute…

Edge started to say something, but a look from Xeik made him stop. Perhaps this wasn't the best time to antagonize the true forms of Lewis and Simone.

“Unfortunately,” Lewis said as he picked his daughter up, “This isn’t something that can be fixed, even by Lady Angela.” His smile shocked most of the Lewis’ and half of the Simone’s. The genuine happiness he felt when he interacted with his children was something that the younger Lewis’ didn’t think was even possible.

Lila huffed, “I best we could do it if we tried hard enough.”

“I’m going to miss Momma,” Janus sniffed. “I’ll miss knowing where you two are all the time. We’ll be so lonely!”

“You’ll be fine,” Lewis replied as he ruffled Janus’ hair. “You’ve got to learn to be independent. Spread your wings, so to speak.” The fact that they were night phoenixes was not lost on him, and he wondered if he should have chosen his words more carefully.

Author: Simone, Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 6:54 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Simone smirked a bit as Xeik asked the important question, “The Guide happened. It wasn’t the real me so to speak. You are aware that Lewis and I share something called Resonance. It’s the compatibility of two souls. Even when I was like Damsel I was still compatible with Lewis. The more time we spent together the more we linked. Once the dream dive happened Lewis being around the Guide awakened the Resonance link. As for Angela. She’s the one who bound us together.”

“Bound you together?” Assassin and Edge said. “What the fuck does that mean?”

Simone sighed a bit as she moved her hair and turned around to show her back. The glowing tattoo that ran all down her back. Lewis pulled up his shirt showing his. “This is Resonance. The tattoo that binds the two of us as one. Lewis and Simone no longer exist as two people. This is the price Lewis paid to have me.”

“So I did it,” Snow answered.

“Yes, you killed me. You took me to Virens and killed me after we watched the sunrise together. It was the very last thing I wished for,” Simone nodded. “I found death boring and gods know you can’t take care of yourself without me though.” Simone put her hands on her hips. “Angela is the Goddess of Love and Life. She is our benefactor. When Xeik was down on his luck and tried to have Lewis kill him… Lewis dumped Xeik on Angela and that’s how Xeik became her right hand man.” Simone shrugged at Xeik.

“So, from the sounds of it Xeik and Lewis don’t get along…” Mia pointed at the younger forms of them.

Simone made a face, “Anyone says anything vulgar and I’ll kill you.” The energy swarmed in the room and the twins showed up.

“Mommy! Daddy!” Lila and Janus were crying as they ran over to their parents. “We’re so sorry!”

“Shh,” Simone picked up Janus as Lila clung to Lewis. “You couldn’t control it.” She kissed Janus’s tears away. “It’s a lot of power for two small kids like you to have. You shouldn’t be here though. It’s dangerous.”

“We wanted to come to see you with the resonance before Grandma Ang turned it off!” Lila seemed to understand what was happening. “We don’t want her to though.” She frowned up at Lewis. “Can’t we just fix it, Daddy?”

Author: Dusk, Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 6:43 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Snow shivered. Out of all of the versions of Lewis, he was perhaps the most vulnerable when it came to Lust. Even the true Lewis had not fully come to grips with what Lust had done to him, though he at least had managed to cope with it in the best way he knew how.

“So what do we do now? Just sit here and wait for those…things to come back?” Edge asked. “Or for this “Angela” person to fix whatever is wrong? Why don’t we just take the fight to them. Works better than just sitting here being a targe-”

“We don’t move,” Snow said, re-emphasizing what Simone had stated. “Even if the real Simone and Lewis can handle it, we can’t. It’s better to just…wait it out.”

“Whipped bastard,” Edge replied, throwing up his hands. “Do none of you have faith in your skills?”

“I have faith that you’re a twat,” Assassin replied. “Fighting them is a waste. Save your strength for something that we really need to deal with.”

“Suddenly taking their side!?” Edge snapped.

“No, I just don’t see a point in wasting my time,” Assassin responded. “But I can find ways to entertain myself…with your corpse.”

Xeik rolled his eyes, “Can you two just shut up?” He looked over to Simone. “How the hell did this turn into that?” he asked, pointing at Snow.

Author: Simone, Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 6:35 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

“FUCK YOU,” Wrath yelled at Lewis still very resilient.

Simone snapped her neck but still, the sin was screaming things at her, “She is so…. Durable… Guess I don’t have a choice~” Her eyes glowed an azure. “You had a chance to live… You who have all of my stubbornness. My anger. The deepest pits of my sorrow. It’s time to go to sleep.” Wrath lit up in blue hellfire her screams filled the air. All that was left was her charred remains and Simone stepped on them until they were nothing.

The zombie Simones caught on fire after dispatching the sin controlling them and Simone held up her hand as the door slammed shut and a magic seal reformed. “It doesn’t look like the others will fight us for now. I was most worried about her but we’ve taken care of it with no issues.”

“Lust isn’t willing to fight,” Guide finally spoke up.

“No, she just wanted to see Lewis… She no doubt covets him. We must keep Lewis away from her at all costs,” Simone sighed a bit. “She would rather just look at him than die trying to take him. Thankfully.” Simone rolled her shoulders. “That’s why you aren’t allowed outside the doors.” She stared at the other Lewis’s. “Snow already knows. He’s dealt with it by now.”

Author: Dusk, Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 6:26 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Edge and Assassin had seen quite a lot during their own days of doing odd jobs and surviving, but neither of them had seen anything quite like this. Well, at least not yet. The two were stunned as Lewis rushed past them, dispatching the zombified Simone’s with deadly precision. If the other Lewis’ needed proof that his skills were still sharp, this was more than enough to set their minds at ease.

Another door burst open, and more of the zombified Simone’s burst forth, swarming towards Xeik. Without missing a beat, Xeik deftly weaved in and between them, severing the ties of mana that fueled their decaying corpses.

The whole battle had lasted only a few minutes, and all that was left in the end were the cries of Wrath as she struggled helplessly against Simone.

“Wrath…I suggest you back down,” Lewis said as he walked up to her. “You’re cute when you get angry, but even that has its limits.” It was not the first time he had flirted with a sin, and it probably wouldn’t be the last time either. There was only one sin that he couldn’t handle, and for good reason. Simone had already dealt with that problem, though.

Author: Simone, Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 6:10 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Simone stared at Edge and puffed up her face which was something she often only did when it was only Lewis around. “You are a lot better than what you used to be.” Simone smiled up at her Lewis. “But I’ve never minded it. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that I was also like that… Do you remember?”

“The bath,” Snow called out to her.

“That’s right.” Simone nodded. It was before Angela had taken them to Elysia the first time. Just before the first dream dive that made them so much more.

The largest of the two doors out began to shake as if something was trying to get it. It began recklessly more violent until it finally broke the seal. “We have company, Dear… Looks like they have finally noticed.”

“You stupid bastard!” The voice of Simone roared into the room as a bloodied dismembered form broke in. Hard grey eyes were looking at all the Lewis. “I’m going to devour each and every one of you!”

“Time to get to work…” Simone started to walk towards her.

“First, I’m going to kill you!” She was screaming and finally, the Simone began to run towards Simone leaving a trail of blood. “I’m going to kill you for what you allowed that BITCH to do to me.”

“Guide was simply following orders to get rid of things I no longer needed. Lewis has enough of you for the both of us,” Simone tilted her head as Wrath finally tried to lunge at her. “You are incredibly outdated as an emotion,” she choke slammed the sin before started to systematically destroy the woman more. “Should you give in I’ll allow you to live… If you don’t I’ll destroy you.” Screams filled the air as Simone cruelly broke the already battered woman.

From the broken door came a stutter and a shake, “Lewis, my love… Can you take care of those?” A horde of undead Simone in various stages of decay started to come into the room. “Snow keep Damsel away. Guide stay near Xeik. Baroness just don’t get killed…” Innocent was hiding with Mouse now as they huddled together.

Looming in the shadows was a naked Simone who was staring at Lewis. "If you come in here, I will kill you." Simone looked up at her. "What you did to Lewis was unjustified." The sin disappeared seemingly okay with just looking at Lewis. At least, she had managed to scare off one.

Author: Dusk, Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 5:56 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Edge scrambled away at the earliest chance to start nursing his bloody nose and wounds. Assassin, much to Lewis’ surprise, went and helped. Perhaps he felt a close camaraderie to Edge due to their relatively similar age. The two were probably the closest in terms of personality and judgement. After all, it was only Raith’s training that had broken him of his reckless streak. Past that, the two were quite similar.

Lewis looked over to Xeik, who was still quite enamoured with Mia’s voice. It was here that he could hear his wife speak nonstop, and he seemed almost in heaven. The ex-assassin hated to interrupt, but there were more important things to deal with.

“Xeik. No, not you…the real one.” Both Xeiks had looked at Lewis when he called. “Have you heard anything from Angela yet?”

Xeik frowned, “No. I haven’t. I’m sure she’s quite focused on breaking the connection between you two and the twins. It’s not likely to be something she can do easily without being in Elysia. But, if she stops now, it’ll likely only get worse for everyone involved.”

Edge grumbled, “Anything is better than being locked in here with you disappointments. If this is my future, I’d rather just die.”

Snow smirked, “Just because you don’t understand it, doesn’t mean you have to reject it.” He walked over and looked Edge over himself. “She didn’t hurt you that much. Just a broken nose, and even that isn’t something we haven’t already dealt with. “

The real Lewis rolled his eyes. “Are conversations with me always so…dull? Never realized how emotionless this all sounds…”

Author: Simone, Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2021 7:52 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

All of the Simone’s snapped their heads in his direction. “What. Did. You. Just. Say?” All of them said it at once.

“Oh no,” Lewis said. “Simone. Simones. Dear. Love of my life.”

“See, whipped,” Edge smirked but the smirk disappeared as every single one of the Simones but Innocent went after him. They tackled him to the ground and were beating him up.

“WHAT DO WE DO?!” Mia yelled, “You know she hates it when someone comments on her bust!” Mia started to pull the Simones off but the real one was straddling Edge holding him by his shirt and she decked him across the face.

“I mean… He deserved it.” The real Lewis said.

“You crazy bitch!” Edge looked at Simone with wide eyes.

“And…” She pulled him real close so he could smell her orange blossom perfume easily. “Don’t you ever fucking forget that fact. I can and will kill you, me, Xeik… I don’t give a fuck.” She let him go and got off dusting herself off as Lewis took her into his arms.

“And for the record… Assassin… Edge… My Lewis became the best assassin in Revaliir. He retired so we could raise our family without any harm happening to the children. It was a decision we made together because some things bring more pride than putting our family in harm’s way.”

“But… I can’t have children,” finally the baroness spoke up.

“You’re right we can’t.” Simone spoke and looked at the Baroness. “We adopted a lot but it was Xeik and his mentor that allowed Lewis and I to conceive. So please respect Xeik even if sometimes he’s too much. He’s the only one outside of the Rose family who we allow to treat our family.” Speaking of that she turned and she bowed to Xeik and Mia. “We’re sorry the evening got ruined.”

“It’s not your fault! How did you know the twins would do this?!”

Simone made a face, “I don’t know how we didn’t realize what was going on. As parents Lewis and I have failed to recognize our kids were having trouble.”

“You can’t watch them all the time! You have seventeen!”

“Lila and Janus… are special. They can feel us and we can feel them. We know how they operate… We can tell when they are upset or hurt or giddy. I don’t know how we missed them having a problem with the resonance. If something bad happened to them,” Mone frowned and Lewis hugged her tight.

“Mone, don’t overthink it,” Lewis whispered to her. “We couldn’t have foreseen that being the cause of the problem.” He kissed the top of her head.

Mone started to laugh as she looked at Edge and Assassin, “Those two remind me of Janus and Lila so much now that I think about it.” She laughed to keep her mind clear. “Of course, I can see myself in them too. Lila has your determination… and Janus definitely got your later patience.”

Author: Dusk, Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2021 7:38 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Edge seemed like he was starting to calm down, but in reality he was getting more and more annoyed. It was at this point in Lewis’ life where he felt that actions spoke louder than words. He needed to do something, kill something, anything, anyone. He started to pace back and forth, but the constant banter between the annoying women and his other selves was getting on his nerves.

Lewis noticed this, and walked over, which caught the attention of Snow and Damsel. The other two followed, watching to see what happens.

“Edge, calm down. I know the feeling. But remember..sometimes on jobs, you need to sit and wait. This is one of those instances.” He smiled. “Just calm your breathing.”

Edge glared at the older version of himself. “Easy enough for you to say, you whipped bastard.”

Snow and Damsel’s eyes widened. Snow seemed more alarmed than anything, “Wait…am I…whipped?”

Edge smirked, “Sure are, you fucking wuss. I bet you can’t kill worth a damn.”

“Says the idiot who butchered a few jobs because he was impatient,” Lewis replied. “I was there, remember?”

“Did I really calm you down that much?” Damsel asked Snow.

“Like hell a flat chested bitch like you could ever make me feel anything,” Edge replied with a venomous tone.

Author: Simone, Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2021 7:30 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Simone waved her hand, “I vote the Assassin and Edge.” She was glaring daggers at the two of them. “Snow is fine. Look at him cooing over Damsel~ We were so cute.”

“Simone no! Xeik said no!” Mia stomped her foot breaking the floor.

“Watch the floor! Lewis and I took like eight years to pick the new flooring for this place…” Simone was tapping her foot as she watched the floor fix itself.

Lewis put his hand up slowly with dead eyes, “It took Simone eight years. I didn’t care.”

“IT WAS A GROUP EFFORT,” Mone puffed her face out and crossed her arms.

“…There’s no stopping her when it starts… She is an absolute monster,” Lewis had dead eyes as he looked at Assassin and Edge. “You should see her at auctions…”

“…What’s wrong with auctions?” She tilted her head at him.

“…You just look so beautiful when you are viciously stomping noblemen into the ground…” Lewis said cautiously before watching Mone go over to sit down. He looked at the others and mouthed, “She is an absolute fucking monster never let her figure out what auctions are.”

Mia looked at the younger Xeik and blushed, “Thank you… I think you’re pretty too!” She got excited when she said it.

“Mia is so cute!” Mone hugged Mia. “It was only yesterday she told me I was stuck up and I booted her outside our house, Lewis!”

Mia huffed again and looked away, “Mone is strict.”

Author: Dusk, Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2021 7:22 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Lewis rolled his eyes as Simone disarmed Assassin, and smirked. “Stop teasing me. It might cause…” He paused. “Actually, I don’t know if it will cause any problems.” He looked to Xeik, “Hey, will this cause problems?”

Xeik was smiling as Mia hummed to him, and looked over to Lewis, slightly annoyed that he had to answer a question. “Should be fine. As long as none of you die die, everything should be okay.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Edge asked.

“Well, Damsel can regenerate. Lewis and Simone are clear too. They’re practically immortal as it is. Everyone else, well…if you die, it might have a severe effect on your internal psyche. Not sure exactly the repercussions, but better safe than sorry.”

Lewis shrugged, “So nobody dies. Everything else seems fair game.” He smirked. “Could just dismember all of the younger Lewis’. Would keep them out of my hai-”

“Actually, maiming might be a problem too, now that I think about it,” Xeik said, turning his attention back to the group.

Dawn was staring at Mia with wide eyes. “Wow…you’re pretty…”

Author: Simone, Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2021 7:15 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Simone crossed her arms and looked at Assassin, “The more you kill me the harder this is going to get. We shouldn’t have killed Damsel either. We didn't have a choice though.”

“What do you mean?” Mia looked at Simone.

“What do you think is outside those doors? They are the darkest parts of both of us.” Simone crossed her arms.

The Guide did a little dance, “I can explain! To keep sane Simone separated herself into many different entities of herself. However, due to extreme torture the negative Simones killed all the positive ones. The real Simone put me asleep so that I could eventually help who would come save us! By the time Lewis comes to help us there are seven sins of Simone left.”

In any case, Mone walked over to Assassin and started to pull his daggers off of him, “Hey fucking stop! HOW DO YOU KNOW WHERE THEY ARE?!”

“How the fuck do you think I know where they are?” She scoffed as she even got the more hidden ones off of him. She was practically taking Assassin’s clothes off.

“ARE YOU FUCKING MAD?! STOP!”

“I forgot how shy you used to be,” Simone stared at her Lewis and sighed. “It was cute.”

Author: Dusk, Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2021 7:06 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

“What the fuck!?” both of the Xeik’s said at the same time. Mia looked absolutely startled, clinging to her Xeik. Edge was watching, horrified at what he had just seen, and Assassin looked confused. All of them had just watched Simone basically kill herself.

Snow nodded, and knelt down. Damsel’s body started to glow, and with a burst of mana, reformed. Her eyes opened as she looked up at Snow, who produced an amulet. “Here we are, Simone…shhh…” The amulet glowed, and at once she passed back out.

“What the fuck…” Edge replied. “You know…that was kind of hot. I think I li-”

“I will kill you,” Lewis said as he pulled out a dagger.

“Really? Jealous of yourself?” Xeik replied with a smirk. So this was what Angela had meant by keep the peace. After the initial shock of watching Simone kill Damsel, it was easy to piece together what was happening. Simone had been immortal due to a curse, after all. This was her resetting the memories.

Edge crossed his arms, “Fine. Maybe I’ll go play with one of those girls over there, then… you brought that one back, right? I wonder if I can kill her multiple times…could learn a lot…”

Snow stood up, and glared at Edge. “Not a chance…”

Assassin was getting up, still recovering from Simone’s surprise attack. “Protecting a target…just how far have we fallen?”

Author: Simone, Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2021 6:57 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

“Oh, I am gonna have fun with this,” Mone smirked a bit as she let go of Edge and disappeared.

“I felt… KILLING INTENT XEIK!” Mia flailed. “Where did Simone go.”

Simone appeared by the assassin and started to disarm him. “Boo.”

“WHAT THE FUCK!” He was screaming as she grabbed him and floated down using her wings. Dragging him behind her she looked back at him.

“Do you want me to break your limbs? Or are you a fucking idiot?” Her eyes got really dark as she stared at him. “You already killed me quite a few times. Dozens of times. Hundreds of times depending on if we are talking about the dream dive. Don’t you get it? You aren’t strong enough to kill me on your own. Weak heart wasn’t what got in the way of killing me.”

She continued to drag Assassin behind her and left him next to the others. “You were human! You had no abilities whatsoever?! Were you hiding it?!” He was yelling at her.

“No.” She looked at him. “You made me a harbinger of death.” Her eyes with Lewis’s were glowing a bright azure. “And in exchange, I made you so much stronger than you were. Are you done with your dumbass questions now?” She pouted up at her Lewis. “I really hate younger you.” Lewis reached over and patted her head.

Damsel was backing away from Snow now, “You… You killed me? Why am I here?” She was spooked.

“Not again…” Simone popped behind her younger self and snapped her neck effortlessly. “You know what to do Snow.” She dropped the girl’s body on Snow and walked away.

Author: Dusk, Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2021 6:48 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

The true Lewis thought about it for a moment, and nodded. “Mia’s right. That’s true. I am a grandfather.” Simone stood up and Lewis followed, the two stepping down from the throne. “But now that everyone is a little more cooperative, I think we should set some ground rules.”

The younger, misguided Lewis pointed his dagger at the true Lewis and Simone. “You died and made yo-”

The true Simone closed the gap between her and the edgy Lewis in an instant, and disarmed him, throwing him into an armlock. “You were really, really annoying, you know that?”

“I do,” Lewis replied with a smirk. “You calmed me down a lot.”

“I did what!?” A younger Simone replied, turning bright red.

Xeik sighed, “How the hell did you two manage to even get together in all of this?”

Lewis shrugged. “Anyway, let’s set some ground rules. First, let’s get names out of the way.” He pointed at the edgy Lewis, who was still locked in place by Simone. “You were right before I met Raith. A wild and edgy version of myself that had no idea what he wanted. We’ll just make it simple and call you Edge.”

“Like fucking hell you wi-” He started, but was cut off with a scream of pain as Simone tightened her lock.

“The youngest version of myself is quiet enough. Mouse will do. And the older version that was…for lack of a better word, ‘tamed’ by Simone…we’ll call you Snow.”

“What’s that short for?” Snow asked.

“Snowball. The bird,” Lewis replied. He looked to Xeik. “And your younger version. We’ll call him Dawn, after the guild.”

“Works for me,” both of the Xeik’s replied at the same time. Some things never really changed.

“And why do we have these stupid names, and you get to keep yours?” Edge asked, glaring through the pain.

“Because it’s obvious that we’re the truest versions.”

It was the first time that all of the true versions of themselves had been present during a dream dive. Perhaps all of the work they had done during previous ones had finally paid off. The other rooms were locked, and all of their dark secrets were sealed away. Both Lewis and Simone had their own demons, and they had dealt with them. Now, they were content with keeping them out of the way.

Lewis looked to the line of Simones, who seemed to be expecting him to name them as well. “Well, you’re obvious,” he pointed as the Guide was practically hopping up and down. “Guide.” He smiled as she spun around.

“Who are you?” Lewis asked as he looked at a younger, more well dressed Simone.

“I’m..,Simone?” she replied. This version of Simone seemed depressed. “I just want to go home to my husband. But I…I don’t think he likes me…” She looked down.

“That’s the first Simone you ever met. And killed,” the Guide said. “The Baroness.”

“Baroness it is,” Lewis replied. “And you?”

The next in line was a young Simone, even younger than the Baroness. She seemed skittish, but content. “You named my Lewis after Snowball. I’m surprised he didn’t get mad.”

“Right…the tower. Uh…”

“Damsel!” the Guide said with a grin. “Cause she’s a princess in a tower, guarded by a fierce dragon.” She gave Snow a wink.

“Now, the other two. The Princess…since that’s definitely what you are,” he said to a younger, child Simone. “Innocent…before things went wrong. And last…”

Before he could name the last Simone, a blade came from the dark, aimed at the Baroness Simone. On reflect, Lewis caught it, just barely saving her.

Another Lewis rushed the group, and was immediately thrown down by Xeik. “Another one!? Just how many versions of all of you are there!?

Lewis walked up to the younger version of himself. “Ah yes…the Assassin. Trained by Raith. All you cared about was power…”

“And you let your heart get in the way of a job,” the Assassin spat back. “Weak…”

Author: Simone, Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2021 6:25 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Mone made a face and started to laugh quietly to her Lewis as her eyes glowed the azure that showed they were communicating. It must have been something funny before Lewis was chuckling too. However, Mia was blushing and looking at Xeik.

“I…” She looked up at Simone for encouragement who nodded at her. “YOU ARE MY MOON!” She yelled with courage at Xeik as she bounced on her toes. “I LOVE YOU!” Everything she wanted to say and she was having a hard time actually saying it to Xeik now. “YOU ARE THE BEST HUSBAND!”

Mone put up her hand, “That’s cute but I will stop you. Xeik is the best husband for you. Lewis is clearly the superior husband.” Mia huffed at Simone.

“He’s just a grumpy grandpa.” Mia crossed her arms at stared at Lewis.

“I’m younger than Xeik!” A younger Lewis yelled.

“THAT DOESN’T MEAN YOU AREN’T A GRANDPA STUPID LEWIS!” Mia pointed at him. “Tell him, Simone!”

“It’s true we do have five grandchildren now. You are in fact a grandfather.”

Author: FalseHope, Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2021 6:19 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

“Do you want to fucking go!?” The edgy, younger Lewis snapped back with a crazed look in his eyes. “I’ll stab you right here and ri-”

“Now, can’t we just…put the weapons down and-,” the younger Xeik started to plead. It was astonishing at how much he thought he could get away with here, all with the power of friendship.

“Fuck no,” the slightly older Lewis said with a smirk. “There’s more of me than you, so that means we can kick your ass. Or better yet, we can just get rid of you entirely!”

The true Xeik was enamoured with the fact that Mia had spoken, but the constant chatter between all of the younger versions of everyone was starting to get out of hand. As he tried to get Mia to talk again, more scattered arguments started to grow.

One of the younger Simone’s was tugging on a Lewis, trying to pull him back from attacking the younger Xeik. Everyone was still arguing, and the noise in the room was starting to grow.

“One second,” Xeik said as he smiled at Mia.

He spun around and waved his hands, “Everyone, if I can have your attention please! If you would all kindly shut. The. Fuck. Up.” The Divine Sands scattered about the room, creating amplification runes as a blast of powerful paralysis magic crashed through the room, locking everyone except the true forms of Xeik, Mia, Lewis, and Simone in place.

He turned back around as silence fell, and with a smile looked upon Mia. “Now…please let me hear more of your beautiful voice.”

There was a gagging noise behind him, and Xeik glared back. “I might not kill you, young Lewis, but I sure as hell don’t have any qualms about disabling the use of your arms and legs.”

The true Lewis smirked, “That was impressive, Xeik, I-”

“Shut up, Lewis,” Xeik called back, still keeping his attention on Mia. This was all he seemed to care about for the moment.

Author: Simone, Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2021 6:06 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Simone was leaning on the throne with her hand under her chin as she stared at the younger Xeik, “Fucking fantastic Xeik and younger Xeik.” She pushed herself off of Lewis’s lap and made her way down. “Here’s how to solve this. It’s not working together. Stay the fuck inside this room or you will die. Do you understand me?”

“What’s outside this room?” A younger Simone was looking up at herself. “When… You are me… but when did I become so angry?”

“You don’t want the answer to that question. Actually both of them. Lewis nearly got killed the last time we opened that door so everyone stays here. There’s no telling what will happen if we actually let one of our younger selves die right now. It could have an impact on our mental selves. Xeik keep your monk self near you and away from younger Lewis. Younger Lewis STOP threatening YOUNGER Simone. YOU STOP CRYING,” Simone yelled at another Simone who didn’t know what was going on.

“AND IF YOU SO MUCH AS GIVE ME ONE OUNCE OF ATTITUDE I’M THROWING YOU INTO THE WALL,” Simone turned and pointed her finger at the younger Lewis who had given Xeik issues.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” The Lewis replied to her.

“I’m your god damn wife.”

“Then wouldn’t you not hurt me?”

“I don’t think you understand that I don’t give a fuck as long as you aren’t my Lewis,” Simone looked coldly at him. “If I knew it wouldn’t hurt him I would toss your ass out of this room. The same goes for myself.”

“SIMONE THAT’S NOT FAIR!” Mia suddenly yelled and everyone who knew her stood in shock, “I…”

“Mia…” Simone calmed down and stared at her. “You just spoke.”

“So? What the fuck does that matter?” The edgy Lewis asked.

“Because… Slavers cut out her vocal cords… It’s how Xeik found her.” Simone answered before looking back at Mia. “So… This is what Mia sounds like…”

“Do you have something wrong mentally? You were all pissed off a second ago and now you are fine,” another Lewis asked.

“Do you want to fucking die? I don’t mind… Lewis let me do it.” Somehow Simone knew that Xeik wasn’t going to let her hurt her own husband.

Author: FalseHope, Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2021 5:58 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Xeik was ready for whatever they had to do. It was all very straightforward. Dive into Lewis and Simone’s dream world, and keep the peace. It was not unlike the time Lewis and Xeik had ended up in Simone’s mind when that crazed woman went after Lewis after poisoning Simone. Except this time, he had Mia.

The thought of Mia being there should have worried Xeik, but instead he felt almost calmed by it. Having her by his side would mean all the world to him, and probably help him deal with the tribulations that were about to occur.

Xeik and Mia found themselves standing in the entryway of a grand castle, a foyer lined with grand braziers lit with azure blue flames. Red and gold embroidered carpet was laid over a black marbled floor, leading up to what appeared to be several matching loveseats, and a massive throne.

It took Xeik a moment to realize that this was Auclair, though there were some minor modifications. It was the Auclair that Simone and Lewis would have wanted, if the kingdom were still alive.

The Divine Mender walked up between the loveseats, and looked around. There was a familiar face, a young Lewis who seemed small and withdrawn. This was the boy that had been rescued from the streets, and was still coming into his own. Next to him was a brash looking Lewis, who seemed almost angry.

“Ah yes…that makes sense,” Xeik said. “A memory of who you used to be. The one wh-”

“You? YOU!?” Lewis said as he drew a dagger. “You self righteous idiot. You think you can just walk in here and suddenly spit your stupid ideals?”

“I tossed out of the guid for going on a killing spree…” Xeik finished with a sigh. He looked up to Simone as she demanded silence. There was another version of Lewis who had been fighting with a younger version of Simone, and that had evidently been the trigger for the true Simone’s outburst.

“Well, I don’t have the details of it all, but your resonance is creating a feedback loop because of the twins,” Xeik said. “Short version, Angela is cutting the cord. Long version is-”

“Please don’t start,” the true Lewis replied. “We’ve got enough to deal with.”

“What do you mean, enough to deal with?” a voice asked from behind Xeik and Mia. The Divine Mender turned around, and his eyes widened. A younger version of Xeik was there, a happy smile across his face. “I’m sure we can figure it out if we just work together, right?”

“Okay…this is…unexpected,” the true Xeik said.

Author: Angela Rose, Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2021 5:42 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Mia was on the move at once as she practically threw tables out of the way of the fire until Angela showed up to put it out. They were all scared and Simone and Lewis were on the ground. The group was staring at them but Angela was already on the move as she was pushing tables together after putting out the fire. “It’s the twins. They got mad they couldn’t see Lewis and Simone. It started to loop… The twins are sulking and upset at themselves now.” Which meant that Angela hadn’t arrived in time to stop it because she had ambushed the twins.

“We’re going to need to cut the resonance between the twins and Lewis and Simone. The hole that was present in both the couple and the children has both vanished. It must have just happened and is why the twins have been VERY bad recently. It was creating a feedback loop that was negatively affecting them all but I didn’t notice until I felt Lewis and Simone lose control,” Angela was throwing her hair up and she was taking off her jewelry throwing it across the room.

“Quickly now Xeik and Mia. Move those two to these tables. I’ve sent them into a dream dive again for the time being until I can cut the resonance link. However, to ensure things are going well I am sending you two in with them. Mia are you ready.”

Mia nodded and pushed two more tables as she picked Xeik up and threw him on one. “I hope you both understand that what we are protecting Lewis and Simone from is something that lurks deep within Simone. Simone should know what to do but… My powers here are limited and we don’t have the time to transfer them to Elysia. So you are going in and we will be communicating through Xeik.”

It didn’t take long for Angela to transfer Mia and Xeik into the dream dive as well. The room they found themselves in was lively but the more Mia looked at it the more she was actually alarmed. There were several different Lewis and Simone copies. Various ages and some knew each other and some didn’t.

“You need to go to a room NOW and stay there,” one of the Lewis’s was yelling at a Simone who was puffing up her cheek.

“WHY? I don’t even know where I am! I would rather you chop off my leg!” The younger copy of Simone yelled.

“NO ONE IS LEAVING THIS ROOM,” the dominant presence of the actual Simone cast itself over the room like a dark shadow. She was up on a throne on Lewis’s lap. “Xeik, you have five seconds to tell us WHAT THE FUCK just happened.” Now that they got a good look at the interior it was Auclair castle but instead of the portrait of the last king. It was Simone and Lewis. Simone’s temper was bad but it was probably because of the feedback from the twins.

Author: Dusk, Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2021 5:32 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

The whole anniversary had been planned out. The Wandering Swan was just the start of the parade of things that the two couples were going to do throughout the day. Raile had reserved one of the top locations; a spa resort for the evening with an unlimited open bar. And the best part? No Rhenakos.

Raile had made that a promise.

Lewis was enjoying himself, and it showed. Even Xeik could tell, despite the fact that Lewis’ smile was always on the creepy side. The two had come a long way since they had met, and this anniversary was almost something of a celebration on how far they had all come. That was why Angela had practically shoved Mia and Xeik out of Elysia, insisting they all have a grand time.

The conversation was light, but at the mention of the twins, Janus and Lila, becoming much brattier, Xeik sighed. “Those two are still the biggest mystery of it all. There’s no telling what’s going on with those two. It’s one thing for twins to be so close, but those two are on a completely different level.”

Lewis nodded, “The other day, Janus and Lila were in separate rooms, but they played an entire game of chess. Lila won… I could feel it through the resonance. It was honestly impressive.” The ex-assassin barely knew how the game worked, but the two were practically bouncing letters and numbers back at each other rapid fire. Their intelligence was, at times, terrifying.

Simone seemed distracted, and the resonance between her and Lewis seemed to waver for a moment. Lewis looked to Simone, confused, and she stared back at him, equally confused.

“Are you two okay?” Xeik asked, concerned. Something about them was off. The color from Simone’s face drained, and she gripped her head.

“No,” she said, her voice a whisper. “I can’t…”

Lewis seemed to be affected too, wincing in pain. Black fire erupted around Simone’s hand, and she jumped up, startled by it.

“But I-” She started to try and put it out, but it only grew. “Lewis? Help!?” But he couldn’t. He was having his own issues, black flames sprouting from his arms as he tried desperately to bat them out.

At once, Xeik jumped up, striking Lewis and Simone back to back with a forceful palm straight to their chest. The two collapsed, and the flames dissipated from their bodies, but the black flames were spreading across the Wandering Swan.

Xeik closed his eyes, “Ang, need a hand here please. I can’t stop this!”

Almost immediately, Angela appeared, snuffing out the black flames.

“It’s nice having you on call, you know,” Xeik said as he looked over Lewis and Simone. “What…even is wrong with them?”

Author: Simone, Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2021 5:09 PM, Post Subject: Cutting the Cord [P/R]

Today was the best day for Lewis and Simone. They were celebrating their actual wedding anniversary away from the children. It was decided their second wedding would be their day with the children but today was just their day. Simone’s hair was in a gorgeous updo with delicate green gem hairpins. A pearl necklace was adorning her neck with matching earrings. Her dress was a favorite from their first year today. It had off-shoulder straps that matched the light pink sweetheart bodice. Small roses and leaves were embroidered across the sleeves and across the top of the bodice while a larger rose and its leaves were down the center of the bodice meeting yet another rose that flourished into the smaller leaves and roses across the top of its skirt. The skirt was a forest green that had a fullness to it.

She looked much more elegant as they walked into the Wandering Swan together. Mia had a long braid over her shoulder with many flowers decorating it. She wore a simple white halter top that cut deeply down to her naval. It made Simone envious when she just glared at Mia. Mia looked down at her bust and gave a sly smile.

Even after having the twins Simone’s bust was still modest which was amusing to Lewis but he didn’t dare say it out loud for fear of what Simone would do. That was one button he wasn’t going to press with her.

Simone was holding onto Lewis’s arm as he escorted her. “Happy anniversary dear…” There was a smile on her face as she reached up and kissed him. Mia clapped happily as they moved to their table. “The twins were very, very upset today. They really wanted to be with us and weren’t taking no for an answer.”

“The boys?” Mia wrote and held up her chalkboard.

“No, Lila and Janus… They’ve been bratty lately more than normal. It’s awful.” Mone frowned a bit. The dinner went well as Simone cut a piece of apple cake with her fork and held it up to Lewis. “Ahhh…”

Mia looked at the display of love and then looked down at her plate. She took the whole plate and held it to Xeik’s face and opened her mouth.

“…” Simone looked over and started to laugh while Mia blushed. “Mia… Is that how much you love Xeik? You will give him all of your cake?” Mia nodded fiercely. “I love Lewis like that too but you need to cut it up so he can eat it properly…” Mia blushed more and put the cake down before forcing the fork full of cake in Xeik’s face.