"From the pages we both are aware of. There enough context for you to follow." The undertaker taking a seat at the dinner table, "Robert. I need to hire someone to host. Meaning I need some trusted humans that are unique like you. I don't trust the Seers in how they are tied to dark arts and demon enslavement. I don't have patience for the Fallown the cult around your ex wife. I need you and two maybe three. We will pay travel, hotel and spare essentials." The undertaker laying down hard cash and plenty of trade goods to really sweeten the deal.
"I trust those around me right now." The undertaker swiftly to look at mom, brother and daughter. It's enough people. Could pose as family holiday and book as package holiday.
"Are we going to England and do we have to do the test thing?" Eliza wanting her coloring book back has made the undertaker froze up. She managed to take her book back. She gets on with adding new notes now. It's her book. She will write when she pleases.
"You don't have long to live either then." Sighes in catching up with thoughts. Slumps in trying to rake up some idea to avoid something.
"Mom has an online lover. His a British guy that handles you undertakers just fine." Eliza helping and is hand slapped for it. Her mom blushed embarrassed and yet this was working for the undertaker better.
"We can work with that arrangement. We will not have to put you through a full test. Have you arrangement to work and pair with." The undertaker seems putting a lot on a gamble and his feeling better secure of this situation.
"Do we have to go to school?" Her brother complained.
"When you turn 18 then you welcome to going into human work." That sounded better then 21 for state side. He was on board with the move. Eliza is the only one that hasn't had the right feel for this. What exactly was this undertaker trying to have them smuggle? She sees a lot of misfortune over this undertaker and that his not going to make the flight. He sensed her distrust and had to try giving her another clue.
This was a long time friend of her grandpa and gave grandpa the seat as a minister within undertaker courts. A powerful man with more then one undertaker kingdom resting over him.
"The kingdoms on this side are not doing well. So the best I can offer is to get word out to the others. But these days it's harder to see freind from feo. The spiders are getting worse." So this isn't about infected, or maybe it is and the spider crest has fallen that bad.
"I am looking forward to school." She states and the all took that for her word. She didn't say about agreeing with going to England. It's vague enough for them to smooth over travels and other issues. Like how the others of the family will react. Even so, it's bed time and she already slipped away from the table when it crossed thought to sleep.
The airport gleams with hope and fears. It wasn't time for them to go but instead here in meeting someone. She sits at the seats staring at the crowds and the attachments. The chains and threads. The creatures over shoulders. There is a few angels keeping order and the demons in counter act. Punishing those with bad intentions. No undertakers yet.
"Hey what we waiting for?" She doesn't acknowledge the stranger trying something. Instead she just got up and moved back to her moms side. The demon felt cheated. He tries with her brother but his not sight gifted as her. The guy was soon whimpering and cast to banishing by chains. Her brother thought that was cool. The arrivals were spilling through and many were getting off.
"No! We are not!" She snickers at the sound of Omens having his normal fit, "We are not making a deal with any Fallown or Seer! They all have problems." She noticed more then just her soon to be father was hanging out with the mages. Wearing the security arm sleeve, so he got a job with them.
"But we can at least ask the index holder for advice." Seeing Curiosity as a human again is often confusing. His not much different in how he carries his steps and his personality. It's mostly he have a living tone and his hair is cut shorter. Its brown hair too, not anime silver. Her eyes took notice of the shadows and how there is an ungodly aura underneath the divinity of Omen's blessing.
"It's you." Her mom all red blush in meeting hands with the lover. They really stuck there into each other's eyes. Close call kiss but the slight clear voicing of her father made her have to introduce them.
"Lux. Your still not powder." Undertakers taking causal notice of the event. Eliza keeps back to let them enjoy.
"You ignored me before." The stranger back again and is right over her this time. She away from the group.
"Maybe take the hint or I will make you feel misery." Her mask hissed and the being did react, "your hands look useful. Maybe I should harvest you for parts. Be of use then an idiot." They trying to back away slowly but it's to late. The being was snatched into her shadow. Once she moved, dust trails in all directions.
"Are you recording that?" Death asked her, well one his upper ranks. She poked the book for it to show she did. He stares to the humans getting out of declaration. A guy collaspes as it was obvious by the eyes that it was a drug mule gone wrong. Death follows in duty. Taking a stop to hand her a letter. Left hand. She takes it left hand. A soft nod to death and his onward. She gives a prayer for the dying and the death god shepherding the soul. The same as always. Three on one. One formal. One personal. A request notice from sigil. She was tucking it away with her grandpa making sure she not left behind.
"Not you." Omens hissed with direct glaring.
"Nice to see you again, Omens. You seem very refreshed from a nap. Good dreams I hope." She retorts back and everyone got shaken up that she can see or speak the god tongue, "Murdering the nightmares was a neat touch. Still lacking behind your bet."
"I will get you next time." He hissed.
"Oi, your a bird. Not a cat." She reminds him, "Don't make me fix you jaw again." Wing posed to hide the beak in embarrassed reflex.
"Did the god of death teach you that?" Her grandpa picked her up.
"The books did but now we are on topic. He sends his regard of feeling concerned about the events ahead. The tomes are acting restless and entire volumes are not good." She took out the formal request, "He has agreed to hire me on for any difficulties. Souls can be pesky." Her grandpa takes hold of this request and the paper changed to unreadable. He gives it back to her and it back to normal.
"Wow, gods don't just hand out paper like that to just anyone." A mage asking to take a look but she puts it away.
"You're a Darkwood. I don't quiet feel confident of trusting you." The blinks of being called out.
"I am so sorry. My daughter is difficult. None of us really knew anything about her. She only recently been this strange."
"I am always strange. I am just more active about the internal affairs." Having to correct her mom, "It was better to hide my knowledge. Even from you. The things I deal with aren't humans."
"Spoken like a Seer." Trying to get her embarrassed.
"They are annoying. But the Fallown side has its issues too. Really I have the worst of both sides." They are walking together and side conversations are about the strengths and the point of them being in america. Eliza sees the way fate is siding with Omens. Golden threads keeping the key people protected. She put to a booster seat in the car once she wasn't distracted.
"Why did the god of death hire you?" She sweeps of his clothing and how he draped in sun protection unlike everyone else complaining about the heat.
"You were asking for me. I am the current index keeper. Yet importantly the issue we are facing is something I must meddle as an outside ranker. This is why death actually hired me. He could have dealt with this himself if it was within the pages of tomes. But these names have parts that are unable to translate. This is causing law glitching. I can act within law glitching." He stares daze of her words. He doesn't even turn to Omens for confirmation. He is stressed, his petting the marks across him.
The tattoo marks of soul power accesses. When one them burns, it's a tell of that type of energy being present. But those who are often aware of thier marks check them in stress moments. Petting them in hoping it explains things - that a realm spill happened. She left him to his thoughts as may be adding fuel to a fire was no needed. She sighed and pulled his left hand to her. Petting his hand. He somewhat calms down a little enough, taking back his hand in being awkward.
"So if the sun was to never rise again, you would be able to survive that?" Omens being weird.
"If time was stopped completely and everyone became statues stuck in the moment of existence, I become one of 24 people that can move within that stopped time. I could continue a life in stopped time right up to when there is no choose but to start eating the very people stopped in time. Since exhausting the limited food, fresh water and lack of ability to create more. Although there be plenty of cool stuff to mess with in such existence. I could walk into a nuclear reactor and see the act of necluer fusion frist hand and not die. I would steal a art form the galleries and put them in weird places and pose skeletons across every coffee shops front seating area." She has this very well thought out.
"So you have entire world of stolen art peices stored away somewhere?" Omens muttered worried.
"Well that isn't the coolest things I have. Rather then just stop time in the human realm. I had my fair share of pranking gods in their domain. I however did promise death I wouldn't be annoying for his. I think the random book in convent places was something he enjoys. He also like small book references within crystal display cabinets. One time I managed a t-rex head with one the jurassic park books in the entry into the reapers examination hall. That was there a long while until the skin melted."
"You had a fresh head?" Omen stuttered.
"You even asked him about the display."
Omens couldn't help posing a long time in thought and soon recalls exactly that.
"One of his creepy mysterious mail pen pals... no. You can't be that. You have to be abyss creature."
The conversation is shortened on this note as the other people in the car are waving at them both for attention.
"We are here. It's time to get out the car." She unclips her seat belt and kneels looking out the window of the car park stretching around this mall. This was the employee spots, someone putting a window badge in place. The second and third cars parking up and people walking about. She turned around and puts the hood up for Mattu and then opened the door herself. Ignoring the fact it was child locked and that her shadow pulled the outer door handle. She had no help getting out and standing strategically of the cars shade. She sees the other creatures taking shade from the sun at other cars that been here longer.
The longest rusted to the floor car had some very rough creatures that look they been there as long as the car had been. She took one her day trip bags from her shadow storage and inside that was a sun umbrella. This she opened and offered with Mattu. He maybe confused in how she keen aware of his sensitivity but doesn't mind picking her up and sharing the shade. Omens parking himself on the furthered shoulder from her.
"It's not that long of a walk." One the normal people said. No longer did it take a second for time to be stopped and manipulated. Mages aren't aware of this phenomenon but it bothers the cursed who burn in stop time and god followers that can sometimes act within stop time. Not all God followers can, it's has to many variables. A normal human will not even be affected by time stop. Mages can potentially gain more magic energy thus they choose such locations for this exact reason. But then there is Eliza. She hates the walk to the building. This. This is why.
"It's like being in the Egyptians afterlife." She huffed, "You don't get there until you just do." She leans on Mattu, "It's good practice for the stupid time dunes at worm Valley."
"Why do you even know about that place?" He questioned and time was back mid sentence. Everyone heard the 'that place' part and look concern of he was going to say something further of the point. She wrote this in pen on his arm. Which every time he was would start talking the end of the sentence was added to his arm.
"That place is full of magic and people that practice this." Was the concluding sentence after several round of questions and crossing the glitching time warp area.
"And that's why we needed the umbrella." She got off him at the slide doors and fold away the umbrella.
"You didn't answer anything." Omen huffed.
"A short and human way of translation." She putting her bag back on. The umbrella put away. She then lowered to the floor and pulled her shadow into clothes material. She puts it on as a cloak and waved her right hand to slide on her cursed mask. Which was giving a warm smile to them both.
"They were delicious snacks." Her mask speaks its own mind and winks. She pulled the shadow off and mask faded away. She straightens her hair. Mattu and omens turned back to look at the cars along the car park. There seem suddenly a ton of salt spray and ashes along a lot of cars. The broken rusted car was under a blue tarp for some reason. They turn back and she already was skipping to her grandpa side, taking his hand to walk with him. Keeping him safe by holding his right hand down from use.
"What monster did all that?" Another god follower that was on the way out was looking at the mass of what has to be dead creatures.
"Someone summoned the Noctorm." The god follower hearing that lowered to floor and was in quick prayer. Asking for protection from evil. Omens having been the one that said that and not Mattu only made the ones that can hear divine on edge.
"You know that's not a bad thing." A reaper that sorts out localized deaths was checking over her hand work in the tome, "Neat. She even stamped them. I don't see that everyday. Only the top teir specialists with soup language skills does that." Geeking over her work more like.
"It doesn't scare you that there a creature from the abyss devouring souls?" Omens hops to the reaper in asking.
"Then you don't know. They arent dead. Their fixed. That's a major difference. The Empress of the Abyss doesn't eat souls. She repairs soul creaks and broken mistakes of language translation. The rumor goes that she repairs the true titles alot. Since they keep getting themselves in sticky situations with god eaters." Omens removes himself away from the reaper and was back among the whole group of humans, undertakers and the girl of questionable entity.
He circled in seeing about dream walkers and the interactions of the hidden. He sets up a few good timed things for them. Such as seating at a private restaurant and some distractions for things they need to avoid at this moment. Once landed on the table with his follower topic was about the situation undertakers are facing in war with parasite creatures. Eliza seems not listening at all, her gaze was at some stranger across the restaurant. She quietly excused herself and was gone a while. The stranger too. But she was seemingly normal when she got back and the stranger was soon found dead in a staff only area. Omens knows she had to be a cause but she not a sinner. There isn't a death recorded.
"So this place is compromised too." A runner informing the monarch.
"Nah. You don't have the graphite mirror around. It was just a spy. Maybe a scout to see if this place was worth control." She got that coloring book out again and was scribbling strange pictures as always. Her mom isn't all that serious about her daughter comment.
"It be hard with the amount of god eaters here." The monarch shudders and she stopped hard on something.
"God eaters.... God eaters." She pulled up a book from beside her and leisurely was flipping pages. The leather work of the binding was dirty, so thick of muck it wasnt readable, "The rats or what?" She seems pondering, "Oh! It's them." She closed the book with force. She got down from the seat and was right to the nearest picture art on the wall. She soon is giggling and petting the picture. Everyone is leaning to watch her being strange.
But it took the monarch to pull one his men close and whisper about the increase of drawings moving around. Soon there was a lot of pictures surrounding her. She singing to them and dropping stones at them. She break out some chalk or coal and draw something into the pictures. Mattu finally getting it takes hold of Omens and carries him on his lap.
"That girl is a magnet for terrifying monsters." He hissed.
"I know that already." Omens huffed and out of grip, "Eliza. You have any spare meat?"
"Hunt your own, sheesh. You greed paints you terrible colours." She replies snappy. Omens turned to Mattu with that sort of look of proving a point. Proven that she indeed has somehow smuggled unknown raw meat of a questionable source and has attracted these things to her on purpose.
"Meet bubbles." She strolling right up to her grandpa and mother, holding a what seems innocent looking nearly white mint green yemon chameleon. If it wasn't sitting on her arm, it would have matched the restaurant painted mat walls. Her mom pets it unaware and unassuming of its truth, asking any human mage nearby if someone's exotic pet got loose or there being a pet store here. The baffled mages are to afraid to answer her; there is a no pet policy and there isn't a pet shop in this mall. A store for fishing and pet food. But strictly no animals as they are to sensitive to mage magic. This also discourages black magic and demon rituals.
"Is bubbles here actually what it seem?" Mattu asked Omens.
"One the creatures that lives in the drawings. Protecting the painting gates that carry you to other mage sites and the island." Omens scratched his beak with a wing, the feather tip posed like fingers. Tickling an abnormality of his jaws, "They can't cross over unless there something she's doing to allow this." Now that the reptile was satisfied by to know which people to avoid hurting, it moves a foot to the wall. She gives a slight frown but taking it to the wall. It claws itself back through the paint work, becoming living art. It walked around the restaurant walls, disappeared in the vast advertisements and mage portals.
It's freinds too, inch away slowly. Some look back to wonder if food will be tossed their way but otherwise was trying to run too. The only drawing left was behind her, it's not as comfortable as the others. A rather tall lady figure with excessive among of arm limbs but no hands. The neck angle the image held was equally inhuman and the being had no face. The loose drape of cloth that pulls a wind direction was all to tell of it being a woman. The drawing has one set of hands floating about, it pushed through to the living world to put things into the little girl's backpack. The hands sank back and the image smudged to a messy black mess of the wall behind the girl.
"Was there something the matter?" The girl beams a smile in playing cute. The adults are fighting the urge to run away.
"Sis, you should keep your creepy side away from these poor mages. You might give someone a heart attack." Brother normalized the situation as he been through similar situations, "You should wash your hands from touching dirty stuff."
"I guess I should." She hops in hop scotch skip all the way to the toilet without supervision. He huffed.
"How long have you two been in cohorts about this?" Grandpa asked.
"She has always had that mask and the creepy book that use to eat demon people. I have about had it, when she was playing with the snake under the deck in the back garden. Then undertakers were in the way at school. She gave me some nice advice to avoid annoying people and not make promises with bad folks. Last month I was having a bad dream and she made them stop. Now when I sleep and have dreams, they Nice folks. Even the nightmares. It's like they respect her." He taps about and then with taking out a strange wood amulet.
"She hid us each one of these. Even you mages will have one slipped in your pocket. She protective of everyone around her." He waved to her as she was coming back from the wash room, "You didn't clearly look in the mirror sis." He shout her and she frowns pouty. Turned back to the toilet, "At this point we at the help each other from the rest of the world. We cant trust you adults to even know what the fuck happens half the time." His smacked in the side for swearing.
"Did she just come back from the toilet covered in blood or was I seeing things?" Her mom asking.
"It wasn't her blood and that's all that matters." Her brother huffed, "Her book is damn creepy."
"Does she call it a tome?"
"Sometimes." He thinks about it and shakes, "Well actually it has a long title. The language moves about like the ink is water between the cover and the surface. She talks about part of it being one thing and the part she writes in being something else. It's not always the same book. But they all the same type of book. Cursed, creepy and its own sentient aware being." The sharp gaze to them all looking her way, "Don't worry about it. She is not letting the books eat humans. It's you undertakers that might be on the menu."
She was back looking much more normal and in a new set of clothes. She at least looking better. They conclude that there wasn't a point of bothering in worry about her but rather what impacts she could cause. Once everything about mage society was established as rules, status as a country and the status they have as visitors. The humans moved to talking about the magic mage school and the importance of preventing magic bursts. When excessive afterlife or unstable energy is not properly utilized.
At worst case would be to let the energy build to explosive force inside the human body. Now they entered into this mage settlement, this seemingly ordinary looking mall - they all have potential and risk of magic. They are automatically supported and enrolled as third class citizens. If they want to move up in society, they will need to be better then the second class and have a position among frist class. The exceptions of classes would be divine abilities: god followers are able to interact with all levels of mage classes. Another exceptional case of family ties or blood of the mage royalty. But then your setting yourself up to pick between Glader and Darkwood. Unavoidable in politics. Bring around to the black sheep at the table.
"As the little girl is right. I am a Darkwood. A third cousin to the head of my family. I came as part of this to see about what stances would you all take. If you were interference to the current political mage agenda." He posed open hands, "To be more honest, Mattu here is the mage kings advisor for supernatural phenomenon. His direct act to take a seemingly random case has everyone interested. These problem among the undertakers has been a direct impact to mages. Having cases of zombie mages. Not dead but brain dead. That's dangerous since mages need mental fortitude to contorl magic in themselves. Personally having my demon slave go missing and found as corpse parts was my final straw. I wondered if it was one my own family playing some mind game." Crossed arms since he came clean of his intent.
"There been a long standing feud between the cult of dreams and the cursed keepers. The Fallown bloodline is more my ex wife's tea and introduced me to the afterlife realms. My own daughters, my eldest here. She had Eliza. Eliza is both Seer and Fallown. Seers have been trying to cripple us since we removed ourselves from the cult. They been using demons and loan sharks. The government and courts. Anything. I have been keeps us safe with exchanges with undertakers. This has works so far. The legacy I will leave behind will keep them away until they have their own way figured out. It's the plan. We here since the undertakers asked it. Only now learning my granddaughter has a secret second life. My grandson watching over her shoulder. I know they will be able to find thier own paths when they are old enough." He looks to his daughter, "Now we have contact with these mages. It's that much more support that we didn't have. Undertakers can only meddle so much and aren't here the full year."
The unease as the grim state that the family was under has been brought to the light. It has a lot of depths. A lot of regert chains. Threads of fate broken. There was even the last burn olive branch smoldering between them and the undertakers. A renewal of splashed water and the layers of dirty past washing away. The confession from the lead of the family makes plenty choke up.
"Yeah, the cut date is coming up. I don't know if we be face to face again by the next winter months." The monarch among the undertakers sighed as he been the closest to the family and knew all this information already, "I trust this man. I trust his judgment. To be fair, there aren't many the can convince the god of death for much. I can't deny that his judgment to trust this little girl is also on our hands. Your all very good honest souls that are in a difficult position. A wrong time and place for those that didn't know better." That slide stare to Elizas mom trying to make justice of the fact that Eliza is unique, "I seen your name wavering a lot. I knew I should take the catch since nothing about right now is normal. Dire even." Back to the lead of this family and that it was mostly everyone's frist time hearing about it. Except Grandpa and Eliza.
"Yeah. It started about around the time when that debtor took the truck. Your name flickers when your stressed. I may have set up that first doctor appointment behind your back." Eliza adding in, "I know when your in pain or sad. It bothered me but I have to accept what life means. I hope that you do too."
Her grandpa tears up and gives the best hugs. It nice that they have had this conversation. A relief for those in the know and those that needed to know. Eliza on cue has grandpa's meds to hand and was making sure that this wouldn't trigger a heart attack. The imply meaning leading up to those came crashing for mom, she passed out on the table.
One the British visitors (no surprise for who exactly) make sure she just passed out from shock. No other damages. Omens sees everything. People so transparent of the many things that shoulders burden. Looking at the strength this was in the future. He sees how life will pave for them if things go as they are. Lowering his head as this wasn't even the worst to come. Turning away as he knew that there was much worse things far paves for them. Although his the god of Omens, he can't stop what has to be. He caught something of a glimpse the darkness behind Eliza, trembling in seeing the raw negative powers was feeding this soul.