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Epilogue

In the Celestial Realm...

** Tamamo-no-Mae paced** before two ethereal glowing beings. "Lady Sigyn-sama, I do _understand your orders: I am to place a wedge between Sinopa and her lover. But I cannot deny the three-tail her request to speak with Inari _before I force them apart."

The feminine spectral light moved closer to Tamamo. "Then, for her own good, she must 'forget' her request and her lover." The being moved upon the back of the other light form, a brilliant beautiful image of a white fox.

Tamamo swallowed and lowered her eyes. "Lady Sigyn. My queen, honorable Dakini-ten, I am at a loss for words. Surely you remember Emperor Konoe and that mortal's obsession with finding me when I disappeared. Perhaps if we let Sinopa Crevan plead her case on the house floor ... we could let the bureaucracy body judge. She needs to..."

The light incandesced until it was blinding.

Tamamo raised a paw to cover her face. She grimaced in displeasure. "I do not mean to upset you,"

"I am your Queen, Tamamo. Am I not your Mistress Shinko-bosatsu?! You will hear my words, girl."

"Hai. Please, Lady Sigyn, let me talk to Sinopa again. I beg you."

Sigyn's incandescence waned. "She'll demand to speak directly with Inari again. He may grant her wishes because he has shown favoritism towards kitsune whose hearts are pure with true love. I would expect no less from the fertility god, after all."

Tamamo glanced away to show submission. She wondered what caused Sigyn to change so dramatically. "You once said you liked seeing her happy."

"That was before the supernatural community was gutted and crushed by human hunters. Sinopa is not safe on Earth, and you are a fool to allow her to stay." The two glowing beings of light became one.

"She is there to bring us information."

"Tamamo, the mortal realm knows too much about us already. Sinopa is drawing attention and it's not in our best interest. Make her forget again. With her friend dead, and her lover forgotten, she'll have no desire to return to the earthly realm."

"I will follow your orders, Lady Sigyn," said Tamamo, defeat in her voice.

"You are responsible for her safety. You allowed her to be placed in danger."

"Lady Sigyn, I don't understand. Why are you acting this way?"

"Because!" Sigyn's voice raised in volume in an uncharacteristic fashion. "These people have become like the Æsir! Decadent, spoiled, overpowered, and dangerous! They murdered my child! They brought insanity to another! They imprisoned my husband! And they let me to wither and die of heartbreak! No more! The humans, like the Æsir, cannot be trusted!"

Tamamo's muzzled opened to retort, but words failed.

"And furthermore, you encouraged her to put herself in danger! You are a child! You possessed a human, and killed her with your antics! She was a mother!"

"With all due respect, I was in her mind. She had her children taken from her for substance abuse. She had a life insurance policy, and died happy her children would afford an education that she never had."

"A child needs his mother, even if his mind is too far gone to realize it, child fox. I demand one Earth rotation of penance for your sins against a child, whose mother you stole."

"A year?!"

"It would have been longer, had her death not benefited the child. Now, go and do as I have told you - handle Sinopa, her lover, and those who knew her. Else, your punishment will be far more severe."

"But...?"

"You dare question me?! Be gone, girl!"

With a frown, Tamamo watched the ethereal light dim, as if flying into the distance.

Silence.

Tamamo settled down and ran her paw back through her headfur. She leaned back on her nine tails. "And I am not _some 'girl'. _I_am a _nine tail." Tamamo sighed in disgust.

The ancient fox rubbed her eyes in frustration. She ran her paws back up over her head again. "Damn you, Sinopa. Drawing so much attention to yourself with your dramatic little quest." She turned to a free-floating window leading to a brilliant coloration in an open sky.

The little white kitsune prayed aloud. "Oh great thinker, Omoikane. I need you to ponder my plight. I seek a temporary repair to this situation, but require you to find a permanent solution in the near future."

A melodic, divine voice returned from the floating window in front of her. "I will ponder this plight. It will take time. Meditate. This is not something that will be satisfied with a quickly drawn solution. To give me time to ponder, you should consider severing all ties to Sinopa so she can become self-reliant and learn how to fix her mistakes without help. It is the only way some children learn. Perhaps you could suggest she marry Jules Guillot and, for a measure of time, she can settle down to stay safe from harm."

"Pardon?"

"Tell her to play wife in the safety of an earthly home while I ponder the Greater Outcome. This will keep her safe from danger until I consider all variables and possibilities. This is larger than Sigyn and yourself. I require a significant time table to ponder the best possible solution to this dilemma."

A dove flew through the glassless portal window and perched upon its sill. The greyish-feathered creature opened its tiny beak yet spoke with an eloquent draw. "Forgive my eavesdropping. Hachiman requires Sinopa's assistance. But he asks that she stay alive and safe until such a time as she is needed."

Tamamo clenched her paws into fists, annoyed. "You are distracting my prayer. Furthermore, we kitsune are not pawns, just as surely as our life is not played out on some chessboard! I am already trying to deal with Sinopa. I cannot be bothered by a lesser messenger right now!"

The dove fluffed its wings behind its back and said, "The mortals are the pawns. But that does not mean that we messengers don't have our places of rank. Need I remind you that I come on behalf of Hachiman, the god of WAR? If Hachiman asked me to give my life, it would be my honor to give myself! I would do it to serve the betterment of us all."

"Then you are the pawn."

"You speak as a fool speaks."

Tamamo narrowed her gaze. "A General does not give his life to end a mere battle, unless it would guarantee the end of a war."

The dove lifted his head and cocked it in such a way as to glare at her. "Sinopa is needed in an upcoming skirmish. Should she die before that time, all may very well be lost."

Tamamo ground her molars together. She turned back to the small greyish-white bird and said, "Tell Hachiman he will have his precious knight to follow the pawns into battle. But if she dies, even for Hachiman, Lord Inari may not be forgiving."

"Is that a threat?"

"It is a possibility that you must consider."

The dove scoffed. "I will consider your weak threat - perhaps the rice may not be good next season?" The bird scoffed. "Your threat holds no..."

Tamamo growled at the dove. "The rice may not be good this season, or next. Fertility may dwindle, robbing Hachiman of soldiers he will need in his wars for the next generation. Let him consider such a notion when trying to see the bigger picture. Something you will never understand, you tiny-minded creature. Now be gone." She swatted at the bird, forcing it to fly back through the window from which it came.

Silence.

Tamamo sighed.

"The queen tenko fox is angry at Sinopa; Hachiman wants Sinopa's safety for future use in battle ... why is everything swirling around Sinopa?"

Silence.

Tamamo glared back at the window leading to The Great Thinker, pondering his suggestion. "For the time being, I must follow orders. Sinopa cannot remember Jules."

The kitsune trotted away from the window-shaped egress and sighed.

She continued up the wide hallway, passing similar windows leading to the rest of the universe. "Surely Omoikane has no idea what he is talking about. I already suggested she settle down, raise children, and come back to serve Inari when she is not distracted and lovesick."

Her voice echoed throughout the hallway, regardless of the fact it lacked walls.

"It would never happen! Sinopa is not ready to be domesticated again! At least not in her current state of mind."

Tamamo crossed the hall without walls and approached another glassless window. Within it, she saw Sinopa and Jules laid out upon a bed from the mirrored headboard.

Tamamo growled softly, dropped back to her haunches and flung herself across her tails with tears in her eyes. "Oh Konoe ... that was us once." She lowered her gaze and wept softly with jealousy.

X

X

Muir Beach, Sausalito, California...

** Sinopa brushed her nose gently against Jules' own**.

She leaned up and kissed him again. After another passionate liplock; she gently reached a hand down and touched his hip then patted it.

Jules nodded and eased himself from her. He moved adjacent to her, flush in the face. He leaned to the side and they shared another kiss.

His eyes drifted up.

Jules saw the image of a fox in the reflection within the mirrored headboard. He jerked his head back, causing Sinopa to sit up.

She glanced first at his face, and then at the headboard. Sinopa quickly drew the covers up over her body. "Tamamo-no-Mae! How dare you?!"

"You summoned for me, little one."

"I summoned for you hours ago and you never came! You demand my respect, but offer very little in return! And for you to appear now...? Were you spying on me?"

"Sinopa ... quiet." The being in the mirror shifted her amber gaze to Jules. The fox's pupils dilated temporarily, and then shrank to vertical slits.

Jules returned the glare. "My duty as a man is to protect the honor of my girl. She is owed an apology, Mademoiselle."

"Mr. Jules Lenis Guillot, it is a pleasure. You are certainly not of the quality of an Emperor but she is equally far from being a nine-tail, as well."

"Excuse me?" Jules moved in front of Sinopa protectively.

Tamamo rolled her eyes. "I am sure the both of you are very happy together since neither of you are of prestige. It is of no matter, though."

Sinopa peered over Jules' shoulder. "Why are you treating me this way?"

The vixen glanced back towards Sinopa. In a less condescending tone, Tamamo said, "I have asked Omoikane to ponder your situation, Sinopa. Give it time; for now we need a temporary solution to solve everyone's problem."

"What problem?" Sinopa asked, ignoring the insults of her mentor. "I am here to find Aris Falcon and the artifact he stole from Japan. There is no other problem. We have tracked down and destroyed his forces before they could receive a shipment by ship, as well as a shipment by plane. Surely his plans have been disrupted, which is a step in the right direction."

"Sigyn dislikes your relationship with a human being. I, too, find it distasteful - you know that it is dangerous. It cost my my life."

"Jules is not Kenoe!"

"Kenoe-tenno, child." Tamamo narrowed her eyes. "Furthermore, Hachiman needs you in the near future. He does not want you injured with these futile skirmishes before it is time to properly battle. I cannot currently reach Inari but your request has not been forgotten."

"What are my orders, sensei?"

"You are ordered to break ties with this realm for now and return home." She glanced back at the naked human man, looked him over with a smirk tugging at the corner of her small muzzle, and said, "Lord Guillot, you will see Sinopa again in the future but we do not know when. I'm asking that you not hunt for her."

"Miss Reynard, I humbly ask you t' understand our relationship. I must admit I'd go to th' ends of th' universe for my chère. Do not ask a man to forsake his love with jus' a simple request, especially after our passions and emotions are so high as they are right now."

"After ...what?"

He tightened his jaw. "After the heat of a physical joinin'. Isn't it obvious that neither of us is in the emotional state to make a commitment to part?" He turned to Sinopa and said, "You'd not let this happen, oui? You'd fight this silliness n'est-ce pas?"

"Hai." She turned back to the mirror and narrowed her eyes. "You have a lot of explaining to do. What does Hachiman wish with me?"

"I will not explain myself to a lesser kami. Hachiman's request was simple: your help and devotion."

Jules leered at the image of the fox in the mirrored headboard. "I cain' believe I'm talkin to'a ... well, yeah, I done seen the tails and th' fire ... I s'ppose I CAN believe 'dis. However..."

Tamamo scoffed. "However_what_, man-cub?"

He licked his lips, smirked, and addressed Tamamo. "She be 'devoted' only to me, lady. I dunno any of ya' friends but if they're as rude as you, we don't need any of this here drama. We'll make due on our own, y'see?"

Tamamo smirked. "Ignorant human ... Hachiman is the god of war. Omoikane is the thinker who ponders for good counsel when we deities are caught up in deliberation. Lady Sigyn, the Dakini-ten ... she is the lady fox queen. She is the one who has demanded your relationship to cease, putting my role as Sinopa's sensei in a precarious position at best."

"Then make me understand what you have against our relationship."

Tamamo glared at Jules, secretly impressed he would go toe-to-toe with a deity for the woman he loved. "MY relationship with a human cost me my life. I am trapped in the celestial realm forever. Do you wish Sinopa to die as I did?"

"Anyone who threatens her would have ta' go through _me_first."

Tamamo disguised her smile of approval with a smirk of faux disgust.

"I will not allow this to happen," said Sinopa. "Jules would never allow this to happen. You have no cards left to play in your hand, Tamamo."

Tamamo blinked. "Pardon? Cards? ...Must be an Earth expression. No matter. Unlike you, I do as I am told." She waved her right paw and the mirrored headboard glowed with brilliance.

The luminescence caused both Jules and Sinopa to squint and avert their eyes.

Tamamo placed both her paws against the celestial window, flattening the velveteen padding of her palms, unable to cross into the physical realm. "I pray you will both come to forgive me one day."

Sinopa, limp in form, levitated towards the mirrored headboard and disappeared into the reflective surface.

The image faded from Jules' gaze, reflecting only himself once more.

On the other side of the reflection, Sinopa was teleported to her private chambers, where she awoke with a start in her quarters.

Back in the bedroom, Jules sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Dayum." He glanced around and sniffed at the air. He glanced beneath the covers at his unclad body. "Smells like sex in here."

Jules reached for his cellphone and opened an application to display the local weather. It triangulated a position and displayed 'Sausalito, California' on the screen, beneath an icon forecasting light fog and mild wind.

"What th' hell? California?"

He slid out of bed and pressed his palms against his forehead. He trailed his hands down over his eyes, followed by his cheeks.

"Wha' th' hell am I doin' here? Seems t' me it's kinda' strange, wearin' nothing but a smile, oui?"

He gathered his clothes and paused, seeing a kimono on the floor.

Jules picked it up and looked it over, brows furrowed.

For a split second, the kimono seemed familiar but that moment faded to confusion.

"Where'd this come from, I wonder?" He sniffed at it and frowned. The familiar scent of a woman felt distant, like something he'd forgotten from long ago.

"Either I'm in the wrong room or someone slipped ole Jules a roofie las' night."

He placed the kimono on the bed and walked to the bathroom to get a shower. "Somethin' tells me this may be the start of a very strange day. Or, possibly the end to a verra' strange night. I best hush, 'afore I'm liable to start talkin' to m'self..."

The headboard, a one-sided mirror again, allowed Tamamo-no-Mae to watch him, unseen.

She rested her paws on the windowsill with a forlorn sigh. "Once again, everyone will think I am the villainess simply because the situation was beyond my control."

Tamamo watched as the confused human male walked away from the mirrored headboard and into a bathroom. The scene before her changed to show him step into a shower, across from the bathroom mirror.

Adjacent to her, a three-tailed fox approached and settled upon its haunches.

Tamamo glanced to her right, briefly. She pursed her lips and cut her gaze back towards the celestial window, peering into Jules Guillot's room. "Er, konichiwa, Sinopa-san. How fair you this day?"

"I, erm, I fear I may have had too much sake, Tamamo-sama. I am feeling a bit on the hazy side. I don't remember anything, and I feel tired. Why are you watching humans?"

Tamamo licked her lips apprehensively and sighed. "I just ... I miss my Konoe. Promise me you will never take up a relationship with a human. It is hard on your heart, little one."

"As you wish." Sinopa turned about but then paused. She glanced back at the window and stared at Jules for a moment and blinked with a double-take.

Tamamo watched the younger kitsune in silence, worried that by seeing the human, Sinopa would start to remember all over again.

Silence.

The elder fox placed a paw upon her Hoshi no Tama, a glowing ball of stars that dangled from her collar. She took a deep breath, ready to cast another spell - a more powerful one if necessary.

Sinopa tilted her head, confusion in her eyes. A wan smile tugged at the corner of her muzzle. "He is cute." Sinopa offered a playful grin and a wink. She trotted off without another word.

At first, the nine-tailed kitsune sighed in relief.

Tamamo watched Sinopa leave the mighty window-lined corridor. She glanced back at the egress and stared at Jules.

Out of respect, Tamamo whispered, "Jewels Leh-nay Gill-oh; that was how she pronounced your name, hai? Oh, human, she truly loved you; I am so sorry."

Tamamo swallowed back a sudden burst of stowed emotion. The elder kami lowered her head and blinked away tears, which matted down the fur upon her face.

She sighed through her nose and lowered to her belly, resting the bottom of her muzzle upon the top of her paws. Her heart ached. She knew she couldn't shoulder the burden with anyone else.

Tamamo whispered softly to herself. "I am so very sorry Sinopa-san. Truly, I am. You may hate me one day for this. But in truth ... I did it for you."

Tamamo-no-Mae reluctantly moved to another window, which depicted Inspector Reno Nevada, Nichole Parker, FBI Agent Philip Michener, and NTSB Agent Drew Reed in a room together. They were having a conversation about Sinopa and Jules.

Tamamo listened to their conversation briefly. She placed her paws against the glassless window, unable to pass through. "You have never met Jules or Sinopa. They never witnessed the problems of which you just spoke. It is as though they never existed."

The group of men paused their conversation.

Tamamo continued. "You will forget meeting the succubus, Karla Howard, as well as the jewelry store owner, Donovan Loupe. There was a machine used to crash an airplane. As a side effect, it caused you to have a series of headaches for several days, to which you attribute your confusion and loss of memories."

Tamamo leaned close to the reflective portal, eyeing their digital notation devices. "Delete any sentences related to Sinopa, Jules, Karla and Donovan from your files."

After a moment, the men shook off the effects of the incantation.

Reed's tablet showed his notes on the case. There was no mention of Jules or Sinopa's testimony. He stared at the note application with a frown. "Was this longer?" He cleared his throat and shook his head. "Sorry, gentlemen. I have a slight headache and ... Perhaps we should take a short break." He saved the shortened file, closed his tablet and stretched. "Let's resume in half an hour. I'm going to go out to my truck. I have some aspirin if anyone else needs it."

Tamamo sat back on her haunches and sighed.

The nine-tail approached another window and looked in, observing Karla Howard, Donovan and Lance Patterson together. "Forget Sinopa Crevan and Jules Guillot's involvement in your earthly affairs. They never existed to you. The sensation of amnesia is due to the eruption of the nearby EMP device that caused the plane crash. When you awake tomorrow, you will have renewed focus and motivation to stop Aris Falcon but all memories of Sinopa and Jules' involvement is now obscured from your memories."

Tamamo paused. She looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching.

Tamamo leaned closer to the window and spoke directly to Lance. "But you will remember Jonathan Parker's wife. The memory of her will be on your mind when you dream tonight. If you ever discover something more, you will keep it to yourself. The deities are listening. Do not speak near mirrors."

Tamamo left the hallway and crossed a courtyard.

In the sky above her, the cosmos swirled about and quasars twinkled in the heavens.

She froze. Her fur bristled up.

She turned about, seeing Sigyn. "It is done. I visited each and every human soul she touched, and I erased every breadcrumb until there was no trail left."

"Every human soul?"

Tamamo grimaced. "I do not know the identities of the foes she faced in battle." Her eyes lowered, emotionally torn over what she'd been ordered to do. "Forgive me that trespass."

Lady Sigyn dismounted a large white fox-creature and bowed to Tamamo. "The foes will not matter. They will not face Sinopa again; she will be forgotten in time. Only those who cared about her would have sought her out - and now even those loose ends have been tied up. You've done well. Please excuse my tone, earlier. I thought back on Sinopa's prior visit to the physical realm. I was considering her children."

"Why have they not been allowed to remember their mother, or she her children?

Sigyn sighed. "That was a difficult decision to make. I may be reincarnated as Sigyn, but in my past life, I was known as Kiko-Sigyn. I was the first fox spirit. Each and every one of you, no matter how wayward, was of the bloodline of my past iteration. So, while I am not a blood relative, you are the closest I have to children and grandchildren."

"But why separate Sinopa from her children?"

"For their safety. They would make each other targets. Their safety comes first. Fox and Topaz are Sinopa's human children, but their mother would make them a target."

Tamamo visibly flinched. "Please, let it go on record that I followed your orders, both times, against my will. What we took from her is dreadful."

Sigyn narrowed her eyes in an uncharacteristic nature. "Since the humans discovered new information about who I am, and what I am capable of, I want you to know that I now see things clearly. I know scorn, loss, and pain. If humanity wishes to know my empathy and patience, they will help me to strike Odin from their textbooks. They will help me to usher in a future with a thousand years of peace, where I can be reunited with my children as they once were."

"I have done all that you have asked, faithfully. Please, I seek clemency."

"My punishment for you is lenient. One year in solitude. Surely you have endured far worse, when your soul was trapped in the Sessho-seki for quite a number of years. I, too, know what it is like to endure loneliness. I only ask for one year."

Tamamo grimaced. "Why have you changed?"

"Explain yourself."

"You visit Loki Laufeyjarson rather frequently, now. You have grown cold and angry. Your heart aches and you fill it with hatred."

"Loki is my husband."

"He is not a good man."

"Tamamo, you of all creatures, should know what it is like for Loki."

Tamamo eyed Sigyn.

"Human mythology has painted him as a villain but, like an onion, he has many layers. He is a complex man, capable of good."

"He is known as a trickster."

"He is a teacher of lessons, Tamamo. His methods are unusual, but how is it any different than you? The kitsune are known as tricksters, who sometimes teach difficult lessons by any means necessary. You were penned as a villainess by human mythology, many times, Tamamo."

Tamamo looked away.

"It's true, and you know it. You were a villain as Daji. You were a villain as Lady Kayo. You fooled people as Wakamo; you were said to bewitch your own lover under the name of 'Mizukume.' I know your history. I know you attempted to act with honor, and sacrificed your name for the betterment of human history."

Tamamo swallowed down a lump of emotion. The ache manifested in her heart and welled up at the base of her throat. "So, you mean that I am like your husband?"

"I love him, despite his flaws. I love you, regardless of your flaws. I've chosen you as my right hand because I understand you. You remind me of my soul mate. If you assist me, I will stand by you. However, for that to occur, I require your loyalty. Do I have it?"

"Yes."

"Then I will see you in a year, Tamamo. Go home."

"As you wish." Tamamo blinked back tears. "Please, watch over Sinopa in my absence. I was unable to protect her parents and her siblings. Earth is dangerous. Please make sure she is not swept up in this ... drama."

"I will not use her as an instrument of my revenge, Tamamo."

"No, apparently that task as fallen upon me."

"Even so, Tamamo-no-Mae, I need to know that the barriers blocking her memories will hold. Does she suspect that she was married to a human for a number of years? Is it possible that she could remember her children?"

"No. The husband, Jonathan, and his sister, Nichole, remember only that Sinopa died of cancer in 2014. Her twin children equally only remember that their mother passed of illness. No parties suspect anything more."

Sigyn nodded. "We were just in time. The old man's dying words to her were to find her husband. The very sight of Jonathan Parker may have been enough to break down the barriers around Sinopa's memories. She would have discovered our involvement, and created a great deal of turmoil."

Tamamo sighed softly, but refrained from replying.

"If you have something to say to me, I want to hear it."

"You do not see me as a granddaughter. You see me as a tool to wield in your newfound war against those you deem responsible for hurting your family."

"I do not deny your accusations, Tamamo."

"I will shoulder that encumbrance, but only to guarantee Sinopa's protection."

Sigyn lifted her head and peered down at Tamamo. "You _will_continue to uphold our lie. If Sinopa ever discovers the truth, she will rebel against us, or worse, she will make herself a target. That cannot be allowed to happen, as Hachiman has a crucial role involving her in the upcoming war for the physical realm. If you can promise me that she will never learn the truth, then I will promise you that she will be safe."

Tamamo felt intense guilt in her heart. She nodded respectfully.

"Remember, I may be reincarnated, but I still have the soul of your queen. I was still the first spirit fox."

"Hai, my Queen. I wish to retire to my chambers, now. My spirit is heavy with this burden. I require meditation."

"Tomorrow, you will report to me at dusk. Your penance will last one Earthly revolution."

"Yes, Lady Sigyn."

Sigyn watched Tamamo depart from the courtyard.

Silence.

Sigyn stood alone with only her musings to keep her company.

A smile tugged at Sigyn's lips. "All that matters is the physical realm will soon be returned to the ways of old. Things will become as they were in the First Age, where deities ruled properly over the humans we protected."

Sigyn sighed softly in face of the silence.

She took a deep breath and said, "Even if I must do it alone, I will find a way to put an end to the meandering, childish, celestial politics. I will have vengeance on the Æsir and any pantheon even remotely resembling them. Then, I will find a way to restore my children."

"Then our family will be complete," said a man from off to her left.

Sigyn's eyes widened somewhat.

She turned to face her husband. Her heart raced with excitement. "You are free from the Hot Springs? How is this possible? Did Vali manage to assist in your freedom?"

"Astral-projection, Sigyn. This is a temporary ability."

"I don't understand."

"It is complicated." Loki drew her into his embrace. "Just know I have a plan."

"But look at you, love! You're free of Odin's bindings!"

"No, Sigyn. I am _not_physically here. For me to be truly free, I have to either escape to Earth, or slay Odin." He licked his lips. "Or both, if necessary."

She stepped back and stared at him. Sigyn reached for his hands and interlaced her fingers with his. "You feel real."

"I learned how to project my image."

She tilted her head.

"It is ... complicated."

Sigyn lifted her chin somewhat. She eyed him. "I want to know your plan - I want to spend the rest of my life with you, side-by-side. But even if you manage to become free, Odin will chase you down. We need a permanent solution."

"I am working on it."

"Do you have an endgame, love?"

"You wish to know my endgame?" he asked.

"You only ever share your plans for immediate action, or your goals. I wish to hear..." She trailed off and pursed her lips. "I want you to open up to me."

Loki gave her hand a gentle squeeze then released it. "I will find a way to possess the Gungnir spear again. I could easily use it, as Odin once did, to start a war. But instead of the Æsir-Vanir war, it would be the war of the humans: the faithful against the pious."

Sigyn blinked.

"And when the dust settles, we would begin the world anew with its survivors, as god and goddess."

"Loki..."

"We both know the mythology of the humans. Only two people, or perhaps two tribes of people, can survive. That is what triggers the next 'Age of Humanity.'"

"But Loki..."

"The First Age grew decadent and lavish, but they also treated the lesser humans poorly. It's the reason that deities were summoned to exist in the first place."

She grimaced in silence.

Loki continued. "At the end of every great age, the meek inherit the Earth. At the end of the First Age, we deities became protectors of the meek. They created us and we ruled them. We rescued them from the immortals. The immortals were defeated and their capital sank into the ocean."

Sigyn drew a slow, calm breath and sighed through her nose.

Loki crossed his arms over his chest. "The Second Age is ruled by the banks and those who control police forces. Women who speak about politics with passion are ignored."

Sigyn arched her brows.

"There was a human woman named Ayn Rand. She spoke out against the political-economic system. She pointed out that human men deal with one another as traders when it is in their mutual benefit. She said the world governs itself as a police force to get their way. The human mortals need _us_to save them from themselves."

"This was never about the human mortals."

"True. This is about the injustice of the other deities. This is about how they have become like the First Age Human immortals, seeking only power and comfort. This is about suffering that they have caused."

Sigyn nodded.

Loki dropped his arms to his sides. "A catastrophic event would cause humanity to forget the other gods. All deities would cease to exist when their worshippers are stripped from the Earth. But if we stood alongside the mortals, we would be the only ones unforgotten."

Sigyn frowned.

"What is it, love?"

She looked away and sighed.

"Sigyn ... I am your husband. I would hear your concerns so I can properly address them."

She grimaced. "Other gods have tried this before us, Loki. They flooded the civilized world to wipe out other deities. It was said only two civilized humans survived with wisdom of celestial worship. They survived with animals in an ark."

Loki eyed her. "Hmm. Well, many say that the so-called One True Creator caused such. Some say it was the fates, coerced by muses, speaking on behalf of a small group of deities."

"Conspiracy aside, wiping out civilized man destroyed only some of the gods. And, more importantly, it did not bring about a thousand years of peace. In time, new gods sprang up."

"Yes, but it worked to wipe away the last remnants of the lingering First Age Humans that survived when the world was last reset. Less than a handful survived that flood."

"I know what you're thinking - you want something akin to the flood to bring about The Third Age."

"Yes, exactly!"

Sigyn shook her head. "It will not work."

Loki frowned. "I have a theory about that flood."

"Loki..."

"Hear me out. If the One True Creator exists, it's possible that he was part of that flood."

"How so?"

"Perhaps the deities caused it, and this ... One True Creator ensured that humanity survived."

"Why do you suppose that is?"

"Humanity is the creation of intelligent life. The humans gave us our life."

"Yet you're speaking of murdering them. Mothers, children..."

Loki stared at his wife for a moment.

She glared back. "It hurts me to disagree with you, but humans are children. I am a mother. I see differently than you."

Loki placed his hands on her shoulders. "I see now."

"What?"

"I understand what I've said to upset you."

"I assure you that I am fine."

Loki cupped Sigyn's face in his hands. "You feel we should coddle them, and I feel we should discipline them."

"They are children, Loki! You speak of killing humans to get your way. That is not how you discipline a child, and that is what humans are - children."

Loki eyed her. He arched his brow in curiosity. "Continue."

She ground her molars together and sighed in frustration. "I will not kill women and children - sons and daughters. Humans are children. Their faith in their gods wanes because they feel abandoned by their creator. A child cannot understand when a parent abandons them, so they act out. They fight one another. They lash out in their ignorance."

Loki remained silent, listening to his wife's logic.

"I would rather present ourselves to them, as god and goddess, and show them love and understanding. We would be better off to parent them, because whether or not they know it, they crave attention. They feel slighted to have been abandoned."

Silence. Loki nodded without a word.

"When a child is told they were adopted, they wonder why they were abandoned. They do not understand the reasoning of their biological parent. Our kind has been banned from Earth by the supernaturals. Humanity lashes out at one another in chaos, confusion, and childish misunderstanding. They are misguided. You want to kill them? No."

Loki took her hands into his own. He drew in a calm, slow breath. In a gentle tone, he asked, "What if you could become the mother of humanity?"

Sigyn said nothing.

"The Ragnarök prophecy closely mirrors the Book of Revelations," Loki explained. "Both claim that there will be a reckoning, where humans are culled. Both claim that the survivors, few in number, will enjoy a thousand years of peace and prosperity. Both prophecies claim that deities will die."

Sigyn tilted her head. "The Book of Revelations mentions no such thing, Loki."

"It claims Satan is bound with a great chain, not unlike the Gleipnir that holds my son. It claims that death will die. It claims that the demons of sin will cease to exist. Seven headed monsters die, the Great Whore of Babylon will die. Yes, it does claim that deities die. Whether or not the Christian Bible sees them as deities the way we do ... that is a matter of perspective."

"Fenris is not Satan."

"No, but the two prophecies have undeniable similarities. They are predicting the same event in different ways. In the Christian version, Satan, Sin and Death are eliminated. Then, in a millennia, Satan becomes free once more."

"What if that thousand years has already passed? What if these are two different, albeit similar prophesies?" Sigyn fidgeted. She found it difficult to be upset with her husband, a man with whom she never opposed before. "What if the Revelation has already happened, and all that remains is the Ragnarök?"

Loki moved behind his wife. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin upon the top of her head. "My mind is clear now. I was a fool to wish for all worshippers to die. They are not the enemy. Humanity was betrayed by the very gods they created for protection."

Sigyn nodded. "I want nothing more than to protect every last man, woman, and child."

"All wars have some casualties, Sigyn."

"Then I wish to reduce the amount of people who die," she said.

"That is a reasonable desire coming from the future mother of humanity."

Sigyn turned back to Loki. "The majority of humans see you as a villain."

"Then you should lead and I will be your General."

Sigyn shook her head. "No," she said with a frown. "It is time people see you as more. You have true potential, Loki."

"The best way to save our children is with the power of human faith, so long as it is placed into us."

"Then you must rise to the occasion and save humanity."

Loki kissed her head softly. "Will you help me?"

"I will."

"Even if it means some people die? Even if it means I might die?"

Sigyn swallowed at the thought. "If we stand before the mortals as their God and Goddess, you will_not_ die. Their faith will sustain you, and give us the power to restore our children."

Loki nodded. "They will all worship us. And then we will have the respect we deserve, my love."

"Ja, Loki."

"If we are going to commit ourselves to this, you should know I have researched it carefully."

"I'm listening, love." Sigyn glanced up at the stars above.

"I have compared many human mythologies regarding their end of days. I have compiled and compared all similarities and analyzed their differences."

She nodded in silence.

"What I have learned is troubling. It states only two people, or perhaps two tribes, are all that survive on Earth."

"Then for us to commit to this, we must agree to change the future. To do that, we must rewrite history. In time, they will come to believe the 'end of times' is merely a time of rebirth."

Loki nodded. "What are your goals for this transition?"

"I want humanity spared from their time of judgment."

Loki tilted his head forward, offering his wife a slight nod. "We can change that outcome, Sigyn. I will lead them as their god and you will be their goddess. Our adopted children need not know the truth of their creation. You will be the mother of Earth, I promise."

She smiled inwardly with a firm nod. "Ragnarök will come to mean 'rebirth.' In the distant future, humanity will look back on the word and remember how we saved them by appearing in their time of need."

Loki nodded with a satisfied smirk. "The Gleipnir grows weaker with every passing victory in our name. Before long, the mighty Fenrisulfr will be free."

"Fenris seeks to devour, not to save."

"Fenris does not devour humanity," Loki said. "My offspring will devour our so-called rulers - Odin, for example. That will bring about Ragnarök on Earth. We will shape the outcome of the so-called 'Twilight of the Gods.' Then, when the Celestial realm is silent, we will reign in a thousand years of peace."

"Perhaps longer, love."

"Perhaps," Loki mused. He gazed up at the cosmos above. "But we both know the hearts of men. They crave victory, violence, and power."

She shook her head. "They crave to know their creator. They conquer because they do not know a mother's love."

Loki rested his chin upon her head. "I'm not sure I follow your logic."

"Humans are children. They have a short lifespan and never survive long enough to become adults. As children, they are acting out because they feel as though their parents have abandoned them."

Loki became quiet.

"A mother knows when her child is in pain. Humans are in pain, abandoned by their 'One True Creator.' They are abandoned by their pantheon. Those who choose not to believe in religion have done so, because they were abandoned. It is akin to an orphan assuming their biological parents are dead."

Loki nodded. "Forgive me. Your logic is flawless. We will give humanity what they crave and stand before them, so that they are no longer alone. With their worship, we will become powerful enough to restore our children. Then our family will be whole again."

"This is truly what you wish? For our family to be whole again?"

He whispered into her ear. "We are a family. Odin has bound my hands from fathering my family. I would never admit this to anyone else, but I am incomplete. Help me be a whole man, Sigyn. I need you."

Sigyn trailed off and looked down at the projection of his hands around her waist. "You feel so real ... warm."

"It is temporary."

"I don't understand," she said. "Now that you've learned this ability, why would it be anything less than permanent?"

"It's complicated, Sigyn."

"You said that earlier."

"Because it is true."

She grimaced. "How long will it last?"

"I do not know."

Sigyn sighed. "I love you, and I know you love me." Her eyes lowered to the ground. "You asked why I was upset earlier..."

"Because I did not see things your way - but now I see we can save the lives of humans."

"No, Loki. I was upset because, to you, I am just your wife. I am not your equal. I may have convinced you to save humans, but you treat me like just some woman beneath you."

Loki turned her around in his arms. He made eye contact with her. "I do not understand what I have done to upset you, Sigyn."

She met his gaze. "I would explain it to you, Loki, but I cannot."

"Why?"

"Because it is too complicated." She smirked, hoping he would take the hint.

Loki's eyes widened. "You_are_ my equal. That is why Odin imprisoned me, attacked our children, and made you witness it. We have been punished accordingly, each in a way that Odin found fitting."

"I'm listening."

Loki grimaced. "I am a man. He attacked my freedom and my legacy. You are a woman; he attacked your heart and brought pain to your surviving child. We are equals, and so we were both punished."

She nodded and swallowed back emotion. "Then, if we are truly equals, why do you tell me something is too complicated for explanation?"

A measure of understanding shined in Loki's gaze. "Forgive me. I should not assume you are ignorant."

"Yes. In doing so, you have proven that the only person, here, who is ignorant ... is you."

"You are clever. I was a fool to make assumptions that you would not understand something."

"Do not be dismissive, or tell me something is too complicated to explain. Talk to me, Loki. I am your wife. I am deserving of such respect."

Loki opened his mouth but words failed. He offered her a gentle smile. "You have changed since the humans found more mythology relating to you."

"How so? I feel the same."

"You have become more confident and focused. But you're the same Sigyn - you give meaning to our relationship."

"I am grooming you for greatness. A woman needs to stand up for the family she has made with a man. However, it is also a woman's job to remind her mate that she is deserving of respect. If she does not demand respect, he will not learn how to treat her."

"Do you really believe in me, Sigyn?"

"Please respect my mind and my ability to make rational decisions."

Loki tilted his head in confusion.

"I mean that I would not marry a fool. I know you are capable of being a leader of men. To question me is to question my belief in you. So, please, respect my mind."

"I do. Your intellect is one of the first things I noticed about you when we met."

"Tell me about your 'Astral-projection,' Loki. Please. I do not want to hear that it is 'too complicated.' Just talk to me like an equal."

Loki placed his hands over hers and met her gaze. "For a few years, Vali covertly made his way across the BiFrost. He brought me injection treatments. I was imbued with genetics from human supernaturals. These treatments came from the human geneticist, Dr. Falcon. I promised him he could find the technology of the ancients. In return, I wanted his unquestioning loyalty. He is helping me prepare for my return to Earth. The only way to achieve it was to wipe out the Supernatural Community."

Sigyn grimaced. "Vali speaks to you yet runs from me."

"Vali assisted me faithfully and without fail until he lost his desire to speak with me. I no longer have contact with Aris Falcon."

She sighed. "Oh Vali." Her eyes lowered to the ground. "Did our son become consumed with apathy once more?"

"Perhaps." Loki shook his head. "It is likely that he has grown disgusted ... or bored of me. For a time, I expected you to become disgusted with, or possibly bored of me. Being as that, in my physical state, back in the Hot Springs, I have not stood in centuries. You clean up after me, you protect and shelter me with the bowl above my head to catch the snake venom ... I am handicapped."

"As I said before, I see your true potential for greatness. I will help you achieve it. You will escape your bonds, and I will help you learn to walk again. You are my husband; I love you."

"I appreciate that, Sigyn."

"I only have one question: Why have you never shown me your new ability before now?"

Loki sighed softly with a frown. "I was unable until now. I manifested recently and began practicing. Using supernatural powers is not unlike harnessing and controlling Asgardian magic. However, it took time to master after having my intrinsic magic suppressed. My contact on Earth is brilliant but he doesn't realize his usefulness. Unlike my magic, this new power is not affected by my restraints."

"This is splendid, Loki! We can..."

He held his hand up.

Sigyn grew quiet.

"It was a temporary measure."

Sigyn frowned. "It wasn't some latent ability unlocked by Falcon?"

"No, Sigyn. This new ability will eventually fade until the procedure is perfected."

"So this ability was brought to you from Earth? It is a human ability gifted to you?"

"Yes, Sigyn."

"Why is it so temporary?"

"Unfortunately, Vali no longer travels the Bifrost for me. Without the injections, the powers will soon fade."

"Oh, Vali..." She shook her head with a sigh. "I miss him."

"He watches over you, now, but from a distance."

"What?"

Loki offered her a wan smile. "When you look upon him, it reminds him of his guilt - that he was duped into murdering his brother, your son. He now hides from me as well, but he does watch you from where you cannot see him."

"Vali cares about no one but himself, now," she whispered.

"He cannot show you affection, but it does not mean he loves you any less."

"Only a mother's love can restore him, but that will take time. Until I can reach him on an emotional level, I cannot help him. Sadly, he does not answer to me when I call for him in the forest."

"That will take time. But trust me, Sigyn. Vali watches you from the shadows, where you cannot see him."

"I appreciate that you fill my heart with hope."

Loki kissed the backside of her head. He held her close but his mind was elsewhere. Loki sighed softly and asked, "Have the memories of the mortals have been erased? Such must be done in order to give an edge to our pawn, the doctor known as Falcon."

"Yes, their memories were erased by one of my most loyal foxes."

"Mizukume."

"Yes, but she changed her name to something more fitting many centuries ago."

"Mizukume is resourceful, love. She has a clever mind. Are you sure we can trust her?"

Sigyn nodded. "Tamamo-no-Mae is her name, now. And yes, Loki, she is none-the-wiser."

"And if she does?"

Sigyn offered her husband a sly smile. "If she questions it, she will come out looking like the villain yet again. Just as she has to the mortal realm, a thousand times, a thousand years ago."

He rested his chin upon her shoulder. "Excellent."

"What of the human doctor?" she asked.

Loki kissed the side of her face. "It's only a matter of time before the geneticist has fulfilled his usefulness. We now know his science has brought me the ability of Astral-projection, no matter how temporary. I helped him to achieve agelessness but he is not an immortal. Human DNA breaks down after two centuries."

Sigyn arched her brows and glanced back, over her shoulder, at her husband. "You helped him to become immortal, but it is temporary?"

"Yes. His first stolen ability was from the blood of an immortal. So, he no longer ages. However, he is still a member of Homo sapiens-sapiens. His genetic code will begin to break down after two centuries. He was born in the early 1900s. No matter how powerful he becomes, he will not interfere with my future plans."

"So it's Falcon's science from which you borrowed your new ability?"

Loki nodded. "As I said, it is temporary. But once Falcon perfects the procedure, it may become permanent. You were clever to have chosen that human as our pawn in 1908."

"He was a child at the heart of a supernatural civil war. I could not bare to watch a child die."

"Regardless of that fact, you chose a brilliant child to rescue."

"Flattery, my love. You've always treated me as an equal. You've always given me your love and respect. I thank you."

"I've always loved you, Sigyn. You've stood by me in my darkest times."

"As I said, you are my husband and I love you."

"Once I metabolize the human DNA, my powers will fade. But, Falcon's science could conceivably give me even more power."

"That is useful."

Loki nodded in agreement. "Furthermore, his super-soldier program from a quarter century ago ... I have plans for that as well. My initial plan was to raze the Celestial Realm with the aid of my Jotnar. However, human super-soldiers would be far more potent, and I wouldn't have to risk the lives of my people."

"That is considerate, using a willing human warrior instead of a drafted Jotunn."

"Yes, as I said, Aris Falcon has been very useful, and I have rewarded him accordingly. He now has abilities, longevity most humans could only every dream about, and he is closing in on the buried city of the First Age of Humans. It is his obsession, and I was helping him to find it."

"Astral-projection," she pondered aloud. "What about the ability to break free of your bindings?"

"Aris Falcon is learning how to give various abilities to virtually any individual. In time, my backup plan was to receive an ability, which would allow me to break free of my fetters." He placed a hand over her navel.

Sigyn covered his large hand with her smaller one. She looked down, comparing her dainty hands to his masculine digits. "Giving you Astral-projection was a test?"

"Albeit a temporary one, yes. Because the effects are not lasting, and Vali no longer brings me the injection regiment, it will fade soon."

"I know your tone, Loki - you have a plan. Tell me."

"I have no way to tell Dr. Falcon that his test was successful."

"There is no need to dance around the subject."

Loki scoffed, but ended on a chuckle. "It is a habit that surfaces every now and then - speaking so that I can double back on my words if I need to deny..."

"Just tell me what to do, Loki."

"I want you to direct your full attention to Dr. Falcon. Give him whatever he needs."

Sigyn smoothed her hands over a simplistic Norse-fashion dress. "How?"

Loki turned his head inward and spoke against the side of her face. His warm breath tickled her neckline. "Falcon has already done so much for us. All we need now is for you to inspire him. Find a muse, or speak to him directly."

"What would you like him to do for us?"

"I want him to imbue himself with new powers."

"You wish him to test this ability on himself? What if it proves fatal? He would cease to be useful, love."

Loki nodded his head. "You're right. First, encourage him to test his technology on test subjects. Let him first give powers to Nichole Parker, and then he can give powers to others."

"Sinopa's sister-in-law? She has no powers?"

"No. If Aris can give her an ability, that will be a breakthrough. Then, I want you to guide Falcon in a new direction - have him attempt to give new powers to Fox Parker."

"You said Fox Parker's survival is necessary to the main objective."

"Yes, and if Falcon can safely give powers to people like Nichole, he will be very careful when giving a new ability to Fox Parker."

"And if that is a success?"

Loki smiled again. "The next phase will be to have Falcon imbue himself with multiple abilities. If he is successful, he will be able to protect himself without our assistance. Then, we will utilize his science, and find a way to free me."

"He is a lonely man, Loki. I am not sure I feel comfortable approaching him alone."

"As I said earlier, Vali watches you from the shadows."

Sigyn stared at the ground, pensive. "What if Dr. Falcon needs someone in his life?"

Loki shrugged. "If he second-guesses himself, give him encouragement. Inspire him to greatness. If Aris requires companionship, talk to him."

"And if Aris desires to have his physical needs met?"

Loki trailed soft kisses from her neck, up to her ear. "Then find him a woman to sate his needs. Give him whatever he needs - a kitsune, a nymph, a succubus ... give him a problem to solve. It will help his confidence."

Sigyn licked her lips. "Are you sure you wish me to act as a liaison to another man?" She pressed herself into Loki's affectionate embrace. She swallowed down her inner fears of insecurity.

"He cares more about perfecting himself with science than spreading his seed. He is by no means asexual - I would have preferred that. However, his natural hormonal desire to mate ... it faded in the early 1960s, as it does with many men. Now, his hunger is self-perfection, and to find the capital city of the First Age."

She replied with a pensive nod. After a moment to consider his words, she drew a deep breath and relaxed slightly. "Do you have a time table for these objectives?"

"As soon as possible. I grow tired of waiting, Sigyn. I wish to hold you in my arms again. Not Astral-projection. I want to hold you without chains between us with my own arms."

She nodded and snuggled into the embrace of his projection. "If he gives you the temporary abilities necessary to free yourself..."

Loki finished her thought out loud. "We will change mythology. We will write our own endings to our own stories. Humanity will learn from us."

"Much of humanity already believes they learn from our kind."

"Then they will be used to it. Help Falcon. His science is the key to my freedom."

Sigyn smiled. She pressed herself into his masculine embrace. "I want my children back."

"I want respect. I want power."

Sigyn grimaced. She sighed softly and nodded. "Respect and power. But yes, I see why you want such."

"I promise it is only so that I can resurrect and restore our children for you."

Sigyn's pained expression melted into a slight smile. "You will have your respect and power, Loki. You will have whatever you need to restore our family."

"It won't be easy."

She nodded in agreement. "Some humans call us tricksters, and some call us 'lesser deities,' or 'lower gods.' They call my foxes 'tricksters' and 'messenger spirits.'"

Loki wrapped his arms around her waist firmly. He kissed the side of her face from behind. "When our army of worshipers overtakes, slaughters, and converts other mortals..."

"No," she interrupted. "Our worshippers will convert one another with tolerance and understanding. We only spill the blood of supernaturals and other deities. If I am to be the mother of the human race, I will not harm them."

Loki studied her eyes for a moment. A wan smile crossed his lips. "And what of humans who rebel, and reject our desire to help them?"

Sigyn tightened her jaw. "We adopt the human survivors as our own children, Loki. We punish them, as any parent disciplines a child: to show our authority."

"How?"

"In a manner best fitting the individual. Every child is different, Loki. The humans will fall in line because, like the children they are, they yearn for acceptance from their parents."

"You are a wise woman, Sigyn."

"Thank you." Sigyn reveled in the warmth of his arms and the feeling of his chest against her back. It had been far too long.

Even though it was just a mental projection, she enjoyed his touch.

Loki rested his head upon hers from behind. "...When I am free, we will travel to Earth. There will be no supernatural humans to uphold their treaty. We will be free to do as we please. Our strength will grow, and the other gods' power will diminish. Do you have everything in order?"

"I do. And you, my love?"

"Yes," said Loki. "Our peers will never speak the word, 'trickster' with disdain ever again. They will tremble, and they will treat us with respect." He kissed the backside of her head.

She reached up and cupped the backside of his head. "I love you."

"I love you, Sigyn. You complete me. Come, see me in the Hot Springs."

"Of course." She leaned back into his embrace for another moment. "Just remember why I am doing this. I am not doing this for myself." She ran her fingers through his hair.

"You act because you are a loyal, dutiful wife."

She curled her fingers shut in his hair. "My vengeance is for my children."

"Understood."

"She released his hair and sighed. Her body relaxed. "Thank you for accepting me as I am, Loki. If it's true that I am changing, evolving ... I need to know that you love me no matter who I become."

"I've always been upset about what Odin did to our children. You were accepting and you endured your pain by internalizing it. Even though you did not share my hunger for revenge, I loved you for being you. But now that you wish to grieve by joining my desire for vengeance, I love you even more."

"Thank you for understanding, love."

Loki smiled against the backside of her head.

Sigyn's enormous white fox came alongside of them. It nuzzled the side of its face against her hip. She glanced down at her fox with a soft smile. Sigyn leaned her head back on Loki's shoulder, gazing up at the stars. "I look forward to being complete again."

Loki reached down and ran his fingers through the creature's white fur, behind its ears.

Briefly, its muzzle appeared less fox-like, and more closely resembled that of a wolf.

He leaned down and whispered into the wolf's ear. "Keep your shape, Vali."

The wolf's shape reverted to that of a large white fox.

Loki wrapped his arms around his wife again. "I must return to the springs, lest the others find out that my mind is free of my bound body. I just wanted to know if you would stand with me to set the events of Ragnarök into motion."

She nodded in understanding. "We have no choice in the matter. Humanity needs our help. Together, we will save the mortals from the 'revelation' of their impending apocalypse."

"You are nothing like your past incarnation, Sigyn. You are wiser, gentler, and yet so much more clever than when you were named 'Kiko,' in the past." Loki rested his chin upon her shoulder, pressing his cheek against hers.

She shivered at the sensation of her husband's warm breath on the side of her face. Sigyn pushed her back against his chest, reveling in the feel of his strong arms around her body. "Am I really so different than when I was an Asian fox spirit?"

"In some ways, you are different. In other ways, you are still that clever little vixen, Sigyn."

"I have evolved in my current iteration of life, Loki. I have grown in my emotional maturity after having a family with you."

He grinned. "It still amuses me that you once tricked Asian humans into believing that their world rests precariously upon the backs of turtles, stacked all the way down. One of your finest tricks to date."

"That was not a trick, Loki. That was a metaphor. The meaning has been forgotten by time."

"Ah. I see." He kissed the side of her face. "While bored in my solitude, I took the time to research your first iteration."

"Did you, now? I am not that woman anymore."

"I wanted to know all of you. I wanted to know the woman who was reborn as my flaxen-haired wife. I want to know every part of you."

She nodded in silence.

"You were the mother to animal-kind. First you hated wolves because they culled your animals. Later, you hated man because they culled both wolves and your animals. Especially your foxes. But now ... you will be the mother of both animal-kind _and_man-kind. Your surviving son as transformed into a wolf, and you love and accept him. Your stepson is the Great Wolf. You have evolved to love and accept all creatures."

Sigyn grimaced. "I vaguely recall. Why do you bring this up?"

"Your finest trick to date was your first trick, which cost the early tribes of the Second Age to lose their precious Garden of the Plains."

"They were ignorant. They required knowledge.

Loki nodded. "Yes, and as I understand it, you championed humanity harvesting grain for food. The clan of Cain, worshippers of grain, rose up and slew their neighboring clan, Abel, the worshippers of animal feasting."

Sigyn nodded. "I barely remember my time as Kiko."

Loki grinned somewhat. "But you are just as capable and clever as your past iteration. Now that I studied what you were in your past life, I have an even greater respect for your potential. You see mine, and I see yours."

Sigyn pursed her lips in thought. "All that matters now is that humanity needs my protection, no matter what the cost."

"I could not have worded better, Sigyn."

"Thank you, love."

"Attend to Tamamo-no-Mae so that she will not interfere, then come visit me in the Hot Springs."

They shared a kiss.

The warmth of Loki's embrace faded. The projection of his body disappeared.

She stood, alone, in the mouth of an open hallway, leading into a mighty courtyard. She gently sifted her fingers through the soft white fur of large pet fox.

The fox churred softly in delight.

She offered him a knowing smile - the smile of a mother.

The fox remained silent.

She looked back up, so that he wouldn't see the fondness in her gaze. "Well, my one, it is time to make changes. Perhaps, by the time we are finished, it will be the Celestial realm that will be perched precariously upon the backs of turtle shells."

Silence.

She tightened her jaw, thinking about how the deities have failed humanity. "That will be my contribution to offsetting the balance put forth by those who say I am nothing more than 'the child bride of a monster.'

Her eyes narrowed.

Vali stole a fleeting glance up at his mother. He sensed her transformation and took a step back.

Sigyn's gaze took on an amber hue, and her pupils changed to vertical slits, like that of a fox.

"I am more than some ... trickster fox queen." She licked her lips with a deviously sardonic grin and added, "My heart has been caged long enough. Now, I fight for my children. Loki was right to crave revenge against the Æsir, and others like them."

Vali, still disguised, nuzzled against his mother's hip.

She looked down at her son, knowingly. She sighed softly. "I need your assistance in reaching out to this man - Dr. Aris Falcon. Introduce me to him?"

"I overheard that you are uncomfortable with being Loki's liaison."

"I felt awkward to spend time with another man, one who is not my husband, who has known the loneliness of an empty heart. However, Loki made a very good point - Vali likely watches over me from the shadows."

The large white fox swallowed and looked away.

Sigyn smiled. "It makes me feel safe. So, will you accompany me to meet with Aris Falcon?"

"Yes, of course."

Sigyn leaned down and kissed the white fur between his ears. "Thank you. But first, Loki is waiting for me in the Hot Springs. Also, Tamamo is waiting for me to see to her punishment. We have a full day ahead of us."

She turned and headed towards the Hot Springs.

Vali, in his disguise, followed his mother.

She glanced back at the fox. Her eyes returned to the trail ahead of her. Again, she smiled knowingly. Overhearing her husband confirm it, earlier, put her in a good mood.

-End

TO BE CONTINUED...

Thank you for reading Book 2 of the _Twilight of the Gods_series.

Next Book: _The Esoteric Collapse _

_ You can find it here: ** __https://www.sofurry.com/view/540810**_