Aspen felt them moving faster and faster. Her finger went over Claire's back and came down pinning her to Keith. Aspen moaned deeply as she came. Her juices cascading over the mating borrowers inside her. Claire held him tight and felt him pulse his seed within her. Minutes later, they lay before Aspen panting and gasping. Aspen placed them on her tummy as she laid back on the bed. Nobody said anything for nearly an hour. Keith got up and cleaned himself off and returned to them. Claire had fallen asleep on her tummy. "I don't know how she can sleep like that" Aspen said looking at the tiny blonde sprawled out on her stomach. "It's a borrower thing. Our emotions can be all over the place sometimes. Happy about something one minute, the next sad. It can be very tiring. God she's cute" he said. "She farts in her sleep" Aspen said flatly. "Serious. You give her popcorn or French fries and her ass turns into a whistle" she said. Keith was cracking up laughing. "It's true. And when she tries to hide one dogs can only hear it" Aspen said. "Stop" Keith said chuckling. "But she's ours" Aspen said petting her. "Yeah. Damn. 2:00 already" he said. Aspen nodded to him. Keith left her sitting there with her thoughts.

He returned to his room where Lawan sat with the kids. He shrunk down to be with them and placed each on a knee. Lawan watched as he told them random stories. His fingers playing with their hair or brushing their tiny ears as he spoke. He would pause from time to time and just stare at them before continuing. It went on for hours until the babies fell asleep. The time was 5:45 and the sun was setting. The alignment would be in less than five hours. A maid came in to babysit the kids as the couple went to the briefing room. Keith sat quietly waiting for officers to show up. The house suddenly shook with thunder more fierce than last time. "Report" Keith said over a magical link. "No strikes this time but the whole damn sky lit up. Reports coming from America of people seeing the same thing. There's...something is up in Kansas City" Tommy replied. "What is it?" Keith asked. "Not sure. With satellites down, info is trickling in. Keep getting 500 error codes from websites. I'll try a web crawl...keyword crawl" he replied. "Keep me advised" Keith said as officers began to enter the room.

Keith waited a few minutes until everyone had arrived. "Good evening. Welcome to our last mission briefing. You know our target and our goal. However, our tactics have changed in light of the raising of the Mu continent. The good news is the battlefield won't be as cramped and we have more room to maneuver. The bad news is we no longer have coordinates needed to translocate safely" he said. "Then how do we get there?" Xiao asked. "By aircraft. Joseph said he can translocate if he has line of sight" Keith replied. "Keith, Mu is over 6 hours away. We won't make it in time" Susan said. "I know which is why we are going to translocate the entire aircraft right above Markus' head. At 15,000 ft., we won't have to airy about translocating into a wall or the ground itself. "You can do that right?" Keith asked Joseph. "Yeah. Tricky shit but I can. Thing is I'll have one good chance as it eats up a lot of magic moving that much mass. If I do it, that's that. No turning back" he replied. "How do we get hundreds of us onto a plane? We're small but not that small" Xiao asked. "You answered your own question. Small. We shrink our forces even smaller and carry them onto the plane" he replied. "Uh excuse me? How do we land?" someone asked. "We don't. We HALO jump" Keith replied. Murmurs abounded the room.

"Wouldn't we be vulnerable?" someone asked. "Which is why we are still deploying the boson bomb. It will be translocated two minutes before our drop zone. Once detonated, we will have a clear landing zone" he replied. They didn't look confident. "Susan and I will focus in eliminating ZODIAC. Claire will handle air superiority. Hikari will handle the higher-class mages. The rest of you are to engage at will. Work in teams. Use your numbers to offset their high magic skill level" he said. "And if any surrender?" Xiao asked. "We aren't taking prisoners. Make it bloody, make it painful" Keith answered coldly. "Sir. I have to ask. Why aren't we heading out now?" a young borrower asked. "As you know, the entire country is at a state of emergency that hasn't been this high since the Cuban Missile Crisis. That means Heathrow is under total lockdown. No civilian aircraft. We have agents busy right now shrinking tanker trucks and using some fuel from them to refuel the private jet. As you could imagine, that takes time and patience to avoid being spotted or someone noticing the missing petrol. They estimate they’ll be done around 2100 hrs. Then we take off and haul ass" he said. "Any other questions?" Susan asked. None said a word. "Then have all forces assemble in the front of the house no later than 2015 hrs. Dismissed" she said. "That's a crazy fucking plan Keith. They aren't just going to let us take off" Susan said. "Ask me how many fucks I give. We're still operating under Protocol Omega. We don't have time..." Keith was saying until a magical link cut in.

"Boss. You really should come down here. We got a problem" Tommy said. Keith and Susan made their way to Control. "What is it Tommy?" Keith asked. "A newspaper article from Kansas City Missouri. Top story" he said pulling it up on the screen. "Multiple fatalities sustained when a freak lightning storm struck a borrower appreciation celebration held at a local park. At 10:13 am local time, red lightning bolts began striking the ground. 6 people were confirmed dead at the scene" Keith said. "There's more. I found this too" Tommy said. "The autopsy reports?" Keith asked. "Leaked to the National Enquirer. It's weird as fuck even for them. This girl here died due to some kind of massive internal injury. When they cut her open, they found small skeletal bones lodged in her heart. Borrower bones. Bones that had the same DNA as her. Oh, it gets worse. The national borrower registry lists her. She’s a borrower Keith" he said. "What?! Says there her body is 5 foot 7 inches! Growth magic?" he asked. "Don't think so. Those tiny bones were fused to her heaty at the molecular level. Like they were phased and fused into her. And then there's the other body. "Jesus Tommy. Didn’t need to see that" he said looking at the mangled corpse.

"Two bodies. Same size, same build. One white the other African American" he said. "Fuck happened?" Susan asked. "DNA comparison came back almost identical. Except for a few genes that control melanin, it's the same person. And last but not least this poor fuck" Timmy said pulling up another page. Keith and Susan recoiled in horror. "Oh god the crotch" Susan said gagging. "Listed as female but after being struck by lightning, a penis appeared where her vagina is. She died by total cellular rejection. Somehow she ended up with both male and female chromosomes" he said. Keith was at a total loss. "One last thing. They put out a car fire at the scene. A bolt of lightning hit a sports car and then it went boom moments later. People said it looked as if it "glitched" he said. "Glitched? I saw with the tree outside" Keith said. Tommy zoomed in. "See anything wrong here?" he asked. "Ford Camaro? Ford doesn't make Camaros. Chevy does" Susan said. "So, where did this thing come from?" Tommy asked. Susan saw Keith narrow his eyes. "That look. You got that..."I have a theory look" Susan said. "Nothing concrete. We for other things we have to do anyway. Tommy, keep your ears open for the standard hot words. I want to make sure magic isn't involved" Keith said leaving the room.

Susan stopped him in the hallway. "Keith. What are you thinking?" she asked. "I don't want to frighten you" he said. "I might not see my daughter after today and this baby may die in my womb. I'm as frightened as I can get right now" she said. "I think the world really is ending. Actually, I should say worlds plural. We already know there's more than one as your evil twin is proof of that. I think our worlds are merging and this red lightning is a side effect. That tree. Rose said her mother thought of planting a cherry tree but decided on apple. Boom, it turns into a cherry tree and explodes. That Borrower girl we saw. Maybe one another world she was born human. The other girl was born black, that woman born a man. Ford decided on making their car Camaro instead of Mustang. And that lightning triggered a phase merge with their counterpart somewhere else. Separate matter can't exist in the same place and the same time" he said whispering. "But if our entire world merges..." she asked.

"Kaboom" Keith replied. "How do we stop it?" she asked. "Can we? Pelé said this is happening across all time and space. The event may occur a thousand years from now or ten thousand years ago. But with this alignment" he said. She nodded. "Keep this to yourself" he whispered in her ear.

Meanwhile...

"You did well" Markus said looking at the buildings seemingly in pristine order. "I heard the stories, but I never expected it to be so...advanced" she said catching her breath. "At its height, the capital was the crown jewel of the world. While filthy humans slept on frozen ground and hunted mastodon, we slept on 1000 thread count sheets and dined on delicacies. We were the apex species and with your help we will be again" he said. Hope looked around some more. "The bodies" she asked. "Father burned them all. That mountain region is actually a burial mound. "Thoughtful of him" she said. "Little too late to consider us. He could've helped end the war quickly and saved them all but chose to hide with his lowly human wife and kids. He paid for his cowardice" he sneered. Markus led her to the main structure that stood out from all the rest. "Behold, the Rainbow Palace. The seat of our knowledge and of the Etherion council" he said as they entered. Hope was amazed at it.  Ethereal lights turned on as they stepped foot inside. The very walls gleamed in prism colors from the Quartz Crystal used to make it.

The first floor had mosaics inlaid with jewels. The second books with gold pages. Markus showed one to her. "A simple geometry book. We knew the Pythagorean theorem before humans knew what a number was. And this one..." he said giving one to her. She was surprised how heavy it was. She opened it. The writing seemed to come alive. "Lemurian arcane. A kind of training tool for young children. By the age of five, Lemurian kids knew how to shrink or grow. We did not horde our knowledge. We made sure our people were educated. Because humans are our lessers, we did not debase ourselves into living on their terms. Something the outside world has forgotten" he said. Markus took her to the very top of the palace. In a half ring, 13 seats sat and in the very center on the floor was an empty throne. "What's that one for?" Hope asked. "In times past, the ceremonial seat for the Etherion prime. The first user among us. By birthright it is now yours. If you wish to sit on it, I ask only you honor tradition" he said. Hope walked closer. "Sit on it naked" he finished. Hope gave him a weird look. "It was said that when the Etherion Prime appeared before us, the people feared her power. As a gesture of trust, she took off her clothing and bared herself to show her vulnerability"

"She walked barefoot Through the street even though the stones cut her soles. She didn't heal herself as the shedding of her blood was a further gesture. When she came before the high Empress, she was challenged. The battle lasted only seconds ending with the Empress shrunk at her feet. Instead of crushing her, she showed mercy. Seeing one so powerful show her kindness, the Empress gave up this throne to her. And there she sat naked and ushered in the new age" Markus said finishing the story. Hope understood then and took off her clothing. She sat on the throne and found it was warm under her bare buttocks. "Stretch out your hand and feel it" he whispered in her ear. Uncertain of what he meant she did, and a wave of light pulsed Through the ancient capital. 150 ft. above, she could see the city's homes, Buildings, and marketplaces lit up. Like a sea of lights in the night. Markus wiped a tear away. "This city hasn't known light in 20,000 years. For that I thank you" he said bowing and kissing her big toe. Hope smiled at him as she pushed her toe into his mouth.

Markus didn’t object and the girl sighed contently as the man sucked her toes. Hope fidgeted where she sat when he stopped. Markus summoned his artifact the Eye of the World and chose a random place. He reached in and pulled someone out.

Xavier had been running for 15 minutes before stopping. People spoke of the end of the world but that didn't mean they would stop getting high. The mean street of Chicago still made a profit for him. Selling an ounce in the park, cops rolled up on him and he ran through every alleyway he could think of. He knew the ones to use as this was his turf. And as he caught his breath, he thought he was safe. The air suddenly stank of ozone and giant fingers plucked him away from his hiding place. He found himself in the hand of a giant man with white hair. His 19-year-old heart raced again. The giant carried him to a giantess which made the young man pause. She was younger than he but naked and beautiful. Xavier wondered if this was some dream. Hope saw him and tensed up. But after reading the mind of this offering, found him to be a detested thing. One must wonder if he was a decent person would Hope spare him. In any event, Hope spread her legs.

Xavier began to tremble as this felt to real to be a dream. He dreamt of many things including girls, but not giant ones and certainly never ones that smelled of pussy. The giantess tore off his clothing the second he was given to her and she smiled at him. Xavier looked into her pretty eyes and found himself getting hard. Would those massive lips suck him off? No, Hope reserved that for those she liked. The young man didn’t have time to cry out before she rammed him into her. Markus walked behind her and kissed her roughly as she moaned into his mouth. The new Queen raped the shrunken man roughly till she climaxed and felt a crack as her pussy clamped down. The giantess pulled him out panting. Xavier was very much dead. Arm broken, neck twisted, eyes frozen wide in death. Markus took the body from her hand and pushed it past her lips. With a grin she let it slide down her throat. Markus kissed her gently once more and stood by her side. "Soon, soon my queen the new order shall begin" he said.

Down below, Katherine stared at the awakened palace. In her right hand held a soul gem. "It’s pretty" Tracy said walking up to her. Katherine slipped the gem into her pocket. "Yes, I'll give it that...princess" she replied. "I'm no princess" the girl giggled. "I beg to differ. If Hope is to be our queen and your father marries her. Then it stands to reason you will be a princess" she replied. A red bolt of lightning filled the sky with light and thunder. "What is that?" Tracy asked. "Don't know. Neither does Markus. Could be a side effect of the alignment" Katherine replied. "Come Sagittarius, the time to take our place as the ZODIAC draws near" Aries said behind her. "I rather stay with Katherine" she said. "Go, we can talk later" she said. Tracy nodded and was led away by Aries, Taurus, and Libra. Pisces however stayed for a moment. "Is something on your mind?" Katherine asked looking at the Persian looking woman. "You concern me" she replied. "For what reason?" Katherine asked. "I can understand someone with so much hate and animosity. However, I can sense deceit in you as well" Pisces replied. "I haven't lied about a thing" Katherine scoffed. "My pendant artifact has the power to read and control emotions. Lie to yourself all you want but not me. Speak your heart or I shall speak to the master" she warned. Katherine's eyes lit up before grabbing Pisces by the throat. Pisces formed a dagger made of pure magic which was dropped when Katherine gripped her wrist. " I know all about your abilities of empathic hypnosis and synergy. Once understood, its fatal flaw becomes obvious. You're lucky there is still use for you" she said squeezing her windpipe. "Forget this and go away" Katherine said ramming a powerful mind control into her head. Pisces' eyes glazed over and Katherine released her. Pisces stood up and staggered away dazed. She sighed as she touched the soul gem in her pocket.

Susan was flipped onto her back and her ass was raised. She let out a squeak as Keith took her from behind. Her huffs of breathing increasing with the tempo of his thrusts. He lay on top of her now pinning her down. His hands holding hers as his face was buried in her sweet-smelling soft hair. With a grunt, he came inside her once more. Keith got off her and laid to her side catching his own breath. Both put their clothes on and left her room without a word. Susan paused to see Ruby sitting in her room staring at the clock holding one of the ruby shoes given to her for Christmas.  "I'll be down soon" she said to Keith.  Susan sat next to her and playfully bumped her. Out of nowhere, Ruby slapped an arcane down on the bed and activated it. Susan immediately shrank down where she sat. Ruby clutched her in her hand. "Ruby honey..." Susan said to the young giantess. Ruby cuddled her shrunken mother to her face and breathed her scent. Due to having sex multiple times just recently, it was more pronounced. Susan could smell her pheromones elevating.  Susan was annoyed that the girl pulled her clothing off just after getting dressed again but was more concerned about her daughter.

"I get it now. The shrinking me. Teasing you'd eat me. Rubbing me. Smelling me whenever you got the chance" Ruby said slipping her finger down to Susan's pussy. She rubbed it for a minute and then the juices clean. "To be so emotionally connected to someone. Every instinct on fire demanding to keep them safe. How do you do it mom?" she asked. "To leave? Self-sacrifice and I pray you never have to learn like I did" Susan replied. Susan moaned softly as the girl sucked her breasts. Her fresh milk coating the giant tongue. "I appreciate the intimacy but not like this. Not under these circumstances" Susan told her. "But Keith..."

"Is going to die" Susan said cutting her off. Ruby was shocked. "How do you know?" she asked. "He was told by his own wife who had a vision and she's never wrong. Everybody knows that. You've been cooped up in the house so you wouldn't know I guess" Susan replied. "And you?" Ruby asked softly. Susan shrugged. Ruby placed Susan on the bed and moved so now her feet was on the sheets with her knees tucked to her stomach. Susan walked over to her giant toes. The red nail polish had begun to wear off. Her feet were clean but not too clean Susan's enhanced sense of smell didn’t detect traces of sweat. Her anxiety had caused the giantess to break out in cold sweats but at least she wasn't breaking down this time. Susan found solace in that much. Her nails were neatly trimmed. Susan smiled as she remembered seeing her bare feet not long after coming to live with her. Her feet were dirty and unkempt. A habit her mother broke her of. Susan glanced at the clock. 7:03 pm. "Get the nail polish" she told her. Ruby came back with it and under instruction placed the brush to the side. Carefully, Susan coated her hands in paint and used them to paint her toes.  Minutes passed as the giantess watched her. Susan was on her third toe when Ruby spoke again.

"How did it feel to lose your parents? I mean really" she asked. "Nothing at first. I was in shock. Then later anger, resentment at the girl who took them from me...and God" Susan replied. "God?" Ruby asked. "Yeah, I was mad that if he existed then why did my mom get eaten and my dad taken from me" she replied. "But you're a Baptist bible thumper!" Ruby said. Susan chuckled as she wet her hands with paint and started the touch ups on the fourth toe. "Everyone has a moment when they lose faith. Either if be god, a friend, loved one, or yourself" she replied. "So how did you get back to being buddies with God?" Ruby asked. Again, Susan chuckled. "When Lily told me something very important. God isn't responsible for the bad things we do to each other. That's all on us. God is responsible for putting those we need in our path to help us get back up" she replied. "Like you with me?" Ruby asked. Susan nodded as she inspected the toenail. She wet her hands and went to her pinky toe.

"With that I began praying again every night before bed and I still do. Well, I did start praying around noontime when you entered my life" she said. Ruby looked puzzled. "God. Please have this girl wash her stinky feet. Make her clean her room. Don't fuck the first boy that smiles at her" Susan said. "Jesus. I have more sense than that!" Ruby huffed. "Oh. Let's put that to the test. Did you shave your pubes?" she asked. Ruby blushed and nodded. "Good. Boys aren't going to like going down on a tumbleweed. You're taking care of your feet better so there's that. If a boy likes you then ramble on about stupid shit. If he still listens, he's a keeper. If he respects you enough to wait until you're emotionally prepared for sex, hold onto him" she said finishing her nail and moving to her other foot. "Any boy can suck your toes, but a real man will look you in the eyes while he does it. Your first is precious. A real man will go slow and ease himself in. If he holds your hand and is worried, he's hurting you...marriage material. If he knocks you up and sees to your every need even in the middle of the fucking night. You choose wisely" Susan said to her. "Anything else?" Ruby asked. "A real man will sacrifice his needs for yours. It won't make you happy, but it will him" Susan said softly. She paused to wipe tears from her eyes with the side of her arms.

"Like Keith?" Ruby muttered. Susan paused as she finished her big toe. "Yes" she replied. "Figures. You are carrying his baby" Ruby said. "His daughter. I cheated and used clairvoyance to see the sex of the fetus" she said to the giantess losing up at her for a moment. Susan finished on her toes 10 minutes later. With reluctance, Ruby tore up the arcane and restored the size of her mother. Susan washed her hands clean in the adjacent bathroom. "Take out a pen and paper" she told her daughter as she got dressed again. "I want you to write down what your sister's name should be but don't show me" Susan said. Curious to the strange instructions, Ruby did. "Fold it and keep it to yourself. Now I have to come back alive so I'll know" Susan said to her. Ruby folded it and placed the note on her dresser. Susan went downstairs followed by Ruby. Susan was surprised to find not just Keith and her father but Joseph as well.

"So that patch of land you used to grow tomatoes?" Joseph asked. "At first the damn squirrels kept eating on it till I pissed all around it" Tim replied sipping beer. "And my car?" Joseph asked. "Purrs like a kitten. People ask if I want to sell it, but I refuse each time" he replied. Susan sat next to her father and held his hand. She listened to them telling old stories that even Tim had forgotten. Susan smiled as she heard another man remark on the early days of their lives together. "I still have that spell you gave me. Thankfully I've never had to use it" Tim said. "You mean that translocation spell?" Joseph asked. Tim nodded and finished his beer. Keith looked at his watch as it said 7:55. "Susan" Keith said pointing to his watch. Susan quietly nodded and went upstairs. All of them were silent not knowing what to say. Susan has returned wearing her full combat uniform and armor. She had not worn this much protection since the battle that summer.

Tim walked to her and placed his crucifix necklace around her neck. Susan remembered it from childhood as it was a very precious thing to him. "He will provide" he told her. Susan gripped it for a moment before hugging him. "Daddy..." she sobbed softly into his neck. Tim petted her hair. She saw his eyes red with tears welling up in them. Tim kissed her not in the standard human father/daughter way but strong, rough, his tongue in her mouth. He kissed her as a borrower would. Tim let go of her. "Mom?" Ruby said to her. Susan held her close, smelling her scent and holding her most intense feelings back. Susan kissed her and let it linger tasting her saliva. Her hand held her's. Her eyes going down her body and lingering around her perfect little toes. It took all her might to let go of her. Ruby's legs gave out and she fell to the floor. Susan went to get her until Ruby stopped her. Ruby stood back up on her own and nodded. Susan dared not look back as she walked Through the open door with Keith. "Everyone is assembling in the foyer. I'll be there soon. In the meantime, begin preparations for mass shrinking" he said softly as they entered the sunroom. Susan quietly nodded.

Lawan stood patiently waiting for him as he entered their bedroom. His combat uniform lay on the bed for him. She herself was naked. "Personal matters done?" she asked. He silently nodded. Keith took off all his clothing. Lawan noticed his semi erect cock. "With all the girls you telling goodbye, one would think you'd be as soft as pudding" she said. "I saved the last nut for you" he told her. "Oh, how you honor me" she smirked getting on her knees. Keith ran his fingers Through her soft black hair as she sucked him. As he became fully erect, she deep throated him. Keith wanted to hold off as this could be the last time, he came in one of her holes but Lawan was too skilled for that to work. He caressed her checks as they bulged with his load. Her loud gulps as she swallowed his seed, the wet lick of her mouth savoring his semen. Keith stood silently as she got up and began to dress him. Undershirt tucked into his boxers, pants, top uniform, and then socks. Then came the flexible carbon nanotube composite armor plates. Chest plate, knee pads, lightweight low-cut boots. He held off the sword holster that would carry Rune Glory. It was his wife's turn.

Lawan had shrunken down to her normal size to put her traditional armor on. She sat on the bed next to the set as Keith picked up a pair of tweezers. Obviously putting them on herself would be much faster but for personal reasons they agreed to this. Keith picked up her left sandal with his tweezers and positioned it carefully. With his fingers, he held her delicate ankle steady as he slipped her sandal on. Her toes wriggling to secure it. Then came the other. Keith kissed her tiny bare sole before slipping her sandal on. Next came her breastplate Keith was careful as her breasts were sometimes bloated with milk. "It's okay. I pumped earlier" she said quietly. Keith nodded and secured the plates. All that was really left was her battle skirt. Keith stared for a moment at her cute tiny pussy. "Do it. We're short on time" she said opening her legs. Keith lightly licked her for a minute or so until she yelled at him. "Stop dragging it out and eat me! FUCKIN' EAT ME!" she screamed shedding tears.

Keith allied his fingers under her bare ass to steady her as he sucked and slurped her pussy into his mouth. His little wife writhed and ground her ass on his fingers. With a squeak she came coating his tongue with her sweet juices. Keith took ahold of the tweezers once more after she nodded to him. Her battle skirt was latched and fitted. She summoned her glaive to her and hopped onto his shoulder. "They're waiting" she muttered wiping her eyes.

Susan was busy supervising the shrinking process. A group of 50 would step into an arcane and dwindle down to the size of insects before boarding a chest modeled after the one the Mogwai had brought with them. "You clean up nice" she said seeing him. "How's it going?" he asked seeing the clock say 8:08. "50% done. Thank god the Range Rover has the cargo capacity" she said. "Still we have to take your Jag for the rest of us" Elena said behind him. "You look...different" he said. "Feel different" she muttered helping a maid carry a chest. Keith kept his gaze on her. "She feels...off" he said to Susan. "Understandable given the circumstances" she said. "I myself am eager to fight" Hikari said adjusting her geta sandals. "We all are" Lawan said to her. Keith felt a tug on his arm. He turned to see it was Aspen and Claire. Claire kissed her wife and flew outside. "Don't you look so high and mighty drowned rat" she snickered. Keith blushed. "You called me that for a week when I first moved in with you" he said. "Go to the sunroom" she said. Keith nodded and left.

At the glass, he could see thousands of borrowers on the streets holding prayer candles. The city itself dark except for them. Keith knew it could be the last time he saw any of them. Then he heard crying at his foot. Keith bent down to find a love child crying as her candle lay on the street. "It...it went out" she sobbed.  The girl couldn't be any older than 7-year-old. Keith plucked her and the miniscule candle up and brought them his face. She looked so upset. "Place it back in your hands" he said. She did. Keith brought her to his lips and kissed her face. Then he whispered something. Her candle flickered back to life. Oberon would usually admonish him when he tries to force magic from himself such as it was dangerous but not this time. A very tiny bit of life force he used to relight the candle he figured was well spent. If he couldn't inspire hope in an inch-tall girl, then how could he for an entire race? Keith placed her back on the street and raised his hand. He gave them a long wave and then retreated back into the sunroom. His hearing could pick up crying of hundreds, but he could not tally. The clock was always ticking.

"It's done. We can leave now" Susan said. Keith nodded and followed her outside. Maids and servants lined both sides of the walkway to the driveway. Different sizes and bowed. Some were crying but were silent. And at the end was Rose and Alyssa. Rose hugged him sniffling. "Youve been like a dad to me this last few months" she said. Keith smiled at her before kissing her forehead. She didn't want to let go. Keith took her hand off him and placed it in Alyssa's. He looked at the teary-eyed black girl. "Keep doing what you're doing" he said simply. Both cars fully loaded, Keith got behind the wheel of the Rover and Susan the Jag. They pulled off and hurried to the M1 exchange.

Joseph, sitting passenger with Keith kept looking around. "Nervous?" Keith asked. "No" he replied. "Really? You keep looking around" Keith said. "It feels like someone is calling for me" he said. Keith looked concerned. "Not Markus. It's very faint like a whisper. Nevermind. With the airport on lockdown, you do realize it won't be easy even getting to your plane" he said. "I'm aware of that. We're operating under Protocol Omega rules right now. That means gloves off to finish our mission" he said. Joseph didn't object. Especially when both of them noticed the sky turning red. Keith and the others got close to the entry for private aircraft and sure enough a small group of soldiers guarded it. "Keith. What's the plan?" Susan asked. "Hypnosis won’t fool the cameras and they'll just send for reinforcements. Joseph, can you shrink us all down so we can drive past them?" Keith asked. "Yes, but I won't be able to translocate immediately after taking off" he warned. "We'll burn that bridge when we get to it. Susan get close" Keith said.

Both cars pulled parallel of one another before Joseph began. It was a strange feeling seeing the ground move up and seemingly swell as they shrank. By the time they were done, the cars were the size of small toys. Wisely, they turned off their headlights. They took the sidewalk. The cars groaning as they ascended the handicap ramp like a small mountain. Keith gunned it as it became level again. "Fuck!" he yelled swerving to avoid crashing into a water bug that scurried past them. The insect was bigger than the SUV itself. Susan and Keith kept their head on a swivel at the giants not far away. Thankfully, their eyes were on the reddened skies. A distance of 35 feet took five minutes to traverse. They were behind schedule. They had cleared the checkpoint and joseph unshrank them. The first hurdle cleared but by no means were they home free. The cars pulled into the hangar and they all hopped out. Hikari, Elena, and Lawan watched silently as the others hurried to load the plane. 10 minutes later it was done. "It's fully fueled and serviced boss" one agent said to him. "Then you're hereby relieved of duty. Use the proper routes to return" Keith said. "But, were soldiers too" the other said. "I know but I need you back home right now. Too many eggs in one basket as it is" Keith said. "That's an order soldiers" Susan said to them. Both hung their heads and nodded. They looked at Keith and Susan and saluted. They ran off leaving them shortly after.

Keith sat in the pilot seat while Susan took copilot. "Normally We'd do a checklist but uhh...fuck that" Susan said starting the engines. "Good evening. This is your captain speaking. We will be flying nonstop from London Heathrow airport to the Mu Continent. I ask you to buckle up and keep the tray tables in their upright and lock position as we taxi and takeoff. Seriously, the RAF is likely to try breaking a foot off in our collective asses" Keith said over the intercom. Keith throttled up slightly and hit the rudders steading the jet onto the nearest runway. Immediately, a spotlight was shown on them. "They're demanding for us to power down and return to our hanger" Susan said listening on the radio. Keith chuckled. As he steered onto runway Three. A dispatch of Humvees was rapidly approaching. "Now or never" she said looking at the rpm gauges. "Ready Goose?" Keith grinned. "Right with you Maverick" Susan chuckled. Both touched the throttles and punched it. The jet lurched forward and gained speed. Lightning in the far distance lit the sky. The jet creaked as Keith yanked back on the yoke having it take to the air. The ascent was at a steep angle as Keith raced for good altitude for Joseph to begin.

"Joseph were at 5,000 ft. Is this good enough?" Keith asked. "Good on your end. I need five more minutes to begin" he replied sitting on the floor. "We got company" Susan said looking at the radar. She used her clairvoyance to see what was chasing them. "Two F-15 Strike Eagles. Fully loaded" she said. "Last time this happened Hope shrank them. Not getting that lucky again" Keith muttered climbing into a cloud. "They're demanding we return or else" she said. Keith ignored them. Four minutes passed. Warning lights went off. "Dammit. Ice buildup" he said lowering altitude. "They're falling back for a shot" she said. Lightning began to arc across the sky fiercely. Naturally, Keith turned to avoid the worst. "I'm done charging. Keep it steady. Remember what I said about one shot" Joseph said. A white point of light formed ahead. "Missiles! Igniting oxygen. Channeling. Lemurian Fire spell level one. Ignite" she chanted.  A bolt of fire appeared behind them and the sidewinder missiles locked onto it. Susan led them away but the shudder from detonation told them they had missed by not much. "They're falling further away!" she said. The portal was getting closer and growing in size. "They're going for a radar lock. Fire spells won't save us from that. "Then I have no choice" Susan said powering up slightly. Red lightning intensified as she focused. "Channeling ions. Static electric bias. Leader ready. Lemurian Lightning spell level two. Sky..." she was saying and then two heavy booms behind them. "You had no choice" Keith said. "Wasn't me. That red lightning struck them both making them explode. Keith...I could see them and for a split second after they were hit...I saw the Nazi swastika on their tails" she said.

"Adds to my theory. Joe, I don't mean to rush but we're very close and it ain't big enough!" Keith yelled. He throttled back but with that momentum it only bought him seconds. Elena went to cross herself before she figured the old gods were watching her. Lawan held her breath. Susan clutched her cross. Hikari remained stoic. Claire prepared for the worst. The jet crossed the portal with barely two feet of clearance on each wing. Instantly, they were transported thousands of miles away. Keith looked at the instruments. 435 knots at 3,000 ft. "My god Keith. Look below" Susan muttered. Both of them could see the lights of the capital below as they crossed over the western perimeter of it. Keith nosed the jet down and then put it on autopilot as it reached 275 knots and 2,000 ft. slow and low enough to begin. "Joe I need a translocation. I know you're hurting buddy" he said. Joseph concentrated. "Tens of thousands there. I can feel the strongest concentration at the palace. Damn, they got a barrier up" he said. "Then target the biggest group of mages" Keith said priming the bomb. Everyone heard the whine from it as built up charge dumped into the emitters. "Got it" Joseph said opening a portal inside the cockpit. Keith hit the detonator final failsafe and pushed it Through. "Some people don't know when to...hell is that?" Markus muttered seeing a red point of light fall from the jet from the observation terrace of the council room. "Destroy it!" he commanded those below. A torrent of lightning struck it to no effect. Keith had wisely coated it with thin iron plating hence its heavy weight. The lightning charge did nothing as it was electrically conducted around the mass. Then it detonated. 150 ft. above the ground, the fully charged emitters released a massive burst of specific boson particle radiation. Strong enough that the come shaped bomb hovered briefly in the air due to magnetic repulsion. Below, anyone in its range was bombarded by the payload and began shrinking. It was so rapid, they couldn't breathe. No screams or even gasps. It took all of five seconds before the bomb fell to the ground squashing some ant sized mages unlucky enough to be underneath. Of course they tried to grow themselves but quickly found that none could sustain the energy required to. Even the best of them caught could manage borrower size before it failed. Markus knew full well who was responsible. "Your father has pestered me for the last time!" Markus yelled at Hope.

Hope was astonished her father had come for just a moment...until she remembered what kind of man he was. Markus engaged the Eye and made a portal above the craft. "Everyone out!" Keith said after opening the emergency door. Keith and Susan quickly tossed the chests full of soldiers out. "Away with you" Markus hissed as he put his hand Through. He reached for the jet. "Markus no!" Hope yelled yanking on him. His hand barely missed the jet. Markus pushed her aside. "You would throw away the future of this entire world for one man?!" Markus yelled. Hope said nothing and stared at him as he readied his grasp again. "Time to go!" Keith said grabbing Susan and jumping just as a giant hand scooped the jet right out of the air. Markus held onto the shrunken jet which was no larger than an inch now until he crushed it. A pop and puff of smoke from his curled fingers followed by a trickle of blood. "Daddy" Hope muttered. "Susan! Claire! Wind spells!" Keith yelled as they free fell. A gust of wind rose up slowing their descent until they landed safely. "Can't believe that worked!" Elena said getting to her feet. "Pop the chests guys. I sense company” ‘Keith muttered.

They feverishly got everyone out as human sized footsteps approached. "Sound the alarm!" someone shouted. Claire used fire magic to burn them where they stood. Four down, many more to go. "Keith. More are coming. A lot more" Susan said feeling the street. "Cancel the shrinking spell. Elena get these vocal cords going. I want snipers on those rooftops. MOVE IT PEOPLE!" Keith yelled summoning his sword. People were in place as dozens of mages intercepted them. "Let's see what these upgrades can really do" Elena said standing on a loner rooftop looking down.

"I don't know what you had in mind, but here we stand on opposing sides. Let's go to war. LET'S GO TO WAR! Everything you say, everything you do. You push it in and you cut me down...and you cut me down. War, war, war...screaming at the ones we love! Like we forgot who we can trust! Screaming at the top of our lungs...*

(Authors note: the song she's singing is "Go to War" by the band Nothing More)

Elena was astonished immediately. Drums, guitars, everything needed but it was just her there. Her mind had brought visualization to her song in a way only the truly gifted singer could. And as her voice carried over the wind, the fortification spell did as well. Keith and Susan looked up at her dumbfounded at how potent the song spell was. "Amazing. Easily four times as strong..."

"Focus!" Susan yelled. The enemy mages smirked at the small soldiers on the street before firing magics. Susan easily shielded them. They were smirking anymore.  "Light brigade! Fire!" she commanded. The light brigade, wearing sunglasses even at night, let lose their specialty, light attack magic. Beams of light like potent lasers literally cut down the enemy. The brigade fell back letting the next ones ready attacks. Intense lightning magic bombarded Susan's shield making her stagger. "Ice brigade! Fire!" she yelled. A torrent of razor-sharp shards of ice slit their throats. "Fall back. Fall back and regroup!" one shouted. Claire took to the air and burned them. "How many was that?" Keith asked. "19 but they were weak. The lowest he had I'm betting. He'll send stronger ones and they won't underestimate us. We have to press!" Susan said. "Agreed! Everyone has their assignments. Lawan 697 and Xiao are in command here. Stay safe" he told her. Lawan nodded before kissing him. "Need a lift?" Claire asked Hikari. "I can manage on my own" she replied. She slapped the driver onto her waist and it automatically fit.

"Yokai driver on" it said. Hikari drew a kanji on the transformation plate. "Yokai change. Form...tengu. Spread your wings and prepare for a force!" it said in Japanese. Hikari transformed before her. Growing to human size, she sprouted black crow-like wings on her back. Her clothes morphed. She wore a green kimono with black pants. Bindings on her calves and geta sandals on her feet. In her hand was a shokujo (Japanese Buddhist staff). She flapped her wings hard and rose into the air. "Don't just stand there. Grow and follow me" Hikari told her. Claire grinned and grew to human size. The two raced off. Susan took off on her own moments later. Her eye on Keith as he raced to the palace.

"UNBELIEVEABLE! Stay here and don't come out!" Markus shouted at Hope sensing some of his followers dying. He left the room and closed the door behind him. He made his way to the ground floor where he found the ZODIAC. "To me my zodiac. There are some fools that don't know when to die" he hissed. They followed him outside beyond the barrier. "Aries. Begin empowering our people. Taurus rout their advance, Libra. Intercept Susan and Claire. Pisces take point with Taurus" he commanded. "What about me?" Tracy asked. "You stay here with Katherine. I'm trusting you to guard her" he said looking at Katherine who was now walking up to them. "By your command" she smirked. "My mages! Destroy the invaders!" Markus commanded over a magical link. Aries began first. She invoked the power of her artifact and brought it to her lips. She kissed it as her eyes glowed. A glow of magic settled in her throat before she opened her lips. Aries began singing...

Elena felt it. Faint but it was there. She almost faltered in amazement. "There's someone else here like me?!" she thought. A door slammed open behind her and she turned to look. Mages. Elena turned her voice on them as they readied to attack. With barely any effort, she shrank them to the size of insects. She walked over and raised her foot over the fleeing enemies and slammed it down. The smallest of crunches under her sandal. Elena paused. "The hell?" she asked realizing she had not worn sandals when she left the mansion. She checked her clothing only to find it had drastically changed. It was that if an Alux priestess of long ago. Light yellow top coming just below her breasts leaving them exposed. A short yellow skirt and a gold inlay headdress in her hair. Her power has brought her closer to her gods for sure. The soldiers below had advanced far enough she had to keep moving. She found her footsteps light as she seemingly danced on ethereal magic vapors in the air. Her music given visual form. But as she advanced, she could feel the enemy much clearer. And as soon as her song reached it, it got really complicated.

"Keith, we have a problem. You never told me they had an Alux among them" she told him Through a link. "Wha? Elena hold on" Keith said slashing down a soldier. With a burst of speed, he cut down those that surrounded him. "Alux? You certain?" he asked. "Yes. Her power is...augmented like mixing two harmonies. I... aww shit. It's Celine Cruz! Your goddamn Aries is fucking Celine Cruz!" she yelled. "Pardon but I don't follow singers" he said shaking blood off his sword. "Two-time Grammy winner? Platinum album? She was my inspiration Keith. I knew she was Hispanic on her dad's side but never I thought she had Alux blood. She...she's better than me. I can feel her song chipping away at mine" she muttered. "That explains why it feels like they're getting stronger. Elena you can't give in. This is it baby. The diva song battle of the century" Keith said. Elena was silent for a moment. "Yeah. Fuck her" Elena hissed before inhaling. She began singing again and louder this time. Aries felt her power. "As if she could win" she mocked turning her attention to Elena. 

Xiao had linked up her forces with Lawan. It had been a bloody fight getting this far. It was clear that the C class mages were cannon fodder meant to exhaust them and it was working. As they regrouped, B class mages appeared and torched the small soldiers before them. Lawan was saving her energy but was forced to grow to human size. She twirled her glaive parrying magic attacks and began slicing them down. A powerful blast of lightning sent her crashing Through a wall. "Perish" the woman said concentrating her power. A loud explosion obliterated the dwelling Lawan had crashed into. The woman turned her attention on the borrowers and Mogwai at her feet as an invisible force held them where they stood. The giantess took amusement crushing them one by one under her feet as they attacked with magic she easily deflected. Then the odd sound of a heavy metal object being moved. The woman turned just as Lawan skewered her. "How..." she muttered before Lawan lifted her off her feet and tossed her well aside. With cold precision, Lawan shot her with lightning finishing her off. Lawan looked at her forces. She barely had half left from when she started. 120 now down of 65 at most. Then Xiao appeared. "That's all?" Lawan asked seeing her team. "Yes" Xiao solemnly replied covered in blood standing human size as well.

Suddenly, both sensed danger from above. Lawan grabbed Xiao and ran. A giant palm flattened the entire city block and everyone on the street. "Hmm..." Markus said looking at his hand after pulling it back Through the portal. Very tiny specks of blood coated it. He went for another target but held off. The time was 9:51. His energy was needed for something else. Lawan pulled Xiao from their hiding place. Meanwhile, Claire had found Taurus...

Claire had been air striking enemies along her path after separating from Hikari who went to help friends surrounded by human size mages. She didn't keep a tally on kills but how strong her fire blasts were it was easily over 150 by this point. She was burning down entire city blocks as she streaked overhead. And then she felt it, a burst of magic and then a gaping hole where she was keeping track of friendly soldiers so not to commit friendly fire. Her sight caught an ethereal thing on the ground looking at her. Claire swooped down and saw it some kind of magical beast man carrying a club. At his feet were pulverized borrowers. She went to strike it only to find it suddenly disappear. A few feet ahead were a young woman holding a borrower in her hand.

"Your kind did well to get this far. Well indeed" she said admiring the struggling Borrower pinched between her fingers. Cruelly, she shoved him into her mouth and chewed him up alive. She swallowed and then spat out a torn uniform and boot. "A species should know when to go extinct. Seriously, what can your kind even say about a world that is engineered to exterminate you? You're a mistake and we are the eraser" she said coldly to Claire. Claire growled and attacked her with a literally burning fist. "Scutum" Taurus said. The constellations of the Shield formed to deflect her attack. Claire howled punching it over and over and it began to crack. A magic force punched her back. "Sagittarius" Taurus said and the centaur constellation took shape. It let lose rapid arrow shots, one piercing Claire in the arm. The anger and pain made her lash out violently shattering the form. Taurus recoiled. "Enough games!" she yelled. "Chains of Cassiopeia!" she yelled. Strong heavy chains bound Claire by her arms and ankles where she stood. She couldn't move. Taurus summoned Orion back although having two constructs put a strain on her. Claire watched as the young woman seemingly merged herself with it making it some kind of armor.

A punishing blow to her stomach made Claire heave. She felt her ribs crack. Another blow and she coughed blood. A normal person would be dead by now, even a magically enhanced one, yet Claire still stood. Taurus punched her in the face breaking her nose. Another knocked out two teeth. Taurus grabbed her chin. "Beg and I'll end it" she whispered. Claire spat blood in her eye. The woman angrily wiped it away. "Just for that, I'll make it so much worse" she hissed. She tore down Claire's pants and panties. Claire trembled in fear as the woman unleashed the ethereal cock of her construct. Clair screamed in pain as Taurus thrust it up her pussy. "Fuck you borrowers are tight!" she groaned as she rammed it harder and faster. Since her constructs were tied to her sensation (hence the recoil if one was destroyed), Taurus felt it like she was a man raping a woman. The pain, fear, stark terror made Claire's power wane. "I should have Libra turn you into a slave. Every night we can do this with you lying at my feet bleeding out of your cunt begging for more" she chuckled.

"You won't have to worry about nothing else except sex. Painful, ripping, bloody sex. No Keith, no weak human Aspen, no baby" she whispered in her ear. Those words pushed every fear out of her heart. Losing them was far worse than being raped, beaten, or dying by the hand of this psychopath. It was then that Claire "turned off" her mental circuit breakers that held back her power. Taurus felt it before she saw it. It felt like she was literally fucking a bolt of lightning. She let out a scream and was blown back. Orion shattered around her. Claire strained at the chains binding her until one by one they snapped causing more feedback. Her eyes burned like lit coals. The air grew hot and the street under her feet began to melt. Taurus summoned Sagittarius again to fire arrows at her. To her horror, Claire caught them with her hands tossing them aside as she walked closer. "Scu...Scutum!" she stammered summoning a shield. Claire punched it shattering it throwing the woman hard into a thin wall. The force causes it to collapse. Dazed, Taurus opened her eyes again only to find a glowing giantess before her. "You want my pussy so badly. Come and get it!" she screamed slamming the shrunken Taurus up her wounded snatch. The woman screeched as searing hot blood coated her body. Claire held her there for a few moments before pulling her back out. She didn't want her to die that way. "Mer... mercy" the woman begged with third degree burns on her face and chest. "The same amount you showed me" Claire hissed as she brought her to her mouth. Taurus screeched as giant teeth came down on the upper part of her body and then severed her in half. Claire tossed her lower half onto the street and crushed it. Astonishingly, Taurus still clung to life before Claire spat her torso out. "Please...ple..." she coughed. With barely a thought, Claire reduced her to ashes. Fiery wings came from her back, not the same cute glowing ones that usually did but burning angelic ones, as she took to the air. The enemy under Taurus' command was not far and totally exposed. Summoning all her vengeance, Claire brought down hell in the form of fiery feathers, hitting the ground and causing an explosion EVERYONE could see and feel.

"Sweet Jesus that was Claire! Claire! Are you alright?!" Keith asked over a link. "Stop shouting. I'm fine. Taurus is dead as well as her contingent" Claire replied softly. Keith could see a burning light in the distance. "...I see. Everyone sound off. Sit rep" he said. "Lawan and Xiao here. Markus attacked us directly. We survived due to Lawan pulling us into a sewer manhole, but our teams are gone. Elena here. Killed some of my own and continuing to advance with the remaining forces. Susan here. Locked onto Libra. Kill count is about 190. Hikari here standby" she said.