Shoe nodded her head vigorously, digging at the dirt. She drew two scratch marks, then looked up at Ludovica expectantly.
Two. I smell two entities. She's with someone. Am I a good girl, Mommy?
She trotted in place, eager to continue the fight and yet nervous of who she would find. Had Xenos come down from the realm? Was Niven around? It was hard to tell.
Still, whoever it was, Shoe was sure. They were dead meat.
Malin let out a dry laugh. "That must have sucked. Geez, you have no idea how long I've been looking for you--n-not because I wanted your soul or whatever, I just wanted to meet you. I know how it feels to live for centuries believing no one understands you. No one understands me either."
It would have been entirely true if not for the girl riding on his back. Nervous, Malin added, "Except you, of course. 'Cause you made this planet and stuff. W-whatever, you know what I mean. The flowers, and the animals, and the people. ...And all those things are dying without you. Because you're stuck here. Gosh, the others are so stupid. I can't believe they want to keep you here. I don't blame you for being cautious, you've got a lot of enemies."
The anger he felt towards the rest of his family had pushed him into a full-on sprint, but he didn't even seem to notice. He did notice his hands gripping Life's legs more firmly, but he decided not to focus on that.
Kayin. That was right. Bennie had forgotten his name, but that wasn't really her fault--she had a lot on her mind.
"I'm looking for your...um, father?" Bennie shrugged. "Life. She's in a girl's body now, a really cute one. Have you seen a tiny Asian cutie around here?"
It was a long shot, but maybe Kayin had seen something.
Alfonso stepped into a familiar realm on his way to Death's throne.
Inside, three familiar faces sat. Alfonso recognized his father Xenos first; the blond entity sat with the same wide grin on his face he always had.
Beside him were Alfonso's other son, and Ludovica's other daughter. Alfonso dipped his head to them.
A passing soul was randomly sealed into a ring by Xenos, who slipped the ring onto one finger. Alfonso shuddered; the way Xenos could just casually seal up a human soul without a hint of hesitation--even within another entity's realm--always terrified him.
"What's going on here?" he asked.
"Family meeting," Ludovica's daughter muttered, plucking the petals off of a daisy. "I'm sick of this already, can I go back yet?"
"Stay and enjoy the company, little Alfie," Xenos hissed, laughing as he turned the ring over in his hands. "It's been aaaaaages since I saw ya!"
That was intentional. Alfonso avoided saying it out loud. Instead, he asked, "Is Death in her room?"
"Death, Life, Maria. Death, Life, Maria." Xenos repeated the mantra, tossing his ring up into the air and catching it. Alfonso avoided eye (bang?) contact.
"I don't even care," Ludovica's daughter sighed.
Niven was Alfonso's last hope. He looked over at his son, internally begging for a real answer.