"October 1st!" shouted Seo, as she passed the newsstand. It was the distant future, on an alien world, but it was, apparently, still October 1st. "My birthday! Happy birthday to me!"

Dawn tried to hide a giggle. "I don't know how birthdays work with time travel," she said, "but I'm pretty sure landing on any random October 1st doesn't make you automatically a year older."

"Why not?" said Seo. Her eyes wide. "I think it's brilliant! That way, if I want to stay young, I just have to avoid landing on October 1st. And if I want to get old and wise a little faster, I can skip to every single October 1st out there!"

That was one way of doing things.

Seo beamed. "Any rate!" she said. "If we go with my plan, and call this my 101st birthday, then we can sing and party and have cake! That's definitely worth while."

"I guess I can't really argue with an excuse to party, even if…" Dawn stopped. Frowned. "Wait, hundred… and first? I thought you were 99."

Seo froze. "I mean… my hundredth birthday."

Uh… huh…

Dawn had to give Seo one thing, though. This was the kind of planet that did seem like a great place to have a party.

Everyone was happy, the sun was shining, and apparently there was this super-awesome Emperor that everyone loved, who'd made their empire span across most of the globe and have unknown wealth and prosperity. The merchants could afford to give away things to people they liked. And, since all the men thought Dawn and Seo were serious hotties, that meant they got a lot of free stuff.

Which Dawn thought was kind of super-mega-awesome.

So they wandered around the marketplace, for a while, being beautiful and getting free stuff, while listening to people praising the Emperor to the heavens, whilst trying to chat them up.

"Free wine for the two goddesses of beauty!" one of the locals cried, offering them a glass.

Dawn blushed.

Seo just turned and ran away.

Which made Dawn have to go chasing after her, and then stop her, and then hear her go on about how she didn't want to be a part hell goddess… because being called a goddess wasn't a compliment to her, it was just a fact, and…

Seriously?

This, again?!

"Look, I know you're upset, but… could you please stop with the freaking-out-over-being-part-goddess thing?" Dawn said. "It's… just… you know. Show-offy."

Seo stared at Dawn. In almost horror. "Show-offy?!"

"Well… yeah. I mean, it's just…" Dawn struggled to grasp for words. "Look, I know you're mega powerful. And super smart. And indestructible and undefeatable, and you're going to grow up to be all legendary and stuff, but… just… you don't have to always dwell on it."

Seo shook her head. "I don't understand."

"You don't, huh?" said Dawn. She felt something bitter rising up inside of her, and she couldn't snap it back fast enough. "Okay. Let me explain it better. You've got no experience, but you just blunder in and fix everything and wind up being the person who thinks up a plan and saves the day — because you're some kind of crazy super person, who's going to be remembered and known throughout the universe, someday, as an indestructible force for good." She put her hands on her hips. "That's you. And then there are us non-super-powered people, who aren't part-hell-goddesses and can't do math in their head and can't just…"

"Are you jealous of me?" Seo asked.

Dawn blinked.

Damn.

She was.

That was a horrible thing for an aunt to do to her niece!

"No," Dawn insisted. "No, I'm not… look, just forget it. You're the superhero version of me, who was actually born and didn't have her whole personality wind up being based on 14 years of made up memories, and… that's cool. Totally cool."

"I… got memory-altered into existence, too," Seo said, quietly.

"It's not the same," said Dawn.

And they both knew it. Seo might be from an alternate timeline, edited out of the universe, but the memories the Monks had altered, in her timeline, were of the family around her. Not her own memories.

The first year of Seo's life might have been edited out of the universe. But in some alternate timeline, it did actually happen. It was real.

Dawn's childhood was never real. Not in any alternate reality, alternate timeline, or anything. It was just fake. Fabricated. Made-up.

Her whole personality was built on made-up memories.

"I'm sorry if you don't like the way I was born," Seo said. She fidgeted. "I… could… pretend I was born differently and lie to everyone until it seems like the truth."

Dawn sighed, and forced herself to let this drop. Seo was such a sweet kid! She totally didn't deserve to take the brunt of Dawn's never-really-got-addressed existential insecurities.

Dawn put an arm around Seo's shoulders, and gave her a half-hug. "No," she said, firmly. "Seriously. I'm cool with it." She sighed, as they continued to make their way down the street. "I'm sure you went through your own stuff with Glory. Even though… you were a baby and couldn't actually remember any of it."

God, Seo had no idea just how lucky she was! Did she have any idea just how much Dawn wanted to be a super-powerful, defend-the-universe, defeat-any-evil kind of person?

No. Bad Dawn! No jealousy.

Just supportiveness and being-good-to-your-nieceness, and stuff like that.

"Sorry," said Dawn, cursing herself out inside her head for being such a stupid idiot and hurting Seo's feelings. "I'm going to stop with the bitter thing. You're sweet and wonderful and a pretty cool person. And I love you just the way you are."

Seo nodded.

But kept her eyes fixed down on the ground.

As something passed across her. An… almost… terrified, horrible look. Like she'd been when Dawn had pointed out to her that she was only a hundred years old.

Their little family-drama thing was cut off, though, as the crowd around them exploded into enthusiasm and rejoicing and happiness, as everyone gathered around the street. All shouting out about how much they loved the Emperor, and the Emperor was coming, bringer of the Golden Age, and long live the Emperor! Streamers were thrown and flowers tossed at the elaborate flying hovercar parading down the street.

A man, regally attired, with blond hair parted in the middle, stood in the hovercar. Waving at his people. Soaking in their adoration and love.

Seo stepped away from Dawn. Looking out at the crowd, her eyes fixing on a spot in the distance. Her face bent into a deep frown, as she squinted.

The hovercar stopped, just in front of them. "My people!" the Emperor shouted out. Hands raised. "I've given you glory and riches and happiness! A golden age of peace and prosperity."

Everyone cheered, shouting their adoration.

"And I ask only one thing, in return," the Emperor said. "That you all remember me, for what I've done. Let my legacy live on forever!"

More exuberant cheering, the crowd's enthusiasm masking the chaos caused by Seo, who'd just grabbed up a bronze plate from a nearby merchant's stall, and had begun racing forwards.

The merchant, seeing her, shouted, "Stop, thief!" but the noise was drowned out by the cheering. The merchant surged forwards, trying to grab Seo back, while she ducked and dodged and pushed her way through the crowd.

Damn.

Whatever Seo was doing had to be good, so… Dawn raced out and tackled the merchant, desperate to stop him, so she could give Seo enough time to finish doing... whatever she was doing…

From the rooftop of a tall building, nearby, an energy beam shot out towards the Emperor. Perfect aim to hit him right in the chest.

Seo leapt forwards, thrusting the metal plate in the way of the beam, so it reflected off the metallic surface and discharged, harmlessly, into the air.

"Ow," Seo moaned, as the plate dropped to the ground, still smoking and sizzling from the intense energy and heat generated by the shot. She shook out her fingers, all singed and burned. "Ow, ow, ow!"

Dawn raced up to the hovercar, scrambling to Seo, trying to make sure she was all right. Shouting at all the security guards pulling her away that she was Seo's aunt, and she was looking after her!

"It's all right," said the Emperor. "She clearly shows fondness for the girl. Let her approach."

Then turned to the fallen Seo, trying to pick herself up from the ground where she'd toppled, just in front of the hovercar. Dawn helping her to her feet, checking over her injuries.

"You, dear lady, are a hero," said the Emperor. He bowed to her. "I owe you my life. And a hero's reward!"

Everyone in the crowd cheered, as security guards hustled Seo and Dawn into a following hovercar, which was heading towards the palace.

Then the Emperor turned to one of his security men. "Get the assassin," he commanded, in a voice too low for any others to hear. "Bring him back to me at the palace. We'll see how long it takes this time."