I do not own Chaotic nor anything related to it. It belongs to TCDigital.

-\/\/\/-

THe aRRiVaL HoMe

-\/\/\/-

We're almost home. How many days has it been? It feels like forever. The city Al Mipedim grows larger and larger as we approach. I can't wait until we make it.

We're now a little ways away from the city, and I hear the most wonderful sound a parent can hear. "Mommy! Daddy!" It's the sound of our little girl's voice as she runs up to greet us from the front gates.

"Hera!" I cry out with a broad smile on my face.

I can't exactly hop off the kozorr I'm riding, being the one guiding it, but Isis has no such restrictions. She slides off the side of our mount and rushes to our daughter with open arms. She scoops Hera up and hugs her tighter. "I missed you, Hera," she says, sounding like she's about to break out in tears.

Hera wraps her arms around Isis's neck. "Don't cry, Mommy."

I steer the kozorr closer and give the top of Hera's head a rub as I pass. "You didn't give Joalle any grief while we were gone, right?"

Hera looks up at me from her mother's arms and grins. "I've been a good little Mipedian!"

I reach out and poke her nose just before the kozorr takes me too far away. "I'll be seeing you soon, munchkin."

"Bye Daddy," Hera waves. Then she wraps her arms around Isis again.

I turn my body forward again and search the surrounding area. There's Tiaane, laughing softly at the sight. "Tiaane," I call as I approach. "How goes Hera's lessons?"

"About as well as you can expect from a ten-solan-old child," Tiaane sighs as he follows alongside me.

I chuckle to myself. "Naps every ten minutes?"

"She spends more time asleep than awake!" Tiaane says exasperatedly, throwing his arms in the air.

"Well, you probably know more than me how to solve that," I say. I catch sight of a large yellow Mipedian approaching. "Oh, joy..."

Prince Mudeenu marches over. "You missed over two weeks of training, Michael," he growls.

"I had business to attend to in Underworld City," I reply, "and then a diplomatic opportunity arose at Mount Pillar."

"What business in Underworld City?" Mudeenu pries. "I've spoken with Iflar, and he can't seem to remember!"

"Him too?" I ask.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Mudeenu snaps, baring his teeth.

"Everyone seems to have forgotten what needed attention at Underworld City." Probably best not to complicate things with mentioning Phelphor.

Mudeenu opens his mouth to speak, but another voice interrupts him. "Osiris! I'm so glad that you're back!"

I look up. "It's a pleasure to be back, Iflar." We've made it to the stables, so I pat my kozorr's neck and say "Hee" to make it stop.

Iflar dumps a stack of paper into my arms after I slide off my mount's back. "I have come to the conclusion that you Humans are all insane," he mutters.

I stare at the stack in my arms. "What's this?"

"Your responsibility now," Iflar says as he walks out of the stable. "I suggest you hire an assistant."

I sigh and look at the first page. How quickly everything returns to normal.

-\/\/\/-

Home sweet home. We've been back a month. I haven't heard anything from the other tribes, which I guess is good.

I'm sixty solans old today. There's not going to be a celebration. At least, not for my Birthday.

"Michael!" Isis says with a wide smile. She's holding a calender, and she's practically shaking with excitement. "Michael, look at this!"

I look up from my small pile of business to attend to. "What is it?"

Isis laughs, "I'm a week late!"

Late? For what? Hold on... "You're pregnant?"

Isis nods vigorously. "I've been keeping track of my cycle-"

The calender goes flying as I embrace Isis. "This is great!" I cheer, lifting her up and turning on the spot.

"Well, you're excited," Isis chuckles.

"Just making up for my idiocy last time," I say as I set her down. "Maliph might be disappointed, though," I joke.

"He'll have to find his own sweetheart then," Isis responds before a knock on the door distracts her. "Who is it?"

"Little princess!" Hera's voice says from the other side. "I need paper."

I open the door and crouch down. "Guess what, Hera?"

Hera blinks and tilts her head. "Um... I dunno."

I poke her nose. "You're going to be a big sister!"

"Um, okay," she shrugs. "Can I have some paper? Tiaane ran out."

"Well, don't get too excited," I mutter, feeling a little deflated. "Check my left desk drawer, I keep extra paper in there."

Hera skips to my desk and climbs on the chair. I give Isis a look and say, "You'd think she'd be a little more excited."

Isis sighs and presses her forehead with a finger. "At least she didn't act like Iflar when he found out I was on the way."

"What did he do?" I ask.

"Father says he cried for an hour," Isis snorts. "He thought he was being replaced."

"Daddy, these all have stuff on them already," Hera says as she waves a letter around.

I take the letter from her hand and direct her to the correct drawer. "That was the one on the right, sweetie. This is the left one."

"Thank you!" Hera grabs a few pages and climbs off the chair. "Daddy, what's a 'fell for'?"

"Hm?" I didn't tell her about Phelphor.

"On that paper," Hera says, pointing at the letter I'd taken from her. "It says 'fell for' on it twice, but it's drawn really weird."

"You mean written, not drawn," I correct absentmindedly as I take a look. This is the letter Lilth had sent me. It's what made me decide to go to Underworld City in the first place. Fell for? Why does that-?

-[]-[]-[]-

"NO!"

Hera jumps a little, dropping her paper, and she covers her ears and begins to sob. Isis stares at me in alarm as she rushes over to comfort Hera. "What? What happened?"

My hands tremble. My heart races. My lungs heave. My vision blurs except for those words.

"Michael, you're pale!" Isis sounds scared. "What's going on?"

"I remember everything," I whisper.

"Hera, go down to Tiaane," Isis says as she picks up the fallen paper.

Hera rushes out of room, still crying. Isis looks like she doesn't know whether to be frightened or furious. "What's wrong with you?"

I show Isis the letter. "Why did we go to Underworld City?" I can barely speak loud enough for her to hear me.

Isis's eyes move back and forth as she reads. "Why do the words 'fell for' have that long line crossing through-?" Her pupils suddenly turn into pinpricks. "Oh great Ancient Ones..."

I let the letter fall out of my hands and watch it flutter to the floor. We were trying to stop him... The whole reason we went was to make sure he never escaped... And then we just... forgot... and helped him get out of the ice...

"Illexia's gift," I ask. "Where is it?"

Isis already has it. She places it on my desk and stands next to me.

"Contact Illexia," I say, struggling to keep my voice steady.

The crystal circle glows a little, and suddenly a blurry Danian face appears in it. "Prince Osiris," says a deep female voice. "And Princess Isis. What do I owe the honor of-?"

I bow, "My deepest apologies, Your Majesty, but I must interrupt you. Do you know the whereabouts of the creature Phelphor?"

"I'm afraid not," says Illexia, sounding annoyed at my rudeness. "Sarah would know."

"I need to speak with her immediately," I say, my heart pounding.

-[]-[]-[]-

Up next: The Horrible News

-[]-[]-[]-

Like I said before, Chaotic belongs to TCDigital.

If you like the story, please follow and leave a review!