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They stood at the tall iron gate.
"Do I break it?" Dee asked.
"No," Elias said. "We want to be quiet."
He touched the metal lock.
Dark magic seeped into the keyhole.
The lock clicked open.
The heavy gate swung backward.
"Show-off," Dee whispered.
They walked across the snowy lawn.
The mansion was massive.
It had three floors and many windows.
"Which room is hers?" Elias asked.
"The highest one," Dee pointed. "The attic."
"Why the attic?"
"Because they hide her."
Elias frowned.
He didn't like that.
"Hold on to me," Elias said.
Dee grabbed his arm.
Elias used his teleportation magic.
They vanished from the cold snow.
They appeared inside the attic.
The room was large but empty.
There were no toys.
There were no pictures on the walls.
Just a bed, a dresser, and a small window.
A little girl sat on the bed.
She looked up.
She had black hair.
She looked terrified.
She opened her mouth to scream.
No sound came out.
"Don't be scared," Dee said.
Dee took a step forward.
She kept her hands open.
"We aren't here to hurt you."
The girl backed into the corner.
She pulled her knees to her chest.
"Your name is Trivia," Dee said softly. "Right?"
The girl gave a small nod.
"I know your real hair is pink and brown," Dee said.
Trivia's eyes widened.
"I know your parents force you to hide it."
Trivia grabbed a pillow.
She held it tight against her chest.
"Who are you?"
An illusion appeared in the air.
The words were made of broken glass.
"I am Dee. This is Elias."
"Why are you here?" the glass words changed.
"We came to take you away," Elias said.
He stepped forward.
"You don't have to live here anymore."
Trivia stared at them.
"To an orphanage?" the words asked.
"No," Dee smiled. "With us."
Trivia shook her head.
"They will stop you," she wrote.
"They can try," Elias said flatly.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Heavy boots hit the wooden floor.
"Trivia!" a man yelled.
The door unlocked.
It swung open.
A tall man stepped inside.
He wore a very expensive suit.
A woman stood behind him.
She wore a heavy silk dress.
Mr. and Mrs. Vanille.
They stopped.
They stared at Elias and Dee.
"Who are you?" the man demanded. "How did you get in here?"
"We used the door," Dee lied.
"Guards!" the woman screamed. "Intruders!"
"Be quiet," Elias commanded.
He released a tiny bit of his power.
It was heavy.
It pushed the air down.
The man and woman fell to their knees.
They gasped for breath.
"What do you want?" the man choked out.
"We are taking the girl," Dee said.
"Take her!" the woman yelled. "She is a curse anyway!"
Dee frowned.
She walked over to the woman.
Dee pulled her fist back.
She punched the woman in the face.
The woman fell backward.
She hit the floor and stopped moving.
"You hit my wife!" the man yelled.
Dee grabbed him by his expensive shirt collar.
She lifted him off the floor.
"Listen to me," Dee said.
"She isn't your daughter anymore. If you ever look for her, I will come back. I will break every bone in your body. Do you understand?"
The man nodded very fast.
He looked terrified.
Dee dropped him.
He scrambled backward.
Dee turned to Trivia.
"Are you ready to go?" Dee asked.
Trivia looked at her parents.
She looked at Dee.
She dropped the pillow.
She stood up and walked to Dee.
She took Dee's hand.
"Good," Elias said.
He touched their shoulders.
The attic vanished.
They appeared back on the snowy street outside the gate.
The cold wind hit them again.
Trivia shivered.
She only wore a thin nightgown.
Elias raised his hand.
He created a thick white coat.
He placed it over her shoulders.
"Thank you," she wrote in the air.
"You are welcome," Elias said.
"Where do we go now?" Dee asked.
"Atlas is too exposed," Elias said. "The police will look for us."
"We need to go to Mantle," Dee agreed.
"How do we get down there?"
"There are transport shuttles. But we can just jump."
"Jump?"
Elias looked over the edge of the floating city.
Clouds blocked the view of the ground.
"I will catch us," Elias said.
He picked up Trivia.
He held her gently against his chest.
"Hold on to me," Elias told Dee.
Dee grabbed his waist.
Elias stepped off the edge.
They fell.
The wind rushed past them.
Trivia closed her eyes tight.
She buried her face in Elias's coat.
They fell through the thick clouds.
The dark city of Mantle appeared below them.
It was dirty.
It was industrial.
Smoke rose from tall brick chimneys.
"Brace yourselves," Elias said.
He used his magic.
He created a platform of dark energy under their feet.
They hit the platform.
The magic absorbed the impact.
They landed safely in a dark alley.
Elias let Trivia down.
She opened her eyes.
She looked around the dirty alley.
She didn't look scared.
She looked curious.
"Welcome to Mantle," Dee said. "It isn't pretty, but it is safe."
They walked out of the alley.
The streets were crowded.
People wore heavy work clothes.
They looked tired and cold.
"We need a place to sleep," Elias said.
They walked down the main road.
They found a tall brick building.
A neon sign flashed above the door.
It read: Apartments for Rent.
They walked inside.
The lobby was warm but smelled like old soup.
An old man sat behind a glass counter.
He looked up from a newspaper.
"What do you want?" the man asked.
"A room," Elias said.
"You want a room or an apartment?"
"An apartment. With two bedrooms."
"That costs money," the man said. "Three thousand Lien a month. Upfront."
Elias reached into his pocket.
He used his creation magic again.
He pulled out a stack of Lien cards.
He slid them under the glass.
The man counted the plastic cards.
He looked surprised.
"Top floor," the man said. "Room 402. Here is the key."
He slid a metal key across the counter.
Elias took it.
They walked up the stairs.
The wooden stairs creaked under their feet.
They reached the fourth floor.
Elias unlocked the door.
The apartment was small.
The wallpaper was peeling.
The furniture was old.
But it was warm.
"It is perfect," Dee said.
Trivia looked at the old sofa.
She sat down on it.
She bounced a little.
She smiled.
"Are you hungry?" Dee asked her.
Trivia nodded.
"What do you want to eat?"
Trivia thought for a moment.
She used her semblance.
An illusion of a large bowl of ice cream appeared on the table.
It had three flavors.
Chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.
"Ice cream for dinner?" Elias asked.
Trivia nodded happily.
"Okay," Dee laughed. "Ice cream for dinner."
Elias went to the small kitchen.
He opened the empty fridge.
He used his magic.
He created a large tub of ice cream.
He created three bowls and three spoons.
He brought them to the living room.
They sat on the floor around the coffee table.
They ate in silence for a while.
The ice cream was sweet.
"So," Elias looked at Trivia. "You know our names."
Trivia nodded.
"I know you don't like your real name," Elias said.
Trivia stopped eating.
"Do you want a new name?" Elias asked.
Trivia looked at Dee.
"I told him you might prefer Neo," Dee said. "Because of the ice cream."
Trivia smiled a huge smile.
She nodded very fast.
"Neo it is," Elias said.
"Hello, Neo," Dee said.
Neo held up her spoon.
She made an illusion of fireworks above her head.
"Your hair," Elias pointed. "You don't have to hide it anymore."
Neo touched her black hair.
She concentrated.
The black color faded away.
One side turned bright pink.
The other side turned dark brown.
Her eyes changed too.
One eye became pink.
The other eye became brown.
She looked much happier.
"It looks beautiful," Dee told her.
Neo hugged Dee.
Dee hugged her back.
Elias watched them.
He felt a strange warmth in his chest.
It wasn't magic.
It was just a good feeling.
The next morning, Elias woke up early.
He slept on the sofa.
Dee and Neo shared the big bed in the bedroom.
Elias went to the kitchen.
He created bacon, eggs, and toast.
He brewed fresh coffee.
The smell woke the girls up.
Dee walked into the kitchen.
She stretched her arms.
"Smells good," she said.
Neo walked in behind her.
She rubbed her eyes.
"Sit," Elias said.
They sat at the small dining table.
They ate breakfast.
"We need to talk about money," Elias said.
Dee swallowed a piece of bacon.
"You can just make it," she said.
"I can," Elias agreed. "But it is risky."
"Why?"
"Because they track Lien cards," Elias explained. "Every card has a serial number. If I make too many, the banks will notice. They will see fake numbers. They will investigate."
"Oh," Dee said. "That is bad."
"We need real money," Elias said. "We need a real job."
"What kind of job?" Dee asked.
"We are strong," Elias said. "We have Aura now. We should hunt Grimm."
"Huntsmen work," Dee smiled. "I like that idea."
Neo watched them talk.
She made a sign in the air.
"Can I help?" the words asked.
"You are too young to fight monsters," Dee said.
Neo frowned.
She made another sign.
"I can hide things. I can make illusions."
"We know," Elias said. "But Grimm are dangerous. You will stay here. I will put a barrier around the apartment. No one will get in."
Neo crossed her arms.
She looked angry.
"Let her come," Dee said.
Elias looked at Dee.
"She is a child," Elias reminded her.
"She needs to learn," Dee argued. "She is our daughter now. She needs to know how we live. She can watch from a safe distance."
Elias sighed.
"Fine," Elias agreed. "But she stays behind me at all times."
Neo smiled again.
She gave Elias a thumbs up.
"Where do we find work?" Elias asked.
"There is a bounty board," Dee said. "The military posts jobs there. Independent Huntsmen take the jobs. They get paid when the Grimm are dead."
"Let's go then," Elias stood up.
They put on their winter coats.
They walked out of the apartment.
The streets of Mantle were busy.
Miners walked to the dust mines.
Vendors sold hot food on the corners.
They walked to the center of the city.
There was a large metal building.
A sign read: Mantle Security Office.
They walked inside.
The room was loud.
Many rough-looking people stood around.
Some had swords.
Some had large guns.
They were mercenaries and Huntsmen.
A large digital board hung on the wall.
It showed pictures of Grimm and numbers.
The numbers were the bounties.
Elias looked at the board.
"Beowolves in the northern forest," Elias read. "Five thousand Lien."
"Too boring," Dee said.
"Ursa near the train tracks," Elias read. "Seven thousand Lien."
"Still boring," Dee said.
Elias looked at the bottom of the board.
"A King Taijitu," Elias read. "In the abandoned sector. Twenty thousand Lien."
"What is a King Taijitu?" Elias asked.
"A giant two-headed snake," Dee grinned.
"That pays well," Elias said.
"And it sounds fun to smash," Dee added.
They walked up to the front desk.
A bored clerk sat behind a glass window.
He looked at them.
"We want the King Taijitu bounty," Elias said.
The clerk typed on a keyboard.
"Are you licensed Huntsmen?" the clerk asked.
"No," Elias said. "We are independent."
"Show me your Aura," the clerk demanded.
Elias let a small flash of blue light cover his hand.
Dee let a small flash of red light cover her hand.
The clerk nodded.
"Good enough," he said. "The snake is in Sector 4. It ate two mechanics yesterday. Bring back a picture of the dead body. I will pay you."
"Simple," Elias said.
He turned away from the desk.
They walked out of the office.
"Sector 4 is far," Dee said.
"We can take a train," Elias said.
"Are you ready, Neo?" Dee asked.
Neo nodded.
She held Dee's hand.
They walked to the train station.
They bought tickets with the last of their fake money.
They boarded the train.
The train was empty.
They sat by the window.
The train moved out of the city.
It entered the snowy wasteland.
"So," Elias said. "How do we kill a giant snake?"
"We cut off its heads," Dee said.
"It has two heads," Elias reminded her.
"You take one. I take one."
"And Neo?"
"She watches."
Neo tapped Elias on the arm.
She pointed out the window.
A large shadow moved in the snow.
It was fast.
"Is that a Grimm?" Elias asked.
"No," Dee said. "That is just a normal snow wolf."
The train stopped at Sector 4.
The doors opened.
They stepped out into the cold.
The area was ruined.
Old factories stood empty.
Metal pipes lay in the snow.
It was very quiet.
Too quiet.
"Stay close," Elias told Neo.
He summoned his weapon.
A long black naginata appeared in his hand.
The blade was sharp and curved.
Dee cracked her knuckles.
"I don't have a weapon yet," she said.
"You have your fists," Elias said.
"That is true."
They walked into the ruined factory.
It was dark inside.
Snow fell through holes in the roof.
Elias heard a sound.
A low hiss.
It echoed off the metal walls.
"It is here," Elias whispered.
The ground shook slightly.
A massive head broke through a brick wall.
It was a giant snake head.
It had white bone armor on its face.
It had red glowing eyes.
It hissed loudly.
Before they could move, a second head broke through the roof.
This head was identical to the first.
The King Taijitu towered over them.
It was easily fifty feet long.
"Big," Dee smiled.
"Very big," Elias agreed.
Neo stepped back.
She looked a little nervous.
"Stand behind this pillar, Neo," Elias said.
He pointed to a thick concrete pillar.
Neo ran behind it.
She peeked her head out to watch.
"Which head do you want?" Elias asked Dee.
"The left one," Dee called out.
She rushed forward.
She didn't hesitate.
The left snake head lunged at her.
It opened its massive jaws.
Huge fangs dripped with black poison.
Dee didn't dodge.
She jumped straight up.
Her red Aura flared around her body.
She pulled her fist back.
She hit the snake directly on its bone mask.
Crack!
The sound was like thunder.
The snake's head slammed into the ground.
The bone armor splintered.
"My turn," Elias said.
The right snake head turned to him.
It hissed and attacked.
Elias didn't jump.
He stayed on the ground.
He swung his naginata.
He used his demonic speed.
He was a blur of motion.
The blade sliced through the air.
It cut deep into the snake's neck.
Black blood sprayed on the snow.
The snake roared in pain.
It whipped its massive tail.
The tail hit Elias in the chest.
Elias flew backward.
He crashed into a metal wall.
His blue Aura flared.
He felt no pain.
He landed on his feet.
"Good hit," Elias said.
His body adapted.
His muscles grew stronger.
He pushed off the wall.
He moved twice as fast.
He reached the snake in a second.
He swung the naginata again.
This time, he cut entirely through the neck.
The right head fell to the floor.
It dissolved into black smoke.
Elias looked at Dee.
She was standing on the left snake head.
She was punching it over and over.
The bone mask was gone.
Her red Aura was glowing very bright.
With one final punch, she crushed its skull.
The left head fell limp.
It also dissolved into black smoke.
The rest of the giant body turned to ash.
The fight was over in less than a minute.
Dee jumped off the fading body.
She dusted off her hands.
"That was easy," Dee said.
Elias pulled a small camera from his pocket.
He took a picture of the dissolving monster.
"Twenty thousand Lien," Elias said.
Neo walked out from behind the pillar.
She clapped her hands.
She made an illusion of a gold star.
She stuck it on Elias's coat.
She made another gold star.
She stuck it on Dee's dress.
"Thank you, Neo," Dee smiled.
"We are a good team," Elias said.
He made his naginata disappear.
"Let's go get paid. Then we can buy you a real weapon, Dee."
"I want a big hammer," Dee said.
"We will find one," Elias promised.
They took the train back to the city center.
The security office was still busy.
They walked up to the same clerk.
Elias placed the camera on the desk.
"We killed it," Elias said.
The clerk looked at the digital picture.
His eyes widened.
"That was fast," the clerk said.
"It wasn't very strong," Dee said.
The clerk typed on his computer.
He pulled out a heavy stack of real Lien cards.
He handed them to Elias.
"Twenty thousand," the clerk said. "Good work. Come back tomorrow if you want more."
"We will," Elias said.
He put the money in his coat.
They walked outside.
"Now we shop," Dee declared.
"Where do they sell weapons?" Elias asked.
"There are blacksmiths in Mantle," Dee pointed down the street. "They make things for the miners and the hunters."
They walked down the noisy street.
Sparks flew from an open shop door.
The sound of metal hitting metal rang out.
They walked into the shop.
It was very hot inside.
Weapons hung on every wall.
Swords, axes, guns, and spears.
A large man with a thick beard stood behind an anvil.
"Welcome," the blacksmith said. "What do you need?"
"I need a hammer," Dee said. "A very heavy hammer."
The blacksmith wiped sweat from his face.
"I have hammers," he said.
He walked to a wall.
He pulled down a large steel hammer.
It had a long handle.
"This one has a shotgun built into the head," the man explained. "You swing it, you pull the trigger, it blasts the target."
He handed it to Dee.
Dee held it in one hand.
She tossed it in the air and caught it.
"Too light," Dee said.
The blacksmith raised an eyebrow.
"Too light?" he asked. "That weighs sixty pounds."
"I need heavier," Dee insisted.
The man grunted.
He walked to the back of the shop.
He returned dragging a massive block of dark metal on a thick iron pole.
"This is gravity dust alloy," the man said. "It weighs over two hundred pounds. No one can swing this in a real fight."
Dee took the handle.
She lifted the massive hammer with ease.
She swung it in a slow circle.
The wind from the swing knocked some tools off a table.
"It is perfect," Dee smiled. "Does it shoot anything?"
"No," the man stared in shock. "It just crushes things."
"I will take it," Dee said. "How much?"
"Uh," the man stammered. "Five thousand Lien."
Elias stepped forward.
He handed the man five thousand in real Lien cards.
"Keep the change," Elias said.
"There is no change," the man muttered.
Dee rested the giant hammer on her shoulder.
She looked very happy.
"Are you getting a weapon, Neo?" Dee asked.
Neo shook her head.
She pointed to her head.
She made an illusion of a brain.
"She uses her mind," Elias translated. "Illusions are her weapon."
Neo nodded.
"Fair enough," Dee said.
They left the weapon shop.
The sun was starting to set.
The neon lights of Mantle turned on.
"Let's go home," Elias said.
They walked back to their apartment building.
The old man at the desk was asleep.
They walked up the creaky stairs.
Elias unlocked the door.
The apartment was still warm.
Neo ran to the sofa and jumped on it.
She looked tired but happy.
Dee placed her new giant hammer against the wall.
It made a heavy thud sound.
Elias went to the window.
He looked out at the dark city.
He placed his hand on the glass.
He pushed his magic outward.
A thin barrier wrapped around the whole apartment.
"No one can enter without my permission," Elias said.
"Good," Dee said. "I am tired. Punching snakes is hard work."
She sat next to Neo on the sofa.
"Are you hungry again, Neo?" Dee asked.
Neo nodded.
"Real food this time," Elias said. "No ice cream for dinner."
He walked to the kitchen.
He used his magic to create a large roasted chicken.
He created mashed potatoes and green beans.
He set the table.
They sat down to eat.
Neo ate very fast.
"Slow down," Dee said gently. "There is plenty."
Neo slowed down.
She looked at Elias.
She looked at Dee.
She made a small sign in the air.
"Thank you."
Elias smiled slightly.
"You don't have to thank us," Elias said.
"We are a family now," Dee said. "Families take care of each other."
Neo finished her food.
She yawned widely.
"Time for bed," Dee said.