The next hour was spent with lawyers and scribes scrawling frantically on parchment. One by one, the council members stepped up and put their signatures on the document. They looked like they were signing their own death warrants, their faces sour and grumpy. Once the last name was inked, they practically bolted for the doors, leaving the chamber empty except for Sunshine and her group.

"We did it," Sunshine whispered, looking at the contract. To celebrate, she didn’t want a fancy dinner or a parade. "Come on," she said, grabbing Nine’s arm. "Everyone to my space. It’s time for a shopping spree! Everything is one me."

[Everything is always on you, host]

Her system chimed in with an unexpected response and dry humor which did not make Sunshine smile. It made her roll her eyes.

For the one hour, the stress of the council vanished, replaced with free goodies from every corner of Sunshine’s space.

There was laughter, clothes being tossed around, weapons tested, snacks eaten. For once, even the king’s guards were allowed to shop in her space. A thing that they considered a privilege.

Nine tried on a pair of high-tech goggles that made his eyes look five times bigger, sending everyone into stitches. "Just wait when my kids get here, we will empty an aisle in thirty minutes," he declared.

Sunshine shuddered.

Vortan tapped her on the back, giving her the same of pity as the King was.

They started parting ways to head home, their arms full of gifts and their hearts feeling lighter than they had in a while. For Sunshine and Vortan, that while equated to years. One had been waiting for years to become a Grand Master. One had been hoping for an opportunity to end the apocalypse and save her world.

Just before the King departed, he looked at Sunshine and said. "I’ll see that everything is done exactly as we agreed," he promised. "That council knows better than to break a contract with the leader of a big planet."

Sunshine smiled, feeling for the first time like the king was more than just a means to an end. He was her alien grandfather, "Thank you grandpa," she said softly.

"Don’t thank me," the King replied with a smirk. "You’re the one who did most of the work. Maximus laid the groundwork with that vault. Maybe the old bastard knew how it would be useful to you in this way someday. He took a few trips to Gencova a few times towards his death. That world has a whole lot of seers that can predict the future." He laughed, waved and vanished.

*****

When Sunshine materialized in her bedroom, she took a shower and slept off immediately. For once, she was not worried about the rifts anymore.

When she woke up five hours later, the exhaustion was gone and all that was left was excitement. She couldn’t wait to scream the news to everyone that the rifts were going to be closed.

No more Watchers, no more mutant monsters being dumped onto their planet like trash, and finally, a real chance to turn Earth back into the green paradise it used to be.

The house was surprisingly quiet. In the living room, she found Hades sitting in a plush armchair, swirling a glass of deep red wine. It was his favorite bottle, the one he only touched when everything was going great for him.

"The kids?" She asked.

Hades smiled at her; he had not bothered to wake her when they came home because he knew that she was exhausted. "Sleeping." He stood and began to walk to her.

It was 6:00 A.M, too early for them for to be awake.

"What’s the happy occasion?" Sunshine jutted her chin towards the glass. "It is way too early to be drinking. What did I miss?"

Hades didn’t say a word at first; he just wrapped her in a massive, bone-crushing hug. "It’s over, Suni," he whispered into her hair. "It’s finally over."

Sunshine pulled back, her eyes confused. "What is?" Did he already know about the big rift?

"Moon," Hades said, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of relief and grim satisfaction. "We’ve got her. She has been captured. She can’t hurt you, or the kids, or anyone else ever again."

Sunshine gasped. "You don’t say."

He sat her down and recounted the entire story; the fake rescue, the confrontation, and the brutal justice Leah and Dominic had tried to hand out. Sunshine’s eyes widened when she heard that Leah hadn’t finished the job.

"Leah let her live?" Sunshine whispered, shocked. "After everything?"

He chuckled. "Elio summoned the force to stop the vengeful couple. Moon is in a solitude room at the prison base right now," Hades explained. "A medical team attended to her quickly and she was given some of the best medicine we have. You would think the beating Dominic gave her would kill her but nope, she’s recovering well. She is like an evil supernatural cat with nine lives."

Sunshine’s mind went straight to her friend. "I have to see Leah. She must be devastated."

Hades winced, "You are forgetting this." He handed her the illusion mask. It was one of many placed around the house.

Sunshine gave him a tired but triumphant smile. "Thank you, I have good news to share as well. I cajoled, threatened, and cornered the Council. They’re sending their Grand Masters to repair the big rift and two more that I did not know about."

Hades gasped, his jaw actually dropping. "You... you actually got them to agree to help? Suni, that’s... that’s a miracle."

"Tell me about it," she laughed. "Come on. Let’s go to the Stewards as I tell you about how it went down."

They reached the Steward house a short while later. Ala opened the door with a somber expression. "My mom is sick," the little girl whispered. "Aunt Nimo is with her in the bedroom. My dad is at the prison, watching the bad woman."

Sunshine patted Ala’s head gently. "It’s okay, sweetie. I’m going to go talk to your mom, Uncle Hades will keep you company."

Hades carried Ala to the living room, for Sponge bob, accompanied by a glass of milk and cookies.

Inside the bedroom meanwhile, the air was heavy with sadness. Nimo was sitting on the edge of the bed, lightly massaging Leah’s feet. Leah looked hollow, her eyes staring at the wall.

"I thought I’d feel better," Leah was saying, her voice cracking. "I thought if I saw her die, the anger would go away. But it’s still there, Neems. It’s still burning." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"That’s because just killing her is the easy way out." Sunshine said, stepping into the room.

Both women jumped. Leah looked at Sunshine’s illusion mask and said lazily. "You look very strange in that thing, Suni. If I didn’t know it was you, I’d hit you with an air bolt."

Sunshine sat on the edge of the bed, taking Leah’s hand. "You look exhausted, Leah. And you’re right, death is too quick for someone like Moon. She doesn’t deserve the peace of a grave. She needs to suffer, and I know exactly how to make that happen."

Nimo looked up, curious. "How? What could be worse than what she’s already been through?"

Sunshine leaned in, a cold, sharp smile playing on her lips. She began to whisper the plan she had been crafting in the back of her mind for a very long time. As she spoke, the tension in Leah’s shoulders began to melt and Nimo’s eyes lit up.

By the time Sunshine was finished, Leah actually looked like she might smile.