✶⋆.˚⋆˙⟡𝑬𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝑨𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑴𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑺𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒂...⟡ ݁₊ .⋆˚࿔

SHATTER

The door didn't just swing open—it broke.

With the force of a battering ram, Emily barreled into the room, her excitement so palpable that the unfortunate wooden door had no chance of survival. Both of her parents, Wiki and Danny, flinched at the sudden crash.

"?!?"

Before Wiki could even react, she found herself swept off her feet—literally. Strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her away from what might have been danger, even though she had been nowhere near the door in the first place.

"What the hell—?!"

Danny, still holding his wife, stared at their daughter in utter bewilderment. "Catalina, what the hell is going on?!" His voice was laced with more shock than actual anger.

Emily, completely unfazed, bounced up and down in place, her cheeks flushed, her eyes alight with something neither of her parents had seen before.

What in the Multiverse happened to our quiet daughter?!

And then, Emily spoke.

"Mom! Dad! I found the one!"

"...Who?" Wiki asked cautiously.

"You mean your first victim—" Danny began, only to be met with a sharp elbow to the ribs from his robotic wife.

"NO!" Emily practically vibrated with excitement. If her smile could get any wider, it would split her face in two. With a dramatic flourish, she threw her arms up and declared, "I FINALLY MET MY POISON!!!"

Danny blinked. "...Your what?"

Wiki sighed, rubbing her temple before leaning closer to whisper into her husband's ear. "In the House of Woods, there's a tradition—a half-blessing, half-curse. Everyone has a 'poison.' It's like a soulmate, though it doesn't have to be romantic. In the Hellenic culture, and even in my mom's side of the family, we call them 'poison' or 'fate person,' whether platonic or romantic. That's all I know from my mother."

Danny stared at her blankly.

"...Oh."

Meanwhile, their twelve-year-old daughter was literally running laps around the living room, screaming like a madwoman.

Wiki facepalmed, a rare moment of exasperation, though one couldn't miss the pride in her gaze. She watched as her little girl, their own miniature hurricane of energy, raced around the room, seemingly fueled by the pure delight radiating off of her.

Danny, meanwhile, was simply in a daze, still trying to wrap his mind around the revelation. He scratched his head, perplexed. "...So... this means...?"

Wiki shrugged, a resigned yet fond expression on her face. "Basically, no matter what we do, she's gonna keep bouncing around like a hyperactive rubber band until—" Wiki turned to Emily, directing her words toward her daughter.

Wiki cleared her throat, smiling gently. "So... who's this fate person of yours?"

Emily skidded to a stop and dramatically flopped onto the couch, pressing a hand to her heart as if recalling the love of a lifetime.

"Alright. She has stunning black hair, like the night sky itself. But in the right light? It shifts, like soft gray storm clouds." Emily sighed dreamily. "Her emotions are so vivid—easy to read, but just as easy to misunderstand..."

Danny and Wiki exchanged glances.

"Her skin? Flawless. Like porcelain! And her makeup? Always perfect, never too much. And her voice—oh, Multiverse, her voice! It's warm, like honey, sweet but strong! And her presence? Breathtaking. It's like winter itself kissed her into existence! But her gaze, Mom, Dad—her gaze is what kills me! So cold, so piercing! It makes everyone weak in the knees!"

Emily exhaled sharply, looking almost winded from her own infatuation.

Wiki smiled softly, folding her hands. "Sweetie... are you sure you love her romantically? Being fate mates doesn't necessarily mean you have to be lovers, you know."

Emily puffed her cheeks, crossing her arms in defiance. "Mommaaa! I know what I'm doing!" She huffed, then broke into a grin. "Besides! She's not just beautiful—she's an angel!"

Danny squinted. "...Right."

"And—AND—she's violent!"

That made both parents pause.

Oh shit.

Emily beamed, absolutely thrilled. "Her violence is what drew me in the most! It's beautiful! And, oh my god—her gaze..." Emily shivered dramatically, pressing a hand to her forehead. "I envy those she looks down on—"

Wiki blinked. "Looks down on?"

"—But Mom, she's the one! She was nice to me today! And I got to witness her violence in action!"

Wiki exhaled. "...Okay. What did she do?"

Emily practically vibrated in excitement.

"Snapped a boy's neck!"

Danny's face went blank. "...What?"

"With her legs!" Emily added gleefully. "Legs!"

Wiki sighed. "Oh, for the love of the Multiverse..."

Danny just stared. "...We are so screwed."

Wiki rubbed her forehead, trying her best to remain patient. She knew her daughter could be... a lot, at times. And now, with the revelation of Emily's "fated person" entering the picture, it seemed like things were about to go from bad to worse.

And they didn't even have any information about this "fated person" yet... Great.

Danny, meanwhile, was still trying to process the fact that his sweet, innocent little Emily was swooning over someone who casually broke a boy's neck.

"Alright, sweetie, what's her name?" Wiki asked, her voice steady and calm.

Emily perked up, her face lighting up. "Saxandra! Her name is Saxandra!"

Danny and Wiki exchanged puzzled glances. No way was this someone they knew. Not personally, but clearly someone connected to one of Wiki's mother's friends. And they both had a pretty good memory...

The Martelos.

"Can you arrange a marriage for me with her?!"

"NO!" Wiki exclaimed, her tone sharp. "And where did you get that idea from?!"

"But you and Dad were in an arranged marriage, right?" Emily tilted her head, her expression innocent.

"..."

She wasn't wrong, but in reality, Wiki and Danny had no memory of their own arranged marriage. It was complicated, to say the least.

Before they could respond, Emily suddenly leapt to her feet, her eyes wide with excitement. "SHE'S COMING OVER!" she blurted out, her gaze fixed on the front door.

"....!?!"

"What?!" Wiki and Danny exclaimed in unison, their surprise mirroring each other's. They had barely processed the initial shock from Emily's revelations, and now she was telling them that this Saxandra was coming over?!

Wiki's mind raced. The Martelos... Could this be one of them? If so, why would they come here, unannounced? And why on Earth did Emily of all people seem to have found a connection with them?!

"I guess we're going to be royalty. Again," Danny remarked, his voice laced with a hint of amusement, while Wiki nodded with a huff.