Minx nodded, "is Minny still with Quinn?"
Logan nodded, "he adopted her. He and Layla have raised her like their own."
Minx smiled, "then I must go to her. I don't know if she'll remember me or not but I made her a promise."
Minx gave Logan and Vicky a hug goodbye with a bright smile on her face.
Owen and Olivia exchanged glances. They had not seen their mother this happy since they left. She became so much more powerful in the other world than she was here. Even with her power reduced to what it once was, she was happier.
Sil refused to let Minx walk and picked her up. With a motion of his head and a smile to his twins, he motioned for them to follow him.
The ship Sil escorted his family to was very nice, but he shunned luxury which made Minx smile. It was comfortable, modern and had a few plants growing if "growing" was the correct word for plants struggling to survive. Minx giggled and waved her hand. The plants turned a nice healthy green and perked up.
Sil smiled brightly, "looks like someone learned more about her skills."
Minx chuckled, "Olivia can do this as well. She's quite talented. All our children are."
"Why didn't the others want to come?" Sil said as he sat his wife in the co-pilot's seat. The others settled in a seat as well.
"Well, I was empress and Angelina took over the job for me."
"Empress!" Sil's smile broadened, "and you gave all that up to come back here?"
"I wasn't happy. The girls… They were so young when…" her eyes started tearing up and her voice cracked, "when we lost Midas…" She took a few deep breaths to regain her composure. "They didn't understand what happened or why I responded the way I did. In fact, my actions made things worse, not better. It was the reason the war lasted as long as it did and that's how Owen and Olivia were able to snap me out of my … rage."
"So, you are not close to them, then." Sil added quietly.
Minx shook her head.
"Dad, they are happy where they are. They don't even remember life here. Mom gave them each a conquered kingdom to rule and they are loved by their people. They were raised right but mom's mistakes helped shape them to understand the power of… strong emotions. They have great control of themselves though it mutes their power a bit. Angelina was almost as strong as mom and probably is now that mom gave that power to her."
"What is this power?" Sil asked as he entered the coordinates in the ship and they departed.
"Grandfather was the ruler. He was very strong. When he realized he wasn't strong enough to actually defeat the Walkers and saw how strong mom was, he gave his power to her. The power of the emperor. He died shortly thereafter. He was a great man and we loved him but with his power, mom made short work of the remaining forces. Peace was finally restored to the land. The fighting had been going on for 150 years. It was hard for some because all they had known was war. The girls stepping in was perfect because the love in their hearts was able to help the people transition to a less-hostile lifestyle. They were exactly what the people needed."
"Owen, why haven't you married yet?" Sil asked curiously.
Owen laughed, "Mom has a …. Reputation. I'm her only son." His voice grew serious, "There were a few suiters but they were interested in my position. I have a problem I don't think many could understand. I was raised by and with such outstanding women… How do I find one for myself? I need one with upstanding character." Owen sighed, "are there any such women in this world?"
Sil laughed, "I'm the wrong person to ask. The only outstanding woman in the world to me is your mother."
"On the bright side," Minx chimed in, "in this world, we aren't known which means no one will be after you for your position."
Her face turned cloudy, "I always wanted Midas to have a family…."
Tears dripped from her eyes, "I wanted to be an aunt to his children."
Sil held her close, "you are an aunt to Jake so there's something. You still have me and our family. We still have Shiro/Vorden/Raten in one body, for as long as they live, that is."
"Dad, you do know I have the ability to move them between bodies, right?"
"Excuse me?"
"We kept it a secret because mom said you didn't want your kids to learn your ability. Every time you touched me with abilities I didn't have, they were added to my system. I don't have an ability per se. I have a system that stores abilities that I can use based on points the system allocates. I get quests which increase my points. That war gave me a huge amount of points."
Owen continued, "I know we were told humans and vampires couldn't use each other's abilities but… I have the abilities of some of the vampire families. The string ability from Uncle Fex. The reverse time ability from Auntie Katorie. The luck ability from Auntie Muka. The ability to talk to animals and familiars from Uncle Rokene. Mom took us to visit the vampire settlement one time. She wanted to go visit Quinn's tomb. She was denied so she visited all the family leaders trying to get them on her side so we could visit. Her attempts failed but we developed good relations to a degree. We were toddlers then and all over the place. We were held by a lot of people."
Sil was stunned. "So, you're saying you could reverse our aging? And how do you have a system?"
Owen grinned, "if you want, yes."
"Could you reverse my body back to before …"
Owen nodded, "if you want me to."
"I assume the system was caused by the locket. Remember the electricity when they were born? I didn't have it on when the rest were born," Minx chimed in.
Sil sat in stunned silence. He always hated his ability. At the same time, it enabled him to do so much to help Quinn. Did he even want it back? Couldn't he choose to leave things as they are and end his life in peace? He looked at his wife, how happy she was being back at his side. He didn't know what the right choice was.