The part of the Park where she’d met Nereid had rapidly become something of a favorite spot to hang out. Not only because she might run into Nereid, but also because the quiet of the trees provided a balm of sorts to her ruffled soul. So much had changed and so quickly that it was almost impossible to go back to how she’d been.

And frankly, that terrified Orcus to the core.

But tonight, she was perched up up in a tree and there was a carefully hidden mirror within sprinting distance. For tonight, at least, she was safe. Which only gave her time to think. And the subject her thoughts were the most focused on at the moment was her cousin. There might be a way to save her cousin. Thanks to Whisler, she knew that it was possible to purify. And if she could convince Alodie that she should… Well, it wouldn’t solve all the problems. But it would at least solve the immediate Get Rid of the Monster problem. Could she perhaps lure Alodie to a spot where Orcus could deep running in and out of mirrors to stay safe while still trying to make her point? It was a possibility, but there was no way to make sure that Alodie wouldn’t break the mirrors. Maybe she could ask Whisler and Nereid to join her in confronting her wayward kin. Now that would give Orcus a decent increase in survival odds. Yes, she nodded to herself as she absently broke off tiny bits of tree bark. If she could force a confrontation and have backup… It would work. It would have to work.

Because for as little as she cared about people, or even understood people for that matter, she knew deep down that this was something she had to do. She had to save Alodie from herself. If there was even an iota of a chance to give her cousin salvation, she’d burn down the heavens to do it.

And as that thought trailed through the dark mirror’s mind, another followed close on its heels. Whisler’s voice asking if she wanted to purify. The question had confused her at the time. Why would she want to follow that path? But, the more she’d stopped to consider his words and the concept, the more she realized that it was something she was going to aim for. The Chaos that gave her power was ultimately no different from the Chaos infecting Alodie. They both stole energy and life from others. And from the very little she’d gathered about the folks on the White Moon’s side, they were both barred from ever seeking space. Tilting her head back, Orcus stared up through bare branches at the night sky. Somewhere up there was he rown place. And while she was as she was, she had little to no chance of ever seeing it. And if the officers of the Negaverse really were all corrupted knights, that meant that Alodie had a home up there too, didn’t it?

Wouldn’t that be a hell of a gift to give her cousin, she thought, a slow smile curving her lips. Guess I’m finding a way to force that confrontation after all.