The very first thing I did on Wednesday was check Benjamin Franklin Technical Institute's website, at something like five in the morning. Sure enough, they were open again. I made a garbled noise somewhere between a sigh, a groan and 'yay!' as I hauled myself out of bed. Though I made sure to be quiet about it; I didn't want to interrupt Rachel's sleep as she recovered from her late night shift.

  I quickly got through my morning routine so far as getting cleaned up and dressed went, then wandered into the kitchen for breakfast. Unsurprisingly, both my mothers were there when I arrived. Mom two was the first to greet me.

  "Morning, Autumn."

  "Morning. So, my classes resume today. Should be heading out around eight."

  Mom one nodded as she sipped her coffee,

  "Sounds pretty typical. I'll be heading out in ten minutes to start on my bus route. I might see you on the bus later today, might not."

  I nodded,

  "Kind of a tossup, yeah."

  That's when mom two set three plates out,

  "Hot, cheesy omelets the way you both usually like. Onion and ham for Autumn, extra mushrooms for Ruby. And for me, I went all in on the chili peppers."

  Mom one smiled,

  "Surprised you didn't break out the old gas mask from back when you made your own hot sauce."

  "It's the way the peppers were sealed inside the eggs; keeps any fumes from escaping."

  I just giggled, then I squirted mustard all over my omelet and got eating. True to Anne's words, she had indeed made it just the way I usually liked. I took my time eating, mom one heading out before I was done.

  Figuring I had some time before I needed to go anywhere, I got out my phone and opened up the Magi chatroom.

  [RealAutumnKnight: Morning; anything interesting happen on the server while I was asleep?]

  [FakeAutumnKnight: We've been analyzing all the available monster encounter footage we could get our hands on. Trying to suss out more of the rules about what makes them come out certain ways.]

  I momentarily chuckled at the username some jokester had opted for.

  [PrincessBEEEEES: Also, your sister added a tag for active Magi before she went to sleep. And there's a whole new channel for people showing off their first transformations.]

  [Red Hot Hammer: Though honestly, might as well have just given the tag to everyone, given the Sponsors ran out of transformation medals three times yesterday.]

  [PrincessBEEEEES: Yeah those aliens really didn't account for just how big a splash they were making. Though I imagine most newbie Magi are going to drop out in pretty short order.]

  [RealAutumnKnight: So, mind sharing the findings about monster formation?]

  [Beryllium200: Yeah sure. The tl;dr is that we didn't really get anything useful, even with video of thirty different monster spawns to look over.]

  [FakeAutumnKnight: Hey, you're selling us short; we definitely figured out why the fox monster was that color.]

  [RealAutumnKnight: Do tell?]

  [FakeAutumnKnight: Yeah, it's because squirrels are red-green colorblind. It's clearly that squirrel's panic about getting hunted that caused the fox monster to form, and that's what squirrels perceive fox-fur red as.]

  [RealAutumnKnight: Huh, neat.]

  The conversation quickly spiraled off on an irrelevant tangent, and I signed off after a few more minutes. I got through the rest of my morning routine, and left for school at around eight, just like I said I would.

  As it turned out, the bus I took today wasn't driven by my mom. But it was driven by someone I recognized. I greeted him as I tapped my Charlie card against the reader.

  "Morning, Frank."

  "Good morning Autumn.

  I sat down in an empty seat just behind the driver.

  "So, any policy changes as a result of recent events?"

  As Frank put the bus into gear, he replied.

  "The higher-ups have recommended that us bus drivers start going armed, but they haven't given any orders to that effect yet."

  "Doesn't affect you much though, given how much time you already spend at the shooting range with mom one."

  Frank chuckled, the southbound bus bumping along as he did so.

  "True enough Autumn, true enough. Given what I've heard about your recent activities, it might be a good idea for you to come there too."

  I mulled it over,

  "You know, you're right. I'll talk with mom one about it."

  Fortunately for me, my bus stop was within just a couple minutes of walking from BFIT's new Roxbury campus. Unfortunately for me, it was raining.

  Arriving to school thoroughly drenched, I tracked down Professor Anthony Brown.

  "Morning professor Brown."

  Mr. Brown raised an eyebrow,

  "Morning, Autumn. Given what you've been up to since Monday, I'd kind of suspected that you would have dropped out."

  I shrugged,

  "Still not sure whether the whole magical girl thing will be a viable career. Seems pretty stupid to drop out of school in order to pursue high-risk gig work."

  "Quite wise of you."

  The next few hours were uneventful, as I diligently kept up with my technical training. There weren't quite as many students here as normal, but things chugged along without incident.

  It was eleven AM when my medal blinked blue, and I was elbows deep in an engine. Ugh, figures this would come up when I was trying to do something else. I carefully stowed my tools and prepared to ask Professor Brown to be excused to go deal with it.

  When I turned around, six of my classmates also had transformation medals out. I blinked, then I spoke up,

  "Right, there's a risk of a monster spawning, who's going to help me go deal with it?"

  There was an awkward shuffling as all six of the other Magi in the room averted their gazes.

  "Well?"

  Eventually, Laura (one of my medal-wearing classmates) spoke up,

  "I only got this medal so I'd know where to avoid."

  Troy chimed in right after,

  "Yeah Autumn, you're the only one here crazy enough to go actively track down monsters."

  I groaned, even as I thumbed my transformation medal. In a familiar prismatic flash, I was back in my true form. Just as quickly, I filed that thought away for later.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  "Professor, may I be excused? I should be back soon."

  "You may, Autumn."

  With that, I was off. Fortunately, the rain had stopped since I got to school.

  The pull was to the Southwest, and I quickly found myself in the parking lot of a police station. Unsurprisingly, there were a couple cops in the vicinity. Wait a minute, I think I recognize that guy!

  "Hey, I think we've met."

  The black cop blinked,

  "Yes, I think you're right. I was helped with crowd control at the Sponsors' office yesterday. You're Autumn Knight, I think?"

  I nodded,

  "That's right, though I never did learn your name."

  "Zachary Miller. Anyway, why are you here?"

  I shrugged,

  "Noticed a magic drift, followed it to the epicenter, and here we are. Monster should spawn as soon as something nearby has a sudden emotional shift."

  That's about when another Magi roared up on a sleek black motorcycle. Given her live rabbit ears and the gem on her armored chest, she had to be.

  "Hello officers, I'm Rebecca Green, and I'm here to deal with a monster that's likely to spawn soon."

  Zachary pointed his thumb at me,

  "Yeah, Autumn just told me about that. So are you two going to work together, or are you going to fight over jurisdiction?"

  A conflicted expression flashed over Rebecca's face, before I chimed in.

  "For what it's worth, I'm just here to make sure no-one gets hurt. Fifty-fifty split for the pearl's pay?"

  "Eh, maybe I get the pearl in full this time we team up, you get it the next time?"

  I blinked,

  "But why? There's no guarantee we'll meet like this again, so wouldn't it make more sense to just split it evenly?"

  "Look, we clearly operate in the same area, so chances are we'll bump into each other again sometime."

  I thought for a moment,

  "You clearly want the pearl for something other than just getting paid, right? That's the only reason you wouldn't split it. But don't they hatch back into monsters after a few days?"

  "We only have the Sponsors' word for that, and I for one don't trust them."

  Wait a minute,

  "You're some kind of undercover agent, aren't you? I noticed all those extra surveillance cameras in the Sponsors' office, and they know jack shit about Earth technology unless someone tells them. Of course the government would be looking into magic stuff."

  Rebecca blinked, but maintained a calm neutral expression,

  "That's a pretty big leap of logic there. Seriously, I'm just a new independent Magi."

  I tilted my head,

  "Then where'd you get the motorcycle?"

  "Bought it with the money from my first two kills."

  "Something that nice for six grand? I call bullshit."

  Rebecca looked actually offended at that statement.

  "It's true though. The motorcycle's second-hand. I put in a lot of work tracking down a good deal…"

  I blinked,

  "Sorry for making assumptions, but that wasn't the whole crux of my reasoning."

  Rebecca nodded,

  "Right, let's hear it."

  I shrugged and kept going,

  "The really big question is, who's going to be watching the pearl you bring back? You can't stay transformed and vigilant about it 24/7."

  Rebecca grumpily admitted,

  "That's true."

  I continued,

  "So clearly there's some backer or other who's can keep an eye on the pearl."

  "Correct."

  "Just about anyone reputable would get the authorities involved basically immediately, and you don't strike me as the type to knowingly sell pearls to criminals."

  Rebecca rolled her eyes,

  "Yes, that's also an easy inference."

  "So the government being involved is basically a guarantee; it's really just a question of whether you're directly on their payroll or not."

  Rebecca raised an eyebrow.

  "And what if I'm not?"

  "Then they'd have almost certainly contacted you to rope you into this whole mess somehow anyway."

  There was a long, uncomfortable pause, Rebecca staring me down with her face in a stern expression. I couldn't tell for certain what was going on in her mind, but she didn't seem to have a clear plan for what to do next. After a bit, she let out her breath.

  "And here I was, thinking I blended in well with all the other novice magi around."

  I shrugged,

  "You do fit in with all the other novice magi, precisely because magi don't fit in. It's just that the way you're acting only makes sense for someone with backing."

  "Well, damn. You're a lot smarter than I gave you credit for."

  Rebecca thumbed her transformation medal, reverting to human form in a flash of riotous colors. After a moment of rummaging, Ms. Green dug out a badge from her pocket. Sure enough, the picture matched.

  "Rebecca Green, junior FBI agent-"

  A feeling I could only describe as paranoid relief washed over me. That in and of itself was apparently enough to spark a monster, as the prismatic flurry of color condensed between myself and Rebecca.

  Everyone present drew their weapons before the monster took form, Rebecca transforming again with her medal first.

  What we saw when things solidified was a muscular four-armed statue with emerald-green glowing eyes, beneath a furrowed brow. I had to tilt my head backwards a bit to meet its gaze, it was so tall.

  Unlike every other monster I'd encountered thus far, this one didn't move around very much when it first spawned. Instead, the statue simply turned its head to look at me, fixing me with a stare.

  Stay on your guard, but do not ruin the possibility of a peaceful outcome.

  Wait, that wasn't one of my thoughts. Staring back at the statue, I asked aloud,

  "Did you just talk directly into my mind?"

  Mental intrusion is a possible threat vector, but malice is not an absolute certainty.

  Rebecca herself seemed rather perplexed at my recent actions, asking,

  "Autumn, why are you talking to yourself?"

  Then the statue turned to face the other Magi, fixing her with its stare instead. After a moment, Rebecca jumped back in shock, easily leaping twice her own height in the air.

  "Okay, that's really really creepy."

  I nodded,

  "Yeah, it's creepy, but I don't think it's likely to hurt anyone? What did it say?"

  "Something about your behavior being odd and possibly indicative of mental illness."

  I blinked. After a bit, I walked over to be in front of the statue.

  "Do you have a name?"

  The moniker of this entity is unknown. It may be hiding something, or simply unsure.

  "Fine then, I'm going to call you Adam."

  I didn't get a response.

  "Adam, could you please make an objective statement about something around us?"

  Autumn's anatomy does not match any other present entity.

  That's when Rebecca noted,

  "I heard that one too, for what it's worth."

  Right, time to take a risk. I gestured to the gem on my armor's chestplate.

  "I look different because I'm under the effects of a transformation medal. I can turn it off for a moment, would you like to see?"

  Rebecca blanched,

  "Autumn, you can't be serious."

  Zachary noted,

  "I don't have a medal at all, and I'm still here."

  This entity is curious to see the medal's effects.

  I nodded, and thumbed my medal. In a flash I was back to my human self.

  Fascinating.

  "Now that said, I honestly prefer my transformed state for a variety of reasons. So I'll be changing back now."

  I thumbed my medal, and sure enough I was a catgirl once more.

  There were a few moments of awkward silence, before Zachary asked,

  "Well now what?"

  I shrugged,

  "Child protective services? They're not a perfect fit, but Adam's basically a newborn child, if one very different from the human baseline."

  "Right. I'll be inside making a call, and throwing this whole mess up the chain of command."

  With that, Zachary trundled back into the police station. I turned to Rebecca, and gestured at the six or so cops who'd come out to watch this whole encounter.

  "So, can I go?"

  "Not without my contact information and a non-disclosure agreement you won't."

  "Ugh, fine. And then?"

  Unexpectedly, Adam took that moment to chime in.

  Please do not leave this entity unattended with only law enforcement personnel.

  I blinked.

  "Okay Adam, I'll keep you company until some other people who can take care of you get here."

  Given all the delays that were piling up, I should probably tell my instructors that I would be delayed in getting back to class...

  I finally got home at five in the afternoon, my sister Rachel waiting for me.

  "So Autumn, how'd your day go?"

  I grumbled as I slumped into the couch.

  "Not allowed to tell you. Stupid non-disclosure agreements."

  Rachel blinked.

  "What."

  "Again, not allowed to tell you without getting prosecuted."

  "Well, what can you tell me?"

  "Encountered a newly-spawned monster at a police station, managed to peacefully de-escalate the situation. Their name is Adam. That's everything I'm allowed to share, aside from more of what Adam's like."

  Rachel blinked, then gently snuggled against me.

  "Autumn, that's wonderful. It's so nice to know that not all monsters end up being problems."

  "Yeah; I tried it once before with that snake that grabbed Berro, but it was too monomaniacal to listen to reason. But something about what went into Adam meant he could actually be reasoned with."

  "So Adam's a he?"

  I facepalmed at my own blunder.

  "Kind of maybe-ish? I'm not sure if gender's even an applicable concept for a living magic statue who talks by whispering thoughts into people's minds."

  Blink.

  "Ah. Do you have a picture?"

  "Yes actually, let me just get my phone out and post it to the chat server."

  [RealAutumnKnight: Hey everyone, I managed to peacefully talk down a monster today! Their name is Adam, and they look like this: {JPEG ATTACHMENT}]

  [PrincessBEEEEES: Woah! That's big! And so is he, apparently.

  [Red Hot Hammer: How'd you do it, Autumn?]

  [RealAutumnKnight: The most important part was paying attention, and not leaping to assumptions. When Adam first showed up he admittedly was pretty scary, but he was also just kind of standing there. So I didn't attack without a really good reason, and we managed to de-escalate the whole situation.]

  [KnightSisters: I'm so proud of my little sis! Though also wondering what happened to Adam afterwards?]

  [RealAutumnKnight: Called Child Protective Services, for lack of better ideas.]

  All that said, I logged out and snuggled against my sister. After a moment, Rachel started gently ruffling my hair. Oh that felt good~

  Then of course Rachel ruined the mood by asking a rather important question.

  "So. What are you going to tell the Sponsors about Adam?"

  After a few moments of thought, I answered,

  "I'll probably tell the Sponsors the truth, but only if they ask. I don't particularly want to draw their attention to Adam, but a falsifiable lie could backfire pretty easily."

  "I suppose that makes sense. Anything else you want to talk about?"

  "Not that I'm allowed to talk about. Well, maybe the fact that magi stuff keeps getting in the way of my studies."

  "Yeah, that doesn't sound ideal. But until being a magi proves a viable and stable source of income, you just have to stick with the mechanic training."

  I nodded,

  "You're right, Rachel. But when I know a monster could form any moment and lead to people getting hurt, I can't just not go and do something about it."

  My sister scritched me behind my ears again,

  "You're a good person, Autumn. That's nothing to be ashamed of."

  I nuzzled into Rachel's shoulder,

  "Thanks Rachel, I needed to hear that. But why couldn't being good be easier?"

  That's when mom two chimed in,

  "Entropy's why. In any given situation, there's fewer ways to be good than to be bad. The universe progresses towards more probable states, meaning that those good options are an uphill battle."

  I blinked at Anne in confusion. She shrugged,

  "Dated a philosophy major and a physics grad student before I met Ruby. It didn't work out, but I learned a thing or two."

  My sister replied,

  "Mom, I don't think that's how entropy works."

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  - The next chapter will release March 14, 2026