Cassandra and I were still working as a team, but despite my other self's calming influence my anxiety spiked now that we were facing off against an unknown god.

Our three companions didn't know what he was yet, but the fact that he teleported to our location was a big hint we were dealing with someone a lot more powerful than your average human. At least Sasha and Nina understood the implications, they both took a step back after his arrival.

Kaylee on the other hand moved up beside us. The little kitsune stood tall and proud, with her ears perked up and her tails pointing straight out behind her.

Speaking internally I asked my other self, "What are we going to do? Sasha was right, we got overconfident and underestimated the council!"

"Relax Cass," she responded in our mind. "The sensation we got from him was a fraction of what we've felt from either May or Amethyst. The man is a demi-god at best. Carlos Nahuel may have age and experience on his side, but when it comes to strength he's nothing compared to us."

That was good news, but I was still uptight about the situation. I responded, "What if he wasn't? We'd be putting all our friends' lives at risk! We should have been a lot more careful Cassandra."

She sighed, "I'm sorry Cass, you're right. We'll be more cautious in the future. For now let's just deal with the situation at hand, all right?"

I agreed with that, and our internal conversation ended as the two of us came together once more to focus on the god before us.

"So you're behind the infamous council?" we asked him. "I suppose we should have guessed there'd be a demi-god calling the shots. The only question I have now is why? Why set up a bunch of humans to police other supernaturals in the first place?"

We picked our words carefully so as to tip off our friends. Sasha and Nina got even more uneasy when they realized our opponent was another deity, even if he was only a demi-god. Kaylee didn't react at all though, she stayed right by our side.

Meanwhile Nahuel just scoffed, "I'm not in charge of that circus, and I didn't have anything to do with its creation either."

That actually caught us off-guard. The moment we realized we were facing another god we were positive he had to be the one who created and controlled the council. We ended up hesitating as we scrambled internally to reassess the whole situation, to try and figure out what was really going on.

"So if the council wasn't your idea then where'd it come from?" our girlfriend demanded.

The demi-god looked almost bemused at the small kitsune's questions, or perhaps it was her audacity that got to him. At the same time I couldn't help feeling like Kaylee had been taking lessons from Cerys lately.

"The council's been around since the late fourteen hundreds," Nahuel responded. "It was originally a creation of the church, back when humans were enthusiastically persecuting and torturing each other for worshipping the wrong god, or even worshipping the right god the wrong way. Some of their inquisitors started bumping up against real witches, werewolves, fae, and other supernaturals. They quickly realized their only hope of fighting such things was to employ some real magic and witches of their own."

He continued the little history lesson, "By the time I encountered them the council had already outgrown the organization that spawned it. Over the years their goals evolved and changed, from the enthusiastic persecution of heretics to keeping all forms of magic and supernatural creatures hidden from the public eye. At first because they believed such things would undermine the authority of their church. If people knew witches and magic was real, that mere mortals were capable of performing 'miracles', then their god wouldn't seem so special. Later the council justified their goals by claiming society itself would crumble if the truth became widely known."

"Nowadays the whole thing's an unwieldy bureaucracy," he added with a sneer. "I don't even know if that's an improvement or not, considering they began as a coven of witches who happily sold themselves out for money and power."

"So it's a coincidence you're helping the council do the work of the status quo?" Cassandra and I asked.

Nahuel gave us a funny look, "You're already aware of the status quo are you? In that case I have to ask girl, are you completely insane? Do you know how many people witnessed your stunt last night? Have you any idea how many humans captured video recordings of your blatant use of magic and supernatural strength? Or how far and wide those images have been posted since then? I assumed you were flirting with exile because you didn't know any better, but now I have to believe the answer is pure foolishness rather than ignorance."

He added, "You know you've got the council in an uproar over that stunt? Half their staff has been working around the clock trying to clean up the mess you made."

As much as it amused us to think about a bunch of uptight bureaucrats pulling their hair out and working through the night trying to delete stuff off the internet, we didn't smile. Instead our jaw clenched as we glared at the demi-god, while we thought about the reason we were out there doing all that in the first place.

"Your people tried to murder my girlfriend and her parents," we stated in a hard voice. "You don't get to talk down to us about publicly saving them just because you used some sneaky underhanded tactics for your assassination attempt."

We didn't give him a chance to respond as we immediately demanded, "What was that even supposed to achieve?! You claim to be a demonologist, what did you think a car accident would do to a demon?!"

The demi-god seemed almost smug as he replied, "It accomplished exactly what I planned. It drew you out so I could observe your abilities first-hand. I just didn't expect you to be so blatant and public about it."

"The demonolist nonsense was just an excuse I gave the council," he added with a shrug. "A convenient lie to bring me here with a few of their agents, so I could properly test and evaluate you."

We were still frowning at him as we asked, "Speaking of your former teammates, I notice you haven't even asked what happened to them. Or maybe you already know and you just don't care?"

"I'm well aware of their fate," he said as he made a dismissive gesture. "Do you expect me to shed some tears over them? They served their purpose. You saved me the trouble of getting rid of them myself."

He must have noticed our expression at that point. He added with a shrug, "I worked with them, but that didn't mean we were friends."

That led us to the next question, which was something neither Cassandra or I could even guess at.

"Why do you work with them?" we asked him. "You're a demi-god, why lower yourself to working for and taking orders from a bunch of humans? Especially humans who worship somebody else? How did you even get involved with them?"

Nahuel shrugged, "Where better to monitor them from, than right under their noses? I was able to quickly rise through their ranks and take a seat among their leaders, and that gave me access to all their centuries of research and records. A little magic every now and then is all it took to ensure none of them noticed I'd been one of their directors for over two centuries."

Something still didn't add up, and I was sure we were missing some important clue. Everything he'd said so far kind of made sense, except there was one important part we still didn't really understand.

"But why though?" we finally asked. "What is it you're looking for, that you think the council can provide you?"

The demi-god smiled, "It isn't obvious by now? The thing I've been looking for all these years is you."

His smile faded as he continued, "The council has existed for five hundred and twenty-five years, and in all that time they've never encountered or recorded the ascension of a new god. Until you came along. Sure there's other gods, thousands of them, but they're all old. They've been around for millennia. You're the first documented case of a new god ascending in modern times."

Nahuel's voice and expression became darker as he continued, "My father was a Jaguar god from South America, but my mother was a Spanish woman. And that mixed heritage has limited me to demi-god status. Now you are going to share your secrets with me, child. You're going to tell me how I can become whole."

"Why don't you just ask your dad how he did it?" Cassandra asked in a pointed tone.

The demi-god bristled slightly as his hands clenched to fists, "My father has been greatly diminished since the Europeans converted the bulk of his followers. He no longer remembers those details of his past."

"So you are going to tell me what I want to know," he added in a cold hard voice, "Or I will rip the information piece by piece from your very being. One way or another I will find out how you did it."

Hearing his threat made my anxiety spike again, but Cassandra kept us both calm. And in another quick burst of internal communication she pointed out that the guy was destined for disappointment, considering we didn't 'ascend'. We usurped Sasha's divinity, and that was only possible because of how we were created in the first place.

The annoying thing was if he'd just asked nicely we probably would have told him all that. By threatening us and attacking our friends he pretty much sealed his own fate, as far as my other self was concerned. Beyond that it also really annoyed us both that this whole mess basically boiled down to some entitled jerk having a bit of power and being greedy for more.

Cassandra kept our voice level and confident as we asked, "What makes you think you have any chance of defeating me? You are but half a god after all, while I am the real thing."

Nahuel scowled at our 'half a god' comment, "You may be a god but you're still a child. It's been what, a year since you ascended? If that? I've had nearly three centuries to learn and train and master my skills. You've had twelve months of hiding in the shadows and avoiding the status quo. How many humans even know your name? A handful, at best. Your enchanted toys are a clever trick, but none of those people know they come from a god, they're not praying to you."

"You're nothing girl," he added as he shook his head. "Less than nothing. Kneel before me and swear to tell me all your secrets, and I will show you mercy. Otherwise, I can promise this is going to hurt. I'll go out of my way to make sure of that."

We thought briefly about correcting him about how many faithful we had worshipping us, but quickly decided against it. Better to surprise him with our strength than warn him about it in advance.

Instead we asked, "What makes you think we won't just teleport away and ignore you? I know you and your council won't try anything back in town, you're all about secrecy. You've been hiding in the shadows and avoiding the status quo just as much as the rest of us."

He smiled, but there was no joy in it. His lips curled but his eyes were cold as ice.

"I already told you I don't care about the council," Nahuel replied. "Now that I've found you I don't need them anymore. Can you say the same about the humans you associate with? If you're thinking about running, think again. I know where Mr. and Mrs. Holt live. I know where Willow Pearce's parents live. I know where to find Brooke Tremblay and Paige Doubek, just as well as I know where their families are located."

"Your home might be warded but you can't protect everyone," he added. "I know where Melanie Caetano and Cerys Ainsley work, and I know where they attend school. I know where to find Violet Andersen, Sage Lawson, and Jade Weber. And I know where their families live. Run from me now and you may live another day, but all those humans I just named will be dead before sunset."

By the time he finished talking my stomach felt like lead and my blood was like ice. Even Cassandra was unnerved by how cold and ruthless the demi-god was acting. My other self did her best to keep us both from getting too anxious, while we started talking to each other internally again.

"What are we going to do?" I asked nervously. "We don't know how to fight, we've never done anything like this before. This isn't some mortal council thug, he's a god and he's ready for a battle."

Cassandra replied, "I know Cass. But we're stronger than him, he has no idea how powerful we really are. And I don't believe he knows about you at all. He thinks he's challenging one weak young goddess, when he's actually facing both a god and a demon."

"What about Kaylee?" I asked. "And Nina, and Sasha? I don't want them to get hurt."

My other self agreed, "Neither do I. So let's get them to safety first."

Just like that our internal conversation came to an end. Without taking our eyes off Nahuel we told our sister, "Nina please take Sasha home right now."

"Kaylee you too," we added a moment later. "This is between me and him, I don't want anyone else getting hurt."

Our sister didn't hesitate, she grabbed Sasha's hand and teleported the two of them straight back to the clubhouse. Our girlfriend on the other hand didn't budge.

"I'm staying with you," the little kitsune insisted while her ears folded back and the tips of her tails twitched around.

We could tell from her tone that there was no point trying to argue so we sighed, "Fine. But please keep out of the way, alright? I really don't want you getting hurt."

Just then the demi-god clapped his hands together, and I was momentarily blinded by a brilliant flash of light. At the same time I felt something hit my shoulder, and I let out a yelp more from surprise than anything else.

"Cass!" Kaylee gasped. "Are you ok?!"

The spots were already clearing from my vision as I realized we'd just been struck by lightning.

"I'm alright," I told our girlfriend. Then I frowned as I looked back at Carlos, "Hey! This was my favourite hoodie!"

The whole right side of my oversized navy blue hoodie was in tatters, the fabric charred and smouldering.

Nahuel scoffed, "You think this is a joke? Let's see how you feel after I fry your little friend!"

He clapped his hands together once more, but this time Cassandra was ready. We moved faster than I even thought possible, and my other self reached out and actually caught the lightning bolt before it could strike our girlfriend. It didn't hurt us, but it left our hand a little numb and tingly.

"I'm on defence," Cassandra said in our mind. "I'll keep Kaylee safe, but you need to be on offence Cass. You have to stop him."

I didn't even have a chance to reply before Nahuel attacked again, this time with a combo move. He stomped his foot as he brought his hands together a third time, sending a shockwave through the ground and yet another lightning bolt towards our girlfriend.

Cassandra was able to deflect the shockwave harmlessly down into the ravine, but the lightning hit us in the back and further shredded our hoodie, along with the t-shirt we had on underneath.

Having him destroy some of our favourite clothes made me a bit grumpy, but what was really getting under my skin was the way he kept trying to hurt Kaylee. In fact I got angry enough that I finally lashed out at him with my demonic magic.

Where Carlos Nahuel had been standing there was suddenly a very surprised looking kitty. His fur was light beige with darker brown and orange splotches, like a cute little house cat version of a jaguar. Unfortunately that only lasted a second or two before he changed himself back.

"What the hell was that?!" he demanded as he got up off the ground. "This is a fight, girl! I'm going to defeat you and kill your little friend! So stop messing around with the demonic magic tricks and take it seriously!"

Hearing that just made me more upset so I attacked again. This time the angry demi-god turned into a small lop-eared bun. He had beige fur again, while his floppy ears and little puffball tail were darker brown.

Cassandra commented in our mind, "He's got a point Cass. You need to stop him, all this is going to do is make him more annoyed."

Nahuel changed himself back to normal again while my other self was talking, then immediately struck back with more of his divine magic. There were two lightning bolts followed by another shockwave, but Cassandra was ready.

Both our hands were numb after she caught the lightning attacks, and once again the shockwave was deflected harmlessly away.

It was obvious the demi-god was getting frustrated by that point, he started doing the lightning over and over, determined to either hurt Kaylee or overwhelm us. Cassandra was jumping this way and that trying to block or catch the bolts, while our girlfriend was also scurrying left and right to dodge the attacks.

For what felt like ten or twelve seconds it was just nonstop lightning strikes, that left our entire body numb and tingly as we continued twisting and turning and stretching and everything. I could also feel a growing warmth in our chest, and it took me a moment to realize what it was.

I hadn't thought about that shard in a while, or the runes inside our body, but that's why Nahuel's lightning wasn't actually hurting us. We were absorbing the divine magic every time it hit us, and each one of those attacks was just transferring more of his power to us.

It was only a moment after I had that revelation when the unthinkable happened. A lightning bolt finally got past us and struck our girlfriend. She let out a yelp of pain and the smell of burnt fur filled the air. Everything went quiet as we turned towards her.

The tiny kitsune was still on her feet, fortunately she didn't seem that badly injured. She was hugging one of her tails to her chest though, and I could see some of her poofy floof had been burned off while the end of her tail was red and blistered.

"He hurt my favourite tail!" Kaylee pouted, and it sounded like she was in pain.

That was the last straw, and I finally lost my temper.

I turned back to face the demi-god as I tapped into that massive reservoir of power deep inside us. And I blasted him with a combination of demonic and divine magic.

My demonic magic turned him into a small spotted kitty once again. At the same time the divine part of my strike established a link between us, as if I'd reached out and grabbed him with both hands. Those runes in our wrists and ankles flared, reversing the flow of power between us. And over the next second or two all of Carlos Nahuel's divine magic was drained out of him and into us.

When it was over the demi-god was stuck in the form of a small powerless housecat, at least until he could recharge enough of his magic to change himself back. Meanwhile our body was practically humming with power.

That's when we all heard someone start slow clapping behind us. Me and Cassandra and Kaylee all spun around, expecting to see another council thug or maybe even another god there. What we found instead was even more surprising.

Just inside the mouth of the cave was a familiar young man. He was sitting cross-legged on the rocky floor, smiling at us as he did that slow-clap thing.

Kaylee tilted her head to one side and her ears perked up while her two uninjured tails swished around behind her in confusion. "Rick Kovaks? What are you doing back here?"

He was dressed in the same exact outfit he had on when we rescued him two months earlier. The same blue jeans, tan-coloured jacket, black hiking boots, he even had the same small navy blue backpack hanging from one shoulder. What worried me though was the way he seemed to be enveloped in a pale green glow.

"That's not Rick Kovaks," Cassandra said quietly. "Whatever that is, it's not human."

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