Before Sunny and Yuri could react, glowing orange runes appeared at their feet and Sunny’s parents’ feet. They all stood perfectly still, making sure not to trigger whatever death trap this was. The figure was approaching them but stopped when she had a closer look at Sunny. “A telepath, I should definitely keep my distance from you.” Elder Cosmic laughed.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing??” Sunny yelled.

“Is that any way to treat an Elder? Show some respect, bow before me.” Elder Cosmic demanded.

“Over my dead body.” Sunny scoffed.

“No child, over theirs.” Elder Cosmic lifted her hand and the orange runes beneath the feet of her loved one began to glow.

“If you choose not to bow, they explode. So, let me ask you again, child, bow.” She commanded. Sunny turned to her parents and Yuri and could see the extreme amounts of fear in their eyes. Sunny had no choice, she had to throw away her pride and save her family from exploding. Sunny knelt down on bow knees and looked towards Elder Cosmic for approval. Elder Cosmic forced her to keep the bow for the duration of their conversation and although this truly damaged Sunny’s pride significantly, she had no choice, any disobedience could cost a dear one’s life. “How did you even find us?” Sunny questioned angrily.

“Oh dear, did you really think you’re undetectable? I’m sure you already know that magic leaves traces and when your friend used two king conjures, locating you was easier than putting cheese on a mouse trap. If anything, all of you are the mice who voluntarily entered the trap yourselves. You only have your selves to blame for your carelessness.” Elder Cosmic laughed.

“Clearly you want something, so what do you want?” Sunny questioned.

“Well, that’s simple. Give me Reaper and I’ll be one my way and none of your family has to die.” Elder Cosmic smiled.

“Reaper? He’s of no use to you and we swore to protect him from you.” Sunny stated.

“On the contrary, a use for him has arose and I must have him back. You have nothing to fear child, I won’t kill him, I honestly need his strength to finalize the awakening.” Elder Cosmic smiled. Sunny wasn’t going to risk any chances, she had already been humiliated by this woman, so all respect for her privacy had flown out the window. Sunny delved into her mind, searching for reasons as to why she needed Reaper. The answer was indeed easy to find, but it didn’t make it easier to accept the truth. Today was the day, the day Elder Cosmic was going to unleash the divinity on New York City and eventually the world. 

She would need Reaper’s magic to open a portal to the ethereal realm and from there, when the genie has entered our world, she would make the appropriate sacrifice to grant her wish. One thing was for sure, if Sunny declined giving Reaper to her, she would definitely kill her parents and Yuri. The right choice was clear for the sake of her loved ones, besides, Elder Cosmic also spoke the truth, she wasn’t going to kill Reaper. Sunny now knew Elder Cosmic’s entire plan and Reaper would indeed live  as long as Sunny were to hand him over peacefully. Sunny had to play her game until she and Taeyeon could come up with a counter plan to stop her. For now, she had to be defensive, so she surrendered Reaper’s location to Elder Cosmic. “He’s on the highest floor, hidden in a secret room.” Sunny explained.

“Sunny?? What the…” Yuri was cut off.

“Secret? Show me where it is.” Elder Cosmic demanded before releasing Sunny from her rune. A flash of hope appeared across Sunny’s face, this could have been an opportunity to block Elder Cosmic’s telepathic connection from her artifacts, but that was just too simple. For every one step Sunny took forward, Elder Cosmic took two steps back. It was obvious she knew the effective radius of the telepathic block and was purposely avoiding Sunny. “Child, any step closer and boom!!” she screamed pointing her finger towards her family. Sunny had no choice, she stood in place and accepted her defeat. Another rune appeared below Sunny, and before she knew it, they were at the highest floor of the building just outside her apartment. “What the…” Sunny was speechless since she had never experienced this form of travel before.

“Teleportation, child. Very helpful for an elderly lady such as I. Now show me to Reaper.” Sunny unlocked the door and they walked to the secret lair where Reaper was still peacefully sitting. He had grown accustom to his cell, even though Sunny and Taeyeon offered him to leave and just live in their apartment properly. He hadn’t made any traitorous moves against the team, so this made Sunny’s decision to hand him over even harder than it should have been. “Hey Sunny, can you pass me the remot… What is she doing here??” He gasped.

“I’m sorry Reaper, she… she’s threatening my family.” Sunny frowned.

“Vacation is over Reaper, time to return to where you belong.” Elder Cosmic. Smiled.

“Like hell, I’m coming with…” before he could finish, an orange rune appeared at his feet and he vanished from their sight.

“Well, thank you for your cooperation, child. Your parents’ and lover’s lives will be spared for the meantime. We both know the world as we know it will end soon. My suggestion, cherish the moments you have left, in a few hours, a new generation of magicians will awaken and my army’s numbers will be in the hundred millions.” Elder Cosmic smiled.

“You won’t win, you know.” Sunny stated. Elder Cosmic laughed hysterically to Sunny’s strong statement. “Is that so? And who will be the ones to stop me? You and your friends? Dear, I’ve been alive for centuries now, you believe you have the upper hand because of your telepathy and you friends powerful skills in magic, but let me break it to your naïve minds. Even if you know my plan, even if you believe you’re strong enough to compete against me, you’re wrong. You’re out of your depth, child. Centuries of experience and power all hidden in this mind. Even if you were to put all your lives on the line to save this world, none of you will be able to stop me. NONE OF YOU!!” She emphasized strongly before disappearing through another rune she had placed beneath herself.

Time was of the essence and Sunny had to inform Taeyeon of what was going on immediately. As soon as Sunny had returned to the bunker and expected her family, she took out her phone to facetime with Taeyeon and Tiffany. “Hello? Sunny? What’s up?” Taeyeon asked whil