Walking the aisle of my local bookstore I took in the medicinal vanil scene of ink and paper. I'd come to purchase the test volume in my favorite manga series, but I couldn't help myself—I had to explore the store's various sections.

  The regurs at my aunt's cafe had been a bit more generous with their tips recently, granting me the freedom to treat myself. Walking through the new releases section I noticed a peculiar title and stopped to skim its pages. It was a story about a lesbian witch and her half-dragon girlfriend. The premise alone had me hooked. Delighted by the unexpected find I headed to the cashier, book in hand.

  Over the st two weeks all of my spare time had been consumed by my responsibilities at the cafe. We'd recently lost one of our part-timers, and aunt Laura needed time to train their repcement. Without a single day of rest between school and work my nerves were frayed. Thankfully tonight I'd finally have some much-needed time to myself.

  With graduation only a few weeks away, I knew I should've been pnning for my future. So far I hadn't submitted a single university application, and if I waited much longer I'd likely miss the fall semester. That said, I wasn't even certain if university was something I actually wanted.

  From the moment I was tall enough to reach the counters, I'd worked in my aunt Laura's cafe. Coffee was in my blood. It was hard to imagine a future where I wasn't a barista. Even if coffee somehow magically vanished from the world, I'd find a way to make it again.

  Continuing on at the cafe came with its own complications though. After paying for supplies and rent on our building Laura didn't bring in much. When you accounted for paying the part time staff as well, there wasn't enough for her to pay me any more than she was. It wasn't enough to live on my own. So, I'd have to keep living with her. As much as we loved each other, living with my aunt in a tiny apartment meant I'd never have any privacy at home. Romance would be off the cards. Unless I wanted to suffer some serious embarrassment.

  "Baby Bernie!" Laura cried out as I opened the cafe's door. "Thank heavens you're here!"

  I froze in the doorway. Even if I loved the cafe, I needed my time alone. I'd earned my day of rest, I wasn't ready or willing to sacrifice it.

  "Where's Krista?" I asked, trying to stall the inevitable.

  "She wasn't feeling well," Laura replied as I tried to creep toward the staff door at the back of the cafe. On the other side was the staircase leading to our apartment. If I could just make it there I'd be safe. "I need you to close the cafe tonight."

  "Sorry, I'm unavaible!" I bolted toward the door.

  "Come on, Baby Bernie!" Laura swiftly pced herself between me and my escape. "I need you. I have friends who've come a long way to visit. I can't stay here tonight."

  "I have pns too."

  "Locking yourself in your room all evening with a book and a bag of Doritos isn't having pns." Laura countered, running a hand through her bright coppery hair—identical in color to my own.

  Gring at Laura I tried to come up with some kind of argument. She was often quick to dump her responsibilities onto me whenever she wanted something. Worse still, our regurs often acted as if I was just being a ungrateful brat when I talked back.

  Laura was blessed with unnatural youth. Despite being twenty-three years older than I was, she still looked like a teenager herself. Nobody believed she was my aunt. They all looked at us as if we were sisters. To them I was the unruly younger sibling who wasn't allowing her older sister experience any of the joys of life.

  "It is," I whined. "I've busted my butt for the st two weeks. I need time to recuperate, Laura!"

  "Just give me tonight," Laura's gaze softened as she reached out to press her hand against my cheek. "After this I'll give you more time off than you could possibly know what to do with. Please, Baby Bernie, just one more night. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

  "You promise?"

  I loved Laura, but it was difficult for me to trust her. She made promises as easily as she breathed, and broke them just as easily. My heart still ached when I recalled how she'd promised to adopt me.

  My mother and father—whoever they were—died before I could even remember them. All I had was Laura, and I yearned for the traditional mother-daughter retionship my friends had. Laura promised that she'd make me her daughter someday, but asked that I give her time. She wasn't ready. Now we were a week away from my eighteenth birthday, and I was still just her niece. It was painfully obvious my adoption was never happening.

  "Yes." Laura's words sounded hollow to me. I wasn't going to let her pull the wool over my eyes. If she wanted to convince me, I'd make it cost her.

  "I want the next three volumes of Camellia Sinensis the same day they're published. If you miss even a single volume, you owe me one hundred dolrs, deal?"

  "They're only fifteen dolrs a book right? Why can't the penalty be fifty dolrs?"

  "The penalty is one hundred, take it or I go upstairs." I pushed Laura's hand away and stared defiantly into her eyes.

  "Fine, fine. You have a deal, three volumes of the manga about bunnygirls."

  "It isn't about bunnygirls!" I huffed, dropping my bag beside the counter. "The heroine just happens to be a bunnygirl."

  "If you say so," Laura wrapped her arms around my shoulder and pced a kiss on my temple. "You're the best, Baby Bernie. I love you!"

  "Just don't forget your promise! And quit it with the Baby Bernie stuff!" I shouted as Laura dashed for the door.

  "No matter how old you get, you'll always be a baby to me!" Laura trilled before running out the door.

  Donning an apron and tying up my hair, I began to idly clean. The cafe was retively quiet in the evenings. If I was lucky, once everything was clean I'd be able to sit at a table and read until close.

  The sound of the door chime drew my attention to a girl with short bck hair. She sauntered into the cafe, smiling softly to herself. As I watched her approach the counter I couldn't help but feel as if I sensed something predatory in her gaze. It made me uneasy, but I couldn't quite put my finger on why.

  “Welcome to the Rabbit’s Foot Cafe," I smiled, slipping into my business persona. "Would you like a second to look at the menu?"

  "You're Bernice right?" The girl's smile widened, as if she found me amusing to look at.

  "Have we met before?"

  "I'm Ardie, Laura and I are old friends. I met you when you were still just a baby suckling on her fingers and messing yourself," Ardie ughed. "Look at you now. I feel like I just blinked and you're already an adult. It's crazy how fast humans can change."

  I held back my desire to question her about what she meant by how fast humans changed. She was obviously eccentric, like many of Laura's friends, and I wasn't about to risk becoming an unwilling audience for her delusions. "Laura mentioned she had friends in town. I don't think she was pnning to meet them here though. Want me to call her for you?"

  "There's no need," Ardie dismissively waved her hand, "She'll be back. May I have a coffee while I wait?"

  "Of course. What can I make for you?"

  "How about a espresso con panna?"

  "Can do," I charged Ardie for her drink, and set to work while she found a table in the corner of the cafe. Relying on well-honed muscle memory I quickly pulled two shots of espresso and poured them into a small decorative gss. Once the espresso was coated in whipped cream, it was finished.

  "One espresso con panna," I id the drink on the table in front of Ardie. "Please enjoy."

  "Marvelous work Bernice," Ardie complimented me while inhaling the aroma of her cup. "I can tell you're skilled. As a reward for sharing your talent with me, I'd like you to have this."

  Ardie pulled a small pink box, elegantly decorated with a yellow ribbon, out of her bag and held it out for me to take.

  "You don't have to give me anything. You paid for the drink."

  "No need to be modest, I actually purchased this for you. Go ahead and open it, I'd love for you to enjoy it while I'm here."

  Opening the box revealed an adorable assortment of chocote truffles decorated with pink stripes and little fondant flowers. "I really shouldn't be eating in front of customers. I'll try them ter."

  "There are no customers, Bernice. Every table in the cafe is empty. You have my permission to indulge." Ardie smiled, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

  Looking around the cafe, I realized Ardie was right. We were alone, and it was hard to ignore the temptation to indulge in my treat. Selecting the truffle with the most flowers I pced it on my tongue. A satisfied sigh escaped my throat as the smooth chocote and custard coated my taste buds. The moment it was gone, I immediately craved another.

  "Heavenly isn't it?"

  "These are incredible," I replied, widening my eyes in delight. "Where did you say yo—"

  My words were cut short as I stumbled forward, pcing a hand on the table to steady myself. The cafe began to spin, and my mind was racing with panic. Was I having an allergic reaction? Laura had an allergy to shellfish. Were allergies something that could be inherited? Why would anyone put shellfish in chocote?!

  "A-Ardie, help!"

  "It'll be over soon," Ardie's voice was eerily calm. Nonchantly sipping her drink, she watched me crumple to the floor. "Good luck, Bernice."

  What... the hell.

  My body hit the floor, but I was too far gone to feel it. A comforting warmth surrounded me, as if I had been swaddled in the world's most plush bnket. It terrified me. Was this what death felt like? With all the willpower I could muster I fought to stay awake. I heard several voices, but the words were all jumbled. Someone ughed, and my grip on reality severed.

  A wave of fatigue washed over me. My arms and legs felt heavy and unresponsive. An astringent smell—the tang of brush and damp earth—filled my nostrils. Whimpering pitifully I opening my eyes. The city I'd known was gone. Endless woodnds stretched as far as the eye could see in all directions.

  Was I dead? Was this heaven? If it was, it was nothing like the religious folk had talked it up to be. My body ached. The sounds around me seemed too sharp. The song of birds overhead sounded more like a cacophony of screeching demons than gentle melody. How had I ended up here? Had Ardie brought my body to the woods hoping some animal would eat it before I could be found?

  Grinding my teeth, my thoughts shifted to Laura. Was she going to be okay without me? We were each other's only family. She would miss me wouldn't she? How long would she search for me until she gave up? How long until I was nothing more than a headstone and a book of photographs like my mom and dad?

  As I brooded over my situation, the forest began to darken. The gravity of being lost in the woods after dark made my heart race. Forests were home to an unknowable number of predators and I was without shelter or a way to protect myself.

  Forcing myself to my feet, I began my arduous journey through the dense forest. Unlikely as it seemed, I held onto a glimmer of hope that I would stumble upon someone—a hunter or park ranger who could take me home. More realistically I hoped to find a small cave or abandoned cabin where I could safely hide.

  The further I walked, the worse my anxiety became. My chest felt tight and my heart thundered in my chest. I fought back tears, twisting the fabric of my apron with my fingers as if searching for a lifeline. I'd never been camping, and forests existed only in pictures and movies to me. The thought of making a shelter or identifying poisonous pnts seemed impossible. If someone didn't find me, I would die.

  The faint sound of the soil shifting underground made me freeze. The birds were no longer singing. In the stillness all I could hear was my own heart, as if the forest was holding its breath.

  On instinct alone I leapt backward, my body soaring higher and further than I thought possible. A gasp of horror escaped my throat as a massive vine burst free from the dirt where I'd been standing moments before.

  The vine moved like a creature driven by its own will. With reflexes I was certain I hadn't possessed previously, I dodged the vine's relentless barrage. Turning on my heels I fled in panic. I'd nearly escaped when a second vine burst free from the earth. I couldn't react fast enough. The first vine wrapped around my ankle, tripping me so the second could grab me by the waist.

  "I've never seen a rabbit-eared warbeast before," A petite woman with deep green skin stepped out of the tree line. Her body cked a single stitch of clothing, revealing a form simir to humans. Yet, she was not human. Instead of hair, a massive yellow flower grew atop her head, its petals drooping down as if to mimic a shoulder-length cut. "You must be delicious."

  "Spare me," I cried, desperately trying to wiggle free of the vines.

  "Why would I?" The pnt woman giggled. The vines shifted so that she and I were face-to-face. Sticking out a deep purple tongue, the pnt woman licked me. Her saliva stuck to me like tree sap. "You're radiating aether. Did you eat a spirit? Naughty bunny."

  "I didn't eat anyone!" I squealed, as the st vestiges of my strength began to fade. A deep guttural sob escaped my lips. The tears I'd been holding back spilled forth, streaming down my cheeks.

  Nothing made sense anymore. The woman in front of me was a monster straight out of a fantasy novel. Nothing I knew, no css I'd ever taken, had prepared me for this. I was going to die. I was going to be eaten by a sentient pnt!

  The pnt woman's expression distorted as I began to cry. Her vines loosened as she took a step back. "Hey, hey don't cry!" She begged, her voice now filled with concern. "you weren't supposed to... I'm not going to eat you! Please, stop crying!"

  "Lulu."

  "Yes, Master!" The pnt woman—Lulu, jolted and turned.

  A woman with dark purple hair stepped out of the tree line, wearing a sleeveless bck dress trimmed with white ce. "I warned you the interloper might be exceptionally powerful," she said to Lulu, her expression stern. "Tell me, why did you decide to show yourself? When you were only ordered to observe her from a distance?"

  "Sorry, Master," Lulu bowed her head sheepishly. "She has so much aether radiating off of her. I couldn't resist."

  The purple-haired woman sighed. "You there. I am Otrea Ladnier and the Woods of Terror are mine by right. For what purpose have you invaded my home?"

  I broke down into incoherent sobs. Despite my best effort I couldn't utter more than a string of garbled sounds which hardly resembled words.

  Otrea's eyes narrowed as she stepped closer to me. "Control yourself rabbit. Even a mediocre sorcerer could detect the wave of raw magic unleashed by your arrival. I would've felt it standing on any end of the continent. You could not have come here believing I'd let you roam freely."

  "I d-dont.... I don't... know what you're talking about," My body trembled uncontrolbly. I couldn't meet Otrea's gaze as I desperately pleaded my case.

  "Release her," Otrea commanded, her voice firm.

  The vines binding me vanished back into the dirt. Before I could colpse, Otrea caught me in her arms. Stabilizing me, she withdrew a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped away the golden fluid dripping from underneath one of my fingernails.

  "You have golden blood," Otrea smirked, like a cat with prey in sight. "What is a celestial doing here?"

  "C-c..." I whimpered, trying to contain my tears. "Celestial?"

  "You expect me to believe you are ignorant even of your own biology?"

  "You pn to act ignorant, even when presented with your own blood? You possess the amethyst eyes of the Ciriczarian royal family, and that golden blood... It's proof of your true nature." Otrea's words hung in the air like a challenge.

  "I'm not acting ignorant!" I squealed. My desire to live momentarily overcoming my fear of death. "My blood should be red. I don't know why I'm here, please believe me. This pce is nothing like the world I know!"

  "The world you know? Were you ejected from the heavens?"

  "No! I was in my aunt's cafe. I ate some chocotes and then I got dizzy and woke up here. I have no idea who you are. Please... I don't want to die. I just want to go home. I'm nothing special. I'm just a regur human girl. I have no idea why my blood is suddenly gold."

  "A regur human girl?" Otrea ughed. "You are no human."

  Otrea's rebuttal shook me. Had I really become a rabbit-eared warbeast? What even was that. When I looked down at myself I appeared mostly the same as I'd always been. Hesitantly I raised a hand above my head, outside of my range of vision. There, I felt something fleshy coated in soft fur. The sensation of being touched reverberated through me. Whatever I felt, it was part of me, and it was sensitive.

  A thin smile appeared on Otrea's lips as a violet light radiated from her finger tips. A moment ter the cut on my finger was gone. "What did you say your name was?"

  "Bernice Edelberg."

  "Well Bernice," Otrea studied me as she spoke. A curious glint in her eyes. "I've never known a warbeast to tremble at their own touch. As I am no stranger to unorthodox magic, I will choose to believe you. You are a regur human girl who has been transmuted into a celestial warbeast. Whoever has done this to you, sent you to me. Until I uncover the reason why, I will take you into my home and protect you."

  "You're going to help me?" A sigh of relief escaped my lips. As terrifying as Otrea was, she was my only chance of survival. If she had requested it I would've crawled behind her and barked like a dog, all for the chance to secure her protection.

  "Of course," Otrea reached out and wrapped her fingers around one of my new ears. Her touch sent shivers down my spine. The intensity of the experience nauseated me. "I've wanted a reliable source of celestial blood."

  Any hope that Otrea would be my savior drained away as fresh tears spilled forth from my eyes.

  "Calm yourself, Bernice. My desire for your blood will not come at the cost of your vitality. I will need retively little, and you'll feel no pain when I collect it. In return, I'll provide you with a comfortable life."

  "P-Please let go of my ear." I begged, my voice barely above a whisper.

  "Are your ears erogenous?" Otrea chuckled in amusement, releasing my preciously sensitive ear. "Follow me. The wave of primal energy your arrival set off will attract a myriad of interested parties. Before they arrive we will need to do something about the color of your eyes."

  "What's wrong with my eyes?"

  "Only those born into the royal family of Ciriczar have amethyst eyes. The Primordial Foercia promised the color to their first king. Since then, only the reigning monarch and their heirs have been born with the color. Others will either believe you are reted to the reigning king, or are proof the gods have abandoned their pledge. Either way, it will not end well for you."

  "If my eyes will cause so much trouble.. why help me?" I didn't want to give Otrea any ideas, but I had to know. Was being able to harvest my blood enough of a prize to warrant risking herself for a random girl she met trespassing in her woods?

  "It's a habit of mine," Otrea pointed over her shoulder at Lulu with her thumb. "I tend to collect misfits. Do not worry about your safety, or mine. There are entire kingdoms that fail to rival me in wealth and power."

  "Entire kingdoms?"

  Cossimeri