“Schoo! Schoo!”

  Roscoe and Art chuckled. Eye-Deku sat up in his stroller, watching as the Academy came into view. They weren’t the only new family here either. There were plenty of other Knights, Adventurers, and a few Noble families.

  Eye-Deku then started sensing something odd.

  Dolls.

  OK, there were some Dolls here that were clearly Dolls. These were mostly security, clearly meant to help the Academy’s normal security during the day of big crowds. But Eye-Deku was now sensing more he couldn’t see.

  He didn’t like it.

  They reached the Preschool. Roscoe picked up Eye-Deku. Art walked over and kissed Eye-Deku’s head. “Be a good boy, okay? I or Dada will pick you up.”

  Eye-Deku said, “KK! Luv you!”

  Art smiled. “Love you too, tyker.”

  Roscoe carried Eye-Deku inside the building. A Doll met them. This one’s soul was awake, but cheery. The Doll said, “Name-please?”

  Roscoe said, “Roscoe Ford. This is Eye-Deku Ford.”

  “First-year. Follow-me.”

  The Doll led them to a brightly-colored preschool room. An older lady smiled at them and walked over. Roscoe kissed Eye-Deku’s cheek and put him down. “Have fun, Eye-Deku. And be good.”

  Eye-Deku nodded and waved. “Bye bye! Luv you!”

  Roscoe smiled. “Love you too, son.”

  Eye-Deku ran to join the other kids. As a baby, he could “speak baby” and communicate with others his age.

  However, things did not go to plan.

  No one wanted to play with him. They all edged away and went off to play in their own groups. He even offered sharing snacks and the like, and got ignored.

  Eye-Deku’s gut was twisting. As a familiar darkness crept in.

  But he shoved it off. He went to a corner and grabbed some books. He returned to his project of dissecting this variant of Prebabel. He actually was decent at reading it now, after 4 months on that project. But there were still gaps. And… he was trying to find out more about this Goddess.

  “You too, huh?”

  Eye-Deku looked up to see a young girl. Her blonde hair in poofy pom-poms, and with a dress that could only be described as a Disney Princess dress. Too pink, too poofy, too many sparkles. She even had a tiara.

  One of the Royal Family?

  No, they wouldn’t let royal blood mix with commoners.

  Eye-Deku nodded. The girl sat down in the beanbag next to him with an angry huff. She said, “It sucks.”

  Eye-Deku smirked. “Big girl word.”

  The girl smirked. “You are a big boy. I’m Marigold.”

  Eye-Deku said, “Eye-Deku.”

  They shook chubby hands. Marigold asked, “Whatcha reading?”

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Eye-Deku said, “Goddess story.”

  He put the book on the mini-table. “Like home. Learning worhs.”

  Marigold looked at him, surprised. “You no think Goddess true?”

  Eye-Deku debated how to answer. “Me think… Goddess… lies.”

  Marigold seemed surprised. Then amused. She said, “How?”

  Eye-Deku said, “Who make people? No Goddess. Story missing.”

  Marigold’s blue eyes widened, and then nodded. Despite being only 2, she understood. Was she an isaeki too? Or just really intelligent?

  Hard to say.

  Eye-Deku smiled at her. “Wanna play?”

  Marigold smiled and nodded. And the two new friends went to play.

  Time for Recess!

  Everyone was let out into the yard to play. And all the kids avoided Eye-Deku and Marigold like the plague for whatever reason.

  Eye-Deku was personally getting pissed. And wanted to know the why.

  They ended up sitting under the Tree. Marigold sighed. “Maybe you play with other kids?”

  Eye-Deku said, “They run away.”

  Marigold nodded. “No one wants to play with me… except you. You’re funny.”

  Eye-Deku giggled. “Thank you!”

  He leaned back. “Why no one wanna play with you?”

  Marigold pouted. Then a snide little girl walked up. “She Princess! She bad guy!”

  Oh great, this just turned into some version of Rugrats.

  Eye-Deku looked at the girl. She was dressed in back and purple, and looked almost like one of those cute Halloween witches. Including the pointed hat. She had purple streaks in her hair, and a scowl that belonged on an adult.

  Eye-Deku said, “Princess not mean bad guy!”

  Marigold looked in surprise at Eye-Deku. Witch said, “Then why all girls like Mama get turned into Dolls?”

  Marigold paled. Eye-Deku then knew why he hadn’t “seen” any Dolls. They were not on obvious sight.

  And it meant the Goddess was violating a Mortality Rule.

  Eye-Deku said, “Because Goddess bad guy! Not Princess!”

  Eye-Deku pointed to Marigold. “Princess girl!”

  Eye-Deku pointed at Witch. “You girl! You not Dolls!”

  Witch scowled. “…yet. All big girls get turned into Dolls.”

  Eye-Deku said happily, “Not Diana!”

  That did stop Witch. Witch rolled her eyes after a minute. Marigold stood up. “Me not turn anyone into Dolls! Dolls are creepy!”

  Eye-Deku continued, “And lotsa ladies not Dolls!”

  Witch said, “BIG Girls! Like…”

  She waved her hand, and was moving her mouth. Eye-Deku got it. She was trying to work vocals.

  She was isaeki’d.

  Eye-Deku said, “Earth?”

  Witch froze.

  And slowly looked at Eye-Deku.

  Eye-Deku smiled and pointed at himself. “Eye-Deku. Hi hi!”

  The Witch looked horrified. She backed up. She said, “You… NO. ME Hero!”

  Eye-Deku said, “We… both be Heroes?”

  “No! ME! ME!!! You bad guy! You bad guy!”

  Eye-Deku was bristling. Yes, he was a god. Yes, Hell was basically his stomach. But…

  He was a baby!

  The idea clicked in, probably manually typed in by one of his Generals or mates into one of the Throne Room computers, and sent like a quick text.

  He started to cry really, really loudly.

  Witch froze, and so did Marigold. A teacher ran over. “Dear, what is wrong?!?”

  Eye-Deku pointed at Witch. “She say I’m baaaaaad! She say to other boys and girls me and Marigold bad and won’t let us plaaaaaay!”

  The teacher looked in horror, then looked at Marigold. Luckily, the Princess caught on. She was also sniffling and nodded. She said, “She say I turn people into Dolls!”

  Witch said, “Wait, I… I…”

  A boy suddenly said, “She did! She was saying boy demon and girl turn people into Dolls!”

  Almost instantly, all the kids were backing up Eye-Deku and the Princess. Eye-Deku wondered why… then felt a familiar tap on his head.

  The Tree.

  The Tree was helping.

  Somehow, it was radiating the truth. Knowledge was not lies, it was facts, it was truth. It was somehow spreading the impulse to tell the truth to protect him and Marigold.

  Eye-Deku made a note to make sure the Tree got some nice rewards. And to check what trees counted as rewards.

  The teacher glared at the little Witch. She said, “Asabell! We are not mean to other kids! And we do not tell lies!”

  The teacher picked up Eye-Deku and Marigold, and started heading inside. “Come on, sweeties. Let’s go inside and have some cookies.”

  Eye-Deku whimpered happily, “Cookiessssss?”

  As everyone headed inside, Eye-Deku did a Zeke and duplicated. While one part of him went inside, the other grabbed Witch’s sleeve.

  Witch spun around in shock. And into a very angry glare of an adult Eye-Deku. Eye-Deku hissed, “I have been isaeki’d many times, young lady. I have seen worlds be born and die. And you, right now, are an arrogant tiny shit who believes in bringing people down. Right now, you are the Villain. Be sure to grow up before we have to become Heroes. Because if you are the one who is threatening innocents like you just did, I will live up to the second half of my name and be the Hero.”

  Eye-Deku made his duplicate vanish, returning fully to his baby self. He knew he had an enemy. But maybe, maybe… she would change.

  Hopefully.