#and relief is only present beyond the world/it’s cycle of reincarnation

[noragaming]

thank you!! man am i insane about this. it is crazy, amirite??! and there’s a specific point in history where a specific school of thought (dvaita-advaita from vedanta) reached the conclusion of “best devotion is loving,” and the way that it has been taken into account by hua cheng being a huge literati, and the way there’s other similar strains of thought further from vedanta and like the sikh idea of akaal (subject not to time only to god), the way that a whole religion is oriented towards playing the cards you want and not only ones you were given (transcending caste and gender; i’m sure i’m not the only one who sees the gender allegories throughout tgcf). there are also similar strains in the islamic falsafa world (i don’t remember it perfectly though). it’s also surprising how it all marries the Chinese idea of Heaven as a higher governing body than all the gods, different from the Indian idea where each god is worshipped as if they’re the only one. It says so much about society and power, in terms of negotiation and what we’re given against what we take. I’d like to hear more about what you learnt about Chinese Buddhism, cause it’s a whole different world and i love the whole world that each way of thought creates. sorry for the word vomit

the tgcf audio drama team understood hua cheng when they said that the core of his whole concept as a character was "Ultimate beauty, ultimate danger, ultimate devoutness". hua cheng and his feelings for xie lian are meant to be the concept of extreme religious devotion + extreme romantic passion, simultaneously.

i also think a lot about how mxtx said that her first concept of hualian, the inspiration that made her write the entire story in the first place, was the image of a fallen god & his last believer.

i think something that sets hualian apart from other romances is this aspect of extreme, intense devotion, where the devotion of a worshipper to their god is equated to and combined with the devotion of a lover to their beloved. hc's love is both of those things at once. hualian is about ultimate devotion of the highest degree to one person, forever.

it's something that goes way beyond a stereotypical crush. like @nyerus said in their excellent hua cheng meta, it's not really something meant to be relatable to us ordinary humans, and instead is meant to be a romantic fable, a fantasy love story for immortals.

[dottie-wan-kenobi]

what's beyond compare, prologue

also on AO3

---

The Avatar was not the only spirit that reincarnated. Many spirits had their own cycles, human one life and nature the next several turns, if they decided to try again at all. Coming back to the mortal world as a human took energy that, for any normal spirit, would take several lives to regenerate. Those that could be human time and time again were the strongest of spirits, respected far and wide, often living to be quiet ancient and powerful.

Two of these were the spirits of Oma and Shu.

They were different in that they rarely reincarnated, but always came back to mortal life as humans. Always in times of strife; always meant to change the world.

Shu did not always die, but it was a common, tragic end, a blow Oma would never recover from, even after their mortal lives ended. These scars were buried deeply, carried from one life to the next. Shu’s fate was to be the catalyst; Oma’s to destroy and rebuild. Each reunion in the spirit world was teary-eyed and frantic—they weren’t meant to be apart. And though they were often separated in the mortal world, the spirit plane was different. They were together, and they did not leave the other’s side for anything except their next lives.

The day the young Air Avatar ran away, face first into a storm of destiny, the spirit world was quiet, its breath held. Oma and Shu did not feel the pull they so rarely did, and stayed together in their sunny meadow, unaware of what was to come.

One moment, all was normal, the peace shuddering but still staying strong. Then, with both all too little and all too much warning, there was swiftly an influx of spirits, a flood which overwhelmed nature itself as it dragged on and on. The sun flickered and wavered; the moon appeared in the sky much too early; the ocean stopped turning.

The air nomads, terrified and clinging to each other as they wouldn’t have in life, were sure that the mighty spirits were angry. Those that knew—that accepted they had passed on, and that there was a little boy somewhere with the weight of the world falling upon his shoulders—were more interested in finding the Avatar. A monk called Gyatso ran amongst his people, his heart breaking all over again at the number of children he saw. Every time he turned a boy around and saw one he knew—but not the one he was looking for—it thudded in his chest; if he were alive, it would hurt, how harshly it beat.

Suddenly the world shone bright, bloody red. Agni faded back into his normal shine, and Tui went back to silently and invisibly (for now) watching. La was brought to shore once again. The Nomads could not relax, even as relief swept through parts of the crowd. The calm was just as vast and unknowable as the chaos. Children, scared, huddled together. Couples clung to each other, and others stood back to back, sure there would be more displays of divine—rage? Grief? They weren’t to know.

In the midst of this, another soul joined the masses. They were unlike the others, who were young and hale, not yet ready to be back to this place—they were ancient and incomprehensible. Yet, at the same time, diminished; scarred. There were spots on their body that flickered in and out of sight, and others which held strong and visible.

“The Avatar,” Gyatso knew. He knew the boy, and he knew this being on some level, able to recognize that understated power anywhere. But the spirit of the Avatar did not live in the Spirit World, nor did it ever stay after its life was ended.

The pale eyes of this new spirit flickered to Gyatso. “He lives,” they said, voice a pained rasp. There was not supposed to be pain here, but supposed-to’s never withstood reality. “The boy lives.”

But in what condition, Gyatso didn’t dare ask. He believed he knew, and the truth was too much for him, in that moment. He bowed to the Avatar, the half-soul, and walked away with his heart in his throat.

For some time, there was inescapable tension hanging in the air of the spirit world.

Some of the Air Nomads moved on, becoming plants and animals, desperate to be home again however they could be. Others haunted their old temples with an earnestness that brought tears to the eyes of those that wandered, who brought back devastating news of war. More powerful spirits amongst the Nomads returned to life as humans, drawing on the energy they had left over from their too-short previous lives, and found each other again.

There weren’t many air benders still living, after the genocide, but those that did created small groups, put down roots and lived inconspicuous lives where no one but their families ever knew they could bend.

The severed soul moved about from one place to the next, never quite staying anywhere for long. They could not see where they were going, but felt tugs on their very faint heartstrings that left them going one way or the other. They were always so cold, and so alone, hands out not to find their way, but to find their balance. Their other half.

Every spot they were brought to was empty, the missing pieces of their very being nowhere to be found.

Oma and Shu stayed in their meadow. It was safe there, secluded and favored by Agni, who kept a pocket of light forever shining for them. It was the half-spirit that alerted them something was going on in the mortal world. They visited them frequently, searching for something they could not give.

“I feel you,” they said, a hand fisted over their thin chest. “I feel that. Don’t you feel it too?”

Oma and Shu only knew of one pull such as that. The call back to the mortal world. But it did not call them to other spirits, and never each other until the new life had already begun.

“Come,” said Shu kindly, reaching out a gentle hand. “Why don’t you sit with us?”

“It’s very nice here,” said Oma. They never let outsiders enter their sanctuary, but ancient recognized ancient, and Oma was sure no half-soul could hurt Shu. Not there, not under Agni’s careful and giving eye. “We shall meditate and see what we find.”

Reluctantly, the half-soul joined them on the soft grass. As one, all three spirits closed their eyes and envisioned their futures.

The half-soul saw a face. Shrouded in icy blue, the features were difficult to make sense of. But the feelings attached were that of complete and utter rightness, belonging, matched. They could feel even from so different a plane that this soul was halved, too.

Oma saw lightning. There were no other features to this vision, just a terrible crack cutting through the air and a bolt aimed by no one, heading nowhere. A familiar, awful fear grew in Oma’s chest. It wasn’t headed nowhere, they knew. It was headed for Shu.

Shu saw something much different. They saw the Fire Nation. There was a crowd below them, the features blurry, the accompanying shouts muffled. But they knew the feeling of the people, the joy, the acceptance. An invisible hand took hold of Shu’s, and peace filled their very being as they realized they were right where they needed to be. Alive, and with Oma.

Alone, the half-soul stumbled away. No other spirit dared to harm them, for the first and only time one tried, the power of the Avatar reacted harshly, forcing the attacker away. But the half-soul didn’t feel safe—they felt the holes where their other half should have been very keenly.

This just wouldn’t do, they came to realize. They could not be weak here, especially considering the numbers of Fire Nation soldiers who were passing every day now.

Vowing to be stronger, the half-soul found a spot that was blessed by Tui. It was dark and blessedly quiet except for the ever-present tugging in their chest. They closed their eyes against the blurry nothingness they always saw, and looked inside of themself instead.

Piece by piece, over nearly a hundred years, they built up their empty spots as much as they could. They would always have those spots, the shadows of aching loss lingering, but they made themself whole.

Still, the tugging never left.

Oma was not ready when the pull to the mortal world came once again. They never were—the pain of knowing what was to come was nearly as bad as having to leave Shu behind. They would be separated. They would have to find each other. They would have to change the world, and Shu would almost surely be killed for all their efforts.

Shu held their face in their hands. Eyes meeting, Shu pressed a kiss to their lips and said softly, “We will be together again, my love. One way or another. This time will be different.”

Oma didn’t want to cry, but it was so difficult. Forcing their posture straight, they gave Shu one last smile. Forced though it may have been, they both knew it was best to leave on a happy note, even if it was false.

Then, each step feeling like it was fated, Oma returned to the world of mortals.

[freechoicedreamer]

Body and Soul (Ch. 4)

AO3

Opening Theme

“ Both shadow and persona are archetypes that affect behavior towards others and ourselves which can result in betrayal, shame, guilt and remorse. In other words, can cause suffering.

First a brief definition of shadow: it includes all the repressed content that is in the personal unconscious as well as unconscious material from the collective unconscious. It includes unacceptable components of psyche whether those be dark affects like envy and anger and fear or lighter aspects that were not available to us as we developed.

Persona is the second archetype that can give rise to betrayals, particularly of ourselves. In simplest language, persona is like a social mask. When it is working in concert with our authentic selves, it is a presentation of that authentic self in ways that are appropriate to the situation one is in. When it is not the presentation of authenticity, it comes closest to the psychoanalytic concept of the false self.  It develops primarily because of others’ expectations, especially when the infant’s or small child’s needs and feelings are encroached on by the adult caregiver’s needs. The false self is the self that is fabricated because of social compulsions.

Guilt is a cognitive or an emotional experience that occurs when a person realizes, whether accurately or not that he or she has compromised his or her own standard of behavior and bears significant responsibility for that violation.  Guilt’s strength lies not in the failure of others to grant forgiveness, but in our failure to forgive ourselves. Shame, on the other hand, is a painful emotion that can, like guilt, result from a comparison with one’s standards and one’s behavior, but the more damaging shame comes from the feeling that one is so bad and so damaged that one really has no real right to existence.  This latter type of shame, called by some, primary shame, is the result of early childhood injury either from abandonment, parental disengagement, or childhood abuse - sexual, physical or emotional. Healing from this type of shame requires an understanding that responsibility for the transgression lies outside one’s self.  Self-understanding and self-forgiveness are required.”

(Julie Bondanza, On Betrayal, Shame, Guilt and Remorse)

*

Storybrooke, the Fairies' Convent

For the fairies, time is an abstraction that becomes concrete in face of the cycles of nature, which they have guarded for eons. In particular, for each flower species, flowering cycles are measured at the small branches of the delicate fairy wings that protect them, and each line of the intricate tissue accumulates, at the level of its molecular structure, the entire history of that botanical species. Throughout the history of mankind, fairies, also associated with stars, have always been present, witnesses of countless adventures and misadventures of civilizations in apogee and decay. For men time passes, for Faeries men pass, but the cycles of life and death remain unchanged. Or they used to remain, until now. Now, even for the Fairies there are no certainties anymore.

The Lilac Fairies live with the gods at Olympus, though some of them often come to Earth on a special mission. Today, with a massive peril threatening both Earth and Olympus, the gods sent a special delegation to Storybrooke, led by Lavender-lady, and another delegation to the Enchanted Islands, led by Lily-of-the-valley, to organize and assist two work fronts: one next to Blue and Wish-Blue and the other next to Tiger Lily and Wish-Tiger Lily.

“So,” says Lavender-lady introducing the other fairies to Blue and Wish-Blue, “here with me came Angel White, Primrose, Sensation, Petunia, Purple-flash, Verbena, Peach-leaf, and Bell-flower. To the Enchanted Islands Lily took with her: Clematis, Vista, Salvia, Summer-snapdragon and Veronica. We came to share what the gods know, so far, and to help you in organizing the protection and resistance groups.”

"It's a relief that you can join us," Blue replies, after greeting the fairies and inviting them to sit in the convent meditation room, "there are so many gaps about the threat that it has been more complicated to organize a more combative defense scheme. With what we already know, we have been able to move forward, but there is still a lot of work to do.”

“Tell us what you already know then we will fill as many gaps as we can, based on what we already know. No secrets here.” Lavender asks.

…

“Well,” Lavender sighs, “From what you’ve just told us, I have to say that we bring more worrying news, I'm afraid. As previously explained by Persephone to Zelena and Chad, the merciless Titans' secret of bodies' cloning, registered in the Mysteries & Secrecies book, was stolen by Cruella and, according to what was later revealed by a condemned soul that betrayed the rebellion, Cruella shared her new knowledge with Pan, only, before their escape from Tartarus with more than 2-k condemned souls. On their way through the Mourning Fields they enlisted circa of 3.5-k souls and now there's a total of nearly 6-k rebels, apparently nowhere to be seen. Despite being hidden, we suspect that they managed to retransmit the cloning spell to Wish Pan and Wish Cruella and that has likely been done across one of the few Underworld's connections with the Upperworld. We don’t know for sure but there are strong evidences pointing to that suspicion. So, the possibility that their accomplices on Earth are in possession of two spells - the one of cloning human bodies and the one of cutting off the gods' immortality source - is high. That's because from the same traitor soul we've been given important pieces of information. I mean, besides stealing the Mysteries & Secrecies book, he told us that, before being sent to Tartarus, Cruella had also explored the Dead Ambrosia Garden ruins and... there she found an ancient scroll describing a ritual based on a recipe, also written in the scroll, for drying the ambrosia orchard at Olympus. The gods connected the dots and figured out that, ashore, Wish Pan and Wish Cruella, while touring the dungeons of Wish Rumple’s Castle, might have discovered the hidden underground net of tunnels that links the mountain, where the castle sits, with the Underworld rivers and, also, with Mount Olympus' Fountain of Youth, from which the gods extract the water for preparing their Ambrosia Nectar – the source of their immortality.”

“Do we know this traitor soul?” Wish Blue asks fearing the answer.

“You probably do. You know his brother, David Nolan. Apparently, James Nolan used to be Cruella’s main partner in depraved activities but after their escape from Tartarus she has exchanged him for Pan, who became the new inseparable and it seems, now, exclusive partner of hers. Disgusted at being deprived, James isolated himself from the rebels and sought refuge at the Mourning Fields, when the rebels were crossing it. There, he contacted the guardians of this Underworld sector and was taken to Persephone’s Golden Palace. The soul of his brother, Wish James, who was in the Lethean Fields, was located and prepared for talking to him. As all souls in the Lethean Fields, Wish James had drunk the waters of river Lethe but Persephone’s magic restored his memory. Wish James was quite successful in persuading James to confess his crimes and to quit his hunger for revenge, at least temporarily but, we hope, for good. Persephone took pity on him and now, in quarantine in the palace’s dungeons for an assisted and prolonged detox season, James has cried nonstop since his confession, ashamed and guilty...”

“What a sad story,” Blue laments.

“Indeed,” Lavender agrees, “but maybe for James Nolan there is still hope. Though he is suffering now, his sad story is in fact a miracle, a rare opportunity for his redemption in the future, which can no longer be said for other rebellious souls. James will suffer for a long time, but salvation may come to him, sooner or later. Through new chances of reincarnation without the low tricks the rebels devise, he can still come to the Light."  

"There is a lot to process in these statements of yours,” Wish Blue comments. “Is there more?”

“Yes, and this time it comes from the gods themselves, from Morpheus, more precisely.” Lavender proceeds to explain. “Despite not understanding the whole process yet, Morpheus, the god of Dreams, has detected part of the rebels’ plot through the ominous activities of Wish Pan and Wish Cruella. Once he identified the threat those two represent, he went to Olympus to warn its inhabitants about their plots, and in parallel he is now working on his own plan with his two brothers. He told me that they are seeking the most efficient way to warn the mortals about the developments in the Underworld, as the rebels advance. He mentioned something about communicating with the mortals using werewolf dreams because for them the barriers that separate the dream and waking worlds are weaker.”

With a sad smile, Lavender concludes her speech to an attentive audience: “these are all the news we brought, dear sisters. Beyond that is mere speculation but before starting the Sijainti (*Location) ceremony I can describe in more detail how the cloning magic works. This will help you in understanding the purpose of the rites we are about to perform.”

…

Positioned in a circle, the fairies are initiating their concentration for performing a powerful magic rarely used in all eons of their existence. Before the rite, properly, they need an individual preparation by cleaning their auras of any stains of darkness, accumulated in their long past, which may be hidden in some fold of their wings. Fairies from Haven and Earth - the later in wish and non-wish versions, including  Nova and Wish Nova (married to Grump and Wish Grump), Tink and Wish Tink (with restored wings), Glinda (from Oz), and all fairies/nuns of the convent – are gathered, least the ones that flew to the Enchanted Islands to perform the same ritual that will empower them for flying out over the Enchanted Sea.

…

The cleaning session took almost all day because not only each Fairy had to confess her malpractices; after each confession the others needed to chant specific cleaning mantras for each type of fault until they were certain that all accumulated dirt had been removed from the wings. Apparently all fairies had accumulated stains of guilt and shame. The last one to close the circle was Blue. To clean her aura Blue brought in the open many strains of her wings: she has lied, despite claiming to Rumpelstiltskin that fairies don't lie, when she told Snow White and Prince Charming, at Gepetto’s insistence, that the magic tree could only protect one person from the Dark Curse, when, in actuality, it could save two. Also when Rumpelstiltskin asked her if a curse can be used to travel to the Land without Magic, she said no, even though she witnessed the creation of the Dark Curse in person. She was also aware of how the Black Fairy turned dark since she witnessed it, despite telling Belle that "no one knows exactly".

…

Ready to perform the enchantment, the fairies hold hands, locked in a circle, flapping their wings in sync. After starting a choir of mantras, from their magic wands attached to their heads by means of a tiara, a rainbow of fairy dust is sprayed into the room, transforming the suspended molecules created by all fairy confessions into tiny gray arrows. The more the fairies sing their chants, the longer and thicker the arrows become until all matter generated by their confessions is condensed into quite distinguishable pointed vectors, all positioned in the center of the circle. At this point, the fairies release their hands but, maintaining the circle formation and the synchronized flapping of their wings, they start to fly counter clockwise, initially slowly, then at a fast and accelerated speed, circling the center where the arrows are. With the thrust of their flight, the arrows begin to rise in the air in a helix-like structure spiraling upward until, suddenly, tilting towards the main window of the hall they fly out the window in all directions.

…

After the ceremony, the fairies flew in all directions of the United Realms following the locators of dark magic radiation sources, enchanted to locate the places that can be used to store cloned bodies (still hibernating bodies: soul voids but not life voids).

Once located, ground teams will try to magically isolate the places. The nearest sources are in the convent neighborhood: the mansion where Cruella stayed during her short period in Storybrooke, and the old residence of Mr. Gold, aka as Rumpelstiltskin, and his wife Belle.

Greater Storybrooke, Wish Jolly Roger

“So here is the plan, my loyal shipmates. When you return, about three days from now, I’ll join you for a new mission. Until then, we will keep in touch by radio. In my absence, W. Smee assumes the post of captain. Mr. Smee will sail the other Jolly Roger and the two ships will remain close to each other in the same route. My brother is right now giving these same instructions to his crew. For our ship the crew has increased a little bit and the same happened in the other Jolly – but not too much because we need as many free space as possible to accommodate with safety as many people as possible. In our case, besides Bill Wyatt and Kevin Smith, who will travel accompanied by their wives, there are two more sailors joining you: Bryson Taylor and Eli Moore. Wyatt’s kids are already young adults and cannot go so they will remain in Storybrooke, waiting for the inland gathering calls to start.”

“Your mission will be to sail straight to the Enchanted Archipelago; they are the populated islands of the realms and their only two big buildings adequate to operate as safe shelters will have to be isolated because they're hosting clones. There you'll meet Tiger Lily and Wish Tiger Lily, who will help you to gather all inhabitants of the villages and will travel back with you to assist the arrangements for accommodating the passengers on the ships.  Bring as many people below 40 years old as the Jollys stand. Actually, your mission is to bring everybody below 40, our girls are strong, do not leave anyone behind. If necessary, save only the food and leave the excessive cargo in the islands. If need be, ask Nemo for help, the Nautilus’ capacity is smaller but you can share the load with them.”

“We discussed the need, on your way back, to pass by Hearty Island and Carnation Island, I suggested your ship for the detour towards south because most of you have already been there and know those waters. However, considering the high demographics of passengers, we ended up deciding against the idea of going there just for a check since we already know they are not inhabited. With the help of Triton, his daughters and Ursula we may quickly scan those quarters later, during the next mission to which my brother and I will be joining the two Jollys’ crews. Therefore, remember: Mr. Smee will always sail near you, captaining the other Jolly, with the same mission as yours. By radio, you will also be in contact with Captain Nemo, who will be navigating under the sea.”

“Any doubt?”

…

The two brothers walked along the docks until the concrete bench where Killian used to go with Emma in search of a horizon to open up new angles for their perception and bring the calming breath of the ocean. Key took with him the battery charger, which is solar-powered, and they are now recharging their prosthetic batteries. Sharing a flask of rum, they sit there, rarely talking, just looking ahead into the width of the open sea.

…

"I'm grateful to Poseidon for healing you from your addiction, your alcoholism. Back in time, when she returned from the Wish Realm, Emma tried to convince me to stop drinking, did you know that?" Killian tells Key with a grin, without taking his eyes off the horizon.

“Aye, she told me once, and you mentioned something when we first met… We both have a great deal of gratitude to Zeus and Poseidon. The same cannot be said for the other family member, their brother Hades..."

“Definitely not… Zeus and Poseidon are at the top in their lineage. You know, not all brothers are like the Brothers Jones…” Killian replies with a mix of humor and nostalgic feelings. Key just nods, searching, beyond the horizon, for distant memories guarding their brother Liam.

…

“How was it, Killian? How was it in your heart? I'm not referring to your physical core, since you didn’t have one at that moment, but to your spiritual heart. How was meeting Liam in the Underworld? The love I feel for him is the same love you feel for him, as the magic that created the wish and non-wish ‘us’ happened after his death. We share the pain of losing him but not the joy of meeting him again… You see, I’m not envying you, I’m proud of parts and ashamed of other parts of my journey from the moment our paths diverged. My path has its unique ups and downs, its unique redemption journey after a unique past of villainy. Past I'm not proud of but it's part of the unique story that brought me here and made me what I am today: a United Realms citizen, Emm’s husband, the father of Alice and of two babies to come…. I- just wish I could know the feeling of meeting him too, you know?”

“I can imagine your burden... as you said, we share the same intense love for him - and the same regret for not being able to stop that idiot from being so stubborn. I’m not sure if I can put it into words but I’ll try… you ask me what it was like meeting him again… Well, it was an immeasurable joy in seeing our brother but... To the joy shortly thereafter followed a mixture of anguish and disappointment. First, the disappointment: the golden idol, the man who put the bar of honesty, integrity and incorruptibility so high that we would never be able to reach it, became a clay idol. Then the anguish, the despair on the brink of the abyss that leads to hell. And there, at the lowest point, I felt the overcoming and the clay idol became a man in his true size and grandeur: a good man. Our brother Liam spent hundreds of years in the Underworld because of his guilty, he was ashamed and felt like having a debt with us that wouldn't allow him to move on, to move upstairs...”  The two little brothers chuckle and look up to the clouds, imagining their big brother looking at them from upstairs. “Throughout our childhood and youth, Liam raised the bar of virtue and heroism to his height, and we grew up cultivating the idea that we could never reach that level. Physically, in fact, we did not grow as much as he did, but the rule of virtue he used was not honest. While we got lost in gambling and drinking, to be an example of dignity for us Liam corrupted himself and kept this secret from us. After I finally met the truth, on the brink of the precipice, Liam decided to sacrifice himself to save my soul from the cruelest fate. At that moment my spiritual heart vibrated at the frequency of survival, which I cannot explain or define, it is something of our nature I guess, I’m sure you know what I mean… "

"Of course I do, it’s our second skin, we may kind of joke about that sometimes but deep down our survivor nature is part of what we are..."

"Exactly, it was as if through me flowed a magic pulling force that prevented Liam from falling into the abyss, and at the same time as if the gods, who judge the souls, witnessing our pain took pity of our suffering and decided to be Just. What I felt, at that moment, the strength of Forgiveness, mutual forgiveness, forgiveness of myself, I think Liam felt too. At that it followed the farewell, our goodbye. Somehow with melancholy but also carrying a promise that in the transience of life no goodbye is final, I saw Liam setting sail on a ship, Captain Liam Jones finally back to the 7 heavenly seas where he has always belonged..."

"Thank you, Killian, for bringing these tears to my eyes," Key wipes his eyes with a tissue and smiles. “In the midst of the uncertainties and anguish we are experiencing, these tears, in particular, are tears of joy, tears of love for the idiot of our brother…”

"If he's watching our conversation on some of those transcendental screens that, it seems, they have in Paradise, our big brother must be really pissed off at the affectionate terms we use to refer to him ..." Killian comments and they both laugh inwardly.

“But he was an idiot…”

“That he was!” Killian giggles. “And then, as if to compensate for his past mess by creating a new mess, our father gave us another brother Liam…” Killian adds after a pause.

“You mean, two Liams!!” Key corrects him.

“Aye, two Liams, from two Brennans: Liam Junior and Liam Senior… At least they cooperated with us and did not use the rejuvenating magic so popular among wish and non-wish people, it is easy to distinguish who is who. At least, after all, they both found a good father-model: a redeemed Nemo and a redeemed version of Brennan,” Killian sighs.

“I never told you, but I understand the feeling that moved you, Killian, the revolt in finding out that our father named another son with the name of our Liam, after everything he had done to us, to Liam. I think that, in the same circumstances, I would have done the same.”

“I went out of my mind when I heard him saying to the boy the same words he said to me – that is, to us, hours before trading Liam and us for a boat, selling us as slaves in the process, and abandoning us on that ship. I was going to help him escape but I lost my mind seeing him with Liam and I’m not proud of that moment of weakness; it is actually one of my deepest regrets, something like a bad writing of who was in charge of writing our story, I mean ourselves. At the same level of guilty - bad writing guilty - for having murdered David's father, among other crimes. "

"Hate blinded us, Killian, you and I both know that very well and learned this lesson in the hardest ways possible. Remorse is a heavy burden for any soul to carry. But Forgiveness is redeeming and liberating. Forgiveness has a savior property.”

“I just wish I could apologize to our father, or better saying the version of our father I killed.”

“He probably has moved on, probably has forgotten all of that, and if he did not forget, I’m sure he already forgave you, the same way we both forgave Wish Brennan,” Key comforts his brother.

“Talking about regret, another one I have, actually, not exactly regret since it wasn't my fault, but I resent having missed the opportunity to meet Milah in the Underworld.” Killian confesses. “At least now we know that she has moved on and is in heaven, close to her sons, her wish and non-wish sons.”

…

“Do you know what I have just realized?” Key asks, after a silent pause. “I’m here connecting some dots. Zelena told us about how Persephone, by helping Arthur to free some souls from the river of lost souls –unwillingly created the opportunity for this whole rebellion of dark souls in the Underworld to happen… That means that the two stories are connected, our Milah and a few others are behind the moment Cruella took the opportunity to rescue malign entities, inclusive Pan!”  

“The liberation of Milah is a price worth paying. Her freedom and of other souls who did not deserve that horrible fate, victims of the cruelty of Hades and Rumple, at least in her case, is a price worth paying. As for Pan, we know him well enough to fight and beat him. Our old acquaintance Pan is still causing harm from hell, as old and malign as his wish version haunting around in the Upperworld,” Killian completes.

“Two demons… I’m not sure about that devil soul’s magic powers but, at least one of them, Wish Pan, possesses magic ability of invisibility which means he can be doing his wronging anywhere without being seen,” Key remembers.

“You are right, two demons threatening all realms … our wives, our kids… And you and I know them; we do know that one of them may be right now working his dark magic really close to where we are. We can’t let them, Key, we won’t let them get the final word, I swear, we won’t let them. We know these two demons quite well and we will defeat them.”

“They have in their favor the utter lack of scruples, intrinsic to darkness in the lowest frequencies, which usually allows a faster action, and a concentrated dose of venom in their sneaky tongs, which may shamelessly spread discord and disunion. But we have in our favor the strength of the highest frequencies vibrating in unison, as a collective spirit that will make us stronger and, also, the fundamental fact that no darkness can withstand the intensity of Light for too long…”

“We also have more magic; ours is light magic powered by the strongest force: love, which is much more than they will ever have… Talking about magic, have I told you how Hope called Emm?”

“No, you haven’t.”

“She said that Emm is, I quote, “the Aligner”, in other words, while my Emma is the Savior, yours is the Aligner. She also said that you and I, as Survivors, have magic power coming from the sky and from the sea. I think that part of this is my daughter’s fantasy, but I’ve learned to not underestimate what she says, Hope is a surprisingly accurate seer, so...  What do you think?”

"I think you just puzzled me, because Emm has repeatedly mentioned that our job is to align the lives of those who vibrate in the frequencies of light, peace and love into the 'here and now'. As for the magic of the Survivors, I don't know, maybe our survival instinct is magic by itself, but I need to think more about it.”

"Speaking of our wives and children, it’s past lunch time, which means… time to go home; besides, the batteries are already recharged," Killian stands up, searching for his car keys. "Want a ride back to the loft?"

"Aye, I had planned to walk but I’ll take the ride. My car is with Emm, who brought me here. Thank you, brother."

"The loft is on my way, no problem at all. So … Emm is already driving alone? I’m impressed." Killian asks admiringly.

"Aye, easily learned, she is a natural pro..."

…

The two brothers keep talking while walking into the parking lot, their batteries recharged, in more than one sense, and their souls lighter from the weight of past regrets, now dissipated into the horizon landscape.

Storybrooke, Cruella's House

In a circumspect silence, the four people head to the mansion once briefly occupied by Cruella. Since her death the house has remained closed although it has been placed in the Storybrooke real estate market for sale or rent. From time to time a housekeeping crew comes in to clean it up and wipe out the mice and grooves that insist on making it their permanent home. Back in time, although Cruella, Maleficent, and Ursula used to plot and conspire at a log cabin in the woods, Cruella did not relinquish a mansion in the upscale Storybrooke area, "resembling the place that witnessed my diabolical person's arrival into this world," she used to tell her accomplices. Nowadays, for Mal and Ursula those villainous times are over and they finally earned what they sought: a happy ending. For Cruella, however, the replica of Deville's Manor, owned by Rumple, represented luxury, the ostensive and questionable exuberance of an aristocracy based on appearances, and the few times she occupied the residence were enough to impregnate it with her dark energy.

…

"Tell me Emma, what was the explanation on the cloning magic given by the lilac fairy, what's her name again?" Maleficent asks as they approach the mansion’s main gate.

“Lavender,” Emma responds. ”Her name was Lavender but, hang on please… Dad, Mom, wait!” Emma calls David and Snow, walking a few meters ahead of them. They stop in their track and sit in the garden bench at their daughter’s request. “Before continuing, I’m not sure how much you’ve heard of Tink’s explanations and I want to make sure that we are all on the same page.”

"Well, Emma," Snow begins, "we are aware that James' soul reported activities of thousands of fugitives from Tartarus and Mourning Fields. We are also aware of the fairies’ ritual which resulted in the location of various places in all realms - residences, in general, and a few castles - with potential to house the clones casted by W-Pan and W-Cruella in association with the rebel souls. And this house, in particular, Cruella’s ex-house, is one of these places. We also know that our mission is to spray its outer and inner walls with the potion prepared by the fairies and given to the teams - formed by at least two magic practitioners, responsible for isolating the places pointed by the arrows. Ah, and we can’t touch the clones without gloves. Is there anything else we don't know?"

“Yeah, Mom, there are a few more relevant facts that I’ll share with you.” Emma and Mal approach them and sit in another bench close to theirs. “First, we can sit here, in these benches, because even though you didn't know, fortunately, these benches are more than 3 meters from the outer walls of the house and besides, between them and our skins our clothes protect us. Therefore, from this point, you know: no skin contact with anything in the house. You might ask - as I asked, if our clothes and shoes would have to be incinerated, and the answer is no, there is no need. The effect of the cloning spell is not transmitted to any other matter – only skin, so we can later touch our garments that will be in contact with the sources detected by the enchanted arrows."

Apparently feeling great discomfort, David closes his eyes, shaking his head, desolate.

“Dad, are you alright?” Emma asks concerned as Snow caresses her husband's back, trying to comfort him.

“Not much, my dear. Of course, this whole situation is complex, challenging, risky and scary. I was - I am - prepared for all of that. But I wasn't emotionally prepared for the sad story of my brother, or rather my brothers, considering James's Wish version.”

“David…” Snow tries to speak but he cuts her.

“I know, Snow, none of this is my direct fault. I know that. But that doesn’t prevent me from feeling somehow guilty, I should have tried harder to talk to him in the Underworld, instead I let jealousy dominate me, I don’t know anything anymore…”

“David, I was going to say that I should have controlled myself too, you were not the only one out of your mind with James, but envy and jealousy were dominant in our interactions with him. Most importantly, for me, I should feel as guilty as you, or even more, after all he tricked me. In that passage, none of us had the insight, or the self-control to think better. Mostly James, he was guided by dark instincts."

"He's my brother Snow; there was a time in our lives when we were inseparable friends and I loved him, deep down, I still do. Fate was very cruel to James."

“You are doing a lot for him, David,” Snow reassures him with a sad smile, “with your love, you are making the difference between the salvation of his soul and the eternal condemnation to suffer in hell. Remember what Tinker told us, it may take a lot of time, many reincarnations, but he will heal, his soul has escaped a tragic end, my love, you must believe that.”

"Dad, when Killian came back from the Underworld, when he resurrected and reunited with me, knowing Robin's fate, he said this same sentence: Fate is cruel - but… I don't know, I really don't know. In my experience life has taught me that we make our destiny through our choices. We all suffered and still suffer the effects of cruel actions – see this whole crisis we are in; what differentiates us from people like James is how we react to these actions and their consequences."

"About that I understand quite well," Mal enters the conversation. "You see, you are talking about Fate but, by a curious plotting of Fate and Destiny, here we are, the four of us, in a team, working together as a group aiming at a common good. It’s really ironic, considering the serious disagreements that have crossed our destinies, mine and yours, David and Snow, and the destinies of our daughters. We all carry our burden of guilt and regret because we all have suffered the cruelty of Fate. Emma is right; from the moment we made the right choices Fate wasn't so cruel to us. Fate even plotted to gather us here, in this group of four, to perform a risky job in Cruella’s house."

“It really is ironic, Mal, especially considering that I am responsible for Cruella being sent to the Underworld, in the first place.” Emma sighs, head down, but quickly recomposes and picks up the skein. “You know... this is a past that I don't regret. I carry lots of regrets, but not this one. For instance, it's still hard for me to accept my inconceivable, insensitive and out of character behavior towards Killian when he was mortified for having realized who my grandfather's murder was..."

"We'd rather not start to list past regrets," Snow sighs, thinking on how unfair she was with Killian, in the beginning, and also with Emma in many occasions, some of them when she opted to unfairly support Regina instead of her daughter.

"You're right, mom, these are past stories. What I need to reproduce now are Lavender's explanations. According to her, all of us have been cloned, no matter our age: under or over 40, that doesn’t matter. This powerful spell is related to the geographic area it covers, once the area is demarcated every human being within its boundaries will be cloned. The same applies to the Olympus, if it is demarcated. As W-Pan and W-Cruella have already demarcated the United Realms, we must be prepared to find many clones in hibernation in the places located by the enchanted arrows. The rule ‘a soul for another soul’ can now be applied the moment someone dies. In principle, the clone would be a backup body for the dead but that wouldn't be straightforward and wouldn't avoid a time slot long enough for a soul from hell to enter the clone. Of course, the souls aren't interested on old people's bodies because once incarnated they would be subject to a shorter life cycle. So, obviously, their main target are young bodies and that's an extra reason to protect the youngers: no matter their age – they may be babies - the evil souls will preserve their evil persona.”

“This is monstrous!” Snow exclaims, shocked.

“Exactly, and there is no guarantee that we will be able to completely isolate these places, though we'll try and will do our best. The castles will require extra effort because of their huge size, so the teams working on them are bigger than ours and a few others, responsible for 4-5 rooms’ residences like  this one. With the potion that we will spray on the walls of these places, we will prevent – hopefully – any soul to cross their walls aiming at inhabiting a cloned body. Last, but not least, we can never, ever, touch the cloned bodies with our skin because that may trigger unexpected effects that not even the Fairies or the gods know about and are not willing to learn. So… I think we are ready to proceed now.”

David, Emma, Snow and Mal stand up and walk in silence towards the house carrying with them a bag with a lot of sprays of magic potion. They are aware that with every step they take, they are getting closer to the real battle. The preparations are ending and the final fight is coming.

Storybrooke, the Elders' House

“Granny,” Killian tries to soften the old lady's disappointment, “I’m really sorry but there is nothing we can do to avoid this house to remain closed for as long as this crisis still remains. In the meantime, you may relocate your restoration work to the Apprentice Mansion; it is much larger and can accommodate you and all your friends.”

“Mrs. Lucas, both of you,” Key approaches them, “I am sure that you will be able to adapt well to the new circumstances. Actually you will be much needed for the logistics of our arrangements. We rely on the elders’ abilities –in your case, for example, your cooking abilities, promptness and, most importantly, relatively higher freedom degree. In every corner of the United Realms the Elders are right now being asked to organize into Councils and to remain together. Here in Storybrooke, three other groups like yours are being formed, and because you are not the target victims of the rebel souls, you will be able to move more freely among shelters. The Dragon and Nemo are working on the wireless devices that all of us will use to communicate and we expect to distribute them very soon. The collaboration of all the elderly will be critical to the success of our Body & Soul Operation. "

“We do understand, Killian, Key. And, obviously, you can count on us, although I'm a little sad that it has to be this way," Granny laments. “You see, my sister and I were completing the renovation of the 4 bedrooms to suit our present and future needs, starting with installing an elevator and a rolling chair on the stairs. We do not plan to retire completely, the diner's activities will  continue because they're part of our lives and we love it too much. But we're leaving the hotel business. Storybrooke has grown and needs modern and larger hotels. In view of that, we decided to accept the gift from Gideon, who has transferred his father's properties to all tenants residing on them. The only exceptions were this house, where he used to come in vacations with his parents when he was a child and, it seems, the house where Cruella lived for a while, both empty. However, as Gideon is no longer living here and doesn’t plan to move back, he wanted to find a good use to his parent’s house too. So, one day, having lunch at the diner, he overheard our talk about moving into a more comfortable house and decided to present us with his old residence. Since then, we've been working on the renovations.”

“We've already given it a name! We call it The Happy Elder’s House, did you know that?” Entering the conversation with a loving and humorous tone of voice, Wish Granny asks Alice and Zelena, who have just joined the group standing in front of two houses: the Golds home and its neighbor’s house, Sir Morgan’s (father of Violet) residence.

Zelena and Alice, who were just talking to Key, approached the group with their heads bowed, wrapped in thoughts. However, the loving manner of the old ladies quickly soothed and touched them both, sparking in them a small flame of gossip about the unfolding lives of the elders. Always a curious, Zelena answers the two ladies and asks back: “I didn’t know, I guess neither Alice. Interesting… So, tell me, in total, how many residents were planning to live in the two elders’ mansions, that is, the Apprentice's house and the happy one here?”

“Hmmm, let me think, help me here sister,” Wish Granny starts to count. “Let’s see: So far we have you and me, Gepetto, Dragon – count on him just as an eventual guest, because he never stays too long in any place, Moe, Jack, Grandmother Fa and Jiminy….”

“You are forgetting Brennan; remember that we have invited him to join us when he mentioned, in the diner, that he was thinking about retiring and he said yes… Ah! And there is also Wish Johanna, who was Wish Snow’s former maid!” Granny adds.

“I know a few of these people you mentioned but… Who is who, Mrs. Lucas?” Alice interrupts them. “Starting from… Moe?”

“Call me Granny and my sister you call Wish Granny, my dear Alice. Now, about your question, very well,” Granny sighs. “I suppose you all know Dragon, Gepetto and Brennan, to be precise, Wish Brennan but you don’t need to use the pronoun because the other Brennan is already dead, and Johanna, again without using Wish - at least I guess you’ve heard about her. So, Moe is Maurice French, Belle’s father. Jack is Wish Apprentice – he is blind but with a very powerful magic and really wise. Fa is Mulan and Wish Mulan’s grandmother. She was saved by the Dragon, who found her frozen but not dead in a cave of the Chinese Village.”

Cutting her sister, Wish Granny intervenes. “I think an explanation is required here, then I’ll open a parenthesis: Fa was not duplicated during the Wish Realm creation because in the past, when Mulan and her people were magically teleported to the Enchanted Forest through the Earth’s grid, she was accidentally inoculated with drops of a sleeping curse and disappeared into the ground so that her granddaughters couldn’t find her. I’ll close the parenthesis here, sis, you may continue…”

“Right, thanks,” Granny goes on. “So, Fa stayed in a casket, kept in that cave, and only a few years ago was found by the Dragon and brought to Wish Mulan and Wish Red’s house. More recently she was awakened by a true love kiss. Sometimes she spends a season with Wish Mulan, sometimes visits her other granddaughter, Mulan, in DunBroch. And sometimes, she comes to Storybrooke. In her last visit, she brought her enchanted prince, and since then they are considering living here in Storybrooke with us."

“Stop the press!!” Zelena shouts, really excited. “In this part you both got me: a true love kiss, really? Enchanted Prince? How come we’ve never heard of all of these stories?”

“Well, Zelena, we may be old, but we are alive, you know?” Granny responds with a chuckle. “The story is really fantastic. I will tell you in short. It all started with Archie...” At all interrogation sights, she giggles and continues, “As you all know, Archie chose to remain a man, and by the way, very much in love man, these days…”

“Really?” Wish Granny cuts her sister to ask, interested, “Who is the lady? Is she whom I’m thinking she is?”

“Hmmm… I think…” Granny gossips in a low voice, “Yes! She is Lily, the Dragon, but you keep that just between us, they are really shy about their romance. They are horrible at hiding it, though, the same way as Mal and Zorro, who lives in Westside Storybrooke. Even though they don’t know how to hide it, they try to be quiet discreet about their affair. But we should go back to Fa…. Want to continue, sis?” Granny asks her sister.

“Sure.” Wish Granny responds. “So, let’s go back to Archie. In the past Archie was a cricket but doesn’t want to revert to his cricket persona anymore. However, the same cannot be said about his wish version, which has aged more than him due to a life under fewer dark curses, and chose to remain an old cricket – a very talkative and wise one. (By the way, Killian and Key, you would love to chat with him for hours). But back on track, since the creation of the United Realms, he moved to Storybrooke to live with Archie. So, in one of our granddaughter’s visits to us – I’m referring here to Wish Red, okay? - she got to meet Jiminy, the Wish Cricket, and invited him to spend a time in her house because she remembered that her wife, Wish Mulan, had mentioned that her sleeping grandma loved crickets, back in China. So, after staying with them for a few months, old cricket fell in love with sleeping Fa and kissed her with a true love kiss and… the rest is history!”

“Wow!” both, Zelena and Alice say in unison, smiling dreamily.

“I wonder how a true love kiss works when the lovers did not know each other before one of them got cursed under a sleeping curse…” Zelena murmurs.

“Ask Brennan, next time you see him,” Granny suggests. “He experienced this same situation, he probably knows…”

“Or ask Jimmy and Fa,” Wish Granny complements.

…

While Granny and Wish Granny kept dominating the gossip circle, Killian and Key exchanged so many glances and rolled their eyes so much that their eyeballs almost pulled out to orbit around the sun. Even though they realized what the two old ladies were doing - i.e. easing the tension of the extremely heavy mood after Key transmitted Lavender's instructions to Zelena and Alice - they know that it is time to move on. Now the brothers are exchanging a new type of glances, nodding and discreetly signaling that they need to put an end to the recess time.

Hugging tightly to his daughter, Key sighs deeply before saying as gently as he can: “Alice?”

“Aye, Papa?” she turns to her father already sensing the outcome and restoring her seriousness.

“Star Fish, we need to be ready to enter the house.”

“Zelena,” Killian turns to the red haired woman, “please, take the two Grannys to Sir Morgan’s house. He’s aware of what is going on; besides, Violet and Wish Henry are right now with him, they will help with the ladies. We will stay here, carrying the bag with our sprays, waiting for you to come back, and then we will get there, together.”

“Right,” Zelena nods and gently takes the two old women with her. “I’ll be right back.”

Storybrooke, City Hall

Two General Staff fronts, gathered at the capital's City Hall, worked all day coordinating intense activities throughout the geographic area known as United Realms - practically corresponding to the entire Maine’s area and 2000 nautical miles - proven already delimited by the cloning spell by the amount of cloned bodies that have been found during the day. The first front was responsible for organizing field teams at the places pointed out by the locating arrows, which included the complex logistics of distributing magic potion sprays. They had the help of one dragon (Lily), two airships piloted by Phileas Fogg and Passepartout, and the Nautilus, which delivered, to a team of Nymphs, potions specially prepared to isolate an underwater palace. All potions were produced by the fairies, on a mini-industrial scale, in a makeshift laboratory in the Convent's kitchen. In parallel, the second General Staff was responsible for the creation of 20 Councils of Elders in all quadrants of the realms and in the capital, accommodating the elderly (in average over 75) in houses specially assigned to host them, as well as overseeing the supply of food and transportation they will be assigned to distribute to the Shelters during the curfew.

A third General Staff, coordinating the extensive activities of 3 Shelter groups met at Storybrooke Elementary and Secondary School. Finally, also there, the fourth General Staff worked on two fronts: the first, using the Physics labs of the Secondary School they produced hundreds of small communicating devices and a few other devices employing scientific and technological knowledge; the second one, bringing together a team of wizards and magic practitioners across all realms, supported the creation of a basic infrastructure for the shelters and, in parallel, compiled magic potions, spells and amulets that could be useful for the frontal combat teams. According to the newest reports from the Lilac Fairies, these combat teams will get reinforcements from some gods of Olympus - already without means to produce more immortality nectar and nearing the end of their stock of Ambrosia - and from some luminous souls in bodies temporarily densified to remain on Earth, coming from the Elysium Fields.

At the end of the day, the final reports began to be printed and emailed to all heads of state and groups.

"So Regina," Cindy asks, "What do you think?"

“Overall, everything went according to the planned. So, because of that, first of all, I feel a relief,” Regina replies, looking at several spreadsheets scattered over the long table, “the reports tell us that all demarcations to isolate 2 castles on land and 1 palace undersea, plus 20 residences, occurred without serious incidents, just a few small waves of panic in founding the clones, especially when they recognized their own clones or of their children, and of people who lost their gloves but they used the spare gloves that, fortunately, someone had the brilliant idea to include in the spray kit. I only hope that enough arrows have been generated to point out all sources of dark magic with potential to house the clones, meaning no buildings have been left out. Remind me, in preparing the topics of the pronouncement tomorrow, marking the beginning of Operation B&S Phase 2, to include the warning that everyone should wear gloves as much as possible.”

"Noted," Cindy replies, writing on a tablet.

“Secondly,” Regina continues, “My Split sister, who is working in the Magic Staff, has just called from the School and it seems that the communicating devices are ready, which means that tomorrow morning our special deliverers, with the reinforcement of Dragon and Mal, will be able to distribute them all in the morning. Besides that, from the Magic Staff, Gideon reported that all planned activities have been concluded and he is thinking about investigating a bit more in the underground of his father's antique shop, he will do it tomorrow or the day after tomorrow…”

“But is there still something there? I thought that after the shop closed Gideon had removed all objects and documents that had not yet been returned to their former owners....” Cindy interrupts, to ask.

“I once asked him the same question and, as he explained to me, he wanted to leave some objects behind in case he ever reopens the shop - since Mr. Gold’s Pawnbroker & Antiquities dealer still physically exists although, at the moment, closed - and he didn't see any practical use for them in his new residence, that is, in his father's old castle.”

“And what about the Elders’ Councils?” Cindy keeps asking, always taking notes in her tablet.

“In the final count, there are a total of 20 Councils spread across the realms. By tomorrow the elderly will be already gathered at their headquarters. Care has been taken that in all Councils there are people able to cook and to drive minivans. We didn't have all these vehicles, but with the help of a little magic, the problem was easily solved. Magic practitioners have been working a lot all day, especially in the Shelters for the 3 groups. Virtually all of the housing supplies, including the bed and table infrastructure, were all created with the aid of magic in record time. I haven't seen all the reports yet, but work on the other staff groups gathered at Storybrooke School is far ahead. Amazingly, Emm Sweet has been invaluable, it seems. She has taken on the responsibility of creating, through magic, a series of musical instruments that will be used as recreational activities but also as preparation for eventual collective and simultaneous performances of magic music in all shelters. She didn't explain it well, it seems like she doesn't know very well how this is going to work, but she is doing the work inspired by insights, which we have to respect deeply given the history of her intuition when starting the Sweet Suite process.”

"Very well, my dear Good Queen," Cindy finally sits next to her mother-in-law, stretching her arms and legs and massaging her back, consumed by the strenuous work of the long day, "all considered, we can say that today was exceptionally productive and that Phase 1 of Operation Body & Soul has been completed on schedule."

“So far, no big surprises, but these are the preparations for the battles that haven't really started yet. We know that our enemies do not rest. While for us, rest is important, for the souls there is no day or night. ”

“But Wish Pan and Wish Cruella - as far as we know, the only two living agents on Earth working with the rebel souls - need to rest as much as we do,” Cindy counter argues. “And as for the souls, they also project their energies into the dream world; remember what we’ve been told about Morpheus discovering the dirt activities of Pan and Cruella.”

“Cindy, it just occurred to me: what if it's not just Wish Pan and Wish Cruella? We're not sure, David's intelligence services haven't detected any anomalies, but that doesn't mean they no longer have more villains involved in their Upperworld network. Oh, what a nightmare....”

"Have you been dreaming about Robin, have you talked and met in dreams?"

“Only once, since the crisis began. Robin and I, in a way, by the mysterious magic that allowed his soul to lodge in my heart, share with me what I get to know, so he knows the events, this massive problem. But I've been feeling so tired lately that I can't even dream, or if I dream, I don't remember in awareness of what I dreamed. Maybe I'm meeting him, but I don't remember. In fact, I've been feeling so tired that sometimes I fear like I'm going to lose consciousness and fall into a deep sleep, never waking up again.”

“Regina, you are under enormous pressure. We all are, but you occupy a leadership position that doesn't allow you to relax, and that's not good. Henry and I have been talking a lot about this, we care about you and want to make sure you set aside at least one hour in your fully populated schedule, stop everything you are doing to include this one hour, and go see a doctor. You are visibly downcast; we all care about your wellbeing, several people have noticed and would like you to give yourself a little time to look into the mirror of your eyes, to take care of yourself.”

“It's curious, what you are advising me to do: looking into the mirror is what I always did, what I did the most in my life. But I think you're right, I'm on the brink of a collapse, I really don't know if I'll have the strength to drive the whole Phase 2 process, but let's move on. I promise I'll exchange a few words with Whale. ”

"And today you're staying with us again, Henry and I have made a point - and we won't take no for an answer."

“Thank you, my dear, I love you so much, and I will accept your offer. I'm just going to send a few more messages to the School, it seems the work there is not completely finished yet, but it's almost over and then we can call it a day!”

Storybrooke, Elementary and Secondary School

Night has fallen but the school lights are still on for the final arrangements to be completed. The fluttering of fairy wings echoes through the school corridors, coming and going carrying the communication devices in small scuppers that will be distributed tomorrow. Meanwhile, in the teacher's meeting room, the latest conferences on the monitor lists for all shelters are held and, as it turned out, the number of volunteers exceeded expectations. In the shelters of the youngest children, group A, the parents themselves will be the monitors; in group B, with adolescents and preteens, the monitors will be members of group C reallocated to group B. And in group C there is no need of monitors although the infrastructure to house its hundreds of thousands of occupants is the most complex. Despite the large numbers, the solidarity network has grown exponentially and simplified the coordinating work.

Some coordinators are already in the Shelters, taking care of the latest arrangements. At school are still working: Snow, the two Henrys, Gideon, Elsa, Guinevere, Tiana and Jasmine.

“I know you even joke because I really have as a striking feature the belief in the strength of Hope,” Snow addresses them all. “But I have no other words that can best describe what is happening in the United Realms: much hope that we will overcome this crisis and emerge victorious, stronger and more united. I imagine I am not the only one who has noticed the wave of Love that is spreading in the air; all people are more loving, affectionate, and open. The solidarity that results from this energy is cumulative and growing, really impressive. It is Love being used as the most powerful Magic of all magic. Have you noticed too?”

Everyone agrees with Snow, going over the latest spreadsheets with a dreamy gaze projected on their love ones, all out there, busy, completing the tasks for which they were assigned. Elsa and Gideon exchange furtive glances and smiles.

“Emm is absolutely right,” Gideon then comments, “about using Music as a magic tool. We must keep that in mind. Even in the Land theoretically without Magic, Music finds its way to take Magic there. No matter if the person can’t play any instrument, or sing with a perfectly tuned voice, singing produces what is technically known as endorphins and oxytocin, which for us are simply, both, feel-good hormones. Besides, singing works to help in lowering stress levels and to reduce anxiety – extremely important for all of us, now.”

“It can also boost self-confidence,” Tiana adds.

‘‘Don’t I know that?” Guinevere agrees. “See myself, for example, I love to sing in a choirs but I’ve never felt that much confident to sing solo. A lot of people are so terrified of singing on their own or public speaking, but Emm’s idea of working in a group, with choirs of voices, is fantastic because when we’re in a group the group energy gives everyone that confidence and the result may sound amazing.”

“My Mom has always loved Music, even when she didn’t know it was the main source of her Magic…” Wish Henry tells them. “Now, more than ever, after the Sweet Suite, she praises the power of music in everything that matters for her.”

“A few days ago Hope said that, while her mother is the Savior, her Aunt Emm is the Aligner ,” Elsa confides them, “but she didn’t explain the concept beyond that and Emma and I didn’t push her. You know Hope, when she doesn’t want to talk about something. However, I asked Gideon…” and she looks at him and he nods. She then continues, “He has read about the Aligners in an ancient book, could you share what you have told me, Gideon?”

“Sure,” he answers. “Aligners are a rare group of people responsible for setting special resonant frequencies that induce a lot of people to vibrate collectively, thus enhancing the power of a given magic. I guess these frequencies are related to Music, in Emm’s case. Elsa and I told this to her, this morning, and I think that after processing the information she came out with the inspiring idea of magically creating musical instruments for the shelters, something like forming orchestras everywhere.”

“I remember the concept!!” Henry exclaims. “By coincidence, or maybe not, there is a technical term describing music alignment as a kind of music synchronization. I’ve read about when I lived in Seattle. Technically, for them the alignment refers to interrelate multiple information sets associated to a given musical work, for example, sheet music, symbolic representations and audio recording. So it is taken to mean a procedure which, for a given position in one representation of a piece of music, determines the corresponding position within another.”

“You mean, is it a kind of translation?” Jasmine asks.

“Sort of,” Henry continues. “The synchronization forms the basis for novel interfaces that allow users to access, search, and browse musical content in a convenient way. That is what music alignment means in the Land without Magic. I guess, in the UR, it means much more than that…”

“I agree, it might mean much more than that,” Gideon ponders. “I have yet to research more about this subject, I promised Key and Emm I would look after the issue, but given the emergency we are in, I haven’t had the time to browse in my books. However, I think I could prioritize this search because it may be the difference between our defeat and our victory…”

“I propose that we all sing a song to attract good vibes toward our victory. Our work today is done, and this may already be a good workout for what Emm will propose ... how about?" Snow suggests.

“Could we just hum?” Wish Henry asks. “My Mom loves to sing and is an excellent singer, but I’d rather hum a little, if we want to keep the vibes toward our victory!”

“Which song that would be?” Elsa asks everybody.

“I was thinking about a lullaby,'' Snow explains, “but no music came to my mind…”

“I thought of one,” Gideon tells them timidly, “but I’m not sure if it would set the mood correctly. But it was the one that came to my mind, anyway.”

“And that would be…?” Elsa inquires him seductively, as if encouraging him to share the impulse.

“Since we talked about the Land without Magic, it is in the soundtrack of a movie made there. A real masterpiece, I must say, a fantastic story and… thinking more about this impulse of mine, I have to say that it surely appears to be a message sent from the spiritual plane to us…”

“Stop the suspense, Gideon,” Elsa giggles, “and split it out!”

“Have you watched Pan’s Labyrinth?” Gideon then asks them.

“Of course, I have…!” Henry exclaims. “Man…. You are so right; this movie has everything to do with us.”

“I haven’t watched it,” Snow says and Elsa and Wish Henry nod with her.

“Neither did I,” Jasmine and Guinevere join their group.

“I did.” A thoughtful Tiana whispers, “It’s a great movie with so many interpretations for all tastes - from psychological, sociological or political angles…”

“But mostly,” Gideon adds, “for me, I’m more concerned with the occult symbolism permeating the story with an underlying esoteric story of initiation. It is a kind of parable with numerous references to occult mysteries: full of mythical and archetypal symbolism that fit into a rich story.”

“Yeah…” Henry confirms dreamily, scanning his memory files, “Those archetypal myths and symbols deeply resonate in the collective and personal unconscious, even though people in the Land without Magic do believe that they do not exist in a real, organic sense, as we know they do.”

“You are talking in riddles,” Elsa complains. “What is it about?”

“I’ll try to give you a brief summary while searching here in my playlist for the soundtrack Gideon referred to, the humming part…” Henry says, and prepares to develop his abstract. “Based on the Greek mythology, Pan is a god, a Faun, resembling a man with legs and horns of a goat, a representative of a natural energy, a phallic deity symbolizing the impregnating power of the sun. He sort of becomes the spiritual guide to a girl, named Ofelia, and helps her through an actual and figurative labyrinth she must go through. Despite his monstrous appearance—which leads us, as viewers, to think at first that he is the “bad guy”—he is actually the only being in Ofelia’s life that understands her desire to “become more” and to reach her full potential. The actual “bad guy” in the movie is not the hideous creature, but the cruel step-father.”

“Not exactly the same description applied for the Pans that are threatening us but almost the same regarding this step-father of the movie. And for me and Henry Mills it’s a cross-over impersonating our cruel Great-Grandfathers…” Wish Henry mumbles.

“They are my Grandfathers; I don’t know which is worse…” Gideon replies with a bit of sarcasm.

“The movie story has so many layers...” Tiana resumes the conversation. “Ofelia is given some tasks to accomplish and the first one, I remember well, is to find the Sacred Feminine."

"You know..." Tiana smiles, with a sigh, "among all challenging mysteries that we have endured, many of us here have already experienced the loss of identity caused by a dark curse. Particularly, I'm referring to the kind that can send us to the "land without magic" to live under the skin of another persona - Sabine, in my case. And the more I think about Sabine the more I realize that the real me, the essence of Tiana was always present in Sabine during her journey in Hyperion Heights. Her task, I mean, my task, was actually the rescue of a sacred essence that no dark curse is capable of erasing forever - temporarily, perhaps, that can happen, but Light always finds a way to shine again. And that can happen, at times, completely unexpectedly. For me, the discovery of Cinema, of this wonderful expression of the purest Art, was one of these unexpected forms - from the Enchanted Forest to a cinema room I found myself being profoundly touched by the fine art. I remember that Pan’s Labyrinth, which I watched with my roommate Jacinda, I mean, Ella, or Cindy, worked its magic on both of us, thus proving, after all, that the Land wasn't really Without Magic! Ofelia's journey resonated deeply inside of us. She has to retrieve a key from a giant toad that is sucking the life out of an ancient fig tree - the quest for “returning to the womb” and rekindling the oppressed feminine. The interior of the tree is damp and moist, symbolizing once again the womb-giver of life. The tree itself looks like a uterus. You would love this part, girls!” she turns to the women in the group.

“First thing we will do, after all of this is past, is to watch this movie, we need to increase the number of movie theaters in the UR,” Snow comments, intrigued and touched by Tiana's testimony.

“There are other tasks for Ofelia but I won’t spoiler more, I will let you find out when you watch it. But in summary, it’s a must watch, I totally recommend it and I will re-watch it with you…” Tiana concludes.

“I found it!” Henry exclaims, already selecting the song out of his playlist. "We could hum together while it plays, as Key used to do in the Sweet Suite...

...Let’s do it before going home!”

*