I made a rut in the carpet, pacing back and forth in my office. There were so many things at play that I was balancing, and it was beginning to be too much. With Andrea and Hector having agreed to assist, I knew some of the burden would be lifted.


    But there was darkness on the horizon. Damien, the Modern Day Demi-God, was the instrument of the Goddess of Chaos. He was trying to gain access to the Vault and had been collecting Artifacts on his own. Finding out he was an ex-Order member made me start digging. There wasn''t a lot, but I had begun to assemble a file of all the things we knew and could speculate.


    On top of that issue, Lilith, at Sera''s behest I''m sure, told Damien that she wouldn''t team up with him against the Order. And he supposedly was able to get through the Manor''s barrier, which meant Sera, Auria and all the others at the Manor were a potential target. It was an issue that I couldn''t request Order of Vigilance allies to assist me with.


    To make matters worse, Chase was losing control over Tyrfing, having killed Rabbi Elijah, who was under Order protection. The Progenitors were breathing down my neck about Chase.


    I couldn''t do much to protect him anymore. All I could do was stall. Soon, they''d send someone to deal with him, and the result would be catastrophic.


    Everything had taken an awful turn, but on the plus side, I had seen Sera more in the last few weeks than I had in years. Despite being separated, it always made me happy to see her. There was still something there, deep down, that reminded me why I had fallen for her in the first place.


    As we headed into the cold winter months, a time the youths among me called ''cuffing season'', I couldn''t help but admit that I was feeling nostalgic about our past...relationship?


    Anyway, there were too many things at play right now, and I couldn''t let my own emotions be the driving force.


    I sat back down at my desk and opened up my laptop, logging into the secure Order network. Ten years ago was a long time, but I still remember something vaguely that sticks out to me. I think back to that time, when my team had finally disbanded, and we all went on our separate ways. It had been myself, Chase, Hector and Andrea, Magnus, Serena and a guy named Griffin. We had been working under my old Master, Gideon Solarin and his partner Rook.


    Master Gideon had been a firm, and quiet leader. But he was also supportive and very father-like. I learned a lot of what I know and how I run the Cathedral now, based on what I learned from him. He had come all the way here from Africa, led by the Spider God Anansi, and had bonded to his sword without the Bonding Ceremony. Rook had been an interesting man, sent to support Gideon as the new leader and had ended up being a well of information and an efficient combat trainer. Who they were built the foundations for everything I was now, and everything that I had.


    I had hoped that Chase and I would have the same kind of effect on this place. But I was not as resourceful and steadfast as Gideon, and Chase was far to haunted to be Rook. Perhaps with Hector and Andrea here to help, things would level out. The four of us should be able to handle seven teenagers and manage this place.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I remember one of the big things amongst our team had been saving up money from missions and buy brand new condos in the downtown core of Toronto, in the height of the real estate boom. It had been special for us; growing into adults with our own places, having kids. I had always wanted to settle down, find someone nice to shack up with...


    I flicked through the files on the ex-Order members. Of my old team, Serena, Magnus and Griffin had all passed on, so I didn''t bother looking there. Chase had been the only one MIA, and he was back now. I moved over the international files, looking through Order members that had been excommunicated or removed, trying to find out who this Damien guy could actually be. He had knowledge of this place and the Order beyond what he was letting on and he knew about the magical barrier protecting the Manor and how to get through it. If he was looking to make a show of force, he would strike there. It would show the monster community that telling him no, was a death sentence.


    As much as I wasn''t fond of Lilith, she was helping protect my family, and there were so many other innocents under her protection and care. I wanted to tell Chase, and ask for help, but the fewer people who knew about the Manor, the better. If the Order higher ups knew what was hiding there, and my relation to it...


    I remember when this job had been simple; train the new generation, send them on adventures, recover powerful Artifacts. When it was just slaying monsters, the politics were surprisingly simple. It was what the Order of Vigilance had always done. But things were shifting, and councils were organizing. And Damien sought to exploit that, in favor of whatever Eris, the Goddess of Chaos, had planned.


    Interacting with Gods was not a new thing for the Order, but it also wasn''t super common either. The celestial beings or powers that made up the ancient pantheons of Gods were strange. They didn''t quite hold the power they once did, ruling over regions, domains and cultures. Gods, apparently, only have as much power as they have worshippers. If a God is forgotten, they fade from existence and return to the cosmic ether. Luckily, for a lot of those Gods, they were kept alive by pop culture, media representation and small factions of Old World worshippers. They weren''t the same ruling and smiting Gods of the past, but they still had influence on our world, powered various Artifacts and sometimes, craved that old power.


    It was hard not to fear for my team. They were young and emotional; full of hormones and stresses of their own. It gets harder each day not to see them as my own, instead of just being their boss. I know it''s a job, but we''re like a family. Which is dangerous because I''ve never been good at that.


    Family isn''t just about bloodlines. It''s about the people we surround ourselves with, the people we trust and lean on when we fall. Its hard for guys like Chase and Erik to ask for help, to fall on the shoulders of those around them. But the more I look around, the more I see growth and hope that one day, those of us who distance ourselves from the others, will be able to find some peace among this found family.


    Being in the Order of Vigilance was not an easy task. It was a generational curse to some. To others, it was just a financial opportunity. It was hard to relate to the people who didn''t see the things we did regardless of what they were here for. This job created isolation, making us all stand alone in the darkness, while we defend a thankless world from monsters and sometimes worse.


    I found myself hovering over Serena''s file in the database. She had been someone who maintained the light in our darkness. She had seen so much in Chase, she had stayed with him in crisis and she paid with her life. After all these years, she was still a light, buried deep in our memories and bonding us together.


    One day, one of the new generation would sit at this desk, looking over the remnants of forgotten emails, missions files and pictures of those they had lost, lamenting about better days when they were young and the biggest issue they had was who was sleeping with who.


    For now, I''d carry that burden. Because that is what family does.


    Through all the drama, pain and cursed swords...


    That''s what family does.