"Anyone want champagne?" Yuri asked, coming alongside Luciu. The irangels stood close together as the crowd dispersed.

"I don't drink alcohol," Luciu said, firmly declining alcoholic drinks. "If anything, I want to see where we're going to be staying."

Just then a very attractive man came up to the irangels. He looked Asian and was dressed entirely in black. The orange and yellow flame details on his black suit appeared so lifelike that some of the irangels wondered if the flames were real.

They are real, Demian realized in astonishment, looking closely at the stranger. His longish black hair was always loose, rarely tied back. His beautiful, cheerful smile lit up the room brighter than disco lights and glitter. He had earthy brown almond-shaped eyes and a smooth olive skin tone.

"Greetings irangels," he said, giving a Japanese style formal bow. "I am Raistin Fenice, the Phoenix and the Protector of Iredescent. I lived on planet Earth for some time before I met my wife, Tereza Rejkavik."

He motioned towards the Iredescent woman beside him. She was in her late fifties and had gilded reddish caramel hair. Her light purple gown had silver sparkles on it. Her skin barely shimmered. Without her shimmery purple wings, she would've easily been taken for a human. Her arm was looped around Raistin's, indicating they were together.

Cole was the first to recognize her. "You're the woman in the picture, the one in the secret file when Tori Nichok discovered planet Iredescent. Even your name was written underneath the photo!"

In a flash, Demian remembered the photo and knew exactly what Cole was talking about. Before Tereza could say anything, Demian spoke reverently, his voice and eyes teeming with excitement, "It's a great honor to meet you, Tereza Rejkavik! You're the woman who inspired Tori to go to outer space to find planet Iredescent. We all know what happened when she did."

"Yes, unfortunately," Tereza said. "But some good did come from her creation. You, for example," she said, indicating Cole.

Cole pointed at himself. "Me? Yeah, but – "

"If it weren't for you, Demian wouldn't have turned into an irangel," Tereza continued. "You wouldn't have helped him decide the people to turn, thus altering the lives of many different people. It was you who agreed to change the lives of the people you turned into irangels. It's thanks to you and Demian that these people are who they are now. Most of them wouldn't even be alive if it weren't for you and Demian."

Tears filled Cole's eyes. It meant so much for him to be told that his irangel life was more rewarding and fulfilling than his former human life would have been. Cole had wanted so much to have his old life back, but being reassured of how his new life had done so much to change lives made him feel it was all worth it.

Cole looked into the eyes of every irangel, knowing they were here because of him and Demian. Both men had seen each of them in their darkest moments, saving them from dark thoughts of suicide. Cole had a brother in Demian, a second brother in Stripes, a lover in Kirrie, and a close-knit sibling-like friendship with the irangels. He knew every one of them was forever grateful for the life they had now compared to the life they had before.

Demian broke through the sentimental mood that had befallen Cole, saying, "This is all very emotional, but we've an audience with Peridot Shodi, who wishes to speak to us."

Raistin raised his hand in a positive gesture. "Go on ahead. We'll be chilling with Tal and Zvizda. Peace, guys."

"Thank you," Cole said to Tereza one more time as the irangels turned towards the approaching Peridot. Because he was a mind reader, Demian was aware that Peridot wanted to speak with the irangels.

Tereza smiled as she and Raistin glided over to where Tal and Zvizda were.

Tal Elphene and Zvizda Nyota were the Iredescents the irangels befriended when they first arrived on planet Iredescent. They were very trusted friends of the irangels, as well as their mentors for everything Iredescent, though they also had Peridot, Nend, Raistin, and Tereza for reference.

Peridot's gaze regarded each of the irangels as they stood around him in a circle. "As you know, Mirror Castle is a fortress as well as a home for the Ruler of Iredescent to reside in. It was built to hold an entire city's population in case of a severe emergency. The irangel leaders are permitted to live at Mirror Castle. The rest of you, it is up to you to decide whether you wish to reside with them or in the Auraglen city apartments."

"With them," Amanda immediately responded. "Even though some of us hold some hostility towards a particular irangel – " Amanda cast a glance at Cydtin, who inwardly sighed, " – we choose to stay together, thick or thin. Hot or cold. Friend or enemy, or lover." She took a deep breath and continued. "No matter what we faced, or will face, we irangels should remain together as a family."

Amanda turned to directly face Cydtin. "I forgive you, Cydtin," she told him, publicly and in front of everyone witness. "You are not the same man as you were before. I still don't trust you, and I don't know if I ever will, but you are my irangel brother, so I should endow you at least a cookie crumb of trust."

Amanda's chestnut brown tinged, lilac purple wings curved sharply as she included the irangels in her gaze. "You guys are my brothers and sisters. I grew up as an only child. I never knew a sibling nor friend until I met you. Even though some of you have hurt me, pissed me off, controlled me, infuriated me in so many ways, I decided to let go of the past and move on to a better future. Cydtin, I forgive you even though it's your fault Neveah and Yennisse died. I didn't even get the chance to know Kaylie, Qiang, Neva, and Klas, but I'm sure I'll get to know people like them here on Iredescent."

With that, Amanda turned on her heel, striding towards where Petyr Issersohn, Tiae Sivkov, Cloridy Dimiychuk, Teran Acuratno, Porcupine Bear, and the eleven Native Americans from various reservations were standing. They were the group of people that decided to move to planet Iredescent with the irangels.

The human newcomers were free to choose whether they wanted to become Iredescent or stay human. Demian's foster father, Petyr Issersohn, was the only one who chose to stay human; all the others wanted to turn into Iredescents shortly after their arrival. Ironically, Porcupine Bear, the oldest of them all, also a Native American elder, was the first who wanted to turn.

Petyr Issersohn looked like an older Demian with thick black hair and green eyes, appearing more like Demian's actual father than his adoptive father. Like Demian, Petyr lived in Mondlicht, Germany. Demian's birth parents, Erik and Emma Daggers, had died when he was seven. Petyr personally knew the couple and took to looking after their only child. Petyr's wife Milana left him a long time ago, years before the car accident that led him to becoming Demian's adoptive father.

Demian looked to Petyr as a father figure and loved him dearly. He knew it was hard for Petyr to raise him on his own and without a mother figure. Demian was relieved that Petyr could live a peaceful life on Iredescent, without stressful things like bills and taxes.

The two European women, Tiae Sivkov and Cloridy Dimiychuk, were Civic Acuratno's former lovers who remained best friends. They were fashion designers who co-owned their own fashion studio, the same studio that garnered Civic's former modeling career. Tiae and Cloridy were among the first humans to eagerly turn into Iredescents.

There were two kinds of Iredescents: winged ones and finned ones.

Winged ones had wings and a skin shimmer, sometimes a special ability. Finned ones had fins and were referred to as mermaids or mermen. Finned ones had a golden sheen in their eyes and their hair sparkled, especially in sunlight. All finned ones were able to manipulate water and speak telepathically.

Raistin was the one who granted permission for humans to turn into Iredescents. He turned them himself, since a Phoenix was the only person authorized to turn a human into an Iredescent.

As a result, Tiae Sivkov became a finned one. Her fins were ombré white and blue, white on top and becoming blue towards the bottom. Her long, wavy blonde hair sparkled brightly, encouraging the new mermaid to wear sparkly clothing. Her skin shimmer was a soft white with light blue, her light green eyes more ethereal than they were when she was human. Because of her interest in the supernatural and her wraith like appearance, Tiae's nickname became the Misty Specter.

Cloridy Dimiychuk became a winged one. Her wings were a bold array of red and cream white, with watermelon pink on some of her wing feathers. Her skin shimmered like champagne gold. Her long thick auburn hair was wavy, almost as long as Tiae's hair, if not the same length, and her brown eyes were like shiny chocolate brownies, glistening with fascination over her new Iredescent appearance. Her nickname became the Cloudmaker per her air manipulation ability. One of her most outstanding creations was a dress made of clouds.

Civic's brother, Teran Acuratno, had dark brown and indigo blue wings that reminded of a falcon's wings. Teran wore gold eyeliner and highlighter around his deep brown eyes. His skin shimmer was gold like Civic's. He wore a feather in his hair as a symbol of his Native American culture. Teran pursued a modeling career on planet Iredescent, replacing his brother Civic, who was a model on planet Earth.

Teran was a polar similarity to Irina Acai, the Ruler of Iredescent Past, who ruled planet Iredescent before Peridot Shodi's time. The similarity was that animals followed Teran wherever he went. While hedgehogs and crows followed Irina, foxes and falcons followed Teran.

Teran had the ability to manipulate metal. He was able to turn pennies to gold, remove metal impurities, and completely change chemical components. Teran's nickname became the Metal Touch.

Porcupine Bear's real name was Heskovizenako, but because everyone had trouble pronouncing his name, he had everyone call him Porcupine Bear. Since hedgehogs on Iredescent were called yyoz, with yyoziki as the plural word, Porcupine Bear called himself Yyoz. After turning into an Iredescent, Porcupine Bear insisted on Yyoz as his new name, forgoing his former names, Porcupine Bear and Heskovizenako.

Shortly after becoming an Iredescent, Yyoz discovered he had the metachrosis ability to voluntarily change color by the expansion of special pigment cells, meaning he was able to camouflage and change colors of objects to match their surroundings. He mostly used his ability to change colors of clothing like shirts and jeans, making them any color he wanted. He also camouflaged himself just for fun. His metachrosis ability was the basis for the shapeshifting ability.

In addition, hedgehogs sensed his deep love for them. Hedgehogs almost always surrounded Yyoz. They followed him everywhere to the point where Yyoz was called "the Hedgehog Man."

Yyoz's black hair was pulled back in a slick hairstyle. He used to wear it up in a Mohawk, but after changing his name, he chose to change his hairstyle. His wings were black and orange with streaks of yellow and pink, sort of like graffiti. He loved denim jackets and art style clothing. He was currently sporting a flashy metallic silver sleeveless jacket over a sky blue shirt and light blue jeans with silver sparkles on them.

Most of the Native American Iredescents were young teenagers or adults in their twenties or thirties. Some were barely fifteen while the oldest was forty-one. It was a wide range of ages with a two thirds majority of teenagers and a third of adults.

All were unique and beautiful in appearance. Some were finned and some were winged. A few of them started dating while others were more interested in flying or swimming. Others mingled with the Iredescents, wanting to know their culture and way of life. Some already knew how they wanted to live their new lives while others were trying to figure out what they wanted to do. There were so many paths and options they didn't have in their former human lives. It was a very new but appreciated experience.

"Welcome to the irangel family," Amanda said, giving each new irangel a hug. Because the humans had turned into Iredescents, they became irangels: former humans who turned into Iredescents.

Cydtin was still reeling from the fact that Amanda finally forgave him. Cydtin felt horrible for his past actions. He knew he could never undo what had been done. But a new life on Iredescent would be a fresh start, a chance for him to make things right.

It gave hope that Amanda would finally let go of the grudge she strongly held against Cydtin. Cydtin knew Amanda would never forget what he had done to control the irangels, and that the pain of losing an incredibly sweet person like Yennisse made Amanda lose any shred of respect or kindness towards the man she blamed for her death.

Division occurred when the irangels noticed Demian and Valerie remained together, resuming their former relationship, and Civic and Ariel were holding hands, starting a new relationship.

Some wanted Demian and Valerie to be together, understanding they were destined for each other and that the two irangels shared a permanent connection. Some felt it was wrong for Demian to hurt Ariel when he was still in love with his ex, and that Valerie should remain with Civic. Some sympathized with Ariel and Civic, the ones who seemed to take the collateral damage.

Demian was aware of each and every thought from the irangels. One thought rose above the rest, an accusatory tone that pierced through Demian's heart with conviction.

It was from Stripes, his irangel brother. You already have a girlfriend who is clearly in love with you, yet you're in love with your ex, who already has a boyfriend. Stop hurting Ariel and allow Valerie to stay with Civic. This would only lead to heartbreak and pain.

I guess some old feelings never die. Clearly, Valerie and I are meant for each other, Demian said in response, feeling as though he was fighting destiny with those that defied it. He knew it was wrong for a boyfriend to hardly glance at his girlfriend when he kept looking at his ex. However, he felt his situation was different. Even Iredescent people and the Phoenix believed that Demian and Valerie were meant for each other.

A flurry of glitter swirled around the irangels, wrapping them in ribbons that spiraled like elegant silk. The glitter was translucent like light, neither cold nor hot. There was a vibrant energy that flowed with the glitter, almost like a life force.

The irangels turned towards the source of the glitter, towards the Iredescent woman dressed in stylish clothing, standing just a wingspan away.

Her extremely long, dark brown hair surrounded her like a cape, curving around her hourglass figure, her hair just a few irentimeters from touching the floor. She was wearing a long, flowing shimmery purple dress with long sleeves and radiant sparkles that matched her diamond skin shimmer. Her wings were glittery purple that ombréd from light to dark, a light lilac to periwinkle to heliotrope to royal purple to mulberry.

Her steel blue eyes sparkled with delight as they looked upon the irangels, seeing them for the first time. But before the Iredescent woman could greet them, Raistin rushed forward, seizing her in an overly enthustiastic hug.

"Irina Isren! It's so good to see you again! I missed you! How are you doing, girl? Did you bring Kael's chocolate chip cookies? Where is Hanzou Alucard? What dimensions did you travel to? Did you bring any sushi for me?" And on and on went Raistin's endless questions.

Irina flinched, not from the hug but from the name he called her. Irina hugged Raistin, sharing his excitement for a moment, enjoying his warmth and liking how he never had a cold body temperature, due to his Phoenix nature.

Then Irina stepped back, saying, "Irina Acai, not Irina Isren. I divorced Kael Isren, so I am no longer under his last name. His cat, Hanzou Alucard, went with him. I did not bring chocolate chip cookies, nor any sushi, but I did bring tiramisu and red velvet cake."

Raistin was speechless for a few seconds before he exclaimed, "What?! But why?"

Irina sighed, reluctant to discuss the matter, but she knew it had to be addressed before Raistin brought on another flood of questions. "He no longer wore stylish clothing," Irina said simply, but Demian knew the full truth of what Raistin suspected.

Irina's thoughts revealed memories of Kael's charming act and sweet adoration before he showed his true narcissist nature, when he became obsessive and manipulative. It was during when he ceased to wear stylish clothing, being careless in manner, self-seeking and lacking empathy, without any regard to the person who was wife on legal paper, bound to a miserable life in a depressed reality.

Demian touched Raistin's arm, allowing him to see the memories he saw in Irina's mind, including the memory she would never forget: the memory of when Kael angrily threw his wedding ring across the room, the moment when Irina realized that was when it was truly over, and they were no longer married.

The moment when Irina knew she could finally divorce Kael, taking the chance he had given to break the legal bind and become free from her life of misery.

Demian removed his hand and stepped away, leaving a stunned Raistin and a silent Irina.

After a moment of startlement, Raistin straightened his suit jacket, his hands lingering on the thick material that resembled shiny black volcanic rock. Finally, he said, "Well, I see you kept to the stylish way of things. You shall proceed to your next adventure with style and elegance."

"Always," Irina verified, hugging Raistin before hugging the irangels. She gave each person a glittery purple rose she formed from glitter, exhibiting her glitter manipulation ability, before turning towards the tirade of hedgehogs that followed her everywhere.

No matter what planet, what world, what universe, what dimension – hedgehogs always followed Irina. Because of this, the irangels had the unexpected, rare chance to see various alien hedgehogs from all over the galaxy.

Iredescent hedgehogs sparkled; Earth hedgehogs didn't sparkle. Mijorian hedgehogs looked like anime; Ghatomese hedgehogs looked like graffiti artwork. Voldvellen hedgehogs had a metallic darkish forest green sheen; Alaski hedgehogs had crystallized holographic ice quills. Torran hedgehogs were the fluffiest; Mijishian hedgehogs were the skinniest. Chatt-ruinian hedgehogs glowed; Monshalowan hedgehogs didn't glow.

Yyoz ran a hand through his black hair, almost overwhelmed by the variety. The hedgehogs sniffed at the vanilla-scented red grass before running towards the forest or back towards the ship.

Demian glanced at Irina's purple spaceship, formerly known as the Purple Riot, renamed the Purple Dream. The spaceship wasn't very big, but it was capable of space travel through any dimension, including the outrazar dimension: the dimension outside of the Iredescent world.

Valerie stepped forward, asking in curiosity, "So you're Irina Acai, the Ruler of Iredescent Past?"

"And space traveler of Iredescent Present," said Irina, verifying her new job position. "I'm so glad I resigned from the arduous task of ruling an entire planet. I am free to travel anywhere I want."

"How come you look so....?" Cole didn't want to appear rude, but the question was almost on every irangel's mind: How come the former Iredescent Ruler looked much younger than Peridot?

"I look so young and I don't age because I am an alterself," Irina explained. "Within the Iredescent world, I have alternate versions of myself called alterselves. They are derived from the original alterself Éira Blask, whose real name is Irina. Finding it ironic that I share the same name as the original alterself, I decided to search for her. I didn't find her yet, but I located one of my alterselves called Eirena Irenairina, who appears as the Administrator of Illusionary Warfare on planet Mijishin."

"And you plan to head to planet Mijishin shortly after visiting planet Iredescent," said Demian, uncovering Irina's plan from her thoughts.

"So that's why you look much younger than Peridot," Cole said upon learning the strange phenomenon of alternate selves, the dopplegangers of a person.

"Alterselves don't age; they keep a youthful appearance. They are not immortal, though. I am very much mortal," Irina said, relieved.

"Lucky you," Raistin said in jealousy. "I'm not even immortal; I'm eternal."

"What is the difference between immortal and eternal?" Luciu asked.

"Immortals can die, but eternals can't die," Raistin said, his tone lamenting as bitterness poured into his voice. "They literally live forever. For example, vampires are immortal, but they can still die if they burn in the sun or if someone kills them with a wooden stake. I am a Phoenix; nothing can kill me."

Demian sighed sadly, overcome by the magnitude of Raistin's thoughts. Beneath Raistin's cheerful personality and happy demeanor was the painful darkness of a secret depression. Though it seemed like he had everything made, the sad truth lingered beneath all the joy and happiness.

He had a loving wife and a son. He lived on a sparkly planet where he felt belonging. He held the greatest position of power as the Phoenix and the Protector of Iredescent, the planet he loved. And yet, Raistin felt the overwhelming loneliness that plagued him because he was the original Phoenix, the only one of his kind.

He felt extremely grateful for his son Iro, who was half Phoenix half Iredescent, lessening the magnitude of that horrible loneliness. But he knew there were no others like him, that Raistin and Iro were the only Phoenixes in the galaxy, and that Tereza would die someday, leaving Raistin alone for eternity, unless he married another Iredescent woman and continued the infinite cycle.

Therefore, Raistin hated being eternal, hated the endless torturous immortality that came with being a Phoenix. He attempted suicide countless times in his long life, but each time failed.

Nothing could penetrate his skin and body, not even form a cut or bruise. Because of this, Raistin didn't even know how his own blood looked like, if he even had blood. He later discovered that his blood was made of mysterious yellow dust from the void dimension.

Poisons, liquids, gases, and water had no damaging effect on him. He burned himself to ashes, only to emerge a rebirth in his Phoenix form. He often traveled in outer space, visiting the various planets and galaxies. He was unable to have children with any alien lifeform except for the Iredescent lifeform. Ecstatically shocked that he was able to have a child with an Iredescent woman, the Phoenix immediately chose to make planet Iredescent his permanent residence, his eternal home.

Though Iro was half Phoenix half Iredescent, it brought great joy for Raistin to know he was no longer alone, that there was another Phoenix in the galaxy, not just the lone original that was fully Phoenix.

Wanting to see Raistin's cheerful smile again, wanting to bring him out of the secret dark depression he hid underneath his ever-present cheerfulness, Irina gently tapped him with a wing. "And yet, nobody can beat your record for top flyer in the galaxy. I bet even the fastest irangel couldn't outfly you in your Phoenix form."

"Oh yeah? Challenge accepted," said Luciu, who considered himself the fastest irangel with a good head for heights. He extended his greyish lavender and silver wings with strands of shimmery lilac purple running through them, his upper feathers brimming with holographic silver glitter.

Thankful for Irina's distraction, Demian encouraged Raistin to partake in the flight, saying, "I'm interested to see which legend would win: the Phoenix or the Black Rose."

Emboldened by Demian's encouragement, Valerie grinned at Raistin. "Let's see which one of us beats the fastest irangel."

A mischievous smile emerged as Raistin drew back, forming a distance between the irangels and Iredescents, before transforming into his Phoenix form, turning from a man to a flaming firebird.

Even the hedgehogs and the new Ruler of Iredescent watched in amazement as the Phoenix rose into the sky, his purple-tipped yellow and orange flames burning magnificently as he took flight. He increased in size, becoming as big as Mirror Castle, though he could become bigger than a planet in outer space, but he chose not to, maintaining a decent size so he wouldn't burn anyone nearby.

The Phoenix grinned at the startled irangels as he passed them, his smile radiating sincere warmth. He felt a slight cool wind and glanced to see black roses spiral towards him, moving upwards as Valerie flew in the center of the black rose whirlwind. The black roses disintegrated soon as they touched the flames, but for a moment, they exploded into dark purple sparkles before becoming black ash that disappeared into nothing.

The Phoenix broke off some of his flames, forming them into roses. The flaming roses leaped out of reach, marveling at the glittery night sky, before turning into extravagant fireworks.

Irina's glitter ribbons danced upwards to meet the black roses and the flaming fireworks, colliding in a hot glittery mess. Her purple wings brought her towards the sparkling sky, amid the delighted irangels that flew with avid excitement.

Raistin won, breaking through planet Iredescent's atmosphere, and releasing fireworks even to the far reaches of outer space, making sure not to hit anything. Luciu came second, proving himself as the fastest irangel. Amanda surprised everyone when she came third, outflying Civic who was fourth.

Despite levitating herself with her telekinetic ability, Valerie did not even come close to Raistin's speed. Orion complained that Cole was cheating by teleporting. Kirrie stole shadows, moving stealthily. Demian read every person's intention via thought, however he allowed them to slip past, appreciating the sheer fun of the experience of flying with a Phoenix.

After the fantastic flight, the Phoenix resumed his human-like form and proceeded to show the irangels their rooms after giving them a tour of Mirror Castle. Irina hugged Raistin and the irangels before returning to her purple ship.

Every irangel had their own individual room. The top floors had awesome skyscraper views that overlooked the capital city of Auraglen. The sparkly décor permitted a glamorous feeling that matched the stylish, modern appearance of the room. Some had balconies; others connected with the indoor pool system that accommodated finned Iredescents, allowing them to swim in their mermaid or merman forms.

The irangels oohed and ahhed when Annika's room was presented. The room was partly underwater, partly dry. There were two beds, one in the dry part of the room and one in the wet part of the room, so that finned ones could choose whether they wished to sleep in the water or out of the water.

Glittery lava lamps were stationed near the bed. Parts of the room glowed in the dark, to provide light during the night. There were temperature settings and walk-in closets full of stylish clothing, exquisite décor, glitter and sparkle everywhere.

Amanda and Cydtin were each given rooms near the royal kitchen. Demian hid a smile as he imagined them fighting over coffee. Amanda and Cydtin loved coffee, more so than anyone else.

Who knows, maybe they'll actually get along, Demian thought, giving a small shrug. Amanda and Cydtin acted like two siblings, the latter strugging to overcome Amanda's heated anger.

Luciu was pleased when Raistin allowed him a room on the highest floor. Luciu always had to have the highest floor on any building he was in. Even as a human, he always chose the highest hotel room or the highest floor of an apartment building.

Kirrie's room was directly across from Cole's. Though they just recently started dating, they didn't want to move in together just yet; Cole wanted Kirrie to make that decision. Kirrie's room looked the very definition of edgy glamor while Cole's room was warm and cozy. There was a windowseat where he could read a book and drink tea while listening to the rain.

Stripes had his own office in his room. It looked neat and technological, reflecting his interests. Stripes had a stack of space adventure books next to a desk. On the floor was a backpack he had kept with him since he was a boy, a backpack with his father's shirts. Even after all those years, the familiar sage mint scent clung to the shirts, comforting Stripes whenever he missed his father.

Elivra chose the room closest to the library; that way she could visit the library any time she wanted. Though Cole had his own library in his room, he visited the Mirror Castle's library for books he didn't have.

Anders and Inlivido had their rooms side by side. The two irangels visited each other often and were good friends. Anders had an entire wall filled with photos of the irangels, the many places he had traveled to, and souvenirs that reminded him of good times.

Inlivido kept Cydtin's fiancée's dog Maya, an adorable teacup Yorkie that followed him everywhere. He took to carrying her in a purple and black plaid cloth bag. Inlivido often wore purple and black plaid, in addition to his punk gothic style black clothing. He always smelled like Drakkar Noir, the fragrance Demian had given him when he changed his life.

Viraj preferred to be in the garden where his ability would flourish. He made his own living area out of plants and greenery, with vines shading his apartment from view whenever he wanted privacy. He slept on a bed of flowers. There was a waterfall with a small brook nearby for whenever he needed fresh water. The fragrant scent of orange blossoms and neroli surrounded Viraj everywhere he went.

Desmond loved working out and thought it was an ingenious idea to have his room near the gym where he could work out any time he wanted. It was at the gym where Desmond met Cloridy. There was an instant attraction, and the two kept flirting while allowing each other to pick a room.

In the end, they chose to have their rooms side by side. They started working out together, starting when Desmond showed Cloridy how he liked to lift weights. Working out together led to another exercise they did together in the bedroom.

Tiae had her room right beside Cloridy's room. It had a secret passageway where the two close friends could visit each other. Cloridy's room was glamorous gold and glitzy pink; Tiae's room was sparkly light blue and turquoise.

Demian and Civic had their rooms next to each other, Demian first and Civic second. Demian's room was entirely dark forest green, reminiscent of Wachstyen Forest. The décor was glass and mirror, an elegant contrast to Civic's golden décor reflective of his wings. Civic's room was mostly red with gold and white, somewhat formal.

Yyoz, Teran, and the eleven Native Americans who came with the irangels to planet Iredescent had moved to luxurious apartments in Auraglen. Porcupine Bear chose the fanciest apartment, adorning it with his own glam punk style. Teran chose an apartment with a skyscraper city view, one with a balcony so he could fly out any time he wanted.

Lastly, the Black Rose was given a room on the same floor as the Ruler of Iredescent. It was entirely purple and black, the strong scent of romantic roses lingering in the hallway, even with the door closed.

Demian felt Valerie's hand slip away from his. He quickly grasped it before she could let go, his eyes meeting Valerie's glance. Though Valerie feigned bewilderment, Demian knew of her true intentions and the electric sparks she felt in her body, emitting a blush on her face.

He leaned closer to kiss her, only for Valerie to be yanked away by Amanda, who exclaimed something about coffee. Demian allowed Amanda to take Valerie to enjoy coffee, deciding to take a stroll outside Mirror Castle.

The magnitude of the excited irangels' thoughts overwhelmed him to the point where he needed space. He wanted to distract himself with a seductive night, but after Amanda's intervention, a new distraction was needed.

Demian groaned as he placed a hand on his head, wondering why it seemed like his abilities were amplified after arriving on planet Iredescent. He tried to block out some of the large volume of thoughts that struck him like arrows, each one a different chord of emotion, but he only managed to tune some of it down. Several thoughts were stronger and of greater intensity, particularly those of Desmond and Cloridy, the most 'charged up' irangels.

This is so glittering fantastic, Demian seethed as he tried to ignore the provocative thoughts, tried to focus on Cole's curious thoughts and Luciu's calm thoughts, the trying that led to failure.

Then a random cheerful 90's dance music rose in tempo, allowing Demian to cling to the thought like a lifeline, realizing the music was coming from Raistin's mind.

Demian followed the mental music, leaving the castle and going outside. He found Raistin and Tereza admiring the Iredescent flowers in the garden. Lovely memories emerged from Tereza's mind as she recalled the cherry blossoms on planet Earth, particularly in a country called Japan.

The cheerful music and lovely memories helped immensely, successfully distracting Demian. He greeted Raistin and Tereza, a relieved smile appearing on his face.

"Hey, Demian," said Raistin, waving in hello. "How are things going with the move?"

"Going great. Everyone's happy, some a little too happy."

Demian winced as more stimulating thoughts grazed his mind, forcing him to shrink his mental reach as much as his ability would let him. But because he was the Black Rose's connected, making him the second most powerful irangel, Demian was unable to shrink his mental reach, alarmed when it expanded, going against his will.

"Good to hear." Raistin's voice broke through the noise, allowing Demian a mental respite. The amusement in his voice diminished as a note of seriousness entered. "I know Iredescent is a significant change from Earth."

"A welcome change," Demian elucidated. "Believe me, Earth is hardly missed."

"So what's it like now that the world finally knows about Iredescent?" Tereza asked. "Last time I was on Earth, only certain European governments knew of planet Iredescent's existence. It was a forgotten secret that lay buried in a file until Tori Nichok found it and changed history for both planets."

"It's honestly a relief they finally know," said Demian, remembering how Cole urged him to keep the irangel secret until the creator of irangels was revealed.

"What was the world's reaction?" Tereza continued to inquire.

"They were surprised, of course. Some were stunned while others began to resent irangels out of jealousy or hate. Others wanted to see planet Iredescent for themselves."

Tereza frowned thoughtfully. "What if it is time to finally establish relations with both planets? For hundreds of years, Iredescent has been cold and distant from Earth. Times have changed with the creation of irangels. Perhaps it is time to be hot and close instead of cold and far."

"Are you saying it is time we finally give planet Earth a chance?" Raistin asked in astonishment. "No offense, Demian, given you were once human, but humans are a corrupt race. That would be like giving the Vasyans another chance."

"If humans prove they can establish good relations with our kind, then Iredescents can be friendly to them," Tereza countered. "But should they do something to damage those relations, Iredescent will resume to being cold and distant."

Raistin thought for a long moment, not liking the idea. Tereza and Demian were silent, giving Raistin time to think this over. The Phoenix would introduce the idea to the Ruler of Iredescent, or at least advise what Tereza proposed. Whether or not the Ruler approved, the decision would ultimately fall to Raistin, the one whose yes or no would determine the outcome of such an idea.

"One chance, and one chance only," Raistin finally said. "I don't mean to be a pessimist, but humans have been known to disappoint. I severely hope this chance won't disappoint and we won't face regret for this idea."

Raistin addressed Demian directly. "As the irangel leader and the creator of irangels, you will announce my decision to allow the idea of establishing relations with planet Earth. Usually the Ruler of Iredescent would make such an important announcement, but I think in this case, it would be better to allow an irangel leader to make that call, especially since irangels originally came from Earth. I think it would be of greater impact if an irangel made the announcement, rather than an Iredescent Ruler that humans aren't familiar with."

"Iredescent would contact Earth via satellite?" Demian asked, interested in learning how Iredescent would contact Earth.

"Not satellite – holo tech," Raistin clarified. "It is basic hologram technology available in most dimensions, though the technology on planet Mijishin is the most advanced. We'll project the announcement on live feed so that every television, computer, laptop, phone, comect, and screen can see."

"That's amazing!" said Demian, excited to learn of hologram technology. "Stripes will love to hear that. He's our tech guy. Of all the irangels, Stripes knows the most about technology and mathematics. I would consider his knowledge as an ability."

"We can certainly teach him Iredescent tech," Raistin offered. "It would make all the advanced Earth tech seem like 90's tech." He chuckled indolently. "I should know, since I lived through the 90's."

"That's an understatement; you lived through the 90's of every era," said Tereza.

"Yeah, no joke," said Raistin, his good feeling dying down at the actuality of it. Not wanting to reminisce about each individual era he saw and experienced, Raistin shoved the solemn sentiment aside said excitedly, "So, what are we waiting for? Let's do this!"

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Music:

"Celebrity Mashup"
by Blue Stahli

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✨ This is almost exactly how I imagine Raistin would look like in his human-like form. The chapter title picture is similar how his Phoenix form would look like.