Chapter 90: Tiny Terror III
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Sekhmet nodded again. "I know," he admitted.
Bat Bat glared at Sekhmet.
"Master betray Bat Bat," she accused.
Sekhmet stared back. "I saved you from shaming yourself," he corrected.
Bat Bat huffed.
Elena moved forward, dragging Bat Bat gently toward the hallway.
Bat Bat tried to grab the bed frame.
Elena pulled her free with no effort.
Bat Bat made an angry sound.
"Rrr," she growled.
Elena spoke calmly.
"First lesson," Elena said, "you do not growl."
Bat Bat glared.
"Why," she demanded.
Elena answered without mercy.
"Because you are in a house," Elena said. "Not a cave. You aren’t a savage."
Bat Bat looked genuinely confused.
"But I like cave," she said.
Elena did not argue.
"That is your second problem," Elena replied.
Sekhmet watched them go. He felt a strange sense of relief, like he had successfully hired someone to handle an impossible job.
Then he turned and walked toward the library.
The Dawn House library was not a small room with a few dusty shelves. It was an entire wing of the mansion, designed more like a private academy than a simple book collection. High shelves. A ladder rail. Thick tables. Chaos Ink bottles. Scroll cabinets. Maps rolled in tubes. The smell of old paper and polished wood.
Sekhmet had loved this place as a child, not because he liked books, but because it was quiet. He often played here as a kid.
Today, he needed that quiet again. He entered the library and closed the doors softly behind him.
Thump!
Silence wrapped around him immediately. For a moment, he simply stood there, breathing in the familiar scent. Then he went to the main table and pulled out a stack of records.
Not storybooks.
Business records.
Trade routes.
Supply contracts.
Chaos stone ledgers.
The letter his father left had said he must look after the business until one of them returned. That meant the Dawn House was not just a home. It was a merchant power.
Sekhmet sat down, opened the first ledger, and began reading.
Hours passed.
Not in silence.
Because even through thick doors, Bat Bat’s lesson could be heard.
At first, it was faint. Then it became very clear.
Thud!
A crash.
A squeal.
"No," Elena’s voice, calm and deadly.
"YES," Bat Bat shouted back, very alive.
Sekhmet did not look up from the ledger. He simply muttered, "This is my life now."
Another crash came. Then a sound like a curtain being ripped.
Rrrrip!
Elena’s voice remained calm. "Bat Bat," Elena said, "if you tear that again, you will eat boiled vegetables. No meat for you."
Silence followed.
Sekhmet blinked. He did not know what boiled vegetables were in Null, but he suddenly respected Elena even more.
A few minutes later, Bat Bat’s voice came again, smaller now.
"Can I eat meat," Bat Bat asked.
Elena answered, "After you greet properly."
Bat Bat huffed. Then, loudly, Bat Bat attempted a greeting.
"Good morning honorable auntie Elena who is very scary and very strong and definitely not old," Bat Bat said.
Sekhmet froze. His pen stopped mid-line.
Elena’s voice answered calmly, "Flattery is unnecessary."
Bat Bat replied instantly, "Not flattery. Truth."
Sekhmet covered his mouth briefly. He almost laughed. He forced himself back to the ledger, trying to focus.
But the chaos continued. Footsteps ran.
Tap tap tap tap tap—
Bat Bat’s tiny feet.
Then Elena’s measured steps.
Then Bat Bat screamed, "MASTER!"
Sekhmet heard the library door handle wiggle.
Bat Bat was trying to escape.
Sekhmet did not move.
Elena’s voice came, still calm.
"Bat Bat," Elena said, "if you run into the young master’s library, I will carry you upside down."
Bat Bat froze. Then Bat Bat whispered, "No."
Then Bat Bat ran anyway.
The library door swung open.
Bang!
Bat Bat burst in, six-inch girl form, hair messy, wings flaring, eyes wide with the desperate energy of a child who had discovered rules.
She flew —poorly— straight toward Sekhmet’s table.
Flap —flap— flap—
She landed on the ledger with a slap.
Ink almost spilled.
Sekhmet lifted his gaze slowly.
Bat Bat stared up at him like he was her safe zone.
"Master," Bat Bat panted. "Elena is evil."
Sekhmet stared. "Elena is teaching you," he corrected.
Bat Bat shook her head violently. "No," she insisted. "Elena is a rule monster."
Sekhmet’s eyes narrowed. "Rules keep you alive," he said.
Bat Bat opened her mouth to argue.
Elena appeared in the doorway. She did not run. She did not rush. She simply appeared with the quiet inevitability of fate.
Bat Bat turned and shrieked. "Noooooo," she whined.
Elena walked forward calmly and reached toward Bat Bat.
Bat Bat tried to fly again.
Flap —flap—!
She rose half an inch.
Then she fell with a pop.
Sekhmet watched, expression blank.
Elena caught Bat Bat gently, holding her in one hand like a small rebellious doll.
Bat Bat crossed her arms. "I hate the lesson," Bat Bat muttered.
Elena’s eyes remained calm. "You hate discipline," Elena corrected.
Bat Bat glared.
Elena looked at Sekhmet. "She tried to steal jam," Elena reported.
Sekhmet blinked. "Jam," he repeated.
Bat Bat looked offended. "Jam is good," she argued. "Jam is blood of fruit."
Sekhmet stared. "That is... not wrong," he admitted.
Elena continued, "She also attempted to bite the cook."
Bat Bat gasped. "I did not bite," she protested. "I only open my mouth."
Sekhmet exhaled. "Bat Bat," he said calmly, "do not bite anyone in my house."
Bat Bat pouted. "But cook smell like meat," she argued.
Sekhmet stared. "That is his job," Sekhmet replied.
Elena held Bat Bat higher, forcing her to face the ceiling.
"You are distracted," Elena told her. "Lesson continues."
Bat Bat whined.
"Master," Bat Bat begged. "Save Bat..."
Sekhmet’s eyes narrowed.
"Continue," he told Elena.
Bat Bat’s eyes widened in betrayal.
"MASTER," she screamed.
Sekhmet did not flinch.
"Elena," he added, "teach her properly. I need her to mature."
Elena nodded once. "I will," she said.
Bat Bat looked like she was about to cry. Then she remembered pride. She sniffed dramatically and shouted,