It's surprising that it's been so many years already, Magus mentally whispered to himself as he lay stretched out on his bed in the royal guest chambers. His cloak was deposited onto the floor in a dark, crumpled mess, he being too ensorcelled in his thoughts to bother putting it away in the closet. Instead, the privilege of occupying that space had been given to his most reliable of weapons, his beloved Hurricane scythe.

But, as he lay there on the queen-sized mattress, his thoughts delineated more his memories in the Middle Ages. Funny, he mused, that there are even memories to be had of a time that is not yet existent in this sky kingdom. Then, turning to more mundane and idle thoughts, he wondered: I wonder how all of those pathetic miscreants are holding up without me. The fortress might as well have been raided and ransacked by humans, what with Ozzie's terrible oversleeping habit. The fool's ignorance will soon be his downfall if it hasn't already. At this, he found the mental scenario it invoked so ridiculously comical that he didn't bother restraining a bit of genuine laughter.

He wiped away the tears that pricked at his crimson eyes with a clawed finger, so used to the notion of not scarring himself that he wasn't even cautious about holding the sharpened nail in such close proximity to such a vulnerable place. After taking a moment to regain himself, he suddenly fancied the idea of pacing the gardens at such late hours and lazily reached over the side of the bed for his cloak.

Instead his fingers sank into something soft and warm that was definitely not the heavy clothing article. Immediately tensing with suspicion, he played his fingers across the mystery object until he felt the undoubted beating of life on its underside. Resisting to make a startled outburst, he bolted upright onto his knees and stared over the mattress's edge at the creature whose identity he was now most certain of.

A loud, cheerful mewl escaped the animal's furry lips and it landed silently on the bed with a graceful leap. Magus simply stammered in surprise, "A-A-Alfador?" He threw his legs over the side of the bed and placed his forehead into his palm to regain his bearings.

His feline familiar meowed again and unwaveringly padded over to his side, watching him as she kneaded his thigh for permission to crawl up. When he made no signs of objection, she happily clambered onto his lap and circled once, twice, thrice before settling herself comfortably.

Magus released his face and glanced down at the animal. A strange thought struck him just then. This was the "second" Zeal Kingdom's Alfador; she was still a kitten, belonging to the younger Janus. Then what had happened to his Alfador, the one who had refused to follow him through that Gate of so many years past? The dreadful idea that she had not survived the downfall was too painful for him to consider — instead his mind clouded with the forlorn hope that she must have survived. She was, after all, a very intelligent and spontaneous creature. She must have found a way to survive; probably now tagging along at the heels of one of the few who had managed to survive and flourish the later generations with restoration. But here was a part of her that did not know that fateful opportunity to die, a part that had not yet experienced the horrible events of her near future.

The feline now regarded him with her flawless, emerald eyes, as if perfect gemstones had been placed into her tiny skull. They were cast in the dark glimmer of the low lighting, yet they shone brilliantly like roving floodlights. Magus smiled wryly and brushed his fingers through her pale fur, Alfador slowly closing her eyes in contentment at the familiar-yet-strange hands that caressed her ears, her back and her tail. Where is the other Alfador now, and is it possible for me to reach her? The thought of reencountering his true companion, the one who had stuck with him through so many of his childhood hardships, caused a deluge of nostalgic tears that he could not bring himself to restrain.

With a silent farewell that the kitten understood well enough from her "younger" master's withdrawals of depression, Alfador hopped down from the Fiendlord's lap and trotted back through the slightly ajar bedchamber door. Standing and approaching the doorway, Magus peered out just in time to see a silvery tail disappear around the bend in the corridor. He wanted to make sure that the animal had not reconsidered leaving before closing the iron door bearing the Zeal crest in finality.