So… I haven't read a Wrinkle in Time and its sequel books in like… -cringe- fifteen years...ish? D,X Anyway. There were certain story elements that have always stuck out to me. Within Vulpes to Dandelions, as a whole, I have considered all forms of Time Travel a form of Wrinkling. Not 100 percent of the time of course, but the way Ava has ended up traveling for the most part is somewhat like that. This chapter involves that concept, however, I do not recall if the three? women who introduced the idea in that book had names. They won't have names here, but the idea of Wrinkling, as well as the concept of 'X'ing will be from that book series. 'Cause the other poignant thing from those books was the devastation of getting X'ed.

TW: Vomit/blood, girls being offered up 'cause we're in the past, mleh. Hella awkward times for Sora. People may hate what's coming but it's for a reason.

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While it had taken some time for Sora to figure out his shelter situation, he was otherwise pretty healthy.

Until he wasn't.

Sometimes when he became sick it wasn't for very long. Maybe just a short bout of fever, or simply being too tired to move for an entire day.

It was on a much, much rarer occasion that he became truly nauseous. He didn't always throw up when that happened, though by the time it passed he felt if he had been, it would have made him less miserable faster.

It was when he did actually throw up that he regretted that wish.

Vanitas's remnant was always particularly silent during those times, as horrible oily black something came from somewhere, mixing with his blood and spilling forth. It was always the same thing, cold sweat and chills, that horrible aftertaste, and being too exhausted to move for hours.

He did at least manage to eventually convince himself to use a Water spell to clean up, and drag himself away from his mess so that it didn't re-trigger his gag reflex like the first few times it'd happened.

When Potions and Holy Water became a thing again, he would be happier for it so he could mitigate the worst of those symptoms. His punishment for abusing the Power of Waking, that creeping Death, was still very much so present in his body.

It wasn't as if he were rotting, or suffering from necrosis, but something was still certainly wrong with him physically. The only reason he wasn't on the constant verge of collapse was because of Vanitas becoming one with him, and Auron ensuring he ate a very particular diet.

Even when he was too tired to move, Auron could still Will himself forth and gather the necessary food and plants to help him recover. Sometimes, that strange ant-like thing would watch him. It grew over time, slowly becoming the size of a newborn rabbit, watching him from underbrush and shadow.

Sora was thankful for Auron and Vanitas's company, for that little creature's presence to comfort him through lonely days.

Occasionally, he would travel for materials. He didn't really know where to look for such things, but after clearing so much ground and creating the basic design of the town in his head, he'd run out of materials.

Every bit of wood had been used to either create simple bases, left in place as part of the scenery, or used for warmth when it got too cold.

Certain plants had been cultivated and placed.

He'd learned how to create cement, using sand, clay, and salt water.

Bricks were laid, but he simply didn't have enough.

So he traveled. Finding small settlements of people, different sorts of houses, and coming across different languages. The way they spoke sometimes confused him. Sometimes the Keyblade couldn't translate for him, the language too old and buried in age, lost. But those people, despite his foreign appearance, were kind to him. Well, mostly. Sometimes there were mean ones.

Sometimes they would offer their young daughters, and he would recoil and leave that place. His stomach clenched in disgust when they did that, making him sick as he traveled through even horrible weather to escape such people.

'Some things never change.'

There were a few times Auron would say as much when he was offered young girls. Sora had been curious the first time, but after the second time he was simply too disgusted to ask.

Finally, Auron divulged it himself, 'To prove myself to the Church, they offered that I marry a Priest's daughter to prove my loyalty.'

Sora frowned as he traveled through a particularly bad snow storm, a heavy fur cloak covered his regular traveling cloak and clothes. He was thankful for the boots that had been the usual standard of the Organization, otherwise his feet would have frozen off long ago.

They were still dangerously cold though.

'Is this to keep my mind off the storm?'

Auron hummed, 'Perhaps. Maybe I'm simply reminiscing.'

Sora smiled a little despite the bitter cold, 'Well?"'

Auron sighed, 'My friend Braska was a fallen Priest. He'd dared to not only marry an Al Bhed, but he'd had a daughter with her. They offered me his four year old child.'

Sora felt sick, 'Oh.'

He could almost see Auron's bitter smile, 'As you could guess, I declined, and I lost my favor with the Church of Yevon. The most promising Monk in centuries, fallen because I would not do what they desired.'

'...You're consoling me.'

'Yes. People will do what they feel they must for control. Girls, no matter how necessary they are to the continuation of humanity, are expendable to those who see them as mere bargaining tools. They are the worst sort of people, yet, many civilizations adhere to such ideology. Not always, but this will probably happen for many years to come. You are a strong young man in their eyes, even if you are a nomad, to give you a wife is one less mouth to feed and is seen as a greater chance of surviving the winter.'

Sora felt his heart sink, 'But… I'm not young anymore.'

'No. You're ninety eight.'

Sora gaped as he tripped over himself, falling face first into the snow. He laid there, stunned for a time as the wetness of snow sunk into his clothing and fearful shock traveled through his veins, 'I… what?"

Auron sighed, 'Your journey is a long one. You will only get older, as those you left behind stay the same. Now get up and keep walking, lest you freeze and waste the life given to you.'

Sora shivered as he clenched his eyes and teeth, balling his hands for a long moment before releasing his grief, pushing himself up and continuing onwards into the white.

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He had traveled for materials for twenty years. Even with the ability to fly, flowmotion, and so much more, there was simply too much ground to cover.

When he finally came back to his plot of land, there was a basement.

He blinked as the area he'd planned out as a large clocktower with bells had simply created a basement, or well, an intricate underground out of nothing. The materials were far too advanced with steel and metal. There was plumbing and clockwork already in place.

"...What the fuck?"

Auron chuckled, Sora's more crass language was still a rarity, but sometimes it was warranted.

Vanitas hummed, 'I guess it's as that old man said. If something is seen as a significant piece of the World, it will be made to be by the World itself.'

Sora frowned, "And you're just telling me this now?"

Vanitas huffed in the back of his mind, 'Would you believe anything and everything Xehanort said?'

He was silent for a long time, "Point taken."

Sora began to explore further into the underground. It was a strangely intricate thing. Hallways that connected to where he had imagined a lighthouse, even a water passageway that led to the middle of the town.

It was weird.

What wasn't weird were the few peoples that had decided to move into the outskirts of his town, building houses for themselves.

He didn't have time to deal with them just yet. He needed to know what had been created by the World.

He went back to the clocktower base, examining the gears and levers as he figured out how they worked. Eventually he found a way lower and deeper than any man would have been able to dig.

There, he found a familiar room, and his Heart froze.

He could scarcely breathe as he took in the sight of it

A prismatic orb, golden tubes, a half circular contraption.

A single golden human-sized tube with a heart-like window.

He peered into it, not a single imprint within.

Sora forced himself to breathe as he examined the machinery, studying it thoroughly as he tried to understand.

He had seen this room in the End of the World. It had been a part of Hollow Bastion. "...What is this doing here..?"

'It's where it came from.'

Sora blinked, "It was here?"

'They're how Ventus got into the future. These arks.'

He pursed his lips, baffled by them. "So… they travel through time?"

'I don't know.'

He blinked, "You don't?"

Vanitas's remnant paused, 'There isn't a clear answer. They could travel through time, they could be used to travel to different Worlds. But at this point the Worlds are One, so what use does it have? I don't know.'

That made sense.

Sora sighed as he left the room, locking it with Kingdom Key so that the strangers who'd moved in wouldn't stumble upon it.

He'd have to lock off most of the underground, if he were honest.

He finally spoke to the people who had moved in.

He could get away with them being there for a couple of years, but soon they'd realize he wasn't aging.

He needed them out.

Yet, the World had its own plans, as one evening he was approached by three women in the dead of night.

They were glowing, their faces almost indistinct to him, beautifully young, yet terribly old all at once as they smiled at him kindly. The first to approach him spoke gently, "Sora, you have quite the journey ahead of you, However, time is a cruel thing, and you aren't one for cruelty."

He frowned, "I'm not… but who are you?"

The left woman spoke, "Those whom you will never meet again, I'm quite sure. We are here to send you forward, but also to teach you."

The right woman spoke, "We will teach you how to Wrinkle through Time. It is a dangerous thing, but you are one of the few who can use it. Do not abuse it though, for it can be costly."

He smiled wryly, rubbing his chest as he couldn't help but question, "Why are you sending me away?"

The first spoke once more, "There is a dangerous enemy that is trying to bring an end to God's children. There are chosen ones already in place to take care of this force that is X-ing out so many creatures. However, since you yourself are a Hero, we cannot have you get involved. It would damage the balance. Soon, the Worlds will begin to split apart because of this. You cannot be here."

Sora frowned, "But…"

The left woman stepped forward, gently placing a hand on his arm, "We cannot risk you being X-ed. You are a terrible threat to that force. It is simply not your destiny to disappear, nor to engage."

Sora took in a deep breath before slowly exhaling his frustration.

Why did children have to take on such terrible burdens?

He'd taken on a neverending weight.

Sora relented, "...Alright."

The woman on the right smiled at him kindly, "It takes courage to step back, Sora."

He huffed, "It doesn't make me happy."

The first nodded as she stepped away from him, the other two getting into position alongside her, "Of course not. But it is not your destiny, so you must not interfere."

Sora nodded as the one on the right took out a piece of string, "I will now explain to you how to Time Travel using the method of Wrinkling. Not many can use it of course- and very few exceptions are ever given to the Heart rule. However, your Heart is from quite far ahead into the future, while somehow touching the past. A strange phenomenon if there ever was one."

Sora nodded, aware of it.

She held the string between two pinched fingers, "Wrinkling is like two ends of a string touching in a single moment. The left we will say is the present, while the right is the destination. Forward or back, it is the destination that matters. You in and of yourself cannot travel any further back again. It will not be allowed. You can only move forward. However, instead of traversing through Darkness, this is the method we are granting to you. Do you understand the concept?"

Sora frowned, thinking it over before slowly nodding, "I understand… but I guess I won't know for sure until I experience it?"

The woman on the left nodded, "You are someone who learns best in doing than seeing."

Sora tilted his head, "How do you know so much about me?"

The first smiled kindly as she opened a glowing door, "The One who sent us Knows All."

That wasn't an answer.

The one that had stood on the right gently nudged him ahead, "Time to go, we can't keep this open long, it's simply too dangerous."

Sora nodded as he looked them all over, "Thank you."

The left one nodded, "You're welcome, be well Sora."

He smiled slightly as he stepped through, "You too."

It was daylight when he came out the other side as if he'd simply taken a step, the door gone. He turned, and half the tower was erected, while large pieces of the town had been built.

The town was empty.

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He had no way of knowing how much Time had passed since he'd Wrinkled.

He wandered the Town, taking in what had been built, what had not.

The materials he'd gathered had been put to use. Whether it had been by the people he'd wanted to remove, or the World itself, the Town stood as testament to the necessity of its existence.

He found the old houses that the people had been in.

They were all empty, No evidence of decline, simply… gone. As if they had stopped existing in the middle of supper.

Sora's heart sank, as he realized he had distinctly disliked their presence, yet realizing that they had all been kind people.

They didn't deserve to be X-ed, if that was what had happened.

He began to respectfully look through their old belongings, dust and webs the only clue to age.

Finally, he found a diary that had belonged to the youngest daughter.

They had disappeared at a slow and agonizing pace. One would go missing, and then years would pass before another. It was too little too late when they'd noticed the brand that marked their coming end.

The little girl had been in her sixties, the last one to be left behind, before her final entry. A dry bouquet of flowers a final marker to her life.

Sora rubbed his chest as he regretted his cold attitude towards them.

This Town had been his project, and they had settled without his permission… but in retrospect, they hadn't deserved his cold shoulder.

They certainly hadn't deserved to be X-ed.

Sora sighed heavily, as he traced the final entry, its edges yellowed with age and brittle, "When did I become so… cynical?"

Auron hummed, 'You've lived for a long time. Perhaps this too, is why you couldn't be there to help those young heroes. Your Hope has dimmed and become brittle.'

A bloom of regret burned his chest, "...You're right." Tears warmed his eyes in what felt like centuries, "I've become cold."

'You're friends are your Power.'

He'd been alone for too long.

Sora had convinced himself he had enjoyed that long loneliness. In reality, the solitary lifestyle he'd been made to take up for himself was killing him.

His skin became too sensitive as he felt a flush of cold run through his body. He startled at it, stumbling as he forced himself outside so he wouldn't make a mess of what was essentially a grave house.

He'd barely made it into the treeline when he threw up, latching into the bark as his nails dug into it, heaving that horrible blackness as his body lost strength. He lost track of time in his misery as he finally was released from it, a half thought out Water spell being tossed to cleanse away the mess.

He flopped onto his side, breathing wheezily before slowly dragging himself away from the spot, his stomach clenching from his proximity.

He coughed, the taste of copper coating his mouth in a thick sludge as he spat, "Dammit."

He collapsed onto his stomach after pulling himself about twenty feet, finally resting as his body released him from his torment.

A small black creature, about the size of a chipmunk approached him curiously with its red beady eyes. A slight slit made them more oval, but it was still that strange bug creature from the beginning.

It still vaguely reminded him of a Flood, as little as he could barely remember their shape now.

He smiled deliriously as he croaked softly, "Still around, huh?"

It nodded as it cautiously came close, before nuzzling under his chin in a swift movement.

Sora chuckled softly, wishing he could pet it but simply not having the strength, "Miss me?"

It made a softly warbly chirp as he closed his eyes and let his body pull him under, "Thanks."

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The next time he had traveled to see what was left of the World he was on he was possibly over three hundred and some years old. He noted that places had disappeared, or had become more advanced.

The World was slowly preparing to separate itself.

He could feel the gathering of Light under the surface, far too much of it in one place.

For beneath that Light was a creeping Darkness.

A young girl screamed as blood spilled in a back alley street in a random backwater tavern town, a man laughing maniacally in his moment of drunken power.

He went to stab down before he was batted away with a metal pole.

Sora breathed shakily, Kingdom Key in hand as he looked down at the blood soaked girl, the mother already gone.

She shivered at him as he made the split second decision to grab her and run.

That man wouldn't be allowed to hurt the little girl.

The girl kept silent, despite the shivering wracking her body as she wept. Sora was unable to offer her comfort as he traveled without stopping. It wasn't until he'd finally made it back to the Town that he finally put her down in a bathroom, starting the water and closing the door behind him before he asked himself just what he was doing?

"That was definitely an act first, think later moment.'

Sora groaned as he went to find a different bathroom to wash up in, feeling guilty for not even saying anything to the poor girl for the hours he'd flowmotioned over some pretty frightening distances.

She'd need new clothes.

Thankfully, he'd gotten bored enough to sew as the World seemed to just take his materials and build his Town by itself as he noticed it happen, baffled.

Weird World stuff.

He sighed, throwing on a dark grey tunic top and black pants, using a black strip of fabric at his waist and tying it. He put on a new pair of socks and threw his hair into a messy bun as it was still dripping wet from his fast shower. It would take forever to dry now that it was so long.

Vanitas needed to trim it, since after the first time he'd just used an old knife he'd had and absolutely ripped through his hair, he'd been barred from cutting it for convenience ever again.

Sora then looked through the random items he'd sewn to pass the time when he wasn't reading or traveling, and found a tunic and tie that would work for the girl, though the sleeves might have to be hemmed up.

He searched around a little longer for a few other things for her before putting the items in a basket and going to the door he'd left her at. He cleared his throat before placing the basket next to the door, "There's a basket of clothes here. I'm just… gonna go make some food."

The girl squeaked before hesitantly speaking "O-okay."

He grimaced as he walked off to go make some soup, knowing she was overly skinny, but knowing he had to be careful.

He should probably find an older girl to help care for her. He had no idea how she'd deal with a man such as himself, considering what she'd just witnessed.

He clicked his tongue, "Am I stupid?"

'Yes.'

Sora sighed with an eyeroll, "I wasn't actually asking."

'Then don't open your mouth and ask dumb questions.'

Sora pouted as he began to collect ingredients for a vegetable stew, mumbling, "Shut up, Vanitas."

Vanitas's remnant did the equivalent of a mental raspberry and went silent.

The mixed brunette scratched at his scalp as he frowned, making an odd face before slumping a little as he started cutting vegetables, "What am I doing…"

It took him a while to notice he had company because of how quietly the girl moved along with his right side being blind. So when he turned and saw her sitting at the kitchenette he jumped as he strangled a scream before coughing into his shoulder, "Oh. There you are."

She held her knees as she sat in the too-high chair, watching him with wide emerald eyes, her wavy red hair a wet mess as she kept a towel around her shoulders. She hugged them closer as she looked up at him unsure, "Uhuh."

He shifted uneasily, "H-how're you feeling?"

She glanced around before looking back at him, "I'm.. okay."

He nodded before turning back to his soup he was making, "Uhm, sorry for just… grabbing you. Did you have any family that you can stay with?"

He didn't see her shake her head, "Nuh-uh."

Sora nodded as he tried to figure out what to do. "Well, if you need a place to stay, and if you're comfortable with it, you can stay here. Otherwise I'll try and find a family to take you in."

She thought it over for a while, staying silent as he pulled out some bread and started cutting it. She watched him curiously, "Are you blind, mister?"

He paused for a second before he continued, "Just on my right side."

"Oh. What's your name?"

He smiled, "It's Sora." He turned to see her, "What's yours?"

She glanced down for a second before looking up at him, "Chloe."

He smiled as he placed the cut up bread on a plate and placed it in the middle of the table, a little closer to her so she could easily reach it. "Nice to meet you Chloe."

She smiled hesitantly and his heart warmed a little. It'd been too long since he'd had anyone live anywhere close to him.

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Sora knew he was absolutely terrible with the passage of time. The only reason he had a clue of how much time was passing because of how Chloe grew. He made sure that she was introduced to the people he allowed to live in Town, ensured the children from those families all played together.

He taught all of them on specific days when their parents had to focus on their crops and varied other work.

He didn't allow them to join their parents in work until they were at the earliest, thirteen.

Some of the adults were annoyed with his rules in town, but he was difficult to argue with considering he was the only man seen as a 'Lord' of sorts that didn't collect taxes.

He paid them for their work, and they were able to use it as needed and desired.

They couldn't really argue free education, low costs of living, and not being taxed into destitution. They were also rather healthy compared to the travelers that passed through since he also took care of their needs in that area as well. Women and children rarely died under his watch, so they had to acquiesce to his strange rulings.
In no time the children he taught became teenagers. He taught them as best as he could, dealing out punishments when he found them skipping.

Especially if they were skipping work to neck in random corners.

He clicked his tongue, 'Why do I have to find these kids being… frisky in public?'

Vanitas would have rolled his eyes, 'If you had been given the chance, you might have warmed up to the idea yourself. I'm pretty sure you've set your mind to being the most ancient and lonely of bachelors. Have you even daydreamed about Riku and Kairi? Ever?'

He paused, making a face at the idea before panicking, 'I'm going to be ancient by the time we meet up again.'

'Yeah. You haven't even thought about that in decades, have you? You love ignoring yourself for others.'

Sora frowned as an odd feeling weighed in his chest, '...That's not a bad thing.'

Auron sighed, 'Sora. How many times do we have to do this? You're a people person, not a loner.'

The mixed brunette pouted as he made his way around Town, checking buildings and ensuring no newcomers had bunked up in secret.

He couldn't quite explain why he only allowed so many people to live in his Town, but the Light that kept bubbling underneath along with the agitated Darkness… maybe it was just to make sure that if anything happened he'd have some chance in protecting everyone?

He sighed gustily as he made his way back to the Tower. He remembered how in the earlier days of Chloe staying with him, his Dream Heartbinder had reactivated and would just summon itself randomly to play with the both of them.

Now she was a teenager and it felt like she barely made it up to his waist the other day.

Why did time have to be so weird for him?

Sora stretched as he came back inside, noting that there was a bit of a mess. He blinked, noting that something was wrong.

The Tower, at least the part he and Chloe lived in, was never messy like this. He glanced around confused before calling out, "...Chloe?" He became concerned as it stayed silent for too long of a moment before she popped out from behind a door, partially hiding behind it. Her long red curly hair wild and her bright green eyes freaked out as her face was flushed and pale all at once, "You're home already?"

Sora frowned as he nodded, "Yeah… what's going on?" He made a motion to the piles of clothes and random items strewn about.

She waffled, "N-nothing?" She grimaced.

He gave her an odd and questioning look. She pretty much never caused him trouble, so her behavior was weird.

She waffled for a moment before getting mad and yelling at him, "I'm bleeding, leave me alone, ok?!"

He startled as she slammed the door shut as his face flushed. Oh.

He looked around, taking note of everything before going through everything and making piles of things to wash or otherwise toss. 'I'm an idiot.'

'Glad to hear you noticed.'

Sora rolled his eyes and growled under his breath, taking out some cleaning supplies before cleaning up. He had made sure to educate the kids on puberty and what that entailed, but his ability to keep track of ages definitely kicked his ass. He'd have to apologize, but first, he'd better get one of the ladies to help him make sure she was alright.

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It took a few days for Chloe to be back to normal around him as she apologized for yelling. He waved her off, "My fault for not paying attention to how old you were. I'm sorry for prying."

She looked at him in slight confusion, "But… It's not like you didn't tell all of us in class what would happen when we got older."

He shrugged as he flipped a page in the book he was reading over, "I'm also a guy, and sometimes I don't think."

Chloe blinked before sighing softly, "I still feel bad…"

He stopped reading before looking at her, tilting his head confused, "Why?"

She paused looking at him, something on her mind before tilting her head, "Have you ever been in love?"

He balked, dropping his book into his lap as he was left confused, "I, huh? What does that have to do with anything?!" His voice rose in pitch as he spoke, embarrassing him further.

She smiled at him sadly, "It's just, sometimes when you sleep you've mumbled about Riku and Kairi. The few times you've been sick you've also cried about them."

Sora felt his face go red, "I- I have?"

Chloe nodded as she looked away from him, "They were important people to you… right?"

They were his most important people.

Sora cleared his throat as he looked away as he wracked his brain, "Y-yeah. Always."

She smiled sadly as she stared at something indistinct as she spoke softly, "I wonder if I could ever be that important…"

Sora felt weird and hesitant, "...Why? You're what… fourteen? There's plenty of time to fall in love with someone." He'd been alone for too long, would his feelings even matter by the time they reunited? Would he even feel anything but wistful regret?

Was this journey from the beginning of time even worth it?

It would always be worth it if it allowed him to save his friends.

Chloe stood and looked down at him sadly, "What does being in love matter if your feelings won't ever be returned?"

He frowned, "Chloe-"

Tears gathered in her eyes as she looked at him, stiff, "I'm in love with you Sora."

He froze, ice chilling his blood as he took in her words as disgust clenched his stomach, "What?"

She huffed as she looked away from him, her hands clasped at her waist, "I've felt this way for a long time, but I've always known it was hopeless."

Sora felt stiff, frozen as he thought over everything he'd done while raising her.

How had it come to this?

He threw open the window and ran, Chloe's shouts disappearing behind him.

No nono no, no nono NOPE.

The mantra ran through his head as he ran, flowmotioning and gliding, the weather going from grey to rainy, his heart beating quickly and painfully in his chest. He wanted to cry, 'How? How could she have had romantic feelings for me?'

He recoiled at the thought that he might have done anything strange to lead her into such feelings.

After a few hours of running he stopped, slowing down into a jog and then into a walk as he gasped for air, tears in his eyes, 'I'm not a groomer, am I?'

Auron sighed heavily in sympathy, 'No Sora. Sometimes these things happen.'

Sora stumbled to a tree trunk and leaned into it, resting his forehead against the rough bark as confused tears ran down his cheeks, 'Then why? How could she fall in love with me?'

Auron was silent for a long while before speaking gently, 'You're a good man, Sora. Even I'm a little shocked, she hid it well.'

'...Vanitas?'

'Beats me.'

Sora closed his eye, slowly catching his breath as he continued to wrack his brain for an answer.

'Humans fall in love. I've never understood it, but it can happen in an instant, or over years. It makes no sense to me whatsoever.'

A crack of leaves, "Sora!"

He stiffened in shock as he spun to see her, having caught up to him despite his long run and use of Magic. He took a step back in confusion, "How did you follow me?"

Chloe blinked, panting softly from following him, "...I followed me Heart?"

That wasn't the answer he-

His face scrunched up as he burst out, "I used Magic to get here! I never taught any of you Magic!"

Chloe frowned, "I've been watching you."

He gaped, "So you just.. Figured it out for yourself?!"

She hesitantly nodded.

'Your Dreameaters did take to her immediately. She has always been gifted in Magic.'

'And you didn't tell me?!'

'It was obvious, stupid. Your fault for not noticing.'

Why was his life so messed up?!

He fell to his knees and bowed his head, clutching at the grass beneath him as he was left more and more confused, "...Why?"

Carefully Chloe stepped closer before crouching just out of his reach, a deep sadness and hurt in her eyes, "Why what?"

"Why would you fall in love with someone like me? I don't want it."

She tilted her head as dejection set in, "Because you're the most important person to me."

He closed his eye, "You can't."

She frowned, annoyance bleeding in, "I can't? Why not?"

He looked up to her, frustration on his face, "I raised you. It's not right." It could never be right.

Chloe sighed as she looked away, "I don't know when it happened. I just.. One day realized that I've never seen you as a father. I admired you, and then… I realized my feelings."

He pulled back onto his haunches as he turned his face away from her, "I refuse it."

She bowed her head, "Fine." He looked at her, noting her look of determination, "But no matter how many years pass, my feelings won't change."

He felt his eye grow cold, "Doubtful."

She sniffed as she raised her head, "If I can't fall in love and marry by the time I'm twenty five, you'll have to give me a chance."

He gave her a disturbed look, "I won't give you that chance."

She stood, planting her fists onto her hips as she looked down at him haughtily, "Watch me."

He bared his teeth at her trying to figure out how to retort before she turned and walked away, returning to Town.

When he finally returned, he moved into the basement levels where she could not enter and cut himself off of any contact with anyone unless it was demanded of him.

The little black creature that watched him, now the size of an adult rabbit, kept him company in the meantime.