As Yakunan and Xenudah touched down on the dragon, the shadow elemental dismounted, his son following soon after.
"Welcome home, Xenudah." Yakunan's voice was soft, barely a breath as he let a sigh come free.
He could not bear to leave his father's side, and as a result, took Yakunan's hand and gently squeezing.
"You'll never be alone, my son…" Yakunan whispered, squeezing back. "You'll never be alone… I promise you."
Xenudah nodded silently at his father's remarks as the others in the group came forward.
"Is that really him?" Kai asked, glancing over towards Xenudah with a bit of a puzzled look. His brows lifted up in curiosity.
The reply came from Yakunan. "That's really him."
"The Oni felt they didn't need me anymore, so they purged the evil within me to make them stronger. And then they let me go." Xenudah balled his hands into tight fists, shaking in fury, the emotion directed at the monsters who corrupted him. "I-I hate them so much…"
"Xenu…" Yakunan whispered, reaching out to take his son's hand, concern clearly written on his face." Xenu, please allow me to help, my child…" The words were coming out in a rush. "Please, Xenudah... You're still so emotionally fragile. I can help you. I will not fail you... Please let me help, my child..." He practically sobbed, his voice trembling slightly as he stared with tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Just leave me alone! I can't take it anymore!" Xenudah's voice shook as he sobbed. "I love you, but I can't take the pain away, and I am the one who should be the one going through it! Father, I hurt you! I wanted to kill you! You made my life so miserable, I had to do it! I couldn't take it anymore–"
"Xenu, I'm so sorry… I never once meant to leave you…" Yakunan's voice softened and became a whisper. "Please forgive me... I am so sorry...for all the trouble I've caused you..."
Xenudah bitterly chuckled. "Why am I still dwelling on the past when I should be helping you take the Oni down?" Xenudah looked away from his father, his eyes glazing over as he stared into the distance. "I… I'm sorry, Father… For everything…"
"It's okay, Xenudah." Yakunan smiled sadly. "I'm sorry I couldn't do anything to help you… But we're together now... And we'll save our people." He gently hugged his son, who hugged back.
"I love you, Father…" Xenudah whispered.
"I love you too, Xenudah." Yakunan smiled.
The two separated from each other, wiping away the tears that stained their faces.
"What do we do now?" Kai asked, staring at the two. "We can't just sit around and wait for the Oni to make a move. We need to do something."
"We need to rest and plan," Yakunan replied, a resigned look in his eyes. "We'll be no good to anyone if we're exhausted. We'll make a plan tomorrow. For now, let's go home."
"What do we do now, since the Hero Suite is burned down?" Cole asked, looking at the others.
"We'll find a place to stay," Yakunan replied. "There are plenty of abandoned buildings on the island. We'll find somewhere to lie low. I think I know just the place."
The group found themselves in front of a huge temple. Yakunan sighed as he looked at the building. The structure was red and green with white and gold accents. A dragon statue was on the top of the roof. He shivered, a wave of dread coursing through his soul. "The Temple of Fortitude."
"Father, are you alright?" Xenudah placed a hand on his father's shoulder.
"N-No, son…" Yakunan bowed his head and let out a soft sigh, placing a hand on one of the dragon statues at the foot of the stairs. "Years ago, this was where I had held up with the Stone Army when I battled Hikari. I never thought I'd come back here… This reminds me so much of my troubled past...leaving you behind…" The man let out a sigh. He looked to the side, gazing remorsefully at Xenudah for a long while.
"Father, it's not your fault… The Oni were the ones behind all of this from the very beginning… You don't need to cry. It's already too late in the game, but we can make do with what we have now… Now we have a second chance at what we deserve."
"Even though you're younger than me, you're always giving good advice." Yakunan smiled softly. "I've missed you so much…"
"Sorry to break up your moment, but we weeere planning to move in here, right?" Jay asked.
"Yes, yes," Yakunan said as he opened the temple door, inviting the others in after him.
The main room was quite empty, and Xenudah sat in one corner huddled in a corner with his legs stitched close together, folding his arms across his chest.
The former Overlord sighed, following his child to where he was. "Xenudah" He asked. "How are you? You seem distracted... What's bothering you? From your demeanor, it seems you are rather cold. I'm worried that you have been avoiding me."
Xenudah sighed, unable to stare his father straight in the face. "You've always made me happy... I don't want to avoid you... But, I can't shake the fact that...maybe you're leaving me again... And I don't want to be the one to ruin things for you."
"Oh, no…" Yakunan whispered, kneeling beside his son. "No, Xenudah, I adore you so much... I want you to stay with me…" He reached over, brushing his hands through his child's soft raven hair. "I promise I won't leave…"
Xenudah shuddered out a sob from the light touch, his eyes filling with tears. He hugged his knees tighter and let out a cry of utter desperation.
"Don't you worry, I'm right here..." Yakunan whispered. "I'll never let you go… Come here, little one..."
Xenudah cried even louder and leaned into his father's embrace. He did not want to let go, for he felt so safe in his father's arms. Xenudah felt himself slowly drifting off to sleep. The feeling of his father's warm embrace was getting harder and harder to resist. Sleep seemed so appealing at the time. He closed his eyes, sighing. He was finding it difficult to keep his eyes open. And all he wanted was to drift off to sleep and forget about everything.
"I love you, Xenudah…" Yakunan whispered as he watched his child doze off. "I love you so very much… I'll never let you leave again… I won't be letting anything happen to you… I swear to you I won't."
The familiarity of these sentimental moments made Xenudah feel like a child, and he knew that was exactly who he was, even if he was much older.
Yakunan sighed fearfully, pulling his child close to himself. He was worried about the possibility that he would lose his son. He wanted him to stay forever. Xenudah was worth so much to the former Overlord that he didn't know what he would do if they were ever separated again. He wouldn't let that happen.
Ever again.