Adrian was laying on the bed after the small conversation he had with Xemnas back in the courtroom. He just woke up after a long sleep which he was thankful for, so far everything felt like a giant roller coaster that wasn't enjoyable at all, and he still had problems with accepting his situation.

He reached out with his hand up the ceiling, stretching his fingers to find some sort of meaning behind his abduction, and why him of all people. His hand slowly fell on his forehead, still tired and having no will to leave his bed.

He had no reason to do so anyway.

Everyone from the Organization was gone except for Xigbar on their mission to find the rest of the vessels, leaving Adrian behind to rot in his room. Well, at least Xaldin was right about having everything he needed to live here.

The kitchen was here with a fridge that always seemed to have food for him ready, and a bathroom with a shower for him to make sure he didn't smell like a trash bag. The only thing that this place didn't do for him was being able to battle the sheer amount of boredom he had to deal with, and playing with his ball only got him so far.

All of Adrian's thoughts made him let out a groan.

"Am I seriously considering Xigbar's offer?" He asked himself. As much as he wasn't willing to admit it, Xigbar was the only person he could interact with without the fear of being impaled by a Dusk.

He eventually brought himself to get up and do some light stretching and early morning workout, or so Adrian thought was morning. For all he knew, it could be in the middle of the night in the place he was stuck.

While he was doing pushups, Adrian spotted his poorly maintained clothes, tears and loose strings evident on his shirt and trousers. He eventually decided to get rid of the shirt, throwing it on the bed before continuing his exercise.

And Xigbar's timing couldn't be more impeccable. Once Adrian finished and took a bath, Xigbar appeared after barging inside the room without knocking while giving Adrian a mocked salute.

"Hey, prophet," He greeted while having a small bundle in his other hand, "Hope you slept well."

Adrian sighed while wiping away the rest of the water off of himself, "Will you ever learn to knock?"

"I don't really see a point to it, I feel like you should've expected I would come here eventually," He said with a shrug, but Adrian gave him a small scowl.

"Eventually doesn't mean when, especially when I'm half-naked," Adrian said before going back inside the bathroom and wanted to dress himself up but Xigbar stopped him, barely out of sight.

"Hey, I was able to get you something for your clothing problem," He said while putting down on a stool nearby the same get-up he wore himself. A black cloak with a dark shirt, black skintight jeans, gloves in the same color, and dark heavy-duty boots.

Once Adrian saw the clothing, he would have normally been excited to wear something the Organization wore in the past, but now, looking at the clothes only made him frustrated.

"Do I seriously have to wear this?" He asked Xigbar.

"If you want to run around the castle half-naked, as you said yourself, then I'm sorry to break it to you but this place isn't a clothing shop," Xigbar said, giving Adrian an ultimatum he wasn't happy about at all.

After Adrian let out another groan, he eventually forced himself to wear the garb. Once he put it on however, he couldn't help but notice how… well it fitted him. He always hated how skin fits always made him feel extremely sluggish and limited with large boots being too heavy for his feet, but not these ones.

The clothing felt light and agile, like the clothing morphed itself to fit Adrian and his needs perfectly. Once he stepped out of the bathroom and revealed himself to Xigbar, he whistled.

"Look at you, hotshot. Now you look like one of us," He said before barking a small laugh, "Hope it fits alright."

"It… surprisingly does," Adrian admitted, sizing himself up and down, "How do they work?"

"I don't know myself, really. They are one size fits all with a little amount of magic as well," He said before leaning in and whispered to Adrian, "I wouldn't question it much. It'll save you a headache."

"Fine," Adrian relented with a sigh before he looked up at Xigbar, "So, why are you here? I'm pretty sure clothes weren't the only reason you came here."

"Right on the nose, prophet," He said while pointing at the green-eyed lad, "And I'm sure you can guess why."

"Because you have nothing better to do other than to just chat with me?" Adrian said, crossing his arms, ignoring the weird nickname.

"Well, that's one thing we could do, but I'll be honest, I had enough talking for this week alone. I need to let off some steam, and last time when we came to my shooting range, you kind of bailed out and then almost got yourself killed," Xigbar explained before he put his hands on his hips, "And I'm sure you don't want to just stay here locked up either. It'll be better if you are with me anyway."

Adrian touched his elbow while looking away. He didn't want to say it, since he knew what kind of person Xigbar was, but he was right about being bored.

"Alright, I'll come with you," He eventually said, relenting to Xigbar who gave him a fox-like grin.

"That's the spirit," He said before he motioned Adrian to follow him out to the shooting range. A place that Adrian hated since it made him aware that this wasn't a game but reality.

He still followed him through the castle, and soon enough, they entered the balcony with the same purple cloud-filled dark sky. Xigbar took a deep breath after entering, glad to be out and about.

"Ah, finally. I honestly can't understand how some people would just stay locked up inside a room and never leave it." Xigbar mused out loud.

"It was surprisingly easy to do back home," Adrian muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Xigbar asked, more curious than wary.

"Nothing," Adrian said with the shake of his head before looking at the empty space in front of him, the balcony having nothing to block him from falling into the abyss, "So, where are your pincushions?"

Xigbar, as if he was prepared for the question, snapped his fingers once before several round metallic targets appeared out of nowhere, ready to be shot down with a bolt or two.

"Does that answer your question?" He sassed, making Adrian look away.

"Whatever," He exclaimed.

"Come on, don't be butthurt and bring some life into you," Xigbar said.

"I don't think you're the one who should be telling that," Adrian shot back, making Xigbar roll his eyes.

"Hey, I didn't wish to become a Nobody, alright? Now, get a bow and start shooting. I want to see what you're capable of," He said, but Adrian only raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean by that? Aren't we supposed to just pass time here?" He asked.

"Well yeah, but after what happened in the castle, I want to make sure that when nobody will be here to guard you, you'll at least know how to defend yourself," Xigbar explained, only for Adrian to raise his other brow.

"Wait, why are you helping me like this?" He said, his voice filled with disbelief.

"Because reasons! What am I supposed to do with you other than teach you how to fight? I was going to be the one to do the recon missions and all, which is my specialty, but I wanted to spice things up a little," Xigbar answered, still quite patient with Adrian's questions.

"Great, so what you're telling me is that I'm just a giant muse to you," Adrian pointed out.

"Well, if you want to say it like that then sure, you're my muse for the time being," Xigbar agreed before pointing down the hallway inside the castle, "But I dare say it's better than being treated as an actual prisoner."

Adrian let out another sigh, "I guess you have a point there, but I sort of don't have my bow on hand right now."

"Just summoned it, that isn't an issue for you, right?" Xigbar said but Adrian only gave him an incredulous stare.

"Look, I don't come from a world where floating castles and people being split into monsters after they die is a regular thing, let alone summoning anything out of thin air."

"Wait, seriously?" Xigbar said in disbelief, "Wow, I knew you weren't all that well-versed in magic, but I didn't expect you to be completely void of it."

"I lived without it well-enough, until all of this happened," Adrian said while emphasizing his point with spread-out arms.

"Alright, I think we should have something in the armory. I'll be right back. Make sure you don't wander around too much," And just like last time, Xigbar disappeared in a dark and blue blur, leaving Adrian behind to stare at the targets floating in the air.

He laid down on the ground, observing the never-ending sky in front of him. He didn't have to wait for long however, as Xigbar came back with a white box filled with bows before dropping it on the ground. The weapons inside shook with the impact, the white and pale blue metallic rods rang with a sound similar to a hammer hitting an anvil multiple times over.

"Well, pick one," Xigbar prompted, and Adrian stood up before inspecting the weapons inside, all of which were some form of a bow. He took hold of the one that looked similar to a hunting bow.

It had a rigged body with small wheels at the ends of their limbs, cams if Adrian remembered correctly. The bow also had a limb bolt only on its lower limb, an arrow rest for easy use, and a stabilizer in the form of the crest of the Nobodies, it seemed like the best option.

The weight of the weapon caught him off-guard however. It was extremely light, to the point that Adrian had to test out if it could easily break or not. The material it was made out of was extremely tough but bendable.

"Good choice, I tried that one out once but I didn't like how slowly it shoots. Its accuracy and power are top-notch though," Xigbar said with his arms on his hips before coming closer to Adrian, "Now, time to do some good-old binding."

He extended his hand at Adrian, who grew wary, but couldn't react to the small light beam that pierced both him and the bow at the same time. His breath hitched for a fraction of a second before he touched his chest where the beam hit him.

He thought it hurt him, but instead, he felt a different sensation, like he grew an extra limb of some sort.

"What did you do to me?" He asked, more perplexed than angry.

"Since you are horribly inept, I had to do it myself, but usually people bind themselves to a weapon on their own. I just gave you a small nudge," Xigbar explained before commanding, "Now, try to get rid of the bow."

"Wait, you mean, like, throwing it away?" Adrian said, making Xigbar shrug.

"Yeah, something like that," He answered.

Adrian switched his attention back at the bow, clutching it tightly in his grip before he slowly let go of the bow, allowing it to fall from his grasp. To his astonishment, the bow hung in the air for a small moment before disappearing into white light that fizzled out like dying embers.

"What the—"

"Wait, we're not done yet," Xigbar interrupted Adrian, his smile growing in the process, "Now, I hope you remember that feeling when I shot you with that small laser. You could say the weapon is inside you now, and I know how weird that sounds but that's just how it is."

"So, now I have to find it within me?" Adrian finished, sounding slightly disturbed while Xigbar gave him a finger gun.

"Right on the nose, prophet. At least I don't have to explain everything," He said, "Go ahead."

Adrian stared at Xigbar with his mouth slightly hanging open before he closed it and shook his head. He closed his eyes and began concentrating on that bow he just got a few moments ago, searching for it as he himself said. His face scrunched up, trying his best to feel that limb he gained.

He suddenly felt his left hand needed to take hold of something before the weight of the weapon resurfaced, and Adrian could feel the handle of the bow again. He opened his eyes and checked his hand and found the bow in his hand, inspecting it with awe.

What caught him off-guard was the fact the bow changed in color as well. The weapon lost its whiteness completely and was replaced by a rich navy blue with streaks of green highlights present as well.

Xigbar then gave Adrian a slow clap, "Bravo, now that's what I like to see. I have to say, this was easier than I thought. Thinking about how you would take ages to pull the bow out of yourself wasn't something I wanted to deal with."

Adrian didn't answer, instead, he kept his gaze at his new weapon, tantalized by the fact he made it appear out of nowhere. Suddenly, a small headache surged through him, making him clutch his head while groaning in slight pain.

"Oh, didn't think about that," Xigbar admitted, before he touched his chin, "This might be harder than I thought after all."

"What… what do you mean?" Adrian forced out through his headache.

"Since you haven't done anything connected to magic, your body might have to take some time to get used to it," Xigbar explained, "But I'm sure we will be able to shoot one bolt out of that thing. I know you can handle that at least."

Adrian wanted to protest, he wanted to take things slowly, but his newfound weapon was begging to be used. He steeled himself and stood up straight, ignoring the throbbing of his head.

"Alright," He said, taking a stance with his bow ready to be shot. The only problem he had was that he didn't have anything to shoot nor was there a string to cock an arrow, "Um, Xigbar? I think I have a small problem."

"Don't worry about things that aren't the bow itself or the fact that you want to shoot an arrow," Xigbar said, crossing his arms, "Magic is a finicky thing. It all comes from your imagination and all that jazz. So, a string and arrow aren't necessary."

"Great," Adrian drawled, "Are you going to at least help me with that?"

"Nope, that's something you have to figure out yourself," Xigbar answered, "I'm one of the worst people to teach how to use magic."

"Then why did you—"

"Stop whining and start imagining, it's not that hard," Xigbar interrupted Adrian who sneered at the Nobody before turning back at the closest target to him. He took the same stance again before he started to clutch the place where the string was supposed to be, but much to Adrian's chagrin, nothing was happening.

Xigbar gazed at the sorry display Andrian was showing before he groaned, "No, not like that you idiot. You have to calm yourself down a little, and concentrate, like you did with that bow."

While Adrian wanted to snap at Xigbar again, he refrained from doing so and started drawing heavy breaths, helping him to calm the small headache he had.

"Maybe closing my eyes could do the trick," He thought before proceeding to do so. Adrian put his hand between the two limbs of the bow, imagining a string appearing with an arrow nocked and ready to shoot.

The process was slow however.

Beads of sweat started to form on Adrian's forehead, his sheer concentration on doing something he never thought was possible was eating away all of his attention. Xigbar remained silent throughout the whole ordeal, watching with his head leaning on one hand while he used the box as an impromptu chair.

Adrian however was still not making any progress, his fingers always trying to grasp that non-existent string that didn't want to appear. With a groan, he eased his stance, slumping in the process before turning to Xigbar.

"I can't do it," He said, defeated.

"Nonsense, put your back into it," Xigbar encouraged but all it did was frustrating Adrian further.

"I don't know how to do it, alright!? How many times do I have to tell you that I don't know how to cast magic?!" He yelled, making Xigbar cover one of his ears.

"Wow, you can be loud when you want to," He mused out loud before sighing, "Alright fine, just take a look at me."

He stood up from his chair before flicking a single crossbow into his hand and took aim in one swift motion. The crossbow itself loaded a single dart from the magazine below without Xigbar's help. He didn't even pull the trigger, the bolt flew off from the crossbow on its own, enveloped in dark energy before landing squarely on the target.

Adrian could only look at Xigbar with awe and fear as well while he had a proud smirk plastered on his features.

"Looks like I didn't get rusty after all," He remarked before looking back at Adrian, "Think of your weapon as… Damn, what's the word for it? Like, and extension of yourself or whatnot?"

"Could… you explain it a bit better?" Adrian asked, grimacing in the process.

"Look, I'm not a wise guy at all, but try to feel the same feeling when that bow became yours," Xigbar tried to sound helpful, but surprisingly, it seemed enough for Adrian, who gave Xigbar a small nod.

"...I think I get it. Let me try again," He said before he took the same stance as before, left foot forward, right foot back, and bow in his left hand. He closed his eyes again, and imagined the bow being something like a new arm he was stretching for the first time.

Xigbar tilted his head back at Adrian, curious to see what he figured out.

Adrian kept concentrating on the same feeling, and soon, he was rewarded with silky-like texture enveloping his right arm. Like a snake crawling on someone's arm, the white-glowing silk reached out and wrapped the cams.

While Adrian could feel things were happening, much to his excitement, it put immense pressure on his body. The metaphorical snake was draining him of all of the stamina he had left, and the headache came back with a vengeance, ready to split his head wide open.

Adrian soldiered through it however, waiting patiently until the white string was complete before he started to pull on it, letting his instincts take over. He was taken back with how much strength he had to exert to pull the string fully, but with a satisfying click of the cams, indicating he pulled it fully, he finally opened his eyes.

He was greeted with a beautiful sight as the string that enveloped the cams crawled through the limbs of the bow before curling themselves into the shape of an arrow that shined a brilliant white glow. It rested on the arrow rest before the end of the bolt pierced the small opening between his fingers and the bow was ready to fire.

Adrian wasted no time and locked on the same target Xigbar shot at and let go of the string.

With a defining bang of the string, the arrow was set loose with a small shockwave that resonated through Adrian's body, almost making his entire body feel numb, his arms ringing in the process. As the arrow sailed through the air, it didn't latch itself on the target, but pierced it fully instead, making the arrow slowly but surely fall into the abyss of the World That Never Was.

Adrian panted for air after such a display, sweat pouring from his temples while his legs were ready to give out. The adrenaline that fuelled his body left him, making him buckle before he had to clutch his head because of the migraine he was experiencing.

He let go of his bow, which again, disappeared into nothingness with a small flash of light before plopping on his rear. Xigbar was certainly surprised, to say the least before he closed the distance between him and Adrian and squatted down to his level, a toothy grin on his face.

"Well, congrats. I gave it a solid B+, good aim, and power. Now we just need to speed things up and you're well on your way to defend yourself," Xigbar said, couldn't help but feel that slightest bit of pride well up inside him.

Even though Adrian was exhausted, he was able to put up a smile as well.

"Thanks…" He said, before fully laying down on the ground, bringing an arm on his head in the process, "This headache is killing me."

"Don't worry, the more you practice, the better you'll be able to handle it," Xigbar reassured.

"Yeah, it was… cool," Adrian admitted, making Xigbar bark a laugh.

"And you almost didn't want to go! Hopefully, I changed your mind," He said.

"Maybe," Adrian relented before groaning again, "Hey, could you get me some water?"

Xigbar playfully clicked his tongue. "What am I, your servant?"

"My guard, actually," Adrian sassed, making Xigbar exasperatedly groan.

"Touche," He relented, "I'll be right back."

And just like before, Xigbar vanished in a blink of an eye, allowing Adrian some time for himself.

As much as he hated his situation, Adrian had to admit that that was exhilarating. He was about to leave archery behind, but this brought a whole new life into his activity. It made him smile.

He extended his other hand, just like back in his room before the same bow reappeared in his grasp, ready to shoot another arrow of light. Sadly, Adrian wasn't in any condition to do so.

"Maybe some good things will come out of this after all."

AN: Well, it took some time, but hopefully you like today's chapter, it was quite fun to write. I have nothing to add to this, honestly.

Anyway, hope you have a great day.

God's speed.