I am calling each chapter "Issues" only based on the fact that Power of the Dark Crystal is separated in Issues. But you can see that this chapter pretty much puts together 3 issues lol

Also, good to remember:
This is basically the Power of the Dark Crystal, but slightly changed here and there and with my characters awkwardly put into the story (straight to DVD Tom & Jerry style, if you know what I mean lol). So yeah, the focus is mainly Vili and their papas.


Issue 2

Vili slipped from underneath UrSon's hunched form to have a better view of what was going on, but still being hidden by the Mystic's thick mane of brown hair.

The Skeksis didn't allow themselves to be escorted to prison without putting up a bit of a fight. But every time one of the Garthims raised its big pincers and snapped towards them, the Skeksis were quick to back away with a screech and a curse.

"To the dungeons, now." Jen said with conviction, a tone of voice Vili had never heard before. "You know the way."

And being this close, they were able to see the older gelfling much better, before Jen followed the Skeksis to their prison. He wasn't the young, naïve gelfling that Vili had met, so long ago. Dear Thra, how he changed.

They wondered how long had it been, how many trines had it passed since they had left with the UrSkeks. They wondered how much they lost, seeing as gelflings seemed to crowd the whole chamber. So many, so different from each other…

"You'll pay for this!"

"This castle is ours!"
Was the last they heard of the Skeksis as they were led away from the Crystal's Chamber. Vili sighed when the "clickety clack" of the Garthims disappeared slowly, feeling their body relax out of pure instinct.

Until…

"Aah! Another Skeksis!"

Vili raised their head when hearing the scream. SkekTar waddled into the Crystal's Chamber, holding on to his head with one hand. And even from their position, Vili could already see the blood.

"Papa!" Vili got up, noticing that UrSon wasn't holding them back anymore, and ran over to their other father, not minding the other gelflings.

SkekTar tried to keep himself up by leaning against a wall, but lost his ground. Luckily Vili was there to help him descend to the ground.

"Damn… Chamberlain… Ugh…" He complained, but the gelfling wasn't paying attention.

Vili quickly checked SkekTar's wounds. They were pretty much like UrSon's and didn't seem to be too serious, all that was needed was to clean and bandage the wound.

"Are you ok?" Vili asked.

"I am." SkekTar huffed, not really listening to what the gelfling had to say. He grabbed Vili's little hand and pulled them away from his head. "Chamberlain went after the fire-gelfling… Where are the others?"

"Warn Lord Jen!" A voice interrupted before Vili could speak. "Circle that monster! Don't let it escape!"

A group of soldiers came towards them.

"Stay away!" Vili stood in front of SkekTar, opening their arms and wings as if trying to look bigger and shield the Skeksis behind them. "This Skeksis mean no harm!" The soldiers didn't seem to listen, raising pointy spears to the Entertainer. "No!"

"Back off, you!" The soldier with a larger helmet said sternly, taking some steps closer.

Vili felt SkekTar's claws digging into their shoulders, ready to grab them and run if there was the need.

"Stop…!" A soft voice said, it wasn't strong and commanding enough, being weak and pained as it was, but it still made the soldier stop and take a few steps back.

Vili turned to the source of the command.

Two big brown eyes were staring at him and Vili couldn't help but smile, noticing that they had recognized them. Not that it would be hard, since they seemed to be the only one of the three who hadn't changed at all.

"Leave them be…" Kira said, softly, it was easy to see that moving and talking was difficult to her. Vili knew very well why, they could feel a little of what she was feeling as well, after all, both were connected to the Crystal of Truth.

The soldiers moved away from the two, slowly, unsure, but still holding their spears tightly.

Vili was quick, grabbing SkekTar by the hand and yanking him towards the Mystics that still stood in a circle around the Crystal. Vili glanced over to the Elderly Kira, noticing that she was watching, as if she couldn't believe her eyes.

They wanted to run over to her and say something, but now didn't feel like the time for it.

Honestly, Vili was unsure about everything that was going on. They still felt confused, and shaken. All they wanted to do was to curl underneath UrSon's warmth and weight and close their eyes to access the whole situation with the same calm and patience of a Mystic.

"Are you ok…?" UrSon asked the same question the little gelfling had asked. The blood on his own head had been cleaned by UrIm.

"Yeah, I am, who cares?" SkekTar whined, but he allowed UrSon to touch his head.

"Let me look…" UrIm leaned closer.

"Chamberlain…" SkekTar continued saying. "He is going after the shard… And the fire-gelfling…" He hissed while the Healer checked his wounds. "I tried stopping him…"

"And he hit you." UrSon nodded, smiling softly at his counterpart. "You did good."

SkekTar didn't seem happy, but he looked away, embarrassed by the compliment. Vili smiled slightly. They hadn't changed. Honestly, no one had changed, even after being reunited. And then split once again.

Soft goosebumps ran over their back as a deep hum vibrated their whole body. Vili looked up at the darkened light of the Crystal, that fell over them with a deep purple hue. It looked just like it did before Jen finally healed it.

It was a sad sight.

That fire-gelfling SkekTar had mentioned, the one that took the shard… Why would they want to do so? So many bad things happened when the Crystal was broken back then, whe would someone want to let it all happen again?

Vili had so many questions, but so little answers. Luckily, they had an idea of where, and from whom, they would get the answers…

"What's going on…?"

Vili quickly looked up when hearing that voice. That was their chance. They turned to UrSon and SkekTar, asking without words to be sure that they could leave; the Mystic simply smiled at them, answering just as quietly.

The gelfling got up from their place, finally being able to see that Jen had returned, probably being told that another Skeksis was spotted on the Crystal Chamber. He stopped on his tracks, watching Vili with the same expression Kira had shown before.

A guard – probably the leader, judging by his helmet – moved beside the Elder, holding on to his spear, but Jen simply raised a hand to stop him.

Vili stopped right in front of Jen, putting a small space between them, and they couldn't help but smile a little, happy to see their friend once again.

Jen had changed. He was way older, with his pale face detailed with wrinkles, and hair as white as marble. But Vili could also see much more had changed besides his looks, like his stance and the aura that surrounded him. Vili couldn't help but remember fondly of the curious and naïve little gelfling they had met, so long ago.

There was so much they wanted to say, but somehow the words seemed to disappear for a moment.

"You're taller now…!" Was all they got to mention.

"Vili…" Jen said slowly, as if he hadn't spoken those words for so long that his voice had forgotten how to pronounce it. "You're back."

"We all came back apparently…" Vili looked back at the Mystics, watching as UrIm took care of SkekTar's wounded head.

They pressed their lips together, looking up at the darkened Crystal. They had many questions, about what happened in Thra while they were gone, how the gelflings returned, why was the Crystal shattered again and also why was there so much stuff surrounding the Crystal?

But they knew they needed to focus on the most important questions at the moment. The rest came after.

"What happened? The Crystal…"

"It was shattered. By a fireling." Another voice answered before the Elder could do so.

Vili quickly span around, turning to a face they had seen only once or twice in their whole live, but that they would never truly forget.

"Aughra!" They cried out, maybe a bit too loud. But they couldn't help it. Aughra, the Keeper of Secrets, was the true child of Thra, and Vili could feel the aura that surrounded her resonating with the Crystal's song, despite it being slightly broken at the moment. It was familiar, and comforting. "You're still here!"

"Of course, I am! Where else would Aughra be? Hnf!" Aughra huffed loudly, before turning to Jen. "Listen, gelfling, we must speak!" She was serious, holding on tightly to her walking staff. "We must speak of prophecy!"

"Prophecy…" Jen repeated the word and seemed to think for a bit. "Of course."

They turned to follow Jen to the balcony above the Crystal, when an arm was put between Jen and Vili.

"Wait! You!" The gelfling with a weird and pointy headdress pointed an accusing finger at Vili. "You have come with these… Creatures! And stood beside a Skeksis! Is the Castle being crowded by heretics today?!"

"Crystalline, stop." Jen said before Vili could even try to defend themself.

"But, my Lord!" Crystalline was quick to say, in a softer tone of voice, Vili did notice the change. "This… Gelfling… How can we be sure we can trust-"

"Vili is a friend of many trines, you mustn't worry." Jen said, leaving no place for discussion. "They can come with us if they wish to, for I trust them."

Crystalline seemed unsure of what to say, looking from the Elder to the smaller gelfling, who glared at him. Vili decided, they didn't like Crystalline. There was just something off about him… But it wasn't important at the moment.

"Please, I want to understand what is going on…"

The four walked up to the balcony where Kira was waiting for them, with a very old and white haired fizzgig sitting right beside her. Jen carefully grabbed her pale hand on his own, sitting beside her and asking how she felt in a soft and worried tone of voice. Vili smiled at the scene, remembering how the two were when young.

"Vili!" Kira looked up at Vili with a smile. It was good to see her smile, but Vili could see through the happy face. They felt the energy that lingered from her, so soft, so dim; just like the light of the Crystal. "It's been so long...!"

Vili reached for her other outstretched hand, sitting beside her on the floor.

"Indeed, it has." They smiled at her, before turning to the shuffling and snorting little thing beside them. "Hello again, Fizzgig!" Fizzgig sniffed their hand, looking up at Vili with curious and old eyes, before barking loudly, recognizing the gelfling in front of it. "Huh, so you remember me too!"

"Yes, yes, gelfling is back! Hmf!" Aughra huffed, annoyed, hitting Vili slightly on the leg with her staff – they quickly shuffled to the side. "Not important! New prophecy is important!"

"Please, old friend, do tell us what it is." Jen said and once again he sounded serious and strong, like a leader should sound.

"Hmm…" Aughra sat down slowly and painfully, groaning once settling on the floor. She pulled out a long, wooden pipe from a pocket on her robes and lighted it.

They all waited for her words of wisdom. Vili couldn't help but feel impatient, turning their eyes down to the Crystal. It hummed almost inaudible under the balcony, it's purple light reflecting all over the chamber, and over the Mystics – and the one Skeksis – that sat around it.

"Aughra heard the Stars… They tell us, in riddles, of course, in riddles… The Prophecy…" The Sage said, taking a drag from her pipe, and letting out. "When feeble shines what once was bright… And secret spheres succumb to night… If inward passes the slivered light… One world dies… Another made right…"

"What does it mean, Aughra?" Jen asked, softly, but impatiently. "This new Prophecy?"

"Hmf! Always want meaning, don't they?" Aughra huffed. "Never Straight with prophecies! Always twisted. That's how stars think, gelfling! But… Seems to me… Only one thing it can mean. Hmf!" She took a long drag of her pipe, letting out a large cloud of smoke. The smoke moved and bended in front of her, taking a different form, which seemed to show five people, surrounding what looked like a star. "Fireling takes shard inside Thra. Fireling saves her people. Fireling dooms us." The clouds of smoke dissipated. "We must act."

"She's right!" Crystalline intervened. "Every moment the shard is gone the Skeksis claw at their bonds!" His eyes drifted down to the Crystal, or, more precisely, to SkekTar, sitting with the Mystics. "But using the Garthim we could-"

"Quiet, slitherskull! Hmnf!" Aughra raised her staff, hitting the gelfling on the side with it – Vili had to hold back a chuckle. "Let those with hearts hear their own minds!"

"Jen…" Kira said, softly, weakly. She lowered worried and sad brown eyes to the Crystal. "What has happened to our shining world…?"

Vili felt a small pang of sorrow when hearing it, especially because they were silently wondering the same. Vili remembered how Thra looked like when they left with the UrSkeks, how the place was practically drained out of life and health by the Skeksis and their usage of the Crystal of Truth.

Vili could see by the people that gathered around the Palace, that somehow the gelfling were back, which meant even more could have returned with them. But apparently not everything was flowers and sunshine… Not that they was expecting it to be.

"When feeble shines what once was bright…" They repeated the words of the Prophecy. Damn, they wished they could still hear the stars… "That's the Crystal…" It was easy to guess. "Has it's light been dwindling like that for long?"

"Of course not." Crystalline was quick to say, turning to the older couple. "My Elders, you saw what the bats showed…"

"Indeed..." Jen said, but he didn't sound sure. "But today…"

"The Scrying Bats see lush woodland, but there are shadows at the edges of the view." Kira said softly, as if talking only to herself. "In the Dreamfast I feel frost... I see great cracks, as if Thra were shrinking into itself…" She sighed, turning to Jen. "When did we last step outside these walls?"

Jen took some time to think.

"All I know is, that boy, Kensho…"

"The traitor!" Crystalline added.

"He's the only one in years who's dares tell us something we didn't want to hear." Jen continued as if Crystalline hadn't said a word.

Vili didn't know who they were talking about, and also didn't know if Crystalline spoke the truth, but they decided that they liked Kensho more than they liked that one gelfling standing in front of them.

"We must see for ourselves…" Kira said, smiling tenderly.

Jen turned big blue eyes to her, as if she had said something startling.

"Kira… Please…" He held on tightly to her hand, and she answered to the hold. It was as if their hands were one. "The Crystal brought you back to me once, but… Now?" Jen didn't get to finish the sentence, sighing loudly, pressing his forehead against Kira's as if he wanted to get closer to her if it was possible. "As its light wanes… So do you... A journey could kill you…"

"Hm…" Kira closed her eyes and hummed softly, almost in sync with the Crystal's own lugubrious humming. "Then you, my love…"

"Yes… Yes, I will go." Jen nodded solemnly.

Vili sighed, watching as Jen brought Kira's hand to his lips for a moment, kissing her pale knuckles in an almost worshipping way.

They knew they cared for each other, they could pretty much feel the love that lingered from them, so strong and so true. Jen would move lands and seas to protect his loved lady, to keep her safe, to save her. And Vili was happy to see such devotion, but, at the same time…

"Jen, listen…" Vili said, getting their friend's attention. "The fireling shouldn't have the power of choosing which world lives and which world dies… But neither should you."

Jen seemed to be slightly taken back by Vili's words, blinking once or twice as if he couldn't understand what they meant.

"We cannot allow Thra to die. Or anyone else…" He turned his eyes to Kira, not saying much.

Vili understood his worry, they truly did, but they couldn't help but think too much.

They had lived with the UrSkeks for so long that they got naturally used to their ways of being, of thinking, and of working things out. That whole situation was strangely similar to the type of hypothetical conundrums OkAc would create when explaining how things worked to Vili.

"If she'll condemn the gelflings, aren't you going to do the same to the firelings if you stop her?"

"You speak like Mystics, you do! Hmf!" Aughra complained, hitting him once again with the staff. "You have reason, but still, the prophecy is clear! One world dies, so the other can survive!"

"Is it though?" Vili muttered, more for himself than to the Sage. They knew how the Stars spoke, and how their riddles worked, like the ones ZokZah repeated from time to time.

Maybe I should talk with UrZah about it…, Vili decided to do so later.

"I understand what you mean, and you do have reason, Vili, but…" Jen rested a hand on his friend's shoulder. "The Crystal, it belongs to the gelflings."

"It belongs to Thra." Vili felt impatient and uncomfortable with that talk, but the time they had spent with the UrSkeks had taught them how to control their voice well enough to hide it. "To all of Thra."

"And what makes you think you can talk about Thra and its business, you who came with these monsters?" Crystalline threw back, still looking down at the other gelfling as if he was superior or something.

Vili huffed, annoyed by that guy's words.

"Ok, who is this guy and can I punch him?" They asked, softly, as if they was discussing the weather.

Kira laughed slightly, and everyone turned to her once hearing it. She wasn't doing any better, not with the Crystal's light dwindling like that, but it was still a good sound to hear.

-o-

SkekTar looked up at the balcony, watching as Vili followed Jen and Kira away from their large seat. The Crystal hummed darkly next to him and he groaned, looking away from it as if pained.

"This is madness…" He complained. UrSon simply hummed in acknowledgment. "Can you believe after waiting for so long… This would happen? We would be brought back? Like that?!" SkekTar waited for an answer, but got none. "Oh, come on, you big lazy lizard, just answer me!"

UrSon turned his golden eyes to his Skeksis, blinking slowly, as if he was tired.

"I am just as surprised as you…" He said simply, softly and slowly.

SkekTar huffed.

"Surprise is an understatement…" He groaned, looking up at the darkened Crystal once again. It hummed deeply, and the Skeksis could almost feel it resonating with something deep inside him, making his body shake. "And what can be done now? A shattered crystal, a runaway fireling, a bunch of stupid Skeksis locked away and annoying Mystics who ain't gonna do shit! Ow!"

He pulled away when something pinched his arm.

"We're reflecting…" UrSon said simply, ignoring the little sting he felt with his own actions.

"You are reflecting!" SkekTar rolled his eyes and growled exasperatedly. "All you do is reflect!"

UrSon could not show, but deep inside, SkekTar knew they felt the same. Confusion, pain, fear… It wasn't the first time they had felt like that. As the Crystal was shattered, their reality was shattered once again. And once again, their whole minds were inundated with the fear of separation, the fear of being pushed further asunder, once again; and the fear of never being whole again.

It hadn't been long enough, the Skeksis would say. Just a few trines, for Thra's sake! SkekTar couldn't remember very well defined memories from his united form, and the land they came from. All the memories felt like nothing but echoes of an almost forgotten dream, just like they felt after the first division; even with TarSon being split only a few moments ago. It wasn't fair!

He already missed it. And he knew UrSon missed it as well – the way that he reached a hand to his Skeksis counterpart, seeking for the contact, for the touch and for the illusion of unity at a moment like that, proved so.

Why had it happened? Why had the fireling taken the shard?

SkekTar cursed the way he acted and thought back when following the little Crystal shattered. He was so influenced by UrSon, it was hard to change. He should have just charged, grabbed the shard from the little bring and brought it back, but no…

And now Chamberlain was going after it. Great. Out of all the Skeksis, of course it had to be SkekSil, that slithering bastard! He wondered how SilSol was able to live with the knowledge that one of his parts was like that – he couldn't even remember if the UrSkek had ever mentioned it before. In the meantime, UrSol didn't like to talk about SkekSil.

A loud harrumph pulled SkekTar out of his thoughts.

"Here comes the old hag…" He shook his head.

Aughra hit her staff on the floor, loudly.

"You lazy luggard lollagrubs, why won't you help?!"

"It is not our way, sage, you know this…" UrAc said, slowly, softly, in the typical way of the Mystics.

"Not their way! Hmf! Not their way, he says!" Aughra pratically growled those words, waving her staff around. "World's about to end, Skeksis out for blood, stars and riddles and ratspit and rotfrogs and what we need's brains and action!" She started mumbling to herself, getting angrier at each word. "But Noo!"

Aughra brought her staff down once again, making another loud noise. The Mystics were unfazed by her anger and words.

"It's! Not! Their! Way!" The cried out.

"The world is a dream, wise Aughra…" UrAc hummed, holding his hands together as if praying and looking up as if he could see the sky from inside the Castle. "We are but its dreamers…"

Those words only seemed to make Aughra even angrier. She huffed and buffed, holding her staff tight enough to turn her knuckles white.

"'We are but its dreamers, we are but its dreamers'. Hmf!" She turned around to walk away, giving her back to the large form of the Mystics. "Of all the stinkthink stupid n-"

Aughra stopped and violently turned to the only Skeksis on the Chamber, pointing her staff at him.

"And you! You're no mystic!" She huffed. "You have no excuse, birdbrain! Why don't you do something? Hmf! You, who went against the other Skeksis before, can do that again, can't you?"

SkekTar scoffed at her words. He wouldn't say he actually went against the others of his own kind – he would rather say the real one who fought them was his old friend SkekGra, who literally forged a glaive around a shard of the Crystal of Truth.

But, in one way or another, SkekTar agreed with everything Aughra was rambling about. He knew the Mystics did things differently, or rather, didn't do things – with a few exceptions. The Mystic's complacency was honestly quite annoying and exasperating.

"Listen, if you know how I can do something, old hag, you can just say it!" SkekTar grumbled.

"Hmf!" Aughra huffed, hitting the Skeksis on the side, ignoring the complained grunt from both him and his UrRu. "Then you do something! You go with the gelfling, and help him bringing the shard back!"

"Alright, fine! I'll go!" SkekTar screeched, pushing Aughra's staff away. "Just tell the time and we'll leave, sage!"

Those words seemed to make Aughra slightly less angry, she walked away, towards a soldier that was standing on the corner, watching the scene silently.

"You need to be careful…" UrSon said softly.

"I know." SkekTar interrupted with a hiss.

"For Vili…" UrSon finished.

SkekTar hesitated. He looked over to the balcony once again, but it was still empty, Vili was nowhere to be found.

"Tell them I'm going with the gelfling."

"I will." UrSon nodded.

SkekTar allowed UrSon's hand to linger longer over his weak wrist.

"Come on, now, you lizardgrub!" Aughra called. "Before they leave without you and you become just as useless as the others, hmf!"

-o-

Vili helped Jen lead Kira to their room, laying her on their shared bed. They noticed how the two didn't let go, as if their hands needed to be clasped together, and as if separating them was impossible.

"This separation will be hard for both of us…" Jen said softly, for Kira only to hear. Leaning to lay a kiss on her forehead, their hands still together like puzzle pieces. "We haven't let go in so long…"

Kira smiled at him, softly.

Vili wondered for how long they had been holding hands, for how long had they been dreamfasting. They were probably no longer only one, the connection between them should be one of the strongest connections Vili had ever found between anyone.

"Do you want me to go with you?" They asked, just to be sure.

They wanted to see the world out there, they did, but at the same time, Vili felt nervous when thinking about leaving the Castle. About leaving Kira especially.

"No, please, Vili…" Jen said, looking over to his wife with somber eyes. "Stay with Kira…"

"Of course." The black haired gelfling nodded. They was expecting it.

Jen prepared himself with the help of the acolytes – as Vili heard them being called. He hesitated once the Garthim Scepter was handled to him, staring at it with a nervous and uncomfortable glare.

Vili shivered slightly when hearing the "clickety clackety" of the Garthims as they started taking their form once again. Vili couldn't help but feel uncomfortable and unsure. Never, in a million trines, would them imagine Garthims and Gelflings being on the same side. It didn't feel… Correct…

Vili tried to hide their discomfort.

"I'll take care of the house." They said, trying to let go of that feeling. "I'm used to do it."

Jen nodded at his words, smiling ever so slightly, even though there was no humor.

"I'll make sure of keeping the Castle in order, my Lord." Crystalline Eminence added, his voice louder than Vili's, bowing slightly. "As I have always done."

Vili rolled their eyes. Apparently, the dislike was mutual between them…

"Take care." Vili said being almost interrupted by Fizzgig's loud barking, who was determined to go with his owner. "All of you."

-o-

SkekTar was surprised to know the gelflings had kept so many of the Skeksis artifacts, he would expect them to have been destroyed. But it was better than to have those things than to follow the Gelflings and Garthims with nothing to protect himself.

SkekTar felt uncomfortable wearing the plates of hardened metal. They didn't fit him right, since they weren't made for him – but for SkekTek out of all Skeksis – but still he knew it was better than anything. He had never worn an armor before, that wasn't really part of the wardrobe of a Entertainer, after all.

He dressed what fit him the best, taking a sword with him as well – another thing he wasn't very used on holding on to.

He walked over to were the Garthims waited. Many of the gelflings allowed him to pass, as if their minds took too long to process that that was a Skeksis. But if one dared to raise a spear or sword towards him, a hiss and a swat of Aughra's staff was enough to stop them.

Fizzgig's barking at SkekTar made Jen turn his attention to the larger creature.

"Gelfling…"

"Skeksis, back off!" The gelfling's Commander cried out.

"Calm your boots, you overgrown weeds!" SkekTar hissed, before ignoring the other gelflings and turning to Jen. "The sage told me to go with you."

Jen blinked once or twice, as if he was still processing what had been said.

"It is better than anything! Don't you think, hmf?" Aughra huffed, hitting her staff on the ground. "Those big unbudgering lizards ain't gonna do anything after all!"

"So, when we leaving?" SkekTar crossed his arms.

"My Lord, we can't have a Skeksis beside us. We- Ah!" The Commander was interrupted by Fizzgig's loud barking.

"I believe her judgement." Jen nodded towards Aughra. "And I trust the one who raised and cared for Vili." Then nodded to SkekTar who huffed slightly. "Any help is welcomed to retrieve the shard."

"And it's not like you're already riding the backs of what once were enemies, aren't you?" The Skeksis snickered towards the Commander, who frowned but didn't answer.

-o-

Kira sighed softly and closed her eyes as if getting ready to sleep.

"I can feel him leaving…"

Vili looked over to the window in the room. They hadn't yet looked at the world outside, and the Thra that their friends had protected and ruled for so long.

"Let me see for you." Vili said softly. Kira opened her eyes, agreeing with what they said without the use of words.

The gelfling let go of her hand, walking over to the window. Vili felt breathless for a moment.

Thra was beautiful. Vibrant and colorful till the eye could see, shining with a soft silvery glow thanks to the moons up high. Vili remembered how Thra looked before and during the Garthim War, and when Jen healed the crystal. It looked perfect, but they knew that wasn't all true.

But they could admire the land later. Vili looked down towards the entrance of the Castle of the Crystal. The Garthims walked off with their loud clicks and clacks, on top of the first Garthim, sat old Jen, holding tightly to the Garthim Scepter. And walking beside him was…

"Papa…!" Vili blinked once or twice, making sure they were seeing it right.

SkekTar followed beside the big lumbering form of the Garthims. Vili had never seen his papa looking like that, with shiny armor covering his typically colorless clothes, and with a sheathed sword on his waist.

Vili felt uncomfortable. Part of them was happy to see that SkekTar was doing something, that he was standing beside Jen – something he hadn't really done before, Vili still remembered how SkekTar wanted Vili to come with him and the Mystics instead of going out to help Jen on his journey. But another part of them was worried. Vili had never heard anyone say something about SkekTar and fighting or sparring, that wasn't exactly his thing…

Vili leaned against the balcony, wings fluttering open as if ready to jump off and fly, but something stopped them…

"Vili…?"

Vili turned around when their name was called. Kira stared at them from the bed, looking tired and weak, with a pale and aged hand reaching for the gelfling. Vili took one last look at the image of the Garthim's leaving the Castle, with Jen riding one of them and SkekTar walking beside him, before returning to sit on the bed side. They grabbed Kira's hand carefully.

"I'm here."


While i do reread and check the writing, i may commit mistakes. If by any chance you see a mistake (especially when related to Vili, my first they/them character) please let me know.