Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this long-needed talk… especially for the one who tries so hard to get along with its opposite.

~保護者~

"Emotional Intelligence"

~保護者~

Alana had only just returned from speaking to Ghune. She walked straight to the medical ward, her eyes immediately finding their son. Asleep once more, I see. But not as deeply, unless I am mistaken. Perhaps he will be awake again before long. Using her aura, she took a moment to examine him. As expected, the combined efforts to heal him have been allowing him to recover rather quickly. He should be almost completely fine very soon.

Brushing that aside for now, she walked over to Sein. Whatever she might have said was cut short by what could only be described as an adorable sight. Kath was sound asleep as well on the vacant bed behind her husband. He was on his stomach with his arms up by his head and the blankets tangled around his legs. The tiny hawk was the picture of peaceful repose, and it made her smile. "How in the world did you get him to sleep?" she asked, sitting down beside Sein. "He wasn't going down for anything earlier."

Sein smiled a little and shrugged. "Honestly, I dunno. It kinda happened and I refused to complain."

Alana shook her head in amusement and sat down beside him. "I suppose it's for the best either way." She took one of his hands into her own. "Sein, I know we got distracted and busy, but we have time now to discuss what was on your mind during the raid if you still wish to do so."

The man's aura visibly darkened at the thought, and Sein turned his gaze away for a second. "Ah, right… Almost forgot about that."

Full of sympathy, she squeezed his hand. "We don't have to do this if you aren't ready," she murmured.

"Nah, it's fine," Sein said, returning the squeeze softly. "Just a lot to think about all at once. Didn't expect you to bring it up right then."

"I apologize for being so abrupt," Alana told him. "However, I did mean what I said. I am here to listen and talk this out with you like I promised."

"It just… hurts to think about. The things I said, what I did to Kath… it's a lot to process. I've never done anything worse than mess with a person I was fighting or get a little loud when I was mad."

"I understand that it must hurt terribly. Is there anything in particular that weighs on you more than anything else?"

"She made me lie to Jet, about how he should interact with the Void and what he should do with its power. I feel… horrid about that, but I don't know how to approach it. It's so fucked up," Sein admitted softly.

Alana gave his hand another squeeze. "Whatever she made you say… he does not seem to have taken it to heart. He has been fine overall."

"I hope not, but you never know how words will manifest. He may suddenly think about it tomorrow," Sein said, gaze downcast.

"Even if that's the case, he knows they weren't your words, Sein," Alana replied gently. "He trusts the real you, and what the real you has said to him in the past. However, if you are still concerned about it regardless, we can always talk to him."

Sein nodded a bit. "I just can't help but worry about him. He's our kid and all I want is for him to get through all of this better off than he is right now."

"I understand," she said sincerely, giving him a sideways hug. "I feel the same way."

He returned this hug, wrapping an arm over her shoulders. "Yeah… He's been through enough." Alana nodded with a small sigh. Sein was right, after all. Their son truly had been through far too much.

Sein perked up briefly and tuned in to the sound of someone tumbling outside the medical ward doors. Shortly after, Cyril burst through and appeared next to Sein and Alana. "I had an idea."

Alana uncharacteristically jumped. She hadn't anticipated his arrival at all. "Cyril? What is it?"

"Okay, so, I need Kath for a few minutes. I think I can make some progress," he explained unhelpfully.

"Whatever it is you plan to do, will you allow us to help?" she asked.

Cyril nodded with a grin. "You guys are instrumental in this plan!"

Sein raised an eyebrow, wondering what the finch could be planning. His wife was just about to ask, too, when a device suddenly (and quite bizarrely) just appeared and fell into her lap. Seeing it, Alana blinked and picked it up. "Isn't this Father's old camera?" He used to record us sometimes when we were little. But how did it leave our timeline to wind up here?

"Going exactly as planned," Cyril chuckled, looking between Sein and Alana. "I think that we should see whatever's on it with Kath."

Alana quickly caught on. "You believe this will help him to remember?"

Cyril nodded easily. "Absolutely."

"You didn't have a plan, did you?" Sein asked, finally speaking up. "You've been oddly careful to not add details."

"Correct," the finch replied.

Alana huffed. "Well, regardless, I suppose trying this won't hurt anything." She stood and walked over to Kath. After gently shaking him awake, she carried him over to Cyril and Sein. The child was yawning and rubbing his eyes when she resumed speaking. "Sein, do you remember Father's threat to you regarding snooping when we were children? I believe you may need to prepare to run if this works." She sat back down in her chair, setting Kath down on the floor by her feet when he started squirming and whining. While doing so, she turned on the camera.

Sein shrugged a little at this, taking a seat with his wife. "It'll be fine, I'm sure. I shouldn't be in too much danger in the long run." The man glanced over his shoulder as Cyril popped up behind them both, watching the camera. Alana waited for everyone to get situated, then angled the screen so that they could all see. She then opened a random folder of pictures and videos and opened a file.

First up was a video. In it, Kath was only an infant. He was sound asleep in a tribal basket of sorts, one made immensely cushy with bedding. The video was only a few seconds long, just enough to record the peaceful scene and for a woman's voice to say softly, "Sleep well, my love. Mama loves you."

Kath immediately perked up and said, "That my mama."

"So we noticed," Alana smiled. "Was this camera hers, originally?"

"Uh-huh. She give it to me two monf ago."

"'Months'," Alana gently corrected. How unusual to entrust technology to one so young. But, then, I suppose my father has always been an unusual person, himself. Her eyes sparkling with amusement, she looked at Sein and Cyril to see if they had any particular reaction to the video.

Cyril was grinning from ear to ear while Sein simply returned her gaze, the amusement he felt more visible in his smirk. Alana smiled and clicked a random new file.

Kath was roughly two in this picture. He was seated in the snow outside of his and his father's tepesh, frowning hard in concentration while molding some of the substance into a ball on the ground. Despite the weather, the small child was wearing only a pair of pants with no accompanying shirt, socks, or shoes. Still, he appeared comfortable and looked like he was having fun. A small amount of ice flowed around his hands as though unknowingly conjured up via his ice powers.

Alana blinked at this. I didn't think he had access to those powers while so young. Looking at Kath, she saw that he looked confused but nothing more. Cyril suddenly reached over and nabbed the camera, scrolling through videos and pictures and selecting one at random.

Since none of these files seemed to be organized, the one he clicked on was another photo from when Kath had been very young. Once more, he appeared to be about two. He was in his tribe's village again, smiling and hugging on a puppy that could be no one other than Azerel. The pup was so young that one of his ears was still floppy as opposed to standing up straight. While Kath looked happy as could be, Azerel looked more bemused than anything as he looked at the camera. In fact, he looked like he'd been just starting to get up to investigate the device.

Kath instantly perked up again. "That the wo'f!"

"Yup, it's Azerel," Sein chuckled, watching with a little smile.

Though that confused look was on Kath's face again, he continued talking. "Him g'ampa wo'f let us meet. He say we be good for each ot'er." Realizing he'd just remembered something, small though it was, Alana stayed silent in the hopes that he might recall something more.

"That's pretty good to hear, Kath," Cyril said, beginning to scroll again all of a sudden. "Did he say anything else?" Kath just shrugged this time.

In the picture Cyril clicked next, Kath was no older than five. He was giving the camera a goofy grin, acting openly silly like any average kid of that age would. In the background, the palace on Planet Babylon could be seen. There was also a shiny metal sculpture of some kind beside him. In it was the reflection of Laralei, who was the apparent photographer. The girl seemed to be laughing.

Seeing her parents as normal, happy little kids made Alana smile warmly. It was a common sight in pictures of her mother, sure, but it was still nice to see. And in the case of her father… Well, he had never looked this carefree and happy in any pictures she'd ever seen of him before. I wish things could have been different for him.

Kath, meanwhile, tilted his head at the image onscreen. Why me and Lari bigger? A few faint images flickered past his mind's eye, but none of them lingered long enough to make sense of.

Sein fought internally to contain the joy within him at the sight of such a happy Kath, grinning a bit wider. Man, if only he were able to feel like that more often.

When the next video Cyril picked started, it showed a roughly eight-year-old Laralei setting the camera on a table and then backing away. Kath was in the background, busily writing on a sheet of music. Laralei seemed completely prepared to mess with him in some way or another, hence the camera, but stopped once she noticed what he was working on. Mischief gave way to curiosity. "How come you're always doing that?" she asked, plopping down onto the floor beside him. "Making music isn't as fun as listening to it."

"It's plenty fun," Kath answered easily. He didn't look up. "'Sides, it's important."

"Says who?"

"Says me."

"But you're not the boss, so you don't get to make rules just 'cause you want to."

In response to that, Kath briefly stuck his tongue out at her. "I just did it, so there."

"Come o-o-on," Laralei complained. She flopped down onto her back with her limbs spread out, painting a rather over-dramatic picture. "What's the real reason? I wanna know."

Kath was unmoved by her display. "You won't get it, Lari."

"I will!"

"Nuh-uh."

"Yeah-huh!"

Child Kath, it turned out, had the same-exact exasperated sigh that he'd so often used on Sein as an adult. "Music connects us all," he finally said, voice quiet. "That's what my people believe, anyway. And I believe it, too."

Right about then, the camera gave an alert about a low battery and promptly died in the video.

Alana tilted her head. Father did always enjoy music. I did not realize that part of the reason why was because of his tribe. Kath, again, looked on in confused silence as she thought this. More faint memories tried to make themselves known, but didn't quite succeed yet. And before Sein had a chance to properly gather his thoughts to give his own response, Cyril had already begun rapidly searching for something new. He supposed that letting the luckiest among them try and prompt Kath into remembering things made sense, but part of him wanted this to last longer.

This video showed a much older Laralei than the last one had. She was roughly fifteen, judging by her size and whatnot - meaning many centuries had passed. The teen frowned for a moment as she adjusted the camera, then leaned back with a satisfied smile. She was clothed in a simple tanktop and capris, with her long hair left down and decorated with a few thin braids.

Once the camera was set up, she whispered in a conspiratorial tone, "Okay, Kani. This is for your eyes only, got it? Mother would never approve of me using the sitting room for mischief, but I wanted you to be able to see me finally nail his butt. I'm winning this bet whether you like it or not." She grinned at the camera, then turned toward the door. "Hey, Kath!" she called. "C'mere a sec!"

"What do you want?" a distant but clearly annoyed voice called back. "I'm busy!"

"Not anymore, you're not! Come here!"

For about twenty or thirty seconds, all was quiet. Then the door opened and Kath walked into the room. He was clothed very similarly to how he dressed as an adult, though his usually white attire was replaced with light greys and soft yellows. On his face he wore a pair of circular glasses with a thin metal frame, a common sight in pictures of him at this age. "What do you want?" he asked again, irritated in that special way that only teenagers could manage.

"To see my very best friend," Laralei replied sweetly, her smile wide. Her hands were clasped behind her back, but shifted a little just in time for a ball of aura to be teleported into them. "And to give you this."

Quick as lightning, she hurled her weapon at him. It burst on impact. Apparently, it had been filled with water. The entire front of his body was soaked, and he did not look pleased. When she had finished laughing and he had wiped the water out of his eyes so as to open them, he muttered one simple threat. "You… are so dead."

Laralei snatched up the camera. She was already running by the time she'd shut it off.

Immediately, Alana was having to stifle her laughter. That was so much like Sein! Kath, meanwhile, almost seemed to become lost in thought for a moment. A few memories properly resurfaced then which, in turn, further distracted him.

Sein was simply grinning at the screen. It's good to see something like that. He had to put up with her and then me.

In this picture, Kath (who was wearing his glasses again at the time) and Laralei were about eighteen and appeared to be sitting in a garden. He was kissing her cheek while she smiled and held the camera.

When she saw this, Alana couldn't help but smile. Kath, meanwhile, grew even more thoughtful and quiet. Cyril went ahead and selected the next one.

The first minute or so of the next file was corrupted. When it began playing properly, the video showed Kath sitting at a table. He looked to be about twenty and was clearly attempting to read. Whoever was recording him was interrupting, but for whatever reason he didn't tell them to leave. "Must you record this?" he asked, sighing. It wasn't that special, exasperated sigh, though. It was more tired than anything. He certainly looked the part right then.

"Um… yes?" the other person, whoever they once were, responded with some clear nerves. Then they offered tentatively, "It's for… posterity?"

Kath sighed again and closed his book with an audible thud. That was an obvious sign of annoyance, though none of it entered his voice. As for what had brought on his suddenly darkening mood, much less brought on the words he said next, it wasn't clear. "I have no thoughts on this era of 'peace'," he told the person, standing up. "There is no such thing as true peace. Only the breaths we are able to take between wars." Saying nothing else, he moved away from his chair with his book in hand, turned, and began walking away. The video promptly ended.

Kath was frowning a good bit now. That's… When did I…?

Sein watched curiously, eyebrows furrowing a little out of curiosity. What the hell happened? Alana watched in silence, hoping that the next one wouldn't be quite so upsetting.

This was a picture Laralei had once shown to Sein and Alana when they had been younger, likely because they had asked about it. It was a photo from Kath and Laralei's wedding. In it, the newly married couple were barely twenty-one. This meant that they had just barely reached the year where they could be considered adults.

They were sitting at a table, looking incredibly happy. Laralei was leaning over to talk to someone out of frame, a wide smile on her face. Kath had one of his arms wrapped loosely around her while the other was used to reach for a sort of Babylonian cookie off of a plate near the center of the table. Even he was smiling, though not as widely. Still, the expression was no less genuine. And close by in the background, Arkiri, Tarin, and Kath's old friend Ako could just barely be seen.

Alana smiled brightly at the sight. This is a lovely picture.

It was easy for Sein to find this pleasant, especially in the wake of the video before this. So rare to see him really smiling.

Looking down at Kath, Alana quietly asked, "Do you remember this at all?"

After a long pause, Kath almost whispered, "I think so."

Cyril grinned. "Well, now I have to wonder if you'll remember more." Kath looked up at him, saying nothing more. Another file was soon picked.

Kath was twenty-four in this video. It was one he and Laralei had never actually shown Sein and Alana. He was sitting beside Laralei, who was his same age and lying in a hospital bed. She looked exhausted yet happy, whereas he just looked sort of stunned and overwhelmed with emotion. Whoever was recording zoomed in on him when Laralei passed him a tiny bundle of grey feathers. When he finally saw the tiny face contained within that bundle, multiple tears slid down his face… and he gave a truly heartfelt, genuine smile.

Sein couldn't help shedding a small tear, remembering just how much emotion was going through him even before Jet was born. Of course, he wasn't able to be there… but that didn't stop the tears at the time. Alana likewise wiped her own tears out of her eyes. She was having very similar thoughts. Kath again had no comment, and his reaction seemed more internal than external this time.

This time, Cyril went through three files back to back.

This was a picture Kath had never told Sein and Alana about, nor shown them, for one reason or another. He was holding the camera, but had angled it to fully capture them and not him. They were both babies at the time and clearly fast asleep on a bed between the two adults. His free arm was wrapped gently around them, and part of Laralei's arm could be seen near the edge of the image. From what little could be seen of him, Kath seemed relaxed and content. Happy, even.

(-)

"See if he'll do it again," Laralei urged when the video started. On the floor, baby Sein was seated on his rear near Kath. That Alana wasn't there likely meant she was napping. "I want to record it."

Kath nodded and leaned into frame a bit more so as to get his hands under Sein's arms. Once he'd helped the boy stand, he carefully shifted his hold to said boy's tiny hands instead. He made no efforts to guide Sein's movements and, for several moments, nothing really happened despite Laralei's encouragements. Then Sein took one uncertain, wobbly step forward.

Laralei's praise was immediate and standard fare, coming from her. Kath's was quieter, a touch more rare. "Good job, Sein," he could be heard murmuring. Then he said, "Come on, try again. You can do it." Another unbalanced step. Another. Now Kath was smiling openly. "Good job," he said again.

"I'm saving this forever," Laralei declared, voice full of happiness. "This is too cute to delete."

(-)

Next was a picture. Kath was sitting on a couch with Sein and Alana, who looked to be about three. One kid was tucked under each arm, and he was quietly reading to them before bed. They were obviously engrossed in the story. Meanwhile, Azerel slept by his feet, his fur illuminated by the fireplace to the far side of the photograph. Laralei appeared to be asleep at a desk behind them all. Almost, it looked like Kath might have been wearing a slight smile.

Once more, Alana felt happy at what they had seen. These were sweet, even if I don't remember living through any of those moments back then.

I was such a fucking cute baby. Sein thought to himself proudly. Cyril picked another video. By the looks of things, one or two more would likely be enough for his plan to work.

By some miracle, Alana (who, like Sein, was maybe eleven at the time) had grabbed a camera and turned it on in time to capture this moment. It was perhaps the only time Sein had ever made Kath laugh. He was breathless with laughter, in fact, because of the nature of the ill-advised prank that Laralei, Azerel, and several generals that Kath truly despised had been caught up in. They were soaked. They were sticky. They were stunned. They couldn't comprehend what had just happened.

As for Kath? His mirth couldn't have been more obvious. Rather than punishing Sein, he had immediately devolved into laughter at their expense. Laralei was the first to start to react in the few seconds it took for him to start getting ahold of himself. "Kath…" she warned, eyes narrowed. "Sein…"

Kath took hold of the no doubt deeply confused boy's arm and began tugging him away. "Come on," he said, still laughing. Alana hurried to follow. "You don't want to be here when they recover." The video abruptly ended.

Sein snickered, trying not to let himself devolve into laughter as well. "That was probably the best one I've ever pulled. Been a long time."

"I still cannot believe that you faced no repercussions for that," Alana chuckled. "Father was strangely adamant that you be let off the hook."

"Look, if Kath doesn't like someone, there's a good reason," Sein laughed. "The fact that I was able to get them all at once was a huge win."

"This is true," Alana agreed. Amused to no end, she glanced at Kath and then asked Cyril, "Perhaps one more will be enough to fully unlock everything?"

Cyril shrugged. "Maybe. We're about to find out, I'm sure." A new file was picked without further ado.

The final file in this folder was a video. It had long ago been imported from another device, a fact made clear by the somewhat lesser quality of the sound and visuals.

Whoever was recording was doing something that caused the video to shake a good bit before finally settling it to aim on Kath. The hawk was standing on a rocky outcropping overlooking a battlefield. His back was to the camera. Judging by his age, Alana and Sein were likely close to fifteen by now. Normally, his appearance was kept pristine without any real effort on his part, but today things were different. His clothes and feathers were sullied by dirt and blood. Some of the latter seemed to belong to him, based on the tears in the cloth.

The cameraman spoke almost as soon as Kath came into focus. "You know," they said while edging closer to him, "that was a hell of a fight. Are you alright?" By now, the person had reached Kath's side. Kath didn't acknowledge the proximity or the question, continuing to watch silently over the survivors down below. His expression was serious but, as usual, unreadable otherwise. "You saved our asses, you know. If you hadn't come tearing in like you had… I don't know, sir. Those things might have ripped the whole planet apart, given enough time. So, in a way, I guess you saved everyone."

Again, there wasn't much of a response. Kath did finally glance over at the camera, though. "Why are you recording this?"

"I, uh, it's my job, sir," the unseen person chuckled nervously. "News-gathering and all, that is. I was just doing routine interviews with those soldiers when the fight broke out, and now a lot of them aren't…" He cleared his throat. "A-Anyway, I won't share this with anyone, and I can turn this off if you want, but recording helps my nerves."

"Do what you want," Kath responded, looking away.

The man could be heard sighing. "Right. In that case… I have one question, sir, if you don't mind." No answer. It seemed that the man was learning to expect that by now and he rolled with it. "That your reasons differ from Queen Laralei's is clear to me, and I'm curious what those reasons are. So I have to ask… why do you fight so hard to defend our world? After all that you endured way back when, most would-"

Kath silenced him swiftly with a motion of a hand. The pair were equally silent for a short time. This wasn't the sort of question he would normally answer, but this time he did. "I'm not out to save the world," he murmured, voice soft and gaze thoughtful. "I'm not out to wreck it, either." He grew quiet again for a moment or two before continuing. "I have people I want to protect. People who mean everything to me. Do you understand that? No harm will ever befall them if I can prevent it. I will never let them suffer as I have."

Before the cameraman could say anything further, Kath dropped down off of the ledge and approached the soldiers. The video feed ended there.

Cyril paused briefly as he watched this. Never had he really been privy to much about Kath, in truth. He's… well, he's different, but in a good way. He cares about his family and friends so much.

Before Sein or Alana could conjure up much in the way of a response, there was a rush of pure time energy. As Alana had hoped, the final video had been enough to trigger her father to change himself back. However, she sincerely doubted he would remember much of anything that had happened, given how young he'd been for the past day or two… or however long it had really been.

Sure enough, he seemed confused as he stood up off the floor and brushed himself off. Despite that, he didn't really ask any questions just yet. He simply scooped up his camera from Cyril and said to Sein, "I have talked to you many times before about snooping through my things."

Once more, Sein didn't really get the chance to respond. This time it was because Cyril piped up. "Well, er, technically that's my fault, kinda. Maybe it's more the Faein's fault? I don't know."

Kath huffed at him. "Be that as it may, he still knows better." He shifted his gaze to his daughter. "Frankly, so do you."

"Sorry, Father," Alana responded with complete insincerity (for once). She was firmly smiling still.

Sein merely shrugged. "Honestly, never stopped me before."

Shaking her head, still quite amused from the prank video, Alana turned her attention to Cyril. "Thank you for your help. I admit that I did not fully expect this work. You exceeded my expectations today."

Cyril grinned, winking. "It's what I do. If I can't find a way to do the impossible, then I'm no magician!"

"I suppose this is true," Alana agreed. "But we will not keep you longer. I imagine you have other things you wish to do today."

Cyril let his arms go behind his head, then his eyes widened a little. "You guys notice that…?"

Just a second later, Alana straightened. "Sein, is that magic?" Since Kath's senses hadn't developed to an Immortal level yet at all, he couldn't detect what they had and so he could only frown.

"Yep, and quite a lot of it," Sein murmured, eyebrows furrowing.

"Hexan," Cyril immediately pointed out. "That was a Hexan destruction magic spell. I'll check it out." He vanished with nothing more than a flash of rainbow light.

"Should we leave him to it?" Alana asked, frowning as well.

Sein frowned a little, then nodded. "I think so. It seems to have stopped already, so if we sense anything else, we go."

"Alright," she agreed. After thinking for a moment, she stood up. "I suppose we should go check on T'alo and Laralei, at any rate." It only then occurred to her that Kath didn't know what had happened, and so she quickly summarized what Nareish had done.

With that idea in mind, while Alana was filling Kath in, Sein headed off to check in on Laralei. I hope it's over now that he's back to normal…

~保護者~

When he and Ylden arrived at their destination, Han landed lightly on the green-covered ground (grass, Ylden had called it) and looked around. Nothing about this place struck him as familiar. And yet… At the same time, it felt like that was wrong. Had he been here before? Ylden had said this wasn't the same Babylon he'd apparently once spent time on. So why…?

His attention strayed from that matter to a different one entirely. The magic within this world is immense. Glancing around some more, he took in the crystalline nature of their surroundings. For it to influence the very terrain… How odd. There are magical beings here as well. Not people, though. …'Animals'? That felt like the right word. For now, though, he shifted to look at Ylden. "Are you certain I never traveled to this world? Only the original one? I feel like…" He trailed off, frowning. None of this makes sense. How can this place be at once so foreign to me but vaguely not at the same time?

"As far as I'm aware, you have not," Ylden answered after a few seconds of thought. "It is… much like the original, surprisingly enough."

"What are the people here like?" Han suddenly asked, absolutely brimming with curiosity.

"An intelligent species with a rich culture and a refusal to be pushed around. I believe they live to this day out of sheer spite against the idea of being wiped out."

Spite? Han didn't get it, but for now he didn't question it further. There was a lot more to see and explore. However, he had to admit that now was likely a decent time for a break. They'd definitely been at this for a while. Given that thought, he stopped walking for now and leaned back against one of the larger crystalline structures. "This place is… different from what I had imagined," he admitted. "The book described everything in such clinical terms that the author failed to convey any sense of this world's beauty."

"Immense intelligence often lacks the floral need for explaining beauty," Ylden said with a small shrug. "That may simply be a fault with their people, though I admittedly don't know much about them."

"The book claimed to be written by a 'Tenmurn', not a Babylonian," Han said with a shake of his head. He started to say something else about that, but stopped when he thought he sensed something in the distance. It was there and gone in a fraction of a second. "I assume you noticed whatever that was."

Out of pure caution, Ylden set a hand on the handle of his scythe. "I did… but I do not know what it is."

Han felt magic rise around them, suddenly. It was dark, very dark, and made him feel sick to his stomach. He quickly stood up properly in preparation to face this apparent threat, but then it just… vanished. What…?

It returned before he had time to do anything else. This time, it unleashed an attack that sent Ylden flying. Blood sprayed. The same woman from his strange dream then appeared not two feet in front of him. She was grinning. "So you are capable of anger," she observed, her eyes locked into his. "I was beginning to wonder."

"Fuck off!" Ylden bit out from where he'd landed, forcing himself to his feet and preparing to summon his magic. "I'm getting sick and fucking tired of this shit."

The woman tutted at him and shook her head. "If I weren't so interested in your suffering, I'd kill you where you stand. As for you…" She looked Han up and down. "I'm tired of waiting. My lady might be patient, but I'm far from it." Suddenly grinning, she blasted both men backward with another fierce attack.

Han landed on his back just a couple feet to the left of where Ylden did. The lenses of his glasses were cracked. For just a brief moment, he laid there and worked on regaining his bearings. Then he raised a hand and pointed a finger at the woman. Red-tinged gold magic swirled. He cast a destruction magic spell, one he himself had invented as the single strongest one, without hesitation. The only good thing was that he kept it tightly controlled so that it didn't extend beyond where their enemy stood. "Apocalypse."

The explosion tore apart the ground and air where she stood. For a moment, her laughter could be heard over the roar of magic. Then she vanished. He let the explosion continue needlessly for a moment or two longer before putting an end to it. With a frown, he fixed his glasses and sat up. Damn her.

Ylden was barely conscious at the moment, but he sensed that spell. The cat blearily turned to look at Han, the taste of blood in his mouth making him want to vomit. "The fuck…?"

Sighing to himself, Han stood and cast a Hexan healing spell on Ylden. "Are you alright?"

The cat felt his Darkness spike in response to his sudden clarity as anger filled him. A long and deep breath was the only shaky wall between him hunting that woman down and staying right where he was. "If she'd put any more power into that, it might've killed me," he muttered. Han only nodded and retracted his magic, looking about as unhappy as Ylden clearly felt.

After several seconds of stewing in irritation, Ylden sat up and looked at Han. "You alright?"

"I'm fine," Han muttered, surveying the crater left behind by his attack. He wasn't thrilled about the destruction caused to this formerly unblemished location. Mostly, though, he was still deeply irritated by that woman and what she'd done. The hell is her problem?

A finch appeared right next to the crater, staring down at it in plain confusion. "Woah. What in the world did you do, Han?"

The Hexan in question quickly turned around to face the newcomer without immediately answering the question. The abrupt appearance had surprised him. "What was necessary to drive away a threat," he responded eventually, his frown easing somewhat.

The finch walked closer, standing a couple feet away from Han and Ylden and tilting his head. "Han… are you okay?" he asked softly. "Your magic has never felt like that…"

"I'm fine," Han told him, looking away. Despite the man's overall demeanor toward him, he remained distrustful. He didn't like the fact that yet another person he couldn't remember knew who he was. Plus, that woman had him generally on edge.

Knowing that this was likely the corruption, Cyril could only frown. "Who was just here? You attacked someone."

Han shrugged. "I don't know who she is." I just know that I hate her.

Ylden crossed his arms. "I have to assume she's directly involved with Nareish's army. She's certainly quite deadly and could have killed me had she chosen to."

"Hm…" Cyril thought to himself for a moment before glancing over Han. This needs to be resolved, fast. I've never known him to be an aggressive or even remotely violent man. That corruption is serious. "Did she touch you at all?" And to think someone could so seriously hurt Ylden like that if they wanted to. I don't know him well, but he's definitely strong.

"A while ago," Han admitted. He glanced at Ylden and, for his benefit only, further explained, "She's the one who touched my shoulder, like that white cat determined during the raid."

"Shit," Ylden muttered, pursing his lips. "That's not good."

Cyril rubbed the back of his head and walked up to Han. "I can tell you don't really remember me, but there's a slight chance I can help you out before whatever she's done to you can get worse."

The look Han gave him was dubious. "How?"

"Well, magic is sorta my thing and all. It seems like whatever she did messed with you so thoroughly because it's corrupted you and your magic, part of what makes up Hexans." I think. Cyril smiled softly to him. Though, maybe I shouldn't explain the luck thing. I think that's a really bad idea. "I know your daughter, Wave, and I really want to help you both. It's the least I can do to try and get you that far."

A huff answered him. "We already know the nature of the corruption." The fact that this man knew Wave, who Ylden had told him a small amount about by now, didn't do much to relax Han. After all, he didn't remember a single thing about her, either.

"Mind giving me a chance?" Cyril asked. "I won't keep you long. Promise."

One look at the worry on Ylden's face made Han's decision for him. "...Fine," he agreed.

Cyril took a long, deep breath and focused on Han's energies, his magic. While he knew very little about Hexans and their magic specifically, he could tell bits and pieces of what didn't exactly belong. In a way, it felt like picking furs and lint off of clothes, cleaning up what little bit he could manage without any proper training or skills. Ultimately, when he felt he'd done as much as he could, the finch backed away a step or two and sighed. "I can't do much. Just not something I know about yet, but I promise I'll do what I can to learn more and try to help."

The anger Han had been feeling was suddenly gone. He let out his own sigh, almost relieved. I don't like that emotion, he decided without hesitation. "I understand," he said. "Thank you."

Cyril smiled gently and nodded. "For the man I grew up learning about magic from, I wish I could do more. But this is as far as I can get it now. Try your best to stay safe, and if I come across any breakthrough discoveries, I'll find you." Han only nodded in the end, bothered anew about the things he couldn't remember. He decided not to bring it up, though, considering how pointless it was.

When it was readily obvious that something was seriously wrong with Ylden, the finch looked over and spoke. "I know you're likely going through a lot. Please try and find someone to talk to, soon. You're stressed."

Ylden barely reacted to Cyril's words, his eyes somewhat unfocused as his mind raced. He wasn't thinking clearly enough to respond, and as such simply walked on, ignoring him. "We should go, Han. There's other places to explore."

His behavior made Han frown, but he chose not to argue with him. He shot Cyril a somewhat apologetic look and jogged away to catch up with the cat. I don't seem to be the only one who should be monitored right now.

~保護者~

The hour was late. Despite the perpetual darkness on what Calypso considered to be her moon, she was aware of the passage of time in the same mysterious way that most magical beings were. It helped that her magic had been gradually returning more and more since her rescue from Nareish's clutches. But the memory of her horrible experiences within that realm made her shiver, and so she vied for something to distract herself with.

Putting her son to bed was an easy way to do that. She ended her usual evening meditation by raising her voice to call for him from the front room where she sat. "Trekk!"

"Yeah?" was the equally loud reply.

"It time for sleep! I let you stay up too late already!'

"But mom, I'm almost finished with my book!"

Calypso smiled to herself. You are so much like my sister. Only she like to stay up wit' her jewels. "No 'but'! I say it bedtime, t'at mean it bedtime!" Trekk groaned at her, somehow managing to be even louder than he'd been when he'd been yelling. But at least he'd stopped arguing. "You need me tuck you in?"

"No, I'm not a baby anymore!" Trekk groused before shutting his bedroom door.

Laughing softly to herself, Calypso shifted to get more comfortable on her cushion and return to her meditation. Only, she didn't get a chance to focus on that for quite as long as she'd hoped. An hour, perhaps two, passed her by. It was about that time that she found herself interrupted.

Saethrim landed in the middle of the room, appearing confused and unsure about something. Seeing him in this state, and also curiously without his blindfold, prompted Calypso to stand and approach him. "Saet'rim? What be t'e matter?"

"Well, Nareish found me and corrupted me. Made me hurt Black Doom and just generally cause problems," the man huffed, crossing his arms tightly.

Dark eyes blinked at him, then Calypso let out her own huff. "You need explain better t'an t'at," she chided him. "You barely tell me anyt'ing."

The man rolled his eyes and leaned up against a wall. "Well, after that was done, I went after Kial and Rose. Apparently that all made me hate them. Said something to Kial, knocked Rose out, then got my ass beat by Ghune. Not much to say."

Calyspo heaved a long-suffering sigh, then set about confronting him a bit more. "Saet'rim, what you tell your student, hm? What you say to him?"

Saethrim waved it off. "Just something about him not doing my job while I was dead. I mean, it's true, but I'm not mad at him for it. I didn't get to train him all that much, and nobody has ever known quite as much as I do about it all."

"T'at not change the fact t'at what you say must have hurt him," Calypso frowned. "He a kind and gentle soul. He not like you and I. He no can just brush off such harshness."

The da Asani raised an eyebrow. "I just don't see the big deal. It's not like I'd ever say something like that to him normally. I was corrupted. I didn't do shit wrong."

"T'at not change t'e fact t'at some version of you did say it," Calypso shot back. Her famous temper was sparking to life a bit. "And t'at version of you mean every word. You t'ink t'at no a big deal, Saet'rim? Truly?"

The fact that Calypso's temper was showing made Saethrim tense, almost aggressively. "Why the hell would I apologize for something that I wasn't even capable of stopping? It's not like I could stop myself from doing it!"

"You no in control then, but you in control now!" she retorted hotly. You no can stop what happen, but you can control how you respond after! And you choosing badly!"

"I don't fucking understand it!" Saethrim snapped, baring fangs instinctively. "You and I both know good and damn well that I just do not feel the same as others about shit! Why is it such a big fucking deal in the first place? Why can't he see it wasn't even me?" he demanded, feeling various muscles twitch as his anger got the best of him briefly.

"You need figure it out!" Calypso snapped at him. "T'is matter! If you no can do it, you bond wit' him may be damage forever!"

Right as he opened his mouth, he felt energy bind around his lips and force them shut, an unseen force pulling him onto the cushions. By the time he wrenched it off himself, he was face to face with a being comprised entirely of wispy aura energy. "Not another word," they murmured. "From my knowledge, the words you would have used may have angered her further."

"You correct," Calypso grumbled. She nevertheless walked over to Saethrim and plopped down in a seat beside him.

Saethrim frowned a bit, crossing his arms again. When he'd balled his hands into fists, he wasn't sure, but that wasn't something he quite liked. "Who the hell are you?"

"Rusen," the being murmured, suddenly taking on a form much like Saethrim's as a da Asani. "And I'm here to stop you from ruining your own life." His gaze shifted to Calypso and it softened. "Forgive me for not interrupting sooner. You are one of the most influential people in his life, and for him to accept anything here… I had to wait for your words."

"It fine," Calypso said. She was simmering down already and leaned against Saethrim's arm. She was both trying to just cuddle a little and somewhat apologize to him for her role in his current upset.

Before Saethrim could utter the irritable words on his mind, Rusen spoke up again. "Saethrim. You are correct that you do not bear the same emotions as others, but that will not be true for everyone you know. Words carry weight, and that weight increases depending on who speaks them. You may not care what an ally named Sonic utters, but if Kial was to ask for a favor, you would drop anything possible to help him, correct?"

Saethrim didn't really see the point, but ultimately he just shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose. Kial's like my kid."

Rusen took a seat now, frowning ever so softly. "You are his father in all ways except blood. You told him you were disappointed in him. Yes, you were corrupted, but your voice was the one carrying the words. It hurt him greatly because it came from you."

"Yeah, but-"

"No," Rusen murmured. Something about that word demanded silence from Saethrim, and the da Asani quickly faltered to that instinct. "The corruption matters not. He heard those words from you. He saw you there. You hurt his love. You didn't seem to so much as care. I know you do, but the fact that you cannot express that in a way that he understands leaves him emotional and in pain."

"Yeah-"

"I am not done speaking," Rusen said, fixing Saethrim with a strong gaze. "I am willing to impart understanding in you, but I will not cause you to feel those emotions. If you choose not to use the knowledge, you will cause irreparable damage. You will be doomed to live your life alone. Do you understand this?"

Saethrim… He didn't know what to say here. He was absolutely silent, not wanting to answer the question. What he didn't expect was that Rusen's patience would far outlive his desire to avoid speaking, even after several minutes of complete silence. "Yes."

All at once, the tension faded and Rusen smiled, taking one of the da Asani's hands into his own. "It's a lot to take in, and it will not be easy for you. How you go about this from here is your choice. I cannot help you further, but know that you can save the relationships that Nareish's actions have caused divides in."

"Yeah, yeah," Saethrim mumbled, pulling his hand away after a few seconds. "I'll figure it out, I'm sure."

Rusen looked to Calypso and let his smile grow a touch further. "He chose very well who he loved. I entrust you to help guide him on the correct path."

Calypso averted her gaze for reasons even she wasn't quite sure of. "I will try," she murmured.

Looking between them both, amused that they were both avoiding his gaze, he let his eyes close. "I will leave you both now. Rest, then go speak to them." Without waiting for a reply, Rusen faded away, leaving Saethrim and Calypso alone on the cushions.

Almost as soon as Rusen was gone, Calypso pulled away from Saethrim and crossed her arms in a way that more closely resembled hugging herself. "I am sorry, Saet'rim."

Saethrim blearily blinked away some of his tiredness now that his adrenaline was finally crashing back down. He reached over and gently grabbed onto one of her shoulders to pull her closer. "No," he murmured, laying his head against hers. "It's… my bad. I was confused and angry. I… shouldn't have done that…"

Letting out a shaky sigh, Calypso slowly relaxed against him. "I yell, too," she said softly. "I share part of t'e blame."

The man pressed his cheek up against hers, perhaps a little roughly, then licked her softly. "Let's not yell, then…" Calypso wiped her cheek and grumbled something about "puppy kisses", then wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes. Eventually, the pair laid down and let themselves start to slip into sleep.

~保護者~

He'd allowed himself to rest for some time, and now was certainly the time to get his ass back up and moving. It didn't take long for him to appear on Mobius in a burst of flames, already approaching the home that he'd been near before. He knocked twice on the door, a gentle but firm rapping to get the attention of those inside.

After a noticeable delay, a purple cat opened the door. Upon seeing him, her head tilted slightly to one side. "Hello," she greeted, polite regardless of her confusion. "Can I help you?"

"I was dropping by. I've spoken to a few of your allies and intended to talk to some of you if I could," Pyrun said with a gentle smile. "My name is Pyrun."

"My name is Blaze," the cat responded. She stepped out of the doorway. "You may come in if you wish."

"Thank you, Blaze," he said, stepping inside slowly. One of the first things he noticed was a pulsating magic sensation from one of the doors. It was easy enough to ignore, seeing as it wasn't dangerous, but the thing that really caught his attention was the number of people with fire-based powers in the building. "Hm. Seems fire became even more common since I fell asleep."

"If you are referring to the power, then yes," Blaze murmured while shutting the door. "It is quite commonplace in some families, mine included. Myself, my partner, and our oldest daughter all have it, as do others who are currently residing here."

Pyrun nodded thoughtfully. "Understood. I have to admit, I'm more curious than I was before about that. Especially considering that I don't recognize some of them."

"I can answer any questions you have," Blaze invited, motioning to some chairs with her hand.

After a few seconds, Pyrun nodded and took a seat. "Well, mind starting with yours? I sense something unusual. A mix to the flames that normally wouldn't be there."

Blaze hummed thoughtfully and sat down across from him. "In truth, I know next to nothing about my own fire. I was orphaned as a baby, and any knowledge of this flame died with my mother. I inherited it from her. Beyond that, all I really know is that it possesses the ability to burn away Darkness, provided that the Darkness I am facing isn't too much stronger than I am. It can heal wounds caused by Darkness as well, to a point."

"That's incredible," Pyrun said with a soft smile. "Never heard of a flame that can stop Darkness like that. I wish you knew more about it, but… well, the situation you're in with that means it likely won't happen for quite some time, if at all."

"I suppose not," Blaze agreed. She held up a palm and conjured up some of her fire into a ball that then floated over to him. "I trust this will not harm you in any way, so feel free to examine it if you wish."

He collected the ball of flames in a hand and examined it closely, ultimately delving a finger inside of it out of curiosity. "Wow… Not exactly what I expected, but that's what happens when you sleep for this long."

Now it was her turn to ask a question. "You have mentioned that before. What do you mean by 'asleep'? Is it like what happened with Zenith and Eona?"

"Yeah," Pyrun said easily. "Myself and Yareis, my counterpart, were dormant for quite a long time. Only recently did we actually awaken."

"I see." Blaze debated asking him more questions about it, but for now decided to leave it be. "Are there other things you wish to know about the fire powers my allies and relatives have?"

"Well, I can sense DragonFire in various people," Pyrun replied, "but almost none of it is normal and there's sure as hell not a dragon here."

"Indeed not," Blaze chuckled. "Let me start with the easiest case of that. Present in this house are three echidnas, Knuckles, Kayde, and Tara. Elsewhere, there is a man named Locke who is the current God of the Sun. He is Knuckles's father, Kayde's grandfather, and Tara's great-grandfather. During this world's ancient era, he was gifted Dragonfire by a dragon whose name he has never shared. He had his child long after that, and that child inherited his power. Kayde later did the same, though Tara did not."

There was a lot to take in with that, but the man's gentle happiness faded at the beginning of the explanation. "Ah… so the Goddess of the Sun has passed, then. I figured as much, but to hear it… well, that is unpleasant."

"It is. From what I understand, she gave her life saving Locke from Malevolence, though he nearly perished as well. Malevolence nearly rendered her role entirely extinct." Blaze frowned deeply. "It also killed many of those present here… including Knuckles and my own husband. It caused… great damage back then."

Hearing that name made an old hatred burn within the man, but he didn't let that show. "I'm very sorry to hear that. I know there is little I could do about such a thing, but hearing about it still makes my heart ache for others."

She let out a slow sigh. "It is truly ancient history now, I suppose. There are other matters we can focus on." Glancing about the room, she spied Sonic and gestured to him. "I understand you have met him and a silver-furred hedgehog once before, correct?"

"Yeah," Pyrun answered, turning his gaze to Sonic. "Believe so. They're the ones I said I'd come back to talk to."

"That man there is Sonic, and the other one was Silver. Silver is my husband. Sonic is the son of Kaden, who is in turn the direct descendent of Zenith." Blaze crossed one leg over the other and then crossed her arms. "Long before Locke gained his own fire, Kaden was born here on Mobius. There was no history of fire powers in the family prior to him, though his mother possessed an extraordinary Darkness-fighting magic known as the 'Magic of Lost Souls' by most. When Kaden was born, he was born with Dragonfire despite how seemingly impossible it should have been. His fire is and was innately mixed with his magic. Sonic's is the very same fire."

"To be born with Dragonfire so randomly is unusual, but not impossible," Pyrun said, leaning back in the chair to relax a bit. "Though, not what I'd expect. For it to happen to such an individual, however, that is what makes it so special."

"That is true," Blaze agreed. "But the story of that unusual fire doesn't end there. You see, my husband inherited it as well, but his is fundamentally different. Rather than being fused with latent magic, which my husband has none of, his is fused with his psychic abilities instead. Psychokinetic, rather. It has a strange cyan hue to it because of that."

Pyrun laughed a bit. "Gods be damned, that's a wild thing to hear. Never thought a psychic power would get mixed up into flames. You new-bloods are incredible and interesting."

Blaze managed a smile. "If you believe you are surprised by that, you should have seen Silver's face when he accidentally discovered it. You would have thought reality was about to fracture, from the way he was acting."

Snickering, the Erukti sat up again. "Oh, is that so? I've been so surrounded by seriousness and formality that a response like that sounds absolutely fucking wonderful. What's it take to find some of that?"

"To find what, his ridiculousness? You need only spend five minutes in his company and you will get a taste, I guarantee it," Blaze chuckled. "It is just how he is. As you can imagine, it makes him rather great with small children."

"Might need to drag him around someplace and get some liveliness in my life and those of my peers," Pyrun replied. "Seems like you've got more to say though, aye?"

"If you are still willing to listen to me prattle on, then certainly," Blaze smiled. "Back on the subject of Sonic for a moment… He actually is in possession of two forms of Dragonfire."

"Consider my interest piqued and your permission to prattle granted," Pyrun replied, motioning for Blaze to continue. "Please, explain."

Amused, Blaze shook her head. "I assume you knew of the dragon people that were once native to this world," she said. "And I likewise assume you were familiar with their most powerful and dangerous fire, correct? Namely, their Wrathfire. The fire fueled by the very same temper any kind of dragon is prone to experiencing."

Pyrun snapped his fingers and summoned up some of his own. The blaze was calm yet intense, likely denoting his mood. After a few seconds, he made it vanish, smirking. "Bit fond of it, really. Tends to send the bold and courageous off with tails between their legs."

Blaze's head canted in entirely cat-like curiosity, but she kept a lid on it for now. Instead, she nodded toward Sonic. "The son of the leader of the strongest dragon clan on this world was named Pyros. He was a friend and ally of Kaden's and, a very long time ago, entrusted the Wrathfire to Sonic. Sonic has had it ever since, but wisely does not resort to using it often. Tokarians are not as equipped to handle its rage as dragons are, after all."

"Well, that could probably be helped," Pyrun answered. "Got existence's best fire user in the same building after all. I've used it frequently enough to be accustomed to it."

"As I saw with my own eyes," Blaze agreed. "I will talk to him about it when we are finished here, or at least pull him aside so that you can do so. Is that alright?"

Pyrun shrugged a little. "Works for me. I figured I'd give people here an option to train if they wanted it. War's a good time as ever to become stronger."

"I understand." That got Blaze thinking, and soon she said, "I also know of two others with unique fire-based abilities, though they aren't currently present here. One is Sonic's half-brother, Shadow, with whom he shares a father. Like Silver, Shadow did not inherit the magical element of Kaden's fire. His is, instead, entirely enmeshed with his once dormant Darkness. For that reason, his family took to calling it 'Darkfire'."

"Darkness fire, huh?" Pyrun murmured, tilting his head. "I didn't think I'd ever hear such a thing."

"Kaden was rather stunned by it, too," Blaze revealed. "I imagine Zenith will be just as surprised if he ever catches wind of it."

Pyrun chuckled a little. "Darkness is a volatile thing. To think that it would mix with something that produces light is odd, but… well, like I said, new-bloods are full of surprises."

"It produces light, but it isn't Light," Blaze pointed out easily. "But yes, it is still an unusual combination. One that seems stable enough, though. He's never had an issue using it."

"Good to hear. Would hate it if such an interesting power had to go to waste."

Blaze inclined her head, then continued. "The last person I know of with a strong and unique fire power is a man named Marthal," she said. "He is… unique in terms of his biology as well. You see, he is half-yokai. Yet he possesses all the firepower of a full yokai."

"You kids are all unique, it seems," Pyrun laughed. "Can't keep saying things are interesting, you know? Only so many times before that gets old."

Blaze chuckled at him. "That much is true. But I do have one more 'interesting' thing to share about him. He, too, was gifted Dragonfire by an unknown dragon in ancient times. This is the fire that he uses most often and most readily. He really only seems to tap into his yokai fire accidentally and instinctively, during times where he is deeply angered."

Pyrun laughed openly at this, grinning. "Ah, I do love the ones whose powers are prominent when they're emotional. They have the raw power that could use reigning in usually."

"Indeed they do," Blaze had to agree. "We have run into that with various friends and allies before, and on more than one occasion. The powers in question tend to be quite powerful and difficult to handle."

"Figures," Pyrun replied. "You got descendants of Eona and Zenith running around, as well as wrathfire and dragonfire in spades. Makes sense you'd have trouble managing it without some good training."

"It was mostly a lot of luck that worked on our side, as you can imagine," Blaze said. She teleported a communicator into her hands and began working on it. "This device here… we use them to keep in contact with one another and locate where other people with the devices are. If you want, I can give you one so that you may more readily find and maintain contact with those you wish to further interact with."

Pyrun stood and walked closer, shrugging. "Sure. I'm perfectly fine with the idea for plenty of reasons."

"I thought you might say that," Blaze smiled. She handed the communicator off to him. "You're in the system now. I programmed the contacts into it for you. I am in there, as are my daughter Kym, Silver, Sonic, Locke, Knuckles, Kayde, Shadow, and Marthal. Of course, you are welcome to trade contact information with anyone else you would like to as well. I would have put Kaden in as well, but he has not had a communicator in a very long time."

"Think this thing can survive my flames?" Pyrun asked, raising an eyebrow as he fastened it on. "Strongest and hottest ones in existence, after all. Would hate for it to be destroyed immediately."

"For that, perhaps you can consult someone named Eila," Blaze suggested. "Her magical prowess is unmatched by most. She may be able to place defenses on the device for you."

A newcomer showed up by them as if on cue. Pyrun might have lashed out at such a sudden appearance, but he figured that this was the one with magical prowess being mentioned. "I suppose this is she, yes?" Blaze blinked, then nodded once.

Eila glanced over the communicator for a long moment, then looked up to Pyrun. "I doubt I can make something that protects it from any prolonged use of your powers, but I can muster up something." Without another word, her hand hovered over the device, then she glanced to Blaze. "You have something to say?"

Amber eyes turned to her thoughtfully. "There is another magic user sleeping in a home you constructed nearby, is there not? His magic is also immense. What if you both combine your efforts? Doing so can often produce a stronger result."

"He was just revived and I don't want to bother him," Eila replied, looking to Blaze more fully.

"I do not believe he would object to helping, but I understand your point," Blaze answered. She stood up, stretched, and then offered a short bow to Pyrun. "It was nice to meet you. I will go see about freeing Sonic up to speak with you soon. Perhaps we can talk again soon." With that said, she turned and walked off to find where the hedgehog had wandered off to.

Pyrun waved as she walked off, then glanced to Eila with a curious gaze. "So, you planning to speak to him or just gonna do what you can?"

"I don't appreciate you thinking less of my skills," Eila mumbled suddenly, fixing him with a soft glare. "I will manage it alone."

Ah, so you can read minds, girl? Psychics are pretty rare, and Blaze spoke highly of your magic.

She is correct, and you should bring your thoughts to a halt before I do it for you.

Pyrun laughed a little, hands moving behind his head. "God, magic users can be so easy to rile up. Figured those thoughts would mess with you."

"Shut up," Eila grumbled, casting her spell over the communicator. "And don't you dare direct your thoughts in that way toward me again. I will break you down if necessary."

A toothy grin was flashed in Eila's direction, followed by a chuckle. "I'd like to see ya try, but I figure you've got a man of your own, with all that fiery attitude." Eila bared fangs at him with a distinctly animalistic growl, vanishing while tossing him against the wall with her magic. Pyrun laughed openly at this, pushing himself off it while dusting off his shoulders. Gods. These new-bloods really are interesting.

~保護者~

The Void was curled in on itself under Jet's bed now that the two of them had returned to New Babylon. The darkness and proximity to its companion allowed it to relax enough that it was able to tune out the world around it and get some much-needed sleep. It slept more than Jet did, and as such was much more revitalized by now. Still, Jet's continuing fatigue rubbed off on it to some extent. Or rather, it weighed on it in a way. But it was prepared to ignore that. Something much more vexing had snagged its attention and forced it to open its eyes. The Aether is coming… Why?

It wasn't very long before the being arrived and shrunk down, poking its head under the bed with a small smile. "Hey. You doing alright? Haven't felt much from you since everything happened."

The Void promptly glared. Their two companions were talking quietly up above, but it paid them no mind. "I'm fine," it answered with its mind like usual. "Go away and leave me be."

"You know, I do care about your well-being. It's obvious that Nareish messed you and Jet up real bad," The Aether replied mentally, like how the Void was. "Besides, the ones we're bound to are friends. We should at least be able to talk to one another."

"I said go away." The Void closed its eyes pointedly.

"No."

Hearing this made the Void want to growl. In the end, it did just that. It didn't particularly care for the mental nudge of reprimand from Jet. "What do you want?" it asked the Aether irritably.

"I want to at least be acquainted," the Aether said. "Existence is kinda screwed if we're at odds with each other."

"I don't care about existence," was the scoffing reply.

"Jet does."

"He'll get over it."

"You know, we can get a lot done if we just work together. Alone, you're capable of just removing stuff from existence, while I've gone into Nareish's realm and freed people from her corruption. Can you imagine how royally we could ruin her plans and protect Wave and Jet?"

"I don't care about anything other than destroying her and existence," the Void muttered. "Saving people is a waste of my time."

"You obviously care about Jet to some degree," The Aether replied. "I doubt anything that would imply otherwise."

"That doesn't mean I have to care about anything or anyone else," the Void told it. "I want nothing less than to see existence and everyone else within it destroyed. You want the precise opposite, and that is why I despise you. We cannot and will never peacefully coexist."

"That's a lie. We can." The Aether huffed a little. "Light and Darkness co-exist, and have even proven that they can come together to form other things."

"We are not the same as them, nor do I aspire to be," the Void huffed back.

"There's something in you that's willing, or you wouldn't be talking to me."

"I'm talking only because you refuse to leave." Which… was mostly the truth. The rest of the truth was that Jet's fatigue was still weighing on the Void, and that made it more difficult for the latter to conjure up its usual violence and irritability. It supposed Jet would have called this being "patient". What a foolish notion.

The Aether laid its head on the Void for a moment before vanishing to sit atop Wave's head. Wave petted her friend knowingly. Well, at least you tried. That'll have to be enough for now.

~保護者~

12,122 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support, and I hope you all enjoyed. Posted (at about 9:50 p.m.) 11-06-22.