Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this violent encounter… especially for the one who snaps.

~保護者~

"Confrontation"

~保護者~

Ylden felt unstable. Every now and then, his hand trembled and sometimes a tear would form and fall from his eyes. He was tired, he was angry… but most of all, he was numb. He couldn't keep his focus on anything for long. He did his best to keep checking on Han, but ultimately… even looking at the other man brought him some sort of a dull ache. It likely didn't help that he'd just been involved in a separate painful situation with Marthal, but he was at least away from it for the time being.

He stayed quiet as he wandered around whatever random world he and Han had wound up on this time. Soon he found himself dragging a hand over his face to try and create some sort of feeling in his skin. I don't even know what's going on anymore… I'm so goddamn tired. Marthal just lost his kid. Han's corruption is only getting worse. I haven't seen my daughter in god knows how long. Life has fallen to shit.

Why? Ylden turned to Han. The motion felt sluggish, almost dizzying. Much like how it felt when he'd once decided drinking was a good idea. "Do… you feel that?" he asked, voice barely raised above a whisper. Han frowned deeply and offered a slow nod in response. The black cat blinked once and straightened his posture, watching the area around them. "You… might wanna go if someone appears. That's magic collecting together."

Han sighed, annoyed, but didn't argue. "Yeah… fine. Be careful." He teleported away, not caring one way or another where he wound up.

Ylden was silent for several seconds, and those seconds became minutes. Only when the other person appeared did he finally understand. "Naiyo… mother told me that you were coming."

The other black cat flicked the blades in his hands, slinging blood onto the ground at Ylden's feet. "I fail to see how she could have. Father and I killed her right before you murdered our father."

Why is that my problem? Ylden didn't give voice to his thoughts, simply watching the murderous gaze of his brother. "I have taken up a position in the Realms of Death. I have spoken to their spirits."

Naiyo narrowed his gaze. "I see. I do not understand why you would be given a place with any actual importance. You were always the worst amongst our family members. You acted selfishly and often refused to work alongside us."

I hated our family. I felt worthless with you and mother. "I did what was necessary for myself. I figured that leaving you all be would be enough to let you forget my existence."

"And what was necessary for yourself? Killing Dion? The only person in our family that had a chance of being something worthwhile?" Naiyo demanded. "You killed him for no reason."

Shut up. Shut the fuck up. Ylden frowned. "I did not realize our mother was evil at the time. I came home, and she was lying on the floor, dead. I thought he had killed her in cold blood. I sought to bring an end to that before anyone else died unnecessarily."

"You're a fucking moron," Naiyo snapped. "I have never heard of such a ridiculous excuse for killing an innocent person."

The older of the two felt the corners of his lips curl downward as he gritted his teeth. Shut the fuck up. His body shook a little, a wave of heat rolling over his body. "You should leave. I am not of the right mind."

Naiyo raised an eyebrow, gripping his blades tighter. "I will do no such thing. I have hunted you for many years. I intend to show you the error of your ways by reuniting you with our mother."

His vision went black from pure rage and Ylden cast a spell, blasting Naiyo off into the horizon with a ferocity he usually didn't care to use. When he regained his sight, the man glanced around and blinked his eyes a few times. Searing pain burst to life over his chest and he snatched his brother's second blade out of the air. Once more, his vision faded and when he regained it, his brother was out of sight.

Far from finished, Ylden raised his scythe and effortlessly parried the slashes of Naiyo's blades. His eyes were glowing black with his magic as his body turned into pure Darkness. Explosions littered the area around the two brothers, their blades clashing fiercely while in their dark forms. He only needed to wait for an opening, and he found one when Naiyo had to pull his weapons back after they got launched up by yet another parry. Ylden surged forward and struck his brother with a palm, magic crackling from his hand. Two blows followed shortly after, leaving Naiyo to cough up blood before he was sent flying once more by an uppercut to the chin.

Ylden appeared above Naiyo and attempted to sever his head from his body. Naiyo swiftly dodged around the weapon and kicked Ylden across the chin. What he didn't expect was the lack of response this received and how little Ylden moved. Next thing he knew, he was on the planet's surface once more, skidding along and gouging the ground as he went. His brother had never been this strong before, and not once hsd he imagined that Ylden could have access to this kind of power.

Naiyo recovered quickly enough to roll away from another scythe slash. He was forced to focus on blocking each hit that came. It reminded him of training with his father. He attempted to roll back while parrying, but what caught him off guard was the way Ylden shifted his scythe, dragging the man's blade back towards himself and taking Naiyo with it. A kick to the face floored him and a fierce punch took his vision from him for several seconds.

Still enraged, Ylden pressed the attack, relentlessly forcing Naiyo to try and block an attack only to drag him back in and beat him to the ground. When Naiyo was too slow to get up, Ylden used his magic to drag the other man to his feet. A kick to the knee, a punch to the gut, a slice across one of his brother's arms. He didn't relent until Naiyo was incapable of standing anymore.

He didn't sense the familiar energy until it was entirely too late, his body seizing and collapsing before he could bring the scythe down to end his brother's life as his world went red. The brothers were left lying on the ground, both entirely unconscious as Cere approached with her halberd in hand. Fucking hell… I don't think I've seen Ylden this bad. It was worse than last time I had to stop him.

She hadn't quite recovered from the trip to Farenhel, but she refused to allow her emotions to prevent her from doing her job. With a gentle touch, Cere picked up Naiyo and Ylden and teleported away with them. Ylden brutalized this guy. Normally when he's angry, he just kills the person responsible. I need to figure out what went wrong.

~保護者~

Once she had finally recovered from her random emotional distress caused by Haru's presence, Eila pulled herself out of bed and straightened her hair. She'd already located her first targets, so of course she fastened her cloak around herself and teleported into space.

It was close enough for the Metarex to watch over Mobius, but not far enough away to save them from her. With a wave of her hand, before she could even be noticed, she crumpled every last one of the robotic beings into nothing more than scrap metal and discarded the remains on some isolated planet elsewhere in space. Their leaders would survive this day purely because they weren't present.

Her mind caught hints of the presence of others nearby… not Metarex, but something else that she decided wasn't allowed to live. Focusing herself, she violently destroyed their minds… all except for one. That Nocturnian was dragged to her against their will and put to sleep. With this one captured, Eila set a hand on their head and peered into their memories. All she needed was to find where the rest were hidden, and that was something she soon figured out. The victim was then rendered dead with a twist of her hand, snapping their brain stem.

All of this short-lived violence did little to calm her pent-up rage, but it did serve to remind her what she was capable of. A quick few teleports were enough to bring her directly to where the rest of the Nocturnian Clan was hiding, hiding her entire presence enough to hang back and simply observe from afar. The Clan was gathered on a remote world quite a large distance away. By the looks of things, they were merely biding their time. Weapons were being sharpened, attacks were being practiced, and so on. And their leaders, Ix and Shade, seemed prepared to ignore the lot of them as they conversed quietly with one another.

Eila kept a watch on them for a short time before deciding it wasn't worth sticking around too long to get herself attacked. Instead, she waved a hand and cast a tiny, impossible to notice spell on a few of the soldiers so she would know when they left this planet. Once she was sure that magic was placed, the cat teleported back to Mobius. "Sonic!"

The hedgehog in question jumped, startled, then dashed away from his grief-stricken son to stand in front of her. "Jeez, Eila, what is it?"

The cat winced when she saw what he'd been pulled away from, a touch ashamed of herself. "Er- I killed the Metarex hanging near Mobius, then found where the Nocturne clan was. Figured… you'd want to know."

Now that succeeded in getting his full attention. "Wait, really? You did all of that by yourself?"

Eila raised an eyebrow. "I double crossed you and your allies, and Ix and Shade during that war long ago. Of course I managed it myself."

That caused him to huff and wave her off. "Yeah, alright, point taken. Still, though… you killed all of them?"

"The Metarex? Yeah," Eila answered. "Dunno where the leaders are, though. Didn't bother trying to find out from the army. Figured it would be better to hunt them down later and not try to mind control machines."

"Erm… yeah. That's probably for the best." Sonic scratched the back of his head. "You said you found the Nocturnians, too?"

"Yeah, the army and Ix and Shade. Placed a spell on a few soldiers so that we know when they try to leave the planet."

"Alright… good." Sonic lowered his hand and crossed his arms. "Thanks, Eila. You didn't have to do what you did, but I appreciate it all the same."

Eila let out a gentle sigh. "Far from done, really," she said. "Planning on dealing with the Nocturnians too. Just need to figure out how. I won't be able to alone."

"We'll help. You know we will." Sonic managed a fleeting smile. "'Sides, we kicked their asses once already. What's one more time?"

She managed her own little smile at that, taking in a deep breath. "I'll make a plan and figure out a good way to approach this. You guys keep focusing on… everything that happened. You can leave it to me."

"Just don't forget to take a breather now and then, alright?" Sonic responded. "And I still think you should talk to Saran soon, for your own sake. Those sorts of things are important, too."

Eila averted her gaze, then ultimately let out a sigh. "Fine."

"I'll see you later, then," Sonic said. He offered a little wave, then hurried back to where Silver was.

The cat nodded to this and turned away. It didn't feel like enough, really, but it potentially bought them all more time to grieve. That was something she could settle with as she teleported away to Saran's home. He was currently sitting within it, laying with his arms behind his head and staring blindly at the ceiling while lost in thought. Upon noticing her, he pulled free of those thoughts and acknowledged her presence with a simple, "Hello again."

"I won't drag this on long. I am sorry for what I did to you in the throes of my pain," Eila said gently, retreating her arms within her cloak. "I… I didn't want to hurt anyone. All I wanted to do was help and I was blinded by that desire."

Saran blinked and turned his head toward her, pointless though the action ultimately was. "I understand what your intent was. I knew it then, too, and I bear no grudge with you over it."

Eila blinked once and nodded. "I simply wanted to make it known that I do not wish to make that mistake again."

"I know it," Saran assured her. He went ahead and sat up at that point. It wasn't as though he intended to sleep anymore. "I do have my own apology to offer as well. My leaving so abruptly seemed to have upset you, but that wasn't my intention. I knew I had no real ability to help you with your feelings, and sought to give you space when your friend arrived to do what I could not. I'm sorry for being so… cold about it."

She flushed a gentle red, embarrassed that it had been that obvious. "Don't. I knew at that time what your reason was. I was simply too emotional to think with the same rationality I can use now."

"It still bears mentioning all the same," Saran refuted, his voice gentle. "The situation could have been handled better on my end, and I acknowledge that. The Gods forbid such an event ever occur again, but if it does I will do my best to handle it better. Fair enough?"

"If I am that far gone, then your better bet will be to incapacitate me," Eila huffed. "I am only as strong as my ability to render my opponent incapable of fighting me."

"I did notice, that yes." Saran thought that over for a moment, but eventually just let the matter drop for now.

"It does surprise me, however, that a relative of Kathros would care so greatly about someone that attempted to harm them," Eila pointed out. "I presume there is a distinct reason that is the case."

Saran gave her a long, long look. Eventually, he sighed. "I suppose I should have expected that you would notice the relation so easily." He paused before continuing. "To my knowledge… my father was a cold and unfeeling man, but not cruel. However, I am forced to base this knowledge on experiences solely from my youth. We no longer had contact when I was an adult. But even back then, he was not incapable of displaying 'care' toward others, even if he did not feel it."

Eila blinked at this knowledge before merely nodding. "I never had the misfortune of coming face-to-face with him, but I know well of his exploits. I am pleased that you were treated better."

Her words made Saran frown at nothing in particular. "I believe that I dare not ask what you mean by that."

"Some things are better never learned," Eila answered. "I… will spare you the details. It was not pleasant."

"I appreciate you not telling me," Saran said. "I do not want to know as of now. If I ever change my mind, I can seek answers on my own."

Eila gave a simple nod to this, taking a deep breath. "I am planning the genocide of an evil race shortly."

"Oh? Which one might that be?"

"Nocturne Clan," Eila replied. "Found where they're hiding. Got some intimate experience with their leaders and figure I could give them a good scare."

"If you plan for a genocide on their kind, might I suggest seeking assistance from the one who did that very thing in the first place?" Saran shrugged, almost idly. "My ancestor wrote extensively of a concerningly young Hexan who took it upon themselves to wipe out the vast majority of their forces."

"Might not be an option," Eila stated easily. "Man had his memories taken from him and, if I'm not mistaken, there's corruption that we can't deal with."

"Hm. That is a significant problem, then." Saran sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "This situation is a proper mess, it seems."

Eila nodded at this. "Correct."

"That aside… What do you intend to do for now?" Saran asked her.

"I plan to observe them quietly and cultivate my magic and mental powers further. I believe that the only real plan we need is to defeat Ix and Shade, their leaders. I may well be able to handle Ix… potentially. I have not achieved that potential yet."

His blind eyes blinked at her. "And what of Shade, then?"

"Shade will kill me the moment she sees me," Eila huffed. "I crossed her heavily enough that she will remember me. I will not be enacting this plan alone."

"Do you have a specific ally of yours in mind?" Saran inquired.

Eila's tail began to sway (unbeknownst to her) and she nodded. "I assume that a recent… ally of mine would be more than capable once his wounds have healed fully. I rarely sense the kind of power he possesses."

Hearing that, Saran clued in immediately. "You're referring to the chameleon who was in that house earlier?"

"Yes."

"I think your assumption is likely correct, then, that he can handle Shade. His Darkness was rather immense, even for a chameleon."

That much is true. Eila simply nodded, banishing the other thoughts that entered her mind. "That is my hope. At that point, all I will need is the ability to ensure they both die, and that the rest of the clan goes with them."

"If any somehow succeed in escaping you, they will be found," Saran told her. "I will ensure it. I have plenty of my own personal reasons to do so." He gathered a ball of magic into his hand and floated it over to Eila. "Take this to your friend. It is a spell I learned from my father as a child that works in tandem with Immortal healing abilities. It promotes speedier recoveries, even from dire wounds. It should help him."

"What are the chances that I could analyze this and learn it for myself?" Eila dared to ask, curiosity more than piqued.

"Minimal but not nonexistent," Saran answered, managing a slight smile. "It is a deceptively simple spell on the surface, but in truth is almost too difficult for us semi-Immortals to cast. I was lucky to learn it at all."

"Then I will require you to teach me," Eila huffed, turning away as she tucked the ball of magic away within her cloak. "There is not an option to abstain, either. I will drive myself mad attempting to learn it alone if I must."

Saran chuckled softly. "I would not have refused, anyway. You are only the third person I have ever personally encountered that may just be able to use this spell. I would be happy to pass the knowledge down to you."

Eila nodded slowly. "Good. My sister is the most capable healer I know, and I worry that her healing is simply not enough to keep up with the hell we're about to go through."

"Then I will teach you so that you may in turn teach her. Alright?"

"Magic is not her skill," Eila murmured. "But she is certainly becoming an Immortal. That much I am sure of."

"If that is the case, then she will be able to perform this spell eventually, even if not now," Saran said. "Regardless, my offer remains the same."

"And as I said earlier… good." Eila straightened her posture. "Now, off to plan genocide." The cat vanished a second later to return to her room. Visiting Haru could wait. She needed to be able to focus without thoughts of him circling in her mind.

~保護者~

This world was another new one to Han. Or, at least, it was new to him now. Maybe he'd once known it, but he didn't anymore. He'd wound up here by pure chance after Ylden had asked him to leave so that he could confront… whoever that other cat had been. It seemed a perfectly decent place to explore for a time while he waited. Until, that is, the same woman who had attacked him earlier that day showed up for a second time.

She appeared not a full foot in front of him, her body shrouded in the darkness of her own corrupted magic and aura. One look at his frowning face had her chuckling. "Oh, don't give me that, Han. I was so happy to see you again."

Han shifted into a steadier posture. He was more than ready to be attacked again. "Who are you?" he demanded.

It sounded like she was grinning at him, not that he could see it very well. "I'm called the Widow, on account of all my murdered husbands. They could never entertain me long enough for my tastes… but such is life. Luckily for you, I'm not interested in bedding you, much less marrying you."

The mere thought of either of those things occurring made Han want to gag. "Likewise. So what the hell do you want?"

"I'm here on business. I've been given orders by my lady to help you along, and so I'll do just that." The Widow chuckled again. "I'm also after a bit of a punching bag, I must admit. I caught wind of a Light user named Tessa trying to bring all the other Light users out of hiding. As amusing as that is, it's mostly just annoying. Since I can't currently find the little rats, you'll have to do. You'll survive better than them, anyway."

Han didn't wait for her to make the first move. Heedless of the fact that the effects of these Hexan spells caused said spells to be classified as evil, he cast two of them back-to-back. "Agony" was a spell that caused such immense pain (sans any injuries) that most victims of it couldn't help but beg for death. "Annihilate", meanwhile, instantly killed any living creature surrounding the user unless they were strong enough to adequately defend themselves. The more beings there were in an area, the more energy it would take to kill them all. Since it was just her here with him, he was fine in that regard.

The sudden excruciating pain from his first spell surprised the Widow into going still just long enough for him to cast the second one. As expected, she survived it just fine. The pain persisted. She laughed and retaliated regardless of that. She unleashed a destruction magic spell at him, so he teleported out of range and returned the favor. "Apocalypse." This, too, was considered an evil spell for reasons he could no longer remember. It had something to do with the reason he'd created it in the first place. Something about… genocide? And some "clan"? He didn't know anymore. It wasn't as though it even mattered.

Just like the first time he'd used this spell today, it struck her but she escaped it within seconds. She was laughing again now, and hurling blast after blast his way. Cursing, Han dodged each attack one by one until he saw another opening. Focusing on his target, he again cast two "evil" spells simultaneously. This time, he cast "Brutalize" and "Butcher". The first caused one's magic to swarm around the target and (as the name suggested) brutalized them, leaving the person with wounds normally indicative of torture. Anyone very much weaker than the spellcaster would swiftly die.

Of course, the Widow was no ordinary foe and couldn't be defeated so easily. Even casting both spells at once wouldn't be enough, but it had the potential of causing enough damage to convince her to leave. So just as he activated his first spell, he went ahead and activated the second. "Butcher" was a spell that caused great slicing wounds to be inflicted all over the target's body, as though they'd been savaged by a giant knife. It would inevitably lead to heavy blood loss and, for most, death. But, again, the Widow wasn't most people.

She broke free of his attacks before long, still laughing, and the pair began trading beams and blasts of pure magic. Belatedly, he noticed that his magic was growing more and more red as time wore on. The redder it got, the less he even cared about that. He was far more invested in getting rid of her, at this point, than he was in handling that situation.

"Enough!" a voice snapped from above them both, bringing down a storm of arcane magic over the Widow while whisking Han away elsewhere.

The Widow looked up and grinned anew. "Oh, it's you again. I was wondering when you would show."

Cyril stared down at her with a positively angry face, magical staff in hand. "Get away from here. I don't-" The man vanished without being able to finish his statement, dragged away by his own magic on pure instinct. It may well have saved his life. The finch reappeared on Mobius, wheeling his arms in circles so that he didn't fall off a cliff… only to remember that he could simply fly. He let out a soft sigh and glanced over to where he'd put Han down, knowing that the spot was close to where he was. "You okay over there?"

Han was sitting cross-legged in the grass with his head in his hands. His voice was tense and strained. "I'm fine," he bit out between clenched teeth.

Cyril walked a little closer and took a seat, being sure to give the other man some space. "You weren't hurt, right?" Han shook his head once. "Good. Just… try to relax as best you can. I'll do everything I can to keep anything else from happening."

"Pitara n'kei," Han muttered. For once, he didn't bother translating himself.

"Where'd Ylden go?" Cyril decided to ask, looking into the sky.

Han waved a hand and, using his magic, created a sort of three dimensional image of the world Ylden had taken off to. Red flowed freely through the image. "I don't know its name."

Cyril frowned a little, tilting his head. "Odd that he'd just up and vanish. He say anything about why he left?"

"Someone showed up. They were intent on fighting." Han let his magic fade out of sight.

"Dang. It's really gone to crap, hasn't it?" Cyril's question earned him a shrug in answer. "Well, I have to assume that he's okay. Nothing mentally screaming to go save him and all."

"Mm," was the vague reply. Han massaged his temples, trying to calm himself down from the rapid onset of anger and hostility that had risen up within him during his short-lived fight.

"You hungry?" Cyril questioned, tilting his head.

"No."

"Gotcha."

Han fell silent again, still rubbing at his temples. More anger bubbled forth, but not so much that he couldn't continue to keep a lid on it for the most part. Still, it affected his thoughts. Just leave already! Leave me alone!

Cyril eventually spoke up, standing. "Alright. I won't pretend to have an answer, and I can tell that… this is getting worse too fast for me to make it better. Is it okay if I send you somewhere for the time being?"

"Where?" Han demanded in as calm a voice as he could manage.

"Somewhere," Cyril replied. "Just anywhere where it might be hard for that woman to find you."

If nothing else, Han was amenable to a plan that involved avoiding her. "Fine," he agreed.

Cyril tossed him a small box that materialized in his hand. "There's a, uh… well, I dunno what to call it. You can use it and just travel to different worlds. Should be a bit harder to trace. Take care."

Han caught the box in a hand and looked it over. He then opened it to examine the item inside. It was really just a small string bracelet with beads hanging on it. Recognizing the item as being magical in origin, he frowned. "You made this just now?"

Cyril blinked. "Is that, uh… not a normal thing? Did I do something wrong?"

"It takes most people significant time and effort to do such a thing," Han answered shortly. "That does not make it wrong. Just unusual." He tossed the box aside and stood, keeping the bracelet in his hand.

"Oh, gotcha." The finch managed a gentle smile. "Like I said, take care. Oh, and I don't think it'll give you a lot of choice on where it takes you. Pretty sure I had the idea in mind for the teleporting to be kinda random. Figured you could get back to anywhere you want to be on your own."

This may upset Ylden greatly. Either way, it was a sound plan and likely in Han's own best interest for the time being. So he slipped the bracelet on and said again, "Fine."

Cyril gave a small wave to Han. "Stay safe." Han disappeared without giving him a reply. Once the man was gone, Cyril let out a sigh and sat back down with his face in his hands. I couldn't help much more than that. I'm sorry. I'll figure this out. I promise.

~保護者~

Steam leaned up against a wall quietly. He'd just checked in at Tails's home and left immediately when he'd realized his wife was missing. It didn't help that Amy and Blaze were gone as well, something that struck him as decidedly not okay. Because, of course, why would it have ever been okay? The answer to that pointless question was painfully obvious.

He'd already made up his mind to do something about Nareish the moment a chance arose, but now he needed to reconsider everything. It was assuredly her fault that they were gone. If they were dead… there was no telling. It was more likely they'd been corrupted or simply taken somewhere. That alone was… kinda relieving, but it also filled him with an amount of rage that was hard to contain.

It wasn't as though he could have foreseen this, but it made the fact that he'd given up his own Immortality all the more painful. Being connected to the Aether in his timeline had made him a powerful force, and he gave it up to come to timelines like this and help them. He didn't particularly enjoy doing it at the time, but until now he'd been able to ignore that choice.

Not that he could have kept the role and done what he wanted to do here, but being an Immortal would have meant that he could do something immediately. Instead, he was a Balancer here… like how he'd originally been in his own timeline. It sucked to think about, but that was how things were. The hedgehog took a moment and simply looked at the palms of his hands, narrowing his gaze somewhat. He had to find his wife. She would likely be in the same place as everyone else. Once he knew where she was, he was going to save her and everyone else. There wouldn't be a single failure once he got his hands on the situation.

I'm coming for you, Tara. I won't let a goddamn thing stop me.

~保護者~

Novei had snuck away with her boyfriend being asleep, hunting down her mother once more. It normally would have been quite easy to follow the bloody trail of death that Tempest often left in her wake, but for once that wasn't present. Instead, she focused on the woman's magic. After roughly an hour of hunting, Novei was a bit disturbed by what she found. Her mother was floating through space, bloody wounds covering her body. "Ah, fucking hell. Oi, are you alive?"

When no reply came, Novei floated a little closer and let magic pulse from her hand, smacking the chest of the other woman roughly. Tempest coughed up a blob of blood and groaned, wrapping her arms over herself. Soon, she was cursing. "You piece of shit. What the hell?"

"You were dead for a second," Novei huffed, crossing her arms. "We both know it's nearly fucking impossible for us to die, but who even managed to fuck you up like this?"

"Some asshole that looked like Ylden. Magic stung like his, too," Tempest answered. "Was asking about him."

Novei blinked several times before frowning. "Who?"

It took Tempest a few seconds to realize that Novei didn't really know what she was talking about. "Some guy I like. Guess he knew I'd interacted with Ylden. Stabbed me in the heart, too. Fucking bastard."

"Hell." Novei grabbed Tempest by the wrist and pulled her along toward Li's forge. "You're gonna sit your ass down. I'm not gonna come kickstart your body again."

"Oi! That fucking hurts!" Tempest protested loudly, trying to yank herself away. When it was obvious that the pain was inhibiting her ability to fight back, she simply devolved to grumbling and muttering under her breath.

Novei didn't bother replying to her mother, teleporting them both back to the forge the moment they felt close enough to get that far. The injured woman was tossed unceremoniously onto the couch with a loud hiss of pain. "Sothan! Li! Get the hell in here!"

It happened that Sothan was the first to come running. He took one look at Tempest, turned on his heel, and ran back out of the room to fetch the medical supplies. Li made it in about the time that Sothan ran out, hurrying over and examining Tempest. The wounds were god awful, but Tempest seemed to be in almost impossibly good shape. "What in the world happened?"

"Some dude beat the shit out of me," Tempest explained. "Stabbed me and nearly killed me. Novei got me going again."

Li looked at the stab wound going through Tempest's chest, certainly piercing where her heart should have been. He chose not to question how she was alive. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just fine really," Tempest shrugged. "It'll heal in due time." It was around then that Sothan returned and set to work getting the necessary supplies out. Once that was done, he started tending to her wounds.

"Ow! Be careful you fucking asshole!" Tempest snapped rudely at him, glaring at him hatefully. "Who the hell do you think you are, anyway?"

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry," Sothan answered distractedly in a tone that really wasn't that sorry. Being around someone outside of his small family, he quickly reverted to short sentences and overall not talking, like usual. He did eventually tell her his name, however. "I'm Sothan."

"Oh, I know about you," Tempest said, her aggressive flare randomly vanishing. "Forge guy, yeah?"

Sothan nodded. "Mm-hm."

Tempest nodded as well. "Cool." Sothan didn't answer that time. He shifted his full focus to his work.

What is going on here…? Li thought to himself, looking between Tempest and Sothan. She's kinda… odd. Kinda like Novei. Makes sense, I guess. Before long, Sothan was finished. He put away the remaining supplies and wandered out of the room to put everything back where it belonged.

When nobody spoke, Novei decided it was as good a time as ever. She walked up to her mother and flicked the woman on the head. "Go the fuck to sleep. If I have to come save your ass again, I'm gonna beat you senseless."

Tempest huffed a little, but ultimately that wasn't a bad idea. She was definitely a bit tired. Now that her wounds had been tended to, she could rest properly. As such, she closed her eyes. "Fine." Little asshole. That was her final thought before she unceremoniously passed out.

~保護者~

Word had just reached him. Shadow understood why he'd been kept out of the loop up until now. That did not mean that he appreciated it. His great-nieces were fucking dead and no one had told him at the time it had happened. It wasn't as though he could do anything about it either way… but that wasn't the point. He just hated being kept in the dark about something so important.

Shifting, Shadow looked down at Elize. She was sleeping peacefully on his chest again now that Ryint had left. The woman's departure was why he was even awake now. He probably wouldn't have heard his communicator vibrating otherwise. Not that that was what was on his mind. His thoughts were focused solely on Elize. He wasn't ever going to let a similar fate befall her or her siblings. Even at the cost of his own life, he was going to make sure they lived - lived and had immeasurably better lives than he'd so far had.

To him, nothing could have been more important.

~保護者~

After getting it out of Sein where Jet's children had been murdered, Wave took it upon herself to go and retrieve them. The sight of their disembodied heads made her start to throw up in an instant. Only through sheer force of will did she manage to choke back the bile in her throat. Her tears, however, flowed freely as she gathered the three of them up in her aura. I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry.

She returned to New Babylon. Without thinking, she walked straight to a place that had always been very special to Jet. It was a hill with gentle slopes, covered in permanently blooming blue flowers that his friend Selene had once liked so much. It was on this hill that he'd buried her when she'd died at the end of the Syxan War. This timeline's Kath had been buried there, too.

Hannah, Suri, and Ten had been buried in a place more special to the three of them, not here. But… it didn't feel right, somehow, to dig up their previous graves and stick them in those spots. So Wave used her magic to dig them new graves, here and now, and gently deposit each of them into the holes side-by-side. She couldn't do anything about grave markers yet. This would… have to be enough for now.

After burying them, Wave collected Saraya's body and buried her beside them as well. She then took Tammy's body to where she and Arthr had once been buried. Rather than dig up the woman's previous grave, she buried her on Arthr's free side. After that, she retrieved Storm and took him to Mobius. His few remains had been interred by his girlfriend long ago. Mostly, it had just been belongings. She didn't feel bad about digging this grave up and putting him in it.

Once she was finished with all of this, she returned to New Babylon again. She picked up Storm's staff and, sniffling, held it close to herself and teleported back to Sein and Alana. "I buried them all," she whispered. "Storm, Tammy, and Saraya, too."

Sein let out a soft sigh, running his hands over his face and through his hair. The stress had really eaten into him a little more than he'd wanted it to. "Sorry you had to do that, Wave," he said gently, setting a hand on her shoulder. "But thank you, so much. I appreciate you."

"You don't have to thank me," Wave refuted quietly. "I would have done it no matter what. They all deserved to be laid to rest."

"I know," Sein murmured, looking over to Alana. She was quiet normally… but this felt like a different kind of quiet. "Hey, you alright?

Alana blinked and then just sort of… shrugged. "I am fine," she responded.

Now Wave was concerned. Why is her tone so… empty?

Sein nudged her a little. "You sure? You sound a little different."

"I said I was fine," Alana told him, meeting his gaze. Wave was alarmed in a way by the lack of emotions in the woman's eyes. "I did not lie."

"I don't think you're lying," Sein said, setting his hands on her shoulders. "But this isn't… like you. Something is off."

"Yeah, it seems like it," Wave agreed. "Did something happen, Alana?"

To her credit, Alana gave it some proper thought before shaking her head. "No, nothing did."

There was a sinking feeling in Sein and he immediately grabbed one of Wave's shoulders. "Wave, something is seriously fucking wrong here."

The swallow was startled by the sudden grab. Still, she remained focused on the matter at hand. "Uh… yeah. No kidding."

"Hang out here. I need to check on something." Sein vanished seconds later with his speed, appearing where he'd last sensed Kath and Yareis.

It happened in an instant. Sein was plowed over by a group of over-excited wolf pups. Kath almost let out a slight laugh before catching himself and pulling a few of the pups off of him. "Did you need something?" he asked in amusement, one wolf under each arm.

The Immortal man, careful as he was, made sure that the pups were on the ground before he spoke. "Something is seriously wrong. I want you to talk to Alana."

Kath's good mood vanished. "Did something happen?" he demanded, setting the pups down. By his side, Azerel stood and looked up at Sein.

"Yes. There's absolutely no fucking emotion in Alana's voice or eyes," Sein said, making sure his tone conveyed that he was dead serious. "It's freaking me the hell out, and I don't like it."

Now tense, Kath quickly turned to Yareis. "You are welcome to stay here if you wish, but I have to go check on my daughter."

Yareis stood up and used her ice to slide all of the pups she'd had on her off to the side safely. "I am coming with you."

"Fine." Kath teleported the four of them back to the palace without further delay. As soon as they were there, he strode up to Alana. He saw for himself in an instant what Sein had been talking about. Even her aura is empty. What happened? "Alana, are you alright?"

She huffed at him, but none of the annoyance that action usually conveyed was actually there. "I already told Sein that I am." Yareis frowned a bit and walked up to Alana as well, tilting her head and poking Alana to cause a block of ice to form around one of her hands. Alana just sighed and asked, "Why are you doing that?"

"You've got no emotions, whatsoever," Yareis said, drawing the ice back to herself. "Something has happened, whether you know it or not."

"You weren't aware of anything happening?" Wave pressed. Alana shook her head, so Wave turned to Sein. "And you're sure you also didn't sense anything? Because I know for certain that I didn't."

"I didn't notice a thing," Sein mumbled, rubbing his hands against his temples. Fuck… was I just too distracted? What the hell…?

It went without saying that Kath did not like any of this. Azerel was of a similar opinion. "This stinks of Nareish, you know. Though not literally."

"I know it." Kath ran his fingers through his bangs for the second time that day, messing them up again like he had earlier. "This likely has something to do with Nareish," he said aloud. After all, no one else could have heard Azerel's comment.

"Assuredly," Yareis replied, crossing her arms. "I do not like the implications. There may well be more that we don't know."

What to do…? Kath crossed his arms, his mind running endlessly. He could think of nothing that would help, much less undo this.

Yareis glanced over to Sein, concerned with how fast the man had devolved to sitting against a wall with his head against his knees. Ah, shit… Figuring out something will be good to do if we can manage it.

There was nothing else Wave could do but walk over to Sein and give the man a hug. He'd done everything he could to try and comfort her when crap had hit the fan with her dad recently. Trying to return a measure of that comfort to him was the least she could do. "We'll find a solution," she whispered. "I don't know how, but we'll find something."

What else did Nareish do…? Sein thought to himself silently. He didn't recognize that Wave was touching him at all, entirely focused on his thoughts. Who else in my family did she decide to fuck over, or am I overreacting? I hate this… I hate it so much.

~保護者~

As much as Tails couldn't stand to consider it, he knew there wasn't much he could do to comfort his friends. Even his best friend was someone who Tails could do nothing for. He hated feeling useless. Watching his friends in shock and grieving was… so hard. What right did he have to feel sorry for himself like he was? Sure, he was hurt by all of those deaths too, but those weren't his relatives. I can barely even imagine the pain they must be in. The kids I adopted passed away so peacefully back then. My experience doesn't hold a candle to this.

His heart heavy, Tails dragged his feet over to where Wery was. She was utterly silent, staring at what was nearly the finished inner workings of whatever her last project was. After taking all this in, Tails came to stand by her and quietly asked, "Hey… how're you holding up?"

"..I'm not…" Wery answered, idly tightening a screw until it was stripped inside of the hole she'd created. "This… Why? What's the point of killing people like this?"

"I don't know," Tails whispered. "I can't pretend to fathom the minds of murders. I don't… even want to try."

Wery cried out in a brief fit of anger, lobbing her screwdriver somewhere deeper into the workshop. "Tammy appeared here after she revived. She's already dead."

Seeing and hearing that made Tails wince. He almost wished that Wave hadn't texted him, that she hadn't informed him of the deaths of Storm, Tammy, the queen, and Jet's kids. But he'd need to know no matter how much it hurt. He just wished that Wery hadn't also seen the message. "Yeah," he agreed softly. "It's… it's horrible, but even that isn't a strong enough word." Once he was certain that Wery wouldn't lash out at him for it, he went ahead and pulled her into a hug.

The woman merely returned the hug, wrapping her arms firmly around him with a few mumbled, incoherent words. "This sucks…" Tails could only swallow thickly past the lump in his throat and nod. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to will himself not to cry. When she realized this, Wery only pulled him in a little closer and tried to return the comfort he was providing her. "We'll… we'll figure something out, right?"

"Yeah. We'll at least… try." Tails rested his chin atop her head. "That's all we can do."

Wery sniffled a little and merely nodded. "Yeah…" I just hope that whatever we do will be enough to help.

~保護者~

I need to return.

That thought had been running through Kaden's mind for the past several minutes, and he was unable to silence it. He was hesitant, wary even, but he couldn't shake the resolve that had settled within him. Though he was far from ready to face his family and friends (former friends? was that how they viewed him now?) just yet, he felt he had to stick closer to them than he had been. Doing everything he could to protect everyone was the very least he could do to atone for all that he had done, even if it cost him his own life.

That wasn't the only thing on his mind. He fully remembered the demons he'd hidden away within this realm to keep them out of Tianak's reach. They were well defended here and Zenith had already been providing them with food and places to sleep. So this situation seemed stable enough for now. Less easily ignored was the threat he'd made against Tianak, However, it just wasn't as important to him at the moment as other things were. He'd beat the shit out of that rat god eventually.

Pulling away from Zareil, Kaden teleported his sword back himself and used its thin string-like strap to secure it around his waist in its sheath. He then used his Darkness to gently gather up their children. Remembering that Nareish had fucking bisected them sickened him and made him furious all over again. Those were both feelings he swallowed down more for Zareil's sake than his own.

A quick teleport brought the devastated family to Mobius. More specifically, it took them to a place in Kingdom Valley that he knew well. It was where his parents had long ago been buried, and where gravestones had been erected for him and Analia after they'd "died" at the end of the Nocturnian War. In essence, this had become a family grave plot. To him, it was only right that their daughters be laid to rest in such a place.

His Darkness made quick work of digging three small graves in close proximity to one another. The triplets had never strayed far from one another in life. It would be cruel to separate them in death. Or perhaps that was just illogical sentiment on his part. Either way, he carefully set them in and filled the holes without delay. The less time he and Zareil had to spend looking at their wounds and reliving their final moments alive, the better.

With his magic, he created grave markers for each of their daughters. There was plenty of room to engrave more than their names, but for now their names were all he put before placing the stones. He couldn't think of what words to leave with them. No words felt powerful enough, much less good enough. In the end, this was the best thing he could give them, and he hated it. I failed you all… I failed you endlessly from the time you were born until now. I'm sorry. I wish… that I had done better for you. None of you deserved the lives you suffered, much less a death like this.

Zareil squeezed Kaden's shoulder firmly, staring at the grave markers with a pained look on her face. There wasn't much she could really say about it all. She was angry, but venting all of that anger would do nothing to bring their children back. "Hey…"

Kaden pulled his own gaze away from the burial sites and looked at her. "What?"

"Nothing," Zareil admitted. "I have nothing to say, but… I felt as if bringing your attention elsewhere would be good."

Though he sighed, Kaden shifted to take one of her hands into his own. "That goes both ways," he murmured. "We should… go for now. We can return later, when we are more up to it."

Zareil firmly gripped his hand and began walking, unapologetically dragging him along. "We need to go check on Sonic." She thought for a moment, then added, "And Shadow."

That was true. Very true, in fact. But… Kaden's stomach sank at the thought. The thought, I can't face them after all I did, returned for the umpteenth time. However, what if they were hurt? What if they were soon to be targeted by Nareish, like the triplets were? Those ideas made him sick to his stomach. He was going to have to go, whether he felt ready or not. "Alright," he forced himself to agree, voice softer than usual.

She squeezed his hand, pulling him close to her. "Whenever you're ready. We'll go together."

Stifling another sigh, Kaden adjusted his pace so that he was walking properly beside her instead of being dragged. "It should be sooner rather than later. If Nareish planned on attacking them, she would have done so around the same time she attacked us. She would have no cause to delay it."

"Yeah," Zareil said. "I was stating that because I figured you would take us there."

Kaden mumbled something at her that may or may not have been some vaguely childish complaint (not that he would ever admit to such a thing), then asked, "How fast do you believe you can travel now that you are purified?" She is mostly Erukti. Her heritage means that she has no Darkness without being a demon. That will affect her speed and strength to some degree.

Zareil shrugged. "I have not attempted much since the purification. I would need to test and see what I am capable of."

Now wasn't the best time for that, mostly because they didn't have much time. And with neither of them having slept well recently, they didn't have a ton of energy for teleportation. So running it was. "Fine. Come here, then. I can get us there quickly."

The woman blinked once and shifted a little closer to him, not quite sure what he was planning. "Okay…?"

With no further delay, Kaden went ahead and picked her up. He'd done this before, albeit rarely, as a demon… but that had always been to take her to the bedroom. So he was quick to say with a huff, "Do not take this the wrong way. This is not like the previous times." With that said, he broke into a run with her firmly in his arms.

Zareil found herself blushing a little, if only out of embarrassment. She knew that she could not have traveled this fast on her own, so this was the best option. It was merely humiliating. "F-fine…"

"Relax," Kaden murmured. As was often the case, he could guess at her thoughts just about as easily as she could with his. "You do not need to be upset over any of this."

She huffed at him. "You know damn well that I couldn't move this fast. It's fucking embarrassing."

"You do not need immense speed, considering your strength in nearly all other areas," he reminded her. Already, they had left Kingdom Valley many miles behind them. Now he was trekking through a thick forest and expertly dodging around the trees in his path. "It is not something you need to be embarrassed over, Zareil."

"You know I prefer being capable on my own," the woman said, crossing her arms in irritation.

"And you are," Kaden calmly asserted. "High speed is not a power necessary for you to have to be self-sufficient."

Zareil pursed her lips at him, vaguely irritated before deciding it didn't matter. "Fine."

Things were quiet other than the rush of the wind for a while after that thread of conversation was dropped. Eventually, he came to a stop near Tails's house. He could sense Sonic, Silver, and (much to his shock) Kohaku within the building. He'd never gotten the privilege to meet Kimmy's siblings due to his corruption, but he'd been aware of them… and of their eventual deaths long ago. When was he revived? Where are his sisters and Blaze? For that matter, where is Amy? Concerned though he was, he focused for the moment on setting Zareil down. He didn't doubt that she would object to being carried any longer than she already had been.

The woman huffed a little and quickly righted herself, walking over to the door and knocking regardless of whether or not Kaden wanted her to already. "Hey! Sonic!"

Kaden looked on in silence. For better or for worse… all he could do now was wait.

~保護者~

9,622 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 11:20 p.m.) 11-13-22.