After their talk concluded, Nico had requested that he have some time to maul things over, something which Qing Ye accepted and allowed He Lin to come and show him around the village. Despite his nature, Nico had been their first visitor in a very, VERY long time, and a visitor which they didn't mind having. Not something which could have been said often considering how these creatures ended up the way they had, from what he had learned from Qing Ye. Even then though, it had sparked a huge, chaotic debate within the male, a debate which seemed less like one and more like a freaking WAR deep within.

With everything that he had learned,, Nico felt like he would have needed years in order to sort through all these feelings raging inside him right now. Feelings which he had been used to feeling on one hand, yet on the other they also carried a foreign element to them which he hadn't been used to. Seriously, everything he had learned about the Nature Elves left him feeling more and more complicated and confused. It would have been easier if he had learned that the Nature Elves really were as bad as the other Abnormals he had been used to killing, that they weren't as pure as they seemed. It would have been so much easier to reach a conclusion to everything he had dealt with thanks to that damned auction, however that had not been the case.

Now… now he felt even MORE lost on what to do.

Just… when did everything become so complicated?

Why had it turned out this way?

Part of him longed for the days when everything had been simple, of when he would simply go about his day fighting and killing, with no need to think about anything other getting stronger and keeping his Ghoul side under wraps. At least back then, in that thorn-filled 'cage' he knew what he was and what he had to do, he had a sense of direction and purpose. Even if he despised himself and most of the people around him because of it. Heck right now, he would have taken a hallucination or two, at least then a sense of normalcy would have returned to him, something Nico SERIOUSLY wished he could have right now to escape this situation he found himself in.

But… that wasn't the way to go about things, and he knew it. He knew that down to his very soul. Right now, Nico had found himself confronted with a reality that had been surmounted by a variety of factors. Factors consisting of Yvoire, these Nature Elves, things said to him by THAT GUY, Zelretch, Mundus, Gelmudo and pretty much the entire political situation in Leanbox altogether. All these factors piled up in Nico's mind, pretty much warping his perception of the world around him. Where there was once simple black and white, his perception slowly but surely became grey, devoid of any meaning or identity between the good and bad.

He just felt so… lost.

Lost… devoid of meaning… of who and what should he fight for…

Nothing made sense to him anymore…

However, Nico couldn't wallow in his conflicting thoughts for too long, especially with what happened next. The moment that he had left the treehouse and walked down the leafy staircase (still had no clue how that had been a thing, but he just rolled with it), He Lin had seemingly appeared from out of nowhere, like an assassin springing into action to end his target, and quickly grabbed his hand before dragging him off towards the rest of the little Village. He'd even exclaimed something about having been waiting for him so he could show Nico around his home, as an extra for saving him back there.


Which had ended up with Nico in this following predicament.

"Big Sister Qing He!"

For what his internal clock told him had been about 10 minutes, He Lin had went up and dragged Nico all the way to the ends of this little world. To where, the redhead hadn't been too knowing about the destination, but he had kept any questions popping into his mind to himself. After all, he'd learn soon enough, right? Whelp, he sure got his answer when they reached the supposed destination. Sprawled out before them, Nico and He Lin beheld a huge garden that stretched far and wide, with all kinds of blossoming flowers flourishing in an explosion of colors. Not only that, but a calming breeze reminiscent of a warm, loving embrace blew through the winds, soothing the worrries of anyone and anything it touched.

'Wooow….'

The awed Nico could only think that as he stared at the sight. Again, he just couldn't help but be impressed at the beauty of this place. It inspired him to make sure this place was kept a secret till these Nature Elves no longer had to worry about being found out, a time when humanity would have forgotten about their existence so they only had to fear the Abnormals surrounding this forest.

Though, when He Lin made that exclamation, Nico found his eyes being drawn to the centre of the magnificent Garden. A place where a colorfully dressed young teenage girl was at the centre of the garden, gathering wat looked like morning dew from the petals (Nico wasn't completely sure since he was no florist). Still, his few observations of her showed that she did indeed have some grace to be able to pick what she wanted from the flowers with such finesse. Her graceful, lithe figure resembled a colorful, elegantly dancing butterfly within the myriad flowers. The look on her face, Nico could recognize the serenity she had on anywhere, he had a similar look whenever he was with his comrades. They were his beauty, in this twisted world.

Amidst He Lin's high-pitched shout (though Nico almost found it similar to a squeal), the girl within the garden swiftly raised her head, momentarily surprised at the breaking of the sweet silence she had been enjoying. She then turned, her soft gaze following shortly after before landing upon the two boys who walked up to her. He Lin introduced the Redhead with rosy cheeks. "This is Big Sister Qing He. Oh, her father is Uncle Qing Mu. Big Sister Qing, this is the Agent who saved me. He's super duper powerful, you know."

He Lin spoke with heavy excitement, his bright green eyes shining with almost fiery joy. Where the heck did he get all this energy from, was he just WAITING for Nico o be done with his business? The DPU had to wonder about that, but it only lasted for a few short seconds. Afterwards, Nico regarded this female called Qing He, someone whom reminded him of the woman he had just been talking to. 'Must be a family relative or something.' The colorfully dressed girl looked to only be around fifteen or sixteen. Her bright face contained a young girl's charming immaturity and a Nature Elf's beautiful purity. Upon seeing him, she gently did a bow in Nico's direction. "Thank you for saving our young patriarch, big brother." She spoke. Once she said those words though, she didn't dare to look him in the eyes a second time. She lowered her head as a slight flush spread across her cheeks.

'Huh? She seems like a lot of the other teenage females in this Species…' Nico thought to himself, a worried frown over his features. He thought he heard facepalming in the back of his mind, but he didn't pay it much heed, instead Nico wondered if this person was suffering from over-exertion or stress, so he mentally examined her for any dark emotions. Much to his confusion however, there were none, so the teen couldn't help but wonder what the heck was going on. 'Also, I can't help but get reminded of Compa from this girl… they do have similar shy demeanors after all…' the teen thought further as his brain hallucinated an image of the Nurse-In-Training before him. He missed her, he really did, as well as Neptune, IIF, Noire, Vert, Raven, Lucy, the guys his mother pretty much everyone whom he could consider comrade.

"Ah? Young patriarch, so you've brought our benefactor here, no wonder I couldn't find you anywhere!"

The sound of a girl's voice, which resembled clear spring water, came from behind them. It served to break the teen from his thoughts as a girl around the same age as Qing He gently fluttered over on some almost transparent looking wings. She had a different hair style though, whilst Qing He's hair fell to the middle of her back, this one's hair fell to the back of her waist in length, with a princess brain going around the back of her head. Plus, she wore an... extravagant looking dress if he was judging the Nature Elf culture right.

Behind her followed a handsome, tall and slender young Nature Elf who looked to be around seventeen years old. His hair was short and similar in looks to Nico himself, with his clothes consisting of a leafy shirt with overalls made from vines. He looked to be at least 5 foot 7, himself. As Nico regarded this one, he instinctively began analysing him for any signs of combat ability. This one DID look older than He Lin after all, so Nico expected him to have some form of ability. However, when Nico looked at him, he saw that the guy looked only... average, in regards to combat proficiency. His energy seemed to be below average though. 'Looks like Qing Ye's fears are even more solid than I thought...' the teen thought worriedly. 'They literally have ZERO combat strength amongst any of them...'

"Big Sister Fei Yan, Big Brother Qing Zhu!" He Lin excitedly shouted their names in a clear voice, bounding up to them in greeting in which Nico and Qing He (Nico had long since gotten used to their naming sense at this point).

When the two arrived, both of them looked the black wearing Spec Ops Agent for a long while. During this time period, Nico himself shuffled under their gazes, the teen sensing how they were simply looking him over without any ill intent. Still didn't make him feel all that comfortable, despite his attempts to keep straight. The young Nature Elf named Qing Zhu then deeply bowed toward the redhead, once again surprising him. "You saved our young patriarch and… I don't even know how we can repay you."

"Thank you, kind human." The Nature Elf girl named Fei Yan graciously bowed as well. Her clear, beautiful eyes then continued to curiously size Nico up. Whatever she thought about him, the teen wasn't sure on and he did NOT want to use the Shingan on her to find out. The thought of using that item to probe these pure creatures felt... wrong, to the male. "There really are good people within humans too." she eventually commented.

At this, the redhead nearly scoffed at his supposed 'goodness' but didn't say anything back.

"Of course," He Lin replied with some pompousness. "When father and mother were still alive, they used to tell me that all the time. I knew that DEATHSTROKE was a really good person at first glance."

Though, just as he said that, Nico nearly jumped in surprise when Fei Yan gained a tick mark on her forehead. "Hmph! Young patriarch, you still have the gall to say that!?" Fei Yan yelled as she raised a hand and heavily bonked He Lin on the forehead, fuming. "Do you know that you almost scared all of us to death!? Granny Qing Ye cried so many times! You…!" She tried to say more on the scolding front, but eventually gave up when she saw the look on the younger boy's face. With a heavy sigh, the older girl continued. "If you dare to do something like this again, I'm going to ignore you from then on."

A low, pained groan escaped the boy's lips while rubbing his forehead where he got hit. Nico mentally swore that he saw a bump slowly forming there with a plaster on it, though he didn't comment. He Lin covered his hurt forehead and didn't dare to retort, looking like he had experienced this kind of feminine wrath once before. . He weakly answered quite pitifully, "Big Sister Fei Yan, I know that I was wrong. I won't dare to do it again. I only… I only wanted to go out to see the outside world. I never expected to be that unlucky… Uuu, I really won't do it again."

Fortunately for the young heir to the Nature Elf race, help came in the form of the flower-picking girl from earlier. "Fei Yan, don't speak to young patriarch like that. He will definitely be obedient from now on," Qing He protectively said in a gentle voice. When she was speaking, she sneakily glanced at Nico before hurriedly lowering her head again.

"Hmph, in any case, I'll be firmly looking after young patriarch from now on!" Fei Yan replied while puffing her cheeks.

All the while, the embarrassed and flustered He Lin chuckled nervously while rubbing the back of his head in an awkward manner. "Hehehehe, Well I..." he began, before trailing off when he suddenly tripped on his own two feet. "Ah?! Whoa-Whoa-Whoa!" His eyes widened in a startled mannerism as he flung his arms about to try and retain balance, to no available.

Each of the Nature Elves made to help him before he fell, but a simple elongated silhouette shot right past them, wrapping around He Lin's waist and lifting him jus lightly above the ground. For a moment, the onlookers blinked owlishly as they took that time to properly register what had happened to him... before they looked to see what had stopped their future Patriarch from falling. It looked to be... some sort of black Tentacle? It reminded them starkly of the night sky but even blacker, like the very essence of darkness itself. Looked really long and strong, too. But... where did it come from?

Meanwhile, Nico's eyes widened when he realized what he had reflexively done just now. When he had seen He Lin fall just now, he had acted out of instinct, unleashing a single uncloaked Tentacle to catch the young Nature Elf. The redhead tried to think of what had suddenly come over him for him to do this, but he had just revealed the existence of his Inner Ghoul to these people. He honestly hadn't known what had happened, but just as the kid had been about to fall, Nico recalled that time when he had almost devoured him and had that hallucination... which pretty much resulted in that instinctive response.

In the end though, it hardly mattered at this point, since he had just dug himself into one hole he should NOT have done.

'This is bad, this is bad, this is bad...!' Nico thought, already aware of what will happen next as he made to release the rest of his Kagune. He practically all but forgot his previous observations of them in favour of his previous experiences, all the while his mind got flooded with waves of panic and anxiousness. The words 'I'm in a land infested with enemies' registered in his mind, his Ghoul side making it so he could only think of those words. Part of him felt like using He Lin as a hostage just to get a head start, his mind already slipping as memories of his previous instances of being discovered replayed themselves.

Just as he made to unleash the rest of his Kagune including his Bikaku…

"Ooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, what are those?"

All of a sudden, a cute yet curious feminine voice rang out as Fei Yan, whom had been the closest to Nico's Kagune, stepped towards the Tentacle holding He Lin by the waist. Her eyes shined brilliantly with childish curiosity whilst she eyed the appendage used for killing. "This thing... it looks so wiggly and yet..." she experimentally poked it, nearly giggling from the shudders that it did as a result. Looking up when she felt eyes on her, Fei Yan tilted her head in confusion when she saw the look of bafflement on Nico's features. "Mister DEATHSTROKE? Is something the matter?"

"... Huh? Oh, um..." For a moment, Nico had lost himself to his internal shock at what he had just seen, but thankfully managed to regain his sense of self before he could go too far into THAT particular abyss. After he had regained himself though, Nico found himself dumbstruck once more, hesitation and confusion filling him about how to answer this question. It had been way easier for him to answer this in front of his comrades, since he had made the decision to use it in front of their presence, but to accidentally reveal it like this? To these strangers, practically? Not so much. "Its-Its nothing, its just my Tentacles, is all..." he tried to say, but found himself fumbling over his own words.

"Can we touch it?"

That question came from Qing Zhu, who stepped forwards and looked like he had been thinking about asking something for a while, but had decided to postpone it in favour of this new development. His eyes held an equal curiosity and childish innocence of which Fei Yan possessed when she saw his Rinkaku in action. In fact, there had been NOTHING in his body language that indicate any sort of fear or anxiety towards the grotesque black Tentacle. Nothing at all, which only befuddled the redhead more.

To that end, Nico had no idea how, but reluctantly he had unleashed the rest of his Rinkaku Kagune, and now had become witness to the group of teenage Nature Elves playfully poking, prodding and rubbing their hands over the many appendages. Almost like they were revering it, had it not been for the sheer wonder and awe in their eyes telling him their true feelings. Fei Yan had even once commented about his Kakugan and how 'cool' it looked, only serving to increase his befuddlement. Nico honestly didn't get it, what the hell was up with this situation? Why were these creatures not afraid of his Ghoul side in any ways?!

Glancing over to He Lin, Nico tried to believe that he himself would show a more... normal reaction to his Ghoulish self, a reaction which he had seen dozens of times in the past. If not from him, then when others saw other Ghoul's Kagune. Usually, their reaction would be one of fear, and the more cowardly people would even have pissed their pants at the sight of these killing appendages. However, the moment that Nico's eyes landed on He Lin, he once again found himself puzzled beyond imagination when he saw NONE of the previous reaction he once had when Nico nearly ate him alive after saving him from the auction. 'Wha…? Why...?'

"Because you're a good person."

"?!"

When He Lin suddenly spoke, breaking Nico out of his confusion, the redhead teen looked towards him like he had gotten a second head near instantaneously. Nico began to feel real irritated at this 'good person' crap these guys were spouting, he was no good person, no way in hell! He killed! He butchered! He devoured! He ripped, tore and shredded! He was a killer, a beast and a monster all at once! So how, how the FUCK could he be a good person?! This 'seeing into the souls' stuff must be getting to him...

Even when he saw all this flash across the Spec Ops Agent's face, He Lin showed no signs of being deterred, in fact they just kept going. "Big Brother DEATHSTROKE is a good person, I've seen it in your soul and your actions, now so have the rest of us. True you have done stuff, we've seen that, but at your core you still have a great heart. You haven't tried to do anything untoward any of us either, which is only a big plus for my people." he explained gently with a smile, even whilst he had been held above ground by a single Tentacle. This feeling did remind him of that time he almost lost his life to it, but moreover he saw none of the blind insanity that had plagued Nico's face back then. He had been in control, and that alone had been enough to keep him calm in this situation.

Meanwhile, Nico could only look at him like he was this complex puzzle that he had spent hours trying to solve... not too far from the truth, in Nico's eyes anyways. Had it... really been so easy for them? To just look passed all the bad stuff he had done and see what little spec of good still remained inside of his rotten self? This stuff mind boggled the fuck out of him...


30 minutes of the Nature Elves playing with Nico's Kagune later...

At this point, Qing Zhu couldn't hold back his curiosity anymore. On the flipside, Nico had noticed for a short while that the guy had been getting restless, more so by the second which passed. As a result, the Spec Ops teen did wonder when he would finally make his move, as he asked somewhat eagerly. "Young patriarch, what happened after you snuck out? And how is the outside world? Is it really as magical as what Granny Qing Ye and Uncle Qing Mu said it was? Tell us!" he questioned He Lin, mentioning the names of the woman whom had been talking to Nico and one of the few males in the race left, Qing Mu. A man nearly as old as Qing Ye.

"T-This…" He Lin began anxiously, some memories he'd rather not like to think about entering his mind. It must have been quick though, since it passed on pretty quickly, either that or the young boy held a bravery in him that not many his age would have. "I got caught by someone not too long after I snuck out. A-After that, I was always scared, so I didn't have time to think about anything else." he tried to explain to the others, before an idea came to him as his eyes widened in realization, "Ah! Right!" He Ling's eyes suddenly flashed as he turned to the sole member of this little group who actually LIVED in the outside world with little issue compared to them. "Mister DEATHSTROKE, how about you tell us about the outside world? Is that okay?"

He Lin's words, like a lightning bolt, served to practically instantly bring the three to their senses. Qin He, Fei Yan and Qing Zhu all immediately turned and looked towards Nico… who was the first human that came to their little world from the outside world. "Big Brother Benefactor, you must know a lot about the outside world. We really, really, really want to hear about it."

Four pairs of emerald eyes flashed with the same anticipation and longing. These gazes made Nico's very soul suddenly clench, as though it had been pricked with a needle. These people... these kids, pretty much. They had always lived a life on the run and spent it amidst terror and caution. something caused by the hands of the residents on this world, and if Qing Ye's words were true they hadn't even seen the worst of it. Their years up and off of Gamindustri sounded like it had been way more horrible than being here. They were only safe in this little place, their own little world like a chuuni trying to make their own reality to feel safe and secure in. To them, every place in the outside world could be said to be an abyss of death.

One could say that this little world they were in was their only safe haven... in the midst of an abyss which would swallow them whole the first chance they got.

Still, even with this, Nico still felt hesitant to talk about his many ventures across Gamindustri, his mind weighing what to tell them and what not to. No matter how pure these creatures were, no matter how different they had shown themselves to be from the norm, Nico couldn't shake the years of caution and paranoia he had been a companion to. There was a saying he had heard of, called 'rome wasn't built in a day'. He wasn't sure what the 'rome' part was, but the sentiment he could get behind. Having been doing something for so long, it would be impossible to just change like that, anyone who said otherwise needs to get their heads examined. They'd be even stupider than some of the psychos he'd ripped to shreds.

'Nico, perhaps you could tell them about the places you've been to, like those mountains in Leanbox, or that snowy field in Lowee? Tell them what the entirety of Gamindustri is like so they have a decent idea, even if they could never truly imagine it.'

… Biko just seemed to have MASTERED the ability to come to his aid whenever he needed it, didn't he?

Nico mentally chuckled to himself as he recalled the countless times Biko had aided him whenever he had been lost. That was what made him be ever so grateful to his Demon Persona, but for the time being, Nico decided to focus on the task at hand as he looked at the curious eyes upon him. "Well, if you all want to know so badly... how about this? Originally I was born in Planeptune, another Nation of which your elders once thought of moving to..." and so, Nico began to tell them about the... less extreme of his adventures. He didn't want to traumatize them with some of the more horrific shit he had done. He would describe the places he had been to as much as he could, some of the 'lesser extreme' of the creatures Nico had to fight, as well as some of the cultural achievements made through the recent years. But most importantly, he explained to them the various environments he'd been in, describing them in explicit detail just from recounting them.

Though, he had to thank the Avenger Package which awarded him skills to do with recollection.

And all the while, his little 'audience' listened to his words with rapt attention, their eyes sparkling with innocent joy and wonder. Heck, during the storytelling, all of them (including Nico himself) had sat down cross legged on the flower garden, letting the male's words fill their minds. Now, don't be fooled, the Nature Elves wouldn't have been able to imagine it clearly themselves, since they lacked the experience which came from the outside world. Even so however, to them, a race whom had been caged up in this small little world, the sheer wonder and mystery of it all served to bring them excitement just by itself. That was what Nico saw in their eyes at least...

"Wooowww… a land filled to the brim with brilliant white snow... as if looking upon a field of white which glistens in the night..." Fei Yan muttered under her breath in a mesmerised manner. The look in her eyes spoke volumes about her opinion on the matter, and if anyone were to look at her right now, they would just want to hug her to preserve that innocent expression she had on. Only, a second or two later, did she blink as a realization hit her, causing her to look down in a mass of sadness. "But... even after so many years, I've never even seen snow before..."

The same opinion got passed around the other Nature Elves, creating a sense of solemnness throughout the area.

At those words, Nico frowned to himself, wondering what he could do to change that. He hadn't spent very long with these beings, but even then Nico surprised himself. He surprised himself with how fond he was beginning to become for these beings. Their purity, innocence and honesty... how long had it been since he had seen something like that? That wasn't a question he wanted to entertain though, as he needed to figure out a way to pacify the young Nature Elf... just then, an idea popped into his head. Afterwards, a small smirk slowly spread onto his lips as he held up his right Bracer. "Really? Well then, mind if I... SHOW you what I'm talking about?"

His words, like lighting up a candle, lit up the curiosity and hope for the young kids (though one of them was actually older than him, now that he thought about it) before him. Raising his free hand, Nico then proceeded to manipulate the Bracer upon activating it, causing a holographic screen to appear. The teen then selected the camera option, and with a few presses... the teen had brought up a rather LARGE image of what looked like a Snowy Mountain. The photo itself had been taken from the ground, but it had been taken quite well. It captured the beauty and the 'scale' of the entire mountain, not to mention that it was snowing all around, so the full beauty formed from a bed of snow had been captured too.

"WWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWW...!" an almost chorus-like sound escaped the lips of the Nature Elves as they each gazed upon the photo with captivated eyes. All of them practically looked like they wanted to just jump right into the photo itself to see if they could experience what it was showing them, though Nico switched photos before they could do that. He showed them various photos of the places Nico had been to over his many missions, well, the ones that he had taken photos of anyways.

Seeing their faces, the male couldn't help but feel a swell of pride flare inside of him for some reason, and before he knew it, his mouth opened up and words came out... not of his own accord, it felt like. "These are some of the many places I've been to over the years. Your elders may tell you that the outside world is a perilous place, full of death, deception and pretty much every reason you could think of to remain in this village..." and they would be right to warn these young Nature Elves of that, he mentally added on to himself. Part of himself wondered why he wasn't shutting up right now, but when he'd look at their eager expressions that part of him just vanished into the winds.

Was this his... so called 'goodness' coming out?

No, that couldn't be, he wasn't a good person in the least!

But despite his current thoughts on that matter, Nico's words didn't stop flowing. "But with all these things, the world still has a sense of beauty to it. The world is cruel, but it is also very wonderful and beautiful if you know where to look. Think of this whenever you are in despair, and you'll be able to go far in life." At that point, did control over his motor functions return to him, and Nico promptly closed his mouth. Since when did he ever say anything like this? Also, why was it that he found himself believing in those words he just spouted like they weren't total nonsense? Before, Nico would have definitely called those words bullshit, saying how this world was ugly, disgusting and not worth a second look. So... what the hell changed? Nico had honestly been asking that question in his mind QUITE A LOT lately...

…?!

But, just as Nico looked towards his little 'audience' he became SURE his mind had begun making it a damned hobby to play tricks on him, cause he SWORE that the four just shimmered out of existence... becoming a familiar quartet of girls. The brown hair, the cream pink, lilac and crimson hair all became dead giveaways, along with the rest of their features: Neptune, Compa, IF and Lucy. Each of them looked at him with their own expressions, Neptune in He Lin's place beaming up at him, Compa taking Qing He's place looking up at him with that innocent look on her face, IF taking Qing Zhu's place looking at him with that slight smirk on her lips while Lucy who took Fei Yan's place had taken up the role of smirking seductively at him.

'...ahhh… I see...'

The moment that he saw them... Nico slowly began to understand.


After spending some time showing them the photos of places he had been to while telling them stories about them (stories he had looked up in his free time simply because he had been bored), Nico deactivated the camera function and his Bracer. Unlike what his internal expectations had been, this hadn't been as bad as he had thought. In fact, Nico had found it rather enjoyable, though considering what he had just realized, Nico could sort of see it.

Beneath the excitement they had never before felt, the faces of the four Nature Elf youths were all currently flushed. The eyes they looked at Nico with seemed to shimmer like bright stars—just a moment ago, they felt gratitude and curiosity toward him. What they felt now, however, was a sudden, intense, all-encompassing worship.

"I really… I really want to go see the place mister DEATHSTROKE talked about," muttered the sole male of the Nature Elves, his eyes looking glazed over as he lost himself in his own delusions. Nico could tell this was the case, since he'd seen it many times during his time with Neptune. Though, seeing it on a guy this time felt like... an interesting eye-opening experience.

Still, it didn't feel right to leave here without giving them something to hope for. Though, Nico knew for a FACT that if these guys wanted to see the outside world, then their journey would be one hell of a long, perilous one. "I'll be blunt then: One of the most important things for you all to know about the outside world, is that out there strength will let you go a long way. Might makes right is the basic rule of life in Gaminsdustri, if you're not strong enough to fight, then people will trample all over you like you're nothing but a pile of straw, and you will surely lose your life out there. Therefore, I you all want to see the outside world, you must train yourselves to handle any kind of combat situation."" Nico explained, and in his head he couldn't help but think something. 'Geez, I feel like one of those senior agents advising the younger generation on how to pursue their own careers without conking out early.'

His words however, seemed to have reached them though, judging by how all of them looked at him in that moment. Nico strangely got the feeling like he had inadvertently don something to them that he hadn't intended to. "Mister DEATHSTROKE… oh! Can we…" For a moment, Fei Yan showed herself as earnest as the rest of them, completely spellbound for some reason Nico didn't understand. However, soon into this state, an idea came into her head and snapped her out of it. Yet, the moment it did, her entire face became filled with nervousness as she shuffled about on her spot on the flower-covered ground. "Can you... perhaps tell us your name?"

Hearing their female brethren's words, stars lit up all their eyes as He Lin, Qing He and Qing Zhu also looked at him. Each of them quickly adopted the same nervous yet excited and hopeful expressions Fey Yan sported, all of them sharing the desire to learn the real name of the one whom had reunited them with their patriarch... and had asked for such a small price in return!

On his end, Nico however didn't have the same attitude. For a moment, the teen's eyes widened in surprise as his body tensed. It was only through his quick thinking that he had managed to suppress his Kagune and by extension, his Ghoul Side, from lashing out at them in response to that invasion of privacy. Even if these people reminded him of his own comrades, it didn't mean he saw them AS his comrades, no it as more like he saw them as their own beings, and as such his trust in them… well, it wasn't the same as the girls. Even though Nico could gladly admit that they were definitely more than strangers.

Still, considering what Fei Yan had asked him... to reveal his true name to these creatures? These Abnormals who seem so far away from what is initially expected of their kind? Such a ting would never have appeared in Nico's mind, no instead Nico likely would have just sliced them to pieces by this point. Very few would ask him what his real name was without knowing him for a while first, since Nico casually projected an aura of secrecy and reservation. That meant that any who tried poking their noses where they didn't belong got... a rather sinister response from him in return. Several people have already tried poking into his business, his past and whatnot... and none of them met very fortunate ends.

So... why should these creatures be any different?

'Perhaps it's just their innocent natures, Nico... These creatures, these Nature Elves... they simply want to know your name, nothing more and nothing less. There's literally NO hidden intentions, NO ulterior motives, NO desires to end you. I can tell because not ONCE did any of them form any sort of dark, sinister emotions. This is quite possible one of the purest species we have ever encountered, a race where even yourself and myself can let our guard down and be okay in the long run. It boggles my mind that such a creature exists... a creature of such purity that anyone would want to be friends with them.'

Biko's words reverberated through Nico's mind, and after a moment of consideration o his part, taking in his Demon Persona's testimony Nico finally came to a decision. It would go against what he normally did, it would even go as far as to turn every aspect of his ideals revolving Abnormals on its head... but then again, that had been happening a lot today so what's one more? Not like it hadn't benefited him so far, in fact Nico would dare to say that this trip benefited him quite a bit, and NOT by increasing his strength or anything. If anything, Nico felt more... at peace, in this place. Like this place was the garden of Eden in a world full of sin and corruption.

Such a thing...

Nico never thought it would have existed, but here it was.

At the question, Nico's lips slowly, but surely, widened into a small smile. His eyes gained this soft, tender look which, unbeknownst to him, would make quite a few girls' hearts melt at the sight of, as he gave his answer. "My name's... Nico."

"Nico..."

Each of them muttered his name under their breaths while looking down in comprehension. F or a moment, Nico wondered if they even liked the idea of his name being so... different, at least in comparison to theirs. Their culture and his own held different naming standards after all, not to mention Nico had discarded his last name a long, long time ago. A name which only served to remind him of the origins of his heritage, a subject worthy of scorn in his eyes. Perhaps if things were different with those Nobles, then MAYBE he'd have a different opinion about them, but as of right now, that wasn't the case.

In the end though, none of his previous concerns regarding these few came to fruition, especially when he saw one of them grin so brightly that it rivalled the sun. "Big Brother Nico!" Qing Zhu hollered excitedly, his broad grin accompanied by the brightness in his eyes whilst he stopped himself from bouncing up and down in excitement.

An irritated Fei Yan then gave a glare in his direction, although the more Nico looked, the more that he saw how it was jealousy and not irritation. He could even sense that emotion starting to rise from within her. "Y-y-you… big dummy! You stole my thunder again! I want to say it too…! Big Brother Nico!" As Fei Yan called out, her eyes bent into thin crescents. Then, she tugged at the Qing He beside her, who seemed to be quite quiet as she shuffled about on her seat, looking like she was trying to be as small as possible. "Big Sister Qing He, you're not talking much today. Hurry up and call him Big Brother Nico!"

In response to her companion's urging, Qing He slowly stood up from her prior sitting position, before she then took a small step forward. Though, she still had yet to lift her head, to the redhead teen's confusion. Eventually however, she stopped right when she was within talking distance of him, and was it just him or did Nico see some steam slowly rising from her face like a certain female ninja who stalked the blonde future leader of their village? Nico brought himself out of those musings though, when he heard her mutter out something under her breath which, if he didn't have his enhancements from the Gene Seed and his Ghoul Side, he likely wouldn't have been able to hear. "Big... Brother Nico..."

The way she spoke so softly and slowly, without looking up at the male very much, it brought on a bout of worry from the others, prompting her to get questioned by Qing Zhu. "...Qing He... what's wrong? You… ah? Why is your face kind of red? Are you sick?" he questioned in confusion wen he saw slight red on Qing He's cheeks, tilting his head to the side much like how Nico sometimes did.

It... kind of surprised him, seeing something he himself did, but from the opposite perspective.

After a second or two of looking at her, a sound of exclamation escaped the other girl's lips. "Ah! I got it!" Fei Yan shouted, clicking her fingers while swishing her hand across her chest. She then pointed towards Qing He with a look of triumph, like she had figured out something amazing and very difficult. "Big Sister Qing He must have fallen for Big Brother Nico!" She proclaimed...

definitely getting a response from the other female Nature Elf.

"N-NO I HAVEN'T!" The faint color of the red dawn instantly became a gorgeous sunset and immediately spread to her jade colored neck as her head dropped even lower. Then, she gently stamped her foot all of a sudden and turned to run like a startled butterfly… never daring to shoot Nico a single glance during the entire process.

"Wahaha! I guessed right!" Fei Yan exclaimed, laughing with satisfaction whilst she bent forwards with her hands clutching her stomach. Then, she her bright eyes looked directly at Nico with mischievous, downright playful look that the redhead compared to those Neptune made whilst pulling pranks. "Big Brother Nico, Qing He ran away due to embarrassment, you'd better take responsibility!"

""H-Huh?" Nico exclaimed, surprise on his features unlike embarrassment which had dominated Qing He.

'BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! DAMN KING, EVEN WITH ABNORMALS, YOU'RE A FREAKING PIMP! WHAT, CAN WE EXPECT SOME NAUGHTY ACTIONN WITH MONSTERS NOW?! HAHAHAHAHAHA!'

'...Biko, please pull out the flamethrower.'

'... Can I bring out that rusty katana with the really painful edges? Molotov Cocktails? Shotguns?'

'Knock yourself out.'

'Thank you.'

'HUH? WHA? WAIT, WHERE'D YOU GET A FLAMETHROWER?! WAIT, WHY ARE YOU COMING AT ME WITH THAT RUSTY THING?! OH SHIT, YOU'RE NOT GETTING MY BALLS! EN GUARDE!'

Nico mentally sighed once he began hearing sounds of conflict through his link to Biko, shutting it off seconds later. That'd keep them busy for a time, he thought. Just then, he recalled something He Lin had told him when they had been riding over to this forest on Ember, something about his culture and people. According to the Patriarch, Nature Elves bore the purest of nature energy. As a result, the females tended to be gentle and beautiful, while the males extremely pretty. However, because of this, they would lack masculinity. To Nature Elf girls who were accustomed to their girly (possibly #SHUDDER# trap material) male counterparts, the moment they got close or became curious about a guy like Nico, the redhead's 'manliness', along with his sharpness tempered by countless hardships, would produce an attractiveness that would most likely be fatal.

Remembering that information, Nico couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. Embarrassment, anxiety, doubt, worry and fear. Embarrassment came from having an obviously attractive woman thinking that he had those qualities, qualities she likely didn't even know about herself. It did... something to him, though he couldn't call it inflating his own ego, since he didn't see himself as a good enough person for it. Instead, the more dominant emotions were the latter emotions, Nico worried that if someone who... well let's just say had less than pure intentions towards her, and Qing He still wasn't used to how 'men' looked, then that could lead to something... something he didn't even want to think about.

Then, just as he felt himself about to spiral into the... darker areas of his mind, areas born from his hardships and his own insanity, Nico caught sight of the uncomfortable look on He Lin's face. The child looked to be trying to restrain himself from saying something, judging by how he gripped the hems of his clothes tight enough that if he tugged, they would have ripped. Not only that, but Nico could sense a whole MAELSTROM of chaotic emotion swarming wildly through the child's core right now, their state being so chaotic that even himself had difficulty ascertaining them all. But, from what little he could tell though, Nico felt that it was something he REALLY wanted to get out "What is it, He Lin? What seems to be troubling you?"

"Ah... ahahaha…" Surprise suddenly etched itself onto the child Patriarch's features, as if he didn't think Nico would have noticed him given the situation only to be proven wrong. Nervously chuckling, He Lin then rubbed the back of his head, looking down towards the ground whilst he spoke. "He Lin was a fool to think big brother Nico would not notice... little brother He Lin will remember to always be aware of big brother Nico's observation ability..." he commented, before he lowered his hand to his side and gave a sad, conflicted sigh. "Um...Big Brother has done a lot for me already... bringing me back to my people, saving my life when no human would have done the same..."

'What is his deal...?'

That thought raced through the redhead's mind as he tried to get a grasp of his thought process via the Shingan. Honestly, the things he'd seen and sensed concerned him, and considering his demeanour Nico doubted that He Lin would speak properly. However, before he could even use that item, the redhead saw that the youngest Nature Elf had already gathered his courage, judging by how his features morphed into a face of determination. "But... if big brother doesn't mind... may I request something of you...?"

Taking a small breath. He Lin steadied his nerves whilst his heart threatened to explode out of his chest. "I...If it's not too much trouble, I mean... big brother has no obligation to hear my request... but, please... would it be alright if you could... help me find my sister?" At the end of that overdrawn out sentence, He Lin lowered his head in a dramatic fashion, bowing lowly and deeply towards him.

'Wait, what?!'

"Young Patriarch?!"

Nico exclaimed in his mind, whilst externally the astonished exclamations from his fellow Nature Elves. Each of them looked at He Lin like he had grown a second head. Qing Zhu looked like he had lost the ability to speak, his eyes bulging so much that they threatened to come out of their sockets while his jaw had dropped. Fei Yan looked absolutely stunned, alarmed even, at her Patriarch whilst he remained in this bowing position. Not even looking up at them once this whole time.

The redhead male on the other hand, looked on in absolute bewilderment, unable to believe what he was seeing. Not to mention what he had been hearing too, about the kid's sudden request. This chid… he had seriously, SERIOUSLY asked him to help him look for his sister. The sister that, according to what he had learned, had apparently been separated from him for a while. He had asked for Nico's help in finding him... why would the kid ask him that? Nico soon found himself wanting to kick his own shin for that stupid question, of course He Lin would ask him that, the kid saw him as someone unbelievably powerful, and he could trust him. Especially with what Nico had done for him so far, along with those soul sensing abilities his kind had. Not only that, but Nico finally began to feel some negative emotions from Nature Elves, since so much purity had been hurled Nico's way. He could sense the selfishness in the kid at those words, but Nico didn't sense any hostile intent towards him. Heck, it had only been a spec in a massive pool of purity, or to make a better analogy, a small seed within a planet's soil.

But... Nico didn't know how to answer this kid's earnest plea for help, he really didn't. In the past, Nico would have likely just decapitated the kid for even suggesting that he go along with an Abnormal's request, as in his self before he had started this journey with Compa and Neptune. The self who hadn't experienced the trials of Zelretch yet... but now? Now, things had been different, and THAT had been a major impact on his thought process right now. He Lin had shown him that he wasn't like the other Abnormals, and had even shown him a full species, albeit an endangered one, who had similar views which pretty much threw what he knew up on its head. But... even with this, Nico had his own stuff to attend to, and a lot of it had to do with training, exploration, getting stronger and helping his comrades get through what had happened on Halo Mountain, Nico was no fool, he knew it had an impact on them all, some worse than others. Not to mention his request... with the lack of information Nico had about this kid's sister, it would likely take a long time, and he wasn't sure he would be able to do much about it. At least for the time being.

Fortunately for Nico however, he didn't have to. Especially since he sensed a presence coming towards them at a leisurely pace. Turning towards the presence's source, Nico noticed it was one of the more elderly of the Nature Elves, that one guy whom had hugged He Lin back when they arrived at this Village. Qing Mu, Nico remembered his name being, the guy being about as tall as Nico's base height had been in the beginning of the story, wearing leather clothing and carrying a wooden cane. The moment that he saw that Nico had registered his presence, the old Nature Elf unleashed a sigh from his chest.

That sigh managed to get the attention of the other Nature Elves.

"Uncle Qing Mu!" That exclamation escaped both Fei Yan and Qing Zhu at the same time, their eyes white and circular whilst they hastily got up and moved out of the way. That allowed the man to approach the youngest of the Nature Elves, his eyes having a light scolding look in them as He Lin looked up towards him at last. Seeing the look in his uncle's eyes, He Lin could only assume what would be happening next.

Something which came in the next few seconds as the older Nature Elf shook his head. "Young patriarch, you should stop inconveniencing our benefactor. You are only a child at the moment and the most appropriate thing for you to do right now is to depend on us to grow up. Once you've grown up, you should then try your hardest to become someone on whom we can then depend, as well as repay our benefactor for saving your life." He stated with a mix of bluntness and softness... in a rather weird mix, but that was the best one could ascertain from that tone. One could also say it was of a grandfatherly nature, yeah let's go with that.

As he listened to the elderly Nature Elf's words, Nico mentally sighed to himself. The more he heard, the more he felt this urge to do something... something regarding the resigned look which slowly formed on He Lin's face. Just looking at the kid's face sent his heart into a clenching overdrive, and he did NOT like it one single bit. 'Ugh... sometimes, I wish I didn't have this heart... it gets so annoying when I just want to get shit done...' the teen thought to himself. Glancing over to the future Heir to this species, whom had the look of someone who had been utterly defeated, the male released a sigh through his nose, raising a leather glove bound hand and pinching his nose's bridge, his eyes closed. 'Man, I know I'm going to regret this...'

Just as he thought that, He Lin finished listening to Qing Mu's light scolding with his expression one of defeat and resignation. After making sure that he didn't look like he was about to cry at having his hopes for reuniting with his sister dashed out of existence, he turned back to Nico and lowered his head apologetically. "This younger brother apologises to big brother Nico. I was selfish, so please for-"

"What's your sister's name?"

"?!"

Just as he had been making to apologize to him, Nico suddenly asked He Lin the name of his older sister with a straight face, his hands inside his Trench Coat pockets. The teen may look neutral, but inside his mind the teen cursed himself inside. Just by looking at that face Hel Lin had sported, Nico had felt the desire to help him. To see that kid cry like that, it reminded him so much of when his childhood friend would fall into despair a few times during their time together. He NEVER wanted to see that expression on Compa's face and seeing it on He Lin's seemed to provoke the same feelings inside of him... thus, it resulted in his desire to fulfil the child's request no matter how difficult it would be.

Just how the hell did he change so much? What the hell? "In the future, I get the feeling that my travels will take me to places far from the norm in Gamindustri. During those travels, the chance that I may encounter your sister and perhaps a few of the Elves who protect her, is quite likely. I may not be able to intentionally locate her due to lack of information..." he began, continuing when he noticed the slightly dejected look forming on his face. "But if I happen to see her, perhaps I could refer her to this area. Or even bring her here myself since I know the way."

Though, despite his own opinions on the subject, Nico felt like he had done something drastic towards He Lin's mood. Especially when he saw how shocked and filled with disbelief he looked right now. Like, he had lost hope he had in the possibility of reuniting with quite possibly the only family member he had left. Not adoptive family members as he seemed to see his brethren, but actual family. Though, a few blinks later, the male observed another change in him, as that shock soon got replaced with an overwhelming sense of happiness, joy even. "Ah!" He Lin's eyes shone brightly, and he started to tremble with excitement, "Big Brother Nico, my older sister… her name is He Ling... He Ling!"

He Ling... That name...

When he heard it, Nico mentally noted to record it into his memory. Even Biko recorded it under the redhead's request, recorded it inside the Inner World. All the while, Nico inquired further as to her characteristics. He needed a better description of her than just a name, since names could be faked and manipulation using them wasn't uncommon. Plus, they could be aliases to hide their true identities. "Can you tell me what she looks like? Can she be differentiated from other Nature Elves?" he queried further.

As a result, He Lin eagerly gave Nico an apt description of his older sister. Apparently, she should be beneath the age of 20, but well into her late teens, with long emerald green hair and grassy green eyes. She had a bright skin tone underneath a green dress normally, with a rather innate timidness to her default expression. Every bit of intel Nico got from He Lin about this person, the teen burned it into his mind, so he'd remember it in the future. 'Whoever this He Lin is... wherever she is... I hope that i'll be able to find her before the wrong kind of person does...'

'I get the feeling that you may have jinxed us there, Nico.'

'Please don't, I'd rather not think about that...'

Seeing the act that took place in front of him, despite what he had initially thought, a soft and warm smile graced the elderly Elf's lips as he gazed fondly towards them. More specifically at the redhead."Thank you benefactor, I truly don't know how to say thank you enough." To Qing Mu, the man could understand what He Lin truly wanted, to reunite with his sister and have somewhat of a family again, it was something which drove his mischievous ventures outside of their quaint little village. As he saw the child as a surrogate son of his own, since his own wife had passed away thanks to a disaster years ago. Thus, he could tell what He Lin wanted the most, and to see that someone would be willing to help him... yeah, this young human, he may not see it himself, but there was a strong sense of compassion within his heart. Buried beneath oceans of dark mist, hidden from view.

Nico, unaware of his thought process since he wasn't looking it over, waved him off with a single hand, before returning it into the confines of his Trench Coat. "It is of no consequence to me, sir Qing Mu." he replied evenly. Though, he got the same feeling that this man would treat this in a similar manner to Qing Ye did when she had vehemently told him how the Nature Elves repaid their debts. The two looked like they came from the same generation after all... and honestly, seeing that they indeed held their words to him, Nico began to grow all the fonder of them. Seeing beings who stick to their words, showing a sense of honour and proper conduct, it was not a common sight to see.

Made him wish there were more like them in the world...


By the time that he had thought to check the time, surprise awaited Nico. When he had checked the time on his Bracer, the male had discovered that it had been almost half an hour since he arrived in this tiny desolate world of Nature Elves. That showed him that he had spent way too long in this place, and no longer needed to stay any longer. Not when he had his answers, not one part of him even ENTERTAINING the thought of cannibalising them. He didn't let his Ghoul side out for a moment during this entire time, even though it almost had a couple times. He just couldn't, not with what he had learned today.

These Abnormals...

No, these PEOPLE, they were just too good for this world, a small spec of innocence in this otherwise sick, wretched existence. Their way of life, their past, their culture, the personalities of each Nature Elf, none of it had any signs of the common Abnormal, in face they seemed way too human to be such. Hell, he'd believe it if they really were human, ad for the first time... Nico honestly didn't feel any need to hurt them, and now that he had brought some manner of hope into their lives by bringing He Lin back to them, Nico felt this swell of pride inside his gut. Was THIS what that guy had been talking about? When he had been so cold about killing the Fishmen back at the water trial?

As a result, Nico did NOT want to taint them with any more tragedy than they had already suffered, thus he would forever remember these people... as the first Species of Abnormals Nico would refuse to kill. No matter the circumstance. He'd die valiantly on that hill, he swore it. This had been the conclusion Nico had come to during his short stay here, an uncommon occurrence since normally he'd only trust someone beyond acquaintance if he had been with them for a long time. It was how he came to trust Neptune and the others, after all.

Whilst the teen walked back to the entrance, hands in his pockets and a pondering look on his face, the greenish black vines automatically unwoven themselves, revealing that same narrow passage. Just as he had mentally assumed, the male couldn't sense any Abnormals within the immediate area. Perhaps he could spend some time within the wilderness, do a bit of camping and unwind from all the stress that had built up from all the revelations today. 'I'll set my Bracers to automatically detect anything which gets to close, but first I'd have to find a proper camp site, set the proper traps, among other things. Now that I think about it, its been a while since I last did any sort of Camping...'

'Perhaps you could do some camping as a social activity with the Party. Constant training is good, but not many people can sustain that kind of regimen like you can.'

'HAH, WE COULD ALWAYS GO AND HUNT SOME MORE ABNORMALS YA KNOW! EATING THOSE FUCKERS BACK IN THOSE TRIALS WAS EXQUISITE! WE CAN ADD PROPERTIES TO MY POWER FOR MORE VERSATILITY!'

'... I'll think about it, both of those things, you two.'

Behind Nico whilst he conversed with his two Personas, a group of Nature Elves gathered together, intending on bidding him farewell. A lot of them had been teenage girls though, ones whom had been allowed to hug him in thanks for saving their Patriarch. Speaking of said Patriarch, He Lin was among the group—his eyes having become red from crying tears of joy when he had been alone. Tears which had came from the possibility that he would be reunited with his sister in the near future.

Just before the male could go into the passage however, his thought process got halted when he sensed one of the Nature Elves approaching him from behind. Like the sound of grass being patted down underfoot didn't do anything at all. Slowly, the male turned to face whom had approached him, to find that it was Qing Ye, carrying some... strange looking bottles in her hands. The moment she was within talking distance, she stopped before him with a look in her eyes which could only be described as reverence. "Young man, a few questions will NEVER be enough to repay your kindness. If you don't mind, how about you take this with you, perhaps it might save your life in times of crisis." After saying her piece, Qing Ye placed the three small delicate jade bottles into his hands.

For a moment, Nico shuddered as he wrestled with his instincts to slice away at the person touching him, invading his personal space. But thankfully as soon as they had come, they had left once their 'cargo' had been 'delivered' to his palms. Looking down at the jade bottles, the male wondered what the heck they were, his eyes sharp as he tried to figure out their identity. Putting 2 in his Void Storage (which prompted some intrigued looks from the Nature Elves when they saw his Bracers), Nico held one of the bottles at eye level. "This is?"

"This is something unique to our clan, the 'Nature Elf Miracle Dew', which is collected from the Spring of Origin that flowed from the land of our ancestors. It contains the magical powers of nature, that when consumed, will heal your wounds and restore your strength in the blink of an eye. These are the last three drops that we possess, we sincerely hope that they can be of great assistance to you in the future." Qing Ye replied whilst proceeding to explain the item that she had given him. As he listened, the male eyed the bottle intently, almost as if he were a scanner trying to identify even the tiniest errors. Although the male had no clue how powerful the restorative effects would be, if these guys claim it had been from this 'spring of origin' thing, then he doubted this would be like ordinary medicine. There WERE the Phoenix Tears of which he'd gotten from the Trials, too. Thus, Nico accepted the gifts with a thankful smile and a nod, depositing the last bottle into his Void Storage

Once again, he gave the gathered Nature Elves one last look over, before turning to leave...

"Big Brother Nico!"

The voice of a young girl yelled out from afar, carrying a sense of urgency and intense need to say his name. Although anxious, it still held an ethereal tone to it, like wind brushing past tranquil water. Still, it succeeded in its goal as Nico halted his steps and in front hi, not to mention the surrounding Nature Elves' surprised gazes. Turning towards the source with his Trench Coat flapping in the direction of his motion, Nico soon gazed upon a familiar Nature Elf Girl rushing towards him from a different direction, thus not having to waste time barging through the assembled crowd.

Once she was before him, Qing He stopped in her beautiful, colourful clothes. Her cheeks looked flushed from extensive running, even so her eyes glimmered and her slightly swelling chest heaved as she struggled to control her breathing. The teen's nose twitched as he smelled the sweat rolling off her form and is Ghoulish instincts to devour started to stir. Though, the male kept his neutral façade up as he wrestled to keep them at bay.

It was easy for him to subdue them however, and once he did Nico allowed himself to look back towards the young Nature Elf girl. "Qing He, I have to go." he said, a small confused frown planting itself onto his lips whilst he wondered just what the heck this girl had been doing to get here like this. 'Obviously she must have ran for a prolonged time, and with her current frame, I doubt she has much stamina...' Nico added in his mind.

'Agreed.'

"Big Brother Nico … " Qing He began once she got some control over her breathing once again. She then slowly lifted her hands and within her beautiful, delicate palms, lay a bracelet, strung from seeds of different flowers, completed by a small emerald-colored gem. "This is.. this is a charm I made with my own hands, i-it can definitely protect Big Brother Nico..." she tried to say, without looking at him in the eye that is.

All the while, Nico couldn't help but feel... something, deep within. Something akin to the warmth of the sun when he stared at this girl. Was this what... being moved was called? Thinking back, the male tried to remember the last time any girl tried to do something like what Qing He was doing for him... but only remembered the few times Compa made him some trinkets before he left her home for good all those years ago. He still had them in his Void Storage, even to this those feelings surging from within, Nico stepped forward and received the bracelet with both his hands. The scent of the fresh flowers and plants flowed into his nose—indeed informing him that the seeds had just been picked not too long ago, meaning that the bracelet was crafted very recently. The little crystal green gem had a girl's fragrance… This aroma could only be emitted because it was fortunate enough to stick closely to the skin of a young girl.

He would know, he'd been surrounded by such girls for a long while now.

Staring down at the bracelet in his hands in utter surprise, for a moment Nico honestly didn't know what to say. The last time he had gotten anything like this was years ago, and that time he got Compa that charm didn't count since he had been the one to get it for her. Though, thinking back to what Compa had done to him when she got the charm, Nico looked back to her and spoke with a soft, pleased smile as he patter her on the forehead. "Thank you, Qing He... I'll keep it with me all the time." he told her, and he meant it. It wasn't often this happened (after all, he didn't talk to many people voluntarily outside the girls and his few guy comrades, so yeah), so he'd be damned if he didn't treasure a gift such as this.

Though, there was one thing that the teen, despite his experience in dealing with girls for a long time, didn't expect to happen. His words made the Nature Elf girl lower her head, softly biting her lips before she then found the courage to raise her head. "Big Brother Nico, in the future, will…. will you come visit us often?" she asked him with a volume that just barely got above whisper levels. The way she shuffled about on the spot like she did, pretty much spoke volumes about her confidence levels right now as she glanced to the side a couple times.

Despite this state, Nico quickly peered through her façade, his previous experiences coming into effect when he saw her look. To be frank, Nico got reminded of Compa whenever she wanted to ask something of him, from Qing He. Thus, he could tell EXACTLY what she wanted, and that was to be able to see him again in the near future. Normally, he wouldn't have promised this to an Abnormal of all people, but he'll make an exception for this race. They weren't Abnormals in his eyes, not anymore. His eyes sharpened, and a serious yet determined stare formed on his features. "I will." He replied firmly, adding a nod for extra reassurance. Her gaze, her whisper and the sheer purity he could feel oozing from this person's core… Nico couldn't help but get the feeling that even if one's core was made out of stone or steel, never would they have the heart to cruelly reject her or let her down.

She looked just that precious... just like Compa.


After finally leaving the village, Nico leisurely walked out of the Nature Elves' hidden sanctuary. He held his hands in his pockets whilst gradually beginning to radiate the crimson aura that came from his Demonic Energy. All the while, the secret passage disappeared under the weaving of the greenish black wines. It was as if it vanished into thin air. From what the male could tell, other than being hidden by the vines, the entrance seemed to be protected by some sort of illusion ability, or perhaps it was something to do with Lowee since they specialised in Magic. But Nico could sense that the thing protecting and hiding that village from view was to do with nature, so perhaps it had been some sort of illusion unique to the Nature Elves. One that interfered with one's vision and energy sensing capabilities. An interesting feature... though, when he used his Demonic Energy to help his senses, Nico noticed that he could sense the village just fine. Abnormals had nothing on Demons themselves then, it seemed... just like what Biko had implied when he explained about the Demons and their rankings.

Still, if one's ability to sense was advanced enough though, or they were at least on Nico's own level, then they wouldn't need to concentrate to detect it. This was probably why the Nature Elf race mostly chose to take refuge in a place where there were few humans who could reach this level of destructive potential, at least in comparison to Planeptune, Lastation and Lowee. Though, their own needs had to be taken into consideration as well, something Nico found himself... surprisingly able to empathise with.

And yet, as Nico walked out of the passage way and into the forest itself, the redhead male glanced behind him for a brief moment, gazing at the section of vines which hid the passageway from view. His eyes flashed with many different emotions, emotions which appeared way too fast for anyone to disconcert, before he turned forwards again and walked off towards the direction of the Leanbox Capital MICROSOFT. The stay he had in that village... it showed him a whole lot of things... but there was one thing that he felt certain about amidst the whirlpool within his being...

That being that he hoped to the Goddesses that those people wouldn't have to suffer any more...