Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this dreadful time… especially for the one whose strength is his greatest vulnerability.

~保護者~

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Hello, MelGamingPlays! Yeah, Vector's been a huge help already. Thanks, my dude! XD

~保護者~

"Whispers"

~保護者~

Things were relatively quiet now, Wave reflected, starkly contrasting the chaotic sounds of battle from earlier in the day. Walking through the heaps of corpses, most demonic but some not, she couldn't help but shake her head in dismay. These had been mere, rank-and-file, low-level demons. Once upon a time, she and Jet could have easily wiped them all out with scarcely a thought. The amount of destruction left behind on this day, however, proved to her beyond any shadow of a doubt that times were changing. More than that, their enemies were changing. Growing. Evolving. The demons, in particular, seemed to be growing exponentially more dangerous with each passing day. How was it that demons that had once been considered so strong were now seen as the weakest? Did she dare imagine what the more powerful beasts were now like? And what were they supposed to do when those more powerful demons inevitably came? And then there was the matter of that woman…

With Jet out of commission, it seemed the only available option was to wait.

The problem was, she wasn't very good at that.

Not when so much needed to be done.

Neatly stepping over a still-moist puddle of blackish demonic flesh and blood, she approached the young queen Saraya just as the woman sent away some soldiers with firm orders pertaining to clean up. Seeing the swallow approach, the teenaged hawk crossed her arms loosely. "Look if you're here to rub in the fact-"

Wave held up a hand to stop her. "No. I would never be so childish and petty. Especially not now." Saraya huffed, but simmered down a degree. "I assume you've only sent people after the demons that don't have black blood."

Another huff. "Obviously. I may not know a ton about these creatures like you and Pati, but I know fucked-up substances when I see them." She glanced over some of the nearest bodies that littered the once tranquil landscape. "Shit looks hella toxic to me."

The old, familiar word of "pati" caused a smile to tug at the corner of Wave's lips, but she was quick to resume being serious. "You'd be right about that," she said. "To any non-demonic entity, that blood is so toxic that it's effects are worse than acid. The second even just a drop it makes contact with any sort of flesh, you're pretty much a goner. ...Jet learned that the hard way quite a while back."

Saraya actually winced at the idea. "Guess that explains why those particular carcasses are festering so much already," she grumbled. "I'll send some of the better aura users after them. They've got enough ability and control not to let anything drip or whatever."

Content to let the queen take charge, as was her right, Wave offered no complaints. "That's a fine idea. Just be careful where you dispose of them. Teleporting them out of the system would probably be ideal so that no one accidentally comes into contact with anything."

"Yeah," Saraya nodded, eyes still surveying the landscape. It was such a shame, really. These gardens had once been so pristine… truly the pride of some of the people living here. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Not as many of our people died here as I'd feared," she admitted quietly, "but people did die because of my idiocy. It's my fault." Not one to indulge in pity-parties, she fixed Wave with a dire look. "What all can I do to prevent more death? Obviously staying away from certain regions of space is one thing, but this," she gestured with an arm to the visibly wrecked barriers far above the sky, "is beyond anything I now how to fix. Even you and pati couldn't fix them."

"Not in such a short span of time, no," Wave agreed, "but I do actually have a surprising bit of good news. Remember the man your pati always used to tell stories about? The guy with super speed who could control Chaos?"

Now openly confused, Saraya slowly nodded her head. "...Yeah… we all do. He told us lots of stories about his old friends."

"And do you remember the blue hedgehog who was here for a bit a while ago?" Wave asked. Saraya thought for just a second before her mouth dropped open. The Hexan's mouth quirked up in a smile again. "Yeah, that was him. Not just a descendant of him, but actually him. See, the unique thing about Chaos is that it can sometimes be used alongside copious amounts of Light to bring people back from the dead. Lady Chaos herself might be mostly sealed away, but her sister's not. That sister revived Sonic a while back. Similarly, one of them revived Kath during that fight earlier today."

Apparently, it was possible for Saraya to look even more stunned. "Kath?" she demanded when she finally found her voice again. "The Kath? As in, Queen Laralei's husband?"

Wave nodded. "The very same. And considering he's the one who constructed these barriers to begin with, he happens to have some pretty intimate knowledge about how they work and how to fix them. The few schematics he actually left behind can only help Jet and I learn so much. Most of the intel is still in the guy's head, for better or for worse." She turned her gaze upward. "Anyway, good news is that he's back and, knowing him, he's probably already gone up there to deal with this little problem… even though I did ask him to stick around here a little longer. Always so stubborn, just like Jet."

After a few seconds of contemplative silence, Saraya spoke up again. "So the barriers should be functional again soon, in that case… but you mentioned something to me a few hours ago about something 'big' coming." She met Wave's gaze with a worried frown. "My first concern is what the hell you were talking about. And secondly, will the barriers hold?"

All at once, Wave's vaguely good mood vanished. She let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know all the details, Saraya. I with I did, and if I learn anything more then I'll tell you, but right now… Right now, all I know is this." Saraya waited expectantly as Wave took just a second to gather her thoughts. "Word came from my friends on Mobius that three young girls somehow wound there with the group. As you can imagine based on the circumstances, they're not just some random person's kids. They're the daughters of the Demonic God, and… well… he's not exactly happy that they've seemingly been kidnapped. They weren't, mind you, but from the outside looking in, it's really easy to understand why he or others might see it that way. And, unfortunately, he has no way of knowing right now if the girls are there… or here."

The young queen lowered her head, eyes squeezing shut in an expression of dismay. "Meaning he's just as pissed at us as he is at them," she surmised quietly. "Which also means… we're going to be attacked again."

Unable and unwilling to lie, Wave could only incline her head in silent agreement. "Jet and I have long been expecting, and warning about, a huge attack due to occur here regardless," she murmured. "This just… provides the God with added motivation to carry out such a thing. And, considering the source of that newest bit of motivation, we've probably also been given a timeframe for the first time. 'Soon' was the best estimate Jet and I could up until this point, but now… I think I can say with certainty that we have a matter of days, if not mere hours."

Turning her head away, Saraya cursed under her breath in their native tongue before saying, "Then I'm done wasting time chatting. If it's going to be that soon, I need to get people mobilized."

"Of course," Wave answered.

There was a brief moment of hesitation, then Saraya looked back to her. Her normally moody or otherwise carefully controlled expression was almost tragic. "But Pati, is… is he okay?" she asked, voice oh-so-quiet.

Wave had been anticipating this question. Of course Saraya would ask. It was true that Jet had been less involved with these kids than with other in the past, but he still had had a hand in raising every descendant of his and their friends up until now. Saraya, having been orphaned while so young, had been especially attached to him growing up. She needs him still… and not just for this fight. Doing her best to smile, she answered sincerely, "He will be."

With a slow nod, the queen turned away again and disappeared.

~保護者~

"Demons, huh?" Sitting at one side of the circular table in Espio's front room, Vector crossed his arms and frowned at the floor in thought. By now, Sonic, Shadow, Tails, and Cream were all in the spare room asleep. Steam and Armaris were… wherever the hell they were. Who really knew. "I gotta admit… when I asked ya what everybody's so tense over, that wasn't what I was expecting."

Espio offered a vague, one-shouldered shrug in response to that. As he listened to Vector talk, he idly traced the rim of his glass with a finger. Regardless of how much he wanted a proper drink, he had promised Cream he wouldn't have anymore today, so water it was. Not that it was good enough, but still. A promise is a promise, he reminded himself, albeit unhappily.

Vector continued without pause, paying no mind to the slight air of sullenness coming from the ninja. "That reminds me," he said, suddenly straightening and looking straight at Espio. "Those Hollow things you've mentioned before, they're demons too, aren't they?"

His question made Espio blink, then he inclined his head in a vague approximation of a nod. "Yes. A very old and largely forgotten species of demon, but they are demonic nevertheless."

"And why ain't they with that God or whatever you said he was?" Vector questioned. Espio had no idea. Maybe the God saw fit to leave them here to do as they pleased because it caused constant problems for Espio's people? Maybe he just didn't care for these demons and was leaving them to someday die? Who really knew? He certainly didn't, and so he didn't attempt to provide an answer. This prompted Vector to ask a new question. "So even if ya don't know why they're stuck here, do ya know how they got to be here at all? It doesn't seem right."

At this, Espio stifled a sigh. He'd managed to nearly forget how much he was sometimes required to talk in the presence of others. It felt rather draining, but by now he had resigned himself to put up with it temporarily. At least until things returned to some semblance of normal. "In truly ancient times, perhaps mere eons after this world was born," he answered slowly, "my people came here from the depths of space in search of refuge, fleeing some sort of massacre. We have always known that we were followed."

Vector's frown deepened. "Where the hell were yer people livin' that allowed demons to stalk them here?"

Previously, Espio hadn't had a clue. But knowing now what he did about the origins of his race, their deeply rooted ties to Darkness and its realm and the vast Garden it had created within this realm… Reluctantly, he answered the question. "It has been discovered recently that Kaden and his family were not the only ones in the group with Darkness," he told Vector. The croc's frown morphed into an expression of surprised confusion. "It would seem that it exists within my people as well and that our race came to be within a place known as 'Zyr'. Some also know it as the 'Garden of Darkness'. It is the place where the Realm of Darkness is physically linked with this realm."

Not enough people gave Vector enough credit where it was due. He was a smart man. It wasn't for nothing that he had been able to create and maintain a business as a detective of all things. As such, he caught on quickly. "And yer people ain't the only ones to come outta there," he deduced. "Others did too, right? Like demons?"

"Not every creature of Darkness first emerges from the Garden," Espio corrected carefully, "but in this case… that is precisely what occurred with the Hollows. From what I understand, we have lived alongside these creatures since the beginning of our existence."

"Which might be why they hunted all of ya down when ya came here."

"Perhaps."

Silence ensued while Vector took the time to process what he'd been told. Espio, meanwhile, gave up trying to convince himself to drink his water and just pushed the glass away. No sooner than he did that, Vector's eyes were on the cup. Or, rather, the deep stab mark in the wood of the table just beneath it. He scooted the glass aside, drawing Espio's attention to the damage as well and making the chameleon internally curse. He had already dealt with all the knives by now, but there was no real way for him to deal with the holes they'd left behind, at least yet. Vector then asked, "Y'know, I thought ya stopped damaging crap outta anger when you were a teenager."

His assessment may or may not have been accurate (Espio refused to admit to the truth out loud), and the ninja huffed. "This was not my doing," he muttered. Maintaining this building was difficult enough when he had Hollows, extreme weather, enemy shinobi, and other such matters to deal with, only made worse by the fact that he could only use one damn arm to get any repairs done. So, no, he most certainly did not make a habit of breaking his own house. There were other ways to vent anger. That was part of what combat was for.

Vector gave him an odd sort of look, then abruptly stated, "Sonic kinda mentioned somethin' about a girl messin' with ya."

Of course he did.

"She do this?"

What were the consequences of admitting the truth here? Surely there were plenty. It was why he'd been so reluctant to talk with Armaris earlier in the day, he knew. But, then, his mood had been so much worse earlier… She had only been trying to help, though, as was Vector in this moment. Part of him managed to somewhat regret his negative treatment of the cat, despite regret not being something he'd ever felt much of throughout his life. But, for now, he had no choice but to brush that matter aside. He was expected to respond to the question, after all. "...Yes," he eventually relented. "She did."

"Seems a bit messed up t'me," Vector groused, frowning again. "Who goes around wreckin' other people's homes?"

Sadistic murderers who currently don't have anything better to do than incessantly torment others. Needless to say, that was not a thought Espio voiced aloud. Instead, all he said was, "Coming from her, this behavior was rather… mild, so to speak." He propped his chin up on his hand and gazed past Vector to the open doorway leading outside. Inopportune though the timing was, he suddenly found himself wondering where she was right now, what she was doing, if she was still nearby… But such a line of thinking was potentially dangerous, so he distracted himself by continuing the conversation - no matter how reluctant he was to share too many details here. "She is prone to far more destructive acts on a regular basis."

Something about his demeanor must have been unintentionally revealing, and Vector's focus zeroed in on it in an instant. "Oh, I see what's goin' on here," he declared triumphantly, though he was courteous enough to keep his voice down so as to avoid waking the others. "You like her, don't you?"

Unintentionally, Espio stiffened. Must everyone feel the need to talk about this? Shifting his gaze back to Vector, he demanded in a now neutral tone, "Does it matter?"

The croc nodded once, almost sagely. "Absolutely. If my pal has a crush again, then it's a big deal to me."

That pulled at a vague memory or two from years past, reminding Espio of what he had been told about another girl long ago that he apparently had had some sort of little… "crush" on. But from what he'd been told about her, about them, that had been about as far as it had ever gone. Which meant that this situation… This was different. Vastly so. But Vector didn't need to know that.

As always, he deduced it for himself, anyway. His eyes going a touch wide, he said in awe, "Unless… don't tell me you think she's the one?"

Espio understood what Vector was implying with that statement. The same truth that Vector was speaking applied to both of their species, after all. Individuals from either one did sometimes develop small crushes and whatnot, the same as any other person might, but when real love got involved… Their people rarely, if ever, genuinely fell in love more than once. Love amongst their kinds bonded people for life, whether they necessarily wanted it to or not. It was a hugely important part of the reason why Espio had been so completely unable to separate himself from Nakea for all these years… and why he sincerely doubted he ever could. "I don't know," he mumbled, looking away again. It wasn't the truth. It wasn't exactly a lie. The full truth was that he strongly suspected that he might have fallen into the trap of truly becoming bonded with her, but he had yet to fully and decisively say for sure. He wasn't even convinced that he wanted to put himself through the hell that properly looking into the truth might bring upon him.

Vector was mercifully unaware of Espio's thoughts at this particular moment and time, it would seem. He just looked happy, almost elated even, at the idea of one of his friends seemingly experiencing something so wonderful. If only he knew. Except, Espio preferred that he didn't, at least for now. Wasn't it bad enough that everyone else already knew? He believed so. "I bet ya do," Vector declared with a grin. "But, whatever. It's best to accept that sorta thing in yer own time." His words had some merit, but… it wasn't as though Nakea ever gave Espio time to sort his emotions out before she was rushing him along yet again, far too fast for him to recover or to cope or to do anything that hindsight told him he probably should have at some point done. If that wasn't proof of his weakness in regards to her, nothing ever would be. But Vector continued, not at all paying attention to the way Espio's mood was beginning to shift. He did his best to hide it before the larger man could notice. "How long've you two been together?" the croc asked.

The idea of them being "together" made Espio nearly want to choke on his own breath. It wasn't as though they were dating! She regularly tried to kill him, for fuck's sake! It wasn't as though he never immediately tried to return the favor, but even still. They were not some sort of a fucking couple. "We aren't," he finally managed to force out after a few seconds.

But, even as he said that, memories both old and fairly recent hit him in a small tidal wave. There were images of her taking over his bed sometimes so that she could sleep, of her behaving downright happy once or twice when he gave in to brief bouts of weakness and gifted her with her favorite food during a couple of her visits, them somehow winding up taking walks together every so often, her fiercely cutting down a Hollow that had tried to lunge for him once when he'd been lounging on his roof (not that he'd been in any genuine danger)... And there were other, littler things, too. Her sharpening his favorite knife for him once when she'd snuck into his house yet again while he'd been away. Him keeping safe the belongings she begun to keep in said house throughout the years. Her nearly always managing to actually smile when they interacted, even when so many of her enemies got little more than a cold and murderous grin. Him taking her in when she'd been seriously injured once, stubbornly refusing to let her take off with how high of a fever she'd had. There was more, but… damn it all, now was not the time to be thinking about any of it.

And now, of course, Vector chose to be perceptive again. "Uh-huh," he chuckled, clearly not believing what Espio had told him. "Sure ya aren't. How's datin' and all that stuff work for ninja, anyway? I don't really see a shinobi date involving goin' to the movies and crap."

Espio gifted him with a small scowl. "Would you stop?" Vector just laughed. And, somehow, Espio couldn't find it in himself to remain angry. At least… not this time.

About this time, Armaris had climbed her way back up and into the house, a look of bewilderment on her face at the sight of Vector. Instinctively, her hand rested on the handle of her sword while she tilted her head. "What the fuck are you?"

Twisting around to view her, Vector blinked dumbly at the cat for a second before asking, "Uh… what now?"

Internally, Espio nearly facepalmed. Externally, however, he just said with exaggerated patience, "Crocodile, Armaris. He's a crocodile."

"The fuck is a crocodile?" she asked, her confusion morphing her facial features to almost seem disgusted, despite only not understanding.

Vector oh-so-helpfully raised a hand. "That'd be me. I mean… yer lookin' right at me." Though tempting, Espio decided not to shut him up and just let the two of them work it out instead. It was too much hassle to get involved.

For a short moment, Armaris' hand closed around the handle of her weapon as if tempted to draw it, then decided otherwise. "Uh… y-yeah… That's uh… real helpful. Totally didn't figure that out like, when Espio said it." Said ninja shot her a small look over her attitude, but he didn't comment.

There was another short pause, then Vector turned back to Espio. While it initially seemed like he wasn't going to make any other stupid remarks, his words soon dispelled that bit of hope. "So," the croc asked very casually, "this is the little sister, huh?" Espio frowned at him, not following for just a second because of the gaps in his memory. When everything clicked seconds later, his frown deepened disapprovingly.

Armaris blinked a few times, her gaze flicking to Espio. "You talked about me?" She sounded somewhat hopeful, almost happy at that prospect.

"Yep," Vector interjected easily, broad grin on his face. "At least a few times. We got to talkin' about his life before we met a few times, and he definitely mentioned a kid matchin' yer description. The sass is the same, for one thing." He laughed to himself.

The cat deadpanned at Espio, as if disapproving of that. "Oh, is that what you said about me?"

An amber eye openly rolled toward the heavens. "Considering how you behaved as a child, how could it not be mentioned?" he huffed. Vector looked between the two of them quietly, body shaking with the effort it was taking for him to stifle his laughs.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe I could talk about your incessantness and how agitating you were as I grew up." She crossed her arms and huffed at him, almost glaring in amusement.

"You only ever called me such because your actions forced me to essentially parent you much of the time."

"Yeah, yeah. Go on. Not like I couldn't handle myself like I did on several occasions."

Espio gave her a deadpan look of his own. "I seem to recall," he drawled, "you nearly getting yourself stabbed on at least one of those occasions."

Throughout him talking, Armaris mimed his words with her mouth and stuck her tongue out. "Could've handled it, easily, but you got involved."

At this point, Vector gave up trying to hold in his laughter. "You two are somethin' else," he chuckled.

"Oh, you're one to talk, foreign species… thing. Crocodile, whatever." Armaris huffed, practically smirking. More laughter ensued in response to her words.

Unable to resist the urge, Espio shook his head. This went better than it could have, all things considered… he inwardly reflected.

The cat raised an eyebrow. "Whatcha thinking about?" Armaris prodded, crossing her arms a bit tighter. "Being an ass?"

In response, Espio reached over to a little bowl near his arm, grabbed a peanut out of it, and flicked it at her forehead at high speed (but, naturally, without any real force). "Nothing. Stop being a brat."

Armaris snatched it out of the air and instead flicked it at Vector in a similar manner to how Espio had. Vector rubbed at his head with a small complaint of, "Hey, what'd I do?"

"Exist, just like everyone else who asks that question," Armaris answered nonchalantly.

Unexpectedly, Espio took her side for that moment. "Perhaps you should consider it karma for how you often flicked things at Charmy at the table," he mused, barely resisting a smirk.

"Hey, don't gang up on me!" Vector laughed. "Whose side are you on, anyway, Espio?"

A shrug. "Whichever is currently winning, I suppose."

The cat raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" In response, another peanut sailed toward her forehead before Espio went ahead and got up to put the bowl away. Armaris growled playfully as she caught the peanut, tossing it back into the bowl.

Espio started to remove the panel in his wall to put the little bowl of food away, only to pause when he felt a low vibration rumble through said wall - not to mention the rest of the building. Outside, Aku had certainly felt it, too, if his loud answering growl was anything to go by. Releasing his hold in the panel, Espio stood still for a moment with all of his senses on high alert, waiting for something else to happen. When nothing did, he frowned and turned to head outside.

Only, the fact that he has guests over who would want to know what was going on had managed to briefly slip his mind. Vector sure wasn't going to let him take off without an explanation. "What's goin' on?" For the moment, Espio ignored him. His primary concern was that he needed a sword. Preferably… one that wouldn't break. He suspected that if he wanted to find one before all hell broke loose, though, he'd need to think and then search fast. But Vector interrupted his train of thought. "Some kinda trouble comin'?" Then he thought to ask, "I know ya kept it stored away when workin' for me, but don't ya have some kinda sword? Maybe ya should-"

His earlier irritation suddenly returning, Espio cut him off. "It broke." Not to mention the fact that it was currently embedded in some demon's carcass. Though, Vector didn't really need to know that bit. He'd always tried (and generally succeeded) to keep the violent parts of his life separate from the life he'd lived with Vector and the others. After the way he had first met Vector, Knuckles, and Charmy, it had just seemed the best course of action. Despite not caring as much about it lately, it still seemed prudent to maintain some of that separation as much as possible… at least for Vector's sake, and if only for the time being. He headed for the door in order to leave, tossing a calm order of, "Stay here," over his shoulder as he went.

Naturally, being the one used to directing others and being directed himself, Vector didn't listen. He followed Espio to the door, his eyes inevitably falling upon the slowly moving mass of scales that was loosely coiling around the building in a protective matter. This time, when the owner of those scales growled, the sound was so close that there was no conceivable way for anyone inside to not be aware of the noise and the vibrations it produced. The croc looked rather stunned by the sight of the dragon once said dragon's head slithered into view, but mercifully refrained from popping off a million and one questions about it. Instead, he offered a weak attempt at a joke. "He's, not… gonna eat us or nothin', right?" Espio huffed at the notion. As if Aku would ever eat someone… But he chose not to say that right this second. It was a little entertaining, watching Vector squirm despite being in no real danger. Or, at least, no danger from Aku.

The dragon turned a harsh eye on the three of them. "Cease your cowering, crocodile. I have no interest in whatever tiny meal a creature your size would afford me." His words did not appease Vector at all, and he took a small step back from the doorway for protection. However, Aku paid him no further mind. Turning his attention to Espio, he warned, "You sense it, do you not?"

"Sense what?" asked a sleepy voice. Glancing back, Espio watched Cream walk into the front room with Sonic at her heels. The blue hedgehog helped Shadow get to a seat at the table, then set him down.

"The barriers are being prodded at," the dragon answered, visibly displeased. "The incessant poking cannot do it any harm, but whatever is response for the action is strong enough to resist being disintegrated by the energies the barriers contain. That is no small feat."

Blue ears perked straight up just as Tails stumbled into the room, still looking half-asleep and yet somehow also generally alert. "Is it alone?" Sonic demanded.

Espio chose to answer this time. "For the moment. Others will come."

"It's likely a scout," Tails yawned, scrubbing at his eyes. "We've seen this sort of behavior in some demons before. A select few are trained to resist barriers and their effects so as to test them. You know, to work out their composition, their strength, that sort of thing. They usually have partners with telekinetic powers, who they relay their findings to. And from there, the intel gets communicated to the rest of the forces or specific generals or, at times, the God himself directly. All without the stronger demons having to risk themselves or lift a finger. It's terribly efficient and… most likely means rest of the demons are gonna be here real soon."

Upon hearing that, Sonic rounded on Espio with all the righteous fury of a crack of thunder. "Your people are ready, right?" he demanded sharply. "They know what's coming?"

As if they wouldn't be aware… "Yes."

Sonic wasn't done with him quite yet. "And how long will the barriers hold once the demons get here?"

Although a rough estimate was difficult to give, considering how many unknown factors they were dealing with, Espio was confident in saying, "Against a force such as this, it will be a matter of minutes… if we are fortunate."

Tails's twin name sakes swished in repeated up and down motions, an expression of restlessness seldom seen in the easygoing fox. "We need to start getting ourselves ready now, then. For one thing, I have to get back outside of the barrier. The ship's out there. If it's destroyed, it'll make it harder for me to help fight."

That… was a problem. After all, Espio was the only one who could open the damn barrier to begin with in order to let Tails out. But he still needed to get a damn sword, as well… It was hard to say which matter truly took precedence, but for now he decided to screw his own plans. He would deal with the matter of replacing his weapon after Tails was in the Tornado-Z and securely up in the air. "Whatever you need from here, grab it now," he responded with a touch of frustration. "This is wasting time." Nodding, Tails ran off to the spare room to grab what few things he had brought with him into the house.

Armaris was growling by now, an intense fury flaring into her eyes as her body broke apart into Darkness. The cat moved past Espio, passing along some quiet words before heading off to find Steam. God only knew where that hedgehog had gone off to by now… And it was going to be all hands on-deck if they actually wanted to survive.

~保護者~

The God of Demons knelt atop a rocky outcropping on a sheer cliff overlooking the ruins of a mortal city that had once stood on his world. Though he was partially watching the countless demons writhing amidst the smoke, fire, and general hell down below, most of his thoughts were elsewhere. Or, rather, they were… until he took notice of a presence behind him. "What do you want?" he asked coldly, not bothering to turn around.

"You are planning an attack on Mobius, correct?" Astra asked in a slight murmur, as if trying to mask her emotions for now. The God chose to ignore her question as stupid, considering the fact that there was no way she wouldn't know the answer to it. "Right, so. I want to be involved in the downfall of that planet," she continued easily, crossing her arms. "Lots of unwanted memories with that place."

The God's eyes narrowed and he straightened as he turned around to face her. "No," he answered shortly without allowing her the chance to fully explain herself. "I don't give a shit what you want. You will remain here."

The cat raised an eyebrow, faintly irritated. "And why is that? I am damn sure you could find some way to get what you want out of me being there, regardless of what I want." Despite who she was speaking to, she remained very obstinate.

For now, the God allowed her attitude to persist… if only because she had earned her keep so recently. If she continued, however, he intended on beating said attitude out of her. "You will remain here," he reiterated firmly, but not yet angrily. He was feeling fairly calm at the moment, even downright pleased that he would get to experience the excitement of war soon enough. It would, for once, take more than simple back-talking to convince him to dole out any punishment here. "Your presence there will only complicate matters."

"And after you've finished with your plans? I can't go and cripple the planet further, as well as potentially bringing back some very powerful minions?" Astra frowned faintly, as if confused as to how her presence afterward could complicate things.

Her insistence caused his head to tilt slightly in thought. His mind ran over her proposal for a moment before stating in a slow, dangerous tone, "Get in my way… and I will kill you." He turned and began walking away. "Once I am done there… do what you will. Lay waste to the whole damn rock if you feel the need. I don't give a fuck about the state of the planet once I leave." He mostly just wanted to crush some certain people there, after all…

"I have no plans to get myself killed, by you or otherwise. I'll make sure that… the ending results are gratifying." The corrupted cat smirked faintly, lips quivering. Been a long time coming, assholes. You'll get what you deserve.

Almost as though in response to her sudden anger, the ground below them rumbled deeply and then gave a violent and planet-shaking boom. The God stopped walking briefly, glancing down just as impossibly massive cracks split the rock around them. Peering down into the fiery depths, a wild grin spread across his face. It seemed one of his favorite pets was getting ready to play. This certainly changes things… he inwardly reflected with dark glee. Rising to feed already again already, are you? His excitement only growing, the God turned away once more and vanished from the scene.

Astra glanced past where the God had been standing and tilted her head. Oh dear. Someone is bound to be utterly fucked. Not me, so, meh. Turning to head back off to the makeshift home she had crafted, her attention fell back on the crevices leading to where some demon had long been slumbering. In truth… I cannot wait to see it come forth. It shall be… interesting to watch the death bells toll.

~保護者~

"Life is pain. Pain is power. And power is… life.
All destruction is creation… and all creation is destruction.
Within destruction and death, there is infinite beauty and Truth to be found.
Yet, within this random pain and this beauty, there is a purpose.
Infinity awaits us all. There is nothing else.
We all await the End, bound by Eternity as we are.
You think yourself capable of preventing it… of stopping all of this death.
And yet, to die is to have existed, is it not?
Answer this, then, little Immortal.
If existence is nothing but pain and death, wrapped up in thin blankets of beauty and love, and to die is to have existed at all…
Then tell me… why do any of you live?
Eternity is close at hand.
Can you feel yourself slipping?
They are bringing the End upon us, upon all that you claim to love.
And yet the love of all things is death.
If you care for something, you will let it die.
For dying is to have existed, and existence is death itself.
But if you truly love something…
If you cherish it…
You will destroy it yourself.
Now you say that this is wrong… that by your own hand those you hold dear will continue to live.
So quickly do you forget the Truth she brings upon us all.
You fill yourself with the Lie that she will be defeated, no matter the odds.
And yet, you know your own Truth.
During autumn, when everything is dying, the beauty of the life it once held remains preserved in many quiet ways.
There is beauty in death… You simply and willfully refuse to see it.
What is your answer, then… when the question is and always has been extinction?"

Jet awoke with a terrible start in an unfamiliar room. Though he was groggy and disoriented, a keen sense of danger and terror coursed through him like lightning. But just as quickly as all of this hit him, he became aware of hearing a woman's voice talking to him, saying his name and some other things he couldn't really make out. It wasn't until several long moments had passed that he was able to put a name and a face to the voice. It was his mother. Somehow, despite only barely knowing her, the knowledge of her presence managed to bring some measure of comfort.

Through that comfort, Jet was able to gradually calm down and work out what was going on. He was definitely in the palace and in a spare bedroom no one normally used. There were people here with him, but he wasn't one hundred percent ready to open his eyes and face them yet. He was starting to be able to calm his breathing and pulse down, though. That was good. Focusing on that was good. Not… whatever it was that had happened leading up to him being here. He had the distinct sensation of having deeply suppressed his memories of something or other again, a thing which he had done numerous times throughout the years as a means of coping with life when it became unbearable. If that was the case, then so be it. Better for things to remain buried as opposed to in his face, raw and festering and threatening to tear him apart.

A bit more breathing, and the spike of anxiety he had been contending with seemed to finally ebb. With it gone, he was able to better take note of the auras he was sensing. His mother's was definitely there. He hadn't been imagining that. And, naturally, his father was also present. No real surprise there. And, in fact, it almost helped him to relax a little further. But they weren't the only ones in the room. Or, at least, they hadn't been. He could definitely sense the residual traces of Wave's aura from perhaps a couple of hours ago, if not longer. Aside from hers, there were two others. Two awfully, painfully familiar others that he couldn't mistake for anyone but who they actually were. The trouble was, any hope or excitement he might have felt was suspended by the subtle differences in those auras from what he had previously known. Not them, then. Not exactly. That knowledge hurt. The best explanation for why this was even happening was alternate timelines being at play. Not that that made things any better. He just didn't feel like dealing with that matter right now. Not when he had this horrific, splitting migraine and those ominous, lingering whispers in his head…

Trading a worried look with Sein about their son's overall lack of response to their presence and words, Alana tried again to get his attention and coax him into opening his eyes. "Jet?" she asked softly, simultaneously reaching out with gentle waves of her aura. Despite how well he had reacted to their auras earlier in the day, no response came still. Jet remained sitting where he was, head in his hands and seemingly focused on his breathing and little else. Leaving him be might have been the best option usually, if not for the fact that he very clearly needed to take some medicine for what was turning out to be a very severe headache. Wave (whom Alana was almost certain had mental powers of her own) had apparently - and wisely - anticipated this result, and she had left suitable medicine for her friend on the bedside table. It was just a matter of getting Jet to respond to them enough for him to be able to take it.

When she was unable to get him to react to her yet still, Alana turned to Sein for help. The man stood and quietly walked over, watching Jet closely for a long moment. "Can you hear us, Jet?" He asked in a soft voice, trying not to worsen the obvious headache. Jet's jaw clenched visibly at the noise but, finally, he responded. Said response was little more than a tiny nod, but it was something, at least. "Jet. We've got something you can take for the headache, but I need you to take it. Can you do that for me?"

The thought, Won't help, instantly filtered through Jet's mind, but ultimately he thought better about saying that. Doing so would require an explanation he did not feel up to giving. Best to just play along for now. So, with great reluctance, he stiffly sat himself up into a proper sitting position. When he felt Alana gently press a small glass into his hand, he took it. However, he didn't drink the medicine contained in the glass until the pounding in his head became bearable enough for him to move again. He drank the medicine as quickly as possible and then shakily set the cup aside. Thanks to his headache, he did not feel well…

That thought suddenly evoked another thought, a slight memory of part of what had occurred earlier. He couldn't recall details due to having buried said memories, only bits and pieces of a plight he had witnessed, and at that point he finally forced his eyes open. "Where's Sonic?" he demanded, voice weaker than he'd intended. That wasn't an issue he tried to correct just now.

"With most of your friends on Mobius. A safe place, from what Wave told us," Sein answered in a gentle tone.

Their son's continued concern for his friend was touching, and Alana sought to soothe his worries further. "He is alright," she said before he could even ask. "He will likely need rest, the same as you, but he was not in serious condition. He was conscious and able to function without difficulty."

"And from what I could tell, he's actually doing fairly well considering all that happened. You got a tough friend." Sein smiled gently to his son. All that happened was a vague statement, but honestly Jet was thankful for it. If he'd gone to the trouble of suppressing today's events, then he did not want any further reminders or details. So he simply accepted the explanation as it was and let the matter go.

Sein cast a glance to Alana, as if asking permission to do something risky. She returned his glance with a look that clearly said, "I trust you, but mind yourself." Or, at least, something akin to that. As they did this, Jet wound up resuming his earlier position with his head in his hands, eyes squeezed shut as he rode out the waves of pain in his head.

The blue hawk looked back to Jet for a moment, frowning. "Would… you be okay with talking about what happened earlier, with us?"

Immediately, Jet shook his head. "No," he nearly whispered, voice tight with pain. He didn't bother to explain his own answer to the question, hoping for several reasons that the matter would be dropped.

Sein's eyes faintly teared up with concern, but he set that aside for now in hopes of working on this. His voice softening even more than it had, he spoke again. "What did that woman drag up that hurt you this badly…?"

A flicker of confusion managed to force its way through the pounding pain, and Jet frowned to himself. ...Woman…? Sensing this confusion in his for once unguarded and unhidden aura, Alana glanced at her husband.

He returned the glance, eyes wide. "Coping mechanism?" he mouthed in question.

Now frowning herself in thought, Alana inclined her head. "Possibly…" she mouthed back. Then she privately recalled, Mother did this same thing before… did she not?

Sein's right fist clenched, but not in anger. A single tear rolled down his face as he thought, What the hell have people put you through?

After a few more seconds of silence, Alana thought it best to steer the conversation away from this a bit. "Is the medicine helping at all?" she murmured. Having recognized the type of medicine it was, she knew it should have been at least vaguely kicking in by now.

Jet shook his head once, though he immediately regretted the movement. Shitty idea, he reflected after the fact. Fucking shitty idea. But his answer had been honest. No, it wasn't helping. He'd known that it wouldn't, and the continuation of those damned whispers in his head were proof alone of that… Fuck off! he silently snapped at them, knowing the source of said whispers could hear him. Fucking go away…!

Sensing this agitated shift in his aura, Sein found his way back to reality and focused on Jet once more. "Jet… what's wrong?"

The younger hawk gritted his teeth and, upon realizing his mistake, promptly hid his aura away. "Nothing," he bit out, not trying to sound harsh but also not quite able to keep that tone out of his voice when he was hurting so badly.

Needless to say, Alana wasn't buying his answer. She wasn't looking for an argument though, of course, so she kept her tone gentle and unaccusing when she said, "It is not nothing, my son." He didn't answer her. Struck by a sudden idea, Alana motioned for Sein to stay with him while she teleported out of the room.

Sein blinked once and looked to where Alana had been before turning his attention back over to Jet. "So…" As with before, no reply came. Sein cleared his throat, unsure of what to say or do. Seconds later, Alana reappeared in the room, all but dragging her father in along with her by his hand. He looked frustrated in a way that indicated he had been working on something he'd not wanted to be pulled away from, but one look at Sein and Jet and he simmered down a bit. It was, after all, clear to anyone with half a brain cell that something was wrong here. It was just a matter of determining what.

Walking over to her partner, Alana gently took his hand into her own and, using a higher-level Immortal power, opened a mental link between herself, Sein, and Kath. With this established, she briefly explained what had been going on, ending with, "Is it possible for you to try to speak with him?"

Glacial blue eyes slid over to Jet contemplatively before Kath finally answered, "The 'me' that he knew is dead. I am a stranger to him. Few people open up to those they do not know."

"A different you or not," Alana responded slowly, "it was still you, in a way. That may be enough, at least for now."

"It's one of the best chances we've got," Sein added.

It took a second, but Alana soon realized a mildly surprising truth. It seemed that, despite having managed to raise two children somehow, her father was still uncomfortable around them (even when the "child" in question was more a "teen"). Which seemed to imply that part of the motivation behind his argument was, perhaps… stalling? How very unusual. But, then, few things about this day had been especially normal. "Please, Father, will you try?" she asked, putting on her best pleading tone. Even as a child, she had virtually never used said tone unless she had really wanted something. And, as she recalled… he'd usually caved to it in the end.

Hearing that tone caused Kath to instantly give her a disapproving frown. "Alana-"

Feeling stubborn, Alana crossed her arms and replied in an definitely not manipulative manner, "Daddy." The flicker of emotion that passed through his face told her that that teensy little bit of well-meaning manipulation very nearly broke his will to argue any further.

A long minute and a harsh staring contest later, and Kath finally broke eye-contact with a short huff. Knowing she had won, Alana let the stubbornness bleed back out of her all at once. She turned her attention to Sein for the moment as Kath walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it. Unhappy though he was, the tone he took with his apparent grandson (wrapping his mind around that little detail was going to take some time) was rather gentle. His words were so quiet that Alana didn't manage to catch them, but Jet apparently heard. The younger hawk vigorously shook his head in adamant refusal to something, an action he no doubt swiftly regretted.

Frowning slightly to himself at the display and the clear pain, Kath glanced at the empty glass beside the bed, then back to Jet, then back to the cup. His mind worked quickly, coming to a conclusion in mere seconds. Something about this situation was abnormal, strangely so, and he already had several guesses as to what that something was. Prying wasn't something he enjoyed doing, least of all when dealing with someone who so clearly did not want to talk. He normally wouldn't bother. These weren't his problems, after all. But… in this case… it seemed an exception would have to be made. This boy was (as it happened) family, after all, and he'd always found himself to be ridiculously soft around said family.

Damned emotions.

Smothering a sigh, Kath forced himself to forget the two-person audience behind him and focused entirely on Jet. Pretending they were alone took the edge of awkwardness out of the situation, making it easier for him to try again to do what Alana (and, to some extent, Sein) had asked of him. They wanted to know what was going on with their son, and hoped Kath would be able to dig up some answers. Why they seemed to believe that he was in any way equipped to undertake this task was beyond him, but it was a little late for second thoughts. He'd already agreed and, damn it, he did not need to be given more of those stubborn, pleading looks today.

So be it. With a bit of silent work, he slowly coaxed trace amounts of Jet's aura out of their confines so that he could better keep track of any shifts in the younger hawk's thoughts or mood. Once he was sure Jet was more or less calm for the moment and that the impossibly thin tendrils of foreign energy he was detecting were indeed real, he spoke. Saying his own thoughts aloud wasn't something he normally did, but it could prove beneficial here, he supposed. "Your pain is tied to this energy… isn't it." Technically, it was a question. He wound up saying it more like a statement, however.

Silence answered him. Long, suddenly tense silence. Then, out of nowhere, Jet let out a huff. It was a derisive sound, but one he curiously seemed to direct at himself. "...Stupid to think you wouldn't be the one to notice…" he mumbled, almost as though talking to himself. It didn't even appear like he'd noticed he'd spoken just then.

It wasn't exactly the answer Kath had been looking for, but he would take what he could get for now. It would do. Mind running through the shrinking number of possible explanations for what was going on, he directed the conversation with a new inquiry. "The energy. Its name." He wasn't being eloquent or whatever, no. But, again, it would do. He was thinking too much to want to talk to begin with, so those four words being spoken at all felt generous.

Another silence, followed by another breathy sound. This one was more a sigh, and a heavy one at that. "Dunno," was the nearly inaudible reply. Pain and emotion together were keeping Jet's voice very low. "Only know what… what it calls itself."

This admission (and the fact that it was given to him, of all people, to begin with) made Kath's eyebrows raise in rare surprise. The implications of the detail Jet had shared were not at all lost on him, and he replied slowly, "It… speaks."

Initially, a nod was Jet's only response to that. After a few seconds, however, he seemed to reluctantly give in to the idea of properly answering the question… such as it was. "Whispers," he corrected in a soft and almost defeated voice, "almost inaudibly. But, yeah, it… talks."

Everything about Jet's demeanor suggested that the circumstances at play here were drastically worse than he was letting on. Kath strongly believed now that he knew why, but thought better of directly pointing it out just yet. Answers were finally forthcoming, albeit only somewhat, and it would do no one any good to push too hard and ruin things. "Is it speaking now?" he asked instead, falling back on his earlier decision to focus on rooting out the precise cause of Jet's headache.

"...Sort of," was the mumbled reply.

Alright, so perhaps a bit of pushing would be necessary, after all. It was just necessary to be mindful enough to not push too hard. Gentle it was, then, though that wasn't exactly Kath's strong suit usually. He was well aware of how deserving he was of his cold and somewhat harsh reputation amongst most. In this situation, though… well, he supposed he could try to play the part of a man opposite to himself for a very short while. He just needed to be patient. That he could do. "Explain," he told the emerald-colored hawk, albeit without any real commanding or authoritative tone in his voice. However, the other male suddenly seemed determined to hold his tongue. Yes, patience would definitely be required here… if only because the boy had apparently maintained their family's ability for stubbornness. It wasn't showing too much now, but… "Jet."

The sound of his own name following that brief silence almost seemed to make Jet jump, as though it had somehow startled him. More silence followed after that, but now he seemed to be mulling over his options here. Kath let him think, knowing that he himself appreciated being afforded the same courtesy, and soon enough his decision to wait was rewarded. "It's…" Jet began to say. He trailed off for a moment or two, then tried again. "It's still… whispering," he finally said. An apparent spike of pain made him briefly wince, then he mumbled, "Just… too quiet to understand."

Kath had a mini revelation in that instant. Honestly, he felt stupid for not having concluded this beforehand. He blamed it on being so strangely fatigued after having been dead for… however the hell long it had actually been. Hopefully that would wear off soon, because he hated it. "Normally you can understand it?" he questioned. Perhaps such a direct question, one that bordered on an accusation depending on how one looked at it, was risky. But, well, he always had had a bad habit of facing risks before taking the time to adequately assess them. ...Which was no doubt why Sein had always ignored his attempts to correct that same behavior when the (at the time) unruly child had displayed it.

Although with extreme reluctance (which was more readily detectable in his aura as opposed to his expression), Jet soon relented. "When it wants me to," he said quietly. He shifted his head in his hands so that he could press the heels of his palms into his temples in an effort to ease his pain. Then he admitted, "...Which… is almost… every time it speaks."

Pushing more was possibly a bad idea. If Jet was too much like Kath or Alana, then perhaps he would just stop talking entirely. But, considering that he was talking right now, it was also possible that pressing just a little harder might yield more valuable information. The odds seemed fairly even for this scenario to go either way. Maybe it was just the long-buried and neglected daredevil in him talking, but this was another risk that seemed worth taking. So, not hesitating in the slightest, he dared to ask, "What does it say?"

Miracles were not a thing Kath believed in, but those who did might have immediately considered this moment to be one. Jet didn't bother to resist answering, didn't stall, didn't try to redirect the conversation, nothing. He volunteered a couple pieces of the requested information within seconds of Kath asking him. Though, that wasn't to say that he completely answered the question right off the bat though, because he definitely didn't. "It… depends," he said slowly, still pressing his hands against his head. Somehow, it seemed as though his headache was actually easing all of a sudden. "There are… multiple recurring themes, but…" He trailed off, frowning to himself.

At this point, Alana went ahead and walked back over, tugging Sein along with her. She sat down in a chair beside the bed and quietly asked, "What 'themes' are you referring to?" Now Jet hesitated again. Alana nudged Sein, suspecting his interjection could help keep their son talking for at least a little while longer.

"I'd really like to know so we can understand," Sein said softly, having finally shifted out of the mental fogginess he'd just endured.

Judging by the subtle shift in his aura, Jet appeared to feel like that was asking for a tad too much. It took him a moment to reply, but when he did he finally let one of his arms drop back into his lap. He was clutching at his head a lot less now. "Understanding is… dangerous," he eventually said, not offering any explanations as to why this was so.

Sein glanced to Alana, eyebrows raised as if cautious to say more. She held the same reservations, but nevertheless proceeded after a small moment's hesitation. "You are not explaining why, my son," she gently pointed out. Jet just shook his head.

Kath, who had been primarily focused on reading complicated shifts in Jet's aura for the past minute or so, suddenly spoke up again. "...It speaks of death, does it not?" he asked, basing his assumption off of some of what he'd sensed.

His question made Jet tense up a little, but he didn't deny it. Though, it did still take him a moment to answer. "Yeah," he reluctantly admitted. Ultimately, he decided that he didn't see too much point in denying it or refusing to share information here. Wave already knew about this. This situation had the potential to get very dangerous again very fast. It was probably for the best that other people knew. And these people… they could be trusted, couldn't they? "A lot. ...Among other things."

"Can you tell us more of the themes?" Sein prodded lightly, hoping to glean more information if possible.

With a heavy sigh, Jet gave in and relented, "Death and destruction are the biggest and most frequent ones. Also power, extinction, the concept of living, pain…" He trailed off, almost uncomfortable, before adding, "...Sometimes love, of all things."

Sein was quiet at this, unsure and somewhat contemplative. "Can you tell us anything of what it says about these things? How it seems to view them, especially."

Jet shrugged. "It equates death with creation, love, and life," he said slowly, "and often touts its belief that killing is the ultimate act of love. It sees pain as a condition for the strong, sees the strong as being the only ones worth keeping alive. It calls destruction 'beautiful', and often asks what I intend to do about some 'extinction'."

One piece in particular stood out. Killing as an act of love… It… has some merit. Fighting to protect a loved one would be an act of love, wouldn't it?

Sensing where his thoughts were turning, Alana nudged her husband's shoulder. "I highly doubt such a force would view a matter like this in such a… righteous light, Sein," she murmured. As she spoke, Jet shifted a little and lowered his other hand. A second later, he dared to finally open his eyes (and did so with minimal wincing). "It would seem that it views this in a darker, more… murderous light."

Taking a moment to soak in that information, Sein nodded. "Right, right. Sorry for uh… thinking on that one so hard."

"You do not need to apologize. It is alright." When she finished speaking, Alana glanced to her father, who had gone suspiciously quiet again. Part of her suspected he was just grateful for not having to shoulder the brunt of this conversation anymore (she was surprised, yet grateful, that he had caved to her will and done it at all), but looking closer she began to suspect something new. To most anyone else, he looked to be his usual calm self, but to those who truly knew him it was apparent that he was getting antsy in that certain way that indicated he really wanted to be out doing something. And she knew what that something was in this case. He worries over the state of the barriers… and rightly so.

Much to her surprise, Jet beat her to the punch, speaking before she could even open her mouth. "Kaicha," he said quietly, avoiding eye-contact. Kath immediately straightened and turned to look at him in mute surprise at having just been called 'grandfather'. "You can go. You don't have to stay here." Kath almost seemed to hesitate before just answering with a curt nod and moving to stand. Jet, however, had one last thing to say. Fidgeting ever-so-slightly with his fingers beginning to uncomfortably drum an unheard rhythm on his thigh, he mumbled a single, simple request. It seemed today's events had left him feeling surprisingly… vulnerable. "Just… come back when you're done."

The please that he so clearly left unspoken had Kath murmuring an agreement before he could even stop to consider whether or not he could be done anytime soon. Still, his agreement had been given regardless. A sort of promise had been made, one he intended to keep to the best of his ability. So be it. And, with that, he disappeared from the room.

Sein watched Jet and Kath quietly during this exchange, something lighting up in his eyes for the briefest of moments. It's good to see them both a bit… different, even if this is the shittiest situation for it. After realizing that the room had gone silent, the man took it upon himself to continue the conversation. "Now that Kath has gone… should we change subjects?" His question was largely directed at Jet, not wanting to pressure him to do something when Kath was so obviously one of the reasons that the green hawk had begun speaking in the first place. Apparently feeling supremely helpful in this moment, Jet just shrugged in response.

Alana opted to be quiet for the present moment, focusing most of her attention on the world outside this room. She very much wanted these two to be able to continue talking, but she also refused to be caught off-guard once their enemies finally arrived. I refuse to suffer a needless death here today. I refuse to let them do so, either.

Sein coughed, resisting the urge to cut in with his usual conversation starter of "so" (considering someone had told him that it never really helped matters), before glancing out the window. "Well, I'm not gonna let this be completely silent. I'll go and ask more questions, unless you really just… don't wanna answer, Jet."

After a long pause, Jet glanced away and sort of sighed, "...It's fine." At about the same time, he seemed to notice what he was doing with his hand and forced himself to stop.

"What else do you know about the Void?" Sein asked. "Anything else, outside of the stuff we've talked about?"

Jet suddenly straightened and looked right at Sein. "How did you know that?" he asked sharply. A split second later, he clarified, "The name."

The blue hawk blinked once. "Ylden told us about that. Ya know, black cat, scythe, spooky and all." Jet was silent for a long, long moment before simply giving a slight nod and looking away again. "Well… since you just confirmed it… do you know anything else about the Void? Or has it just been… mysterious and unhelpful in understanding it?"

Despite being very reluctant, Jet let out a breath and answered the questions. "There are some things I was able to learn during the first few eons it was active," he admitted. "I was able to work out the source of its birth, for one thing, but… overall, little that can be useful in combatting it."

"What about the source, then? Let's talk about that, then.

"The Realms of Light and Darkness are still touching one another, as they have always done, but over the course of existence their energies have started to violently blend within the sight of that connection. The more this happened, the more volatile the blended energies became. When the violence became too much, it essentially burst like a bubble, forcing the two realms apart. The energies came together further as a result of that explosion, birthing the Void's realm." Jet gave another shrug. "Even after that, more Darkness and Light continued to pour in for several million years, with vastly more Darkness than Light entering the realm. Only within the last six or seven million years has it completely separated itself and become sentient."

Sein slowly nodded as he took in this information. So… Aura, Chaos, Light and Darkness… then Void. Five existential energies, huh? Crazy. "Well… that's interesting. Does it… have a living embodiment, like Eona and Zenith?"

On the inside, Jet's response was more on the snarky side. What else would have been talking all this time? Externally, though, he kept his demeanor the same and said, "Yeah. It's never revealed itself beyond its voice, however. I don't know if it's ever left its realm."

"I'll lean on the chances that it hasn't. Yet, at least." Sein shrugged, smiling faintly. "Outside of that, have you learned anything about what can be done to combat it?"

The younger hawk shook his head. "It doesn't seem to have any weaknesses. Aura energy and Chaos both produce violent reactions when used against it, and Darkness and Light obviously have no effect. Unless an opposite sister energy comes to be, it seems unlikely that anything can be done."

Although Sein would have no doubt continued asking questions, Alana suddenly stood up and effectively stopped him in his tracks. "It is time to go," she warned gravely, taking her eyes off of the window. She met each of their gazes in turn, expression dire.

"They are here."

~保護者~

11,856 words this time. Whew, this was long and heavy on the details, but I hope you all enjoyed it regardless! Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help! Posted (at about 9:30 p.m.) 11-30-19.