Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this time of preparation and plotting… especially for the one who wants to try.

~保護者~

"Prep and Planning"

~保護者~

Sometime after their earlier activities had finished, Kaden was sitting in the main room of the citadel again. He had his sword in hand and was busily sharpening it with a deep frown of thought as he worked. Zareil had collected herself into the main room as well, leaning up against the throne with her spear. After a time, Kaden glanced at her and said, "If you intend on going through with a fight against Espio, you will need to better familiarize yourself with the allies he has surrounded himself with. Some of them are capable of harming even you."

Zareil frowned at this, grabbing her spear and pushing herself to stand. "Who?"

"Firstly, there are two Light users present, and one partial Light user," Kaden answered. "The latter has little access to the energy, but his mental abilities are worthy of caution from you."

"I can probably pin him down with Darkness, in that case. Make him use the entirety of his mind to focus on not being crushed," Zareil murmured, a deep frown splaying onto her face.

"Focus great concentration on him, or his will be enough to free him," Kaden warned. Then he continued, "The other two are a Babylonian and a cat. The Babylonian is the male with grey feathers. His reserves of Light are finite and susceptible to running dry, but they come straight from Eona herself. She may well give him more."

The growl that escaped Zareil was nothing less than hate-filled, her muscles visibly tensing in an almost painful-looking manner before she calmed herself down. "Understood. I'd either need to incapacitate, kill, or force him to use up his Light quickly."

"Be mindful of his aura as well. You have seen what Jet is capable of. This man trained him."

The demoness sighed and nodded. "I know. He's going to be problematic no matter what I do."

Kaden nodded and continued, "The last one is the sister of Astra, and is powerful in her own right. She is also the group's sole healer as of now. Be mindful, however, that attacking her will likely draw the ire of Astra. Astra may have virtually no Light to use, but she has ample Light magic to severely harm demons."

Zareil shook her head. "It wouldn't just draw her ire. It'll directly piss her off, nothing likely about it. It'll happen. And I know she's skilled with magic as well. I paid attention to her siege on their group. I know what she's capable of… but also what she's weak to. I can put her down, as well as the sister. Neither can stand up to direct attacks for too long."

"There is another magic user in the group as well, one far older than this realm and Mobius together." Kaden frowned faintly. "I have yet to discern any true weaknesses from her. She is the older of the two Therians present with the group. Be mindful of her."

"She was more than capable of healing both Babylon and Mobius, though it left her weakened for a time. That alone is… formidable," Zareil murmured, closing her eyes for a moment. "I think it'll be best to avoid her entirely, if possible."

"That will not be possible," Kaden swiftly corrected. "When you arrive, she will attack alongside the others." He paused, thinking, then said, "I will contain her and any standing by her. I cannot spare you any other favors right now."

Zareil put a hand to her chin, frowning for the moment. "Understood," she murmured. "That means I will likely have to move quickly, correct?"

"No. I can hold her without too much difficulty," was the unconcerned answer.

The demoness licked her lips. "I won't have the boosted power from eating the World Eater this time around. It'll be a bit harder than before."

"Which is precisely why you cannot go there unaware of what your enemies are capable of," Kaden told her. "If you go to them unprepared, they will find a means of driving you away, if not killing you."

Zareil nodded slowly. "Who else, then? Surely you'll impart information on more than just the Light and magic users."

After a small pause, Kaden answered, "You are not to harm my son more than is necessary, but he will attack you. He is a being of Darkness with no other real powers we are aware of, but his abilities far surpass those of any normal being without powers."

"I am aware of such. I landed an attack that could often ground other semi-Immortals, and he seemed as if he was never touched in the first place. He is strong, like you." Zareil managed a fleeting smirk before sighing. "I know he will fight, as will his chameleon… whatever they are at this point."

"Shadow is mostly not biological anymore, and will not take much damage from blunt-force injuries," Kaden warned her. He ignored the comment about the chameleon entirely. "His sheer ability to sustain damage without slowing down and to react within a second or less are abilities you will need to exhibit caution around." Zareil nodded, motioning for him to continue. She had no further comments. With that individual done with, Kaden moved onto the next. "You battled very briefly with Espio's mother, yes?"

Zareil managed a smirk. "I certainly did. She is one of the few beings I have met who matched my pure strength in a fight."

Kaden nodded. "She appears to gain higher levels of power through emotions such as anger, as you do. And her abilities as a shinobi are not to be ignored. You must be mindful of her kind's complete mastery of blades, stealth, and agility."

"I'm aware. I'll keep it in mind, since she will not want to let me near her son again," Zareil answered.

"Neither will her partner," Kaden murmured. "I understand he was saddled with children last time, yes?"

"He was and likely will be again considering Espio now has two children in his possession," Zareil said with a smile.

Kaden shook his head this time. "Unlikely. Due to him having less fighting ability than his wife, he has taken longer to fully recover from his revival. However, he has regained most of his strength. Being a chameleon, he will not willingly stay out of a fight to defend his own child. It is likely that his grandchildren will be left elsewhere so that he can join the battle, meaning you must be aware of what he is capable of."

"He's very agile, correct?" Zareil asked with a small frown.

"And incredibly gifted with speed in general," Kaden confirmed. "Espio appears to get all of his own speed-based abilities from his father. However, that is not all you have to be concerned with."

Zareil raised an eyebrow. "What do I need to worry about?"

"You have no resistance to acids, poisons, or their stronger counterparts - outright toxins - of any kind. Shei is capable of using all of them. He coats his weapons in them. He can infect anything with a touch, even through fabric. It is possible there is more to it, but I have not found more information as of yet." Kaden frowned. "According to what I have found, these powers alone are enough to easily kill yokai, Hollows, and even demons that once served under Amnikaribah. It is not something to take lightly."

"Am I allowed to kill him should I need to?" Zareil asked lightly, almost as if to mess with Kaden. She had no intention of really taking this situation lightly.

"Only if a clear opportunity to do so arises," was the bland reply. "And only if you can do so without him touching you."

Zareil nodded. "Who else is there to be concerned with?"

"The fox you attempted to kill before… he is not as weak as his demeanor suggests. That he regenerates at such a speed that he survived your attack is proof enough of this, but you must also watch out for his radiation and any other new powers he may have developed through the mutations it creates in him."

"He's alive?" Zareil asked incredulously, a deep-seated frown on her face.

"Indeed," Kaden answered quietly. "And virtually nothing you can do as of now will truly kill him. You can reduce him to nothing more than a few remaining cells and he will still regenerate and live another day."

The demoness scoffed. "Killing him temporarily would remove him as a threat for the time being, if nothing else."

"That is so," Kaden agreed. He fell silent again for a moment before telling her, "They are not on the planet currently… but Jet and Wave are both healthy and well within range to teleport themselves to Mobius. You would do well not to draw their attention… or the attention of the other two Immortals who have recently joined this war."

Zareil notably frowned further than she had been before. "The other two are very strong as well. I know that much." Kaden nodded once. She seemed to be in deep thought at this, crossing her arms. "How can I keep from drawing their attention?"

"Do not linger on Mobius too long, and only use what power is necessary. Do not let everything flow freely or they will sense it." Kaden gave her a stern look. "In other words, do not show off in an effort to intimidate them. Fend off whoever you must, collect Espio, and go somewhere else before fighting him. Somewhere you cannot be easily followed to."

"So I should stay off of Mobius after collecting him, then?"

"Yes."

"What about his cat girl? She is not likely to back down either, and I know she can deal serious damage should she land a hit. Do you think I should simply incapacitate her and her father if they become problematic?" Zareil asked.

"You are not to approach Espio until they leave that realm," Kaden directed, "and I will be handling Ylden. As for Armaris… by all means, take her along if you wish. She will be unable to help her friend, and her mental and emotional suffering has the potential to have an effect on her father as well. It will be useful."

Zareil let out a disturbingly pleased growl at the thought of that, smirking. "That I can certainly do."

Kaden finished sharpening Saika, sending some sparks flying, and stood. "You are not to bring Espio back here yet. Let him return to his allies once you are finished. His abilities still have some further growing to do before he is corrupted again. Your fight with him will paint a clearer picture of how much growing they still need to do."

"I also would like a fight against his mother, but that can wait. She is an enemy that I want to have my full attention as well," Zareil practically purred, as disturbing as it may be. "One day, should the chance arise."

With a vague nod, Kaden sheathed his sword. However, almost as soon as he did so, his ears perked. He stood perfectly still for a moment, just listening, before warning calmly in a low voice, "Zareil… I recommend you exit the building."

Zareil wanted to protest and demand why, but ultimately she simply listened and teleported outside alongside her armor. There was a faint white flash that shot down from the sky and into the heart of the citadel not a second later in the form of a very thin line. Then that line exploded outward into an explosion of pure Light, the shockwaves of which ripped apart the surrounding area effortlessly. Zareil became acutely aware of the situation going on there, but her attention locked onto a rapidly approaching presence that she had been waiting for.

As she waited and watched, the explosion within the citadel grew so much that it engulfed the building entirely. However, it did not do so unchallenged. Portions of the blinding whiteness were engulfed by the blackness of Kaden's Darkness as the energies began visibly and violently swirling in opposition around one another. Since Yareis hadn't arrived just yet, Zareil took care to add her energies into the mix to aid Kaden until her prey arrived.

Before long, the clashing grew so violent that the sphere of energy could no longer be contained. The resulting blast was as concussive as it was devastating to the area, punching a huge hole into the ground before it finally died down. Kaden landed in a crouch beyond the rim of the crater, skidding from the sheer force of the landing. Darkness still actively flowed around him in response to all the Light permeating the air.

Yareis landed on the ground shortly after this, ripping up the area where she hit with a hateful glare on her face. In her hand was a blade of ice that, oddly enough, didn't seem to be melting. Zareil took this in with a growing smirk on her face, twirling her spear in hand before tossing an idle glance in Kaden's general direction. If a hectic battle was about to take place, she wanted to make sure he wasn't harmed by the initial Light explosion. Kaden tossed her a glare, then sharply transferred it to Zareil. "Deal with this." With that said, he disappeared in pursuit of his own attackers.

"You've got a lot of nerve, hurting my kin," Yareis snapped, the residual cold of her body managing to reach Zareil even at this distance. "And you went out of your way to kill their allies. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Zareil grinned wildly, tempted to cackle but ultimately deciding against it as she licked the tip of her spear. "Their blood was delicious," she muttered, launching into battle. Her spear crashed through shield after shield of ice, the individual pieces vaporizing before they even touched the ground. They took to the skies, Zareil immediately ordering any and all nearby demons to stay away from her as she grabbed Yareis by the neck and moved to throw the Goddess. Ice crawled up her arm, finding purchase on the skin of a demon who didn't actually have any flames to call upon.

"Must suck to not be able to melt this on your own," Yareis muttered with a grin, letting the ice spread quickly to oppose the rapid melting of the area around them.

"I don't need to," Zareil growled. "But you… you made a mistake coming to my God's realm. You are not welcome here." In an instant, the demoness dropped crushing strength on the other woman's neck, satisfied when she watched Yareis's body suddenly turn to ice and shatter at her grip. Yareis reformed a short distance away, gritting her teeth much to Zareil's amusement. "Behind you."

Yareis barely had a moment to spin around and clash her sword against Zareil's spear with both hands holding the deadly weapon off. Zareil landed a harsh kick to her abdomen, launching her into a demon that promptly exploded on impact. The two clashed once more in brutal fashion, sword and spear slamming into each other with more than enough force to rip up the ground beneath their feet. Without warning, Zareil slammed her body into Yareis, throwing them both to the ground with the Goddess's sword driven deep into the demon's body. "You are a fool."

"If I am a fool, then you're blind." A crimson red energy built around Zareil as she drove her elbow against Yareis's head, brutally launching her well over a mile away and ripping the sword free from Zareil's body. She stood once more and glanced over her wound with a sickeningly satisfied look. A little more damage and I'll be able to drive her out of here. Zareil's attention shifted upward as she watched a storm of cold appear. As small as it was, that certainly meant that Yareis could keep it up for a short time. Zareil managed a smile as she watched so many of the demons that she considered to be unworthy of her attention were flash-frozen and promptly destroyed at the whim of Yareis's powers. The freezing didn't bother her, considering how must more vastly powerful she was in comparison to these weak demons around her, so she simply crossed her arms and waited.

The moment came where Yareis suddenly appeared, grabbing Zareil by the neck with such speed that it managed to surprise the demon, dragging her to the ground and rapidly cooling down her body and attempting to freeze it. This hurt more than enough for Zareil to pull her trump card, a wild grin on her face. "What are you grinning about, demon?" Yareis snapped.

It was too late for Yareis to react, Zareil's sudden explosion of power throwing her into what existed of the atmosphere of this planet. The demoness rapidly vanished and reappeared, landing powerful blows that the Goddess could swear were rocking her to her core before dragging her to space and throwing her back down into the ground of the planet they'd just been fighting on. When Zareil landed, she was more than satisfied to see that Yareis had fled, vapor being the only trail left behind.

~保護者~

Shei was seated in the same place he had been with Aniko earlier. The children lay asleep in the grass beside him and Aniko was off doing… whatever it was she was doing as of right now. With nothing better to occupy his time, he pulled out a dagger he had acquired from Espio's store of weapons and began idly looking it over to check its condition. It was an older style weapon, for certain… but not dull in the slightest. It would suffice, but he still needed to locate his old weapon stores and see what had survived. I do not like being unarmed. Having merely one weapon is not much better.

Aniko finally returned around this time, glancing down at him with a thoughtful frown on her face. "The chameleons are beginning to gather fully nearby. It would be best if we were ready when they finish arriving so we can immediately begin informing them."

Glancing up at her, Shei nodded. "Ready in what way, precisely?" he signed.

"Ready to begin speaking to them. I would prefer to not keep them waiting long," she murmured softly.

"I am afraid I won't be much help in that regard," Shei teased. "You are on your own."

"It would help to have you there with me."

"I can still be there. Talking, however, is entirely your job."

She sighed softly, crossing her arms. "I did not intend for you to speak, regardless. We both know that you would not, even if you were able. You would simply delegate that to me." Her teasing came off a touch more harsh than most would perceive as normal, but anyone that had been around her for any extensive amount of time would know this was normal for her.

That she returned his teasing caused him to crack a smile underneath his mask. There was an amused twinkle in his eyes as he replied to her, "I would only mostly make you do the talking. I might take over for you now and then… provided you gave me a decent enough incentive."

A small smile played at her lips for a brief moment before she huffed. "What would even be a decent enough incentive for you?"

"I have no idea," Shei admitted with a casual shrug. "It is not as though I have sat and thought about this before."

Aniko rolled her eyes at him. "You should have. It may have come in handy for you some time ago, in a situation where the opportunity would actually have arisen."

"And when would that have been, Aniko?" Shei asked her.

"Before now," she said simply, leaning against the tree. "Do you have anything you would like to do before they all finish arriving?"

At this, the pace of Shei's signing sped up a little. "I need to return to the original Hyale and find my weapons. I cannot get by with a dagger alone and the sword I was left with after we were apparently being controlled is… fragile at best."

Aniko frowned for a moment before nodding slowly. "Let's do it."

Shei glanced down to the children. "We must leave them with someone."

"Who can we truly trust among these people to watch them?"

"Calypso seems trustworthy enough. She has been watching over the Babylonian child without issue for a time."

Aniko's frown temporarily deepened. "Do you trust her?"

He gave that some thought with a tilted head before responding, "I trust her enough to watch them, yes. She would not have been permitted to come here at all if she bore any ill-intent. Our son, if no one else, would have refused to allow her to stay."

It took a moment, but ultimately Aniko relented with a small nod. "I suppose it would not hurt to leave them in her care for a short time."

"You are alright with this?" Shei asked her, wanting to be sure. "A different solution can be found if you are not."

"It will suffice until we return," Aniko reassured him. Nodding, Shei stood. He collected the children and left with them to find Calypso. Once they were settled with her, he returned to Aniko. She waited for him the whole time, a touch impatiently. It seemed that she didn't want to leave the children under someone else's watch for long, even if said person was trustworthy.

Once he returned, Shei motioned for her to come with him and dashed off in the direction of the old former village. Aniko shot after him, joining his side in less than a moment. They arrived in no time flat, as was typical for a shinobi, and Shei skidded to a halt near their old home. Taking into account its position, he used it as a landmark to determine where to walk from here. Things, after all, looked very different than they once had. One thing was clear, though. That door in the ground… it leads to Aniko's store of weapons. Blinking, Shei turned to her. "Espio had your prized sword on him for a time, did he not?" Aniko nodded briefly to him. Shei gestured meaningfully to the door in the ground half-covered in leaves and dirt - all of which had clearly been disturbed at some point recently. "It would seem he remembered where your little vault was buried."

"I see," Aniko murmured softly, frowning in thought momentarily. It was interesting to note, but she supposed it may just be natural for him to have remembered.

He signed again, "Since we are here, you may wish to grab whatever has survived in there. You will need to be properly armed as well."

The woman took a moment before nodding, carefully opening the door and glancing over what was left. While she busied herself with that, Shei hurried off to where his own weapons stash had once been he was pleased to find that it had not been uncovered at any point, meaning that everything inside was precisely how he had left it. He had so many weapons to choose from, and rather than be picky about what to take and what to leave behind, he took a special scroll off a shelf and used a ninja technique to store everything he had within it. Essentially, he did what Espio had done with that book. Then, satisfied that he had what he needed, he returned to Aniko. Aniko had finished collecting her own weapons and equipment from the compartment, raising an eyebrow. "Is this all we need to get?"

"I have all that I need," Shei answered. "Was there anything else that you needed?"

"I do not believe so. This would have been where the rest of my equipment was," Aniko murmured softly.

Shei nodded. "Lead the way to the others, then. You met with them all once before, so it would be better for you to approach first. You are now a familiar face, whereas I am a stranger."

Aniko wasted no time, rushing off back to where she knew the chameleons were gathering. She knew Shei would follow. The two arrived in mere seconds, Aniko taking her place before them all and glancing over the crowd quietly. "I must say… it feels unusual to know I will be taking the lead once more," she murmured quietly to Shei, turning her gaze toward him. Shei glanced at her with a slightly raised eyebrow, as if asking why that would be so strange to her. She sighed, turning fully to him. "After my death, I did not expect to ever return, yet here we both are."

"I understand," Shei signed. "But the time for contemplation over this matter can come later. Right now, eyes are turning toward you. They are waiting for you to address them."

The woman nodded, turning back to the chameleons, her people. Only a sliver of hesitation showed before it was banished. They had no time for this, and neither did she. "Attention!" she demanded harshly, standing straight as she finally spoke to them all. Everyone immediately turned to face her, though there was no need for the crowd to fall silent. They had been so to begin with. Shei seamlessly moved to the side so that all attention could be on Aniko and clasped his hands behind his back, watching and waiting.

"As many of you know, our people have been attacked and brutally murdered on more than one occasion by the army of the God of Demons. He views some of us as threats, especially one that many of you know of by name, Espio. He will not stop coming after our people until he gets what he wants, and I will not allow him to take my child or my people anymore." Her gaze shifted over the crowd for a moment as she allowed this to sink in before continuing. "We are faced with the threat of demons, beings of Darkness that care not for our way of life, our people, or our lives as a whole."

She continued. "They will ruthlessly slaughter whatever they desire if they deem it in the way. Another threat is showing itself in the form of another army, one that is just as dangerous if not more so. They have also attempted to take Espio to have him as a weapon just like the God of Demons did. Therefore, knowing that these threats are looming, I will ask any that cannot face them leave immediately and return to your homes to defend them and your people. Any that can and will join me and our allies against the oncoming threats, remain here so that we can properly brief you on what you will be facing."

Ultimately, only a few people actually left. It was not surprise whatsoever that most stayed and were perfectly willing and able to fight. They did as they had been told and stayed put. Aniko felt a touch of pride at the numbers that remained, pleased to find that her kind had not weakened in her time away. "As stated, the demons are beings of Darkness, like ourselves. We both have evil Darkness, but what makes theirs so different is that they are allowed to be controlled by someone due to the taint instilled within it. There are also demons that are more than capable of corrupting beings of Darkness, as they have attempted to recently. If you witness this occurring to one of our kind, interrupt it and retreat with the one subject to that treatment. Do not let them remain. Furthermore, do not let your guard down, no matter what. There are demons above even myself in terms of strength, and others that can pull devilish tricks the likes of which many of us may have never seen. Prepare yourself for anything to happen."

Once more, Aniko allowed this information to sink in before continuing. "The army I mentioned earlier, we know little about them currently. They are still a force to be reckoned with, as they seem to have plenty of resources at their disposal, such as someone who is capable of forcefully showing others visions. Should they directly enter the fighting at this stage, we must prepare for them to throw any number of attacks or tricks our way to kill us off. They are just as ruthless and heartless."

Aniko took a moment to breathe, closing her eyes briefly before opening them. "I have been in contact with a master weaponsmith who is currently creating weapons that are without flaw. Some of you may even find his work to be much more well suited than you first believe. Nonetheless, he is creating a large number of weapons solely for our use. He will return soon to arm us with them. We are also working closely with other beings like him, those called Gods and Goddesses, as well as Immortals. We will work with them, and follow them into battle where they require us. I ask that you all be willing to follow their lead like I am." She didn't want to admit that last part directly, but there was no choice. They had far more information about what was going on than she or Shei did. "If there are any questions, speak them now."

When nobody spoke, Aniko nodded gently. "Do not be afraid to approach me if you would like to ask a question, or need reassurances. I am not against offering such, especially in such a trying time. I need all of you fighting with full confidence." With this said in a much gentler tone than before, she turned to walk away quietly but not before she had offered a respectful bow to them all.

~保護者~

The portal snapped shut behind them as Ylden, Armaris, and Espio passed through it. A massive open area immediately surrounded them with nothing in sight. Ylden's eyes glowed momentarily with a deep black as his magic encircled the area. A home suddenly appeared, alongside several doors lined up in front of them all. A massive mirror-like object reflected the area in which Ylden governed the flow of the spirits of the dead far in the distance, despite being perfectly visible to them all from where they were. The male cat turned back to Espio and gave a small smile. "Is there anything you want here before we get anything moving? I can essentially create anything you may need such as weapons, targets, furnishings… whatever." Given that he still didn't fully know what all Ylden intended to have him do, Espio didn't answer. Seeming to understand this, Ylden simply nodded. "If you need anything in the future, say so."

Armaris turned to Espio with a smile, leaning close so she could whisper quietly. "All I ask is that you give him a chance to figure out how to teach you. Can you do that for me?" Espio glanced at her, gave Ylden a flat and unimpressed look, and eventually conceded with a curt nod.

Ylden motioned for Armaris to take a few steps away, fully turning his attention to Espio. "You've learned that you have Darkness, as well as how to control it well enough to use it in precise and powerful ways. You have also learned how to keep it under wraps and prevent yourself from completely losing control as a result of its influence until something pushes you hard, such as the corruption forced upon you." A barrier of magic appeared some several yards away from Ylden, to which he motioned. "Strike that with whatever attack of Darkness you want. Attempt to shatter the barrier, but don't destroy everything around it."

Espio looked at the barrier for a long moment, debating whether or not he even could do what had been asked of him without causing wide-spread destruction, before some of the intrinsic instinctual control he had had while still… not himself came back to him. Sighing slightly under his breath, he unleashed a concentrated blast of energy from his palm, striking the barrier dead-on. It shattered not a second later.

The male cat gave a nod that indicated that he was certainly impressed. "Your Darkness is potent and powerful, and you definitely understand already how to maintain control of it for attacks. What do you think of your abilities so far?" Espio's only response was a vague shrug. Several clones of Ylden appeared in the area around Espio, all wielding a black scythe and poised for combat. "Take them all down, but don't destroy any of the candles I left precariously on the ground. Don't get hit by them, either. Use your Darkness however you see fit." As soon as those words were uttered, the clones attacked en masse.

Close to a minute later, the fight was over. A couple candles wobbled precariously where they sat, earning a few internal curses from Espio, but ultimately they remained standing and intact. Espio had managed not to be struck in any manner whatsoever, naturally, and he stood fairly near to where he had been prior to the start of the fight. Ylden idly stroked his chin, nodding his approval. He walked over to Espio, idly observing his body for a moment. "I was right to assume that a shinobi would learn from this method best. You already are showing remarkable results. Any thoughts from you about how I'm doing on this?"

This earned another flat look. "No."

Ylden summoned his scythe in hand, leaping back several meters and letting his magic flow freely. "Then let's continue. I see no reason to keep checking your abilities. You are capable of a proper fight. Whoever strikes the other first in this match is victorious. It ends after that, but neither of us is allowed to move. If both feet leave the ground, the opponent wins." Espio's eyes narrowed a little, for a shinobi normally relied on mobility in a battle, but ultimately he had no argument. He remained silent. Ylden said nothing more, beginning this battle with a powerful blast of magic, blocked by a barrier that Espio reflexively created. It stayed up just long enough to keep the attack from hitting him.

The fight continued, attacks being thrown and defenses being created in various methods until Ylden suddenly placed a crushing weight on Espio's body with his magic. Espio reacted by forcibly pushing the weight up and off without moving anything more than a hand. As the chameleon was doing this, a wave of magic struck at his feet meaning to throw him off balance while another rocketed towards his hands. However, being that he was a chameleon, Espio maintained his balance without effort, thus allowing him to ignore that attack and focus on the other one. He deflected it with a small, localized barrier that sent the attack flying back at Ylden.

Ylden twisted his hands in the air, stopping this attack mid-air and seemingly cloning the attack to send both back at Espio. This provoked another reflexive reaction from Espio, who fired a blast back at Ylden which engulfed the smaller attacks and charged right for the cat. Magic coursed through the blast and ripped it apart, a wall of intensely powerful magic surging toward Espio in response. Seeing this coming, Espio braced himself for impact and put up another powerful barrier around himself. It held without crumbling or even weakening as the attack washed over it.

A pin-prick sized beam of concentrated magic stabbed against the barrier, created purely to shatter the defense while it stood. Though this attack managed to make the barrier waver a bit due to Espio's lack of knowledge on how to properly control his Darkness, ultimately the barrier still stood. One more attack slammed against the barrier this time, applying pressure on all sides and obviously taking much of Ylden's concentration to maintain. This provoked a harsh rebuff in the form of another blast that threw Ylden's attack away.

"Finished," Ylden suddenly called, attaching his scythe to something on his back and letting his magic dissipate. Espio's barrier promptly vanished. "Your offense is impeccable. You know how to break other attacks, counter with your own, and use your power within normal ones very well. Your defense lacks more, however, possibly because your training as a shinobi simply doesn't require as much defense as it would agility and dodging, especially given how you fight. Despite that lack of knowledge, the power of your Darkness was more than capable of holding its own and protecting you against my magic. If we work on that defense a bit, you may even be able to protect yourself against the likes of Light and Light-based magic, provided the user isn't immensely powerful like say Analia or Eona, if she was around." Espio crossed his arms loosely, just listening and saying nothing. "Is there anything you specifically want to focus on when it comes to combat with your Darkness, Espio?" Ylden asked, raising an eyebrow.

Once again, this was met with a flat, expressionless look and a simple, "No."

"One thing I will say is that while you may be telling me the honest truth about your opinions on these matters, you're being far more reserved and quiet about things that truly are on your mind. You hold emotions in to a dangerous degree and don't allow them out, for fear that they will cause you far more problems. You can feel without showing, and I challenge you to do such. Take a break with Armaris while I tend to some souls that are being less than pleasant." Ylden vanished without another word, leaving Espio and Armaris alone together.

Espio internally scoffed and moved to find a spot to sit down. He is irritating…

Armaris materialized from the shadows beside Espio, gently leaning against him. "Annoying, right?" she asked, a vague smile on her face.

He tossed her a glance, some of his mask fading as he finally allowed himself to relax just a little. "Yes."

She managed a soft laugh. "That's how he is. Really grates on your nerves, even if he's got pretty good advice."

I would not consider his advice good. Brushing that matter aside for now, Espio found himself recalling something else that he had been thinking about prior to them arriving here. He suddenly felt the need to bring it up now, but… at the same time, he wasn't sure if there would ever be a good time to do so.

Armaris ever so gently wrapped her arms around one of his, looking directly at him. "If there's something on your mind… please talk to me. I'm here for you, okay?"

"You being around me nearly got you killed twice," Espio responded, a touch harsher than he had intended. He hadn't even meant to say anything at all, but the words had come out before he could stop them.

The cat's ice blue eyes looked down for a moment as she frowned. "I know, Espio. It's okay, though. I was there for you, and if something had happened, it would have been my fault for going in the first place. I knew your Darkness was influencing you, but I couldn't stay away knowing that there was a chance that the you I love so much could come back."

Unable to let it go that easily, Espio reiterated in a quieter voice, "You could have been killed."

"I could have, yeah," Armaris murmured softly. "But honestly, It's okay. I survived, you survived, and we're both here together. That's way better than all of the horrible things that could have happened, right?"

Espio scowled at the ground. "It is not okay, Armaris, no matter how much you say it is."

"What else can I say? I'm not mad at you, I don't hate you for it. I don't want to hurt you back. I'm fine. It hurt in the moment, in more than one way, but I'm glad it happened if it meant bringing you back." Armaris leaned her head against his shoulder, eyes closed. "I would've been worse off without you." Espio had no idea what to say to this and instead fell back on his usual tactic: complete silence. She gently rubbed her cheek against him, frowning. "Let me ask you this. Do you want to hurt me?"

"No," he answered immediately, inwardly recoiling at the idea that he had at one point.

"Then don't focus on it. If you still wanted to hurt me, then we would have a whole different discussion. You don't, though, so why don't we live in the moment and not let that haunt us?" Once again, with no reply to give, Espio grew quiet. "Espio, I really care about you. I won't make you say it, but I hope that you care the same way. I never want to live life without you."

There was no response for a brief moment as Espio tried to sort out his thoughts in regards to what she had just said, but eventually he let everything go to the best of his ability. With a small sigh, he allowed himself to relax enough to lean his head against hers a little. "I… care," he managed to admit eventually. Soon he forced himself to continue with perhaps the most difficult sentence he had ever tried to say to another person in his life. "I do not know if I can care the way you do, but… I think I am willing to try."

Armaris tensed up momentarily before a little too suddenly wrapping her arms around his body with a tearfully happy expression. She couldn't speak for a moment, a bit choked up at the thought of what Espio had said. When she did finally manage to talk, her words were soft. "Thank you, Espio," she whispered. He only shrugged a little with his free shoulder, fresh out of meaningful words and at a bit of a loss as to how to answer her.

The silence they fell into managed to somehow be... almost peaceful.

~保護者~

7,168 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all his help, and I hope you all enjoyed. Posted (at about 3:20 p.m.) 06-15-20.