Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this time of tentative peace… especially for the ones who have ensured our heroes can get some rest.

~保護者~

"Homeward Bound"

~保護者~

Zareil was hurled with concussive force into the ground somewhere close to the citadel she and Kaden normally stayed within. Seconds later, Kaden slammed into the ground beside her, landing so hard on his back that it left him coughing and cursing. Furious at having been ripped away from the confrontation he had been having with Nareish, he flung his sword into the face of a demon that peered down into the crater, then stood and brushed himself off. Zareil on the other hand busied herself with very brutally grabbing the nearest demons and crushing them in whatever way she saw fit so that she could attempt to vent her anger somewhat.

"Zareil," Kaden called to her sharply. "That is enough."

"That was fucking annoying. What the hell even dragged us here?" she asked as she obliterated a demon with another with a forceful throw. "I don't even get it!"

Kaden leapt out of the crater and landed lightly on the edge of it. "I don't know," he admitted, walking over to where his sword (and the corpse it was buried in) had fallen. He wrenched the weapon free.

Zareil suddenly paused and turned back around to face Kaden. "Hold the fuck up, it drug you back here too?"

"Obviously," Kaden snapped, beginning to lose his temper a tiny bit. He was still furious that he had been pulled away from Nareish before he'd been able to do anything to her.

The demoness frowned deeply, her anger momentarily forgotten as she began thinking. "It had to have been someone powerful like the Immortals, but I doubt it was Nareish."

"It could not have been any of them," Kaden muttered, "aside from Jet. But he is still asleep right now." He tried to teleport back to Nareish's realm to resume his confrontation with her, but found himself stopped at the very edges of his own realm's territory. The fuck…?

Zareil teleported to him and her fists clenched. "This isn't the work of the Immortals or Nareish, then. Who the hell did this?" Kaden was quiet for a long moment before just letting out a short growl and sheathing his sword with a hard snap. Zareil's mood darkened and she returned to Kaden's planet with her spear appearing in her hand once more. She had the intent to very destructively take out her anger on some of the very unsuspecting demons in her way.

A few seconds later, Kaden reappeared on the surface as well, his mind already swimming with possibilities for what might have been the cause of this. However, he was distracted from that when he spied Zareil and saw the bloodlust in her eyes. "You are not to go on a killing spree here," he commanded a touch harshly. "Target weaker demons elsewhere. These ones will be needed alive." She wanted to argue with him but ultimately decided that now was a bad time, so she listened and vanished off to another area entirely. Resisting the urge to growl again, Kaden simply disappeared inside the citadel.

~保護者~

In light of the news they had all just been given, there were many emotions flooding the group and everyone within it. Conspicuously missing, however, were feelings such as suspicion and distrust. Cere's words were certainly convincing enough, but how could anyone disbelieve the being of Light, Eona herself? Even Espio seemed oddly convinced of their truthfulness, judging by his lack of negative reaction. So, without raising any arguments, the group had listened to what Cere and Eona had been sent here to say. They had then watched as Cere had left and Eona had gently purified those who remained corrupted. After that, she had also taken her leave.

That had been ten minutes ago. Rapid discussion had resulted in everyone agreeing that it would be safe for the group to split up for now. Tails was quickly packing up his tools and such now, and as he did so he called out, "Hey, Sonic?"

His old friend was by him in a flash. "Yeah, Tails?"

"Want to head to my place with Silver and Blaze?" he offered. "I know Shadow offered you a room at his place, but since he's resting, maybe you guys can stay with me for a while."

Sonic nodded immediately. "That would be for the best," he agreed. "Thanks for letting us do that."

"Of course, Sonic," Tails smiled. "I wouldn't just leave you guys high and dry."

Though his mood remained sour like it had been earlier, Sonic managed a smile as well. "We'll do what we can to help you with things like the Tornado-Z while we stay there. It's the least we can do."

"Thanks, I appreciate it. You guys can go ahead and go there now, if you want. I'll be there soon." Sonic nodded again and went back to where he had left Silver and Blaze. Not a full minute later, they teleported away. Once they were gone, Tails packed up his remaining tools and walked over to Wery. "Hey," he greeted, "I didn't get a chance to ask earlier, but… are you okay? After the, erm, 'fight' earlier, that is."

Wery glanced up from the device she was tinkering with and attempted to fake a smile before it simply wilted away. "I… she was so… strong. Usually that solution I made is strong enough to hold just about anything in place but she just… broke it."

Tails swallowed hard before daring to ask, "How much… have you overheard about the stuff we've all been dealing with? You don't have to go into deep detail or anything, but… yeah."

"I… honestly haven't heard much," Wery murmured softly. "I try not to listen to people's conversations when I can avoid it."

"Okay. Well… I'm not gonna try to get into everything right now, but basically one type of enemy we've been facing are these monstrous beings called demons," Tails explained quietly. "Demons are what attacked the whole planet a while back and, to put it mildly, trashed the place. Just… for reference. And that woman who attacked us earlier, she's one of the strongest demons out there. Probably the strongest aside from their leader."

Wery frowned more, focusing her gaze back on the device in her hands. "They have a leader?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah," Tails nodded. "Though many of them are very bestial and look more like monsters than people, demons are still sentient and organized - even if they don't always seem to be. They have kings and queens, lords and ladies, generals, soldiers, and a High God who rules over them all."

"That's… crazy," Wery murmured. "And that's what you guys have been fighting?"

"That's one threat, yeah," Tails sighed. He grew quiet for a moment, thinking, then asked, "Do you… feel safe going back to your home right now? Because if not, maybe you could…" After that, he trailed off, unsure if he should continue or not.

Wery glanced away. "I… would I be endangering my parents by going back after all of that…?"

"It's… really likely if you were, say, somebody like Sonic," Tails answered carefully. "But you haven't been around us much. Our enemies only saw you once. I think you would be okay, but at the same time… I could understand not wanting to take the risk."

"I… can't risk getting them in danger," Wery murmured quietly. "They're everything to me."

With that in mind, Tails decided to forge ahead with his offer. "You… could come stay with me, for a while at least. Sonic and a couple others are doing it, too. I have some spare places to sleep, though I'll have to warn you up front that my house isn't that big."

Wery took a moment to consider this before slowly nodding. "That… would actually be really nice right about now."

"You sure you're okay with it?" Tails felt the need to ask. "'Cause we can work out something else if it makes you uncomfortable or something."

"No, no! It's perfectly fine!" she scrambled to explain. "I would be glad-" Wery cut herself off suddenly, taking a breath to calm herself before admitting, "I really appreciate it."

"Okay." Smiling, Tails grabbed one of his trust teleporters, one with a magnet, and attached it to his ship. With the press of a button, he sent it off to his workshop. He then took his other teleporter and walked over to Wery. "In that case, you ready to go?"

The female nodded a little. "Yeah. I'm ready." Returning her nod, Tails headed home with her in tow.

~保護者~

The sight of Cere had certainly left her unsettled. Eila knew what that woman's job was, and she felt the faintest fear at knowing that someone whose job was to punish people like Astra, people like her. Then she saw Eona. To say that she was caught off guard was an understatement. She was frozen the entire time, knowing that this person was the embodiment of the energy she herself had been born with.

It took some time before she recovered from this utter shock, not realizing that Rose had collected her elsewhere. Rose explained to her that she had continued working with her magic without even being aware of what was going on.

"You have been very distant recently," Rose murmured softly. "It is worrying me. Are you alright?"

Eila was quiet for some time before sighing. "I am… me."

Rose blinked a few times at this and tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"I am me," she repeated unhelpfully, not explaining further for a few more seconds or so. "I am going to be who I choose to be from here on out. You have taught me to take my life in my own hands."

There was a moment of further confusion from Rose before she smiled softly. "I am glad. You may have made mistakes, but you can mold the rest of your life into what you want it to be."

Not that anyone will want to care about what I want from here on out, Eila thought to herself. Not particularly caring about hurting her own emotional state, the cat lifted a hand and pointed it at the person who was approaching. "Who are you?" she demanded harshly.

Rose stood up, but ultimately seemed to back down when she realized this person had no ill intent. An unfamiliar Babylon walked up to them, stopping some distance away with a faint smile. "I just wanted to see how you guys are doing and all."

"Fine, now go. I don't want you here," Eila muttered, a scowl on her face.

The Babylonian male frowned. "The others left a bit ago. You're free to hang around if you want and all as long as you don't go piss off the chameleons."

Eila frowned further before pushing herself to stand as well and walking up to him before lifting him in the air with her magic. "Who do you think you are?"

Before Rose could protest, the man simply smiled. "I'm Cyril." He definitely seemed nervous, but overall he was getting by just fine.

Something in Eila's eyes softened and she dropped him onto his feet. "Thanks for letting me know." Without another word, she shifted on past Cyril and walked by. She then paused briefly and glanced back. "I'm Eila. Call me by no other name."

~保護者~

Once free of the corruption, Shei took a long moment to collect himself emotionally and mentally before trudging over to where he sensed Aniko. He felt tired, a fact which he rightfully blamed on all the Light he had just been exposed to, but he resolved to ignore that for now. His main focus was his wife, for he knew she would be far more concerned than she was likely to ever say. That would not do. He wanted to reassure her as quickly as possible.

The woman was quick to realize his presence approaching and almost collided with him at full speed in a hug that expressed more than she would likely let on with words. Careful, careful, Shei thought, wincing slightly as he tucked his still ungloved hand behind himself in such a way that it couldn't touch her. His poisons were much harder to keep under control when he was tired. Still, it was safe enough to hug her so long as his skin didn't directly touch her, so he used his other arm to do that.

"I missed you dearly in the short time you were not around," Aniko murmured softly, slowly lightening her hold on him. "I was worried…" Unable to communicate with her much while she was holding him, all Shei could do was offer an understanding nod and continue to return her hug. She continued to hold him close for some time before finally releasing him, stepping back a few feet to give him some space. "Are you doing okay?"

Now that he was free to do so, Shei was quick to pull his glove back on, as well as his mask. Only once finished with that did he answer her. "Tired, but… alright."

Aniko breathed out a long exhale of relief. "I am… happy to hear that."

Shei nodded a little, then informed her with no small measure of relief, "We were not… made to do anything. We were held within a building, nothing more."

"...Really?" Aniko asked incredulously. "They did nothing with you?"

"Nothing," Shei assured her. "Although… we were not prevented from hearing what was discussed."

Aniko frowned at this. "What was discussed?"

"Initially, Espio," Shei answered. "The demon woman ranted about his lack of desire to fight her, while the God stated that that was part of what made our son interesting to him. After that, they shifted their focus to Armaris. I am not sure how, but when the woman found a demon with the power to steal the powers of others, the God transferred that power to the woman. The woman then forced Armaris to divulge what powers she has, including her Fear. She then stole that power and left to train with it."

"Espio and that woman didn't actually fight?" Aniko questioned. All of this was weird, certainly, but it didn't make a lot of sense to her.

Shei shook his head, then signed slowly, "He was apparently adamant in his refusal, even after all that she did and threatened to do to his friends and family. She said that he was heartless… even compared to a demon."

"Directly after, though… he was able to calm down rather easily," Aniko admitted slowly. "Why are his emotions so capable of shifting in that way?"

"It is due to his Darkness so constantly fluctuating," Shei shrugged. "It causes one's emotions to do the same."

Aniko sighed deeply. "I… do not like the implications that has for how he may be in the future."

"Can you explain further what your concern is?" Shei asked her.

"This may mean that he could truly just turn on us at a moment's notice," Aniko whispered softly. "If he was not provoked by her threats, that means he might have truly not cared."

"It is not how he truly is, Aniko. You know this." Shei was frowning now, more deeply troubled than he cared to let on. "He must be taught control, as we were. Control over the energies will promote the sort of control over his emotions he once had, and it will also prevent these abnormal feelings from surfacing in the first place. With time and training, he will be himself again."

Aniko turned her gaze away momentarily. "What if we cannot train him in time?"

That forced Shei to hesitate, to also wonder. Eventually he had to admit, "I do not know."

In an attempt to not think only on that matter, the female chameleon shifted the subject. "Armaris had a power by the name of Fear?"

"It appears so, yes," Shei told her after another pause. "It can apparently force people to live through their worst fears, or something to that extent."

Aniko was visibly disturbed by this. "They plan to use it against us," she murmured, standing up perfectly straight. Shei nodded once. The woman glanced around, a concerned frown on her face. "The others have left. How can we explain this situation to them…?"

"I do not know," Shei signed slowly. Then he said, "They seem to have their own communication system in place, and Espio has one of the devices used for it. Perhaps he can send word to them."

The woman slowly nodded to this. "I suppose that could work…"

"It is likely the only effective option," Shei responded with a sigh. It wasn't inaudible as his sighs usually were, though. He was too tired to care about being silent in all that he did like uusal.

"Is there anything else that happened?" Aniko questioned.

Shei shook his head. "No. Espio retrieved us shortly after the woman and her God left."

"I see…" Aniko murmured.

Sighing, Shei moved to sit down. He had so much to think about...

~保護者~

It had been just over an hour since Toru had brought Shadow to the hedgehog's home, arms crossed as he leaned up against a wall and quietly glanced between the unconscious form within the bed and the things he'd stared at this entire time since arriving. Usually he would've been far more calm and relaxed, but now he couldn't keep himself from watching over Shadow. He supposed it had to do with him liking the hedgehog, but certainly that wasn't the only thing, right?

Ultimately, he managed to temporarily peel himself away from the wall he'd been leaning on and went searching for what was within the home to cook so he could plan for when Shadow was actually awake. It wasn't much, but he had ideas as to what he could do. With this in mind, he moved back over to Shadow's room and resumed watching over him. Why must they hurt you? Why couldn't Nareish have torn me apart instead? At least then you wouldn't have to have suffered through all that shit…

Toru had to tear himself out of his thoughts before he got lost in them, something he reminded himself was a problem he'd had as a child and something his mother often chided him for. That brought on a whole new wave of emotions and thoughts that he swiftly buried. Something of it remained, though, and he couldn't help but feel that this relationship, what he had formed with Shadow in hardly a week's time, was already something better than what he'd ever felt with his mother.

Not important, Toru reminded himself, returning his full attention back to Shadow. He had no idea how long he'd actually been immersed in thought since his sense of time practically fell apart when such a thing happened. It happened that Shadow appeared to be moving around a little, anyway, a fact which broke the previous silence in the room. There was a shifting sound as he scowled a little and rolled onto his side in a half-conscious effort to push himself up, a hand reflexively going up to his throat in the process. However, that wound in particular was nearly three-quarters of the way healed already.

Toru watched him quietly for a moment before walking over and setting a hand on Shadow's. "If you're able to hear me, you should put your hand back down. You're safe and healing."

After a short pause, Shadow lowered his hand a bit and opened his eyes. It took a second for him to truly become aware of who was talking to him and where he was, but once he got to that point he was able to relax just a bit. Why am I… home?

The chameleon knelt down by the bed and frowned. "How are you feeling?" he asked softly.

Despite the fact that his condition remained overall shitty, Shadow managed to conjure up a degree of his usual attitude when he quietly replied, "That should be obvious." His voice sounded raspy and his throat was so scratchy he had to immediately stifle a cough. How long had it been since he'd had some water? Clearly he was overdue for a glass.

Toru clicked his tongue lightly at Shadow. "You don't have to be so rude, just trying to help." He managed a faint smirk, amused by the attitude Shadow had already. It made him feel better. Shadow sort of huffed, then briefly focused on performing a scan to assess his own condition. He was surprised by how well healed he was already. Or, at least, he was surprised until it occurred to him that Tails had likely had a hand in that. "So, are you hungry?" Toru asked.

Immediately and without thinking, Shadow answered with a short, "No." He cleared his throat after that, which managed to help make his voice sound more normal.

"I'll ask you again," Toru answered in kind. "Are you hungry? If you say no again, I'll drag your ass into the living room and feed you directly like a child."

"I said I'm not," Shadow responded, moving again to sit up.

"Alright, I'm going to cook, then," Toru answered easily, already pushing himself to stand. "Not my orders, but Tails's."

Of course it is. Sighing, Shadow sat up fully (although he did make sure to do it carefully) and then set about assessing the stitches on various parts of his body. ...This was not done with a needle.

Toru watched him quietly for a moment, a frown on his face. "Something the matter?"

"How was this done?" Shadow asked in turn, also frowning.

The chameleon took a moment to decide how he should go about explaining this before sighing. "Eila did it. She used threads from a power to stitch up your wounds since Rose didn't want to risk hurting you further with her Light-based healing."

Hearing Eila mentioned didn't make Shadow the least bit happy, but he resolved not to deal with any anger right now. He pushed that aside for the time being and just nodded. "Fine."

Toru turned away for a moment before glancing back to Shadow. "She's not who she once was, at least. I'm not asking you to forgive her, or to forget what she did, but also try to keep in mind what she does from here on out." He didn't wait for an answer, disappearing into the kitchen to get started on what he was going to make.

Resisting the urge to growl or at least huff, Shadow slowly and carefully moved to stand and then began making his way to the kitchen as well. Once there, he had to lean against one of the counters for support due to still feeling exhausted and weak from all the blood loss. He watched Toru for a moment, just thinking, before finally asking, "...Why did you come here with me?"

"Someone needed to watch over you," Toru murmured, already collecting supplies to begin cooking with. "That, and I was worried."

"I would have healed," Shadow answered, looking away. "You did not need to be concerned about it."

"I was," Toru answered in return. "I came here for that."

It doesn't make sense. Saying that aloud somehow didn't feel safe, so Shadow opted to hold his tongue and just nodded once.

"You're not allergic to anything, right?" Toru asked. "I assume you're not allergic to anything you got for yourself, but I feel like I have to ask."

"No," Shadow huffed. "I am incapable of being allergic."

"Had to check." The chameleon began working, his attention most definitely focused on not burning down the house or causing problems for the time being. It didn't take long for Toru to complete the meal, setting aside two plates for them both and divvying up the food between them. "Just so you know, you will be eating," the chameleon told Shadow.

"And if I refuse?" Shadow muttered, crossing his arms.

"Are you gonna fight me over it? Maybe shoot me?"

"I told you I am not hungry."

Toru raised an eyebrow. "At least try to eat." Shadow gave him a look, one that clearly communicated his unwillingness to repeat himself while still remaining firm on what he'd said. Toru then suddenly decided to begin typing on his communicator, asking Tails about what he should do since Shadow was refusing. Tails, however, appeared to be busy as (for once) he didn't immediately view or reply to the message.

Eventually, Shadow let out a breath akin to a sort of sigh. "...Why are you so insistent?" he found himself asking.

"Because I care," Toru murmured softly, arms crossing. "I'd prefer you be doing better than you were. If I can help you do that, I will."

There was a long pause, one that finally ended when Shadow sighed again. This time he reluctantly asked, "What are you even making?"

"Not much," Toru answered. "Crisping bread alongside some basic stuff like rice to make something akin to salad without the leafy greens."

It took another short while, but Shadow did eventually relent fully. "Fine."

"So, you're gonna eat?" Toru asked.

"It is not as though you are going to allow me a choice," Shadow answered, doing his best to grumble.

Toru managed a smile and he passed a plate along to Shadow. "Go ahead." Shadow took the plate, tossing the best glare he could manage in Toru's direction in the process. It was by no means effective, however, and he left off doing that before too long. Then, since he preferred rice, he decided to nibble at that for the moment. The chameleon watched this for a moment before huffing. "You're supposed to try and get a bit of it all at once. It makes it taste better."

"Just eat your own," Shadow huffed, idly waving Toru off with a hand. That wasn't something he normally did, but he didn't give much thought to the action right now.

The chameleon smiled further before shrugging. "Alright, but don't complain if it tastes bland." He then made good on his own suggestion, carefully eating it so that each bite had a little bit of all the contents within the dish.

Bland was typically preferable, anyway. It made him much less likely to immediately puke when random nausea hit. He'd learned that lesson the hard way when fighting to get clean of Zero in the past. It was why he sometimes still so heavily preferred eating other mostly bland foods, like simple toasted bread and the like. But, of course, Shadow didn't say any of that. He just muttered something about Toru being obnoxious before taking another tiny bite of rice.

Shaking his head, Toru took another bite of his own food. Well… at least he's eating. It's better than nothing.

~保護者~

Very shortly after Shei had returned and he and Aniko had settled down to sit somewhere, Espio left the children with them and returned to the ruins of his house. He eyed the tree where the building had once been, making mental notes of the small changes he would have to make to the structure of his home in response to the now-missing branches he had previously used as supports. Once he had a plan in mind, he moved to the debris and began sifting through it, searching for anything that was salvageable.

As he was doing this, Armaris very quietly walked up to him. For whatever reason, she was keeping her form comprised of energy and had no intention of hiding such. "Espio… can I talk to you?"

Hearing her voice, Espio stopped what he was doing long enough to glance back over his shoulder at her. After a pause, he returned to his activities with a simple, "Yes."

She stood there quietly for a few seconds before moving a bit closer. "Do… you think I'm weak?"

The unexpected question made Espio frown and he turned more fully to face her. "What?" he demanded quietly.

Her gaze flicked down and she stared at the ground. "Am I weak?"

"No," he told her firmly, frowning a touch deeper. "You are not."

"I… I'm barely able to do anything each time we get attacked. First your parents, then the demons. I wasn't much help there, and then there was Nyokae who I couldn't touch if I'd wanted to, and now this demon woman that's beaten me and corrupted me. I've contributed nothing since I arrived," Armaris muttered weakly.

Espio abruptly stood and walked over to her. "You are not weak, Armaris. It is true that the fighting style you adopted is not suitable for you, and it is true that facing threats such as her has proven difficult so far, but that does not make you weak."

Armaris shrunk down a little at this, a deep-seated frown forming on her face. "If my fighting style doesn't work for me, what do I do? I really don't have much else going for me at this point in my life…"

"Have you ever attempted to fight the way your father does?" Espio asked her, crossing his arms loosely. "His is less… direct, and certainly not so physically punishing. It may work better."

"I barely ever use the magics I have," Armaris admitted softly. "And one is hardly useful for fighting normally."

"If you wish to grow stronger, perhaps you should take this time to delve into the capabilities you have," Espio responded. "You may find that it is more useful than you believe."

Though she didn't seem to fully believe him, she left it be for the time being and instead focused on something else. "How… are you feeling?"

He blinked once, then answered simply, "Fine."

Armaris let her body become physical once more and set a hand against his arm. "She didn't do anything to you, right?"

"She wanted a fight," Espio stated blandly. He paused, then added, "She did not get one." I refuse to be goaded into conflict with her. Those two… they did not die so that I could simply turn around and give the enemy what they want.

The cat breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad…"

Espio only shrugged, then returned to where he had been before and resumed digging through the rubble. Finding a few small things that could be saved, he pulled them free and set them aside. Once that was done, he dug a little deeper into the wreckage, only to pause for a second. After that second passed, he reached down and pulled this new object free much more carefully this time. It was a frame for a photo, one that was clearly very worn and old. He brushed the glass away and pulled the picture free, then just sat down to look at it for a moment. Armaris very quietly sat down beside him to look at the picture as well, curious now as to what it was.

The photo, as it happened, was the very same one that Shei had searched their old family home for shortly after having been revived by Calypso's magic. It was the only picture that existed of Shei, Aniko, and Espio, back when photography had been very new and chameleons had been even more isolated than they were nowadays. In it, a two or three year old Espio sat upon his mother's lap, staring in open confusion at the person taking the photo while Shei and Aniko simply offered small smiles. Espio wasn't sure why, but seeing this photo again caused a wave of emotion that he had been ignoring to suddenly surge over him again. All of it was too complicated for him to make sense of for the most part, but… he did know that he was happy they were back. Happier than he thought he could ever express. But why was all of this hitting him now?

Armaris set a hand against his arm again, a curious look on her face. "Are you alright?" she questioned gently.

This time, Espio's answer was a bit more genuine than it had been earlier. "...Fine."

Somehow, Armaris seemed to catch onto this and she smiled. "You were really young in that picture," she commented, wincing at how painfully obvious such a thing was and how dumb it felt to have said it.

Espio nodded slowly. "Yes," he agreed quietly.

The cat frowned for a moment, not sure what else to say before murming, "You were an adorable baby."

"I was not 'adorable'," Espio immediately huffed, tossing her a mild frown.

Armaris giggled softly. "You absolutely were."

"Enough, already," Espio said with another huff, nudging her a bit as though in mock reprimand.

"What, are you gonna tell me to lie?" she teased, nudging him in return.

"Just stop talking about it," he told her.

Armaris smiled softly at him and shrugged. "Alright, fine. But I'm gonna remember it."

"Of course." Stifling a mild sigh, Espio moved to stand again, intent now on finding a safe place to put the things he was collecting from the rubble. Armaris followed him for the moment, unsure as to what else she should do for the time being.

It was around this time that Kial chose to walk up, garnering immediate curiosity from Armaris as to why he was around them. "Espio, it's good to see you."

His attention again pulled away from what he was doing, Espio looked over. Upon seeing Kial, he blinked once. "Kial," he murmured by way of greeting.

"I heard that things have been a bit rough. How are you holding up?" The bobcat questioned lightly, a small smile on his face.

For the third time, Espio stated simply, "Fine."

Whether Kial believed him or not was not evident on his face. He continued smiling as he had been before. "I am glad to hear such. You also seem to have made a close friend very quickly. Taken a liking to her?"

"You would be wise to shut your mouth," Espio responded evenly, fixing Kial with a bland look for all the good that did.

Kial shrugged. "I suppose I'm right, then. Always knew you'd find someone good before I did," the bobcat teased lightly, his smile growing.

"Kial," Espio warned quietly.

"Yes?"

"That is more than enough."

"Oh, alright," Kial answered with a bright smile. "Truthfully, I'm happy for you."

Armaris cut in and slightly ruined how sweet this could have been with a very confused and certainly annoyed, "Who the fuck are you, again?"

"Calm yourself," Espio murmured. "He is a friend."

Kial chuckled. "It's fine. I do not believe we've met. As you heard, I'm Kial."

"Name's Armaris," the female cat relented slowly, still unsure as to who this was. "Espio do you know him somehow?"

"Clearly," Espio told her. "As I said, he is a friend."

"But how do you know him?" Armaris questioned further.

Espio shrugged vaguely. "We met when we were children and travelled together for a time."

Kial nodded. "We haven't been around each other much until recently."

"I… see," Armaris murmured slowly. Espio once again resumed what he had been doing. Much to his pleasure, he found several bottles of alcohol that had managed to survive, and he pulled them free. "Well, I guess it's nice to meet you."

Kial nodded. "It is nice to meet you as well, Armaris."

Whether or not they continued talking after that, Espio didn't know. He promptly tuned them out once it became clear that they weren't going to fight with one another, focusing instead on what he was doing. Storms were rolling in. Hollows were on the prowl, drawn to all the chameleons gathering around the village. These were no threat to him, his parents, or Armaris, but his children needed shelter. That was a pretty powerful motivation to get a move on, he was learning. The sooner he finished going through all this debris and clearing it out, the sooner he could get to work on rebuilding his home. ...Or... he, supposed it was now their home. Such a strange thought, but... maybe one he could adjust to.

Just maybe.

~保護者~

Sona emerged from the trees with a hollow slung over her shoulder, obvious anger flaring to life around her in the form of her flames before she launched off in some other direction while muttering a fair few obscenities. "Stupid fuck tried to eat me," she growled under her breath.

Several pairs of eyes turned toward her, and at least two chameleons were able to be seen as they shook their heads at her. Only Locke, however, said anything. He was seated beneath a tree, as he was still not well enough to go anywhere. Sonic had promised to come back for him soon after finding a safe place for the echidna to rest, but for now he was staying here. And apparently, so is she. "Sona, that's what they do. They're demons."

"I killed it either way," Sona snapped lightly, not particularly at him. "Fucking asshole." She plopped down unceremoniously beside him, arms crossed tight. "That was a shit show."

"You probably shouldn't have tangled with it on your own," Locke told her. "That could've gone south real fast. Your soul could've been dinner for that thing."

The woman mockingly used her hands to mimic him talking before groaning. "It's not like I had a choice. I woke up and it was right there."

"You could've just teleported back here," Locke answered. "Generally, they know better than to come alone to a chameleon village."

Sona seemed to be beyond listening at this point, fuming over the occurrences that she had been forced to handle. "Anyway, how are you feeling?" These words were loaded with far less anger than before, almost growing soft in tone.

That earned a small sigh. "It probably goes without saying that my head still feels like it was struck by a meteor. But I'm more or less alright beyond that."

"I'm glad you're still alive if nothing else," Sona murmured softly. "I would've been… upset."

Locke nodded slowly, being incredibly mindful of the throbbing in his head as he moved. "How were the girls?" he found himself asking. "They weren't too upset and worried, were they? I know I left pretty suddenly, and I've been gone a while."

"They seemed to handle themselves well," Sona murmured. "Anya had nightmares, however. I was able to soothe them, but it still happened."

"...I was wondering when that would start up again." Locke was frowning to himself, arms crossed. "They've been happening all her life, but they inexplicably stopped for a few weeks or so. It seemed too good to be true." There was a lengthy pause, then he turned his head to face her and said, "Another little girl I used to know was born with the power of clairvoyance. She used to have nightmares and the like constantly because she couldn't control her powers. Part of me sees a lot of similarities here, and it worries me a lot."

"Is it possible that she was also born with it?" Sona dared to ask.

"It's very possible," Locke replied. "I don't know anything about their birth family. Who knows what powers they might have. But I do know that clairvoyants are often targeted by people like Nareish, who have bold and wicked plans for the future and who want to ensure they're making it reality. It makes me hope more and more all the time that Anya doesn't have that power… even though it's supposed to be a wondrous gift."

Sona frowned deeply, arms crossed tighter. "I don't know," she admitted. "I already know little about powers, but trying to discern if someone has a particular one is well out of my field of expertise. I'd help if I could," she murmured.

The echidna sighed softly and turned his head away. "It seems the best we can currently do is guard her and her sister as well as possible. None of us know yet how or why people like Eona are showing back up or how they've managed to secure a bit of peace and quiet for a time, but I don't want to be lax about the girls' protection during this time regardless."

"I'm not sure about it, honestly," Sona murmured. "None of it makes any sense to me." She paused for a second before the weight of what was said dawned on her. "Wait, what the fuck? Eona is back?"

"You missed that little show earlier, huh?" Locke sighed again before continuing. "She and Cere showed up together for a couple of minutes, just long enough to tell us - and probably using fewer words - that two months of peace have been secured. We were instructed to use this time to rest, prepare, and 'forge tighter bonds with allies and friends', then they both left. That's really all we know. Some people have gone elsewhere already, as you can see."

Sona blinked a few times, rapidly. "You've… gotta be kidding me."

"Absolutely not," Locke said simply.

"Holy shit…" Sona murmured. "I… that's insane."

"Oh, it gets better. Think about it. If Eona is awake and active, who else must be?" Locke looked at her again, waiting patiently for realization to set in.

"...Zenith?" Sona asked, blinking a few times.

"Yeah," Locke responded. "And if they're both around, that means something exceptionally big happened to wake them up. If it was big enough to wake them up, it's possible that other ancient entities were also awakened as a result."

Sona blinked a few more times. "What are you thinking happened?"

"No idea," the echidna admitted. "It's difficult to fathom what might have occurred."

"...Weird."

"Not especially. Fascinating, sure. Weird? Not really." Locke settled back against the tree's trunk and closed his eyes. "It does evoke a spark of hope, though… We've spent so long practically begging for help, and now people like them are out and about again. It's the answer to our prayers, so to speak."

Sona frowned. "I don't like that it suddenly happened without us knowing what's going on. Makes me uneasy."

"There's no reason for it to. It's not like something evil could have woken them up in a way that would threaten us, for one thing. They exist to help maintain balance. It's what they do."

"Certainly," a male voice said as he walked up, arms crossed. "I'd be happy to say I'm sad you think it should make you uneasy, though."

Sona teleported her scimitar in hand on instinct and shot to her feet. "Who the hell are you?"

Violet eyes opened and Locke turned his head in a new direction to see who was approaching. Though he didn't recognize this person, he sensed no ill will… although he did sense vast depths of fire power. Made his own look puny, if he was perfectly honest, a fact which made him chuckle internally. Well, this is interesting. "Mind if I ask who you are?"

"Name's Pyrun," the man answered. "Nice to meet you, Sona. Locke. I've heard that you two are the main God and Goddess, respectively, of fire right now."

"Mm, more or less, I suppose," Locke shrugged. "Seems we've got a long ways to go, though, judging by what I'm sensing off of you."

Sona glared at Pyrun. "That doesn't tell me much of anything. Good to know your name, but how do you know us?"

"Oh, you guys wouldn't recognize me!" Pyrun laughed in realization. "Do either of you know about the origins of powers?"

"I try to use most of my free time for studying, but… I've gotta say, there isn't much written knowledge left on that particular subject," Locke shrugged. "Not outside of very certain places that are hard to get into, that is. I've found some intel, but probably not as much as you're hoping for."

Pyrun frowned. "I'll have to make sure that's fixed, then. You guys not knowing your powers came from me is kinda sad, not that you had any control over it."

Sona frowned further. "Mind explaining even the slightest bit?"

"Eh?" Pyrun looked at her. "I'm the being of Searing Heat. Uh, well, more so the embodiment."

"That information means absolutely nothing to me because I have no clue what it means," Sona deadpanned.

Locke thought about this for a moment. "That has something to do with embodying 'all things hot' basically, yeah?"

"More or less," Pyrun answered with a faint shrug. "Fire, heat, plasma. That kind of stuff."

Sona had no clue what was going on at this point and thus didn't try to make sense of it. She did, however, seem to relax and lower her scimitar. "So… why are you here?"

"Well, I came to meet you two in particular. I wanted to be acquainted with the two people that would understand the powers I have the best," Pyrun said easily. "And to help train people, but it seems that a good few of them have already bailed somewhere else."

This made Locke smile a little. "They've gone to a bit of an old safe haven of theirs, understandably, but they'll still be around. Just not here, specifically." He paused, then added, "I have a little one at home you might like to meet, also. She's not mine, per se, but she does still have fire powers. They have the potential to be a lot fiercer than mine, with proper training. Maybe that could be something to work on, if nothing else." Kids are the future, after all… If we all die, we'll need new fighters to take our place.

Pyrun scratched his chin. "I'm not the best with kids, but I'd be down to help with that if the chance arises. I'm always going to try and help people strengthen and further their powers, fire in particular."

Still thinking about the young warrior-to-be he had at home, Locke tossed Sona an amused look. "What do you think… would Anthea be up for it? She does fancy herself quite the strong fighter already. Might be too tough to need any further training."

Sona snorted. "It'd be a nightmare if that's what she decides," the woman laughed.

Pyrun shrugged. "I could work with it."

Chuckling softly, Locke inclined his head. "Duly noted. Now, as for other people with fire powers… there are three that I know of. To start, though, I assume you're familiar with Zenith and Eona? And the fact that they had kids and such near the dawn of time?"

Pyrun raised an eyebrow. "Familiar is a loose term to use, but yeah," he answered.

"Right. Well, quite a while back by now, their family lines managed to converge. Zenith's direct descendant and Eona's direct descendant met, fell in love, and had kids of their own." Locke thought it best to stop here for a second in case Pyrun had anything to say on that, any shock to vent, or anything else.

"Really now?" Pyrun asked. "I wouldn't have thought that a being of Light and Darkness would get along that well together. Suppose I was wrong, then."

"Well, the story gets a bit more complex after that point." Locke scratched the back of his head. "See… I don't know how much you already know about, but Zenith and Eona created a race in their image deep within space. These were the Tokarians, who look like the hedgehogs on this planet but have natural affinities for Light and Darkness. They're stronger, faster, the works. Their own children are officially classified as Tokarians, since they're practically the same. But crafting their own race exhausted them and they eventually departed to their home realms to rest."

Pyrun nodded slowly, so Locke continued. "After people like them went to sleep - long after, in fact - the da Asania created a world called Mobius. This world. On it, a special race of dragons emerged with their own unique fire power found nowhere else and within no one else. That is, until Zenith's descendant was born. He somehow was born with this fire, and it infused with his magic. Thus giving it even more strength and special properties. Then his oldest kid was born with that same fire. Plus that kid's brother and son have their own individual versions of that fire as well. And those three all desperately need training."

Pyrun frowned momentarily before nodding. "Before I agree, they all have used it at least once before, right?"

"Aside from the youngest of the three, Silver, yes," Locke nodded. "The oldest, named Sonic, used to use his a lot. The second oldest, Shadow, has used his a bit, but since his is infused with Darkness he can't typically tap into, he's never used it much. Silver never had a chance to, from what I've heard, because it awoke so soon before he was killed in the past. ...And… how he's alive now is a whole can of worms we're better off not opening right this minute."

"Gotcha," Pyrun murmured. "I should be able to work with that."

"Only if you're sure you want to," Locke answered casually. "No need to feel obligated, especially since fire is minimally useful at best against one of our two biggest enemies right now."

Pyrun shrugged. "There's more practical uses to fire than just attacking. With most powers, it's all about how you use it."

"I'm aware," Locke nodded slowly, "but that's not necessarily the point here. We're up against demons. Fire and the like are utterly useless around them unless you want to try your hand at healing them. Nothing you do, no matter how you use the power, it still won't help against them. That's all I'm saying. Not that it won't be useful elsewhere."

Sona blinked when Pyrun burst into flames and appeared behind the tree Locke was sitting against. "I meant more so in that using it for other purposes, such as avoiding being hit. If you keep it controlled and don't let it directly hit them, it shouldn't heal them."

"Like I said, I wasn't saying it wouldn't be useful anywhere," Locke answered with a vaguely idle shrug. He closed his eyes again, mostly to help ease his ever-present migraine.

Pyrun noticed this and knelt down beside him. "What happened to you?" Sona was a bit off-put by this sudden gesture, unsure what to make of it. Was he trying to steal her friend?

"I got the hell beaten out of me a while back," Locke sighed. "Like Silver, I died once and was brought back. Only, the way I died left me with a permanent weakness that our enemy knows about and exploited. End result? Headache of epic proportions. But at least I'm still alive and kicking."

Pyrun frowned deeply, drumming his fingers against the ground. "That's awful. I'm really sorry to hear that."

"It's appreciated, but don't worry about it," Locke answered. "It's just how life is, sometimes. I'll get by."

Sona cut in, unsure of what to do further. "Uh, anyway, is there any other reason you're here, Pyrun?"

Blinking a few times, Pyrun stood back up straight and dusted off his knee. "Honestly, it was mostly to meet you two and learn who I need to attempt to train. Unlike Yareis, I'm not off on a vacation trip to a world that suits my liking."

"Yareis?" Sona dared to ask.

Whether or not it was intended, Pyrun didn't care. His demeanor flipped and he visibly grew annoyed. "Slacking asshole that does nothing but argue with people and try to fight. She went and fought some demon, got her ass kicked because she was on a planet that melts her ice, then retreated to some planet and met a Babylonian before disappearing into a building with him. God knows what she's doing to him now."

"...Which Babylonian?" Locke eventually asked. "Know anything about him? Even if it's just his appearance?"

"He had some blade that Yareis was interested in. It was white, and for her to take interest in it means it likely was made to handle ice or something. As for him…" Pyrun took a moment, frowning. "He was grey. It was weird, though, because he was standing in the middle of a blizzard and didn't seem bothered at all."

"Based on the weapon and the person's color, I'd say that sounds like a guy named Kath. Which, if it is, there's no need to worry about her 'doing' anything to him. He can handle himself damn well. He wasn't one of his people's kings for nothing." He paused, then added, "No idea how he withstood a blizzard, though. I've never heard of him having the necessary powers for that."

Pyrun thought for a few seconds before speaking once more. "Honestly… it's possible he has some power related to ice or cold."

"Well, yeah. I've just never known about it. That's all."

Sona shrugged. "Man was always an enigma to me. I don't understand him."

"...I'd wager that's the point, generally," Locke said.

"Tch. Sounds like Yareis a little too much if you ask me," Pyrun murmured.

"That a bad thing, somehow?"

"Depends on how you view it."

Sona blinked a few times, glancing around. "So… what are you gonna do?"

Pyrun frowned, weighing his options. "You two have a good grasp on your powers, currently. I'll likely put my focus toward the people Locke mentioned so that I can help train them and their powers." Locke murmured some vague agreement with that plan.

"Gotcha. Might as well get to it, yeah? Clock is ticking and all. Two months won't last forever," Sona said.

"Alright, but next time try to be a little more inconspicuous about wanting me to leave," Pyrun answered with a smile, throwing them both a half-hearted salute. "It was nice meeting you both."

"Nice meeting you, too," Locke replied quietly. "Maybe we can talk again sometime, yeah? Seems you might have a lot of interesting knowledge to impart over time."

Pyrun nodded. "Of course. I'll answer questions and stuff another time. For now, I'll see you guys another time." He vanished into wisps of flame, leaving no trace of his presence behind.

Sona glanced to Locke. "So… was he the real deal?"

"I don't see why he wouldn't be," Locke shrugged.

"So you don't know for sure?" Sona asked.

"How would I unless I was the Faein or something?" was the huffed reply. "If he is real, he'd be far too ancient for even people like Cere to necessarily know, although people like her would be the most likely to have aside from the Faein."

"I don't know. You're the one that knows stuff unlike me," Sona huffed as well in reply.

"And I don't know everything by any stretch of the imagination," Locke answered easily.

"I don't trust him," Sona muttered, crossing her arms and sitting back down.

"You practically don't trust anyone," Locke sighed.

Sona scoffed before thinking for a moment. "Shut up." This was the closest she'd ever come to an admission on such a thing. Locke huffed again, this time more out of amusement, then allowed the conversation to comfortably drop.

~保護者~

Trapped… how curious. Cheek in hand and elbow on armrest, Nareish lazily roved her eyes over the kneeling forms shrouded in the black fog. Her gaze landed on her clairvoyant and she summoned the other woman by calling quietly, "Amani."

The woman in question was a curious half-bat and half-da Asani hybrid with truly exotic looks. Her eyes were as orange as a flame, her fur carrying a standard da Asani trait in the form of metallic coloring. In her case, this metallic color was somewhere between bronze and gold. Her wings, meanwhile, were nearly ebony in color, as were her borderline too revealing clothing. She knelt respectfully alongside all the others, but lifted her head with a knowing smile when called. "Yes, my lady?"

With a crook of her finger, Nareish beckoned Amani toward her. "Come here."

Smiling a touch more, Amani stood, kicking a sallow-skinned demon (just one of many that Nareish had stolen over the years) that hissed at her as she did so. The demon hissed louder, but a single glance from Nareish was enough to shut it up. Amani approached until Nareish motioned for her to kneel again. With her beside Nareish's leg, Nareish was able to easily reach down to Amani's chin and tilt her head up with a finger. "Yes, my lady?" Amani murmured again.

"Listen, and listen well, my little Clairvoyant," Nareish answered quietly. "That we have become trapped means only one thing. The Faein have finally awakened and deemed it necessary to intervene. You, dear, are to ensure that no one wastes energy attempting to force their way out of this realm. It will be impossible. They are to use this time for preparation, instead. Our enemies will have grown in strength. So, too, will we emerge stronger than before when this is over."

"I understand," Amani grinned. "It will be done."

"Good. Go on, then." Once Amani left, Nareish slanted her gaze back toward all the other kneeling figures. "As for the rest of you… leave my sight. I desire to be alone." None of them wasted any time in retreating from her presence. They knew better than to take their chances. She meant it when she said she wished to be left to her own devices. Any who imposed on that solitude, interrupting her thoughts and causing her any degree of annoyance, were doomed to die.

Killing was always such an effective tool to combat her age-old boredom.

~保護者~

9,919 words this time. Many thanks to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Hope you all enjoyed. Posted (at about 12:05 p.m.) 07-03-20.