Guardian

by yasha012

I used to want to save existence... I saw it as this beautiful place, capable of fostering life in all of its many forms. A place with the potential to nurture so much Light. But the closer I got to it... the more I fought for it… the better I could see the Darkness waiting within… the evil we would all rather forget. (Part 4 of the Hero series; sequel to "Eternal Shadow Falls".)

125. Safe At Last

Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this short-lived downtime… especially for the one who may yet be saved.

~保護者~

"Safe At Last"

~保護者~

Only once the fight really began to die down did Jet take notice of how fucking exhausted he was. He and his parents hadn't done anything physical, but the end results were the same. It was something he should have expected, realistically. But, then, hindsight was often clearer than foresight. Especially when he was as nervous as he'd been before.

Right now… Now he felt calm. Much, much calmer than he'd been in a very long time, in fact. And the reason for that calm was sitting furiously within the barriers, glaring with immense hate at everyone outside of them. He's safe… finally, finally safe. Almost apologetically, he watched Kaden for a moment longer. You won't see it that way as you are now… but this is for the best. You'll be okay. I'll see to it.

Wave slowly lowered herself out of the sky and landed beside Alana. As the latter was focused on checking and rechecking and re-rechecking that the trap really was fully secure, Wave focused instead on Sein and Jet. "You guys… you did it," she murmured. Jet imagined she probably sounded about as relieved as he felt. Not that he could accurately tell. "You actually did it."

Jet could only nod. His gaze strayed once more to Kaden. The man sat near the center of his newfound cell, arms and legs crossed and eyes closed with a quiet scowl. He looked lost in thought. It seemed prudent to just leave him be for now. At least he had finally, finally stopped attacking the trap. For now… at any rate.

Sein chuckled briefly before dropping into a seated position, draping his arms over his knees. "It… yeah… it's done…" he murmured, rubbing at one of his eyes for a moment. By now, he'd transformed back to normal so as to avoid collapsing like Steam had towards the end of the fight. That made him wonder how the hedgehog was faring… Lightly shrugging the thought away, he shifted his gaze over to Kaden. "You doing okay?" he questioned gently.

Rather predictably, in Jet's opinion, Kaden didn't bother to answer the question. The only indication that he'd even heard Sein at all was that tell-tale flick of his right ear. Beyond that, Sein got no reaction whatsoever. Taking note of this, Alana (who was also back in her normal form) took a seat by her husband's side and murmured, "I do not think he will say anything to us."

"That's not the important part," Sein responded, making sure he was more than audible to Kaden. "I… want to try and be as friendly as I can, despite the past. Things can be mended, and I want to treat him well." Jet was pretty sure Kaden was subtly scowling even deeper now, but it was hard to say.

Wave nodded slowly. "I hate that you guys had to meet the way you did. When he was normal… I feel like the three of you would have gotten along. Very well, in fact."

Sein returned this nod. "I can tell. There's more to him than the corruption."

"We knew him once, briefly," Alana added. "When our people found themselves on Mobius and war unintentionally broke out… he was there. For a time, due to being on opposite sides of the conflict, we were… almost enemies. But things changed after a time."

"And I'd be glad to know him again, properly, once he's back to being himself," Sein said with a smile.

Finally, Jet sat down as well, if only because at this point he had to. "It will be good for him," he sighed. "He has close friends already, but only two or three. Having more may benefit him… particularly once he is entirely free of the corruption."

"I'm also a great friend!" Sein exclaimed, coughing slightly. "Ouch… turns out I pushed myself a bit too far there."

Alana shook her head at him. Once his coughing was over with, she said, "Do take it easy, will you? The trap is fully secure now, so you no longer need to actively pour any energy into it. We only need to maintain what's already there."

"Is it sustainable?" Wave was quick to ask. "And for how long?"

"However long is needed," Jet murmured. "We can hold it."

Sein grinned. "Yep." He was quiet for a second before suddenly murmuring, "I could use something to eat."

"I will bring you something," Alana offered, standing. "I wish to check on Father, anyhow." She looked over at her son and Wave. "Are either of you hungry?"

Jet started to decline, but Wave swung her hand out to cover his mouth, surprising him into silence. "We'd love something to eat, thank you." When he gave her a look, she huffed and removed her hand. "You barely eat enough even when there isn't crap hitting the fan, and you've been even worse about it recently. You're getting something to eat, end of story."

Sein suddenly turned his attention to Kaden. "Would you like something to eat? I'm sure you've got that self-sustaining power, but there's nothing wrong with eating every now and then."

Once more, there was no response. Not even an ear-flick this time. Wave decided to speak up. "He doesn't have self-sustaining abilities beyond what any other semi-Immortal has," she explained. "And… well, demons don't really eat 'normal' foods."

"Surely there's something that he liked when he wasn't a demon? I mean, things that taste good can't just stop tasting good, right?"

"You're right about that," Wave said, "but it's also been… eons since he had foods like those."

Before Sein could speak, Jet quietly interjected. "He always loved chicken dumplings and ramen. Those were his favorites."

Sein shifted his gaze to Alana. "Would you mind bringing one of those two, please?"

"Do they sell those foods on Babylon?" Alana asked.

Wave started to think about it, but ended up not having to when Jet shook his head. She shrugged. "Guess not, but I know where to get some here. I'll fetch those. Be right back." She vanished with a brief gold flash.

Sein laid back on the grass, a faint groan escaping him. "Man… that was all really intense. But… most everyone got to leave in a pretty good condition. I'd say everything worked how we wanted it to."

"Zareil will be back," Jet murmured. "There is no way she will simply accept this."

"I've already been in talks. Got some ideas," Sein answered with a smile. "I'm sure that everything will be okay if we're careful." Jet only shrugged, too tired to really have the energy to be very hopeful. Sein grinned to Jet. "C'mere, kid. I wanna hug you. Don't wanna get back up, though."

Though there was a moment of pause, Jet did eventually get up and sit down beside him. "Lazy," he lightly accused, not at all being serious.

"Perhaps," Sein answered as he sat up. "But hey, I know you trust me." He wrapped an arm around his son, holding the other hawk close. "And that made everything up to now worth every bit of pain, sweat, and effort it took to get here."

Jet allowed himself to relax bit by bit and admitted, "I can't not trust you. And I did try it initially. It didn't work."

Sein beamed at him. "You're a good kid. You shaped up to be more than I could have ever imagined." Jet remained where he was, unsure of what to say in reply to that but feeling happy in a way he couldn't quite explain. Hearing Sein say that was surprisingly… wonderful. "I'm glad to be able to be your father," Sein added gently. "And I always will be."

This time, Jet found that he did know what to say. "I'm glad, too," he responded quietly. More than glad.

~保護者~

With virtually everyone back at the house now, things were busy and occasionally a bit loud. Locke, Knuckles, and Rouge were gathered outside near the front door, talking to one another and checking over each other's injuries. For the most part, they were all alright. Plenty of scrapes and bruises, some scratches, a single nasty bite on Knuckles's forearm… nothing that Amy couldn't quickly treat.

Elsewhere, Blaze and Silver had gone to fetch Silver and Eila. There was no doubt that they were fine and would be back soon, so no one worried about it. They focused instead on their own activities. Tails and Wery happened to be focused on a couple of different things. Wery was busy on one of her tablets, as she often was. Tails, meanwhile, was busy working to soothe Rose as much as possible. Whatever effects had taken hold of her due to that fog, they were easing. Hopefully that meant she would be alright.

Sonic, meanwhile, stood anxiously by Amy's side. What he wanted more than anything right now was to join Jet back in the Highlands, to check on his father and reassure himself that everything was fine, but he was needed here for the moment. Amy was tending to Steam, but the moron was having to be practically forced to stay still so she could work. "Steam, lie still or I'm going to do something drastic, I am not even joking with you," he threatened sternly.

"I'd like to see you fuckin' try," Steam muttered, grimacing. Maybe that wasn't the best idea… but I had to do it.

"Just keep your dumbass self still, will you?" Sonic groused. "Honestly, you're being more wiggly than a toddler right now."

"Not like you'd be much more still," Steam pointed out, the slightest movement causing him to groan internally. "You want to check on your dad… so go. And let me know how he's doing, alright?"

"Oh, he would be," Amy interjected with a stern look at her husband. "He knows better by now."

A sheepish grin in her direction served as Sonic's response to that. Then he turned his attention back to Steam. "Yeah, of course I want to be there. But I'm not going until your ass is fully healed."

"I will get the fuck up off this couch and blast your ass all the way to Hyale," Steam countered, a faint smirk on his face despite the currently healing hole left behind from Zareil's spear.

"You absolutely will not," Amy told him. "Move even one inch from this spot before I'm done with you and I'm flattening you into a pancake. I don't care that I don't have my hammer anymore, I'll use something else if I have to."

Steam chuckled briefly, ignoring the intense pain this brought him. "Sounds pretty counter-intuitive."

"If it'll make you sit still long enough to deal with your life-threatening injuries, I'll take it," Amy grumbled in reply.

The green hedgehog turned his gaze slightly, looking away from them. "I'm surprised I didn't die at the end there. I did that solely to give Jet a chance to fully seal Kaden. If it hadn't worked, Zareil would have killed me, even though Eona's Light didn't manage to."

The other two hedgehogs were quiet for a moment. Really, what could they say? Sonic had no idea. "Let's… try not to think about that," he eventually said. "The important thing is that things didn't go that way, and you didn't die. That's what counts."

Steam went silent after this, no doubt thinking about several things before he suddenly spoke up again. "Hey, Sonic? Make sure to sit Jet down and talk to him about what happened. He's no doubt shaken up a lot, and he needs you."

Sonic sighed, ears going down a little as he admitted, "I don't even know what I'd say. It's one thing to handle familiar situations with him, like him being anxious around new people or something like that, but otherwise… It seems like these days he's the one helping me all the time as opposed to the other way around."

"Let me tell you something," Steam replied, turning his gaze back to Sonic. "If there's anything I know for absolute certain with him, it's that he needs you guys more than he can even comprehend. Just be yourself, his friend. Talk to him, ask him how he feels, and if you can… get him to talk about what's on his mind. Even if it's unrelated to this whole war, it might help take some of the edge off what he's facing."

"It might open the floodgates, though," Sonic replied slowly. "Don't get me wrong, that's normally a good thing. Him burying and otherwise not dealing with his thoughts and emotions isn't good. But right now, he has to be stable in order to maintain whatever energies he's got in that trap thing."

Steam managed a smile. "Then just go be his friend and hang out with him."

"It's fine now for you to go," Amy told Sonic, tossing him a reassuring smile. "This guy seems to have settled down finally. Go ahead and go. Just, keep us all posted."

"Yeah… alright," Sonic agreed with another sigh. He stood up. "I guess I'll see you guys later."

"And one more thing," Steam added. "Get off my ass, or it'll come back to bite you later. I promise. I don't forget these things."

Emerald eyes rolled. A middle finger very briefly went up. Then Sonic was gone, with Amy left behind shaking her head as she worked.

~保護者~

Forcibly calming his pulse a bit, Shadow pulled his mind away from Tails's drones and the like and allowed himself a moment to breathe. Things had gotten hairy toward the end. He'd experienced a measure of death more than once when the various inventions he'd linked himself to had been destroyed, tipping his consciousness away from them abruptly each time. People had gotten hurt, albeit not too seriously. Steam had gotten his idiotic ass beaten. But none of that mattered now. What mattered was that they'd succeeded. The relief he felt over that knowledge was significant.

Slipping out of the isolated room where he'd gone for the duration of the fight (he'd needed a quiet place where he could focus and had been shown the room and question), he returned reluctantly to the medical ward. Moving hurt, each wound protesting in their own way. Bruised ribs ached, torn muscles throbbed, lacerations and stabs burned and caused him to limp just a bit… but he could largely ignore those.

The formerly open wound on his stomach (the one the random person Steam had brought over had helped to mostly heal) protested the loudest, however. That had proved to be the most serious injury, one which had torn into one of the areas that contained a significant amount of his black blood as opposed to the normal crimson shit. Because of course the enemy had been lucky enough to find that spot. Or maybe they had known ahead of time. He wasn't sure which was worse.

Actually, no. He knew full well which was worse, because he now knew the potential consequences of his blood being exposed like that. Most of the blood in his body was black. It pumped all throughout him, passed straight through his heart, could be easily brought to the surface by a wound just about anywhere on him… But that particular area had a larger quantity of the stuff coursing through it at any given time than, say, his limbs did. The same was likely true of "normal" beings as well (he had never bothered to pay that much attention and didn't care), but the fact that the enemy, whoever or whatever they were, had taken full advantage of the knowledge either way… That had been no fluke. Striking him in that specific spot had been deliberate. It had been planned. What he didn't understand (or at least didn't want to understand) was why.

Curses of varying lengths and severities flitted through his mind as he entered the medical ward. He had no desire to be here. The flashbacks, if that was even what they were, that he had been experiencing were worse and came more frequently in here. There were too many reminders, too many triggers. The sterile environment, the white bedding, the medical equipment, the machines… Stop thinking about it, he chided himself. This doesn't help.

Taking his own advice as much as he could, Shadow entered a specific room and walked over to the bed he had used the night before, then laid down on it. Toru wasn't in his own bed, but that was fine. He was most likely with Myriu, and she was in a room close by. That was comfort enough for him, for now. So he closed his eyes and allowed himself to indulge in a light doze for a while.

An indeterminate amount of time passed. Before he knew it, he was being woken up by one of the doctors administering more medicine. He did his best not to look at the needle. Heedless of his upset, however, the doctor said, "I have good news for you and your friend." She sounded chipper. Why was that annoying? "Our healers will be back from their business in the city within the next hour. Once they get here, they'll have you both in good shape again in no time."

Okay, he had to admit that that was indeed good news. He'd been wondering why no healers had been present in the building before. Business in the city… What business? Idle curiosity aside, he supposed she would be expecting an answer of some kind. He did his best to sound polite. "Alright."

She left him be after that, thankfully. She stepped out of the room, and he could hear her giving Toru the same news moments later. It wasn't long before the chameleon was beside Shadow, a faint smile on his face. "So, the shitshow is over for now, yeah?"

Squashing the urge to yawn, Shadow pushed himself up into a sitting position. "It seems to be."

Toru smiled fully to Shadow. "Glad to hear it. How are you feeling, though?"

"Beyond being tired, I'm fine," Shadow shrugged. But, then, he knew he was virtually always tired these days. So that was nothing new overall.

The chameleon sighed briefly. "So… what happened on the roof? I didn't get much time to properly ask you and all."

Shadow hesitated. Part of him didn't want to say shit just in case nothing wound up coming off this, but… ultimately, he knew that Toru deserved to know. "That woman appeared again," he muttered unhappily, looking away. "Not unlike what she did to you, she tore me open before blasting me across the roof."

"And?" Toru questioned. "Is that all she did?"

"...There was blood on me," Shadow eventually answered, though he had no desire to. "The blood from the wound I was given was only black. There was some crimson blood on one edge of the wound."

The chameleon's eyes widened. Oh shit… He frowned deeply. "How do you feel?"

"Fine," Shadow repeated. "Like I said."

"You don't feel any different?" Toru questioned.

"No," Shadow replied. "I feel the same as ever."

Toru crossed his arms. "Keep me updated if anything changes," he murmured. Those fuckers are going to pay.

"If anything does change," Shadow muttered, "it will be some time before we know."

"Still," Toru muttered as well. "I'm fucking pissed that they tried something like that." In response, Shadow muttered some choice words as a form of agreement. "So… what now? Just wait for those healers to show up and all?"

"If I don't, I will not hear the end of it from Sonic or Tails," Shadow responded. "Or, more likely both of them at the same damn time."

Toru huffed briefly before simply settling down beside him. "Oh well. I guess we'll just have to relax as best we can."

Well that was easier said than done. If we were in any other room, relaxing might be possible.

Without much hesitation, Toru wrapped an arm around Shadow and leaned against him, managing to relax. "Just don't focus on the other shit," the chameleon murmured. "Ignore it and focus on what calms you down."

Currently, the list of things that calmed him down was… more or less limited to just Toru. For better or for worse. Shadow huffed at that thought and settled back down onto the bed before closing his eyes for now.

~保護者~

Rose sat calmly on one of the couches, not beside her sister (as much as she would have liked to). Cyril had taken that spot and was carefully making sure that Eila would be okay where she was. Since they'd shown up, the finch had been showing great care towards Eila, and that greatly pleased Rose. Her sister was cared for and had someone who loved her, and that she could love back. It was something great.

The way the two talked and cared for each other was amazing to Rose. They truly loved one another. It made her think deeply, about not only her life, but the person she loved. Kial was a great man, but they never got to see each other. Rose, a war waging soldier and Kial, the God of Mythical Beasts. They both had such busy lives that seeing one another was impossible fairly often.

The sadness she felt wasn't unusual, but it was something stronger than she was used to. It felt wrong. A tear dripped from her eye, but it went unnoticed.

She returned to reality when her sister addressed her, only this time she had no idea what was said. "Forgive me, Eila. I was thinking on something and did not hear you."

"You alright? You've been really quiet since you got here." Eila frowned from where she sat, her body covered in casts and splints in various areas. "You're usually… pretty talkative."

"I have a lot on my mind," Rose answered in a gentle murmur. "The last fight had a troubling turn of events."

Cyril nodded easily. "That red mist from Zareil seemed to really get to you. What happened?"

"Nothing," Rose snapped quickly before covering her own mouth. Cyril and Eila both seemed taken aback by this, Eila more so than Cyril.

Eila decided to shift the topic. "In other news… I've made some more progress in creating spells and such."

"That is pleasant to hear," Rose answered. Despite her attempt to remain collected, it was obvious that she was suddenly on edge and tense.

Cyril rubbed the back of his head. "So, er… what's the plan for the next fight? You volunteered to pit yourself against Zareil, right?"

Rose nodded slowly. "That is the case, yes. I did so because I believe I am capable once certain preparations are done."

"What preparations?" Eila asked quickly, skeptical.

"Steam has plans for me to speak with Eona and attempt to be gifted with enough of her Light to drive Zareil away. He also wished to train me in martial arts and hand-to-hand combat, so I will likely be away much over the next several days before the demon returns," Rose explained. "If we are unable to attain the gift from Eona, he was thinking of giving me another of those crystals that were created."

Eila looked away, disturbed at the thought of Rose fighting Zareil. "I don't want you to do this."

Rose frowned, tilting her head. "Why do you say so?"

"You're my sister," Eila explained. "I don't want you to fight in this war at all, but it's obvious that you're going to no matter what I say."

"I am fighting because I must," Rose answered. "There are few of my calibre that will fight. I wish it were different, but that is the situation we are in."

Cyril quickly cut in, realizing that this would escalate quickly. "Look, I know it's not the best of situations, but we're all in this together. We're all fighting for each other with each other, ya know?"

Rose gently nodded. "That is the case. When you are healed, I would greatly appreciate your support in battle, but I will not ask you to join. I understand that relations with others are heated as of now, so it would be unfair to make you believe you must do so."

"Heated-" Eila frowned deeply. "You don't get it-"

Cyril cut in once more, throwing a card at the ground to create a gentle gust of wind. "Hey, what's gotten into you guys? From what I've heard, the two of you never argue like this."

Rose stood up quietly and walked to the door, opening it and stepping outside without a word. Her presence vanished, but she didn't leave the area. Eila watched this all with a pained expression, wondering if it was her fault or if something else was going on. "I didn't mean… for that to happen."

"It's… okay. She must be still shaken up by whatever happened earlier. Give her a bit of space," Cyril murmured.

Eila sighed gently. "You're… right. I'll just leave her be, I guess."

Cyril set a hand on her back (one of the few places that wasn't covered in medical wraps and so on) with a smile on his face. "It'll be okay. I promise. Things will always work out in the end."

"I hope so…" My sister is my everything.

~保護者~

With Rose reunited with her sister again and much, much calmer, Tails was able to focus on the after-combat task he and Wery had been assigned. "Jet's probably not going to come back here for quite a while, so if we want to scan him we'll have to make a trip," he was telling her. "Armaris is still up in Hyale, too. But we do have Rose and Eila we can check on first."

Wery nodded slowly, groaning out loud. "That was so intense…" she muttered. "And terrifying."

"No kidding," Tails replied with a heavy sigh. He thought about it, then added, "...Not to be the bearer of bad news or anything, but you deserve to know that… well, it never really gets any better. Like, we don't get that desensitized to it or anything. Not most of us, anyway."

The female fox chuckled nervously. I'm in danger. "Well… I mean… It's okay, I guess. I was able to kinda keep my cool throughout that."

"It isn't okay," Tails replied, frowning to himself. "We can find safer places for you to hide out in the future, though. That way you don't have to ride with anyone into the heat of things."

She shot into a sitting position, shaking her head. "No! I… I mean, no. You don't have to do that. I like being here, knowing that what I'm doing is helping… I like being around you. It's okay."

Tails offered her a small smile. "I more meant… like, during fights and stuff. I don't want to put you through any more of those if we don't have to."

"I know what I said, Tails," she murmured. "And I know what you meant. I seriously don't mind. I'll get acclimated to it enough that it doesn't just… terrify me to the bone. I'll help you guys."

"Only if you're sure," Tails insisted. "I don't want you to suffer any more trauma if it can be avoided, Wery."

Wery pushed herself to stand and frowned. "I'm sure. I can do this."

"Okay," Tails agreed after a moment. "I trust you."

She smiled brightly to him before picking up her tablet. "Come on! Let's go and do those scans."

Tails smiled back at her and also stood up. "Alright. Who do you want to visit first?"

"I think checking on Eila first would be a good idea," Wery murmured. "She was in bad shape before the fight, so it would be good to see how she's recovering."

"I think so, too," Tails answered.

"Do you have one of your teleporters, or do we need to get someone to take us there?" Wery questioned.

"Nah, I've got loads of those. And, actually, on that note…" Tails hurried off, only to return a moment later with one in his hand. "Here, you can have this one. I haven't used it, so you'll be free to program it to go wherever you want."

She looked at it for a moment before turning her attention back to him. "Are… you sure?"

"Like I said, I have loads," Tails smiled. "'Course you can have one."

Wery slowly accepted it before saying, "I've got no idea how to use this."

"That's why I'm gonna show you later," Tails beamed. "Anyway, you ready to go see her? Anything you wanna grab first?"

The female fox frowned before asking, "Do they have communicators?"

"Rose does," Tails replied. "Actually, I've been meaning to give one to Eila, too. It just never quite felt like the right time to approach her, I guess."

"She had a… really bad past, yeah?" Wery asked. "I've heard a little about her from some of the others."

"She did a lot of… awful things," Tails hedged. "Not so much to me and most of the others, but to my old teacher, Jet. And to Sonic, as well as a few others."

Wery didn't seem sure as to what to make of this, frowning. "But Rose seems convinced that she's alright. Maybe there's more going on than we know?"

"There must be," Tails nodded. As he spoke, he went ahead and grabbed a spare communicator out of a box. "Either that or, I guess… it must just be sisterly love. Sibling bonds can be really powerful, after all."

"Maybe both," Wery murmured. "Either way… it would be good to make sure we can keep contact. There's no way that her being attacked would be good for us."

"No, it probably wouldn't be," was the quick agreement. "Anyway… you ready to go?"

Wery nodded. "Let's get going." With that said, Tails teleported them over to where the two sisters currently were.

The female fox gently knocked on the door, and it was shortly answered by Rose who tilted her head. "Why might you two be here?" she questioned softly.

"Well… basically just to check on you," Tails answered carefully. He cleared his throat a little. "That is, you and your sister."

Rose shifted her gaze back to her sister briefly before stepping outside and closing the door behind her. "I must say this now. Do not bring up her past, and refrain from touching her." Her expression was… a bit cold. Almost angry.

Wery looked away, extremely nervous now. "Y-yes, ma'am…"

Hoping to diffuse the situation (despite not knowing what they had done to upset Rose in the first place), Tails nervously interjected, "We weren't going to… honest. We just want to check on everyone. That's all."

The cat watched the both of them scrutinizingly before turning and opening the door, walking in quietly and leaving it open for the foxes to follow. "Come in, then."

Tails tossed Wery a distinctly confused and wary look before hesitantly stepping in. "...Alright…"

Wery leaned closer to Tails and whispered, "Is she okay?"

"I don't know," he whispered back. "I admit that I don't know her super well, but I've never seen her like this before."

The female fox gulped, doing her level best to stay relaxed as she looked around. The building was… pretty nice on the inside. A lot less furniture than she'd expect from a house, but bookcases lined most every wall. Further inspection told her that a number of these were written by Eila. Her gaze fell on the currently disabled cat with a wince, seeing the shape she was in. "H-hey… we're here to do-"

"A scan on my powers, current physical state, and so on, right?" Eila murmured in question. "Feel free… not that I can really avoid it."

"We won't do it if you don't want us to," Tails was quick to clarify. "You aren't obligated or anything in any way."

Eila sighed, shaking her head. "It's an invitation. Go ahead, but you might not like what you see."

Wery looked to Tails for reassurance, no longer sure if this was really a good idea. Tails only pursed his lips together, gently took the scanner from Wery, and initiated the scan himself. He was careful to make this scan not public to everyone, due to the tensions between Eila and the others. As well as Rose's sudden attitude about them even being here to begin with.

Race: Cat (white)

Large quantities of scar tissue detected.

Several broken bones detected. Action taken, currently healing.

Extremely low levels of Light [corruption possible to carry out against her].

Malnourishment detected.

Disorder detected: DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder)

Body built for agility (bodily deterioration likely renders this build null)

Age: 33

Powers: -Light Magic

-Psychic

-Memory Manipulation

[Expand for further details]

Stress Level: 46% [Fluctuations detected] [Depressive state detected. Action needed.]

Level of Corruption: 0% [Evidence of multiple types of previous corruption]

Wery's heart dropped at the first section alone, covering her mouth. All of the data that came in, even outside of the summary, almost blatantly said that Eila was in horrible shape. And then she saw the disorder. "I… I have to ask you something."

For the briefest of moments, Eila seemed confused, but then she frowned. "I have Dissociative Identity Disorder?"

"That's… what it says," Tails answered slowly. "This device isn't anywhere near capable of giving us further details about it, though."

"That… explains a lot more than you believe it might," Eila muttered lowly. Her gaze shifted to Wery briefly, then back to Tails. Tails was quiet, not sure whether or not saying anything else about it was a good idea. Before Wery could really think of anything, Eila spoke. "Feel free to share the data you collected with whoever you think should see it. Specifically Steam, and do not be afraid to speak openly with me. I am far from being bothered by most things right now."

Tails glanced up at Eila before returning his gaze to the screen. "You think Steam should see this? Any specific reason why?" He suspected it was just due to the hedgehog's planning of various upcoming conflicts, but he wanted to hear it from her.

"You're right, Tails," Eila admitted. "Partially. He should know what I can do in this timeline. However… he's also my best chance at being able to have any part in this war. People trust him, obviously, since they let him coordinate a plan to capture someone who was constantly killing the strongest Immortal alive. I want to help, but with people not trusting me… something could get misconstrued and I don't want to be killed for it."

"None of our friends will hurt you," Tails assured her quickly. "I promise you that. Sonic and the others… that's just not how they are. I'll show this to Steam, though, like you suggested. And, once we find him, I might bring up the D.I.D. to our friend Marthal. Maybe he can help you, especially once the war is over."

"A chameleon has been trying to follow him," Eila murmured. "She seems intent on catching up to him. And you can do as you wish."

Wery decided to speak up. "I don't think you're a bad person. You seem really nice… just… really sad."

Eila nodded, as best she could. "That's a way to put it, yeah. I think you should move along. You have a lot more to get done today, and I don't want to waste your time just talking. Cyril is in the room to your left, and Rose is obviously in here. Neither will object to the scan."

"Okay. One last thing, though." Tails looked at Eila again. "That chameleon, who are they? And more importantly, where are they? Marthal doesn't show it off much, but he's strong. If he really did get corrupted, they might get hurt…"

"Somewhere deep in some forest," Eila muttered, lifting Wery's tablet with her magic and pulling up a map on it with a red circle over a densely forested area. "They're around here. The chameleon is… someone with a polymorphism ability, from what I can tell. I don't know their name, but they seem capable."

"That's gotta be common for chameleons…" Tails murmured to himself. "Keeps cropping up…" He returned his attention to her. "Anyway, thanks for the information. I'll let the others know. We'll do our best to come check on you again soon, okay?" He started to turn and head toward Cyril, but quickly stopped. "Oh, I almost forgot! I brought you this." He passed the scanner back to Wery and walked over to Eila with the new communicator in hand. "Everyone we keep in touch with tends to have one of these. I know you won't be able to really use it right now, but when you're better… well, this is yours to keep."

"...Why do you care?" Eila dared to question. She stopped reading his mind, scared to know if what he said next was going to be a lie or not.

"I don't know," Tails admitted. "It's a little… I guess, nerve-wracking? The emotional part of me is pretty stuck on what happened in the past, honestly. But the more rational part keeps reminding me that that wasn't you in the strictest sense. I like to try to find a happy medium between brain and heart usually, and this is just kinda where it's led me so far."

You both are intelligent beyond just your IQ, Eila thought to herself briefly. She then decided to change topics. "Can I contact the woman who helped me after I was injured using this communicator?"

"Yep," Tails smiled. "Everyone we know has one. Me, your sister, that lady - Amy, by the way -, and everyone else. Well, except Cyril. I should've grabbed him one, too."

"Mm… It will be alright." Eila's eyes glowed briefly before a second communicator appeared. "This will suffice, though it'll likely break quicker. Just get him a proper one sometime soon and everything should be fine."

"Will do. See you later, then, and take it easy." Tails gave her a wave before heading off toward Cyril.

Not like I have a choice, Eila thought to herself before turning her gaze to Wery. "I suggest you explain yourself to him one day, or the chance may escape you. Doing so with Cyril was one of the best things I have done in life."

Wery blinked several times before she pieced two and two together. She could feel her face grow hotter and she simply rushed off to join Tails, not sure how to respond to that. "S-so… Tails. We gotta check Cyril, yeah?"

"Yep," Tails answered, already knocking lightly on the door to the room Cyril was in.

The door swung open, a smile on the bird's face. "Oh, heya! What's with the pleasure of seeing you two here?"

Wery blinked yet again, unsure as to what to make of Cyril. "I… we're doing scans of people for stuff like powers and whatnot. Would you mind if we did one of you?"

"Not at all! Go right ahead, my intellectual acquaintances!" Cyril said with a gleeful smile. Wery performed the scan quickly, caught off guard by his 'showman' attitude.

Race: Babylonian Finch (yellow)

Body built for flexibility and agility.

Age: 31

Powers: -[Unknown]

-[Unknown]

-[Unknown]

[Expand for further details]

Stress Level: 3%

Level of Corruption: 0%

Even expanding the list revealed absolutely nothing helpful. Semi-Immortal strength and resilience, she understood (kind of). However… most anything that wasn't related to him being a semi-Immortal was completely unknown. "We… haven't seen something like this since we started these scans."

Tails's eyes roved over the screen and he frowned. "Wait semi-Immortal? Cyril, I thought you were mortal."

"I… thought I was too?" Cyril questioned, walking over to see the screen. "Oh, well, I can fill you in on a few of those powers for sure," he said. "One's my card magic, another is something I like to call 'Lucky Aura', while a third one I call 'Gambler's Fortune."

After a moment of silence, Tails spoke again. "I'm… gonna look into all of this. People aren't semi-Immortals just because. There are reasons for it, such as being born into a family of semi-Immortals, or being tied to certain energies like Darkness or Light. I'm curious to know why you're not like any normal Babylonian. And actually, come to think of it," he turned to fully face Cyril, "how did you not know? Like, how long have you been alive?"

"...Uh, how long has Wave been alive?" Cyril questioned. "We're pretty close to the same age, but I think I'm just a little younger than her. Technically. Aging is weird."

"It's pretty straight-forward…" Tails answered slowly. "And she's been alive since long before this era. She, like Jet, was born at the very tail-end of the truly ancient times when Babylonians were first arriving on Mobius. Though, he was born sometime before the arrival here and she was born a little while after unless I'm mistaken."

Cyril shrugged. "Sounds about right," the finch answered.

"...I hardly understand how any of this works, so I guess I've got some research to do," Wery murmured.

"I'll help you with it when we get back," Tails was quick to offer. Then, to Cyril, he said, "Well, anyway, we'll get out of your hair for now. But you're welcome to visit anytime, especially since Silver loves hanging out with you so much."

The finch's gaze very obviously shifted over to Eila before nodding. "I'll try to, but I'm gonna keep an eye on these two." He leaned forward and spoke in a whisper. "Something's going on with Rose. Beings of Light like her usually aren't so susceptible to bursts of anger. Let someone know who can ask around, because I'm worried."

"We noticed that, too," Tails frowned. "It's bizarre and I'm worried about it. We'll definitely do what we can to look into it."

Wery nodded. "I'll do what I can to help."

Cyril leaned back up and grinned at them. "You're both lovably awesome."

Tails offered a small smile. "I have to say, I've never been called that before. That's a new one for me."

"Hah… thanks," Wery murmured, definitely not sure how exactly to go about replying to that.

"Have a good rest of your day, guys," Cyril said, waving lightly.

With an answering wave, Tails bid his farewell and led the way back toward Rose. Without looking to see if Wery had followed just yet, he quietly addressed the cat in question. "Erm… Rose? I'm sorry to bother you… I was just, sort of… wondering if we could do one last scan before we go. To check on you." Wery shivered under her gaze, that of which hadn't relaxed much since they entered.

"Please perform your scan and go," she murmured.

"O-okay…" Wery shakily held up the tablet and performed the scan.

Race: Cat (white)

Immense levels of Light in the body.

High levels of muscle mass detected.

Body built for well-roundedness.

Age: 20

Powers: -Light

-Crystal Manipulation

-Psychic [power underdeveloped.]

[Expand for further details]

Stress Level: 61% [Unstable emotional state detected. Action may be needed.]

Level of Corruption: 0%

The moment the scan was done, Tails decided it was best to just leave. "Right… we'll be on our way now. Sorry." He grabbed Wery by the hand (albeit not roughly) and quickly walked away from Rose before teleporting them both back home.

Rose quietly watched them go before her mind returned to the red mist, flashbacks of the scene she never wanted to see play through. Something she'd tried to ignore.

As that sword plunged through her sister's body and Eila fell limp, Rose shivered and returned to reality. It's not real. It's… fake. A fucking fake illusion.

~保護者~

It took a bit of time for Espio to calm his children in the aftermath of the fight. They'd managed to see and hear and otherwise some of the explosions and whatnot, despite Aku's best efforts to keep the two of them inside and calm. He didn't blame the old dragon for it, just dealt with the results of what had happened. Once Zei and Sako were sufficiently calmed down, he turned his attention to his parents and Armaris. Shei was signing to Aniko, asking if they should return to their own home for now. Armaris, meanwhile, was trying to relax in a tree, Darkness decidedly tainted with her demonic heritage as a result of the fight.

Once his kids were sufficiently calmed down, Espio turned his attention to his parents. "Are you going home?' he asked them.

Now Shei signed to him instead of Aniko. "Not yet. We will stay a short while, just until the children and Armaris are more at ease."

Sako and Zei were fine, realistically. But the concern regarding Armaris was probably warranted, Espio supposed. He was torn between sharing in that concern, however, and wanting to trust that she knew what she was doing. This was along the lines of what she'd wanted to start doing, after all. But was it really as good an idea as she had posited it as? Honestly, he had no idea how he was supposed to know. He didn't know enough about demons, about how their energies worked, about much of anything regarding them. Really, all he knew was how to best kill them. Which, of course, was decidedly unhelpful right now.

Shei signed again. "Does something trouble you?" he asked.

Espio shook his head. "Nothing I cannot handle on my own," he replied evenly. He stood, setting Zei down as he did so. Sako dozed off and on in his arm, only occasionally fussing to remind those around him that he was getting hungry. Zei's little whines and whimpering complaints indicated that she was, too. He set about getting them some food.

Aniko crossed her arms and frowned at him. "You can talk to us, Espio," she murmured. "As much as I understand your mentality, the things we wish to handle ourselves are often the things we need the most help with."

Despite her wise words, Espio shook his head. "I do not need help with this," he told her calmly. Not currently, at any rate. At the small child's insistence, he gave Zei a peach for her to munch on. And munch she did - quite happily, in fact.

"Alright," Aniko conceded, sitting down finally. "If you do need help at any point, just say so. I would be pleased to aid my son."

Little Zei interrupted. "What does 'pleased' mean?" she asked. "And 'aid'? Oh, and 'point'?" Espio huffed a little in amusement. Since she was at just the right age to be really learning words and beginning to speak them properly, he had been expecting to start getting questions like these sooner or later. But this time the questions were aimed at Aniko, so he waited to see if she would answer.

Aniko gave a smile. "Pleased means that I would be happy to. Aid is helping someone, and point as I used it means whenever. So… I told him that if he ever needs help, I would be happy to help him."

"Why?" Zei asked, head tilting.

"Why what?" Espio asked as he worked on getting Sako some juice ready.

"Why would helping make her happy?" Zei asked, looking between him and Aniko.

Aniko once more decided to answer. "Because he is my child, and I love him greatly. That is what family does for one another."

Zei thought about this deeply. The wheels really turned in her head for a few moments. The response she eventually came up with, however, was simple. "But… daddy is an adult. He's not a child."

Unable to help it, Espio smirked. "She is right, Mother," he drawled, tone full of amusement. "What say you to that?" Though he was obviously silent, it was clear that Shei was laughing in his own way in the background.

The woman accepted this challenge readily. "He is my child because I birthed him, much like you are his child. However, it does not mean that he is a child." This didn't seem to compute for Zei. She fell silent, focusing fully on her peach now.

Now that he had juice ready in Sako's bottle, Espio sat down to feed the baby. However, his mind was soon elsewhere. "...Mother, is that Aku rumbling, or something else?" he asked carefully, intently scanning the area outside.

Aniko stood, hand falling on the hilt of her sword. "It is Aku. Someone is approaching."

Shei immediately moved over to Espio and took Sako from him. Once his hands were free, Espio drew his sword and walked out onto the porch. Without prompting, Aku dropped his camouflage and muttered, "I don't like the man who just appeared. I don't trust him."

"You do not trust anyone," Espio muttered back. Then he asked, "Where is he? His energy is hidden."

"His scent is that way," Aku answered, nodding in a specific direction. "It's moving fast. He'll be here soon."

Aniko quickly followed Espio and unsheathed her own blade, a deep frown on her face. Armaris shifted nearby, moving over onto the house as dark tendrils began forming around her. "The hell is happening?" the cat questioned.

"Someone is coming," Aku explained. "Someone I am unfamiliar with."

Armaris cracked her neck, a faint growl escaping her. "Fucking hell. Can you tell if they're hostile?" Aku shook his head.

Merely a few seconds later, Ryuji suddenly appeared a short distance from Espio's home. His appearance alone was enough to make Aniko snap, launching herself from the porch to the ground with her blade pointed at his neck. "Get the fuck away from my family, bastard."

Espio was instantly there as well, his sword angled under Aniko's and tilting it away in a flash. "Wait," he told her quietly. "Do not attack."

Aniko's gaze was harsh, but it noticeably lessened when she looked to Espio. "Why should I not attack him? He is a threat to us all."

Ryuji took his blade from his hip and tossed it on the ground to Aniko. "I have no intention of threatening, injuring, or even acting hostile."

"I don't fucking care," Aniko snapped harshly at him. "Your life has been spent mocking and berating me for not being like you and Kal! Not to mention that you attacked me and my husband!"

Armaris dropped to the ground slowly and walked over, her tendrils slowly retreating into her body. "Before you respond, why the fuck are you here to begin with? Explain."

The dark purple chameleon frowned. "I wished… to see if you all were okay. I involved myself in that fight you all took part in."

Thoroughly taken aback by this information, Aniko pressed for more. "Why fucking bother?"

Ryuji didn't have a good answer. So many factors seemed to be present, but ultimately he sighed. "Frankly, the idea of any of you being corrupted or injured is not something I wish for."

Aniko's Darkness rose dangerously all of a sudden, growing almost visible around her body. "You dare say that after trying to hurt my husband? Don't you fucking lie to me."

Espio immediately stepped between her and Ryuji, his eyes locked on the older of the two. "...He is not lying," he murmured. When he was truly paying attention to people, as he was now, he could sense such things. And he sensed not even so much as a hint of a lie now.

"Yeah," Armaris confirmed. "He's definitely not."

Somehow, Aniko felt angrier at hearing this. To hear that all her life, her father had belittled her before they ultimately lost contact, and suddenly he cared what happened to her? That he gave even the slightest fuck? "I don't care. I want you dead, Ryuji."

Hoping that somehow he could manage to convey what he understood about what was going on, Espio turned to her and reluctantly said, "Mother… he is… like me. How I could have been, had Nyokae remained in my life."

The woman suddenly paused, her anger momentarily forgotten (though her body remembered it well). Like… you?

Armaris walked up to Ryuji and set a hand under his chin, watching his eyes faintly. "What do you think of this Kal person?"

Ryuji frowned and very gently removed Armaris's hand from his chin. "Kal is someone that I have made promises to. I do not break my promises."

"And?"

"I have no desire to follow her whims, especially as of late. I would have much rather simply remained out of Aniko's life after causing the strife I have," Ryuji revealed slowly.

Aniko walked up to Ryuji, eyes narrowed hatefully. "You expect me to believe you? That after all this time, you suddenly care about my wellbeing? That you care about me and my family?"

"I came to make my intentions known," Ryuji murmured. "I cannot convince someone to feel a certain way unless they feel that way already. If you do not trust me, then do not."

Though doing so with anyone typically made him uncomfortable, Espio made direct eye-contact with Aniko, wanting her to really listen to what he had to say. "I believe him."

Once more, she was given pause. Not only did Armaris seem willing to trust Ryuji's words, but her own son was as well. Something… It felt wrong. She wasn't sure what feeling was welling up inside of her, but she wanted to hit something, or someone, very hard. She couldn't bear the thought of hitting Espio or Armaris… but suddenly, the thought of hitting Ryuji brought a bit of pain with it. Why? "I don't understand."

Ryuji decided to speak up for Espio. "Considering my actions against you, I do not blame you for your feelings. Had you attacked me, I would have immediately fled to avoid such a conflict. The reason I came here, however, was to simply inform you of my intentions."

"You've still hurt me, a lot," Aniko muttered angrily. "More than I'm willing to let go."

Armaris suddenly cut in, grabbing Ryuji by the arm. "If you have so much disdain for Kal that you're willing to say that you don't want to listen to her, why not leave her? Surely you're not indebted to her or something?"

"We chose to become mates," Ryuji answered, once more gently pulling himself away from Armaris. "During the time period from then to now, I made a small number of promises that I intend to keep. Simply leaving her is not an option."

"Only if you value honor very deeply," Espio murmured. He turned to face Ryuji. "Whether or not you do is your choice. But know that remaining where you are and keeping those promises… those actions only add to your list of mistakes. It does not and will not improve matters."

"I understand keeping promises," Armaris added. "I've been in a lot of relationships. Said I'd never leave them. Then they burned me. Some promises have to be broken if they're made under false pretenses."

Ryuji glanced away briefly before sighing. "You wish for me to kill her?"

"No," Espio frowned. "Laying a hand upon a mate is said to cause… immense pain to oneself. But leaving her is an option, even if it does not look like it to you."

Aniko suddenly cut in. "If you will leave her, I will kill her. We have unsettled business now. All you must do is stop associating with her and the rest can be handled."

Ryuji turned to look at them both, yet another sigh escaping him. "To turn my back on honor… On my pride as a shinobi."

"Much worse things you can do," Armaris said with a light shrug.

"Honor can be restored," Espio told him carefully. "Severed bonds often cannot be mended. It is up to you which matters more in your life."

"Hmph." The man glanced to Aniko, then to Espio. "You speak with the wisdom of a leader. In her absence, you must have performed admirably with our people."

Espio looked away. "I did what I could. It was not admirable. Merely enough to see us through difficult times."

Ryuji shook his head. "You are too modest." Without much hesitation, he turned to leave, only for a dark tendril from Armaris to grab him by the arm.

"Dumbass. You can stay for a bit and talk. I don't bite unless your hand is in front of my face, and I don't think the others will," Armaris said.

As if on cue, Zei came outside, half-eaten peach in hand. Upon seeing Ryuji, she boldly wandered over and raised her arms in the air. "Up." Seeing her do this, Espio raised an eyebrow slightly, but hung back… for now. She wasn't presently in any danger, after all.

"I should not," Ryuji murmured, taking a small step back. Truthfully, he might have done so, but with the present threat of Aniko's protectiveness alongside the potential of Espio's protective instincts kicking in as well, he didn't want to risk it.

"Up," Zei repeated, not at all perturbed or dissuaded. Espio took that moment to finally sheath his sword.

Ryuji's gaze shifted over to Espio, as if asking what should be done. This was Espio's child, after all. The younger man met his gaze evenly. I already said that I trust you. You are not threatening her. Prove to yourself that that trust is not misplaced. With this information conveyed, Ryuji slowly leaned down and picked Zei up from the ground, carefully holding her in one arm.

Apparently content with this, Zei took another bite of her peach, finished it, then told Ryuji in a tone of total innocence, "Peaches are yummy. I like peaches."

"I see," Ryuji murmured. "I will keep that in mind."

"You like peaches?" she asked, looking up at him. "I share if you like them. Otherwise they only mine because I like them."

"I do like peaches," Ryuji answered slowly. "I have preference toward mangoes. Have you had a mango?" Aniko watched the two silently, disbelieving. Somehow, she wasn't angry. She didn't feel the same rage, the same hateful emotions. Now it just… hurt. To see that Ryuji was even partially capable of being 'fatherly' hurt her to her core. She couldn't comprehend why, so she left, not wanting to see it anymore.

"No, I never tried one," Zei answered, eyes wide. She turned her head. "Daddy, I have a mango?"

Espio inclined his head. "Next time I find one."

Ryuji managed the faintest of smiles. It wasn't truly happy, more amused than anything. "If I come across one, I will bring it."

Zei's eyes lit up. "Okay. I have a mango when you bring it, and I share it! I like sharing. Daddy taught me how to. Mother didn't."

Armaris set a hand on Ryuji's shoulder. "If Kal tries to do anything, let us know. We'll handle it, alright?"

Ryuji nodded gently to Zei before turning his gaze to Armaris. "You will likely have little luck dealing with her. She is crafty."

"She is not unlike Nyokae," Espio added, frowning. "However, there are differences. For one thing, she is far less likely to invite direct confrontation herself. She appears to rely on others for that. Mind games are her forte, typically. That is what we will need to be most wary of."

"Absolutely," Ryuji murmured. "However… she will not act now. It is inopportune. The Immortals are nearby, as well as the four of you. It would be a death sentence to do anything now."

The cat suddenly grinned, now climbing up on Ryuji's back, earning a subtly confused look from Espio. She realized that he didn't care so long as he wasn't being injured, so she planned to take advantage of that. "For now, then, relax. Enjoy a more free life now that you're not being bound to a crappy relationship."

Ryuji scoffed. "That does not describe it well… However, it is… accurate enough."

Ignoring all of that, Espio asked, "Do you intend to stay? Or are you travelling elsewhere?"

"I have caused Aniko enough grief and strife for today. I will go somewhere else for the time being," Ryuji answered quietly.

Upon hearing that, Espio frowned again (though not in a confused manner this time) and quietly demanded, "Do you care, then? Mother clearly does. For her to care this deeply about something, even if it is something that causes her pain and anger… that is no small matter."

"To say that I care in my current state of mind would be exaggerating," Ryuji revealed. "I am incapable of caring enough to address the situation properly as of this time."

"Will you be capable of it at all?" Espio then asked. In truth, he knew he couldn't fully expect a proper answer to that. After all, it wasn't as though any of them could see into the future. It was just… something he felt he needed to ask, regardless.

Ryuji gently held Zei out to Espio, prompting Espio to take her. "Carrying her shows that I am capable. She is family, and that matters to me. As is Aniko, but it is far more complicated with her."

Espio had more questions he wanted to ask. Chief among them were questions about how much of what he'd said and done to Aniko over the years was because of Kal… and how much of it was all his own choice. But that would have to wait for another day, it seemed. "If you wish to go, then go. I will see you sometime soon."

Ryuji blinked slowly, watching Espio for a long couple of seconds before nodding. "I will see you sometime soon," he echoed before teleporting away, thus dropping Armaris onto the ground in a grumbly pile of fur.

Taking in the sight of her, Espio found himself asking, "Why were you climbing on him?"

She shrugged lightly. "At first I was touching him to see if he was pretending to not be hostile. After that, I just kinda felt like it. "

That made him huff. "There are less unusual ways of going about such checks, Armaris. And it is improper to climb on people simply because you 'feel like it'."

"The unusual ways tend to get better results for me," Armaris answered lightly. "And I do a lot of things just because I 'feel like it'."

"That does not make it better," he huffed again. When Zei squirmed to be put down, he set her down and she trotted inside. As he often did, Shei soon teleported away with both kids to go play with them in the village.

"Doesn't make it worse either."

"You are ridiculous," he accused lightly.

Armaris wrapped her arms around him in a gentle display of affection. "You're right, but you love me anyway."

"Lucky for you," Espio responded with just a touch of sarcasm, even as he hugged her back a little.

"Race you back to the room," she suddenly said, teleporting inside without warning. Espio drummed his fingers on his thigh briefly, as if debating whether or not to play her random game, but ultimately he followed after her. There was no real reason not to, after all.

~保護者~

Amani gave her leader a small smirk. "You seem pleased, my lady. I trust all is well?"

"Very well," Nareish responded lightly, "I daresay. Her magic worked more wonders than I had anticipated. Combining that with your mental powers proved fortuitous."

"I believe it would have worked, regardless," Amani answered, "but your idea to combine our powers did indeed make things easier. Knowing what each target was weak to certainly made predicting each attack's random effects quite simple."

"Indeed. Not everyone was worth the time or effort, and yet… they will find themselves suffering in their own ways as those around them experience their unique punishments." Nareish adjusted herself in her seat, resting an elbow on an armrest and her cheek on her fist. "Now, how does my favorite punching bag fair? He should have been rather easy to get ahold of. I trust the woman was able to complete her task."

"She was," Amani nodded. "I understand now why you believe she was Zenith's first. Taking her and assuming control was a wise move." When Nareish only inclined her head in acknowledgement, Amani continued. "If I may, what was the point of attacking him in such a manner?"

"As ever, he is my easiest means of, shall we say… infuriating Kaden. Either of his boys being harmed would accomplish this, yes, but the other… he is too well-defended in comparison. If I were to launch any kind of assault against him, that would bring everyone to our front door before long. Most importantly, that would bring my little Void-bearer. That is a confrontation that must wait for another day." Slowly, Nareish began to smile. "And besides… with so much of his potential remaining locked away even now, he is by far the weaker of the two overall. Far less effort is required for me to attack him as opposed to his brother."

"It does also infuriate that chameleon as well," Amani observed. "Is that an intended consequence?"

"Not necessarily. However… I must admit to being curious as to how he will handle this turn of events." Nareish's smile grew. "First his sister and now his love… How will he cope, I wonder?"

"How long will it take for this to begin to affect him?" Amani asked. "Kaden's son, that is. He will not experience anything for a time, I imagine."

"If this will be anything like most races experience, it will likely be a few weeks," Nareish answered. "Beyond that, I do not know. This will be a waiting game, one that will only grow more and more interesting as time goes on. If they decide not to terminate, he will find himself even less capable in combat as time wears on. He will require much more protection than his allies were once anticipating. I cannot imagine that this will please him." She laughed a little. "Now, away with you, Amani. Our actions will likely bring Zenith to us. Watch for him and alert me when he shows."

Bowing her head, Amani stood and left the room.

~保護者~

11,471 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 4:00 p.m.) 12-13-20.