Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this difficult time… especially for the one who needed the truth.

~保護者~

"Bonding Time"

~保護者~

Cere held a shard of a mirror in her hand and spoke into it softly. "I'm taking my move. As soon as Nira is dead, release Tempest." Without waiting for an answer, she made the shard vanish and teleported a great distance, appearing near where she sensed Nira to be.

There was no waste of time. Cere twirled her halberd in hand. "Nira, I condemn you. Judgement be upon you."

The woman blinked and turned to face her. "...Uh, huh? Who are you supposed to be?"

"Your end," Cere said simply, allowing her energy to flow freely. In a single moment, the Hexan used her Judgement to lock away Nira's petrification power as her magic created a sealed dome around the two of them. "I dare you to attempt anything more than perishing."

Immediately, Nira was pouting. "Aww, what was that for?" she whined. "How am I supposed to have fun like this?" Cere watched with a neutral expression, motioning for Nira to make a move. Nira pouted some more before letting out an exaggerated groan. "You're even more mean than the angry lady," she accused. With no other substantial powers left, she was forced to draw her weapon and attack that way. It was nothing more than a simple shortsword.

"Merely using your leader's power makes you weak," Cere muttered bitterly as she brought her own weapon down. Her halberd snapped the shortsword cleanly in two and sailed through Nira in one stroke. Nira didn't even have time to react. "Begone, vile wretch of our plane of existence." A hand twisted and her magic made the body dissolve into nothingness.

A sigh escaped the Hexan and she summoned the mirror shard in hand again. "Calypso. It's her turn."

Her message reached the Therian in question. By now she was back at her home with her son, having very recently left New Babylon behind in order to focus on recovery. She had dragged her sister along to keep her out of trouble, and now she was thankful for the close proximity. It made it easy to do her part in this mess. "Tempest," she called. Currently, she was seated on a cushion on the floor in her room, surrounded by candles to help facilitate meditation.

Tempest glanced over. "What?" she grumbled. "You've been hiding something this whole time. Are you planning to tell me?"

"Indeed, I am," her sister told her. "Come, sit. I need you to listen for but a moment."

The more hateful of the two put down her equipment that she'd been using to make a necklace and walked over, sitting down near Calypso. "What?"

Calypso eyed the necklace for just a second. Clear crystal, a skull shape… For t'at man, t'en? She brushed that off for now. "You remember t'e Hexan man, t'e one who call himself Han?"

"Yeah. He kicked my fucking ass," Tempest responded. "Not my type though. Why?"

"He was Trekk age, anyway," Calypso dismissed. "Maybe a bit younger. But t'at not matter now. You remember what it mean to be Hexan, yes? How t'eir magic work for and wit' t'em."

"Calypso, you're taking fucking forever. Please get to the point," Tempest grumbled.

"I need you to answer t'e question," Calypso insisted. "It be important, and you will understand why in a moment. T'e longer you drag t'is out, the worse t'is be."

"Hexans are made of magic, I know!" Tempest answered with a wild gesticulation of her arms. "What is the point?"

Now satisfied, Calypso pulled the trigger. "He was attack. Petrified, and corruption enter his magic. T'e one responsible for it is dead, but her sister remain at large. Cere will direct you to where. We trust you to kill her."

Tempest's eyes glowed with her magics and a wild grin spread across her face. She held out a hand and her hammer materialized within it. "Where is Cere, then?"

Calypso picked up the shard of mirror she had been given and passed it to her sister. "Speak to her t'rough t'is. She will hear."

Tempest grabbed it and looked into the mirror, a grimace on her face. Forgot about this. "Hey! Cere! Where are you?"

"Thirty-eighth quadrant of the Secund sector," Cere answered, before rescinding that with, "Just teleport to me. I'll spread my magic toward you. Latch onto it."

"T'at be sufficient enough," Calypso agreed. She's been worried that Tempest wouldn't be able to teleport toward someone so unfamiliar to her, but this solved that issue. She waved a hand to convince her sister to get going.

Tempest tossed the shard into the air for Calypso to catch before teleporting away, appearing by Cere with a wide grin. "Where's the poor fucker?" she questioned.

Cere glanced into a currently empty part of space. "She will likely arrive there. She's approaching fast due to Nira's death."

The Therian took a moment and closed her eyes, thinking of the various things that pissed her off. It wasn't hard, but the way her anger grew caused her magic to crackle around her. Cere even noted mentally that it was fairly obvious Tempest's body seemed to grow harder and stronger.

Tempest tensed and shot forward, pre-emptively swinging her hammer and careening it into Amani the moment the bat appeared. The satisfying sound of bones breaking hit Tempest's ears and her bloodlust only grew.

The Therian pursued Amani without hesitation, warping behind the bat and snatching her up by the neck with a crushing grip. "Hey, you're pretty weak, you know?" she asked. Obviously, Amani couldn't answer. She was too focused on trying to free herself, anyway. Tempest only grinned and began bringing her free hand down on the bat's head, a wicked smile growing over her face. "C'mon, if you don't fight back, you'll die a pathetic coward!"

Psychic powers rose up in an effort to fight Tempest off but, as Cere and others had predicted, this had no real effect on Tempest's wrath. When it was obvious that Amani didn't have a way to fight back any more than that, Tempest shoved her hand into the bat's skull and tore it open before discarding the body and flexing her bloodied hands. "Fuck… feels so good to kill again."

"You killed plenty very recently," Cere murmured.

"Yeah, but I would much more like to do it daily," Tempest huffed.

Cere frowned a little. "We need to leave." It was as she'd feared, Tempest rebuffed harshly.

"I'm not going anywhere. I want to kill shit," Tempest growled openly. "I want death."

"Tempest, if we don't leave, you'll be the one that's dead. Their army or Nareish herself will show in response to use battling so close to her realm. You can't face them all alone," Cere answered, gripping her halberd. Saethrim, you'd better get here with Calypso fast.

Tempest growled much more deeply and flared her magic. "You should get out of my way," the Therian threatened. "I won't hesitate-"

"Yo," Saethrim said, suddenly appearing by Tempest. "Calypso wanted to say something to you. Mind listening for just a moment? Thanks!" The da Asani shifted to be right next to Cere instead of where he'd been before. Tempest watched him cautiously before glancing to Calypso, expecting her to speak.

The older Therian crossed her arms with a huff. "Tempest, you know you can no defeat Nareish or her strongest fighters. You need go home, or go to my home. You can no stay here."

Tempest groaned openly. "Calypso, the smell of blood is intoxicating. I want to kill more."

"If you t'ink I gonna let my sister stay here and die t'en you a fool," Calypso hissed in a very motherly sort of tone. "You are leaving. T'is is not a request. I am telling you."

The younger woman grumbled something under her breath about Calypso not being her mother before simply teleporting away without a fuss. Saethrim looked to Calypso and gave her a thumbs-up. "Good job!"

"My sister be a pain," Calypso muttered, shaking her head. "Cere, you no make me do t'is again, yes? I no enjoy turn her loose like t'at."

"If we're gonna turn her loose after this," Cere said, "We're gonna let her go in a situation where she can keep going until she can't anymore."

"T'at fine. I need go home now. After what Nareish do, I no trust leave Trekk alone anymore." With that said, Calypso motioned with a hand to ask Saethrim to take her back. A necessary thing to do, since she'd always used magic to teleport before.

Saethrim nodded and appeared by her in an instant, extending a hand. "M'lady." Calypso raised an eyebrow but accepted his hand without complaint. With this, Saethrim whisked them both away to Calypso's home.

They arrived within no time. Given that he had been here before, she felt no need to give him a tour or anything. Though, she did have one thing to say. "You remember Trekk, yes? He t'is big when you last see him." She gestured with her hand low to the ground. "He big now. 'Teen' is what ot'er race call it."

"Oh, wow," Saethrim said. "My student is older now, too, but he stopped aging ages ago. Makes me feel way less old," he laughed.

Calypso tossed him a grin. "T'is should make you feel old," she teased. "You know how we age, yes? It take him more t'an eight million year to get t'is big."

Saethrim shrugged openly. "I think I get a touch of a pass because I was dead for so long. I tried to bother Ylden more, but he ignored me a lot and told me to bug off, in much less kind terms." He shifted a hand to idly fix his blindfold, frowning as he concentrated on that.

She huffed at him and set about lighting some candles to give the dark space some… well, light. Once that was done, she whirled on her old friend and asked with a rare, open smile, "Have my speaking improve? I remember what you taught me, and anot'er friend help me in t'e past."

"I'm very proud of you, Calypso," Saethrim said with a bright smile. "I gotta say, though, that the accent is super befitting of you."

"How it befitting?" Calypso asked him, her curiosity apparent. As much as she'd crushed on Kath in the past, she'd never been this open with her expressions around even him before. Though, she'd never really stopped to consider why. Now she was forced to do so, and the conclusion she reached was somehow both surprising... yet also not.

Saethrim rolled his eyes. "You're practically exotic to the rest of existence, Calypso. Even ignoring the fact that you're one of the last Therians alive, you're nothing like others of your kind. You being unique is befitting."

She waved him off with a hand. "You always do t'is. Compliment. How I put it… T'is excessive sometime."

The da Asani shrugged a little. "It's just me."

"You strange," Calypso accused lightly. She claimed a seat on one of the cushions on the floor.

"And you're not?" Saethrim asked with a raised brow.

Calypso murmured something in Therian, then clicked her tongue. There was a slight pause before she spoke again. "You no need stay here," she said with a sort of sigh. "You no God now, but you always a busy man."

Saethrim suddenly appeared beside her and sat down. "I'm not busy just yet. Most people don't know I'm back so far. What's gonna be really fun is when my old enemies, provided they're still alive, realize I'm not dead anymore. Might rekindle some old hatred."

"What you gonna do, t'en?" Calypso asked him. "T'is moon not a 'nice' place, and you just return to life. T'ere better place to spend your time."

"I'm no stranger to 'bad' places. I've come across vampires, wyverns, elementals, Spider-Queens, and other craziness. The spiders here are almost tame comparatively."

Calypso opened her mouth to say something, stopped, then thought. Eventually, she said, "I forget t'at vampire are… 'a t'ing'."

"Most people do, until the vampire's fangs are three inches deep in your neck," Saethrim chuckled. "They live in seclusion a lot on just a couple planets, but the damned things are tough."

"K'evoaht'o," Calypso muttered, idly touching her own neck with a finger. "T'at sound… how you say… awful."

"Touch more than awful," Saethrim corrected gently. "Horrible. The things can drain you dry of blood. They get stronger from it, too."

Hearing this, Calypso clicked her tongue again. "T'at create a problem," she said.

"Oh?" Saethrim asked, tilting his head a ridiculous amount.

Though it took a moment or so, Calypso managed to adequately translate her next words. "T'ere a woman we fightin' in t'is era. She call herself Nareish. She steal my magic, but some of it return a little. I can sense t'ings wit' it again, t'ough I no can fight yet. I sense her transfer powers across t'e realms, all to one person. T'e power of vampire was t'e only one I could no identify immediately. I forget t'ey exist, like I said."

Saethrim's joking expression suddenly dropped. "What?" he demanded lightly. "Do you know who they got transferred to?"

Slowly, Calypso shook her head. "I do not know t'e name, but I see him before. He ally with people on Mobius. T'e God of Deat' be his family. T'at all I sense from him in t'e past."

"There's no way he knows how to handle that power," Saethrim murmured. "Those things are strong and it could give him way too much of an inclination to blood."

"T'at why I say somet'ing now t'at I know," Calypso explained. "Your student, I do not t'ink he encounter vampire yet. You know t'em, he do not."

"Shit," Saethrim muttered to himself. "Glad he hasn't, but I guess I'll have to get moving soon."

Calypso nodded. "T'at man be needing help soon," she agreed. "T'is do not seem good."

Saethrim sighed a little. "So much for getting to relax."

"I am sorry," Calypso sighed. "I wish t'at you had return at a better time."

"Well..." the man appeared behind her and set his hands on her shoulder. "I have some time. Maybe I can get to learning more of how much you learned about the 'Universal' Language?"

This immediately brightened her mood. "I learn to read t'e book you give me to study," Calypso suddenly told him, smiling again. "It take me years, but I learn it."

"We've got nothing but years now," Saethrim said with a chuckle. If he hadn't been wearing his blindfold and moved behind her, it might've been obvious that his eyes had a sort of sparkle to them.

"You will visit sometime, yes?" Calypso asked, twisting around to face him. "You barely have time in t'e past. You had so many… t'e word… responsible?"

"With me being the God of Mythical Beasts," Saethrim said, "I had to handle a lot of creatures to keep things in check. It's crazy to imagine how bad things could be if a swarm of Wyverns got pissy."

"I miss when you take care of t'e spider outside," she joked. "T'ey still like bite all t'e time. But I stop kill t'em so much like you say. T'ey rare. I remember."

Saethrim smiled and shifted in front of her. "I'll make sure to come by and take care of them. I'm sure they still remember me. And if they don't, I'll just have to not melt."

The Therian grinned at him. "You know t'ey gonna try and melt you even if t'ey remember you."

He waved her off. "It's nothing. I'll survive like always."

All at once, Calypso's smile faded and she looked away. "You better. I will no forgive you if you die again."

Saethrim's smile also faded a little. "I won't let anything kill me. Not again. Last time… I was basically jumped and a lot of people attacked. If they try again, I'll make sure they die instead."

Calypso looked at him again. "Who attack you?" she asked quietly.

"People that I pissed off by taking the side of creatures, people that I pissed off by stopping them from ruining nature, people that didn't like me," Saethrim started. "The list goes on. I stopped trying to count the reasons they cared so much."

"Why you no tell me you were in danger?" Calypso suddenly asked, voice still soft. "I could have help you. I wanted help you."

"I didn't want to drag anyone else into my business, and I really didn't want Kial getting involved in the business of other Gods and Goddesses by accident. He went through a lot as a kid, and I was the closest thing he had to a father," Saethrim revealed gently. "I didn't want people going after anyone but me. Stupid, yes, but I've seen people die for less."

In an even more rare display of emotion than happiness, Calypso ducked her head to sort of hide her eyes from sight. "I t'ought I could help, if I had known," she told him. "I find out sometime after your student what happen. I could no stop t'inking I could have done somet'ing."

Saethrim set a hand on the top of her head. "I'm sorry. I should have asked for help, but at that point there were so many people, and I had to finish his training. I locked myself in the wrong mindset." She drew in a slow breath and nodded. He eventually pulled his hand back and flashed a smile. "I won't make that mistake again," he promised.

She took another breath. "I believe you."

"Raise your head," Saethrim said with a sigh. "Or I'll pick it up for you." Once more, Calypso sighed. But, ultimately, she did as he'd told her. The man lightly pressed a finger to her forehead, chuckling. "C'mon, it's all in the past. Let's move past that and live today, eh?"

Almost, Calypso managed to smile again. "Yes," she murmured. "You be right."

Saethrim passed her a grin. "C'mon, show some teeth. We both know I won't be satisfied until you do."

A touch of playfulness returned. Calypso bared her teeth like an angry creature before swatting his arm. "T'ere, you happy now?" she asked him.

"Happier, yes," Saethrim said with a laugh. "That's very befitting of you, but it suits Tempest a little better."

"You no have any idea," Calypso groaned. "She too violent sometime. She even trying apply it to love now."

Saethrim pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ah, crap. We didn't nip that in the bud soon enough, did we?"

"I make mistake raising her," Calypso admitted. "I no her mother. I no t'ink of everyt'in' a mother do. All I ever see from our people was violence. I t'ink for too long t'at it was normal and okay. I allow her be t'at way, and never change it."

"You finally corrected it, yeah?" Saethrim asked.

"I try to, but she claim not havin' violence in love make no sense," Calypso answered. "I do not t'ink she believe me when I say ot'erwise."

"She listens to you way more than she'll ever let on," Saethrim said.

"Only sometime," was the huffing reply.

Saethrim raised an eyebrow. "That's like, three hundred percent more than she ever listened to me."

"She would say you not her type," Calyspo told him with a wave of her hand. "Men who not her type are never listen to much."

"Does she have a type?" Saethrim dared to ask.

"Whatever it be, I not know it," Calypso shrugged. "Whatever type t'at a man name Ylden be. He work for t'e God of Deat' as t'e 'right hand'."

Saethrim blinked once. "Oh, shit. That's kinda wild. I bothered him after I died. He's an alright guy. Always devoted to watching over his kid." He suddenly shifted topics. "Did you know that spirits can choose to just not go to the realms of death if they're good? That they could technically roam existence?"

Dark eyes blinked at him. "Yes. I meet t'e old God of Deat' once when my people crash on Mobius. He and I work toget'er to end t'e conflict and get my people to leave. He and I speak once or twice, and he tell me some t'ings."

"Well, I'm sure you could disagree, but I was one of the good spirits. I chose a couple people to watch over when I could," Saethrim said, nudging her with an elbow.

"You watch over your student?" Calypso asked him. "T'at sound like you."

"When I could," Saethrim said. "I also watched over Cere every now and then. She was pretty tough on herself back then, because of how things tended to go, but there's one individual that I tried to stick around when I could." Almost not trusting herself to read into this, Calypso just blinked at him again. He pulled his hand back a little and put it to his chin. "I wonder who it could've been?"

Now it was much harder to feign ignorance. A twinge of hope rose up, and that triggered her teasing nature to show itself again. "Perhaps it stay a mystery forever," she responded slyly.

Saethrim suddenly tackled her into a hug and laughed, warping the space around them so they couldn't fall over. "You're acting like I was confirming it was you!"

"Maybe," Calypso laughed. She was quick to hug him back. "But maybe I was not. I never say who you mean."

"Perhaps it'll stay a mystery forever," Saethrim chuckled with a grin.

"You not allowed to steal my words," Calypso told him, poking his chest with a finger. "I say t'at first. Make your own sentence. It easier for you."

"Maybe I like stealing from you just a little."

"T'en you a brat."

Saethrim shrugged a little. "Maybe I am."

Calypso gave him a gentle pinch. "Brat," she asserted.

The da Asani was suddenly out of her arms, leaning up against a wall. "Man, all that looks real inconspicuous, doesn't it?"

It took her a moment to recall what that word meant, since she herself only rarely attempted to use it, but soon she caught on to his meaning. "It no like anyone see," she chuckled.

Saethrim snorted a little. "Did you get rid of that mirror shard?"

"T'e one from Cere?" Calypso asked. "It in a box in anot'er room."

"You were prepared for this, then?" he prodded.

"No, I always keep it t'ere so it not break," she huffed.

"Woulda been funnier if you went with the joke," Saethrim complained lightly.

"Why I give you t'e satisfaction, eh?" Calypso asked him. "You done not'ing to deserve it."

Saethrim rolled his eyes. "I should go handle that vampire power thing. When I get back, maybe we can figure out this whole dynamic before one of us says something dumb. Sound good?"

Calypso went ahead and dragged him in for another quick hug… by "cheating" and using her magic (what little of it she had back so far) to pull him back over for a second. "It does," she agreed, releasing him.

He blinked once before pulling her into a hug as well with the power he kept using. "The Immortal that gave me this ages ago isn't here to tell me how to use it… so I'm gonna say this is a 'necessary' usage of the power."

"Just 'training' wit' it?" she teased.

"What might have ended up happening had I not thought Cere was listening would be more 'training'. This is just making sure I get important stuff done quickly," Saethrim said easily.

Calypso openly laughed at him. "I be waiting, t'en. Go, help people like you always do. It what make you special."

"And not my charming personality? I'm hurt," Saethrim said, putting a hand over his heart. "I'm just gonna have to get going, now, after that."

This time, Calypso properly grinned at him like he'd asked her to earlier. "You are welcome." Saethrim gave a two finger salute before warping out of the building, but not before flashing her a bright smile. Properly pleased, Calypso returned to her earlier meditations.

~保護者~

Teyan paced back and forth, one hand on her chin and another on her hip. "I don't like this, Ythene," she muttered. "Corruption is one thing, but corruption of a magical being… She's never gone to that length before. Much less taken things to such an extreme that she's willing to erase their memories."

"I do not like it, either. This is a surprisingly bold move, even coming from someone like her." The younger being of Chaos sighed to herself, a thoughtful frown on her face. "Chaos is far from a healing energy most of the time. It's been used by Sonic in a semi-healing manner before, but this? This is unprecedented. Teyan, I don't think even you or I could wield it in such a way that it would help that man."

"I was worried you'd think that way," Teyan mumbled. "For once, I was hoping to be immediately disagreed with."

"I am incapable of lying," Ythene reminded. Then she asked, "Is Eona also looking into this?"

"Yeah, pretty sure she is. Knowing her, she's gone to Zenith." Teyan stopped her pacing and crossed her arms. "Not sure he can do anything more than you or I can. And, knowing him, he'll say as much. He's not one to waste time."

"I'm contacting her," Ythene informed her sister. She stretched her mind out far, as she once often did with Sonic. Silence settled between them, only broken by a second sigh. "She more or less confirmed your suspicions. She also says that they both worry that only the Faein may have the ability to help him."

"The Faein?" Teyan asked, incredulous. "That seems like a bit much. ...Except… Ah, hell. You're right."

"Magic is more than a power to that race," Ythene told her. "It is a vital life essence to them. This is not a corrupted power affecting everything else. This is corruption of one's core being."

"I know, I know, I get it already," Teyan groaned. Just like that, she was pacing again. "Fuckin' hell. We've gotta inform Ylden. He'll want to know this."

"Understood. I'll reach out to him." Once she'd located his mind, Ythene focused her voice into more of a feeling rather than words. A sensation that he was being called to this location, a sort of mental tug that communicated the fact that he was being asked to come here.

Ylden stepped through a portal moments later with his arms crossed. The cat raised an eyebrow briefly at them both. "What?"

"Told you I'd ask her," Teyan gestured at Ythene, "if she had ideas on how to help. She doesn't. Eona went and asked Zenith, and he also doesn't know. The current thought is that it's possible only the Faein can help. Though… that presents its own problems."

"I see," Ylden murmured, his demeanor openly darkening. "What do we do then?" he dared to ask.

"I'm not sure," Teyan admitted. "I don't doubt that the Faein would want to help, but the issue is their strict rules regarding not overruling free will. If Han does end up corrupted like we all fear and he chooses to remain that way… Provided he doesn't threaten existence or balance, there won't be any way for them to deny him his choice per their own rules."

"Is it really free will if he was forced into that state?" Ylden muttered moodily. "That makes no fucking sense."

"Choosing to stay that way is," Ythene murmured. "Things may be forced upon us, but it is ultimately our decision whether or not we wish to change the hand we were dealt."

Ylden growled lowly and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fucking bullshit."

"I'm inclined to agree," Teyan muttered. "But there isn't anything we can do about that. But… I will say that it might be possible to keep him from getting totally corrupted. Somehow, miraculously, it hasn't spread yet. Even if he loses his memories of you, you staying around him might help keep him himself."

I don't… want to see it happen, Ylden thought to himself as he moved to open another portal. "Alright."

"I'm serious, Ylden," Teyan called after to him. "Try to spend as much time as possible around him. It's his best chance right now." She knew he knew that, but hammering the point home felt somewhat necessary. If only because this was so severe a situation.

"Shut the fuck up, please," Ylden growled out. "I know. Do you think I want to see one of the few people I ever called a friend lose his memories?" Teyan only murmured something, but otherwise stopped talking so as to allow him to leave. Ylden watched Teyan quietly before simply moving through the portal to appear directly by Han, closing it behind him.

If Han noticed Ylden's arrival at all, he gave no sign of it. He was still sitting cross-legged with his head in his hands precisely where Sein had left him, seemingly all of his attention focused inward. Ylden shifted a touch closer to the Hexan and sat by him, placing a hand on the other man's back silently. This caused Han to jump, badly startled, but nothing else bad happened as a result of the contact. "Kisera aki," Han muttered, rubbing his hands over his face as his momentary alarm subsided. "Don't do that."

"Sorry," Ylden murmured briefly, turning his gaze away. "Not really thinking clearly right now." He didn't say any more, realizing that might be a touchy subject right now.

Han nodded a little. "...How long has it been?" he eventually asked.

"Long enough for us to kill the person who caused all of this to start," Ylden said. "Time is blending together."

In an effort to force himself to continue to remember, Han mumbled, "Someone took me here. It was… ...Sein?"

"He's an Immortal," Ylden added. "Sein brought you here so you'd be safe."

"Immortal, and… Babylonian? ...Yes, that. But where is here?"

Ylden couldn't prevent himself from clenching one of his fists. "It's a realm he made for himself, if I'm not mistaken." Han just nodded a little again, trying but failing to recall whether or not he'd been told this before. Ylden fell silent as well for a short time before asking, "So… you still remember me, right?"

"You're Ylden," Han soon said. "We've known each other for eons. We're friends."

The cat shifted a little. "They'll make you forget me," he murmured, choking up a little. "Everything."

Though he visibly tensed, Han didn't otherwise react at first. Eventually, he said a simple, "I know."

Ylden used the hand not on Han's back to rub at his eyes. "I don't want that… I don't want you to forget me."

"I don't want to forget, either," Han mumbled. "But I can't make this stop."

Maybe if I'd been paying more attention instead of just fucking going to see my parents, this wouldn't have happened. "I know… It's not your fault."

There was a long, long silence before Han finally spoke again. "You're one of the only people I remember," he finally admitted. "I can't stand to lose that."

Ylden suddenly clasped his hand over his mouth and closed his eyes. The tears streaming out of his eyes stung. He eventually got a hold on himself again and spoke. "I wish I could've noticed sooner what happened…"

"Even if you had, what good would it have done? You would have been attacked, too." Han shook his head, rubbing his hands over his face again before resuming just holding his head in his hands. "That wouldn't have helped.

"Maybe you could remember your kids," Ylden blurted suddenly, clasping his hand over his mouth once he'd said it. He clenched hard, gripping his skin tight enough to pull fur out.

Han's already closed eyes clenched shut even tighter. Kids? I don't have any ki-… ...Do I just not remember? Emotions rose up the more he thought about the idea of him having kids, emotions associated with the people he could no longer recall. That all but confirmed his fears.

"I'm sorry," Ylden suddenly whispered, pulling his hand away. "I'm so fucking sorry."

The Hexan let out a long, slow breath. "No," he responded. "Don't be. At all. I need to know things like that." I need to.

"That's not what I'm sorry about," Ylden said, forcing himself to stand up and turn away from Han. This time, he used his magic to wipe away the tears. It didn't help stop the sobs from catching up to him, though.

"You still don't need to be sorry," Han said, finally catching on despite his confused and distracted state. "This is not your fault."

"I know it isn't," Ylden snapped at nothing in particular. "It's not mine, and it's not your fault either! But maybe we could have done something if I wasn't laying around in a daze because I realized my family died for nothing!" With no basis from which to try to understand this outburst, Han was quiet. He had nothing that he could say that would help. Ylden eventually just dropped to the ground again, trying to reign in his emotions with no luck. "Why does everything always insist on taking the things I care about from me?" he muttered. "Just when I start fixing things…" Han still had nothing to say. Bits and pieces of Ylden's exclamation fled rapidly from his mind, further inhibiting his ability to respond to the situation. Eventually, the cat forced himself to his feet and he turned to Han, a clear expression of pain on his face. "I'm sorry… I… So much happened. I just… I'm sorry. That's all."

After a long, distracted pause, Han sort of nodded. "Alright," he said.

"...What do you remember?" Ylden asked cautiously, even though he was sure he wouldn't like the answer.

"About what?" Han asked in turn.

"Me… Who I am?" Ylden tried.

This earned a slow nod of understanding. "I still remember," Han answered. "The same things I said before."

"Okay…" Ylden said softly, rubbing at his face. He walked back over to Han and sat back right where he'd been before. "I… I'm gonna sit here with you, even after they make you forget me. I'll do whatever I can to help you."

"You won't leave?" Han asked in an almost unheard of moment of vulnerability. For just a moment, he sounded like his physical age, barely seventeen. He was young despite being so old, and for once he sounded like it. The calmness, the maturity, the seriousness, the borderline total neutrality... it all faltered in the face of his newfound suffering. But only very briefly.

"Nareish herself will have to come here before I leave, and she'll have to kill me," Ylden answered. "I won't let anything take me from here." Han nodded just a little, still tense but a little less so now. Ylden set his hand on Han's back again, much more slowly this time. "Don't tell me when it starts… Just… let's sit here. Enjoy what we've got left."

What is there to enjoy? Han did his best to push that pessimistic thought aside and murmured some vague agreement.

Ylden let out a weak sigh. He'd correctly guessed the nature of Han's thoughts. "Nothing… but we're both here." He thought for a moment before adding, "I'll always remember for us both, forever."

Han suddenly moved his hands to cover his eyes. He was silent for quite some time before speaking again. When he did, his voice was choked with emotion, emotions he virtually never experienced with such strength and seldom at all. "I don't know them anymore… but please tell my kids I loved them. I know I did. I need them to know it, before even that is taken from me. Please."

"I will," Ylden murmured, moving to cover his own eyes as well. "They'll know." Han could only nod once again, unable to force any further words out right now. Ylden couldn't make himself speak either, simply holding Han's shoulder and pulling the man as close as he dared. I'll make sure everyone knows… if there's ever any doubt.

~保護者~

Shei, Aniko, and Atani reached the couple's home soon. Cream was there, too, having been by Aniko's side this whole time. Greetings and introductions were exchanged, then everyone sat down. Once they were settled in the front room, Shei went ahead and told his partner what had happened and how Atani had helped him. Though, he did gloss over the part where he and Atani met because she dragged him through realms to her location. He didn't figure Aniko would appreciate that bit. He finished off by saying, "She does not think Malevolence will make any attempts to come after us at this time."

"This is for the best," Cream murmured. "The less involved it is in everything, the better."

Aniko frowned deeply. "Why wouldn't it, though…?" she asked.

"Basically because it's in a bad state right now," Atani explained. "Kaden, or whatever his name is, got pretty close to killing it at least twice. It's still recovering. And because of that, it's staying holed up for now. Mostly to avoid Nareish doing anything. It may be the second ultimate evil prior to her, but it's not stupid. It knows how to be cautious."

"Hm," Aniko closed her eyes briefly as she thought. "I suppose that makes enough sense." Shei nodded wordlessly in agreement.

Aniko decided now was a time to bring up a different subject. "Shei knows of this, and Cream may as well, but you assuredly would not." Her gaze fell fully on Atani. "Our son has difficulty breathing, and a recent conversation with my father made me reconsider the situation."

"Reconsider?" Shei asked her with a confused frown.

"...Is his Darkness active?" Atani inquired. "If it is, it should have healed whatever is causing that. Even if he was born with it."

Aniko nodded. "This is why I am reconsidering the situation entirely. He gained that injury during an attack on Hyale in the midst of a war. Would it not have to have been an Immortal?"

"Anything less than a wound caused by one of them would have healed," Atani asserted, crossing her arms. "That's just how it works."

Cream's eyes were clouded with worry. "What Immortal would have attacked children?" she asked. "I've heard some things about what happened. He was very small back then, was he not?"

Aniko's expression darkened. "Just like our race, there are evil Immortals that exist," she murmured. "Nothing is safe from the tinges of evil. That band of Light users proved as much."

"That still does not explain why children would have been targeted," Cream murmured sadly.

"Does it matter?" Aniko murmured, keeping her gaze away from Cream. A deep hatred had sparked within her, thinking back to what happened to Espio all those years ago. She didn't want to subject Cream to it. Shei watched her with a careful eye but let her be for now.

"It does," Atani said, carefully inserting herself back into the discussion. "Targeting chameleon kids risks inducing the collective wrath of our entire race. Even Immortals don't like tangling with that sort of thing. There had to have been a reason, and whatever it was would have been nefarious to put it lightly. It might be something you and your partner need to find out for your kid's sake."

Aniko swept herself up to her feet and walked outside, teleporting on top of the house. I can't keep any of this under control right now.

~保護者~

Everything appeared to be under control for now.

At least, Kath's irritability and minor guilt had subsided enough to stop triggering his newly-discovered Time powers from activating however they wanted to every few seconds or so. It seemed safe enough to return to the palace, so he did just that. His original intention had been to go see Alana and Arkiri before tracking down Sein and Jet to check on them as well. Then he'd planned on checking on Cyril, just to make certain he was alright.

Those plans were derailed a bit when he found himself unintentionally appearing a mere foot or so from Yareis's side. He immediately backed away to give them both space, but words failed him in the moment as they often did when he was uncomfortable. Like when Lucas had hugged him that one time, seemingly so long ago. He supposed he should check on the boy, too. But that was to be handled later, after this was dealt with.

Yareis blinked once at him and tilted her head slightly. "Close call, eh?" she asked with vague amusement evident in her tone.

"I suppose," Kath huffed after a second. Then he found himself asking, "Why are you still here? I assumed this region would not be cold enough for you during spring." He did his best not to entertain the idea that it was possibly due to concern over recent events. Laralei may have insisted that Yareis liked him, but he'd seen no proof of that himself. Therefore, what reason would she have to worry over someone she was only somewhat familiar with? It didn't make sense to believe that it was the reason behind her staying, so he didn't.

"Oh," the woman rubbed the back of her head slowly. "I was just wandering around. A lot of stuff I've never seen, considering how long I've been asleep. Things are so different than when I was alive." Yareis turned her gaze away from him, staring into the distance briefly.

Kath nodded a little. "Even so, you do not have to remain here if it is not suitable for you. The northern regions may be better."

"I chose to stay," she admitted simply. "I wanted to be here."

Momentary curiosity took hold. "Why?" Kath wound up asking her. Only then did he catch himself, and he shook his head. "Nevermind. You do not need to explain yourself. It was not my intention to question you."

Yareis was quiet for a moment. "I'd explain it if I understood it myself." Kath nodded a little. She eventually looked back at him with a softer gaze than she normally wore. "How are you?"

Kath executed a small small shrug. "Better, I suppose," he admitted.

"I'm glad to hear it," Yareis admitted. "Especially since it was stopped before things got too rough."

"Yes, it was," Kath agreed with a sigh. "That is for the best."

"...I am not good at these sorts of conversations," Yareis said slowly.

"Nor am I," Kath said. "You are not alone in that."

Hearing that seemed to give her pause, but she didn't say much about it. "I suppose that's good."

"Good how?" he huffed, a vague tinge of amusement managing to enter his tone for a moment.

"That someone understands," she said simply. The sentiment hit Kath rather hard. He'd never really thought about it like that, but now that someone had said it? Being understood regarding issues with socializing was… nice, perhaps? He wasn't entirely sure. Yareis was quiet once more before suddenly speaking up. "You mentioned something about a northern region?" That earned a small nod. "Take me there."

Though tempting, questioning her for the reason behind this change of plan seemed pointless at best. As such, Kath simply complied and teleported with her in tow. They reappeared atop the very same mountain peak he'd been resting on prior to returning to the palace. Other mountains surrounded them, each covered in snow and ice with minimal vegetation. Yareis looked around for a moment before walking herself toward the edge, staring out over the scenery before them. "Existence is so far removed from what I remember of it."

"It would be," Kath responded neutrally.

She glanced back and raised an eyebrow. "To see it with my own eyes is still mystifying." Kath only shrugged. She had a point, but he really didn't know what to say. The woman turned away and let out a sigh. "I'm sorry for making you take me here," she said gently. "I enjoy your presence."

"Do not apologize. It does not bother me." Kath wound up taking a seat beside her, eyes on the horizon.

If it had been literally anyone else talking to her, she might have said something along the lines of 'didn't ask'. However, it was Kath, and she had an unusual level of respect for him. "It's not about it bothering you. It's more that it bothers me. I can't sort out what I'm thinking and it's pissing me off."

Blue eyes glanced at her somewhat quizzically. "You do not strike me as the type to suffer emotional conflict."

"I embody ice, the cold, and everything inherently related," Yareis began. "I'm cold, stubborn, and harsh. Those are the things I usually feel, but there's something there that I don't get." Her gaze intentionally avoided his for the moment. "It's not cold."

Now frowning just a little, Kath looked away. "Emotions are not something I have much understanding of," he abruptly admitted. "I am far from the ideal person to help you."

"I don't want you to help," Yareis admitted in return. "I just want you to be here."

Despite it feeling as pointless as it did before, Kath had to ask. "Why?"

She shrugged. "That feeling. Your presence makes me feel less pissed off at existence." This statement earned a sort of huff. It was vaguely amused but no less puzzled. Yareis simply stared into the horizon quietly for another couple moments before asking, "Do you enjoy my company?"

"I suppose."

"Can you give me a straight answer?" Yareis asked.

"I cannot," Kath sighed. "I do not… 'enjoy' things except on very rare occasions. Things make me… content, at times, but that is all."

Yareis turned to him and frowned a little. "Are you content, then?"

"I suppose so," Kath answered again. He paused, let out another sigh, then elaborated, "...Yes."

The Erukti woman glanced away again, nodding slowly. "I'm glad to hear that." Kath stayed quiet, thinking as he often did. Suddenly, Laralei's suspicions seemed much more valid. It seemed he had plenty to consider now.

~保護者~

As God of Runes, Nier knew his abilities seemed to many who were unfamiliar as rather limited. And, well, lacking. It played into why he was able to spy in places too dangerous for Therin and his scouts. He was combat-oriented while Therin was not. He was strong, but their enemies often failed to assume so. Too many felt comfortable ignoring him.

Nareish had made that mistake. Apparently she had seen the error of her ways. After his last meeting with Jet and the others, he'd gone right back to the outskirts of her realms to try and monitor things. Only, this time Nareish had done something about it. He'd been careless, hadn't paid attention, gotten himself slowly and gradually surrounded. By the time he'd noticed, it had been too late.

By now, he'd been under attack almost constantly since roughly three days after he'd returned. The clone Jet normally kept by his side at all times had mysteriously vanished sometime before that, all but confirming Nier's belief that his old friend was far from okay these days. That meant he was out here on his own. And while he'd been keeping the throngs of soldiers and beasts back, he found himself unable to escape.

She's blocking my attempts to teleport somehow. Pretty sure she intends for me to die here, squashed like the insect she thinks we all are. Panting from exhaustion, pain, and blood loss, the Babylonian drew a quick but complex rune into the air in front of him. This wasn't the first time he'd attempted to use it to help him flee, but he'd noticed that Nareish's oppressing presence seemed to have temporarily left the area. It didn't matter to him where she'd gone to, so long as he could also leave now. The rune drawn, Nier pressed his palm into the symbol to activate it. Transport!

A great deal of his remaining energy had been used up. Nier suspected he might have passed out as a result, because the next thing he was aware of was waking up on the floor in a familiar home. Two equally familiar faces were in his field of vision. "Oh… Hey, guys," he groaned, pushing himself up. Which, by the way, hurt to do. "Sorry to fall in like this. Meant to go to my house and not yours, Therin."

"Well you fucked up," the cat answered stiffly, eyeing the older God's wounds. "You're bleeding all over my floor, you prick. What the hell happened?" When Nier waved him off, Therin rolled his eyes and went to fetch some bandages.

Sona walked over to Nier and looked him over, a starkly serious expression on her face. "Nareish's army?" she asked.

"Some of it," Nier muttered. He tried to stand up, only to find that his legs wouldn't cooperate.

"Stay down, moron," Therin called. Seconds later, he returned with his limited stash of medical supplies. "I'll call Cere here to put you down if you try to get up again."

This was no empty threat. Nier knew it. Therin knew it. With another groan, Nier gave up trying to resist. "I hate you so much sometimes," he complained. As predicted, the insult practically disintegrated as soon as it made contact with the thief. Therin was too used to being on the receiving end of harsh words in his line of work to be bothered. It hadn't been serious, anyway. Nier promptly gave up on that, too.

"Where the hell was Jet?" Therin demanded, tearing away ruined strips of cloth on Nier's arms in order to get at the wounds beneath. "I thought he kept a clone with you to avoid precisely this sort of outcome."

"No idea," Nier admitted with a heavy sigh. "It vanished a while back. A purple energy appeared around it, and then it was gone. Not destroyed, though, mind you. It just disappeared for some reason."

"And you didn't come back after that?" Sona demanded to know.

"No. I messed up, I very much got that."

Sona pinched the bridge of her nose. "Don't do that again, please."

"Yeah, I know," Nier said with another sigh. "Lesson learned."

"It's not about the lesson," Sona grumbled. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

Nier glanced at her, possibly surprised, but didn't call attention to her admission. "And nothing will," agreed. "I'll be more careful."

"You'd better," Therin muttered.

Sona glanced away slightly. "Did you find out anything before it went bad?"

"Not really, no. But there was one weird thing. Nareish was preventing me from teleporting away or using my transport rune, but then she suddenly disappeared from her realm for a bit." Nier frowned to himself. "I didn't sense her anywhere close to it, either. She just up and left. But she's back now."

"Weird…" Sona murmured to herself. "She went out of her realm?"

"Has she done that at all since all of this started?" Therin asked. "At least, since Jet's 'bestie' Sonic and the rest of them started showing up. Because I don't think she has. Yet she left today, of all days, and not even to get involved in her two cronies getting killed? That's fucking suspicious."

"Therin, where are your scouts?" Sona asked.

"Nowhere near there," Therin told her. "I'm not putting them on a suicide mission. They aren't fighters. Not on that level."

"I don't want them there," Sona said immediately. "We obviously need to do some searching in different areas to look for whatever she might have done. For all we know, she could have brought back another big enemy."

"Even if she did, she's gonna hole them up in places where my scouts can't go," Therin argued. He yanked on some bandages to tighten them, making Nier wince. "You know she will."

Sona growled a little and paced in a small circle, trying to think of what might have happened. What would have been a big enough deal for her to go out of her way to leave her realm?

"I'll try and find out what I can," Therin eventually said. "But I can't promise anything."

She didn't even seem to hear him, her gaze intently unfocused as she kept pacing. She'd need to be going to another realm or timeline, which we know is possible for her. The question is where she went.

Nier and Therin traded a look before the thief said, "Oi, Sona. Chill out, alright? We'll figure this out."

Sona blinked once and looked over at Therin. "Huh? Oh, yeah." She rubbed the back of her head a bit. "Just… trying to think."

"Keep it together," Therin huffed, though he wasn't annoyed and that was made obvious. "If you start getting worked up, my sis will notice. I don't want her straining herself."

Sona, embarrassed, shifted her gaze away. "Yeah, sorry."

"It's fine. Just take it easy." Therin tightened some more bandages, then said, "Oi, do a me a favor, will you? Get Cere down here. He's got no energy to move, and I'm out of bandages. He needs a healer."

The goddess nodded and disappeared in a puff of flames before reappearing with Cere. The Hexan immediately knelt by Nier and used her magic to temporarily seal his wounds. "Shit…"

Nier winced, hissing between clenched teeth. "Ow, what is with you people and never being gentle?" he griped, though there was barely any actual heat to his words.

Cere shushed him and let out a low sigh. "I'm taking you to Rose. Analia still needs rest," she said, gingerly picking Nier up. Nier coughed in sharp pain at the movement, clutching tightly at one of his larger wounds.

"He gonna be alright?" Therin asked with a grimace.

"I'd think so, but someone with more healing experience should look before I say that," Cere answered.

The cat waved her off. "Go, then. I won't keep you. Just let us know what happens."

Sona didn't say anything, and this prompted Cere to teleport away with Nier in her arms. The female cat glanced over to Therin with a vaguely concerned look. "So… what now?"

"Aside from cleaning my damn floors and changing my clothes…" Therin mumbled, "I have no idea. We need to try to get intel on what the hell Nareish was doing, but you and I aren't usually the best equipped for that kind of job."

The female frowned openly. "I'll clean the floors. Blood isn't hard to handle if you know what you're doing."

"I'm not in the business of getting hurt normally, so I guess I'll trust your judgement." Therin stood. "I'm going to go change. She doesn't need to see me looking like I was in a fight."

Sona huffed a little. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you just insulted me."

Therin paused, thinking over his own words, then groaned and rolled his eyes. "I just meant you get into fights more often. I deal in reconnaissance, you deal in combat. That's all."

"I'm messing with you," Sona said, walking to Therin and wrapping her arms around him without first asking. "I'll let you know when I'm done."

He hesitated at first, but soon Therin awkwardly hugged her back with an arm. "Now your clothes are messy, too, by the way," he soon informed her. "And I don't have anything for you to change into here."

"I'll handle it," Sona said with a shrug. With an answering shrug, Therin pulled away and walked off to change. Sona watched him go for a moment, silently wishing to herself she'd tried to take it a step further, before moving to get what she needed to clean the floor.

~保護者~

Okay, this is going a bit far, Caer thought to himself, slipping out of the house quietly and following after Myriu. She'd thrown a knife at Toru, yelled at some spirit (at least, that's what he assumed she was yelling at), and just tried to leave the house. He'd ultimately wanted to give her some space, but that obviously wasn't an option anymore. He snatched an oncoming knife out of the air with ease, tossing it aside as he approached Myriu.

The girl watched him silently with a deceptively calm expression, but she wasn't very good at hiding her emotions beyond that. It seemed like she'd only gotten more upset since leaving the house. That much was bad, but it wasn't helped by the fact that she was openly willing to attempt to attack him. With all of these things in mind, he wasn't sure exactly how to approach this. He opened his mouth to say something, and she immediately cut in. "Leave me alone. I don't want to be here anymore."

Caer could only sigh internally. "Kid, where the hell do you think you're gonna go?"

The girl huffed and turned to leave. "Back to the Highlands, obviously."

"Do you think that's really a good idea?" the older chameleon asked as he followed her. "You do realize we're at war and that if someone really wanted to fuck with people that give a shit about you, they could with you just leaving?"

"Not like you guys could actually protect me anyway," Myriu muttered hatefully. "I was paralyzed."

"You aren't paralyzed now, are you? Considering that you were able to throw a knife at me," Caer said with a raised eyebrow. "Sounds like you're refusing to-"

"Fuck off," Myriu bit out. "I don't want to hear it. I don't want to see any of you. I cannot stand this shit any more. I'm tired of people pretending like they fucking care. Get the hell away from me."

Caer crossed his arms and shook his head, despite the fact that she wasn't even looking at him to see it. "No. I'm not letting a kid just walk off on their own." The man took a step back when she whipped around with another knife, flicking it at his feet. Did Ekai really treat this kid that bad…? How fucked up was she?

"Get the hell away from me. I'm not talking to you anymore," Myriu growled, turning and beginning to walk again.

"I'm not going to just leave-" Caer stiffened briefly and leapt over to her, flicking up a barrier of Darkness and creating a sword of the same energy in his hand as a creature he'd never seen before appeared near where he'd been standing.

The Erukti woman glanced over at Caer and waved a finger, dissipating his barrier. "Let me talk to the kid. It's obvious she won't listen, and if you're in earshot she's just gonna get pissed again." Caer clutched his sword a bit tighter and lowered his stance until he was overcome with a wave of energy. It didn't hurt or even seem malevolent. If anything… it was peaceful, natural. In an instant he came to understand who this person was and conceded with a vague nod, teleporting away.

The woman then walked up to Myriu, who had been watching silently, and knelt down in front of her. The knife drawn on her and stabbed into her skin dissolved into nothingness without even a trace of damage to the Erukti. Myriu clenched her fists and took a slow step back. "Who are you?"

"Call me Utavi, if you want," the woman murmured. "You're out of control."

"What the-"

"Shut the fuck up and listen," Utavi muttered. Myriu suddenly sat down, unable to comprehend what was happening here. "You are enraged because of your many years of neglect. Your mother was frankly a piece of shit, and I'm glad she's gone so that she can't harm you further. However, your father is here as a spirit and has watched over you to the best of his ability for as long as he's been able. Your half-brother, while he wasn't around a lot, has a reason for avoiding everything. Not to excuse his inaction in your life, but going near your mother was dangerous… and not for him."

Myriu glanced away, her eyes flicking between various things to shift her focus as all of this was dumped on her. She knew it to be true already, but… somehow it made more sense now? "Why do you care?"

Utavi took her turn to sit down and grabbed one of Myriu's hands gently, holding it. "While I may not have directly created you and your kind, all of existence does matter to me. I cannot fucking stand watching people destroy themselves," she said, tone far more soft than before. "You're going to destroy yourself at this rate. If this doesn't help, there would be almost nothing else that could stop you from taking a path that causes nothing but pain."

The young girl felt… shaky. Nervous? She couldn't quite describe the emotions going through her head and heart, but it was all so… much. There was no way she could really keep up. "I… don't want to be abandoned anymore."

"And being alone won't save you from that," Utavi stated. "You'll only be left more lonely." When the girl obviously wanted to be held, Utavi obliged and picked her up, setting the small chameleon down on her lap. "You've spent so much of your life in pain and anger. I think it's about time that you get some reprieve. I will be doing two things for you."

Myriu curled up in Utavi's arms, a vague thoughtful frown on her face. "What?"

"One, I will show you the truth about how those close to you think of you," Utvai said simply. "You will never be wholly affirmed unless you know for yourself."

"What's the second one…?" Myriu asked cautiously.

"I'm going to give you the knowledge of what you will need to pursue a shinobi style of fighting or a different one. You are torn between your chameleon heritage and the wish to be away from it, so I will grant you what you need to make a choice. Is this all acceptable?" Utavi asked gently.

"...Yeah," Myriu said quietly. "I… would like that."

Utavi managed a fleeting smile. "Then, sleep, child, you need rest." Myriu fell asleep moments after this, and Utavi wrapped her presence around the young child to protect her, deciding to return to sleep briefly as well. She would need to return to proper sleep soon and Myriu needed to go back home, but for now... For now they could sit here for a time and simply… rest.

~保護者~

10,980 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 11:50 a.m.) 09-06-21.