~保護者~

"Safe and Sound"

~保護者~

Shadow didn't pay much attention to where he was taken after being forced to stop his attack on the ARK, nor did he pay attention to who was with him. He was pissed, but less so about that and more about what his nose had been telling him while there. Instinctively, he knew his father's scent. The smell of the man's blood had been everywhere, despite Gerald's apparently painstaking efforts to clean everything. Worst of all, Shadow couldn't escape the smell, not with the muzzle still locked in place over his mouth and nose.

His anger briefly ebbed once he was taken away from that place, then rapidly dipped down into something less severe. He soon recalled what had happened, namely that someone familiar had freed him. It was… hard to say, for a time, just who that person was. The scent was familiar. That voice was one he'd heard before. This was someone he'd safely fed off of several times before. Someone who wasn't a threat. Someone who made him feel… safe?

Who made him feel safe?

The name. What was the name? It was right there at the edge of his memory, but recalling it was difficult. He was still angry, still on edge, and, to make matters worse, the sun had risen in this area. That meant he was quickly getting tired as well. Sleep wasn't something he could attain while amped up like this, nor while hungry. Hunger was something he was becoming aware of now, but it wasn't an issue he could do anything about.

It didn't take long for that hunger to start to hurt. It was a deep, hollow, aching pain, one that damn-near wrenched his tentative control away from him. He'd never actually been starved of blood for this long before. This person had always made sure of that. As the minutes dragged on into the double-digits, his pain and agitation got worse. And yet, he found himself fighting not to lash out. But why? Attacking would create blood, the very substance he so desperately wanted and needed. But this person made him feel safe. If he attacked, that feeling would go away, wouldn't it?

Who made him feel… safe?

All at once, everything clicked. Toru was that person. The memory finally came back to him, and for the first time since he'd been brought here he really saw the other man. His anger died off. Whatever fear had been lingering within him faded mostly into the background. The pain of hunger remained, but enough of him had "woken up" so to speak that he no longer had the urge to react violently to it. Or at least, he no longer had the urge to direct said violence at Toru in particular. Instead, he somewhat shakily leaned into Toru's side and did his best to try and focus on absolutely anything else. Only then did he start to pay attention to anything Toru was saying or doing.

Toru carefully wrapped an arm around Shadow, holding him close and trying to ignore the fact that he couldn't remove the muzzle on Shadow. It irritated him, but most of all it hurt knowing he couldn't help. Instead, he focused his attention on attempting to keep his partner calm. "You're with me. You're okay."

Okay? Shadow silently retorted. I'm not okay. I want this thing off.

Knowing Shadow couldn't reply, Toru opted to shift and wrap his other arm around the hedgehog. I'm sorry…

They sat in silence for a few minutes before someone appeared outside of Toru's house where they were currently sitting. The person's energy was incredibly similar to Rusen's in almost every way, though there were enough differences to prove separate individuality. Shadow's ears perked and he straightened his posture a bit when he sensed them, but though he was alert and aware he didn't go back to being borderline aggressive at that moment.

Toru called, "Come on in. Not like I can stop you."

The Faein appeared before them with an exhausted but polite smile. "It would have been rude, regardless of that fact," they murmured. Then they introduced, "My name is Sul. If you both would permit me to, I believe I can remove that awful contraption."

"Don't ask. Just get it off," Toru said immediately. "I want this off, but he needs it off."

"I understand." Sul knelt down in front of Shadow and reached out. Shadow instinctively tensed in preparation to bite in self-defense, but enough logic kicked back in that he was able to stop himself. He held still as best as he could while Sul pulled the muzzle off, blinking when the straps snapped in the Faein's hand as though they were made of the most fragile material in existence. It was then crushed before vanishing entirely. "There. Now it cannot be used on anyone again. That is one less 'toy' in Nareish's arsenal."

With Shadow freed, Toru held the hedgehog close again. There was a breath of relief that escaped, but it wasn't worth a moment's notice. "Are you okay?" he whispered to Shadow. Fighting to retain his tenuous control again, Shadow just gritted his teeth and nodded. Toru soon understood exactly what was going on and wrapped himself slowly around the hedgehog, pulling Shadow's head close to his neck. "Go ahead. It's okay."

As with all the other times this had happened, Shadow wasn't able to resist the temptation for long. He soon bit Toru and began feeding off of him. Things were relatively calm in his end during this, but he bit down harder than was necessary when another jolt of pain hit him. He reflexively paralyzed Toru where he was as well, but once the pain passed he was able to relax again. It wasn't too long after that that he released his bite and instinctively licked the wound as usual.

Only once Shadow had regained a measure of clear thought (a matter which was rapidly continuing to improve) did Sul speak back up. "There is another matter I must discuss with you both. I know you both are aware that you," he gestured at Shadow, who was moving back into his previous sitting position, "are becoming an Immortal. In light of recent circumstances, there is something about that which has managed to escape your notice. The many… 'additions' Gerald made to you, Shadow, will not hold up to an Immortal. Injuring yourself can and will damage absolutely anything that is within you."

"More concerningly," he continued, "Black Arms have physically traumatic births. The damage this will do to your biological parts already has the potential to be substantial, but the damage to everything artificial will be… severe. This would be true even if you had remained a semi-Immortal. Gerald was nothing more than a twisted mortal, and as such everything he ever crafted will stand up only to a mortal. That is precisely why you have been able to so easily damage yourself in the past. It was never solely because your various parts and systems were old."

Already, Shadow was starting to catch on. "...You… intend to do something about this," he deduced, tone cautious.

"Only if permitted," Sul corrected gently. "We do nothing that disturbs free will unless we simply must for the good of existence. It is a code we have lived with and followed since our earliest days as creators and nurturers." With that said, he moved on to the matter at hand. "Removing everything Gerald added to you will be a simple matter, but as I was in direct competition with Nareish earlier to prevent her many resurrection attempts of Gerald and others… I must admit that I am tired. Any decision you make must be made now, for I do not know when I will next wake once I return to sleep. And with your child preparing to be born so soon in the future, we cannot dally."

He can just… remove everything? That shouldn't have come as a surprise, but it did. Shadow's thoughts still felt a little muddled and cloudy after the day's events, which he supposed could be playing a role in that particular knowledge catching him off-guard. However, there was a more pressing issue at hand. I barely… remember what it was like to live without them. I don't know how anymore.

Sul no doubt knew his thoughts, and knew them well. He certainly read Shadow's hesitation with ease. "I will say this," he murmured. "I can leave you with powers that mimic the two abilities you most commonly rely on. They can be freshly crafted, here and now, so that you still have that which you have grown accustomed to using. A new version of technopathy can allow you to continue mentally connection with technology as you so often do, and a new sight power can allow you to perform scans using your own energies as opposed to technology."

Having said that, he seemed to think for a second before adding, "I believe that removing all of the unwanted powers Nareish forced upon you would be doable as well, though I do not have the energy to rewrite your DNA and remove the vampirism. That is something we can approach another day if you so desire." Sul stood and gracefully bowed in a proper and respectful manner for a chameleon before saying, "I will take my leave for a few minutes so that you both may talk. Another of our kin was wounded, and while I know Steam has handled it I would still like to see for myself."

When he vanished, Shadow immediately set about thinking, though he didn't do it so deeply that he couldn't hear Toru. The idle thought of, What does he think? struck him as pointless since he would no doubt get an answer before long, anyway.

"Do you want this?" Toru asked slowly, glancing at Shadow. "Because if you do, you need to do it. This is the chance to remove all traces of that bastard man for the rest of your life."

Shadow hesitated. "I don't know," he admitted after a pause. "Toru, I have virtually no memory of how to live without being a cyborg. Even if I were to be granted those powers he mentioned, there would still be many changes." But if I do this… wouldn't that be… for the best?

"Here's the thing, though," Toru said. "You wouldn't need to worry about any of those surgeries to repair your parts, nobody could use code to fuck you over and mess with your mind and emotions, and you could finally tell Gerald's ideas to go fuck themselves, since his work is as worthless as he was." The chameleon pressed his cheek to Shadow's vaguely, speaking softer. "That… and I think it would be really good for you, to get away from what happened in your past. No more reminders constantly just… there."

Eventually, Shadow sighed and leaned into Toru some more. He knew Toru was right, but… could he really go through with this? Something so… drastic? If only to hear it for himself, more directly this time, he quietly (and perhaps even foolishly) asked, "You think I should… do this, then?"

"I do," Toru explained. "I really think you should." There was no doubt in the chameleon's mind that this was for certain a good choice. It had no actual downsides that he could think of aside from the adjustment to a new life after so long, which could be handled in time.

This earned another sigh, but Shadow relented. "...When he comes back, I will let him go ahead," he decided quietly.

Toru smiled a little and leaned into Shadow, smiling. "Good… You deserve it." Shadow did little more than shrug, opting to close his eyes for now. As always these days, he was tired. He was even more so now than usual, though, in a way that felt as though his reserves of newly gained magic had been very rapidly depleted. While he didn't remember what had happened, he didn't spend any time wondering about it right now. He was too at ease for the moment to care about much.

The contentment that Shadow was obviously feeling in that moment was more than enough to help Toru relax fully. He knew now that his boyfriend felt safe and comfortable with him… and that was more than he could have ever asked for.

~保護者~

Only once they were safely back at Tails's place did Tara stop to wonder about some things. For one, had she been imagining it, or… had she truly seen her father during her brief time helping Steam in that fight? And, more importantly, why had not everyone returned here? Most had, but Wave and Jet were conspicuously missing. Come to think of it, I don't see Sein or Alana, either. Pursing her lips together, she approached her husband just as Amy was departing. The hedgehog had taken a minute or two to heal his remaining injuries. "Steam," Tara said, trying to quietly get his attention so as to avoid raising the alarm. "Where are Wave and Jet?"

"Wave is probably sticking with Jet for the time being," Steam answered.

"Right, but where are they?" Tara pressed. "They should have returned with us, along with his parents."

"Probably A'latria," Steam said, already beginning to type out a message to Wave.

"You need to confirm that," Tara muttered seriously. "It isn't like them for none of them to check in after a fight like that."

Steam sent the message and nodded. "Already asked Wave where they all are."

Concerningly, he didn't get a quick reply. In fact, it took several minutes for him to get any kind of an answer at all. When one finally reached him, it was brief. "We're with Jet on Babylon. He's unconscious."

Steam was on his feet in an instant when he received the message, alarmed. "What's his status?" he typed out quickly. Tara watched him, tense as a result of his change in demeanor.

"She did a hell of a number on him. Just about every conceivable kind of injury you can think of, he has. Looks like a blow to the head is what put him down fully, though. He's had a seizure since we found him, too."

"I'll be there." Steam instinctively took hold of one of Tara's hands, more than ready to teleport if Wave was okay with it.

"Okay."

Tara looked at him and gave his hand a squeeze. She didn't even need to ask what was going on at this point. Not when she could so easily guess. "Let's go."

Steam teleported them both directly to Babylon, landing within the palace and walking quickly. I shouldn't have let him fight her alone. I should have known it would go badly. Tara followed along with a grim look on her face, already having an idea of which room they were likely headed to. Namely, the medical ward.

It didn't take long, considering how quickly Steam was walking. He pushed the doors open and teleported to the right bed, eyes widening at the sight. Tara hurried to follow him, her heart sinking. "Holy hell," she breathed.

They didn't get much acknowledgement from Alana, who was sitting in a chair beside her son. Her face was positively ashen, and she looked to be completely unaware of their presence. Her parents were with her, doing their best to provide both her and Sein with whatever comfort they could. Meanwhile Sein was standing perfectly still, eyes focused directly on his son. His aura was far more subdued than usual. The man shifted his eyes to look at them, but otherwise didn't acknowledge their presence. It was hard to do much more than he was currently.

Steam walked up to Jet and gritted his teeth. I'm a fucking idiot. He pinched the bridge of his nose and stepped away, controlling his breathing very carefully. Don't freak out. Nobody needs your emotions added in. Don't add to it.

After a short pause, Wave walked over and told Steam quietly, "I don't know how, but the Void was taken down, too. The Aether told me, since I can't sense it well yet."

The hedgehog muttered something under his breath and turned away from her. "Fuck… that was such a bad idea…"

Tara put a hand on his shoulder. "Steam, now isn't the time to focus on regret," she told him, tone gentle yet firm. "We need to focus on how to act here and now. Chastising yourself won't do him any good."

Steam nodded a little and let out a sigh. You're right. He put his focus into something else, examining the wounds that Jet had sustained. Healing from that is going to take a lot… Having him touched by the Aether is asking for a potential problem, and Light is completely out of the question. That means an Immortal's healing would be necessary, or the Void developing the ability to heal him… which would mean it would have to be around. Not that it would ever happen, but I wish I could hope for it.

The hedgehog slipped away from Tara and Wave, walking back directly to Jet. He knew what his choice was going to be before the thought consciously crossed his mind. He'd asked his Jet some short time ago for Privilege, one that would elevate his abilities to that of an Immortal's level. He'd accessed this once to save Ythene from Tianak, even though it was ultimately squandered in the face of his meltdown. Under less strenuous circumstances, Steam would've had around two more uses… potentially. Something to help him protect others in a bad situation. He supposed this counted.

He gathered his borrowed Privilege and bit his lip painfully, focusing all of the power into taking care of what he thought to be his own mistake. His first goal was to heal any damage Jet's brain might have suffered from the attack to his forehead. It was the most concerning, especially when considering that Jet had already had a seizure because of it. Everything after that was healing the worst injuries he'd sustained, ensuring that only the "minor" ones remained. Jet had to be able to move. I'm so sorry, Jet.

Seeing what Steam was doing, Laralei could reasonably surmise how it was possible. What she put her attention toward, however, was not that. It was more important for her to rouse her daughter and son-in-law so that they could help. She moved so that she could easily reach them both and gave them each a gentle shake. "He's trying to heal your son," she murmured. "You should lend him your strength, too."

Sein didn't respond for a moment, eyes entirely unfocused. Soon enough, he managed to come back to reality and shifted a hand forward, adding his own energy to the mix to aid Steam. Alana followed suit, expression still blank from emotion. Together, they significantly improved Steam's ability to heal Jet and the worst of his injuries began to more easily close and fade away.

Steam glanced up at them and realized that they were helping, managing a tiny smile. Their emotions, or lack thereof, were getting to him. He shivered a little, turning his head to Tara and fixing her with a pleading gaze. She understood him, as she always did, and walked over to wrap her arms comfortingly around him. "You're alright," she said quietly enough that only his sharp part-Tokarian ears could hear her. "He's healing, and you're doing fine."

He relaxed almost immediately. Her touch helped and he was able to refocus his attention on Jet. "Thank you," he whispered. She nodded subtly, giving him a small squeeze.

After a couple minutes of this, their efforts paid off. Jet awoke with a cough, expression scrunching up briefly before he opened his eyes and realized where he was. For the first time in a good while, his eyes were their usual shade of blue with no purple to be seen. Heedless of any remaining injuries, he quickly pushed himself up. How the hell-?

Steam instinctively raised a hand to slow Jet down, fixing him with a small glare. "Hey, you need to stay laying down, or you'll reopen all of those wounds we're healing."

When Jet started to pull one of his usual stunts (that is to say, stubbornly opening his mouth to argue), Wave stepped in and stopped him. "He's right, Jet. You're still hurt. We need you to relax. Alright? Just take it easy for now." He closed his mouth upon hearing more or less the same demand coming from her specifically. He was further distracted from any desire to argue or back-talk by his mother, anyway, when she moved in to carefully hug him for a moment before tearily returning to helping heal him.

At the same time, Sein was almost too far disassociated to realize the situation, his distant gaze not wanting to comprehend much. However… the flare of Jet's aura as he woke up finally snapped the man out of it. He moved closer and wrapped his arms ever so carefully around his son and held back the tears that tried to flow, mumbling happily now that he was awake. For perhaps the first time, Jet didn't actually hesitate to hug his father back. He returned the hug a bit tightly, relaxing now that he could see for himself that both of his parents, as well as his grandparents and Wave, were alright. The… shock about Laralei was just going to have to wait.

The older hawk reveled in the fact that Jet hugged him back, lingering for as long as his son was comfortable with the touch. Jet was able to let this go on for a solid minute or two before letting go of Sein, but he showed no signs of significant discomfort. Just some faint awkwardness and uncertainty as a result of him being unused to hugging anyone that wasn't one of his kids.

Sein slipped back when Jet let go, more than respecting this boundary. He soon did become aware of the fact that Steam was stepping away. The hedgehog walked towards where the Void was (a fact that Sein only knew because he was still capable of seeing the Void at all) and knelt down by it. His energies stopped healing Jet and were now focused on the Void. …How the hell can Steam see it?

Wave, meanwhile, turned her attention back to the Aether. "Do you think you can help him? I know it's a bad idea once the Void wakes up, but while it's still unconscious…" She trailed off. The Aether didn't even give an answer. Not directly. The creature phased through everything between it and the Void and began providing its aid to Steam. It wanted to help its opposite, no matter how grouchy and violent it was. Nodding faintly to herself, she turned to Sein and Alana. "How much more do you guys think you can do right now?"

"I can do little else," Alana answered. "I put less stock than I probably should have in training to heal when Sein and I were younger. There isn't much I can do overall."

Sein, however, gave a slightly more positive answer. "I think I can help enough that Jet should be able to naturally heal from some of this in due time," the older hawk answered. "So… sadly not too much more, but it should help."

This earned another nod from her. "Good. Hear that, Jet? You won't be completely bedridden, but that does not mean you have free reign to start running around yet."

Jet huffed and finally decided to speak. "Killjoy," he accused, not at all being serious. She reached over and flicked him on his least injured shoulder, earning a halfhearted scowl.

Steam managed a smile amidst it all, glad that the situation was seeming to lighten up. "I do need to talk to you in private soon," the hedgehog added, glancing over, "about some stuff you need to know. It can wait for your injuries to heal, though."

"Fine," Jet agreed easily enough.

Sein glanced around the room briefly, looking between Steam, Wave, and Jet. Their… somewhat lightening moods managed to make him smile. "I'm just… glad that we were able to help you." His gaze fell more directly on his son. "Wish there was more we could've done during the raid for you, though."

"It isn't your fault," Jet was quick to remind him. "And it was better that it was just me."

The older hawk shrugged. In a way, his son was right, but in others Jet was very wrong. He didn't feel like now was a good time to get into that, however. "Either way, glad you're awake, bud." Sein smiled a little. Jet sort of nodded like Wave had earlier, though his was a bit more on the awkward side as the result of being called a nickname. He just wasn't entirely sure how to react to that. But… that was fine for now. What mattered most was that soon they would all be alright.

All of them.

~保護者~

The God was still furious. No amount of killing Nareish's henchmen was going to satisfy him. She'd simply done too much. He was currently walking through the streets of Ghune's society, emitting an aura that was more than enough to deter anyone from coming near him. He didn't do it intentionally. It happened when his emotions were this uncontrolled. The beings he cared for and protected knew better than to cross his path when he was in this state, with very few exceptions ever being made.

It didn't take very long for Ghune to notice his approach, visibly concerned as she appeared beside him and walked at his pace. "Speak," she murmured. Her own senses reacted to the aura about Saethrim, but she was strong enough to resist unless he directed it at her.

"She took Black Doom again and probably put my blood in him," Saethrim explained. She wanted to reply, but he didn't let her and continued. "Shadow was taken, as we know, back to the ARK. Gerald attempted to do something, but Toru showed up and took Shadow away. Something happened."

"Shadow was muzzled," Ghune bit out. "Only someone of a high level Immortal's strength or greater could remove it. I know not where their allies went, but I intended to hunt them down and have them correct this."

Saethrim's eyes blurred vaguely as they shifted, taking on a yellow hue. "This has gone too far."

Ghune agreed focusing now on resisting the sensation of fear that Saethrim's aura threatened to instill in her. "I assume Black Doom was taken back to the hive."

"T'chalik and Yshervik are going to watch over him while we aren't present," Saethrim explained. "But I want you there soon."

Ghune frowned. It wasn't like Saethrim to issue demands, no matter how he might have phrased them to make it not sound like such ordinarily. "I intend to be there anyway. A friend of mine was involved in the raid. I wanted to ensure her safety while I worked."

"Hurry." Saethrim muttered.

"You are not yourself," Ghune said, turning her attention forward. "You transformed into a wyvern again."

The vampire shivered at the brief animosity emanating from Saethrim, her frown deepening. Saethrim muttered under his breath, then issued a simple command. "Go. I just came to inform you what happened." For once, she couldn't shake the power of his words and Ghune teleported back into her castle. She was worried about his well-being, but there was little she could do without invoking his wrath. Had he not been the God of Mythical Creatures once again, this wouldn't have happened. However, that was the case now.

Meanwhile, Saethrim warped back to Calypso's home. The man tore away the shirt he'd briefly begun wearing and tossed it aside, rubbing at his face. His body didn't feel right, and neither did his emotions. Ghune's words rung in his mind, and he bit out a growl. You don't fucking know me. Go fuck yourself. The sensation of someone very familiar hung on his senses, and it took him a moment to fully realize that it was Calypso herself. Why he'd failed to register her presence, he couldn't understand. Instead, he walked towards her, instinctively wanting to be near the woman.

Calypso was in her living room with Trekk, but as soon as she realized the state Saethrim was in she sent her son to his room. She then stood and walked over to Saethrim with a quiet question of, "What happen?"

"Some fucked up shit," Saethrim bit out, wrapping his arms around Calypso tightly. He wasn't sure if it was comfort or possessiveness overtaking him, and he hated that fact. He tried to sort out his emotions, speaking further to explain. "Shadow, the spawn of Black Doom, was taken as well as Black Doom himself. Black Doom was injured heavily and Nareish likely put my blood in him. Shadow was muzzled and nobody can remove it aside from a high level Immortal."

"And all t'is has made you very angry," Calypso finished, a frown on her face. "Have any of it improve? Anyone heal or t'e like?"

"I was busy slaughtering Nareish's army," Saethrim admitted with a hint of satisfaction. "Black Doom is at the hive, and Shadow is on Mobius. As far as I know, the muzzle is on. Black Doom is… I don't even know. It's not great."

Calypso tutted softly. "He a Black Arm, you say? T'ey heal fast, I t'ink. T'at part should get better soon. Wit' t'e muzzle, t'ough… Have there not been Faein around? One of t'em can deal wit' it, yes?"

"Assuming they're awake," Saethrim growled.

"One be awake," Calypso answered. "You know how I always listen to t'e rumor people tell. Word about t'ing reach me quickly, always. I hear t'at one were at t'e raid you join earlier. If t'at true, t'en t'ey can help."

"They better," Saethrim replied. "All knowing as they are, they should know that fixing this is important."

"I am sure t'at t'ey do," Calypso said.

Saethrim grumbled under his breath for a moment as his eyes slowly shifted back to a more natural color. A sigh escaped him and he leaned further into Calypso. "This is all so fucked up…"

"Yes," Calypso agreed, voice quiet. "It be very much so." She thought it best to give him some more time to work on calming down, so for a while she stayed quiet. It was for his sake that she did so. He was more emotional than she believed she'd ever seen him, and all she found herself able to do in terms of helping was holding him close (as he so clearly wanted) and not burdening him with more questions just yet. Still, she did have one particularly burning inquiry that needed to be voiced at some point. Just… not yet. It can wait, she told herself. Until he be better, it better to just stay like t'is wit' him.

It took time, but Saethrim's body relaxed and he pulled his arms back, blinking slowly. "I wasn't acting right at all, was I?" he asked after a moment, eyes squinted in obvious confusion.

"No," Calypso murmured. "You not be act like yourself for t'e last few minute."

Saethrim rubbed a hand over his face, groaning softly. "Fuck… During the raid, I turned into a wyvern after I learned about everything." He looked back to her, sighing. "It's been a bit since I made such a full transformation. Caught me off guard."

"You turn into t'at?" Calypso asked him in surprise. "I t'ought you always try not to."

He waved a hand dismissively. "Haven't been that angry for… well, my entire life. It was appropriate."

Calypso sighed as well but gave him a gentle squeeze. Since he seemed to be more like himself again, she carefully pressed on with her question. "Saet'rim… what you gonna do if Nareish plan work?"

There was a distinct air of irritation that radiated off of him. "Raise the kid. No way in hell am I going to let it suffer because of her."

"You need talk to him about t'is," Calypso murmured, her hand tracing soft circles on his back in an effort to soothe him somewhat. "Wait 'til you bot' feel better, t'en talk. T'is not somet'ing t'at can be ignore."

Saethrim had a visible reaction to the touch on his back, relaxing rather easily. "Hm… yeah. You're certainly right."

Seeing as how this was helping, Calypso kept her hand in motion. "Do he have a partner?" she asked him. "If he do, he or she need to be tell-" Realizing her mistake, she stopped for a second to think of the proper word before continuing. "…Told. T'ey need to be told, too. Do you tell t'em already?"

"Ghune knows," Saethrim explained. The man crossed his arms vaguely.

"Good. Now come and try rest." Calypso tugged him toward the bedroom with her hands. "I don't care if you just sit t'ere for a while, but you need rest after a day like t'is one."

Saethrim shrugged and glanced in the direction of the bedroom. "You know… I was gone for a long time…"

Dark eyebrows raised, Calypso almost coyly inquired, "Yes. What you gettin' at?"

The man shrugged, shifting suddenly and scooping the woman up off the ground. "Perhaps… some much needed intimacy? A touch of loving?" The man's voice quickly smoothed itself from his tired and emotional tone to something far more casual. "Especially because… even if you'd ever been with another man, he could never do it as good as me."

At this, Calypso laughed at loud and smacked him on the arm. "Stop it," she chuckled. "Trekk maybe hear you." She waited until she'd gotten her giggles good and out of her system before saying, "And I never be wit' anyone else… how you say… 'for t'e record'."

Saethrim leaned in and whispered softly. "Kid can't hear a thing, not when the space between us is miles." He winked. "I figured you never were, though. In a way, I'm glad to hear it… but you definitely could have been after I died. I'd never be upset if you were happy." Only he understood how it worked, for many reasons, but in the same way he warped space to appear where he wanted to be, he could also shift the space between him and another area to be further. To protect Calypso's kid from hearing all this, he made the few dozen feet separating them into some dozen miles.

"I be happy enough wit' my sister, son, and Kat'," Calypso smiled. "T'e feeling wit' me and him were nice while t'ey last, but it not meant to be and t'ing never get t'at serious. I were okay wit' t'at."

"Then, that means I've got you all to myself," he replied, already walking to the bedroom. "Just the way I like it."

Calypso laughed again and wound her arms around his neck. "Yes, you do," she agreed, shaking her head at him. "You are too bold for you own good, Saet'rim."

The da Asani shrugged at her. "You love me for it."

"Lucky for you," she quipped.

"About to be your luck," he returned, smirking. After a moment, he reached back idly with one hand, stretching his arm through the space to close the bedroom door with none-too-innocent ideas in mind. He had a lot of time to catch up.

~保護者~

Wery was sitting outside near Tails's home with her best friend, Kira. They were enjoying each other's company for the first time in a short while, and talking about a number of simple topics. Things such as what Kira's training had been like lately, the things that Wery was building, and Kira's personal favorite, Wery's current love life.

"C'mon! You have to tell me!" Kira said playfully, nudging the fox. "You two have totally been together. It's super obvious."

Wery laughed, pushing her friend's prodding hands away. "Hey! You're the one that told me to even do something!"

"So you did follow my advice!" Kira pronounced proudly. She was pleased with herself.

The fox rolled her eyes a little. "Yeah, yeah. I did. I just… talked to him and things went from there. We-"

Kira completely interrupted Wery, a pertinent question on her mind. "Have you two kissed yet?" she all but demanded, her expression suddenly serious.

"I- well, uh…" Wery trailed off, visibly a bit nervous. "We uh… might have kissed once…" she whispered.

The weasel, immensely proud of her best friend, wrapped the smaller woman up in a hug. "Oh, I'm so proud of you! I knew you'd find the right guy one day!"

Wery wasn't sure how to process this and so laughed a little, wrapping her arms around Kira as well. "It's really thanks to you. I don't know if I'd have ever been as good at what I do without you helping me so much."

"Hush," Kira playfully scolded. "You're super smart. I just helped you get the heavier stuff and handled more of the talking. You were always the one that used your brain."

The fox supposed Kira was right. You've always been there for me… She settled herself further into the hug. "Thank you, so much."

"You're welcome, snuggle bug," Kira said, making sure to keep Wery close as well. The other woman was definitely tired, so the weasel saw it fit to sit there with her until she fell asleep. You've been up for too long, again. Kira let out a little chuckle, shaking her head. What in the world am I gonna do with you?

Only once it was plainly obvious that Wery wasn't waking up any time soon did Kira pick her up and carry her inside, taking her down to the workshop so she could sleep peacefully. As soon as the fox was settled in, she walked back outside to resume enjoying the nice weather.

~保護者~

It was as good a time as any. The pests had just finished raiding Nareish's realm, and downtime had begun. Their guards were down. The perfect time to strike.

Tianak floated in space above Mobius with a look of plain disgust, blade in one hand and chain in the other. He didn't much care who died in the next few minutes, but he had some people in mind to corrupt. This knowledge simply left him waiting for the most opportune moment, eyes narrowing. He gripped his blade tighter.

All hell broke loose.

The Highlands exploded in flames as Tianak landed, Hellfire roaring through the woodlands. Smoke rose quickly and filled the air as his Darkness was unleashed on the village.

Pulses of his energy ripped houses and trees apart, throwing debris all over as he appeared by Aniko, grabbing her before she could react while she was focused on recovering from the attack, forcibly corrupting her on contact.

Aniko tried to fight it, but by the time she could, it was too late. She received the order to leave, and so she teleported away. Tianak didn't follow, letting out one more blast in the direction of Shei before teleporting away.

While Shei was able to dodge the attack, he had a much more immediate concern besides saving his own skin. The sheer amount of smoke that had been created and blasted in all of their faces already had Espio choking and struggling for breath. Cursing up a storm internally, he grabbed his son and Armaris and teleported them both to Ryuji's home along with Aku. He didn't bother informing the older man of what had happened before he vanished entirely.

Espio didn't pay much mind to his father's departure. Focusing on trying to breathe was much more immediately important, especially since he had no idea what had become of his inhaler in the wake of the attack. His lungs, while slowly recovering as he transitioned into becoming an Immortal, were by no means healed yet from his childhood attack. They simply weren't able to cope with this, and for that reason he found himself on his hands and knees as he fought for air.

Armaris, who was visibly injured from the initial attack, put her attention on helping Espio. She used her wind to try and help filter out the smoke and proper air. What the hell just happened…?

On the other hand, Ryuji knelt by his grandson, inspecting him quickly to make sure he was okay. "Are you alright?" he asked. Espio could only shake his head, unable to get in enough air to reply using words. Despite Armaris's efforts, his breathing was steadily growing worse due to the sheer volume of smoke that had hit them all and subsequently been inhaled.

Coiling so that he could see into the home, Aku spoke up. "Armaris, go and check the ruins of the house. You know where he typically keeps things. Try to find the inhaler."

Armaris teleported away to Espio's home, overcome briefly by the sheer amount of smoke around her. She let loose a burst of wind and formed a shield of Darkness around herself, rapidly tearing through the ruins. She was forced to use tendrils of Darkness if only because the flames were so intense that her fur was already beginning to singe through her defenses. Fuck, this is bad.

She made the mistake of letting her eyes wander, a gasp escaping her as she realized that everything was on fire. Armaris couldn't see beyond the flames, and they were rapidly growing closer. In a fit of desperation, she used her magic to send the debris away that was immediately in her way. Armaris considered herself lucky to have found the inhaler, somewhat damaged though it was. She teleported back quickly, handing it to Espio. "Here. I found it."

With shaking hands, he took the inhaler and tried to use it. The first couple of attempts were failures, however, because he wasn't able to make himself inhale. But on the third try, he managed to do so more adequately. His choking turned into slightly less dangerous wheezing and coughing at that point, but even so he wasn't better. He was quick to use the inhaler again and waited for it to start working more. Eventually, the coughing ceased and the wheezing came to a slow halt. Though still a bit breathless, he was in fact actually breathing again. He considered it to be a marked improvement under the circumstances.

Armaris gave him space to recover while Ryuji watched Espio carefully, monitoring how the other chameleon was breathing. It is far more normal now… Espio, meanwhile, moved shakily into a more proper sitting position. He remained somewhat out of breath, but things were definitely improving.

Ryuji looked between Espio and Armaris for a brief moment before a smell caught his attention. Smoke… "We may not be able to stay here long. Where else is safe?"

Not wanting to try talking yet, Espio signed quickly. "The closest village to us is Serset. If we go there and inform them of the attack, they may be able to help tame the inferno before it spreads beyond Hyale and into the forest. They can certainly spread the word to other villages."

Ryuji replied quickly, nodding. "We will all go, then. Can you teleport, Espio?" he asked, not out of necessity but out of concern. Espio nodded a little as well and stood, stifling a slight cough in the process. As Aku turned to fly toward their destination, he teleported away. Armaris disappeared soon, and once they had both left, Ryuji moved to follow. They had no time to waste.

~保護者~

Tianak flicked his blade, tossing the blood of Malevolence's "granddaughter" (if one could truly call the chameleon that) onto the ground. The death of that creature brought pleasure to the demon, but not enough. Two more people hung on his mind to corrupt, and he knew precisely how to get to one of them. He hovered briefly in space above the forest where he sensed the majority of the current heroes were staying by.

It was quiet.

Down below, Eila was rooting through things in her room, searching for something she'd put down when her senses caught on to something nearby. What- She reacted without thinking, storming out of her room and quickly throwing up a barrier around everyone. She barely had time to do this before the roof collapsed inward, a wave of Darkness crashing into and through her barriers as if they weren't much more than paper. Kohaku was the first to react after her, his confusion and fear over the sudden attack resulting in him screaming and trying to duck behind the nearest piece of furniture. There was little time for anyone else to do anything.

Cere and Finis had (like Tarin) followed Sonic and the others back here following the raid to see what the next plan was and whatnot. They were the first to be targeted. Tianak grabbed Cere by the neck and threw her through the wall before she had time to process the assault, his free hand reaching out and corrupting Finis in much the same way he had with Aniko. This was much more instantaneous, however, since Finis was nothing but pure energy to begin with. Making contact with and thus corrupting it was therefore far easier.

His next target was by far the only person who had time to respond in this instant. Tianak took a blast of magic to the face in order to charge her down and take hold of her. His grip alone tore through the minor shield she'd crafted around herself and all at once, she too was corrupted.

Finally, he chose one more target, turning as people attempted to recover and handle the situation. His eyes locked on a hedgehog woman, lifting a hand and tearing a hole through her body with a focused beam of Darkness. With his work finished, he left before a counter attack could be made, taking Eila and Finis with him.

From the workshop came Wery, clambering over debris and staring at the destruction that had occurred in merely a few seconds. "What happened?" she asked quickly. Tails climbed into view after her, coughing and waving smoke and dust out of his face with a hand as he went.

"I- I don't know," Amy got out. She still looked stunned from where she sat, barely a couple of inches to the right of a section of collapsed roof. Kohaku, meanwhile, started crying to his parents and sisters about his ruined blocks. Particularly his most recent acquisition from Rose.

"I think that was the new God of Demons," Sonic grumbled . He picked himself up off the ground where he'd been thrown, then turned to help Ava stand.

Cyril reclaimed his feet and looked around, eyes widening at the sight of a puddle of blood connected to a woman he'd just recently met named Tarin. "Oh, no, no, no," he muttered, rushing over and inspecting the devastating wound she'd received. It was… painfully obvious to him that she wasn't breathing. "Amy!" he yelled out.

This startled her out of her shock and she clambered over to Cyril as fast as she was able to. Spying Tarin, her heart almost visibly sank. "Oh, no," she breathed, unintentionally echoing his own previous words. With trained hands, she looked the other woman over as thoroughly as she could… but she knew already that it was pointless. "Cyril, she's… she's already gone."

This is Steam's grandmother, right…? Cyril thought to himself. He explained that, and she's also close to Kath. I- "I…" His words trailed off and he used his magic to collect her up off the ground, already gently carrying her outside.

Shortly afterward, Tails hesitantly spoke up. "Where… Where's Kira?" he asked, though he hardly dared to.

It was around now that Cere walked back to the building, one hand holding her throat where she'd been grabbed with the other carrying a battered weasel in her arms. She looked to the others with a sorrowful face. That sight alone caused a sorrowful sob to erupt from Wery. The fox barreled across the room with Tails hot on her heels and quickly took hold of Kira's body. Cere let the fox take the body, then carefully held the younger woman as she openly wept. The others chose not to crowd Kira and gave her space, though their own sadness was plain to see.

Soon enough, Cyril returned inside… what was left of it, and glanced around. His heart sank when he made not one but two realizations. "Tianak took Eila and Finis…" he breathed quietly, eyes widening. "They both got corrupted."

Silver's eyes widened. "Oh, hell," he said. His word choice earned a small reprimand from Blaze, but she wasn't harsh about it. They just generally tried not to swear around their son, since he sometimes parroted words without knowing what they actually meant.

Cere chose not to openly respond to the fact that Finis was gone, quelling the hatred burning inside her. Her comfort seemed to be helping Wery somewhat, so an outburst would likely only make things worse. "Contact everyone else. Tianak will be punished for these actions," she murmured, glancing at Cyril despite her words being pointed at everyone else.

Before Cyril could, Sonic spoke up. "Should that Saethrim guy be told?" he asked, frowning in a mixture of concern and something else. Perhaps a healthy dose of wariness aimed at the man in question. "From what I've heard, he and your- your partner are friends, right? But he was damned dangerous earlier."

The woman slowly released Wery, choosing to let nothing more than a frown show on her face. "Yes. I trust him more than anyone for a job such as this." Not to mention… he'll be even more reliable with Finis involved.

"I'll go now," Cyril replied, vanishing quickly to prevent Cere from getting upset beyond how she was now.

Cere glanced between everyone, then let out a slow sigh. "Everyone… we should step out of the building."

"I would have to agree," Blaze murmured. "The building is structurally unsound now."

"You heard 'em, get a move on," Knuckles directed, gesturing at everyone else to start heading out. Kayde and Rouge happened to be closest to the door along with him, so they were the first out. He was close behind them.

"I've got Kohaku," Silver told his wife quietly. "You and the girls head outside, we'll be right there." Despite the meltdown Kohaku was starting to have, Blaze agreed and took her daughters outside along with Sonic and Amy. Silver then used his psychokinesis to gently lift Kohaku and, mindful of the fact that teleporting wasn't an option for the younger hedgehog, simply carried him out.

Wery was… inconsolable, not hearing anything the others had said. She was already fresh out of tears and it was hard to breathe. Her head was buried against Kira's stomach, doing her best to hold the weight of her best friend's body. Tails was kneeling beside her, his hand on his shoulder, as he tried to decide what to do. While he probably could lift Wery to carry her out, he couldn't lift both her and Kira simultaneously. That left him in a pickle. She's got a death grip on her… understandably. I don't want to be that monster who pries her off too soon, either. What do I do?

Once aware that Wery simply was not moving (something she… hadn't expected. Had her time amongst other deities impacted her understanding of how to handle mortals?), Cere knelt down by Wery and picked up the female fox and weasel together, holding them in such a way that they were barely shifted. "Follow me," she murmured to Tails, already moving to follow the others. Tails didn't say anything in response, choosing instead to just do as he was asked. Luckily, Wery didn't seem to respond much to everything around her, choosing to lean in further to Kira.

Tails sighed softly to himself. His throat felt tight, but he didn't pay it much mind. This is horrible, he thought. And just when I thought we'd all survived the day…

~保護者~

9,038 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support, and I hope you still managed to enjoy this sad chapter. Posted (at about 8:10 p.m.) 03-29-22.