Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this painful time… especially for the one who's still pissed.
~保護者~
"Prison Break"
~保護者~
Sonic wanted to cry when he finally felt his father hug him back. He lingered there for as long as he could before finally pulling away and wiping at his eyes. "What are you both doing here? I thought you were sheltering in the Realms of Death."
After a moment's hesitation and glancing at Zareil, Kaden spoke up. "There was… an attack," he revealed slowly. Reluctantly, even.
It was only then that Sonic noticed three distinct absences. Oh, god… The triplets… He swallowed thickly. "You guys should come inside," he said. "There were attacks here, too, and I'm not… sure how safe it is around here. But at least the house is a bit defensible."
Zareil reached over and gently tugged on both of the hedgehogs, pulling them inside with her. Once they were in, Sonic shut the door and Kaden asked him, "Who all was lost?"
Sonic's ears lowered. "Knuckles, his youngest son Kayde, plus Kym and her little sister Ava. There were deaths on New Babylon, too."
Hearing this made Kaden tense. No…
Zareil furrowed her eyebrows and looked more fully to Sonic as a hand settled on Kaden's shoulder. "Has anything else happened that you're aware of?"
"Yeah… and it's awful." Sonic rubbed a hand over his face. "Jet's gotten tied up with this new existential energy called the Void. Its whole shtick is death, destruction, and erasing things from existence. His three kids were among those that died today and… he's started bowing to that energy's influence."
"Hm," Zareil glanced to Kaden, curious about his thoughts.
Kaden was gritting his teeth, but forced himself to stop. "...I see."
Unsure what else to say on that topic, Sonic switched to a new one. "Are you guys… doing okay?"
Zareil immediately turned away from him and walked elsewhere to examine the place, deciding that answering that was something she had no desire to do. Kaden watched her go and sighed. "Only as well as could be expected," he said. "It is… difficult."
"I know what you mean," Sonic murmured. "Losing kids is a hell all its own. Is Zareil doing okay?"
"Not right now," Kaden answered. He left it at that.
When silence threatened to consume the pair, Sonic let out a sigh before letting himself smile. "I'm glad you're back," he said softly. "I've been worried sick. We've all been worried."
Now it was Kaden's turn to lower his ears. He looked away. His voice was now tight with emotions that he seemed to be fighting to keep under wraps. "I know… I'm sorry. I didn't mean… I didn't mean for any of this to happen." I'm so sorry.
Sonic walked over and gave him another hug. "I know you didn't. None of this was your fault, even if it feels like it is. None of us are angry with you. We don't hate you. We aren't afraid of you. We don't see you as some irredeemable monster. You're you again, and that's what matters to us."
Slowly, Kaden returned the hug again. It was so easy to tell himself that his son's words were false, but hearing this from someone like him say these things… Perhaps it was finally time to start listening. That was easier said than done, but he supposed he owed it to his family to try. "Alright," he said softly.
With the subject thoroughly changed, Zareil soon returned and stood beside Kaden once more, looking over them both with the vaguest amount of confusion in her eyes. Sonic noticed her expression. "You okay?"
"Yes," Zareil answered without hesitation, even though it was a lie.
Both men caught onto this. Neither continued that line of questioning. Kaden asked Sonic, "How is your brother?"
Sonic sighed and admitted, "I don't know, exactly."
"Where is he?" Zareil calmly demanded.
"At his house," Sonic said. He looked at Kaden. "I don't suppose you know where that is?" Kaden nodded. "Good. So, yeah, that's where he and Toru are. I'm not sure how they're doing, like I said, but I'm at least mostly sure that they're alright."
Zareil glanced to Kaden, blinking once as she watched his gaze. "You want to go?"
I need to. "Yes," Kaden murmured. But first he asked Sonic, "Why are you so uncertain about how they are?"
His son sort of fidgeted. "Erm… …How… How much do you know about Black Arms biology?"
The reason for Sonic's discomfort now apparent, Kaden sort of huffed. "We know about the baby," he said. Then he added, "Ylden informed me."
Sonic seemed relieved that he didn't have to explain it himself. "Okay. Right. Well, yeah, that's the issue. Toru was pretty sure that Shadow was starting to go into labor and took Espio to go help him deal with that. I haven't heard from Toru or Shadow since then. Been kinda hoping the whole 'no news equals good news' saying applies for once."
Zareil simply blinked. None of it particularly made sense, still, but it wasn't worth questioning. "Mm. You have not attempted to make contact?"
"I've been a bit busy," Sonic admitted. "It's not like I haven't wanted to. There just hasn't been much time."
"I'll let you know how he's doing, then," Kaden decided. "I want you to stay here with Silver and the others." It felt wrong to be addressing Sonic as his father. What right did he have to do so? The feeling that he didn't have the right wouldn't leave him. It was going to be worse with Shadow, given how much worse he had treated his somewhat younger son… though he tried not to think about that.
"Yeah, I will. Stay safe, okay?" Sonic looked at Zareil. "That goes for you, too. I know you're not an idiot or weak or anything like that, but I'd still like you to be careful all the same."
Zareil watched him for several seconds before placing a hand on his shoulder. "You too."
Sonic offered a wan smile. "Yeah, 'course. You have my word."
She shortly pulled away and looked over at Kaden. "Are we going?"
"We should," Kaden murmured. With one last shared look with his son, he waved a little in farewell and headed back to the door. "We will return soon, Sonic."
The younger man's expression brightened. "You promise?"
"Yes," Kaden murmured, opening the door. Zareil glanced between them both and walked after Kaden, staying silent for now. Once they were outside and the door was shut, Kaden simply started walking. They didn't have to rush away right this second, and he doubted Zareil would have enjoyed being carried again so soon. "Thank you for doing your best to be kind to him," he told her when they were out of earshot.
Zareil turned her attention to the door for a brief moment before shrugging. "He is your son. They are not in our way, so there is no reason to wring his neck."
"That aside, I appreciate your actions regardless," Kaden replied.
She stared quietly for several seconds before simply shrugging. "I will be nice."
Kaden nodded and continued walking. With nothing left to say, he focused on where they were going. He had another son to check on.
~保護者~
It was with a great thud that he landed in the grass. Where Pyros was, he had no idea overall. He did know one thing, though, and that was the simple fact that dragon noses were strong. Not much could get past them. Smells like Mobius. The planet's latent magical energy doesn't smell any different than it used to. …Hrmph, the people sure do, though. Standing, Pyros brushed off his long white pants and looked himself over.
There were no injuries. He wasn't too dirty, either. Overall, he looked just like he should. His red scales glistened faintly in the sun. The yellow scales that formed the oval across his unclothed chest and stomach did the same, but overall had less sheen to them. Meaning everything was as it should be in that department. The backward facing horns atop his head weren't damaged or somehow changed, so they were also fine. Every spike trailing down his spine along the length of his tail to its tip was in its proper place. His tail itself was also normal, dragging heavily on the ground behind his bare, clawed feet like normal.
Looking down at his hands, he examined the dark claws extending from each of his fingertips. They, too, were undamaged. Unfurling his wings, he was pleased to determine that they were also fine. He grinned, revealing sharp white teeth. It's been way too long since I've had a good flight. Searching around for Kaden and the others is the perfect excuse. With a mighty downward push of his wings, he took to the sky and began his search. If he was alive again now, then there had to be a reason why. One way or another, he was going to find out what it was.
~保護者~
Kalek stretched a little as he approached the one place that he knew the heroes had huddled together. Some house in the middle of some woods. He wasn't particularly interested in most of them, but he did sense a fair few individuals that seemed quite powerful. Normally he would've simply crushed the home and set the trees on fire to smoke out the ones he had intentions of fighting. Tianak was watching, though, and he had very little desire to actively fight them.
Still, though, people tended to put up a good fight when he threatened their friends and loved ones. Maybe that would be enough. He simply kicked in the door when he got near enough and walked inside. A male fox yelped, turned tail, and ran deeper into the building, dragging a female fox along behind him. At the same time, a blue hedgehog and a silver one stood up and faced the intruder with obvious alarm while a small group consisting of a bunny, a bat, and a younger silver hedgehog looked on in stunned silence. Traces of Kaden and Zareil's energies could be sensed in the home, but they weren't present anymore.
The dragon grinned a little in Sonic's direction. "Well, if it isn't the old god's kid. Figured I'd run across you by coming here, but to see you in person gives me the itch to beat the shit out of someone. Think you can offer a challenge?"
Sonic edged back a step and muttered to himself, "Aw, hell no."
Kalek shifted forward with a growing grin. "C'mon. You can't expect me to just be bored out of my mind."
"The hell I can't," Sonic scowled. This is bad. What do we do? This guy feels powerful. He motioned for the others to get the hell away. No one argued with him. They took off after Tails and Wery down toward the workshop.
Kalek took a swift step forward, only to pause at the sight of a slight female cat appearing in his way. "Eh? Who the hell're you?" he asked, standing up a little straighter.
Eila glanced to Kalek, then swiftly ignored him and looked to Sonic. "There was a clone of Tianak hanging out in space. I destroyed it." Sonic frowned and nodded. He refused to look away from the demon standing before them.
"You killed his clone?" Kalek laughed. "Good. Bastard was gonna watch and wait until I razed all of you to ash." This made Sonic tense up, though he held his tongue.
The cat glanced back at the dragon and crossed her arms. "For what reason are you here, beyond following his orders?" Buying time was likely a necessity. Sure, she could kill him, but not while this close. He'd gut her before she had the chance to exert herself. "Steam, wherever the hell you are, some dragon guy came here talking about razing people to ash. He's not attacking. I believe his name is Kalek. Does that ring a bell?"
Kalek grinned a little. "Eh, I just like a good fight. Something that can hurt me. Rare to find people that are good enough at that," he said, hands on his hips now.
"Name's very familiar. Keep him distracted for a second. He won't fight if nobody else is willing to, but if he gets bored he will set the house and forest ablaze," Steam replied. Eila relayed this mentally to Sonic, trusting that he'd be better at talking than her.
Emerald eyes immediately shot her a concerned look. He didn't think he could do much here… though that wouldn't stop him from trying. He returned his attention to Kalek and cleared his throat. "You- You said you know my dad?"
"Yep, Kaden," Kalek said, arms suddenly shifting behind his head. "Best leader I've gotten to work with. Leagues better than the current God."
Sonic sort of winced at that reminder. Still, he forced himself to continue. "The best one?" he echoed. "Even compared to the one before him?"
"Didn't really care much for Amnikaribah," Kalek admitted willingly.
"Why is that?" Sonic forced himself to ask, even though he didn't truly want to know any of this. But if temporarily putting up with such a conversation was what it took, then fine. Anything to keep the others safe.
"Amnikaribah just didn't let me do the things I wanted all the time," Kalek answered with an easy shrug. "I was more free to kill shit as I wanted with Kaden around. Though, he never would let me come here once we found out you and his other family were alive."
That was a small comfort. "Oh. Right…"
Luckily, Sonic didn't have to stall much longer. Steam appeared a few feet away from him and looked up to Kalek. The look on his face plainly stated that he knew who Kalek was. "So, I assume Tianak sent you, yeah?"
Kalek turned to look at the second newcomer, eyebrow raised. "Yeah. What about it?"
"Well, I doubt you like him all that much," Steam said, taking a bet. "I can give you a chance to beat him senseless, unbothered." When Kalek simply kept his eyebrow raised, Steam elaborated. "I was just in space near his world. He has some of our allies under his control. I need someone that can handle Tianak while I deal with them and get them back so they can be purified."
The large dragon simply managed a bit of a smirk. "Heh, you're a smart little thing. What do I get out of this? There's nothing stopping me from going to beat him down myself and killing your friends."
Eila immediately moved to speak, but Steam stopped her and pressed his hand over the woman's mouth. "I can find you someone interesting to fight. Someone that can beat you."
"I'm listening," Kalek replied, hands on his hips. "Who?"
Steam shook his head and frowned at Kalek. "No, I'll tell you after we get them back. Before you have a chance to cross and backstab me."
Kalek bared his sharp teeth and laughed. "Smart, like I said. I was thinking about just ripping your head off after you told me."
Those words caused Steam to wince. The hedgehog glanced away. "Yeah, that's kinda the idea. Don't want you doing something before I get what I need done."
Sonic took notice of Steam's outward reaction and frowned. Take it easy, he silently willed his friend. Just bear with it for a little while more. Offering silent support was the only damn thing he could do here. As much as he hated that fact, he knew it to be true. And besides that, he was privately sort of reeling over the reveal that Steam believed their abducted comrades were demons now. Amy, Blaze, and Tara as demons… That's just… awful. Is there even a strong enough word?
Kalek smirked a bit, then looked over to Eila. "You, little cat. You got psychic powers, yeah? Mind making it seem like I did some shit to you all?"
Eila blinked and tilted her head in confusion, an incredulous look on her face. "Y-you want me to alter your memories?" Sonic looked between the two of them in surprise.
"Yeah," Kalek said easily, motioning to her. "Go for it. Tianak will be able to tell if I'm lying. Gotta make him think I beat you guys senseless and killed some of you."
The cat raised a hand briefly and let out a confused sort of sigh. "O…okay?" Eila replied, already beginning her work. "I… didn't expect this." He's a lot smarter than I would have expected him to be.
Kalek shifted a bit as his memories were tampered with, discomforted to some degree by how unusual it was. "Yeah. Nobody expects the big brute demon to have a brain. Makes it all the more interesting when they figure it out."
"Yeah, sure," Steam replied distractedly. "When you get back, tell him what you remember. I'll find a way to get in touch with you once it's all ready. You'll be dealing with Tianak on your own. Don't fuck up."
"Hard for me to be a bigger fuck-up than that guy," Kalek joked, clearly amused with himself. "Man's a fucking trainwreck. Shit at being a demon, too."
"If that's what his own legions think of him, guess it's no surprise Nareish is acting the way she is with him," Sonic sighed. "She's taken him for a fool. And apparently that's accurate, yeah?" She had to have known that corrupting our allies and sending them there would likely ruin the guy's whole day, if not end his life. That couldn't have been anything but deliberate.
Steam shook his head. "No, he's not a fool. He's a fucking toy," the green hedgehog corrected. "She's using him to get to people like me, and it's gonna fucking work. I'm getting my goddamn wife back." Sonic could only grimace and nod.
Eila pulled Kalek's attention mentally. "Alright. It's done. You won't have much in the way of memories of anything that happens in the next minute, but your recollection of this whole meeting is gone and replaced by… well, a bloodbath."
"Hah, good to know," Kalek laughed, stretching a bit. "Well, I'm gonna go beat some shit and get some blood on me. Find me when you're ready." He leapt up, crashing through the roof and disappearing in a flash.
Eyeing the fresh damage, Sonic groaned. "Really? Just, really?"
Steam nodded a little, lips pursed. "Yeah… he's my dad in my timeline. Get used to it pretty fucking quick."
Now, Sonic already knew that Steam was part demon. He just hadn't realized Steam had that kind of demon in him. He blinked several times. "That… Oh," he answered lamely, his mind still processing this information.
Shit… Here, his mom's dead, his father was born a demon, and now his wife is corrupted. Fucking hell… Eila glanced away from them both, waving a hand to idly repair the damage left by the demon. "Well, I have no qualms with helping you get them all back. I don't think any of them could do much about magic or psychic energies. 'Cept Amy."
"Erm… not exactly," Sonic corrected. "She'll be the first to admit that her psychic powers are underdeveloped. She can read minds and unleash pretty powerful psionic blasts, but that's about it."
"Doesn't fucking matter," Steam replied, crossing his arms. "Nareish wants a show, and I'm gonna give her a fucking show. All three of them and Locke are corrupted. I'm going to bring all of them back on my own and maybe get her to lay off our fucking backs for five seconds. Eila, you're staying here. Few people can keep pace with you and, if shit hits the fan, you need to be available. Sonic, reach out to Teyan and Ythene when you can. I'm done fucking around with this war. We're going to end it."
Though reeling anew from the knowledge that Locke had been corrupted as well (when had that happened?), Sonic did his best to focus on the matter at hand. "What am I reaching out to them for?" he asked. "I'm pretty sure Ythene can't fight, and I've never even talked to Teyan before. I barely even learned of her existence, like, five months ago."
Steam turned to Sonic, letting his expression and tone soften so he didn't come off harshly. "You need to train your Chaos. Relying on just the emeralds isn't gonna cut it. Teyan and Ythene know just about everything there is to know about Chaos, but you can become the most powerful Chaos user in existence. Learn from them."
One blue eyebrow twitched. I somehow doubt that. Actually, I completely doubt that. Sonic let out a sigh. "Fine, I'll train… but I have to focus on Silver and Kohaku for now. They aren't alright and I'm not leaving them alone so soon."
"I wouldn't ask you to do that," Steam said easily. "Take care of your family. When the chance arises, train. I need you."
"Yeah… I'll do what I can," Sonic agreed.
Eila blinked once at Steam. "I can tell you are lingering. You should go and prepare yourself. The emotional battle will be the hardest for you."
"Right," Steam acknowledged, teleporting away to do just as Eila had asked.
Once he was gone, the cat looked back to Sonic and set a cautious hand on his shoulder. "For someone as well versed in fighting and life as the both of you are, neither of you guards your thoughts well. He may do it intentionally, but… I completely doubt that you do."
Her little reminder was all it took for him to realize she heard his thoughts from a moment ago, but Sonic wasn't upset at her over it. Still, he huffed. "Yeah, well… For most of my life, the only psychics I had any awareness of were my allies, none of whom would have ever used my thoughts against me like Nareish and her kind would. It wasn't exactly at the top of my list of priorities."
Eila let out a sigh. "His thoughts were on memories of you fighting with your Chaos and using it effectively. Whatever your thoughts are regarding yourself, it is apparent to me now that you are capable. In this case, I would believe him."
Sonic gave this some genuine consideration. "Dad told me once… that he and Mom sealed most of my Chaos within the emeralds because the power I was born with would be too much for me to handle as a kid. The stuff I've tapped into is definitely… a lot, but it's nothing like what you and Steam seem to be expecting. It was barely enough to handle Ix by himself way back when."
"Perhaps it is time for that to change," Eila said. "You have plenty of potential."
"Maybe," Sonic sighed. He was still doubtful, but didn't see the point in arguing.
Eila stared for a long moment before simply letting out a sigh. Her eyes glowed for several seconds before she turned her gaze away. "I'm looking forward to it. The future… you can make it brighter." She turned and began walking away, heading toward her room once more. "I believe in you."
Well, that was a lot of pressure. But… making the world a brighter place… wasn't that always his dream? Heh… figures that those two would be the ones to remind me of something so simple. Shaking his head, he walked away to rejoin his family.
~保護者~
Reviving so many people in such a short span of time had left Teyan and Eona equally exhausted. "Good lord, how many does that make now?" Teyan groaned as she stretched. "Seven? Eight? Might be less than that. I wasn't counting. Feels like we brought back a ton, though."
"It is a labor-intensive process," Eona had to agree. "However many we were able to revive, I hope it was able to help them. Still, we must stop for now. If we continue, we will have no energy left with which to defend ourselves should Nareish make her way to us."
"S'pose you're right. You should probably go check on Zenith, anyway, just like I should go check on my sister and the others."
"Hm, that is true. He is very much like his descendents - prone to finding his way into trouble even when he does not mean to."
"Exactly." Teyan smiled and stood up. "Be seeing you."
Eona readily returned her smile… then decided to be teasing. "Farewell, mother dearest." She was gone before Teyan could retort.
Teyan shook her head with a huff. "I've told you not to call me that." She wasn't angry about it, couldn't even pretend to be. She was just amused. "Now, off to check on the others."
Ythene was upon her the very moment she appeared. The younger being of Chaos took hold of her arm and dragged her away so as not to disturb Azanae, Sona, and Therin. "Sister, something terrible has happened," she whispered in a rush. "I reached my vision out to Sonic to check on him and his friends. Nareish has just gone on a killing spree. I do not know how many were lost, only that members of his immediate family were among the victims."
Alarmed, Teyan stared at her. "Are you serious?"
"What are the odds that I wouldn't be?"
"Touché. …Damn, I have to go check on someone. Will you be alright here?"
"I will," Ythene murmured. "Nareish does not yet seem particularly inclined to try entering this realm, and I don't intend to give her a reason to change her mind. We should be fine. Do not worry so."
"Easy for you to say. You're not a big sister. Worry comes with the territory." Teyan reached out and gave Ythene a hug. "Stay safe, stay close to home, and do not do anything I wouldn't do."
Ythene returned her hug with a huff. "There is very little you wouldn't do."
"Yes, but those few things are quite sensible, such as not antagonizing an Immortal-slayer," Teyan said. "Now do I have your word or not?"
"Of course you do." They let each other go, then Ythene waved her off. "Go on, then. Do what you must." Teyan nodded and teleported to wherever Cyril was by following the energy she could sense from his latent magic.
Cyril was sitting on a rather large asteroid, examining his hands carefully. "Heya, Teyan," he said, noticing her easily. "Just noticed something unusual. Little distracted."
Teyan alighted on the rock close by. She allowed her previous tension to ease now that she could see he was alive and well. "I won't keep you long, then. I just wanted to make sure you were alright."
"Is it normal to feel like you're in two completely separate places?" Cyril suddenly questioned, looking to Teyan. "It feels like I'm on Mobius, but I'm here."
Teyan blinked at him and sat down. "Are you fully aware of what you're experiencing and doing on Mobius?" she asked in return. "The thoughts you're having, who you're interacting with, that sort of thing."
"It feels kinda like I do right now," Cyril answered. "Just trying to make sense of it all. Like everything is happening twice."
"Sounds to me like you made a clone," Teyan said. "Probably using your magic."
"Doesn't feel the same as when I've done it with my cards," Cyril said, frowning a little in confusion. "Never felt like this before."
"I have to assume that that was mortal-level cloning," Teyan said. "This is beyond that, because you are beyond that. You just recently became a deity, right?"
Cyril nodded to this, looking fully to Teyan. The clone appeared beside him and also looked over at the being of Chaos. "Well, I suppose you're right about that," they agreed in sync.
Teyan huffed out a laugh. "You have a long way to go in some areas. Now listen, clones are a matter of will. If you want one, will it to be. If you don't, will it to disappear."
"Gotcha," Cyril replied distractedly, the clone vanishing. "Guess that makes sense. Kinda. Still weird though."
"It does take some getting used to," Teyan acknowledged. "Are you alright?"
He smiled and nodded. "Yup! Thank you very much for the help."
"Of course," she answered, readily returning his smile.
Cyril stared for several seconds, simply smiling. His attention shifted and his clone appeared next to him again, teleporting away nearly a second later. "Alright… I should check in on somebody here pretty soon. I sense a lot of magic building up, and it's concerning because it's full of anger."
"Is it one of your friends?" Teyan asked out of curiosity.
The finch gave a short nod, letting out a long breath. "Yeah. She's got me worried. I stayed away from something that happened with her because… well, I can't do anything about her psychic powers. There's just a lot of context I can't give 'cause it's not my place to say it all."
"I understand," Teyan said. She rose to her feet in preparation to leave. "I won't keep you further, then. If your friends need you, then you should go to them."
"Here's to hoping she doesn't need me," Cyril said, summoning his staff in hand once more. "I'll drop by and tell you how things go once I'm done."
"Alright." Teyan got ready to teleport, thought of something, and stopped. "Oh… I have one request for you. Will you inform Sonic when you can that Eona and I are finished reviving people for now? We don't have enough remaining energy to continue, especially given Nareish's recent escalation. If we are to be under threat, we need to be able to defend ourselves. It's regrettable, but we can't do both anymore."
Cyril nodded a little and walked closer, gently taking hold of one of her hands. "Take care, please. Be safe."
Surprised by both his actions and his sincerity, Teyan spoke without thinking. "Yes, of course. You do the same."
There was a light of relief in his eyes, the man simply smiling brightly to her. "Of course, and good." Cyril vanished in a teleport elsewhere.
With one final thought, Teyan followed suit. What an interesting person you are.
~保護者~
Roused from his unconscious state by what he could only assume was magic, Naiyo forced his eyes open and looked ahead. He was bound to a wall with restraints made from Hexan magic coursing with some sort of other energy. It didn't take him long to figure that this was whoever had stopped Ylden, considering the way the woman was binding Ylden as well. He soon discovered that his wounds had been dressed at some point, and the bones in his body that had been broken were mended. Probably. They seemed to be, at least.
"Oi, woman. Let me out of this," he grumbled, staring with an irritated expression at the Hexan.
Cere didn't respond to him, making sure that Ylden was properly attached to the wall. Her Judgement would keep him from simply leaving his bonds, luckily enough. Only then did she turn to Naiyo and walk over. Calmly as ever, she placed a hand over his mouth and forced his head back against the wall. "So, let me cover a few simple things. First, I am Cere. Not 'woman'. Second, you are in my custody for the destruction and havoc you wreaked on that world. Third, you need to watch your fucking mouth. I am not against the idea of punishing a fool."
He wasn't stupid. That much was sure. She removed her hand after her points were stated. He wisened up, keeping a more careful watch on his tone and the words he used. "So, you're the Goddess of Judgement that so many fear?"
"I'd be more willing to call it respect, but sure," Cere replied. "I have brought many to justice and stopped plenty of people such as you, which brings me to my reason for not killing you. Why in the hell did you challenge the God of Death?"
Naiyo blinked. What? "That is my brother. The God of Death is someone in Zenith's family line. We are in no way related to that man."
Ylden has a brother? Cere frowned deeply, crossing her arms firmly. "You did not answer my question."
"Mm. It's a long story," Naiyo answered unhelpfully.
"You're gonna be here for a long time," Cere reminded in a casual tone. "Time is something I have plenty of. How about you let it fucking spill?"
One of his eyes twitched. He loathed this woman and he had hardly met her. His gaze shifted to his unconscious brother before Naiyo finally chose to speak. "Our mother was an evil, wicked being. She did not show her true self often, veiling herself in the shadows of a mask… figuratively. She berated, demeaned, and cast away the both of us."
Discretely attempting to pull out of his bonds for a second as he took a breath, the cat noted to himself that his powers had been severely dampened. "As you can imagine, our childhoods were not… good. We lived well and our father, Dion, did well by us. However… our mother saw to it that we understood we were below her. Meaningless, worthless. Us being forced to leave was a blessing. But I didn't realize it left my father alone, at the mercy of a woman who had just thrown out her old toys."
"I returned to check on him. Our home was a wreck, and it was evident that she had been attempting to bring him harm. She was foolish to think she could have ever gotten away with it, but he was not strong enough… emotionally to remove her from his life. Not alone. Ylden was nowhere to be found, likely vanishing the moment he found comfort in a woman."
Naiyo took a moment to ground himself. The memories coming to him were bringing about a steadily rising level of anger within him. "I helped Dion kill that bitch. We discarded her body into the space nearby and I left to check on something. When I returned, our father had been murdered by Ylden. I saw my brother take his fucking scythe out of my only good family member's heart. Whatever state of mind he was in, he blindly lashed out at me. He had taken on a Dark form then, so I had no choice but to leave. I was not ready for that battle."
"Then he disappeared," Cere murmured. "I presume, at least."
"No fucking kidding," Naiyo groaned. "I've hunted him down ever since, but he was always nowhere to be found. I know why now. He likely was within the Realms of Death. That would explain why I could not find him."
Cere stared for a long moment before sighing, shaking her head. "Two pairs of siblings, such similar stories, but… different circumstances." The woman clicked her tongue and walked toward Ylden, not-so-gently smacking him across the face.
"Hey!" Ylden snapped, his eyes opening immediately in response. "Where the fuck am I?"
The Goddess smacked him again, staring at him with clear irritation. "Mind explaining what the hell you were thinking? If you'd been on a more inhabited planet, you would have fucking killed someone. You may be the God of Death, but you don't decide when innocent people go on to the afterlife."
"I was dealing with something!" Ylden bit out, snarling when he was smacked again.
"Watch your fucking attitude," Cere demanded, wrapping a hand around his throat. "I have half a mind to put your ass back down and throw you to someone else. You need to cool the hell off and get ahold of yourself."
Ylden bared his teeth at her, even when she tightened her grip. "I swear, I'll fucking kill you," the man bit out. "Let me go."
Cere watched his eyes for several seconds. You're so full of hatred suddenly. That was the case even before I spoke, before I brought you here. You're not in control of yourself. "I'm going to give you exactly five goddamn seconds to drop this shit. You can't just do whatever the hell you want. Your actions matter a whole lot more than they did before. Focus, Ylden."
"I am focused!" Ylden snapped. For a moment, the cat ripped his arm free of the wall with the bond around his wrist, only for it to reattach itself seconds later. "My brother came to fucking kill me! He attacked Armaris and killed her! I'm going to fucking kill him!"
Momentary alarm rose up within Cere, but she didn't allow a bit of it to show as she focused mentally. Her eyes glowed with her red magic as she peered over Mobius briefly, checking where Armaris was. "She is alive… and complaining as much as ever."
"What?" Naiyo demanded. "I stabbed her through the damn heart! How the hell did she live through that?"
Ylden ripped his entire body from the wall and shoved past Cere for a second, taking a step forward only to be pulled right back where he'd been after exerting all of that effort. He opened his mouth to speak and Cere interrupted him with a punch that made his world go dark. When Naiyo snickered, she treated him equally and slammed a fist into his stomach. He devolved into a coughing fit as Cere gave a huff. "You two fuckers are irritating. You'll get your due punishment, Naiyo. You made a huge fucking mistake."
Cere turned back to Ylden as the man rose back from his brief trip to unconsciousness. "You've got to answer to more than just me, asshole. I lead the gods and goddesses but you're also directly under Zenith's jurisdiction. You throw that attitude at him and I might just have to save your ass."
"Fucking hell… you knocked one of my teeth out," Ylden groaned, spitting the aforementioned piece of bone out. "Fuck you."
"No thanks," Cere mumbled, summoning her halberd to her hand. "Seems we've got a visitor. Speak of the devil and whatnot. Good luck. You're gonna need it."
A gathering of Darkness off to the side heralded the arrival of Zenith. Normally, he was a calm and collected individual. His descendants had clearly gotten their tempers from somewhere, however. Sparks of that temper were showing in him now, through both his posture and his voice. He floated over to the group, his feet never once touching the ground, and quietly demanded, "What happened to you?" His attention was squarely focused on Ylden and Naiyo. They were inheritors of neutral Darkness. Every such person or creature was considered to be a part of his family, as had always been the case. So, naturally, he had great cause to wonder about the pair's conditions.
Ylden turned his head, spitting out some blood from his mouth away from the far older being. "My brother showed up and tried to kill me. Cere showed up and blasted me with Judgement. That shit tends to leave you a bit fucked up." His irritation was palpable in his tone and aura, clenching his fists. "Don't feel like talking about it."
Naiyo shrugged. "He basically covered it all."
Zenith's glowing white eyes narrowed a bit when he addressed Ylden again. "Mind your tone," he muttered, his words unusually clipped. He looked between the pair again and, realizing he wouldn't get much more out of them, he turned to Cere. "They fought, I assume."
"Yep," Cere replied calmly. "I broke up the fight, but not until after they obliterated part of a planet. Ylden is displaying unusual levels of hatred. Not quite what you'd see in someone corrupted, but he's obviously not in his right state of mind. Naiyo uses Black Magic, that much is certain. It seems that he's been corrupted for quite some time. Unlucky for him, though, he chose to fight someone that just became a god."
That last reminder triggered a fresh spark of temper in Zenith, but he didn't address that just yet. "Handle Naiyo how you must, but I require that efforts are made for him to be purified. I will have no member of my kind lingering in such a state."
Cere looked at the calmer of the two brothers. "Understood. I will seek out our allies and see to it. I'm sure he'll understand that it's in his best interest that he be purified instead of annihilated."
"You wouldn't," Naiyo immediately challenged.
"Don't test me, fool. You've tried your luck harder than our newest addition. Don't try it again," Cere muttered, lacing her words with her innate energy. Naiyo was silenced, for now.
With that, Zenith decided to let that subject be dropped. He returned his attention to the brothers. Learning about the fight had done nothing to cool his anger. It didn't grow exactly, though that didn't mean much. And as was sometimes the case with Kaden, his temper caused him to grow quieter rather than louder. "The Realms of Death may be my domain, but you are the deity now," he bit out sharply, his words aimed squarely at Ylden. "You possess the powers and responsibilities I once held. It is on you now to manage the realms and the spirits within them. There is only so much that I can keep in order anymore. Yet you have been paying the realms no attention, just so that you can waste time on meaningless scraps with your own family without first verifying whether or not his boasts about your daughter were even true?"
He didn't give Ylden the chance to reply, refusing to acknowledge the cat's nasty mood. It could wait. "There has been a breakout," he informed Ylden. His voice retained its sharpened edge, maybe even grew worse. "It is the largest to have taken place in many millions of years. No fewer than five - but perhaps as many as nine or ten - vile, wicked spirits have escaped from so-called 'Hell'. An additional, truly loathsome soul broke out first and paved the way for the others. Not one reaper managed to recapture them before they were able to return to this realm. And now, because they seem to have each taken refuge within people or cursed items, they are unable to be sensed or otherwise easily relocated. As the current god, it is your duty to handle situations like this when they arise, not to let yourself become so inattentive that someone else has to inform you."
Ylden narrowed his gaze. "I've had quite a lot going on in my life, Zenith," he informed the man. "I'll find those spirits and return them. I was under the impression that you had things handled for the time being."
"I am no longer the deity," Zenith reminded again. That Ylden had tried to turn some of the blame on him only further irked the older man. "If you intend to keep my role, then you need to stop acting like this and take responsibility. The attitude you are showing is unacceptable. Keep it up and I will find a way to take my role back. You are not so far proving yourself to be worthy of it. My descendent chose you for a reason, but right now I am not seeing it." He crossed his arms, looking intently at Ylden. "Now is the time to prove me wrong. Cease behaving with irrationality and rage, and act like the deity you now are, Ylden." He intended to give Ylden the worst of his grave news soon, namely the identity of the worst spirit that had broken free. But for the moment, he felt he needed to drive this point home as much as possible.
When Ylden didn't reply to Zenith, Cere approached Ylden once more and released him from his bonds. "Look, I get that you have a lot going on, but right now is not the time to be losing focus. You are one of the only people who can clean up this kind of mess."
Ylden stared at them both for several long seconds before his gaze narrowed further. "Fine. I can't do shit about it until I'm free, though. Unless you want to keep me trapped here and just make shit worse."
Cere inhaled, then exhaled slowly. "You asked for this." The woman teleported away for a few seconds, then appeared back in the room with a second person. "Armaris, I know you're feeling unwell, but please make your dad understand that he needs to calm the fuck down."
Armaris glanced over to Ylden, eyes narrowed with obvious irritation. The fact that she was having to stand up was getting on her nerves, and that it was for something that seemed so stupid left her pissed. "Whatever the fuck your problem is, fuck off. If I'm here, it probably means you're being a little bitch." Zenith looked on in silence, waiting for Ylden to respond to his daughter.
There was a long moment of silence from Ylden before he gave a low sigh, clenching his fists. "I get it. Just… tell me who broke out and I'll deal with it." He decided it was best to not address the fact that his daughter had been brought into this, trying to avoid her gaze as best he could manage.
Zenith huffed, but relented. After relaying the names of the minor spirits he said, "The worst of them was the soul of Amnikaribah. Now that you are listening, I assume you can appreciate just how dire this situation is."
Ylden clicked his tongue. "Damn. I don't understand how it could have escaped. We had the bastard locked the fuck down once we contained him, even more than practically any other souls."
"I can no longer sense the strengths and weaknesses within the realms' defenses," Zenith said. "I lost that ability when I passed my role on. Whatever allowed for such a breach, you or a powerful reaper will have to find it."
"Gah," Ylden grumbled, dropping to his feet as Cere finally released him from his bonds. "Fucking hell…"
"Do whatever it takes to bring those spirits back," Zenith muttered. "Especially Amnikaribah. That bastard attacked and corrupted my descendent, and I will not tolerate it happening again."
"Understood," Ylden answered, summoning his scythe into his hand. Zenith vanished without another word now that he'd made his expectations clear. Ylden soon did the same, before Cere could bind him again.
Armaris let out a little grunt of irritation before finally turning to Cere, only to pause briefly at the sight of the man that attacked her not that long ago. "Huh… Well, I suppose someone got their ass blasted with Judgement."
With a glance at Naiyo, Cere simply nodded. "Your dad beat the shit out of him after he thought you were dead. Probably would've been killed had I not shown up," she explained. "Speaking of, you doing okay? I know you were resting and all."
"Eh, been better. Prefer to not have a hole in my chest," Armaris muttered, glaring at Naiyo. The man simply returned that gaze, which simply prompted Armaris to slap him across the face with a tendril of Darkness. Immediately, he glared harder. "He wasn't smart enough to make sure I died. Something happened with my Darkness and I healed enough that Espio could get my ass out of there."
Cere nodded in reply, twirling her halberd slowly. "Regardless, I am glad you are alright. It has been long enough since I saw you, but I dislike that seeing you has come about from this and not one of us seeking the other out for lighter reasons."
Armaris shrugged. "Meh. Don't worry. Been busy as is, training and all. Focused on me."
There was no shortage of happiness that swelled up in Cere at hearing that, pleased that her adoptive daughter seemed to be doing well. "I suppose you would like to return to your rest. Your wounds seem to be agitating you."
"Yeah, sure," Armaris replied calmly. "May as well. If someone else tries to come fuck with me or Espio, I'll probably want my energy."
Cere gave a small smile and wrapped an arm around Armaris to hug her. "Good idea. Go get some rest. I'll check in on you soon."
Armaris returned the hug and nodded. "'Course. You get your ass to Mobius soon. I wanna show you some stuff."
"You got it," Cere agreed easily. Seeing Armaris able to manage such a good mood despite her situation… that made the older woman feel good inside. Glad you're doing good, kid. Let's get you home. Once they broke away from one another, Armaris waved before being teleported back home where she'd originally been.
~保護者~
Eila had returned to her room by now and was standing by her bed, hands supporting her body weight shakily. Her senses were sharpening at an alarming rate in response to her emotions, and it was rapidly overwhelming her. She could see everything happening on Mobius, all at once. Of course, she wanted to watch over the planet, but the fact that her senses had grown strong enough to sense the minutiae of Mobius left her reeling. She almost felt sick to her stomach.
That wasn't going to slow her down. If anything, it helped relieve her since she knew what was happening just about everywhere. She could keep track of her friends. Though... that word felt foreign in her mind. Memories of old and new enemies alike flooded her thoughts and, for just a moment, she reminded herself that she was different now. She wasn't Astra. Not anymore.
Focus. That word alone was enough to remind her that she had a job to do. In times long past, she had dedicated a short portion of her life to being problematic for Imperator Ix and Shade. She had done well at that. Perhaps another skill of mine is being irritating when I so desire. Mm. Eila chose to let that thought leave her. She had already compared herself to Ix multiple times, considering how things may go between them if she fought him alone. I will win, undoubtedly. I may need to exert myself so I am unharmed, but that much is simply a given. I cannot fight Shade at the same time and guarantee my own safety.
In truth, she would have greatly liked to call on aid in destroying the Nocturne clan's army, but it wasn't a viable option to rely on others. She didn't know, nor did she want to talk to, most of the Gods and Goddesses. Ylden, Han, and Ghune all seemed to be indisposed at the moment or simply unavailable, and anyone else she could reasonably rely on was someone she didn't feel like bothering. As such, she simply chose to handle that job herself. The base army couldn't survive her attack, not if she worked swiftly.
There was no plan to conjure up to deal with Ix and Shade. She simply needed to split the two and have Haru kill Shade while she obliterated Ix. That would be simple enough. The next thing on her agenda was the abominations that were the Metarex. The only difficult part about removing them from existence was finding them. With a bit of time it would be easy enough, considering the sharp increase in her senses. They would need to be in another realm entirely to escape her reach.
Eila let out a soft breath and let her body relax, stretching tense muscles as best she could. God fucking damn. My body is aching. She didn't pay it any more attention, returning her gaze to the metal ball on her bed. There was nothing special about it, really, but the simple fact that the metal was capable of being enchanted meant that she could do something.
Making magic items wasn't difficult with her experience and knowledge. The hard part about this one would be melding her psychic powers with it in order to provoke someone's memories into returning to them. It could be a solid answer for amnesia, if the situation arose, but right now… her attention was on helping Jet. He does not know why he accepted a bond with the Void. I can only hope that returning those memories will be enough to give him some measure of clarity. She already knew how to do it, too, but it was going to take time. Time that Eila didn't think she had. As such, she would just contract the help of Cyril. He was a prodigy, so teaching him something like this would take no time at all. Once he knew how to help, it would make the process extremely simple and quick.
Her entire train of thought vanished the moment her gaze fell on the one mirror she kept in the room. Of course, the woman's eyes had bags under them, but something else caught her attention. She just wasn't sure what. After several minutes of contemplation and staring, she gave up on attempting to discover what was bothering her and teleported back into the Highlands. There was one more thing to do before beginning her murder spree. "Haru!"
For the first time since being revived, Haru was actually properly asleep. That ended abruptly when she shouted at him. His eyes snapped open and he sat straight up in the branches of the tree he'd been in, then looked over at her with a sort of tired scowl. "What do you want?" he grumbled.
Eila teleported up to him and reached into her cloak, immediately pressing the ball of magic she'd been given by Saran against his chest. It soon faded away as though it had gone inside of him somehow. "Thank me later. I'm almost ready to begin killing those fuckers."
His scowl deepened. "The hell did you just do?"
"Your wounds should heal better," Eila stated simply. "That explain it?"
Haru mumbled something vaguely derisive under his breath, but didn't argue the point further. "Yeah, fine. Whatever. Thanks, I guess."
There was a wave of something that ran through Eila. It felt like irritation, and for a moment she had the intense desire to cover his mouth. She refrained. "Asshole."
"I never claimed to be anything else," he huffed, moving a hand to rub at his eyes. Haru noticed the small shift in her demeanor and aura, though he didn't comment on it. Ryuji's comments lingered in his mind, however. Or, rather, his insinuations did.
One of Eila's ears folded back and she narrowed her eyes at him, dropping into a crouch and pressing her hand up against his face suddenly. "I've been extraordinarily nice to you, even though I just met you."
Her comment and sudden touch caught him off guard. For the first time in her presence in particular, his infrequent cautious nature rose up. "...I never asked you to do that," he eventually said. Was she suddenly going to start holding her past aid over his head? It didn't seem like her based on what little he knew, but he remained wary regardless.
Eila stared for a long moment as her hand shifted to one of his cheeks before she pulled away suddenly, shaking her head. "God, what the fuck is wrong with me?"
He had half a mind to ask her the same thing. Now just didn't seem like the time. Haru eyed her for a moment before asking instead, "What are you on about?"
She groaned loudly. "I can't fucking control myself around you. Something happens every time I get near you, and I don't understand." The lack of understanding frustrated her more than any of this, truthfully. Eila didn't care about her actions themselves enough for them to bother her.
Is she serious? This is new to her? Haru so did not want to be the one to explain this kind of crap to anyone, much less something he'd barely met not that long ago. He sighed and crossed his arms. "I'm not the person to bring your confusions to regarding this."
"I want to understand why I feel so aggressive even though I don't want to hurt you," Eila bit out, her gaze narrowing in his direction. "I keep fucking touching you. I don't like touching people."
Now it was Haru's turn to groan in aggravation. Why he caved and went against his own previous decision, he had no idea. He was too tired and annoyed to contemplate it much. "Sounds to me like some form of attraction," he told her after a lengthy pause. "It's not that complicated."
Eila paused and her entire body relaxed a bit as her focus went to thinking on that. "I don't think that quite explains my loss of rationality, however. I…" She averted her gaze. "The thoughts and feelings I have only strike when I am near you. Otherwise, I simply regard you with kind thoughts."
"That's how it works sometimes," Haru shrugged. "Proximity can make it harder to control and deal with for some people."
The cat frowned and ultimately just sighed. "I think there's some sort of factor I'm missing. I'll check back in soon."
Haru waved her off. "Do what you want," he said. He moved to lay back down, even going so far as to close his eyes, before saying, "Your aura is off in more than one way, you know. What else has you so out of sorts right now?"
Eila blinked once, tilting her head. "What do you mean?"
"You're upset," Haru elaborated. "And not in the typical, annoyed way that I've been seeing from you. Why?"
"I…" Multiple things went through her mind, and ultimately she didn't delve into any of them. "I'm not sure…" Haru decided it wasn't worth pressing her about and let the subject drop. Eila shifted around uncomfortably before standing up, brushing off her cloak. "I'll uh… I'll go for now."
Haru initially seemed like he was just going to let her go, but his demeanor shifted to something much more somber almost immediately and he asked, "Hey… I heard a rumor that Malevolence's… 'daughter' is dead. I don't suppose you have any idea if that's true?"
Eila paused and stared for several seconds before frowning. "I… I'm not sure. Who?"
With a sigh, Haru shook his head. "Never mind it," he said. "I'll figure it out on my own once I'm healed. Go do whatever you were going to do."
She frowned briefly. "...Alright." The woman teleported away right after, deciding to not bother him any longer. She had things to do, anyway.
~保護者~
Han didn't feel well. It felt like his mind and emotions were destabilizing rapidly. He paced around and around endlessly on whatever world Cyril's bracelet had taken him to with his head in his hands. His thoughts oscillated repeatedly between knowing he couldn't give into this for not on his sake but also Ylden's… and genuinely, genuinely not giving a single damn anymore. What was he supposed to do? What was the right choice? Did it even matter? He didn't think it did.
Footsteps approached him from behind. He stopped pacing and whirled around to face the creator of that sound. Before him stood another Hexan, this one female and older than him. Like him, she was tan in color. Her knee-length hair was pulled back in a neat, intricate braid that left only her bangs free. Those were just about the only details he paid attention to. He also noticed that her clothes were teal with some white decorations and that her eyes looked just like his own, but he paid them no real mind.
The woman crossed her arms and looked him over. There were no emotions in her eyes, nor in her voice when she spoke. "Hm, so Wave was right. Your memories truly were taken from you. I see you got yourself corrupted as well."
Her words irked him. "Who are you?" he demanded.
"Your mother," she informed him blandly, as though she was just commenting on the weather. "Alonei. I came to verify your condition… but I didn't expect corruption. What happened, Han?"
Whether or not she truly was his mother, he had no way of knowing. It also didn't make any difference. "None of your concern," he bit out. "Get the hell away from me."
"I will do no such thing. It is my duty to look after my sons."
"...Sons?"
Alonei blinked at him. "Yes. Sons. You have a brother. Thane will be here soon. Or he won't. I don't claim to control him anymore than I claim to control you."
Just like that, Han's curiosity died off and he was back to feeling nothing but hostility toward this person. "I don't care. I told you to leave." Red magic crackled around him in a manner akin to electricity. "Leave now."
She eyed his magic and shifted her stance in preparation to defend herself. "And I told you no."
That did it. Something in him snapped. Nothing about it was logical or sensible or in any way warranted, but he had no control over it. The snap happened, and all he could do was react. It was automatic. Almost instinctual, in fact. What it was that he did, he didn't actually know. One second, he was experiencing a near-instantaneous explosion of bloodlust, and the next he was standing over her broken and prone form while she coughed and groaned.
Almost without thinking, Han kicked her away from him and then lifted his hands to look at them. They were covered in blood. Soon he realized that blood had spattered him just about everywhere. He hadn't killed the woman, but anyone with a pair of working eyes could see that she was lingering on the brink. Why didn't he care about that? What happened to the sense that he'd had back during that raid, the sense that he hated violence and killing?
None of it made any sense. Anger continued to simmer under the surface, along with some continuing desire to attack his more recent source of ire. But there was no guilt to be found. No regret. Not even sympathy. Shouldn't he have felt all of those things, especially if she was truly his mother? Perhaps. But he didn't care right now. Maybe he never would. The temptation to finish her off was strong and growing stronger. He may have even given in to the urge to follow through, had another intruder not appeared between him and Alonei.
More than likely, this individual was the one she had called Thane. His… brother. His brother, who correctly assumed the nature of the situation he was faced with. "You attacked her. Why?"
Han didn't have an answer. All he knew was that he'd been angry. He'd been angry and he'd… wanted to. Another reason wasn't needed. That was something he decided very, very quickly. He also decided that he had no further desire to waste his time with these people. Gathering his energy, he cast a familiar Destruction Magic spell for the third time that day. "Apocalypse."
Sheer luck was the only thing that allowed Thane to shield himself and Alonei to some extent in the split second before the full force of the attack slammed into them. The explosion shredded his defenses with ease, but persisted only for a minute or so. By the time the dust settled and all the magic faded away, Han was gone… and their mother was dead.
~保護者~
For now, Black Doom and Ghune were safe. Something about the fact that she was calmer and fully healed had in turn calmed him down as well. So much so that he hadn't fought too much or with too much genuine aggression when a few of the people who populated this world had taken it upon themselves to dress him. He was now covered by a pair of black cloth shorts and ragged cloak not unlike the one he wore in his only other person-like form - though that one had to be much bigger, owing to that form's larger body.
After that, food had been brought to him and Ghune. She had had her meal, but he'd ignored his. Instead, he'd opted to go to sleep. That was how he remained now, laying on his stomach with his head turned to one side and his hands under his cheek as a sort of cushion. That meant that Ghune was temporarily alone with her thoughts. She was silent, leaned up against a wall and with her face buried in her arms. Everything lately had been so demanding of her attention, and now that she could relax… her body was taking the opportunity to rest. Of course, that meant she had nothing but time to think about what was on her mind.
Akol, whose true name was Xin, had just recovered his memories and come across his family. The fact that this had happened was a good thing, but it did sadden her that it had taken this long for him to finally discover it all. And… so soon after his partner had died, too. The man was surely emotional. Then there was Ryint, her best friend, who was likely in danger due to Ghune herself being involved in this war. The person she has saved so long ago by turning her into a vampire. They had always been there for one another, and the thought of something happening to the quirky Babylonian vampire bothered her greatly.
There was no shortage of concern for Shadow in her heart, too. She had laid claim over him in… what could best be described as a parental relationship, she had to admit. She cared for the man like her own child - something she had never had for herself. That he was in such a stressful and emotional situation was enough to make her wish she could help more. He would likely have to overcome his own troubles for the time being, considering how Black Doom was doing currently. His animalistic instincts and desires becoming how he acted and responded to everything had her deeply worried. Sure, neither of them was particularly stronger than the other… but reigning one of them in usually required an act of Saethrim, especially when one of them was acting irrationally. She didn't want to see him, currently.
Ghune knew well enough by now that Saethrim had been corrupted. That much was obvious. He normally would have never issued such a demand to the beings he watched over. But that didn't mean she was pleased with him, regardless. He had never been a particularly good man, and oftentimes he became more trouble than he was worth. It was irritating to merely be near him. She felt a vague desire to draw blood from his body once more to sate some of her lingering bloodlust, but it wouldn't do any good. It would merely give her short-lived gratification.
Once the thoughts of her people came to mind. Ghune decided it was much easier to simply pull herself from her thoughts. Thinking about the predicament they were in would be likely to bother Black Doom, simply through her scent. The woman cast her gaze up from the floor, removing herself from the trance-like resting state she was in to slowly stand up. Her attention briefly turned to the one person in this home aside from her and Black Doom (an old ally of hers that had helped her with her feeding desire), then to Black Doom himself.
By now he was starting to wake up again. Exhausted though he was, he hadn't stayed asleep for very long overall. He soon sat up and rubbed at his eyes with an arm before glancing around, as though to confirm to himself that his surroundings hadn't changed. For the time being, he remained at least mostly relaxed. His eyes soon landed at her and looked her over. There were signs of concern present, but as had been the case earlier he said nothing at all.
Ghune blinked once in his direction, slowly. After taking a few seconds to examine him and take stock of his scent, she sighed. "You should sleep more, Black Doom. You are still exhausted." Yellow eyes initially blinked slowly back at her, then narrowed in response to her suggestion. Black Doom sort of snorted and turned his head away, then growled softly at her. It wouldn't have been at all clear to most people other than her, but he seemed to be of the opinion that she needed to heed her own advice. He was also simultaneously refusing for whatever reason to do what she desired him to.
"Oi, asshole," Ghune huffed, crossing her arms and narrowing her own gaze at him. "You could at least play along." This earned her a frown and a slight tilt of the head. She huffed at him again and finally got to her feet, arms behind her back while she stretched. "Are you wanting to go elsewhere?"
Normally, he would have been eager to go home. This time, he was far from it. He looked away. He gave no particular reply, just passively sat there as if waiting for a decision to be made for him. Which… wasn't normal behavior from someone as fiercely independent as he was. Ghune frowned a little at this, shifting closer. "Hey, are you okay?" He looked up at her, saying nothing and likewise communicating little through other means. As of now, he wasn't making any outward effort to try to, either.
His lack of normal response bothered her greatly, and she simply stared for a long time before finally getting it. "You… you're experiencing side effects from what you endured, I presume." Rather than answer her or acknowledge her words, he just looked away. After a short pause, he sort of stretched before laying back down, though he didn't close his eyes to return to sleep at that point. Ghune gave a sigh and settled back down against the nearest wall, holding her face in her hands. It was more to block out her surroundings than anything, and it proved effective when she sunk back into her thoughts. The torture he endured has left him mentally unwell. I was not aware that Black Arms… could experience such a thing. I wish I had never needed to learn that.
Ghune didn't realize that her claws had sprung out of her fingers to dig into her skin, drawing trickles of blood. She was infuriated, but there was no way she could reasonably vent that emotion right now. Her emotional intensity was often too visceral for those not close to her, and that meant engaging in one of her sessions of relief from the weight of those feelings had to wait.
What the hell am I meant to do about this?
~保護者~
Nareish was seated on her throne with a smile. With eyes closed, she monitored Jet's short-lived rampage within the outskirts of her realm. Oh, how she loved seeing him and the Void truly working in tandem for the first time. You thwarted its efforts to bond fully with you the first time, and by purging your own memories no less. How easily that has changed now that your offspring have perished… You're slipping, Jet, and it couldn't be more beautiful. She twirled a finger, calling stronger forces into the area and watched as the pair tore through them all with ease. Her amusement grew alongside her smile. I could sit here for ages, simply watching you rampage… but that is enough for now. Begone with you.
Even stronger soldiers were sent their way. Wise as ever, Jet knew when to retreat. He was gone well before any genuine danger reached him. Good boy. You and I will be seeing each other again soon. In the meantime, she had other matters to consider. A silent summons called Nyokae to her. The chameleon kneeled respectfully before her as Nareish opened her eyes. Eager as ever I see. Good. "I have a job for you," she told her loyal servant. "The time for observation has ended. Your lover's Darkness has been mild mannered too long for my tastes. Do something about it. Kill his new fling if you must."
Nyokae promptly grinned. "As you wish, my lady. It will be done." She stood, bowed, and vanished.
Alone again, Nareish drummed her fingers on her armrest. Now then… on to other matters. Her thoughts soon drifted to Tianak and his newest servants. She wasn't surprised that he'd been unappreciative of her little gift. In truth, she hadn't handed those people over for his benefit and she suspected he knew that. Whether he did or didn't, she didn't particularly care. It would prove amusing either way. Those four… at least one of their allies will come for them soon enough. If I had to guess, I would say Steam will be the quickest to act. Will you find a way to kill the God without becoming a demon yourself, Steam? As disappointing as Tianak has been to me, I certainly hope you can manage it. This will be grand, if brief, entertainment.
Humming softly, Nareish let her attention drift to those she had corrupted for genuine purposes. She first considered the young bunny, Cream. A powerful clairvoyant, that one. Perhaps even more so than Amani ever was. The one thing she lacks is training regarding that particular facet of her abilities. So much effort was put into her combat abilities that her true talent was neglected and fell by the wayside. That will be remedied. With that decided, she reached her mind out to Cream and issued an order. "Slip away from your allies as soon as possible. Use whatever excuse is necessary so long as it is believable. I do not want suspicions to fall upon you. I will train you to properly control your clairvoyance so that you may use it at will."
She didn't wait for a reply, just ended the connection. Making a clone was child's play. Sending it off to Mobius undetected was even more so. That was taken care of, so she decided to contemplate Silver next. Now he is born and bred for combat. Making use of him in combat will put the vast majority of his allies at a significant disadvantage. Only Eila can potentially stand up against him, but she is not the only one whose abilities do not seem to have reached their full potential. He has boosted once already himself in an effort to keep up in this era. He can do so again. That he lost so much of his family in one fell swoop will prove to be the perfect excuse for him to suddenly resume such an activity. She issued another silent order, then moved on.
Next on her mind was Laralei. She wasn't sure yet what to do with the old queen. The woman was just a mortal, after all… but a uniquely powerful one. Her storm powers have been rivaled by few throughout the whole of her family's existence. She truly is a direct descendent of Eirza. But what to do with that knowledge…? Mortals are so limited in their uses. Versatility is not their strongest suit. Nareish's fingers began to drum again. There was no rhythm, just a constant sound in the background of her thoughts. What to do… Hm, perhaps I can just use her to further harm Sein's emotions. That sounds amusing enough for the time being. I just need a more solid plan on that front.
For now, she moved on to the last two people she'd corrupted. Kath and Saran… two very interesting individuals. And very powerful as well. It wasn't for nothing that she'd corrupted those two far more deeply and severely than the others. She didn't want them to be "saved", much less as easily as Saethrim had been. Despite being vastly ill-equipped to handle purification, Jet managed it with the help of no one other than Eona. That will not be the case again. The only remaining risk is the Faein… but for now they seem to be asleep. Even if they wake, the only one they can forcibly save is Kath. Saran's corruption does not threaten the balance of existence. There is enough uncorrupted Light, especially within Analia and dear sweet Rose, to negate any existential threat in that regard.
Nareish's fingers stopped drumming. Her smile grew just a bit wider. She loved, loved the idea of setting Saran down the same path as his father. The thought of a second Kathros (in a manner of speaking) running around made her want to laugh. That she was poised to turn Kath away from all things good as well made it even better. And if she could manage to keep ahold of the others as well, then that would simply be the cherry on the top.
Oh, yes. This would be just glorious.
~保護者~
13,268 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 2:50 p.m.) 12-06-22.