When the chaos of life calms once more, when the excitement of their revival dies down and the shock and awe of their new home ("Elysium," Rex had called it - they're inclined to agree) has faded, Pyra and Mythra settle away from the main group and pull out the cracked core crystal.

"Do you think it has healed at all?" Pyra asks, tracing a finger along the edge of the rift.

Mythra studies it intently. "I couldn't say for sure. We didn't get a good look at it when we scooped it up, after all."

The crystal had lain on the floor before Aion, a disturbingly dull grey, the chasm running through its centre lit up with the glow of Aion's ether. It hadn't felt right to leave it there to be blown apart - although it's not as though it was any safer cradled in Pneuma's hands as she herself faced the explosion.

Pyra supposed it had made them feel less isolated, at the time. Death was a horrible thing to face alone.

Neither she nor Mythra were sure how it had survived, reappearing in the depths of Mythra's travel pack after their awakening. They decided it wasn't worth questioning, instead choosing to be grateful for the miracle.

Another miracle was their own existences, in separate bodies and separate minds. Pyra had, on numerous occasions in the short time since their rebirth, attempted to speak to Mythra mentally, only to be greeted with resounding silence.

Adjustment was necessary, but it was an adjustment Pyra was all too happy to make if it meant she and Mythra could live side by side.

"I think it has," Mythra continues, taking the crystal from Pyra's grasp to closer inspect it. "If only a little."

"I hope so," breathes Pyra, watching her twist the crystal with a sorrowful gaze. "He deserves a second chance."

Mythra lowers her hands, shooting Pyra a harsh look. "He had his second chance."

Pyra shrugs. "Third chance? Technically, this is our third as well."

"I want to say it's not the same," Mythra laughs, bitter expression painted on her features, "but I can't say it and mean it, not after that."

She doesn't expand on that, but she doesn't have to. Pyra understands her perfectly. The conversation they had with Malos in the void of death was intimate and revealing, and it changed their opinion on the man they'd always instinctively hated.

Shifting such violent hatred to care and understanding was a big leap to make, one both Pyra and Mythra were struggling with, to different degrees. Mythra seemed to want to care for Malos, but five hundred years of despising the man made the change difficult for her.

"Malos did wrong," Pyra says, "but he was wronged, too. We've all been wronged."

"He wanted us to kill him." Mythra's tone is grim. "He wanted to die."

Pyra twists her hands into a tight ball in her lap and squeezes, seeking a comfort the simple action cannot bring. "He'd lost everything. If we lost Rex and the others… I'm not sure we'd react any better."

The core crystal is cold in Mythra's grip, coated in a faint green sheen from the emanating light from her own crystal. "I was worse than Malos," she says, "after Milton. He got exactly the outcome he wanted following his friends' deaths, while I achieved the exact opposite of my desires. And that was only after one person I loved."

"Imagine what we'd do if we lost them all," Pyra murmurs, and a sombre silence stretches between them as they contemplate the concept.

Losing Milton had hurt. It had blinded them, brought out the worst of their power in a terrifying light show that had sunk a titan and taken down countless innocents with it.

And yet…

Pyra loves the world. She has seen all it has to offer: terror and despair, love and hope. She has seen it all, and she continues to love. She wants to use her power to protect the world, never again to destroy it, and she knows Mythra feels the same.

"I don't think we'd be as bad," Pyra states, surprising herself with how sure she is.

"Oh? How so?"

Pyra entwines her fingers. "We've seen what happens when we lose control. Neither of us wants that to ever happen again; it's why you sealed yourself away. And so we won't let it."

"How can you trust yourself?" Mythra whispers, failing to meet Pyra's eyes.

"I can't explain it," Pyra replies with a smile. "I just know we'll do better if it ever came to it."

They fall silent, staring down at the core crystal lying in Mythra's lap. Pyra believes what she's saying, believes it with all her heart, and only hopes she's pushing her positivity through to Mythra, despite their new lack of a mental link.

Mythra brushes a thumb over the crystal's crack. "I hope he comes back one day. He does deserve that third chance."

Reaching over and wrapping Mythra's hands in her own, Pyra smiles. "He will. I'm sure of that, too."

"Does this seem a bit purple to you?"

Mythra turns as Pyra's voice floats from behind her. Immediately, Malos' core crystal is thrust forward, blocking out most of her vision, and she has to grab Pyra's wrist and yank it away. "I can't tell if you're gonna shove it right up in my face."

"Come on, look!" Pyra whines, face the perfect mirror of a kicked puppy seeking an apology pat as she holds the crystal out in invitation. Grumbling, Mythra takes it, holding it up to the light to get a good look.

Pyra pushes her arms back down. "You can't tell if you hold it in the light, you have to keep it in the shade!"

Mythra glares at her but does as she says, twisting her body to block out the light and tucking the crystal as far into the shadows as she can. She studies it for a moment, taking in the slight fissure running down its middle, the fissure that had shrunk from a chasm over the slowest trickling of time, and says, "Nope."

"Oh, come on, Mythra!"

"Not at all," Mythra grins. "It's deathly black. Couldn't be less purple if it tried. In fact-" she peers down at the crystal in an exaggerated motion- "I think this crack has actually grown."

Turning away with an indignant huff, Pyra says, "Don't be mean."

Mythra cannot help but laugh. "Okay, fine, it does look a tiny bit purple."

Pyra immediately pivots back around. "Really?" she gasps, eyes alight with pure hope.

"Only a tiny bit!" Mythra rushes to add, but she isn't lying - she can definitely see the faintest tinges of a purple aura emanating from the crystal's edge. The area around the crevice is still a solid black, but the further afield you looked, the more colourful the core turned.

Mythra can't deny the own spark of hope that ignites in her.

Rex is chatting to a Leftherian child when they find him, wide grin etched permanently on his face as he gestures animatedly. The child is nodding with vigour, jumping up and down as Rex talks.

"Maybe we should come back another time," Mythra says.

Pyra hits her shoulder. "He's waited long enough; we're doing this now."

She stalks off towards their Driver, and Mythra begrudgingly follows.

"Oh, Pyra!" Rex calls as he notices her approach, then looks past her and sees his other Aegis. "Mythra!"

He excuses himself from the Leftherian child, who smiles and bounds away, just in time for Pyra to grab his hand. Mythra offers him a wave from the respectful distance she keeps.

"We have something to ask you," Pyra says, wasting no time in jumping straight to the point. Mythra isn't sure whether she should be grateful or annoyed. "Something serious."

Concern flashes across Rex's face as he immediately jumps to the worst conclusions. "Oh, Architect, what's wrong? Are you guys okay? What-"

"Whoa, calm down," Mythra interjects before he can get too worked up. "It's not that serious."

"It is pretty serious though," Pyra argues.

"Not in the way Rex was expecting," Mythra says, and, thinking what the hell, let's get it over with, draws the radiant purple core crystal out into the light.

Rex yelps, jerking back as his eyes flash in recognition. "Is that-"

"Malos' core crystal," Pyra confirms. "We may have… kept it, all this time."

"It's been repairing itself, slowly, since our battle," Mythra adds. "It's ready to resonate now."

Rex stares at it, mesmerised. Mythra can take a few fair stabs at his thoughts: maybe are they insane? or what the hell, that's Malos! or even I hope he stays dead.

Or, to stay true to Rex's character, something more along the lines of he can get a second chance.

She has to restrain herself from correcting the imagined thought process to third chance.

"So," Rex eventually breaks the stunned silence, "I guess one of you plan on resonating with him?"

Mythra barks a startled laugh. "Oh, wow, no, I think he'd rather kill himself."

"I hate to admit it, but she's right, he would," Pyra says. "Besides, I don't think we could be what he needs."

Both Pyra and Mythra carry the weight of years of guilt and self-hate. They want to pull Malos out of that mindset, not drag him further into the abyss of despair.

Rex frowns. "Then… who?"

Holy hell. Mythra loves Rex, she truly does, but damn can he be thick at times. "You, dumbass."

"What- me?!"

"Amalthus was an awful man, and an awful Driver," Pyra states. "Malos deserves better. You are better."

"We're not messing around here," Mythra adds, seeing the disbelief welling in Rex's golden eyes. "We trusted you with us, and now we're entrusting him to you, too."

Malos has always stood opposed to Pyra and Mythra, the Aegises forced apart by fate and their perceived notions of duty. Perhaps this is the opportunity to finally stand together, in harmony instead of in battle, and to utilise their power for peace, laying their long-fought war to rest.

Mythra hopes so, at least.

"I'm not sure he'd feel the same," Rex says honestly, face wrenched in hesitance and fear.

Pyra squeezes his hand in hers, gentle and warm. "He told us to say hi to you, before we came back."

Mythra lights up in remembrance. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that!"

Poor Rex seems even more confused than he was at the start of this conversation. "He- what? You've spoken to him?"

"Oh, we hung out in the eternity of death for a while, no biggie," Mythra dismisses, concealing a grin as Rex's confusion deepens.

Taking pity on him, Pyra elaborates, "We talked for a bit, while our core crystal healed. It got... emotional. He seemed legitimately sorry for everything."

"I believed him," Mythra says, "and you know I would only trust in him if I felt I had good reason to."

Pyra points to Mythra as if to say see? That's what I'm saying! and Rex's eyes follow her gesture. "Do you really think this is a good idea?" he asks, acceptance already evident in his eyes.

"Absolutely."

"We do."

"Please," Pyra adds.

Mythra takes a step forward, holding the core crystal out in offering. "We wouldn't ask if we weren't sure."

Rex looks from one Aegis to the other, searching their expressions for any sign of uncertainty and, seeing none, he nods, takes a deep breath, and closes his hand around the crystal.

The purple blaze that erupts from it grows brighter and brighter, and they are forced to shut their eyes and shield from the glare.

When they are able to see again, there's a man standing in front of Rex.

Malos surveys the scene and blinks, once, twice, then says, "What the fuck."

It's surprisingly good to see him again, standing tall and fully intact, core crystal a whole shining purple. It's a relief, a comfort, to have him free from the void he's been trapped in, alone since Mythra and Pyra awakened (and Mythra cannot imagine being alone in there. It was bad enough with company - even when they weren't conversing, it helped to know that Malos was there. Being completely alone would have driven her insane). It's good to have him back where he belongs.

At their side, Mythra cannot help but think. The Aegises belong together, as a unit, co-operating to free the world of strife.

They have been robbed of this chance by Amalthus' greed and hatred for too long.

Mere seconds later, Pyra is throwing herself at Malos, enveloping him in a tight hug. "You're actually back!"

"What the fuck," Malos says again, giving her a consolatory pat on the head. "Why the shit is the brat my Driver now."

"Are you seriously complaining?" Mythra asks. "You can't honestly expect him to be any worse than Amalthus."

Malos contemplates this for a moment. "No, you know what? Good point. I'm sure I'll cope."

He doesn't seem entirely sure of his words, brows furrowing into a frown that betrays his concern, and Mythra is reminded of his words from their bonding session:

"If you can come back from death, I'd wager I will too eventually, as much as I'd rather not."

Does he even want this new chance? Probably not.

In this third life he's been gifted, Malos doesn't have his old friends to help him through. Mythra knows that feeling all too well - her second life involved waking to a world where her friends were long dead, and the few survivors didn't even remember her. Barely anyone remembered those she'd loved, and the one that was idolised, Addam, was a figure twisted beyond recognition by the pages of history.

But.

She'd gained new friends. Friends that meant the world to her. She would never forget those she had lost, keeping them tucked away in her heart in the spot reserved just for them, but they were accompanied by the others she loved just as much.

Malos had lost his old friends, but he too could find new ones in Rex and his group.

Maybe even find a new family.

Rex is already grinning up at Malos. He hasn't spoken yet, allowing the Aegises their reunion, but Mythra knows he is waiting for his chance to jump in and insist upon how happy he is to see his enemy reborn.

She knows he will mean it, too.

So Mythra steps forward and reaches out her hand once more, letting the past fall fully to the wayside, and she says, with no hidden insults or malice, "I'm glad you're back."

Malos, one arm wrapped around Pyra, who has refused to release him, takes the hand and smiles. "So am I," he says. "So am I."