After traversing the tundra, he finally stands at the school's steps. There was one problem, he felt threatened by the school grounds. He'll need to find another way into the school.

On the other hand, Daniel thought of a topic to speak to his father about.

Victor stood in front of the gates once more, scowling from the distance he had to cross, to get here. It took him more than two months to navigate that damn tundra.

He was lucky he didn't have a normal body, that the creatures inside his body protected him from harm. For the first month, he wandered the icy tundra, trying to find any form of a settlement.

Once he got his bearings in the first town, he moved on, heading towards civilisation, so he could catch the first plane back to Yorknew. There was just one problem, now that his at the gate… his body shook with fear. It's as if the school rejected his presence.

It's as though if he were to take another step, he'll be standing in some other kind of wasteland, far from civilization once more. Pressing a hand to his chin, he took a step back, surveying the area.

Everywhere he looked, the whole place looked as though it was rejecting his presence. There was no way he could enter the place without him being spotted or teleported away. That Deacon made it impossible to enter unwelcomed.

Then again, he would have no reason to force his way in, if Daniel and Killua weren't in the school. As he was thinking of his next plan of attack, a student was walking towards the school, wearing the same uniform as the other attendees.

"Hey kid," he called, hoping to gain entry via another route. The young boy looked in his direction, but as quickly as he saw him, he rounded the corner, crossing the border he was unable to enter. Shit…

Just when he thought he wouldn't be able to gain entry that way, another student walked right past him. He wasted no time, grabbing the student by the shoulder, "sorry to bother you."

The kid stopped, looking up at him out of confusion. By mere luck, he grabbed a boy that could use Nen, but the kid seemed to have an airy feeling about him. It wasn't that the boy was an idiot, he just didn't seem to be worried about his shoulder being grabbed.

"Can I help you?"

"Ah, yes…" He was caught off guard by the boy's lack of defence, "I'm wondering if you know a kid by the name of… Daniel Darkscryer."

"Yeah, he goes to this school. But I don't know if he's still here… then again, I don't see why he would join for a couple of months, only to leave again…" The boy hummed to himself, thinking about the situation a lot longer than he would've normally done so.

He might still be here… but I can't use this kid to pass a message along. He seems like the forgetful type, provided my ability wouldn't wipe it first… Digging his nail into his palm, he created an opening for a worm to escape, allowing one to fall into the kid's hoodie, "Thank you."

"Are you one of his parents? Oh, did you plan on surprising him with a visit?"

"No…" The man chuckled, "I plan on killing him…" Before the boy realise what the man just said, he released his ability, causing the surrounding people to forget about him.

The kid blinked a few times, wondering why he was just standing there. Picking up the pace, he ran to the gate.

Victor watched from a corner as the boy crossed the gate. Just when he thought he could sneak his worms in other students, the Deacon appeared out of nowhere, taking hold of the boy's shoulder.

He could barely hear the conversation going on between them, but what surprised him next was the way Eifion stuck his hand into the boy's hoodie, flicking out the worm without the kid noticing.

He had been smiling the whole time while doing it.

"~"

Eifion appeared before a kid that crossed the school's border. There was a malicious aura on the kid, but the student he appeared before was none other than Isaac. There wasn't an inch of rage in that kid's bones.

"Hold on, slow down Isaac."

Isaac stopped to smile at the Deacon, "Hey, Mr Deacon. Did you want to speak to me?"

"Yes…" the man's eyes flicked over the boy's trying to figure out what was causing this ping, "I wanted to let you know you'll be having a new teacher this year?"

"Aww, but I liked Mr Gruboski."

Eifion laughed, "I know… I know… but you'll be getting two new teachers, who I think you'd love to meet." As he found what was causing the issue, he reached into the boy's hoodie, hiding his motives as he continued to speak on the matter, "They are close to your age, and I believe they'll be able to help you better."

"Really?"

"Yup… you'll have a meeting with them this Thursday in the afternoon, don't forget."

"I won't."

Eifion flicked the offender out of the hoodie, the object landing on the floor, somewhere he can still see it, "Alright, run along. Go get set up with your roommate." When the boy left, Eifion slammed his foot on the foreign object, hopefully killing it.

When he lifted his foot, there was a small pool of green blood surrounding it. The man's eyes darted up, scanning the area. He spotted a figure looking at him. There was no denying it, from the features Daniel and Killua described to him, and the video recording of the man… he was the same man they feared.

He glared at the person, mouthing the words "I dare you…"

Turning away, he walked back towards the school as he pulled out his phone, giving the boys an update about the monster having come home to roost. Next, he'll have to call Vastorie and let him know about the situation, as well as plans to improve their defences.

Victor turned away with a glare, disappearing behind a corner. He recognised me… He's a lot more difficult to deal with than I anticipated. The field of forced Zetsu blocked even my ability… I'll have to figure another way in.

"~"

Daniel was eventually able to relax with Killua's help; having heard that Victor was outside the gates, looking for a way in did wasn't the best news to hear right now. It did nothing to help him relax while on the school grounds.

But given the few changes, Eifion had made, at least limit the interactions the other students will be making with Victor. But the most interesting thing they heard about the situation was he was only made aware of the man's existence because he was trying to sneak something in via another student… a worm of some kind.

Considering neither Killua or Daniel had been in contact with any kind of worms while dealing with the man, it was a concern that should be raised with Vastorie. He might need to hear about that, but it couldn't come from them…

If Victor were to become aware of the fact they know about his existence, he may try to retaliate in other ways. For the moment, they needed to make it look like Eifion was the only one to resist his ability to erase memories.

It may make him more reserved, to try figure a way around the mess other than bash down the door through more aggressive means.

Tomorrow they'll make that call, to update Eifion about everything that happened that day, including what they should do next. For the moment, they need to figure out their next move.

Another thing they were made aware of, was the fact Eifion has a friend, another teacher named Luca who now knows about Killua's backstory. While they won't need to worry about him blabbing it to the rest of the teachers, at least they have another person they can confide in… provided, they can prove that they aren't a threat to the rest of the faculty members.

They'll have to be careful with the rest of the year, to make sure they don't do anything disastrous.

"~"

It had been a few days since they heard about Victor's appearance. Rather than overly worrying about the situation, Daniel thought about something to get his mind of things. Killua bringing up the story about Avlas, made him think about it…

Vastorie has memories of Avlas; however, Killua, himself and Alluka do not. If Nathaniel is in the same boat as them, it's an interesting topic to have, to see if trying to slot where Avlas fits into all of this, will change not only his… but Nathaniel's perspective as well.

From the way Killua described the situation, Vastorie may have idolized the man… maybe even had feelings for him at some point. There would have been a fracture in the timeline, where Vastorie would've acted differently to what he was when he was seven.

He made the call, hoping that Nathan was still functioning at this time.

"Hey…" The boy heard clanging in the background, something moving around in the kitchen.

"Sorry, am I bothering while you're cooking?"

"N- No! Not at all… it's your sister in the background."

From out of the pause, he heard his sister remark in the background "Tell Daniel, Killua still hasn't proven himself to me…"

Daniel rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore the comment for something more important, "I wanted to talk to you about Vastorie."

"Really…" There was a pause, followed by a door shutting in the background, "that was quick. Never expected you to talk to all nine people in under a few months."

"No… Not that kind of talk…" The boy bit his lip, that part of Vastorie's life wouldn't help in this instance, it was something mainly from a few years ago. Around six or seven to be exact "It's about when I was seven."

"Oh… the mark?"

"No, not that… something else…"

"Is everything alright?" Nathaniel pressed his hand against his hip, standing in the now cold and depressing room. The room he struggles to sleep in. It wasn't the best room, but it had soundproofing, so nobody should be able to hear him, or scream for his attention while he was in here, "Are you okay?"

"I am… besides from Victor having found us again."

"Is Eifion aware?"

"Yes, he should've talked to dad about it by now, after we had to update him again about the second meeting."

"So, he came back… thinking he could re-enter the school. He is… relentless, I'll give him that. But given that you're not panicking, I assume you're somewhat safe."

"I am panicking to a degree… Killua's is keeping me sane, and the changes Eifion has made so far has helped relieve some of my stress."

"That's good…" As Nathaniel paused, he smiled at the situation. Killua was being there for his son, just like he asked him. But given the way Daniel's tone changed while saying the boy's name, their relationship has improved to a more trusting degree. They may have learned to be more open with each other, given that he and Vastorie were failing spectacularly at it "I'm glad to hear that. So… what about Vastorie do you want to know?"

"Did his mood change at any point during the year I was seven."

"Actually…" Now that the man thought about it, it did. He went from a loving doting father to a more reserved one. But he knew what had happened between the change in personality, someone close to Vastorie was erased… he just didn't know who was erased. He thought nothing about it, considering majority of their relationship stayed the same… he was only quiet about who was erased "it did. You know who?"

"Avlas… Avlas Zoldyck."

The man paused to run his fingers along his chin. He'll never be able to recall the person, but given the name… it was someone very important to him, "an old lover?"

"Killua doesn't think so… at least not from the story he told me either. He may have liked him at some point, but I think you wore him down… even then."

"Huh… so, I should be proud of myself."

"Yes, dad…"

"Neat… Well, that can't be only why you called. Why bring up that specific year…?"

"Well, what was he like before the change, was it better or worse?"

"Ahh…" Nathaniel hummed aloud, eyes diverting away from his bed, "I would argue it was better. But, judging by you pointing out the existence of Avlas ceasing to exist, Killua probed Vastorie for his other ability…"

"You're aware of it too?"

"Yes, I am… it's not something he could hide, considering I was a host at one point too. But now that you pointed it out, this person was an intrinsic part of his life. Someone he cared about… So, it would explain why he would be so angry. What did he say the man did?"

"Avlas killed Victor…"

"Oh…" Nathaniel fell silent at the news… he did what he could not. But there's a reason why he now doesn't exist, why the slates were wiped clean of Avlas' existence, "Who did Victor manage to kill… or use his Hatsu on before dying?"

"Killua…"

"Even then, you cared about him…"

"What?"

"Oh, nothing… So, Avlas used his life to save Killua? Which is why you think our timeline was fractured. But, it's not how I would explain the changes between then and now. It's not a new timeline, just the same with the changes…"

"What you mean?"

"Going by your story and what happened with me… when we are the host, we remember what happened previously, before the changes, and that tends to alter the course of how we act… Vastorie remembers about Avlas, because he was the catalyst to hold the man's Ghost. He carried a person from the past, before the changes, so, when the man was zapped out of existence, it'll make sense why he would be the only one to remember… and we do not… He didn't exist at the time of the ghost being plucked out of existence, because the ghost was occupying his body. Therefore, the host's memories remain intact… while others are affected by the consequences of Avlas ceasing to exist. This would further explain why he's upset that Victor is still alive… because in his eyes, he saw Avlas as wasting his life for nothing…"

"But he didn't, he saved Killua…"

"I know… I know… but you need to understand that Avlas meant something to Vastorie… that sacrificing his friend's life, after he removed the biggest threat to his… well, he probably feels like he lost more than he gained. Yes, I understand, and Vastorie to a certain extent also understands… We know, that Killua means something to you… but you need to understand, he had lost more in his deal with Avlas…"

The boy now understood, that Vastorie gave more to help him in this situation. In that situation, he sacrificed a lot… to make his son happy… No- it wasn't just him, there was Alluka there as well, pleading for the same thing.

He now had a key component, a reason why Vastorie regretted having him… Regretted putting him on this planet, through a means Daniel didn't quite understand just yet…

Through his built-up frustrations, the outburst of his words… Vastorie didn't want his son to live a life, where Victor was always watching him from the shadows "But… He must have known by erasing Avlas, those who were killed or saved by Avlas, would either raise from the dead, or die due to his non-existent intervention. Vastorie would've realised Victor was still alive…"

"Unless somebody lied…"

"He… You…" Daniel fell silent, unsure what to say. What does he mean somebody lied?

"I know what you're thinking…" In that brief, moment, his biggest regrets crushed him… Nathaniel let out a shuttering breath, the tears building up. He was ultimately the one who fucked over his son… who fucked over Vastorie… and he now regrets them. He's paying for those actions made all those years ago "I lied, to save Victor's life. Victor is alive… because of me…"

"But…"

Daniel opened his mouth, wanting to voice his forgiveness, but, how does he? It isn't as simple as saying: I forgive you. Victor had almost destroyed his relationship between Killua and himself. The man was still after them right now… outside their sanctuary, waiting to pounce on them.

They were trapped…

And Nathaniel was the reason he wasn't dead and buried…

But even amongst the pain, the anger, the frustration of hearing that Nathaniel was the reason they were in this mess, there was an underlying reason… something Nathaniel saw that none of them got to witness.

A hidden fact, that they will eventually learn, if they were to clash with Victor…

Hearing his father sob over the receiver… it broke his heart, "I…" Daniel sucked in a breath, "I don't want to be like Vastorie… I won't lash out at you… I… I just can't… I love you, dad. But at the same time… I know that even if I were to say it, you won't accept it right now… But I'm still going to say it… I'll forgive you…"

"But, why…? I made your life… Vastorie's life miserable from my actions. I…" The man's voice trailed off, only the sobs being heard now.

His father would be right, his lack of ability to kill… was the reason they were in this mess. But even so, he can't fault his father. He could only offer options or solutions to the building problems "Then these memories… if say… Zaikaria were to-"

"OUT of the question! Neither myself or Vastorie would want to forget the actions of our mistakes…" Nathaniel's voice was firm, resolute, "Not only that, if she were to forcible remove these memories… it'll kill us…"

Daniel sighed in defeat, "It's ingrained in Vastorie's past… a fact neither you can now unlearn…"

"Exactly… it's a part that makes us who we are now."

"But… What if she did what she did to me, to Vastorie…? To you, to hide the truth deep within yourselves… Isn't that a-"

"OUT of the question, I want to remember these things, because he can help me make the right choice next time. But for Vastorie, if he forces the cage open, he'll only get more upset at us for doing so, let alone suggesting the idea…"

"Then… what do we do?"

"Give him time to morn… I guess… it's the only thing we can do…"

"Then… why isn't this a new timeline?"

"To put it bluntly, imagine it this way… You have ten chocolates. I take away one chocolate. You'd say you have…"

"Nine chocolates. Depending on the chocolate, Killua would say ten and a dead body."

Nathaniel chuckled at the obvious dark joke, but given his son's tone… Killua would kill someone if they took one of his favourite chocolates. But what he's about to say next, would alter Daniel's perspective on the now "nine" chocolates, "I'd believe you… but you'd say nine, Vastorie would say ten…"

"But you took it…"

"In this example, I would be his Hatsu, and Vastorie would be the host. This isn't a new timeline… but rather the same one with a change that alters our perspective. Now, his ability has other effects, namely like what happened in the process of that chocolate being made… how much changed once the chocolate ceased to exist… etcetera, etcetera… but do you at least get the gist of this?"

"So, the Killua before… is the same Killua now?"

"Not exactly… we didn't get to experience the changes Avlas would've brought to our lives… Vastorie did…"

"No, I understand that. I mean… before the changes, that Killua was still this Killua… correct?"

Nathaniel looked left, then right. He was a little confused at the question. He knows his son isn't talking about the changes that happened between pre-Avlas Killua and current Killua. Is he talking about…? "Do you mean… the person Killua?"

"Yes…"

"Then yes, that Killua is still this Killua…"

"I…" It's possible that in the past, I was developing feelings for Killua. I just would've fallen for him for completely different reasons…

"You… what? What were you going to ask or say?"

"Nothing… I think I understood something about myself a little better."

Nathaniel quirked an eyebrow at his son, even though he couldn't see his face, let alone his facial reaction to his statement, "You took that from this conversation?"

"Yes… But I understand that Vastorie who has lost more, than I have, when he asked Avlas to free Killua from his father's ability. However, I also understand that you have lost something in this too…"

"Not as much as Vastorie has…" As he sulked, something hit him. Nathaniel's eyes widened as he just realised something. He understood some underlying tones from a conversation he had with Vastorie previously, during the election.

"And you're basing this on, what?"

"Spider-web-memories…"

"Again?!"

"Fate has a weird way of repeating life. Again, Nathanial…" Vastorie turned his head, looking over his shoulder towards his husband "Have some faith in our son. Let him live a little…"

"Spider web memories…"

"Huh?" Daniel was confused at what his father just said. What do spider webs have to do with memories?

"God, I'm an idiot… the answer was said right to my face and I ignored it…" Idiot, idiot, idiot… Vastorie knew how much Killua cared about Daniel because he saw them care about each other while Avlas existed…

"Why?"

"I think I understand what you mean. I believe I have the answer to your earlier question. Yes, while Avlas existed, you did care about Killua… but I wouldn't go as far to say you were in love with him… maybe a crush, sure."

"I…" Daniel's head exploded from the realisation, that his father caught on to his earlier statement. He also knew that this wouldn't be the end of his further embarrassment. While Nathaniel is nothing in comparison to Vastorie, he can still be bad in his own, way.

"Damn… I wish I knew about Avlas sooner… so many things would've made sense." The man gave himself a nod as he smiled, "Which means deep down…"

"He still loves us?"

"Exactly, your father hasn't changed overall, it'll just take time for him to adjust, to realise he misses us… he misses the people that mean a lot to him, even Avlas…"

"But Avlas… he…"

"He is a catalyse to these feelings of loss… I feel it in my gut."

"So, dad will reach out to us on his own…?"

Nathaniel shook his head. No, Vastorie still needed that shock, that realisation that he hasn't lost more than he imagined. The only problem now is giving him that shock… something must trigger it… it's just what will cause him to realise he hasn't lost everything.

Or in this case… Vastorie's version of everything.

"Is this all you called for?"

"No, well yes. You never said if Vastorie will reach out on his own."

"Oh, right… the answer is no. He will not reach out on his own. He just needs a reality reminder… the next time we bump into him by chance, we need to tell him we know about Avlas. He'll likely yell at us, get frustrated and tell us we know nothing about that man… but once he's released that anger, we need to make him understand… that we love him… and miss him."