Phew! Sorry the last chap was so short. Didn't wanna ruin it with A/N's or ad-ons.

Let's move on, shall we~?

A big THANK YOU to Blessed Yet Cursed for keeping me company even if I'm not writing~ brofist, man.

As well as BYC, I want to thank the Real Life Vreagon and Mor. Iloveyouguyssomuch : D You guys have kept me quite entertained.

Ari crossed her arms, her eyes narrowed. "I don't know who you guys are. Why should I let you-"

"We must… reassure ourselves that you are well enough to pass through the portal."

"What are you-"

"Ari just calm down." Vreagon muttered, grunting in pain as his arm was tugged forcefully, checked over for what he could only assume were fatal or near-fatal wounds.

Just as all the men in the room (at least, those that had joined him in this damned journey), he had been stripped and forced to lie down on his back against a stone table. His hips had been covered (only by his and Mnem's near-violent demands) and he'd been examined thoroughly already…

Only Ari had yet to be checked over. He sighed and shook his head. If there had been anything he'd learned about the woman over the years, it had been that she didn't take lightly to strangers – to have them attempt to strip her of her guard… well, clearly she would have reacted rather angrily.

Mnem had already accepted it – though he refused to look away. He refused to turn his back but he'd been denied the chance to sit beside her, even if he had argued that she may have been calmer.

"No. She must be alone."

Ari yelped as she was lifted from the ground, her feet dangling as she hung there in surprise. She blinked in confusion before narrowing her eyes dangerously, deciding to pitch a fit.

"Let go of me this instant!" She screamed, kicking her legs back and slamming her fists against the man's back. The man growled and did as she asked, pressing her against the wall.

"If you do not let us do this, your son will not live to the morn. Now relax."

Ari's eyes darkened. All fight left in her dissipated in the face of grief, her eyes tearing up. "I…I just want…-"

The man's eyes softened and he smiled beneath his hood, lifting his hand. Instead of the old, dried and wrinkly skin she had expected, smooth flesh touched her cheek, long fingers brushing back her hair as he smiled. "I know the grief you must feel. I have been there once before and I intend to keep it from happening to you as well. Please… stop resisting."

Ari sighed and closed her eyes, gripping the bottom of her shirt and lifting it above her head, her face heating up. The men respected her privacy, most turning their heads, as two held up a curtain of sorts to block her off from prying eyes. Mnem began to stand but was forced back down by Mor, who shook his head. Mnem's mother had already been inspected and released. The woman had only just redressed herself when Ari was pulled out of the safe corner, clothed in a matching robe to the men.

No questions were asked, at first, until Mnem stood worriedly, glancing at the man beside him – neither Mor nor his mother stopped him and he moved forward, accepting the robe as it was given. By the time he'd reached her the clothes were wrapped around him and he gripped her tightly.

He still longed to apologize but what could he say? 'I'm sorry I killed your entire family, please love me again'?

Nothing he said could fix this. He could never repair the damage… he only hoped she would be willing to allow him to try.

He glanced up, listening to the shuffling of robes as his friends put them on. His eyes narrowed as he noticed a single man staring in his direction, his face obscured by the hood. Eyes seemed to glitter in the darkness, a painful mix of sadness and guilt welling beneath the surface. Mnem stepped forward and as he reached the man, he lifted a hand, swallowing nervously as he touched the hood. The man did not stop him, only clenched his hands at his sides and closed his eyes.

Ari gasped as the hood dropped and the man's eyes opened.

"…Renel!?"

Fire crackled. Renel held the bowl to his lips and swallowed the hot liquid with a subtle shudder, passing the bowl around. The last to drink from it was Ari, her eyes fixed on the man she had thought had disappeared long ago.

"…exactly what are you doing here?" Mor asked, lifting a brow. "I thought you were still in the jungles."

"…No." Renel spoke softly, looking away. A scar shoed itself beneath the neck of the robes and Ari could feel a sudden tightening of her chest. "I… Left several years ago."

"And why are you here?" Vreagon demanded, huffing, "just what do you hope to gain from this?"

"This is not my doing. I didn't- just… I… I've changed. I've changed, I swear to you all."

Ari nodded slowly. "…I believe him. He isn't as much of an ass as he was before. I can tell that from here."

"Aye."

Mnem cleared his throat. "…Enough questions. Look, Renel, I don't care how you got here or when or why you're remaining but I want to know where my son is. Right now."

Ari watched the ravenette's eyes narrow and his body tremble as he shook his head. "That's all I want to know."

"…The Nether. That is all I know – they will not tell me much else."

"They?"

"The Masters."

Ari growled. "Oh come on… More cryptic bullshit? I thought we'd been through with this after the Dragon, Mnem." She teased, and while the man in question chuckled, Renel did not smile.

"Who are the Masters?" Mnem's mother piped up, the older woman tilting her head. Renel faced her with a grim smile, closing his eyes.

"They are the ones in blue. You will be meeting them in the morning… my time is up. I must get some rest – I suggest you all do the same."

Ari shuddered, watching the man disappear.

"…He really has changed…"

When morning arrived, Ari's first sight was a man in dark blue robes. He spoke quietly to those in black, and as soon as the woman left her sleeping area, he turned and faced her.

"Aah. Good to see you are awake, Ari."

"You know my-"

"Of course I do."

Ari shifted uneasily, watching the other's features. A wave of unease hit her much like the waves in an ocean – it nearly knocked her off of her feet, nearly suffocated her in the thick tension that filled the air.

"…How-"

"Am I not supposed to? These men called us here to assist you in retrieving your son. I must admit… I am a soft-hearted man when it comes to children. How old is he?"

Ari gulped. "…F-fifteen."

"Aah…" he looked thoughtful, smiling and pushing his hood back fully. His brown hair fluttered as soon as the wind caught hold of it, the bright eyes reminding her much of…-

Flame. She coughed and sputtered as the smoke filled her lungs. The young woman covered her mouth and nose as she crawled away, eyes drooping. Her strength was fading fast, the coughs wracking her body and sapping the will to survive even further.

Three pairs of hands wrapped around her and she looked up, staring her brothers in the face as they dragged her from the wreckage of their old home. "Come on!" one shouted, and as the three boys took off, probably expecting her to follow, she stood and chased after the eldest, her eyes fogging as he turned to face her. He held out his hand, bright fear-filled eyes widened as he raced back to her.

"Ari-"

An unnoticed creeper exploded next to her and she yelped, her body falling to the side as she moaned. The man had clearly presumed her dead, crying out in desperation before turning away, sprinting off into the forests.

Ari was unable to call out, her mouth filled with sand and small traces of blood. Despite the proximity of the Creeper blast, she had very little injury that hadn't already been there.

After several minutes of stillness, she stood. The twang of an arrow forced her into a jog, the moaning of a Zombie sending her into a full sprint-

Ari's eyes snapped open, the recognition throwing her off guard. "J…Jett…!"

The man smiled, holding out his scarred arms. Ari stepped forward hesitantly before breaking into a frantic burst of tears, the wounded child in her returning full-force. Her wail had awoken her friends and they watched the scene with wide eyes.

Mnem, however, smiled.

…I suppose I didn't destroy everyone… that's a good sign at least.

Ari watched as Jett placed the paper on the table, his once carefree eyes hardened in frustration.

"I don't understand why They would take the child. Is he someone important – and I know he's important to you, but I'm speaking on a Global scale, something… more than simply a child and a friend."

Mnem shook his head. "I never even taught him anything about the Dragon or anything like that… Ari wanted to raise him normally so we did."

Jett nodded, looking up at his younger sister with a bleak smile. "Then we may have a problem. If this child isn't important they aren't going to keep him alive for long. If they haven't killed him already we have less than a day to get there, rescue him, and get out."

Ari sniffled. Her emotions were in a constant spin, and she had been unsure how to feel – happy that her brother was alive and well, or sad that her son was gone.

The mix of both only confused her.

Mnem squeezed her hand weakly and looked down at her, gray eyes softened as he smiled. "It's okay. We'll find him and bring him home. I promise."

Ari nodded and closed her eyes, leaning on Vreagon. The blond blinked and set his hand nervously on her waist, biting his lip and glancing to his brother.

What happened between them…? He thought, though he said nothing aloud, lest he anger the woman leaning against him for comfort. Instead he rubbed her side, shushing her quietly, fidgeting nervously.

I never have been very good at this…

Jett rubbed the back of his neck, sighing heavily. "Alright. I say we head to the portal within the hour.

"Where does this 'portal' lead?" Mnem inquired, lifting a brow and crossing his arms. Jett groaned and looked away.

"…A place we don't want to be in for very long. Let's go."