Alit hovered over Dumon's shoulder as the grey barian worked. "Are you done yet?"

"No, Alit," Dumon sighed, regretting he told Alit in the first place that he was close to cracking Gattas' defenses, "If you keep asking me, it'll just take longer."

"I know! I just want to get Mom back," Alit 'smiled' and sat back in his crystal chair, "It's been a really long time since I've seen her and I don't want her to suffer any more."

"I understand, Alit, but please let me do my work," Dumon replied.

"Okay," Alit agreed and became lost in his own thoughts. His siblings were watching cartoons with Vetrix, Hart, Pip, and Iris and Nasch was watching his dad. Alit 'smiled' faintly as he thought of his mother and how carefree she always was. He supposed he had inherited that particular trait from her. He hoped Gattas hadn't crushed that ever-positive spirit of hers.

Alit clenched his fists and tears came to his eyes as he thought about what he knew for sure Gattas had done to his mother. How dare that monster rape her?! She had never done anything to him! All she ever did was try to protect her kids, his siblings! And when she tried to get them away from him, he turned her into... something. Or killed her- no! She was alive! She had to be! She-

"Alit, I'm done."

Alit started, "What? Really? SWEET! Can I go now? Can I, can I, can I?!"

Dumon opened up an overlay network and handed Alit a modified sphere cube. "Go for it." Alit 'grinned', 'ate' the sphere cube, and dissolved into the overlay network, with hope that he would find his mom once again soon, no matter what form she might be in.

Alit stepped out in a familiar hallway and quickly made his way over to the creature's room. He peaked in and saw her seated on the floor, crying into her arms while curled up into a ball. In the dim light, he saw wounds on her arms and neck that were still red with fresh blood. Alit felt a pang in his chest at the sight of her. Obviously Gattas found out she had helped him and punished her for it badly. That did it, he was getting both her and his mother out of this hellhole. "Are you okay?"

She started and looked up at him, her tearful eyes widening in shock. "What... you doing? Why... you here?"

Alit sat down next to her. "Well, for one I want to beat that bastard into a bloody pulp."

"He... not here... now," she informed him.

"Really? Sweet! That makes my job easier!" Alit cheered. She looked at him quizzically and he laughed nervously. "Sorry, I switch trains of thought pretty fast."

"It... alright," she assured him.

Alit 'frowned' and created a small red light to see her wounds better. "He did this to you, didn't he?"

She nodded. "He... found out... I help. I... don't regret... it though."

"Do you know where he keeps bandages?" Alit asked, "Your wounds need to get bandaged up."

She blinked at him in shock. "You... want to help... me?" Alit nodded once and she sighed, "No. I don't... know where... or if he... has bandages. I... fine... for now."

Alit looked sadly down at her. "That bastard..."

"Why else... you here?" she asked.

"Well," Alit admitted, "I'm looking for Maple and Bryan's mom." 'And mine,' he added silently.

She looked at him with an expression Alit couldn't quite read for a few moments, then sighed. "I... can't help."

"Huh?!" Alit cried, "Why?!"

"She..." the creature seemed to have some difficulty saying the next word. Alit waited with bated breath until she finally managed to finish, "She dead."

Alit's eyes went wide and he felt his heart breaking in two. No... please no... "Wh- what? That... can't be true."

She shook her head. "After he... caught her. He... raped her... hard," Alit let out a growl of rage at this statement.

"That bastard! How could he hurt her like that?!" Alit raged.

The creature closed her eyes and a tear slipped out, "After... he done with her he... killed her."

Alit felt tears come to his eyes. No... please... not his mom. Not her. Please... "You're sure?" he whispered in a choked voice.

She hesitated, then nodded. "I... sorry."

Alit buried his face in his arms then cried, shoulders shaking. Why?! Why was she dead?! Why did she have to be dead?! In his grief-induced mind, he wondered if the creature was lying to him before dismissing the thought. She had no reason to lie to him and he had no reason not to trust her. But his mom... she was gone. She was gone forever! Why?!

What would he tell his siblings?! 'Hey guys! I went to rescue Mom today but it turns out she's been dead for a long time. Have some ice cream, it'll cheer you up'?! They would be devastated! And what about his dad?! She was his wife! He was in love with her! Now she was dead...

Alit felt someone patting his back and he looked up into the dark brown eyes of the creature. She was trying to comfort him... that was so sweet. Alit wiped his eyes and stood up, grabbing her arm as he did so. She looked up at him, confusion on her face. "What... you doing?"

"I can't save everyone I meant to save today, but at least I can save one person," Alit told her.

Her eyes widened. "You mean... me?"

"Who else?" Alit countered, attempting a 'smile', "Come on, let's get out of this hell."

"Wait," she stated, "How... can I... live? I... a monster... in society."

"So?" Alit asked, "You can live in Barian World or around the BARian! And Dumon can probably fix the voice problem of yours!"

She looked up at him with wide eyes but he saw a glimmer of hope deep inside of them. "Why?" she asked.

"Because I don't want anyone else to be hurt by him," Alit answered simply, "Besides, you've helped me so much. We're pretty much friends now!"

"Friends..." she muttered, "That's... nice."

Alit 'smiled' down at her. "Come on! Although... now that I think about it, there is some place I want to stop before we go to Barian World. Unless you need to get your wounds checked now, which you really might. I can't see that well in this light."

"Okay," she nodded, "My wounds... aren't that... bad. I've... had worse."

"There should be some bandages there, but it's been a long time so maybe they're too old to be of any use," Alit mused.

"I... will go," she assured him, a smile creeping its way on her face.

"Then come on!" Alit urged, opening the door and leaving the small closet. On the outside, he looked fine, even though his eyes were a little watery. On the inside, however, he was broken. His mother was gone, she was dead. Fate really was a bitch. He had just gotten hope for having his family back, when he was told point-blank his mother was dead. It was just too cruel.

Swallowing his feelings, he teleported away with the creature to his old house. When they arrived there, the creature's eyes widened drastically. "H- here?"

"You know where this is?" Alit asked curiously.

"I- I know... this is... family's... home," she replied.

"Yeah, I wanted to get a few things out of here for them. I mean, they can come back later if they want but I just thought I'd salvage what I can for them. You know, stuff that they were attached to," Alit explained.

"Oh..." she muttered, looking around.

"Come on," Alit gestured to the house, "Let's go inside." Both of them walked into the house slowly, looking around, but Alit all but forgot about her as he saw the inside of the quaint house. Now as he looked around, he began to remember little details about his past life. He remembered how his mom actually delivered Bryan in the dining room. He had been six at the time and completely freaked out at all the blood and mucus until he saw his new baby brother. Then he was just ecstatic. He had held Bryan in his arms for hours until his dad made him go to bed. And he remembered how he had accidentally caught his sleeve on fire when he was trying to cheer up his sister after she skinned her knee and was messing around too close to the fireplace. On the bright side, Maple wasn't upset about her knee after that fiasco.

Alit's eyes turned to the sword in the wall and his heart clenched. That sword was his dad's last stand. His dad's attempt to save his mom and siblings from a monster, and the catalyst that caused him to become a book. At once, it fully dawned on Alit that his father DID have the option to back down. He didn't HAVE to become a book. He could've stepped aside and let that bastard chase after his family without buying them what had to be at most just a few minutes. But he didn't. He protected them when he knew his life was probably forfeit. Once again, Alit felt tears of rage come to his eyes as he remembered all that his family had suffered.

Finally, he managed to say, "I'm going to go look around a bit. You should sit down and rest." She nodded and took a seat at the old table. Surprisingly, the chair didn't break.

Alit turned away and walked into his mom and dad's room, where he had first found his father. Alit looked down at the simple bed sadly then turned to a set of drawers. His dad had always forbidden him from rifling through them but given the circumstances, he supposed it was okay now.

Alit opened up the drawers and began to salvage what he could. As expected, there were lots of spiders and most of what he found were ruined beyond repair. Nevertheless, he managed to find a small, carved bone knife, a flute, a comb, and a few wood carvings that hadn't been destroyed.

Alit 'smiled' sadly. He remembered how his dad would widdle away and make wood carvings for them. And he remembered how his mother would play music for them whenever they wanted. And that comb... it was his mother's favorite. Both things his mother would never get to see again.

Alit sank to his knees and started crying again. How could she be dead?! How could that bastard have killed his mother after violating her like that?! "Mommy..." Alit whimpered out pitifully, "Mommy..."

Eventually, he managed to quell his sobs, reminding himself he would have time to mourn later. Wiping his eyes, he stood up, holding the objects he had retrieved gingerly in his hands. He spun on his heel and walked back into the dining room. To his surprise, his family's spice containers and silverware(although they weren't silver or even metal) were laid out on the table in front of the creature. Alit blinked a few times, before he finally asked, "Did you get those out?"

She started and looked up at him before nodding, "Yes. I thought... if you were salvaging... what you could... I might as well... find some things," she spoke this sentence with great difficulty and even had to close her eyes and take a deep breath to quell the pain at the end of it.

Alit 'smiled' faintly. "Thank you..." he whispered.

She shrugged to show him that it was no big deal. Alit 'smiled' and set down the objects he had salvaged. "I'm going to look around some more," Alit told her before leaving for his little sister's room. As he entered, he was at once hit with fond memories of Maple. How she would make him play with her, how he and Bryan would prank her, how she sometimes pranked them back, and so many other little things like that. He at once began to look through her room. To his relief, he found her old stuffed dolphin intact. It was made of one of his mom's old dresses and stuffed with the leftover pieces of cloth from said dress. Alit 'smiled' sadly and had to wipe his eyes again as he reminded himself their mom was gone.

Eventually, he found Maple's tea set, reed pipe, necklaces, and a few dolls. After some deliberation, he decided to leave the dolls behind and ask his sister if she really wanted them. He didn't want to bring up any bad memories of her time spent as a living doll. With the stuff in his arms, he headed to Bryan's and his room. He almost cried once again as he saw the two beds lying next to each other. At once, he recalled all those nights when he would listen to Bryan's breathing to comfort him to sleep, a reminder that his baby brother was safe and sound next to him. Alit began to rummage through the room and felt tears brim in eyes as he remembered things he didn't even knew he forgot.

After a while, he found his brother's wooden toy soldiers, marbles, and slingshot while he found his own bone knife that his father had given him and his punching bag, even though it probably/definitely had rats living in it. On second thought, he'd leave that here.

Alit sighed and started to go back into the dining room, but just before he entered the room he stopped. A soft melody was playing from the table. It sounded like the creature was playing his mother's flute. Alit 'frowned' as he heard the music. The tune sounded familiar to him...

He gasped and stumbled back as he realized where he knew the song from. Alit sank to the floor trembling in shock. It was the lullaby his mother would play for him and his siblings when they were upset or sick. He never thought he would ever hear it again...

But then, how did she know it? His mom had made up that song herself, the only people who knew it were his... family...

That creature was his mother, wasn't she?

The truth shocked him to his core. His mother was alive and she had been helping him this whole time. But why did she lie to him then?! Why would his own mother lie to him about her own death?! Although, granted she probably didn't know who he was, given that he was in his barian form. But still! What possible reason could she have for lying like that?!

After a moment, he managed to get to his feet. Wondering wouldn't do him any good. He had to ask her point-blank why she lied about her identity. Alit took a deep breath and strode into the dining room, setting the stuff he had collected on the table. The creature- his mother, Nerisa, set down the flute hurriedly and looked up at him. "You... done yet?"

Alit shook his head, his heart squeezing at his mother's pain, "No, well, yes, sort of." She cocked her head and Alit sighed, "Okay, yes, I'm done with salvaging things for now, but there is one more thing I need to take care of."

"What?" she asked.

"I want to ask why you lied to me," Alit replied.

Her eyes widened, "I- I didn't..."

"I know you lied about your death," Alit said, making sure to lay emphasis on his words so she got his meaning.

She looked at him for a few seconds before sighing. "You... know?"

"Not until I heard you playing," Alit admitted, "Why would you lie?"

"A few... reasons," Nerisa admitted. As Alit stared at her, she elaborated, "One, if he... had one of... us, he... wouldn't search... quite as hard... for them. If you... knew who I was... you would've taken me... away."

"But I did that anyway," Alit was confused.

"Yes... and I wasn't strong... enough to resist the... temptation of a direct... offer," she sighed, "Two, I wanted... you to focus solely... on getting my... children and Antonius... back to normal. I... would be a distraction."

"But Maple and Bryan ARE normal now!" Alit protested, "Or, you know, sorta."

"Nevertheless," she shrugged, "That brings... me to my third point. I would... be a constant... reminder of their... pain."

"What?!" Alit cried, "No you wouldn't!"

"As long... as I'm like this... I would remind... them of all he... did to them. To them, I... was a servant of his. I would... just hurt them... no matter what I did... while I look... like this," Nerisa said sadly.

"But... I can fix you," Alit replied weakly, "Or at least, my comrades can!"

Nerisa shook her head. "I won't... go back to normal... until Antonius is."

Alit was once again shocked by her devotion. After a moment, he conceded, "Okay. Dumon said it would probably only take another week."

"That's... good," she admitted.

"Oh, and one more thing..." Alit added, "We kinda all agreed to turn them into barians instead of humans because it was faster to do, they'd all live a whole lot longer, and that bastard couldn't turn them into dolls or books or anything else again."

She nodded. "I... understand. Can I..."

"Become a barian too? On it," Alit replied, "Oh, and do you really not want your kids to see you?"

"I... don't want them... hurt, and I don't... want them to... see me like this," Nerisa replied.

"But they-" Alit broke off as he saw her giving him an all-too familiar glare. It was her, "Alit, shut up" look. She gave it to him whenever she wanted him to stop talking and do what she said.

Alit was torn. He wanted to tell his mom who he was, but she didn't want any of her kids to see her like this. So he could be cruel to her and tell her who he was, or he could keep quiet until she was back to normal. Alit took a deep breath and made his decision. "Okay, but I get to tell Maple and Bryan who you are."

She reluctantly nodded. "Just don't... let them... see me."

Alit hesitated, then nodded, trying to keep his tears at bay. "And... um, is there anything else you want from this place? We can come back later though."

"I think... this is all... I really need," she replied before wincing and putting one hand to her throat, drawing Alit's attention to her wounds.

"Oh shit," Alit muttered, "Hey, don't talk, okay? You've been chatting a lot and you're still hurt."

"I can... manage," she winced.

"No, no, no, no!" Alit yelped quickly, "Just don't try to talk! I better get you to Barian World and take care of your injuries!"

She nodded and helped him gather up some of the items he had recovered. Alit felt his eyes sting with tears as he reached over and took his mother's hand in his. As he disappeared with her into an overlay network, he once again swore revenge against Gattas. How dare that bastard do all this to his mom?! Screw the moral issues with it, that son of a bitch was going to die slowly and very, very painfully!