"Do you think you can get back from here?" The dwarf placed Ross down, who was now conscious again, and the other two immediately had their arms around him. They nodded, thanking them again. "Now go on. Your fathers are going to be worried." Honeydew ushered them towards the castle, and soon they were slowly walking towards it. Honeydew and Xephos had left the three at the edge of the town, where the walls of the castle began. The only guards stood at the main castle entrance, so they would not be seen from here. Honeydew grabbed Xephos' arm and started dragging him away. Xephos couldn't help but watch the three. Such a strange bunch, he thought. A human, hybrid and...green thing. It wasn't so much of what they were, it's what he was. Ross. Xephos shook his head, dismissing it as some coincidence or something. He received another sharp nudge, the second that day, and his eyes flicked over to Honeydew. "Stop moping, or whatever you're doing. You need to forget about them." He said seriously; this was one of the only times he was serious. Xephos flinched at his harsh words.

"W-Why?"

"They're the sons of the King, Knight and Mage. Eventually they're going to take in their footsteps. They haven't been corrupted yet, but they will." He shook his head, the horned helmet shifting slightly. "Such a shame...they were nice boys." He mumbled. Xephos didn't know what to say, so he said nothing. He didn't want to agree with Honeydew, but there was that sinking feeling that it could possibly happen. He just forgot the last minute of Honeydew talking, remembering the relieved boys when they were ok. They wouldn't change...right?

"Tell me what happened!" Ross couldn't even stand alone, his two friends by his side. He was very groggy, his words slurring and merging together as he tried to form a reply.

"Mmm...Weeere playing..." He received a slap to the face, instantly waking him up. His face burned from the intensity, so he looked his father straight in the eyes. "W-Well, we were going t-to play, but t-the others wouldn't let us." Ross replied quickly, the words almost tumbling out of his mouth. "T-They started i-insulting us, and hitting u-us." He added. The King glanced at his Knight and Mage, the fathers of the other two.

"Can you tell us who?" The King towered over the three, causing them to shake nervously. The three shook their heads slowly. The King closed his eyes for a moment, letting out a quiet sigh.

"W-We know who helped us, though." He opened his eyes when he heard the green boy speak. "There was this boy who saved us! He stopped the kids from hurting us, and even helped us with our wounds." Smith glanced at Ross. "He didn't know what to do about Ross' legs, but he helped with everything else." He even still had the ice pack pressed against his stomach, even though it wouldn't be helping much anymore. It was more...for comfort. Something normal in his life of luxury.

"Name?"

"I...I think it was Xephos. ...Yeah, Xephos!" Smith nodded proudly. "There was that other guy too...the dwarf!" The King blinked, and his two friends tensed. "The dwarf...his name...did he ever say it?" Trott nodded, clicking his fingers when he remembered.

"Yeah, Xephos mentioned it. When he was talking he said 'Honeydew'. I assume that was his name." He flinched when he saw his own father move forward. The Knight whispered to the King, something that the boys couldn't hear. The King nodded, before his attention returned to the three.

"I see. Well, thank you for that, you three. You may leave now. But, Ross, please go to the infirmary. You can bare stand or stay awake. You two can go with him." The three nodded, before they left the room. The King then looked at his two subjects. "...Honeydew. Now that's a name I remember." He murmured. "Maybe this is the uneasy feeling I have had. If he has a child...how? How did he get a child? He only lives with that scientist, right?" The two nodded.

"Maybe he found this 'Xephos'?" The Knight suggested. "It's not too uncommon for parents to abandon their children, especially here." He pointed out. "It's possible he was just left there at birth."

"...What if he is the one, my lord?" The Mage asked. The three fell silent. "It doesn't sound too farfetched to be the truth either." He added. The King pressed his hand against his forehead, that damn headache forming again.

"Maybe I should go see the Overseer again. He was the one who told me this, after all."

"We shall accompany you, sire." The two replied instantly. The King let a small smile form on his face.

"It was a 'maybe'. Besides, we need to keep an eye on those three." He continued. "They saw something that might ruin their futures. This Xephos will corrupt them, making them believe the world is not as cruel as it seems to be. We have to...convince them that he was just a lie."

"Will a...curse of forgetting help, my lord?" The Mage raised his wand as he continued. "I could erase this Xephos, and Honeydew, from all three of their memories." The King smirked, sitting back down in his throne. His worries lifted for a moment as he nodded.

"...Yes. That will work perfectly."

Xephos sat at the table in their house, staring at nothing in particular. They had gotten back relatively quickly from the town, reaching the house at the brink of nightfall. Honeydew had been explaining the situation to Lalna, whose expressions were a little hard to describe with his goggles covering his eyes. Xephos just stayed quiet, his mind continually drifting back to the three boys. He wished he could know them better. But, alas, they were boys of the palace while he didn't even live in the town. How would that ever work? If he thought deeper, they were technically like him. Without 'proper' contact with other children. Sure, they had each other, but they were probably bound by rules of what they could or couldn't do. Fingers clicked in front of his face, though he barely reacted.

"See? Totally out of it. He's obsessed with them." Honeydew let out an exasperated sigh, leaning back in his chair. "We've got to get his mind off of them, somehow." He turned to the scientist. "Anything you can do, Lalna?" Lalna knelt in front of Xephos, messing with his eyes to get a better look at them. He sat beside the two, watching Xephos continue to stare.

"...The best thing I've got is something to knock him out." He shrugged. "Maybe he'll remember in the morning, maybe he won't. But, it'll at least give him some time to relax as he sleeps." Lalna explained. "He will be knocked out until morning, too." He added. Honeydew shrugged, watching the young boy.

"We might as well try. I can't stand him just staring!" He stood up, disappearing into his room. Lalna took a potion out of his cupboard, giving it to Xephos. He drank absentmindedly, and soon his face was against the table. He was knocked out cold. Lalna picked the boy up, sighing quietly. He always looked so peaceful when he slept. The scientist took Xephos to his room, laying him down in his bed.

"Sleep well, Xeph."