Deep in that underground bar with no name, it's owner, Zeke, formerly known as "Black Ice", is preparing for another round of customers on this solemn night.

His one major regular doesn't come in anymore. Three guesses as to why.

As he saunters about quietly, someone eventually wanders into the bar. A first timer, but not a customer.

He had an envelope, a dirty jacket, and what appeared to be a cold.

"Come on over." Said Zeke, giving the man a chance to warm up and relax.

Upon sitting the man slid the envelope atop the menu he was handed and looked away, silent as a mouse.

Zeke raised his brows and then opened the envelope. Inside was exactly enough money to pay off his favorite customer's tab.

"Well I'll be damned, Julius…" Zeke's smile was hardened, but his eyes shed a single tear.

Even gave a tip, the cheeky bastard.

Zeke poured two drinks on the house, and extended a gesture to this delivery man of unknown status, "A toast to the shadows. May they find slumber in their next life."

A simple drink…to honor a complex man.

…

…

"After weeks of investigating the circumstances behind the explosion that wreaked havoc on the city of Seattle, it has been determined that the warehouse has been supplied with copious amounts of gunpowder that was set off."

"The mastermind behind this attack has yet to be identified, but officers and firefighters who have scavenged through the debris managed to find one piece of evidence..."

"A half burnt ID card with the name 'Julius Talbain'...the condition of the card suggests its owner perished in the explosion."

"So far, investigations into the name have come up with no results regarding his connections. The CIA and FBI have refused to comment."

"With worry settling into the minds of the people of Seattle, many are wondering just how long it'll be before the next attack happens, and if so…Who will they target next?"

"...This is Kairi Aurora, signing off…" With that last remark and the footage done rolling, Kairi quickly turned away and felt like she was going to throw up from holding her thoughts in.

"Oh god…Joe…Alura…I-I'm so sorry I had to report this…" She covered her mouth and began to cry.

…

There lies a house. Just an ordinary run of the mill house that you'd find on most streets.

And this matters, because the people who own it come from a wealthy lifestyle. The singer, Alura. The current President, Joe Dark.

Yet nothing was done to spruce the place up from how it was bought. Tan brown outer walls, a cedar colored interior…

Tight halls and many rooms, a bed for all its occupants.

It has just enough to live a normal, functional daily life.

It had just enough space…to fill the house with sounds of tears.

Ever since the morning ended, Alura had thrown herself onto her bed and buried her face in the pillows.

She left her striped pajamas on, kicked the bed sheets off, and had the door slightly ajar.

The family dog, a mixed breed corgi, whimpered at the door, her gruff and sadness impenetrable to even a pet's love and concern.

And with his own whimpers in the air, the gloom of one man's death had fully settled in.

Her children stood outside her door. Erin glared at the front door constantly, expecting the knob to turn any second now.

Between this and the constant whimpering, she got fed up and marched off to the living room.

Alex stayed behind and checked in on his mom. Even just seeing a tiny bit of her face poking out showed she looked awful.

He rubbed the back of his head and then left, pouting his lower lip and sighing.

He then followed his sister to the living room, where she had slammed her legs on top of the table, and then with a bitter grunt kicked the magazines and cup holders off towards the TV.

The magazines slid off, showing the news story on Julius was still being aired on another channel as a topic of discussion.

They were jumping onto it as a means of clout with their wild conspiracy theories and slandering of Julius' character.

Well…as much as Alex assumed it was slander. "Terrorist", at least, didn't fit with the river of tears his mom shed in his name.

"Repugnant bastards…" Alex mumbled.

He then leaned in and turned the TV off. Afterwards, Erin crossed her legs and looked angrier.

Their mom continued to raise the volume of her crying at random intervals, her voice getting more rough sounding per instance.

Alex leaned back towards the hall and murmured, "...Do you remember Julius?"

Erin was unresponsive.

"...I don't." He admitted.

"You don't?" Erin said.

Alex felt a bunch of scattered, vague recollections of a man with glasses in his life, but nothing concrete.

He closed his tired eyes and rubbed the back of his head, sighing.

"I didn't know mom cared this much about him. She hasn't even brought him up since he left six-"

"Four." Erin interjected.

"...Four years ago," Alex then paused and leaned his head back to whisper, "Oh. Yeah…"

Their mom's cries got very bad, enough to scare the dog down the hall.

Erin squinted tensely and then stood up and headed for the door.

Alex remarked, "Where are you going?"

"For a ride on my motorcycle. This crap's too much." She said, voice deep with annoyance.

Alex gestured out with a slightly timid lingering in his voice, "S-She'll still be crying when you come back."

Erin turned with a pucker of her lips and a flare of her eyes.

"...We should try and cheer her up."

Erin's eyes flared more and she turned with one hand clutched and the other swung out, "That shouldn't be our duty!"

"Come on, sis…" Alex said at the lowest heard volume, almost like he was scared to stand up to her.

Erin creased her frown with a tense grunt and then squeezed her fist.

She turned to the door for a moment and Alex made a bold, definitive comment, "He's not coming. He's probably busy."

And that pushed Erin over the line, "BUSY?!"

Her cry rattled the living room, but Alex didn't move. He looked her in the eyes and saw her frustration swelling up.

She closed her eyes and grunted, "Too busy to watch the damn news…?"

She swung her fist back and broke part of the door frame off.

Her mother continued to cry.

Erin then frowned and her eyes quivered. After letting off some more steam, she crossed her arms and said calmly, "...Do you have any ideas?"

Alex shook his head, "Obviously not, you knew Julius more."

Erin squinted hard.

"What's that in your hand, Erin?" Said the man in a black jacket.

"I…it's a new book by my favorite author. I-I got it from Auntie Lunis." Said Erin, her voice shy and as weak as a mouse's squeak.

"Fantasy? Science fiction? Or perhaps history? I love history books." Julius remarked.

Erin bent her head into the book and her glasses fell off, "It's a-aaaah!"

Julius ducked, swiped the glasses up and put them back on her face before she even blinked.

She peeled her face away from her book and gasped.

He smiled and wiped her lens clean with his sleeve.

She wondered aloud, "...I wish I could be like…y-you."

"Oh. No you don't." He said in a despondent tone.

Erin turned her head, "Is it…bad to be confident?"

Julius' expression flinched, then smiled, "Ah, that's what you meant."

Erin frowned, "I want…friends. But it's scary…"

"Confidence won't help. Much. What you want…is courage."

"Cour…age?" Erin was captivated.

"Fear not yourself. Fear not the unknown. Boldly leap towards new horizons, and the right people will leap alongside you."

"W-What book did you quote that from?"

Julius closed his eyes and snickered, "I made it up myself just now."

Erin's little kiddy eyes were alit, "You should be a writer, Uncle Julius!"

He shook his head, a deep sorrow in his eyes, "Alas. You cannot write a book in red ink."

To this day, she never got what that meant.

She clutched her arms and trembled.

Alex looked up at the ceiling and after a bit remarked, "I think…I recall a recipe he made that mom really loved."

Erin glanced at him from the corner of his eyes and shrugged her hand up, "We can give it a shot."

Alex flinched, "O-Ok, but it's a foreign dish so we might not have all the ingredients."

"Pfffft, the cupboards are stuffed full of ingredients. We can bullshit some substitutes if necessary."

"Well, alright…I'll get to cooking then." As Alex started to leave…Erin propped her foot against the bottom of his leg.

"Hold it. I'll help."

"Sis, you're good at a lot of things, but I'm the better cook." He said with his head held high.

She scoffed, "Yeah but you can barely remember his face, like hell you know the full recipe."

He pulled back and twirled his hand in the direction of the door. She led the way to the kitchen, the biggest space in this house.

And it needed all that space because they had too many damn food storage units, cupboards, and TWO fridges on top of it all.

The dog followed them inside with a limp walk, and Alex took a moment to pet him, "It's alright, buddy, we'll take care of this."

He lied on his side and panted happily.

Alex then washed his hands and started rummaging through the pans while Erin took stock of the ingredients.

After getting a couple cast iron pans set up, Alex stared at the knives and started daydreaming.

"What are you doing with that knife?" Julius questioned softly.

"Cutting stuff…" A young Alex said, surrounded by wood chips, shredded paper, and some blood on the floor from having accidentally cut himself.

"For one, that's not proper etiquette," Julius took his hands and helped him hold the knife better, "Second…Are you in pain?"

Alex shook his head, "It feels…ok."

"Hmmm…" Julius had a strange curl in his lips and then with a smile, patted him on the back, "Let me clean this up. You wash your hands, and then follow me to the kitchen."

"Why?" Alex murmured.

"I'm going to teach you how to cook."

Alex took a knife in his hand with confidence and closed his eyes with a content smile.

"Damn it!" And then Erin growled in frustration, "We're out of rice."

"Hmmm, we'll have to use quinoa instead."

Erin stuck her tongue out, "Bleh…!"

Alex sighed, "You're not the one eating this, Erin…"

"I-I know that…!" She grunted, but her disgust remained prevalent.

Fortunately, all the other ingredients were accounted for. The chicken was close to its expiration date though. Both of them shrugged it off though and started cooking.

Alex chopped up the chicken as Erin cleaned it off with a brine, and afterwards she worked on boiling the quinoa and prepared the vegetables.

Alex had to remind her how to chop properly…quite a few times.

They were making honey chicken and rice, but with a little twist.

Julius always prepared the chicken for their mom using berry honey, and a little sprinkling of coriander.

Neither of them could remember WHICH berry he used, so Erin just used a bit of every flavor they had.

As Erin stirred the sauce up, she realized she was smiling, and didn't really care for it.

"Happy twelfth birthday, Erin." Julius said, handing her a present that was obviously a book.

Erin tore that wrapping off like her hands were claws and thrust the book over her head with a gasp, "A-A limited edition copy of 'To Me, From Tomorrow'?! I thought these were out of print…?"

Julius nudged his glasses and smirked, "I have my sources."

"Thank you, Uncle Julius!" She said, hugging him around the waist, his body feeling as stiff as lumber.

"You have a lot more energy these days, Erin. It must be all that time with your cousin."

Erin retreated and held the book up against her blushing face, "N-No…it's not!"

"Suuuure it's not," He said playfully, "Anyways. Are you adjusting to the new house?"

"...No." She said with sincere melancholy.

"...I thought so. I wish I could help, but…" Julius was going to lie, even she knew that much, "I'm going to depart on a…long, long business trip."

"...Why?" She whimpered.

"By the time you're older enough to understand…Hmmm…" Julius tucked his hands into his pocket and looked off into the distance.

"Do me a favor, Erin. Make sure you and your brother listen to your mother, and take good care of her for me. She's come a long way, but she's still a clumsy, silly girl at heart."

"Don't go, Julius…" Those words echoed from her mouth.

Erin saw her hand reaching out and pulled it straight back into her chest, "Grrr…"

She then glanced at Alex blissfully putting batter on the chicken and slanted her brows with a demanding punctuation in her voice, "Alex, you're NOT allowed to leave my side."

Alex recoiled and almost dropped the prongs on the floor, "I-I don't know why I would, sis, but…ok."

She returned to what she was doing, stirring the sauce at a fevered rate.

Alex looked at her and though he sighed, it was easy to smile afterwards, "You don't take crap from anyone sis. You're pretty amazing for that."

Erin slowed her roll a bit and murmured, "I know you're kissing my ass, bro, but I needed that reminder."

"T-Thanks." Alex blushed.

She nudged him with her elbow, "You're pretty useful sometimes."

Alex turned and with an "Ahem" murmured, "You're burning the sauce…sis."

Erin took the pan off and madly stirred to keep the burnt parts from settling.

After a bit of fumbling around they managed to get the plate put together. There was obvious signs they had a mistake or two, mostly in the sauce, but at least it looked like their effort.

The dog was hopping at their legs for a chance at the meal, but Erin kept the plate out of reach and gently kicked him off, "No boy."

"Haaa, Alex, can you feed him? I'll get this to mom."

She snuck into the hallway and heard her mom crying still, but she was starting to run out of steam.

She looked at the plate of food and grumbled, "Why do I have to do this…"

She entered her mom's bedroom with a grouchy expression.

She lived in the largest room in the house. A bed made for two, and plenty of rose, purples and blacks. She had travel brochures stored atop her drawers, a bunch of music posters, and her old guitar lying against her bed.

She was resting with her face buried in the pillows.

Erin took a deep breath and remarked, "Hey. Alex and I made you some food. You gotta eat sometime today."

Alura turned her head, her eyes swollen and her face damp.

Her mouth was agape as she sat up and Erin put the plate on her end table.

"Is something the matter, Miss Alura?" Julius said, putting the plate of honey chicken on the end table.

Alura kicked up her feet and sat over the bed, a bit of stiffness in her shoulders, "It's Joe Dark."

"Haaa, what did he say this time?"

Alura blinked, "Noooothing baaaaaad…"

"He complimented my looks recently. It made me very, very happy!" Alura said, still learning how to smile on cue.

"Then what appears to be the problem?" Julius inquired, telling that he already looked like he had some answers in mind.

"His promotion. I'm happy for him. Or…I want to be. But his dream of becoming President is going to take fooooooorever if he goes at this pace."

"That's the price he chooses to pay." Julius calmly remarked.

Alura puffed her cheeks and grumbled, "Well it's too expensive! If he used the funds his dad left him, we could start our own business! But he's too stubborn and it frustrates me!"

"Ha ha ha…!" Julius chuckled.

"What's so funny, Julius?" Alura said, recoiling with a blush on her face.

"How the time flies. It's only been a couple years, and you've become so expressive."

"Honestly, you're growing into a fine young woman in general, Alura. In some ways, your beauty reminds me of Sir Dark's wife."

Alura rubbed the side of her hair and after a bit of giggling, fell onto the bed and sighed, "If he's not going to make a move, then I want to. But how? How can I make a bunch of money legally?"

"There are a couple ways."

"I'm not going to go gambling, Julius." Alura said bluntly.

"...One way, then. Though this is a gamble all on its own."

Alura kicked her feet up and crossed her arms between her legs, her wide eyes and dazzled, "I'm listening."

"The stock market."

"Stock market? Oh, I heard about that. Can it really earn you money?"

"It can, if you're patient. But you devour new information so often enough that taking in all the necessary details to turn a profit might be easier than it is for most."

"But…it's not a guarantee. And there's a risk you could put a strain on your relationship with Joe Dark."

Alura shook her head, "And there's a risk if I let him follow his dreams for too long with no progress. Might as well at least TRY!"

Julius closed his eyes, "Bold, loyal. Joe Dark is honestly lucky to have found a perfect partner like you."

Alura smirked, "I know. I gotta remind him of that sometimes."

"Then I take it you're willing to take this gamble, Alura?"

"Of course!"

"Very well. But before I educate you a little," Julius stepped aside and gestured at his plate, "Try out this new recipe. Made specifically for your tastes."

"Honey chicken? But the sauce is…darker. Like blackberries."

"Try it." Julius insisted.

Alura shrugged and then picked up the fork and put a whole piece of chicken in her mouth. First she felt the crunch of the perfectly spiced breading, then the juices of the chicken filled her mouth, perfectly tender meat chewed in her teeth.

Then the sauce started breaking down, hitting her with a one-two punch of sweetness and tartness, before the juice of the chicken reinvigorated her taste buds, and began a cycle of the three flavors so long as she kept chewing.

"MMMM!" Her mouth melted into goo and she fell onto her back, fully content.

After swallowing the bite, she jumped from the bed and hugged Julius tightly, "Oh this is HEAVENLY! Thanks, dad!"

"...!" Julius shivered, and then patted her on the back of the head and whispered, "You're welcome, Alura…"

Alura looked at the dish and her eyes continued to water. She took a bite, and experienced a similar rush of flavors once more.

The tartness came in a few varieties, and the sauce was a little burnt. The chicken could've been cooked for less time, the breading was a little moist.

But when packaged in this familiar form, the memories were pulled right back to the surface, making her unable to push the food down with anything but the hardest swallow.

She then turned to her daughter and squinted her eyes into the tears were gushing out down her cheeks, "Daaaaaaaaaaad…!"

She cried out, throwing herself onto her daughter's shoulders and using her as support as her heart ached.

"H-Hang on…!" Erin tried to pull away, but her mother's grip was so tight, so full of anguish.

Erin let her have her fill of tears, as her heart filled with rage and grief.

She turned to look out at the hall, wanting for that one, important sound of a door unlocking…

But it never came.

She grit her teeth in a scowl.

"Where the HELL are you…bastard?"

…

The White House was stirring with the murmurs of a hundred or so reporters who were expecting to record today's address from the President.

But as the scheduled time hit, out popped his Vice President, the perky but sometimes questionably forward Catherine, AKA Aurian Saturn.

As she approached the podium she was immediately jumped by a question of "Where's the President?!" before she got the first "Ahem" out.

"Isn't he supposed to address the bombing in Seattle?"

"What about the rumors that he's connected to the terrorist, Julius Talbain?"

"Ms. Vice President! Answer us!"

Catherine slammed her hands on the podium and declared, "Oh geez! Read the room! Something came up, so he's not here. Now…I'll answer all your questions, as long as you promise not to spin this into some smear campaign on-"

"Tell us where the President is!"

Catherine furrowed her brows and glared at the collective audience before turning to the security guards, specifically the young lady sucking on an ice cream pop, "Boot that jerk out of here."

"Gladly." She said in a monotone voice.

As she got to work, Catherine laid her fingertips on her forehead and hid her stressed expression, but then went and smiled before whispering, "I'll hold the fort, Joe. Take as much time as you need."

…

"..." Joe Dark stared out the windows to the Oval Office. His body was anxious, but at the same time…liberated.

He turned and ran his hand atop the desk. Generations of Presidents have come and gone from this one place. His dad once worked for a man who lived here.

The desk was made of light wood, but was heavier than anything he had deemed to carry in the past.

Getting here was the easy part. Now, the true battle began…A battle that would decide the future of this world and its people.

"Taking in the moment, Sir Joseph?" He was surprised to look up and see Julius standing there as if he had always been in the room.

He brushed off his glasses and smiled, "Sorry, I let myself in. You should really ask Catherine to buff up the security around here."

"Heh," Joe laughed, "I don't think there's anyone who could catch you in the act."

He then settled into a more serious state of mind, "So did everything go ok?"

Julius nodded, "Your family has settled into their new home. And with Catherine's help, we have wiped any traces of their movement. So the paparazzi shouldn't go after them because of their ties to you."

Joe closed his eyes and nodded, "Yeah, all they have to worry about is Alura getting super popular."

"She's going to blow the world away." Julius agreed.

"Heh, yeah. She's really earned this for all her hard work and patience this last decade. Though I've been meaning to ask…you wouldn't happen to know where she got all that expertise on stock market trading, right?"

Julius wiggled his nose and smirked, "Wouldn't have the faintest clue."

"Uh huh." Joe smiled back.

Julius then put on his serious face, "Are you sure about this, Sir Joseph?"

Joe turned to look out the window, "I am worried about how this'll affect the kids. But so far, there hasn't been any signs of…problems."

"Alura said she can handle them herself, and I trust her. And if not, we both agreed she'll move them closer to Mew and the others to get back-up."

Julius breathed a sigh of relief, "It seems you have everything under control here then."

"...Not exactly," Joe furrowed his brow and turned to Julius, looking stern with his frown, "...You didn't only come here to congratulate me, did you?"

Julius lifted his head, "I must be getting old if I let you piece that together."

Joe gestured his hand out and remarked, "Julius you…you've taken care of us for 15 years now…Y-You…you can leave that old life behind.."

He then forcefully swung his hand out and started to take steps towards the man, his voice getting faster, more pained, "Catherine can wipe your slate clean! You can retire in peace…!"

Julius raised his hand before it got any closer, and then raised the other to stare at his palms, "Can that technology also clean these hands?"

"...Khh…!" Joe grabbed him by the wrists and looked him dead in the eyes, "And you think I'm any better?!"

"When you took your first life, you were but a child who didn't know any better. I made that choice as an adult…to kill in the name of love."

Joe's heart trembled.

Julius slipped his hands free of his grasp and put one on his shoulder, "I look into your eyes, Joseph, and can't help but be proud that I got to live to serve two of the most incredible, tenacious, but kind-hearted men in the world."

"You will waver, be pulled by the tides of this sea of filth you find yourself in. But you have beaten death. You have earned love. If there's any man who deserves to break this horrible cycle, it has always been YOU, Joe Dark."

Joe cried, and reverted to the boy he used to be as he gasped and begged, "Don't go…! I can't risk losing another…!"

"Yes you can…because you've gained so much more."

Echoes…his only company in the infinite darkness of space.

He stood upon the moon, staring out towards the thousands of stars that dot the horizon.

Free from the burdens of gravity. Free from the scrutiny of the public.

For the first time in years, Joe Dark was free.

His heart twisted and his stomach churned. His tears floated away from his eyes.

He had him right beside him. But he didn't do enough to hold on.

All this power…and he keeps letting those he cares about slip out of his grasp.

Did Julius die with a smile…? Was it painful…?

All these questions came with painful memories of everything the man had taught him.

Joe Dark learned temperance. He learned how to live. He learned how to love again.

None of that mattered against this overwhelming grief.

His heart finally burst, and he squeezed his fists taut until blood was drawn from his palms.

He threw his fists against the surface of the moon and the whole sphere felt the cracks.

He screamed into the infinite darkness.

It was not heard.

It was felt.

Across systems, across universes, there was brief but terrible tremor.

For just that moment, they were reminded that the Dark King existed.

What they would fail to comprehend…is that his heart could bleed. That he could cry…that he could be scared.

This was the third father he lost in his life.

But this mourning, this memory of the man he truly was…was a burden only he would ever be allowed to know about.

The rest…would eventually disappear into the shadows, much like the man himself…

Rest in peace…Julius…Talbain.

Chapter 26: Farewell to Shadows

Next Time: Learn a Lesson