AN: Hope you enjoy reading :3c

Chapter 20:

Another day, another fresh set of injuries for ol' Samuel, it seemed. But considering the power Brutus had at his disposal, he got off lucky. He appeared more interested in throwing his weight around rather than throwing punches, which was immensely fortunate for him.

And for the Pocket Netherworld.

Slight damage had been done to the main bridge when Brutus made his grand, explosive entrance. And a few of their rebels had been injured as they attempted to capture him, or at least subdue him. But they were all thrown back, with little effort.

Only Samuel succeeded in subduing him long enough for Prinny to open a portal for him to drag him through. And he only succeeded in doing so because he had countless years of experience dealing with 'enhanced' victims.

He just wished he knew how Brutus came across his Seedling. No, who gave it to him.

Brutus used the word 'enhancement'. That was no coincidence. Only those who resided in Nugatory and had dealt with Seedlings knew to use the word 'enhanced' to describe those inflicted.

But why would anyone who had witnessed a victim's death willingly inflict it onto others?

Walking into his shared bedroom, Samuel resisted the urge to sigh and to clutch his forehead. His head was starting to positively ache. It was hardly a surprise. After endless days of struggling to recall his memories, they came rushing back in a single encounter.

They were real. Everything he had struggled with, what he thought may be false or imprinted upon him by outside forces were true.

And he wished they weren't.

As if the war currently plaguing the Netherverse wasn't bad enough.

"Samuel," Killia said his name as he closed the room to their room tightly. "Why didn't you mention any of this to me before?"

That was a fair question.

Samuel turned to him and gave him an apologetic smile. "Because I wasn't sure if my memories were real or not. Nugatory, Seedlings, Halflings; they were considered nothing more than myths and legends to the rest of the Netherverse. And I was just dropped into a world I didn't know, in the middle of a war, with a head injury. Nothing made sense."

As terrible as it would be to say aloud, but if he did not have a war to busy himself with, he would have been at a lost as to what to do. No pun intended. He would have been more afraid, more frantic than he outwardly appeared.

Instead, he had something to focus his mind on. He had someone to follow.

If he hadn't met Killia…

"If I told you all of this without having seen it with your own eyes, would you have believed me?" Samuel asked.

Killia gazed silently at him for a moment before he sighed, his shoulders sagging. "Forgive me, it does sound a little unbelievable."

Samuel chuckled, trailing his fingers along the sling carrying his right arm. "No, it's fine. It's unlike anything you've heard before."

Even if Samuel was certain that his memories were true and real, he had no reason to burden Killia with them. As far as he knew, the Seedlings and Snap Draingons were confined to Nugatory. And he did not know the location of said Netherworld. With the war spreading across the entirety of the Netherverse, it was best that Samuel did not attempt to search for Nugatory, lest any of the Lost Army followed him.

As far as he knew, Nugatory and Seedlings were isolated.

Not until he heard of those rumours.

"Killia." Samuel turned to stand before Killia. "If rumours are correct, then several demons and overlords have already perished to these Seedlings. I need to find these Snap Draingons. You have your own troubles to think of."

"You can't go off on your own," Killia replied sternly. "Not after what you've said to me."

"But…" Samuel sighed, giving a slow shake of his head as a small smile appeared on his lips. "That makes me a hypocrite, I know."

He may need to be one, though.

"Yet, you're under enough stress," he said as he stepped closer. "What happened today is proof of that."

Killia winced and immediately turned his head away, to look down toward the floor. Shame and guilt in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Samuel whispered.

Killia shook his head. "No. I'm the one who should be apologising. I've done nothing but drag into one dangerous situation after another. Into a war you have absolutely no stakes in. Only recently has it truly occurred to me that, I…"

Samuel fell silent, noting that Killia's hands were curled tightly into fists by his sides. His brow was creased into a frown, scowling at the floor in a display of self-loathing. It was…painful to see.

"…You thought I died?"

"I did."

"I'm sorry." Samuel stepped forward and thumped his forehead against Killia's shoulder, startling the other man. "I just wanted to ease your burdens. I just made things worse."

Killia tensed against him, only to utter a sigh a moment later and relax. "No, you didn't do anything wrong," he said as he gingerly placed a hand against the back of Samuel's head.

"…Killia, I know about your other self."

"Yeah, Christo told me. How did you know?"

Samuel hid a small smile. "He revealed himself to me."

Killia turned his head toward him. "What?"

"It happened one night a while ago," Samuel explained. "After you learnt of the scars on my back. Killidia wanted to know who gave them to me. I couldn't answer at the time. He wanted to know so he could hunt down and kill those responsible. Then, you rolled over and went back to sleep."

"Th-that's it?"

"That was it."

Samuel lifted his head from Killia's shoulder, slipped his arm from his sling and with his hands, framed Killia's face gently, so that he could look him in the eyes. So that his next words resonated with him, to show him that he meant them with every fibre of his being.

"Killia, whether it's you or Killidia, you could never, ever do anything to hurt me. That's why I trust you so much. Why I am going to war for you. Whether you are willing to believe it or not, you have a heart of gold, and I will fight for you. Remember that."

Samuel let his hands drop away from Killia's face, his fingertips trailing softly over his cheeks and along his jawline. He took a step back. Killia was shocked, speechless, an array of differing emotions. His mind likely reeling, not knowing how to respond.

"Let's both try to get some sleep," Samuel suggested. "It's been a hell of a day for the both of us."

"Y-yeah."

Samuel glanced over at his bed as he slipped off his boots. He should probably just climb into his own bed and go to sleep. But a quiet, more devious side to him…

He slipped the sling over his head and idly tossed it onto his bed as he made his way over to Killia's. He grabbed the blankets and pulled them back, feeling Killia's confused gaze boring into the back of his head. His gaze increasing when he slipped beneath said blankets.

"What-?"

"I need to make sure you get a proper sleep without Killidia disturbing you," Samuel interrupted, scooting across the mattress to press his back against the wall next to the bed.

Killia didn't verbally respond, and Samuel didn't dare risk glancing over at him, lest he gave away the deep flush that was sure to be dusting his cheeks. He seemed to get his answer when Killia turned off the light to the room.

He was greatly relieved that Killia climbed into bed next to him. It would be humiliating should Killia choose to sleep in his bed instead.

Samuel settled on his side, his head resting on the pillow next to Killia's. He knew that he should be attempting to sleep. But there was something else he wanted to speak with Killia about.

"Killia?"

"Hm?"

"I also need to find a way back to Nugatory somehow, without the Lost knowing."

Resting on his back, Killia lolled his head to the side to look at him. Not even the darkness of the room could dim the intensity of his honey golden eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." He needed to return. "The other halflings. I need to get back to them. I was…I was their caretaker, too. I was often the one who was left to…raise them, you know. When children came in, ripped from their parents' arms. Even babies. I raised most of them."

Killia rolled onto his side so that they were lying face to face. "How long have you been in Nugatory?"

Samuel gave a small shake of his head. "I have absolutely no idea. Time means nothing there."

"Do you know where Nugatory is?"

Samuel closed his eyes. "…Above the Netherverse, under Celestia, and separated from Earth." He opened his eyes again and gave a rueful shake of his head. "That's all I know. Nugatory is a hollow Netherworld. We lived underground. Closed off, away from everyone, everything else."

That was likely on purpose.

A laugh of self-loathing suddenly bubbled up from Samuel's throat. "Well, it explains why I never really fit in here. And why everything is so foreign to me."

"I wish I had known sooner," Killia said. "You had been struggling this entire time."

"And you haven't?" Samuel promptly returned. "We've all struggled in our own ways, for our own reasons."

Killia rolled his eyes. "As usual, you're quick to push aside your own pain."

"As you are."

"I guess so."

Samuel frowned; his eyes downcast. "The other halflings…must still be suffering. I feel so guilty. In many different ways. This war, it has allowed me to see the Netherverse I would otherwise not see, and I am finding peace and happiness being with you and the others. All the while others are suffering."

He ran a hand over his face.

"I truly am an abomination."

Killia suddenly reached out to him, slipping his arms around him and pulled him toward him. Against his chest. Holding him closely. Almost…tenderly. Desperately. "Don't think like that."

Samuel's eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat as his heart did something he hadn't felt before in his life; both quickened and skipped a beat. His arms instinctively moved to touch Killia in return, but he held himself back because he…shouldn't. He couldn't.

But…he slipped his arms around Killia's waist and hugged him back, pressing his cheek against his chest to listen to his heartbeat. He knew it was wrong. He shouldn't. Killia's heart belonged to another.

Yet…just for the night, it wouldn't hurt. Would it?

"…Do you think Halflings have a place in the Netherverse?" Samuel asked with a whisper.

"Yes," Killia immediately replied, resolutely. "Everyone has the right to live. Especially you."

He hoped so…

… … … … …

Samuel hadn't realised how good it felt to have a decent night sleep. And from what he could tell, Killia had slept well as well. While Samuel awoke a couple of times due to the low ache in his arms, each time Killia had been sound asleep.

Good. That was such a relief.

With his arm in a sling, Samuel had been prevented from helping in breakfast duties, and while others may rejoice at being given time off, it made him realise how much he had come to rely on keeping himself busy.

Doing nothing but being left alone with his thoughts was not something he found partially pleasing.

So, he ducked into the kitchen to steal a couple of sardines before heading toward the main bridge. Surprisingly, the damage that had been caused yesterday had already been patched up. No doubt by Seraphina's orders. Although, he couldn't rule out the other rebels' desires to be useful as well.

Climbing the stairs, his gaze fell upon the very one he was looking for; their dimensional gate guardian.

To him, sardines did not feel like they were enough, but he knew how much Prinnies enjoyed their sardines.

"Prinny, here; sardines," Samuel said as he handed to him the carton of fishes. "You were very brave opening and shutting that dimensional portal for me."

The Prinny took the carton into his two flippers but looked up at him with a rather blank gaze. "…I don't deserve these, dood."

Samuel blinked. That was a surprise. He'd figured that the Prinny would be overjoyed with his gift as Prinnies in generally didn't receive that many. "Pardon?"

"I opened the portal before six minutes, dood."

Oh. Feeling bad about disobeying orders, perhaps?

Samuel tilted his head to the side questioningly, holding a small smile. "Well, why did you?"

"Because, dood." Prinny's eyes suddenly became wide and watery. "Because I didn't want you to die, dood!"

"I see." Samuel chuckled and patted Prinny on the head. "Then, thank you. You opening the portal may have saved my life. You deserve these sardines. So, enjoy them with the confidence that you're a valuable member of the Rebel Army."

After spending a moment reassuring the Prinny that he did the right thing, Samuel wandered over to the main console. Christo usually manned the geographical terminal at the main console, but he seemed to be absent at the moment. So, Samuel took the opportunity to plonked himself down into the high-backed chair to study the maps and atlases.

The Netherverse was truly extensive and immense, wasn't it?

…Nugatory could be any one of those little white dots in the distance.

It could even be purposely hiding itself. Or someone else was.

As important as it was for him to return to Nugatory, there was another issue that was plaguing him; the Seedlings. Rather, the aftermath of the Seedlings; the Snap Draingons. But, if they were having a hard time locating the magical spears, then the Snap Draingons were to be even more difficult.

But it wouldn't hurt to ask, would it?

He turned to one of the few Prinnies that were loitering about the area, designated to assist with any request. "I know I may be asking for the impossible here, but is it possible to search for specific plant-life or monsters from here?"

"If you're asking about the Snap Draingons, Christo has already made a request, dood," the Prinny unexpectedly revealed. "We're also filtering any gossip about any unusual deaths here, dood."

"I see, thank you."

Ah, good ol' Christo. Samuel didn't know the circumstances of why he was in the Netherverse, but thank Celestia that he was. They'd be lost without him.

No pun intended.

"You're searching for Snap Draingons?"

Samuel pivoted the chair around as Killia approached him. "I'm not going after them," he immediately reassured. He couldn't help but sigh as he turned the chair back around to look toward the hologram charts once more. "I just…want to know how many there are. Their existence equates to…how many lives have been taken. Snap Draingons can only exist after they find a host. Only after they destroyed a host."

Brutus would have just been one more unknown, unnamed victim if he hadn't attacked the Pocket Netherworld.

Yet, in his death, Samuel had been made aware of the existence of Seedlings out in the Netherverse. They shouldn't existence outside of Nugatory. How and why they were, he needed to find out.

But first, he had others he needed to protect.

Samuel turned his head toward Killia who had moved to stand beside him. "Has everyone in the Rebel Army learnt of the Seedlings and Snap Draingons?"

"We've sent out information to be on the lookout for them," Killia revealed. "And to be careful."

That was the best he could hope for.

"We got a couple of hits, dood," a Prinny suddenly stated.

Samuel sat forward in his chair. "Where?"

"A couple of Netherworlds we've yet to investigate, dood."

A couple new images flickered onto the monitors before him. Images of Netherworlds he did not know or recognise. Not that he would, of course.

Killia placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll send a couple of our Rebels down to have a look."

Samuel trailed a finger along the edge of the sling cradling his right arm. "Don't send any Prinnies. Their souls are on the line if they become victims."

They needed their souls intact if they wanted to redeem themselves and be reincarnated upon Earth once more.

Looking down at his arm, Samuel mused whether or not he would have gone and investigated even if he wasn't injured. It was his duty, his life purpose really, to hunt down Seedlings and Snap Draingons, and destroy them. He had done so his entire life. What those around him had done. What others had died doing.

Yet, that wasn't his only responsibility anymore.

Samuel placed a hand on the arm of the chair and pushed himself to his feet. Killia regarded him curiously as he stepped toward him. "Killia, as dangerous as these Snap Draingons are, you're my first priority. I'll help you with Killidia first."

Killia's eyes widened slightly, his lips parting in surprise. He soon pressed his lips together as his eyes darted to the side, looking toward the floor in an expression that could only be described as guilt. "…I'll repay you somehow," he promised.

Samuel shook his head with a small smile on his lips. "You've already done enough for me." His smile faltered as he did a half turn to look toward the monitors once more. "Although, if these reports are correct, things are going to get a lot worse."

"It's possible that the Lost have no idea what they're dealing with, and they're just using them as sacrificial lambs," Killia mused aloud.

Samuel sat himself back down into the chair. "Seems counterintuitive, with Void gathering energy. The Snap Draingons are dedicated to the Tree of Death, so they are stealing the same energy he wants. Not even he can change that."

If anything, Void might want to destroy them for getting in his way.

"We can only hope he has no idea what they are, then," Killia said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Something, or maybe someone else is involved."

Yeah, that was his greatest fear…

"Ah, Killia, a new magical spear has been located, dood!"

Killia squared his shoulders as he turned his attention to the Prinny. "Where?"

"A small Netherworld called Flowerful, dood."

Killia's eyes suddenly widened as the colour drained from his face. "Flowerful…?"