Day 0

The hearing ended. Diodora-san didn't wake up. Genshirou could see the discomfort in the other reincarnated devils, the way they struggled to keep their expressions even as the leaders of the Three Factions mused amongst themselves. And it didn't have to do with the Miracle Children that had been allowed to enter the same room, at least not completely.

"Regardless of the outcome, I'd like to apologize now that I have the opportunity." Fate Weaver placed a hand on his chest, and bowed in front of a very puzzled Rias-senpai "For the trouble, for the injuries. For all of this, really. I never intended to do anything but the right thing."

The devils took it in stride, although Genshirou could tell the discomfort increased in all of them. Even Rias-senpai, who stayed the calmest through all of this, looked away as she took stock of her peerage's reaction. And although she didn't frown or show disapproval, Genshirou felt a bit more awkward around them all the same.

"Well, this all can't end without our main star present." The leader of the fallen angels, Azazel, spoke with a bit of disappointment in his voice "I suggest a grace period: Let the little dude recover, and we all cool off in the meantime. Sounds good?"

The unwilling agreements made Star Seeker smirk even more, but Genshirou suppressed his anger in favor of shivering in fear. He'd been in the middle of all of this, and only Diodora-san's protection allowed Genshirou to go through those battles without any scars.

He tried not to think about the devil's current appearance, but the shiver in his arms betrayed his real feelings.

"..." Yuzu-san didn't look any better. Her hands were pressed so tightly that she almost drew blood with her own nails. Genshirou wanted to show support, but they were meant to be as inscopious as possible. Giving her his hand, or patting her shoulder, would draw attention to them.

So instead, Genshirou bumped shoulders with Yuzu-san. Doing his best to convey as much support as he could. Thinking that, if demonic power truly worked via imagination, then he should be able to at least do this much for her.

Week 1

Being in Kuoh wasn't the same. Something was amiss, and everyone could feel it.

"Hello, hello!" Star Seeker appearing in Kuoh Academy didn't solve this either. It took everyone by surprise, and it took Azazel's presence for every devil to stop trying to impale the half-angel to the dirt "Jeez, what an awful welcome party…"

"Sorry for intruding." Fate Weaver bowed, following Azazel at his own pace.

Genshirou felt sorrow when he noticed the Kuoh Academy uniform he wore.

"So this is how it'll be. The guys upstairs want to show that cooperation is possible, and who better for this than you young ones?" Azazel beamed "Of course, you won't be left alone. We don't want a repeat from before. So for now, call me Azazel-sensei."

A plethora of questions arised, but Genshirou's only concern came in the form of Kuroka's continued presence in Kuoh Town. Even if they managed to sneak her out, it'd still be strange if Yuzu-san and Genshirou snuck out every time they went to practice with the nekomata. Let alone how Yuzu-san would react to the Miracle Children's continued presence… Hell. Genshirou himself felt like running away then and there already.

"You, the Prison Dragon candidate." Azazel called out "You and I are missing a talk. We didn't have a chance before, so drop by my place whenever you're ready. Okay?"

"I…" Genshirou didn't want to, but he thought back to the other two "Okay."

He sighed once Azazel nodded, and the reunion between the devils and the half-angels continued. Genshirou still felt very awful about this, but the mood had changed. Now it was about responsibility, of doing something for the sake of their houses and reputations. He could tell Rias-senpai took this differently from last time, perhaps because she hadn't faced Star Seeker on that last round.

He didn't like it. So he gritted his teeth and did his best to endure, forcing the memories of Diodora-san's back protecting him as much as possible.

Week 2

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Fate Weaver demanded as Rias-senpai and Sona-kaichou's peerages stood to his side.

"I've come to see my fiancée, of course. Who would I be if I didn't show this much interest at least?" Riser Phenex sighed. Barely holding back his anger as his peerage glared daggers toward Fate Weaver.

This whole thing made Rias-senpai a bit troubled, but Genshirou's focus remained on the small tells of lifeforce he had begun detecting whenever he concentrated.

It'd seem like using his Absorption Line on Kuroka's senjutsu began paying off. Even if only as glimpses of something a lot bigger and more meaningful than Genshirou could recognize. It gave him hope, and with it came newfound strength.

Week 3

"We found the slime." Yuzu-san spoke with a tired tone, her black haired friend nodding with an equally somber expression.

"Oh? Did it grow more dangerous, meow?" Kuroka asked, resting her whole body on a thick branch amidst the trees of the forest outside of Kuoh Town.

"Eh…"

"What now?" Genshirou had to ask, forgetting what he wanted to tell Yuzu-san for a moment.

"We might be able to control it." Yuzu-san's friend, Kurokami-san, stated "Our Crossroad Hounds is a team made out of hybrids, so we have a lot of magics we can use. If what Miyu-chii said is true, then we should be able to use the Oblex to our advantage."

"Why?" Kuroka's eyes narrowed.

"I…" Yuzu-san shook her head "I have the feeling that this is important. As I understand it, that guy wanted to get rid of the slime. But he never did, and I think there's a very good reason for it."

"The Oblex is scary, meow." Kuroka mused. Shivering for a moment before continuing "That thing is probably everywhere in the Brigade. This Diodora guy didn't really like it, I could tell at a glance. But he still held something like hope for the slime. This might be a dangerous move, but I'll help however I can too… Meow."

Kurokami-san nodded, and Yuzu-san sighed.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it, meow." Kuroka scratched her cat ear "As long as Shirone insists on staying, I'll do my best to keep everything stable for her."

"Ah! Speaking of stable…" Genshirou balled his fists "I wanted to ask for a favor…"

"What is it?"

"I… Y'know, since those guys arrived… I don't feel like Kuoh Town is a safe place." Genshirou made a face, feeling out of breath for a moment "I feel like those guys are testing me, like they'll attack at any moment."

Yuzu-san nodded. Perhaps she felt the same way, but she didn't interrupt.

"So I started having nightmares. I'm afraid one of them will follow me and attack my siblings when I'm gone, just for the fun of it." Genshirou swallowed "I… Yuzu-san, is there a way to hide them away? Keep them safe while the Miracle Children are in town."

Yuzu-san turned to her friend.

"We can take them in, keep them in the dark about all of this…" Kurokami-san frowned "Is visiting on the weekends alright?"

Genshirou swallowed again.

"I… I guess…"

"Talk about this with the Gremory heiress, meow." Kuroka yawned "Use it as an excuse to leave town without being followed, so we can get down to business. She'll understand and won't pry too much, meow."

"We can work something out." Yuzu-san nodded.

Genshirou still felt awful about it.

Month 1

"What do you mean I'll get transferred?!" Genshirou yelled as the devils' expression fell. They had been somewhat happy for him, but seeing his reaction made the mood waste away almost immediately "But I am Diodora-san's Bishop!"

"That's true." Latia Astaroth nodded, solemnity written all over her face as she took Genshirou's yelling without protest "But Diodora's in no place to take care of you, and our house is in a bad shape after… Well, Diodora's parents were assassinated."

Everyone's reaction made it clear that no one had heard the news, but Genshirou's anger prevented him from taking them all before speaking again.

"So what? I'm still…!"

"Rias will take good care of you." Latia interrupted, a bit angrier when Genshirou ignored the sensitive topic of her relatives' demise "This is so you can stay at Kuoh. We're freeing you from your ties to our household, and so you won't sink with us. When Diodora wakes up, he'll decide whether he wants you back or not."

"Don't worry, Genshirou." Rias-senpai tried to sound kind, but things were advancing way too fast even for her "I'll take care of your needs, and your siblings' needs. Everything will be the same."

The same, huh.

Month 3

"I… Abdicate…" A woman wearing nun clothes and with a dead expression stated, staring at Azazel for a moment before continuing "I've… Killed enough… Children…"

"I'm also not interested." A black man with circular scars all over his body shook his head "I use my power to protect kids his age, Azazel! I'm not fighting him just so I can ascend or whatever."

The fallen angel nodded, thanking them for their time. Belen Murray and Ash Beast left on their own, with the man encouraging Genshirou to stick to his beliefs and to eat well. It felt… Weird. Because the two of them gave off the same feeling that Elijah the Witch Hunter had given Genshirou, but otherwise they hadn't even thought that long about Azazel's offer. Which didn't seem to surprise the fallen angel.

"Guess I'll give you my Blaze Black Flare, then." Azazel patted Genshirou on the shoulder "Congratulations."

"That was their Sacred Gear?" Genshirou asked.

"Yep. Belen is an executioner of the church, basically raised for it." Azazel explained "Ash Beast awakened his Sacred Gear in the middle of a war. He's been taking refugees all around Africa ever since, drawing in the combatants so people can escape."

Genshirou mused about it for a moment.

"You knew they'd refuse."

"You heard the guy, and Belen is in a better place now. I suspected they'd rather keep their Sacred Gear and live rather than either die or have your blood in their hands."

"Then why?"

Azazel hummed for a moment.

"To make a point." He stated "To show you why I didn't forcefully create the new Prison Dragon myself."

Month 5

"I hate this, I hate it here." Star Seeker complained, following Genshirou while he tried to shake her off to go train with Kuroka.

"Shiki's a cute name." Genshirou didn't know what else to say.

"But it's not my name!"

"I mean… Your name is weird."

"It's not weird. It's cool." Star Seeker insisted, crossing her arms "Do you think your name is weird?"

"What?" Genshirou was stunned at the question.

"No, right? Through all your life, that's been your name." Star Seeker pouted "It's the same for me. Not a title, not a nickname. I've always been Star Seeker. It's just what my name is."

"You're supposed to be incognito." Genshirou argued "Besides, the other guy seems to be faring way better."

"Nasu knows both of his parents, and the guy even got a human name ready." Star Seeker scoffed "Hyoudou Issei… What's so normal about it?"

Genshirou fell silent again.

"You don't know your parents?"

"I know my mom. She's always been so proud of having me." Star Seeker puffed her chest with pride "I'm the best thing she's ever made but… I don't know my dad."

Genshirou blinked.

"So you have no idea which angel had you?"

Star Seeker's usually cheerful, if annoying, mood got colder for a moment. It was perhaps the first time that Genshirou had seen her this… Human.

"No."

Genshirou's second high school year

"You look terrible, Yuzu-san." Genshirou walked to the table with two burgers and drinks, seeing the raven haired girl release a sigh as she took her own stuff.

"There's so much to do… The Khaos Brigade has been moving, so we've been trying to prevent their biggest plans." She sighed, and took a bite of the burger without taking out the wrapping first "The slime's working nonstop, but it feels like it's me the one doing all of the heavy lifting."

"Has it caused problems?"

"It's too good." Yuzu-san spat the paper before swallowing her food "I understand now why the lord kept it around. I know almost their every move, but there's so little that we can do… It's just too much."

"It's okay. You're doing great."

"And it's just barely enough." Yuzu-san slammed her hand on the table, almost breaking it "Damn it. Why is this so complicated?"

"If it was easy, anyone would be able to do it."

"But I need to get it done…" Yuzu-san gritted her teeth "Anyways… Got any info for me?"

"Eh, everything's alright." Genshirou shrugged "The Miracle Children are behaving now. I think everyone got used to the current status quo."

"Look at you, saying things like 'status quo'. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you're growing smart." Yuzu-san kept eating, looking a bit smug now.

"I'm studying."

"Good for you."

"I also got the final Vritra Sacred Gear." Genshirou got more serious now "Azazel is waiting to see if something happens, but I think the dragon won't awaken by itself."

"I see…" Yuzu-san looked away "Well, as long as you keep growing stronger that's not a problem."

Genshirou nodded.

"If worst comes to worst you…" Yuzu-san frowned "No, never mind."

Genshirou didn't need to hear it. He knew now why Diodora-san had reincarnated him.

And he could only hope he'd grow to rival the Heavenly Dragons in time.

Month 14

"That's right, Gen-kun. Just like that." Akeno-senpai nodded, using a whip to raise the tempo while Genshirou tried to mimic her movements "Don't lose your timing, don't stop moving."

Her whip cracking classes started paying off. And Genshirou felt more comfortable following her lead as everyone else trained their respective fighting styles. He'd train with Kiba afterward, to see how he'd do against swordsmanship with his newfound whip skills… He still found it bizarre that Akeno-senpai was so good at this, but something deep within him told him he shouldn't ask about it. So he didn't.

On the other side of the training field, Fate Weaver used his huge sword-like Sacred Gear to parry Kiba's unrelenting attacks.

"C'mon, dude. You're so easy to read!" The half-angel swung upwards and cut through Kiba's sword with ease, using the bizarre scabbard to block a thrust without breaking a sweat.

[BOOST]

"And that's the tenth. You lose." Fate Weaver cheered as Kiba dropped his stance, heaving hard while trying to catch his breath.

Genshirou repeated those movements in his mind. Over and over again. Trying to follow the logic, find the gap.

"Well, Nasu knows his father's sword style after all." Shiki commented with a small smile. Genshirou had come to understand that this girl didn't really have another expression, that she always had her lips stretched like that. Even if she didn't feel happy at all "The Hyoudou style, or whatever. He's been training basically since he can walk."

"A little before that, actually." Fate Weaver chuckled. It hadn't been funny.

"Again." Kiba stretched his back, summoning another blade for his dual wielding stance.

"Relax, Kiba. We can take this easy if you want." Fate Weaver smiled awkwardly, offering Kiba a hand "Five minutes to cool off?"

Kiba simply shook his head, dropping sweat to the grass in the process.

"Again." Kiba insisted between deep breaths.

Fate Weaver frowned.

"Well… Alright then."

Month 18

"What is this, meow?" Kuroka asked, disguised as a normal black cat, once Yuzu-san arrived at their spot.

The half-devil had thrown a big pile of slime while looking burned in several places, with a Stain-body following behind with a couple of girls that seemed to have animal traits like Kuroka.

"Is this… Is this thing alive…?" Yuzu-san heaved, looking more pissed than tired but still injured really badly.

"No, meow."

"What happened?" Genshirou couldn't help asking, already worried beyond measurement.

"This one had an offspring." Stain explained in that monotone tone it used.

"What?"

"I didn't know this thing would duplicate after eating so many people." Yuzu-san sent a scornful glare at the slime "But since it's not Stain, it didn't obey. So we had to kill it."

"Did this happen before?" Genshirou asked.

"This one warned the Lord when first recruited, but measurements were taken so nothing bad happened. This one's first offspring after being recruited was delivered back to the amazon tribe this one originally came from."

"Why didn't you tell us, then?" Yuzu-san suppressed a scream.

Although the creature's expression didn't change, Genshirou could feel the change in the mood as the creature stared at Yuzu-san.

"You are not this one's real master."

Genshirou's third high school year

"Alright. Time's up." Azazel-sensei got them all together, before classes started.

The overall move had improved, but the Miracle Children looked kind of disappointed. Perhaps, now that Genshirou thought about it, things had gone way too smoothly. But given how Azazel-sensei's expression didn't reveal anything, Genshirou had to wait to see what was happening.

"As agreed, you two are now faced with a choice: Do you want to stay here, or would you want to go back to the church?" Azazel-sensei turned to Rias-buchou "That is, of course, if the little ladies have no issues about this."

"None." Sitri-kaichou replied immediately "They have behaved, and barring some social faux pases, I'm okay with this outcome."

She glared at Shiki, who simply stuck out her tongue.

Rias-buchou shook her head.

"I don't mind either." Her peerage's mood worsened, but only a bit. Everyone had gotten so used to the Miracle Children at this point, that they only remembered why they were there to begin with now.

Had Azazel-sensei meant to do this? Genshirou didn't know, but had grown to see that he never did anything without purpose.

"I see. In that case…?"

"I want to stay." Fate Weaver clasped his chest "I've loved my stay here, and I want to get to know everyone better! The normalcy is also nice and…"

He stared at his cousin, who had a small smile without it reaching her eyes.

"We're a package deal, right?"

Azazel nodded.

"Jeez…" Shiki covered her eyes "Fine. I'll stay with Nasu, but I want everyone to know that as soon as this school year is over, I'll be back to my place."

"That's not for me to tell." Azazel grinned "Alright then. Everyone, you're dismissed. Do your best this year as well."

Genshirou closed his eyes, letting his head hang.

Another year with them present, huh. And yet, Didora-san hadn't…

Ugly feelings stirred within him, seeing that damaged face in his mind's eyes again. It reignited something within him, reminded him he wasn't done doing his best.

A black cat scratched at the room's window.

Present

When he wasn't burning, he drowned. And when he didn't drown, he was buried alive. Dirt filling every gap and cranny of his body.

Diodora wanted to scream, to tear his own skin off. But he had been paralyzed. Forever trapped between suffering and the coldness of the void when no sensation managed to reach him.

He detected, rather than feel, the presences all around him. Or maybe it was a singular being too great to be interpreted as something as massive as it really was. Sometimes he'd see Olivia's scornful expression, glaring at him from beyond the flames. Sometimes he'd see his previous family, or the other ex-holy maidens that Stain devoured.

No respite.

He had no idea how much time passed, yet he held the distinctive feeling that he'd be able to count every second accurately. That he'd be able to tell, if he tried, just how long he had been in this personal hell.

And yet, with every waking moment (if he could even call it that) the hotness of the fire receded. The pressure around his lessened, the oxygen in the water increased.

At first he was completely insensate. A simple creature trying to scream in anguish, without even the ability to cry for help or beg for the pain to stop. But as time went by, he recovered his consciousness. He was able to piece back his mind when nothing happened, and the void embracing him in its coldness made him feel numb. Which would be the closest thing to a coherent thought that he'd get.

Diodora started regaining his strength, and with it he began to cope. By the time he realized he was hallucinating and experiencing all of these things in patterns, he could do something about it. He could channel his demonic power, augment himself, protect his softest parts from the worst pains.

He still didn't realize all of that wasn't real, but the need to adapt and overcome fueled his decisions. And so he chose to push back, never faltering. He fell to despair, but that didn't mean he could just give up. Only his will and demonic power staved off the worst to come, so he didn't have the luxury to give up.

Slowly, his body healed. Helped along by the Phenex tears and other esoteric cocktails injected into his body. By the time he started coming to his senses, the assault on his mind had lessened to the point that he wondered if he could go into the offensive. To push back instead of defending. And so, in the final moment of cold embrace, Diodora pushed out.

Diodora opened his eyes, startling himself awake and feeling sore enough to think that he had been mummified. He groaned and turned in place, narrowly missing falling to the ground as he realized that he had edged too far from the center of the bed. So he just rolled back to his initial position.

"..."

He didn't recognize the ceiling or the room, and his throat felt so dry that if it crumbled to dust he wouldn't be surprised. So he pushed demonic power to his… Everything, really. Getting a bit more range of movement as he gathered his thoughts, trying to remember what happened last.

Hyoudou Issei, the teleportation… Star Seeker.

Diodora covered his face, seeing his hands fully bandaged for the first time. And feeling them so stiff that he actually had to peel some of the bandages away to check why he felt so wrong about them.

The scars left behind made him shiver, and he chose to pretend he hadn't seen. At least for now.

He sat up, feeling his strength fail him. His very muscles demanded he stayed put, but he ignored them. It took a bit, but he got to his feet and slowly took his first steps. One each four seconds.

He found his strength lacking, and he lost his balance. Stain was there to catch him.

"You're here." Diodora wheezed, feeling the whole thing unreal. Almost as if he expected to wake back up as ****** instead of Diodora.

"This one has waited for you." Stain mumbled, getting Diodora back to his feet.

"You didn't eat me." He felt honestly surprised. Now that he thought more clearly, it was simply obvious that any prolonged separation would cause the Oblex to try and seek him out, maybe even revert to a more feral state.

"Not for a lack of wanting." Stain accepted, stopping pushing Diodora when he tensed due to the confession.

"What… What happened?" Diodora got his thoughts back together, feeling dizzy all of a sudden "How long was I out."

"It's March, so… About a year and a half."

"A year and…" Diodora felt weak again, but he didn't fall.

"They are waiting for the Lord." Stain commented.

"Who?"

"Saji Genshirou, Toujou Kuroka, Miyuzuin Yaegaki-Belial." Stain explained "They've used this one to their own ends, but this one knows they expect the Lord back."

Stain lifted its head slightly, looking onward. Miyuzuin appeared in Diodora's field of vision, looking older and more mature. With her hair shorter, and her aquamarine eyes shone with less light than Diodora remembered.

"Yuni." Diodora whispered, and the girl took brisk steps toward him.

"Stain, stand back."

"No." The creature replied immediately, which caught Miyuzuin by surprise.

"Stain…"

"I'll fall." Diodora interjected "Could you…?"

"Right." Miyuzuin closed her eyes, covering them as she struggled against whatever she was feeling "Right. It'll obey you, of course."

"For now." Diodora added.

"I…" Miyuzuin took a deep breath "You're actually alive."

"So it seems." Diodora looked at himself, all covered up in bandages and a hospital gown "I made you guys wait."

Miyuzuin smiled bitterly.

"It's been rough." She agreed "But we pulled through. I was actually ready to move on, you know. But Gen-kun was still here, and Kuroka wouldn't leave little Shirone behind and…"

She shook her head, looking like she felt dumb from explaining all of this.

"I'm glad you're alive, Lord Diodora."

That made the devil raise an eyebrow.

"Where is that 'lord' coming from?"

Miyuzuin looked a bit embarrassed.

"I… It was supposed to be an ironic thing. I-I don't actually know when it stuck." She looked away.

"I don't hate it." Diodora mused.

"Stop that. It's not…" Miyuzuin frowned "Not the time. Actually, you coming back is sort of a problem."

"How so?" Diodora fuelled his mental spell, feeling lucid enough for the backlash of suddenly thinking coldly and a step removed from his feelings.

"There was a meeting and… It's a bit of a long story, but now that you're here, they'll probably come back to ask questions. And I'm pretty sure Fate Weaver knows about you-know-what." Miyuzuin stared at Diodora "Lord. We did not wait for you just out of the goodness of our heart. Your choices here will affect us all, and not just because we've been waiting for you all along."

Diodora nodded.

"What do you need?"

"I…" Miyuzuin left her mouth open, thinking "I used to think I wanted peace to happen, that if we did it right everything would turn out okay…"

Her eyes became sharper, glaring at something well beyond Diodora's understanding.

"But now I know that's not nearly enough. We have the tools, I managed your slime thus far and now see what you were trying to accomplish. But we'll be purged. We'll become criminals if we just come out like that." Miyuzuin pointed a finger at Diodora "But not you. You're one of the blessed. If you put your face forward, we'll make it. And we'll make it in spite of everything."

Diodora held his breath for a moment.

"Lord Diodora, I want my name in the hall of fame. It's not enough that I'm Yuni the exorcist for hire. I don't want to live forever in fear of the people that would hunt me down. I want a world where I can run freely, I want to be seen as Miyuzuin by everyone." Miyuzuin dropped her hand, staring holes through Diodora's face.

He chuckled.

"Would you look at that? The little girl has a big dream to make come true."

"I'll fight you if I must." Miyuzuin threatened, body tensing with an energy Diodora only just noticed she was exuding.

"You mustn't." Diodora reached out, and grabbed the back of Miyuzuin's head. He pulled, and placed his lips on her forehead "You did well, Miyuzuin. Thanks to you, there's a chance."

The girl looked a bit startled once Diodora released her. He didn't find it funny due to his mental spell, but he did the motion of chuckling all the same. For her benefit.

"Stain. Did you grow like I wanted?"

"That is so." The slime replied.

"Good." Diodora licked his lips "We have everything we need, then."

"Meaning?" Miyuzuin pulled herself back together, showing a serious expression in spite of how little Diodora had answered.

"Tell me what to expect." Diodora said instead of answering "I'll show you why Stain is so crucial for all of this. You want me to weather the storm? Fine by me. I'll make your dream come true."

Now he pointed a finger at Miyuzuin, feeling reinvigorated as he spoke and breathed freely for the first time in a long while. His body felt more alive as he spoke, and the memory of the Miracle Children gave him back a form of vitality that he knew very well.

The need to pay them back for what they did.

"But just remember: You're making a deal with the devil. You'll be mine, Miyuzuin. Not like Stain is mine, but like my demonic power is owned by me. I'll give out orders, and you will obey them. I'll give you glory, and you will take it. Nothing more, nothing less." Diodora opened his hand, inviting the girl to take it.

Miyuzuin scoffed.

"What's stopping me from walking out and throwing you under the bus?" Her tone was half-joking, but Diodora had the feeling she wouldn't even hesitate "It's been way too long to pull these sort of jokes."

Diodora smirked, letting his hand down.

"Perhaps a demonstration is in order."

"It always is." Miyuzuin crossed her arms "Show, don't tell. As they say."

"Too bad." Diodora shrugged "We'll go at my rhythm, then."

Miyuzuin scoffed.

"Hurry up and do your part." She looked away, at the window beyond the room he awoke in "I have the feeling Fate Weaver hasn't forgiven you either."

"Let's count on it." Diodora shook his head "Go tell the others I'm awake. Stain… Update me on what's going on."