Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) during these serious encounters… especially for the one who feels almost nothing.
~保護者~
"Deficits"
~保護者~
She wasn't nervous. She was… excited. Eila felt a distinct pleasure at the idea of finally getting to eradicate the Nocturnians and the Metarex. To a point, it vaguely concerned her that she liked the idea of committing genocide. It didn't matter, though. Their existence put the few people she cared about in danger. That would simply not work for her. She would personally make the universe safer for her only friends if she had to.
A specially crafted spell was finally finished, too. Something modeled after the spell that originally wiped out the vast majority of the Nocturne Clan - Han's spell. She couldn't cast something with Hexan magic, so instead she forged something brand new with Light magic. Focusing on that was distracting her, leaving her more… bloodthirsty. But she still needed Haru. Without him, this task would be far more difficult. Eila appeared in the Highlands beside him without the slightest hesitation. "I'm ready. How are you feeling?"
Haru had always been a light sleeper even by chameleon standards, so he was awake before she even spoke. He sighed and sat up. "Well enough. I take it you're leaving right now?"
"Yeah, unless you need a minute," Eila replied easily. "I won't make you leave instantly, but my preparations are finished." She took note of the fact that he woke up quickly, deciding to simply remember that for later.
"I've got nothing to grab or prepare. Let's just get going." Haru went ahead and stood. Fighting unarmed wasn't his favorite thing to do, but he was more than capable.
Eila glanced over him and raised an eyebrow. "Didn't take chameleons to be the kind to not have dozens of weapons. Figure you'd at least have a sword of some kind."
"My son now wields my favored sword," Haru shrugged. "I assume the rest of what I once owned has been lost to the sands of time by now. At some point I will get something new."
She huffed at him and held out her hand, conjuring a sword with her magic. "It's basic and will shatter if you use your Darkness with it, but I'm not letting you walk into this unarmed. Chameleon or not, you're still healing."
Her words earned her a sigh in response, but Haru was usually a reasonable and logical person, so he took the sword. "Yeah, alright. Fine. I'll keep that in mind."
Eila turned and took a breath to steady her thoughts. "Your friend's not here to mentally scream at me."
"No. I assume he's visiting a woman he deems 'irritating'." Haru let out another sort of huff, but this one was decidedly more amused. "I likewise am forced to assume that they aren't just visiting."
This brought a question to her mind, one that she voiced all too quickly. "Do you find me irritating?"
His head canted and he thought that over. "Yeah, you can be," he declared easily. "But, to me, so can most anyone else. If it's any consolation, you've so far never irritated me much. Or frequently."
"So I am not noteworthy," Eila huffed, closing her eyes.
"Untrue," he answered with a roll of his own eyes. "Generally speaking, chameleons do not enjoy being irritated. We give more care and whatnot toward those who do not cause those feelings much, if at all. Ryuji appears to just be… unique in his opinions." As he spoke, he debated why she had brought this up at all, though he certainly had a few suspicions at this point.
"Mm." Eila shrugged. "Focus yourself. Once we arrive, simply follow my lead. I will face the ones with magic, while you handle those who fight physically. They will not be able to give you much trouble, since they will also be fighting me. Simply end them quickly and we should be back here in the next half hour."
"Ryōkai," Haru answered quietly in agreement. Then he said in the universal language to clarify after a second's thought, "Understood."
Eila glanced back, blinking. "I understood you the first time."
"If you're to be spending more time here, I will ensure you can at least understand Japanese more than just 'vaguely'," Haru huffed, since that was the language he'd just spoken. "Now let's go already. Quit delaying shit."
Isn't that what I just said? Eila frowned before simply grabbing his wrist and teleporting them both away. They appeared well outside the orbit of the planet she'd surveyed already. "The Nocturne Clan is here. Stand back and do not let this spell touch you. I fear for your safety if you do not heed those words." Haru nodded, eyes on the planet far, far below them.
Eila took one long, deep breath as she extended her hands toward the planet. This was very likely to gather attention, but they would be gone so fast that it wasn't going to matter. Light magic gathered around the evil-infested world and formed a massive mirage of a sun-like solar body. The silence was only broken with two words. "Celestial Cataclysm." The surface of the world erupted in explosions that tore massive holes in the planet's surface, instantaneously ending the lives of all but two beings. Shade was protected by Ix… like I planned.
Being a chameleon, a race with zero magic of any sort, a display like this was quite an unusual thing for Haru to witness. His eyebrows raised and he let out a soft, "Well then," in spite of himself.
"I had hoped my predictions would be incorrect, but it remains that Ix and Shade live. I must speak to them briefly before their lives end. The moment I attack, enter the atmosphere and engage the woman," Eila demanded gently, ignoring his reaction for now. "Even if I appear to be in danger."
"You can handle yourself, and I am aware of that," he asserted. "I will not be rash or rush things. Do whatever you feel you need to do."
Eila vanished no sooner than he finished that statement, calmly approaching Ix and Shade. "I had hoped that you two would fail to survive that attack. Color me impressed that you mustered the strength to survive something of that scale."
Shade predictably growled, but Ix held her back by shifting his staff into her path. His hateful eyes glared at Eila, assessing, for a moment before he spoke. "So the witch lives. Color me impressed as well."
"I was always so much more than either of you could wish to be," Eila answered with a soft smirk. "Even in that… lesser form of mine."
"'Lesser'... Indeed." Ix retracted his staff. The gem atop it began to glow darkly, though he didn't attack yet. "Are you merely here to boast, or do you have something of substance to say for once in your misbegotten life?"
"I suppose I do have something to say," Eila murmured. "I've come for your lives, both of you. You will never see the light of the universe again, nor will you leave this planet alive. Do you have final words before I do the work of the reapers of Death?"
"You think yourself strong enough to kill us alone?" Shade hissed. "Not even that damned child from our ancient past managed that."
That was amusing. Eila laughed. "Oh, for you to think in such delusions that either of you could ever match up to what I've become. Do you understand that you're only alive because I haven't yet killed you? Because I wanted to taunt you? I destroyed your entire race so that I could enjoy ripping you apart." Eila took a deep breath and chuckled. "Oh, but you're so short-sighted. You never could have seen it coming…"
Ix slowly aimed his staff at her. "I killed the Lost Prince and his partner single handedly. I will do the same to you with ease."
"I controlled an Immortal with my mind," Eila said with a grin. "Alone. You. Are. Nothing."
"You are the only one who is alone, witch," Shade muttered. "And we will not fall for any of your fanciful tales any longer."
"Bleak Expanse." The planet was immediately encased in ice as Eila cast her magic, letting it flow freely for the first time in years. Oh, how good it felt to let loose of her control. "You're both destined to die."
"That accursed child is not here, nor is the man called Sade," Ix said. He protected himself and Shade without a word. "Only they and Sonic have ever defeated us. You are nothing like them."
For just a moment, she thought about letting this go on, allowing him to keep running his mouth. She decided against it, raising a hand. "Absolute." Ice converged around Ix's magical protection, forming a bubble around the two that was rapidly compressing itself. He pressed back against her attack and tried to counter her ice with fire magic. What he failed to realize was the scale at which her spell was cast, cascading upon them faster as it merely froze back. Then, it all shattered and collapsed in on his magic, tearing it apart and peppering the area in deadly explosions.
Haru appeared beside her, his eyebrows again raised. "And here I thought you cats hated the cold." He eyed Ix and Shade with obvious distaste. "I recognize you clowns. Thought some kid kicked your asses. Didn't have enough then, huh?" Shade lunged as she was prone to do as a result of her temper, but he side-stepped her poor attempt at an attack and stomped her down. She was soundly pinned by his boot digging into her ribcage. "Don't try that again, dumbass."
Eila strutted forward and waved her fingers, enchanting the other woman's sword to be impossible to lift while her eyes remained on Ix. "Surrender and your death is swift and painless. Otherwise it's going to be a bad ending for you."
"Why give them the option?" Haru frowned. "May as well make it shitty for them. They deserve it." Ix didn't answer, merely began gathering more magic into his staff.
"I have another race to remove from existence," Eila huffed. "The less energy I have to waste, the better." The magic gathering in Ix's staff didn't escape her notice, but she didn't care.
"Then go deal with them," Haru dismissed. "I can handle these two." He was very quick to redirect Ix's subsequent magical attack (he was no expert, but it looked explosive and fiery in nature to him) using his Darkness. Though, he was careful to keep his temporary sword away from said Darkness so that it wouldn't break.
"Fine," Eila muttered, snapping her fingers. "Chains of Eminence." Ethereal chains snapped to life around Ix's limbs and ripped the staff out of his hand, binding him in place. "There. Poor fool fucked himself over."
"Clearly." Haru almost idly kicked Shade away, disrupting her vain efforts to pick up her weapon, then used his own to stab through her torso and deep into the ground. Through that method, she was likewise trapped where she was.
There was a dark smile on Eila's face at the sight of this all, but there was more to do. "Don't hurt yourself," was the only warning she gave as she teleported away again. She disappeared just slow enough for his casual middle finger to be briefly seen.
That act was promptly ignored as she calmly approached the Metarex army. As had always been the case, they were gathered together in a massive crowd in a vast expanse of empty space. She didn't dare waste the same energy she had on the Nocturne Clan. There was far less hatred in her for this race than the former. Any that dared to come close were eviscerated and discarded as she blazed a path to their leaders.
"Dark Oak!" Eila shouted, waving her hand to clear a bunched up group of enemies in her way. "I want to speak to you."
The large metallic being soon flew into view. Of course, there was no expression to see, no aura to feel. Which meant that there were no emotions to notice. If he was at all surprised or confused, there was no way to tell. "What do you want, intruder?"
"I came with some important news for you and your people," Eila said, standing with her hands on her hips. "Figured I should tell you face-to-face before it became important." He regarded her silently, unmoved by her statement so far. Eila waited a moment before raising a hand. "The message is that you're all dead. Gravity Well."
A force akin to the gravity at the core of a planet appeared in the midst of the Metarex, drawing them in and crushing them all to death. Anyone that survived being pulled in was condemned to feel their body being compressed until there was no longer anything left of them alive.
Only when she felt confident that they were all dead or in the process of dying did she end it. "Combustion Point." The remains of these bodies were promptly incinerated with the heat of intense magical flames, leaving nothing behind.
With a satisfied smile, Eila teleported back to Haru, hands on her hips. Just as she had ended her "fight" quickly, he had done the same. Ix and Shade lay dead by his feet, riddled with stab and slash wounds and conspicuously missing their heads. He looked uniquely vexed, but was unhurt.
Eila was visibly pleased by the sight, knowing full well that she was correct to trust him. "Thank you greatly, Haru. Your aid was incredibly helpful."
"Yeah. Doubt you really needed it, but I'm happy to kill fuck-heads like them." Haru kicked one of the heads away from his foot. "For the record, this is what happens to most people who irritate chameleons. Be glad you aren't irritating."
The cat walked up to Haru and boldly grabbed his arms. "Oh, I'm pleased to know that you don't hate me." She smiled and leaned in for a second, staring him in the eyes.
It was only then that something most chameleons rarely gave much thought abruptly clicked in Haru's head. Ah, hell. I know what's happening. He normally would have had no issues just going along with it, but… so far she had proven herself to be a worthwhile ally. Someone respectable and very much not just some stranger to spend some time with once and then forget about. So, for now, he went ahead and gave her the necessary space for her to think more clearly. "Breathe for a moment. Focus on something else until your head is clear once more. We can discuss this then."
Eila's eyes refocused themselves and she blinked. It took her several seconds to relax from the sudden fluctuation of emotion, but when she did… she frowned. "What the hell? What's happening?" she demanded gently, crossing her arms as she looked over his body. Something about him simply demands my attention and leaves me… ugh. Why?
Haru rubbed a hand over his face in frustration. This is set up to be one of the strangest conversations in my life. "Look, my people have a reputation for seduction and the like for a reason. It's not just that we have skills related to that sort of thing, there's a sort of ability as well. We don't do it consciously, we can't 'turn it off', nothing like that. Most of us never even think about it. That draw you've been feeling? That force clouding your mind and influencing your behavior? Those are effects of that ability."
The cat stood there in brief silence, making mental notes of everything she was told. It sounded about right, and explained why (even with her mental fortitude) it still affected her. Eila thought this through before walking up to him and wrapping a coil of her magic around his body. "I suppose it does not help that I am at least vaguely interested outside of this, yes?"
He huffed, watching her closely. "No, it wouldn't help," he confirmed.
Eila visibly hesitated for a second, then pulled him closer and wrapped her arms around him gently. It was… similar to how she felt with Cyril before, she would admit. However… "Regardless… forgive me for some of my more forward actions. I would not have imposed myself so heavily had I known to resist that ability of yours."
"If I cared, I would have done something to stop you by now," Haru answered with a roll of his eyes. "Most likely, just by ignoring it and you."
"That would have proven difficult," Eila replied. "I am persistent, and my thoughts have been very… focused on you as of late."
"'Persistent'? Try 'stubborn'." Haru took a turn thinking things over before continuing. "Looks like the only question now is what it is you intend to do."
"We're going back to the Highlands, and I'm making a temporary home so that we don't have to put up with your friend suddenly returning," Eila answered, pulling back and removing the magic from around him. He raised his eyebrows at her like he found himself often doing today. The cat only blinked, assuming that would make enough sense for him to understand.
When she said nothing more, he gave in and let out a rare laugh. "Maybe you aren't so different from my people after all. If you're set on this, you won't hear any arguments from me. Let's go."
Eila let out a little huff. "You would not have won the argument. I like getting my way." She didn't let him reply, teleporting them both back to Mobius and making good on her word in quick fashion. They were about to be quite busy.
~保護者~
With multiple beats of his wings, Pyros slowed his speed and lowered his altitude until he came to a relatively gentle landing on the ground. He folded said wings neatly against his back while sniffing the air. "I don't get it," he grumbled. "Kaden's scent's just gone. What the hell happened to it? It's like it was never here to begin with."
Kalek frowned visibly as he landed some couple feet from Pyros, walking up to where the scent ended. "Odd. Scent woulda moved somewhere if he just teleported, yeah?"
"Yeah, it would have," Pyros grunted. He drew in another great and let it break out, which did nothing time abate his confusion. The fuck, man? You know what, screw this. Focusing his mind, he decided to try to reach his old friend a different way. Namely, via Kaden's telepathy. Pyros didn't have his own, but he was pretty sure this would work regardless. "Oi, if you can hear me then get your ass over here!" Crossing his arms, he said out loud. "S'pose we just wait now."
"Figures, waiting on Kaden is probably a pastime for us," Kalek laughed, laying himself out in the grass to relax.
"No kidding," Pyros grunted. "Guy refuses to go through life at any pace other than the one he sets."
Kalek laughed again, shaking his head. "No shit. Man is difficult to handle at times."
"You don't know the half of it. Do you know how many times I had to beat things into his stubborn head, growing up, before he'd start to listen?" Pyros let out a sort of growling huff. "Pain in the ass that he is, though… it'll be good to see him again." While we're both alive, especially.
"Heh, no kidding. One of the few people I can ever respect," Kalek added, thinking fondly. "Though, probably for reasons that don't align with why you would."
"Pray tell," Pyros said, eyes rolling.
"I kinda had to follow him as a leader," Kalek replied. "Before I knew it, the man actually had my respect. He was strong as hell, made good decisions, and didn't let shit slide."
Pyros watched him closely. You may be hiding them, but don't think I don't know what emotions you're dealing with right now. "Yeah. Sure."
Kalek tilted his head somewhat, then looked between the two. "Fair enough, I suppose. You sticking around on this planet?"
"That sounds like him," Pyros had to agree. "He might be stubborn to a fault sometimes, and a petty asshole to boot, but he's a good leader. A great one, even."
Kalek shrugged a bit in reply, allowing himself to agree with the other dragon. "Hah, yeah."
They lapsed into silence. It wasn't awkward or otherwise uncomfortable but, of course, right when Pyros wondered if it was going to be… that was when Kaden deigned to grace them with his presence. He took one look at the pair and seemed to make some quick assessments about what he was going to bother wasting time asking. "...How long have you been back?" he eventually asked Pyros.
Pyros shrugged. "Couple hours, maybe. Figured I'd pay you a visit, but you proved difficult to track down like usual."
With a slow nod, Kaden turned his attention to Kalek. "Why are you here?" he then questioned, adopting a more firm and less curious tone. He knew who he was dealing with, after all.
"Mm, made a deal with some hedgehog that I'd get to fight someone interesting so I've been hanging around. Then I smelled this guy," he gestured to Pyros. "Started bothering him."
Kaden sighed a little, though it wasn't clear why. "And that led to you following him here… for what reason, exactly?"
"Why not?"
"I would prefer you not spend your time looking for someone to fight with here." It sounded like a suggestion or a request, but really it wasn't. Even Pyros could tell that, and he hadn't exactly talked to his friend in a great many years.
Kalek rolled his eyes. "With you out of being a demon and most of the race dead, it's hard to find adequate fights. Nareish won't send her good soldiers where I can get to them since it'll just get them killed. I'm bored."
"I will not permit you to fight people on this planet unless they are Nareish's soldiers or other demons," Kaden said, crossing his arms. "I will personally stand in your way again if I must."
The dragon waved him off, mildly irritated by the fact that he couldn't find someone here to fight. "Fuck you, honestly. Always ruining the fun."
Kaden shook his head. "My home is not the place for you to wreak havoc. I will not tolerate it, Kalek. Not for a second."
"Yeah, I get it!" Kalek exclaimed, no actual anger in his voice as he finally sat up. "Fuck's sake. I'm just calling you an asshole."
"Likewise. Now get up off your ass. If we're going to be talking at length, it won't be here."
Pyros interjected. "We noticed your scent vanished around here. You hiding something from people?
"Ah, it's probably not him," Kalek guessed. "If I had to figure, it's… Honestly, not sure. I've only ever encountered this once, and I didn't leave the person inside of that barrier-thing alive long enough to figure out what they were."
"It is not my doing, nor do I know specifically who is responsible," Kaden said. "Regardless, we will go elsewhere if your intention is to stick around."
Kalek raised an eyebrow, standing up and dusting himself off. "Why? Whatcha keeping from us? Zareil hanging around here? Afraid I'll beat her ass?"
Now it was Kaden's turn to roll his eyes. "Members of my family are beyond that barrier and I would prefer that they not be disturbed."
"Fine, just lead the way or whatever," Kalek grumbled. Really wanted to hit that bitch. Can't fucking stand her.
Kaden teleported with the pair to a more isolated location in response and took a seat beneath a particularly leafy tree. "There. Now you can feel free to be as disruptive as you want," he said with just a hint of the snark that Pyros remembered so well.
"Well, now it's boring to be a problem," Kalek laughed, leaning up on the tree near Kaden. "What's the point if it's not making someone's life harder?"
The hedgehog huffed, amused, while Pyros found his own place to sit. "You are the same as ever, I see."
"No reason to change," Kalek shrugged. "Love my life, and now I'm not really bound to any rules or that sort of shit."
"I will continue to keep you in line," Kaden warned him, "within reason. What you do off this planet is less of a concern to me, though I will not stand idly by and let you harm anyone innocent."
Kalek snickered. "Worried I'll grab up one of your allies and give them a good beating?"
"Do it and suffer the consequences," Kaden idly warned. There was no heat to his words. Pyros, meanwhile, couldn't help but wonder how Kaden could so casually engage in banter with a demon… until he remembered that he himself had done the same thing. That mentally shut him up.
"Might just have to test your words," Kalek laughed, looking over at Kaden properly. "Thinking about that bird that beat the shit out of Tianak. Kid seems inexperienced."
While Kaden had no real idea who that person was, he was fully aware of the fact that they were an ally to someone he cared about. So he refused to entertain the idea. "You will not touch them, Kalek. Not a single one of my allies. Is that understood? I will bury you if I must."
There was a wide smirk on Kalek's face, followed by a snicker. "If I planned to beat the shit out of any of your allies, I would've done so already."
"This is merely a warning against any future ideas you may get," Kaden huffed.
"Oi, are you two done talking circles around each other yet?" Pyros grumbled. "This ain't exactly entertaining to listen to."
"Impatient as ever," Kaden grumbled back.
"Cho'ra," Pyros said, childishly resorting to name-calling in his language.
"Antoka'r," Kaden responded in kind.
The words sounded so familiar, but it had been such a long time since Kalek had heard them that they no longer held meaning to him. "And here you were complaining about the same shit."
"Shaddup," Pyros answered.
"Make me," Kalek challenged.
Pyros grumbled something, then said to Kaden. "You smell like a runt."
Remembering that that was often how dragons had referred to children (endearingly so), Kaden took no offense. "My son had another child recently. I was in their company prior to your arrival."
"Mm, I assume it was Shadow, then?" Kalek questioned. "Met Sonic. Didn't smell one of those little bastards around."
"It was Shadow," Kaden confirmed, ignoring the last part of Kalek's comment.
Pyros smiled faintly. "Heh. Guess your family just keeps growing, huh? It's nice that you get to be here for that." Kaden seemed to privately agree, though he kept quiet about it.
Kalek snickered. "Like rabbits, or whatever the saying is."
"You can shut up," Kaden huffed. "It isn't like that at all."
"Eh?" Kalek raised an eyebrow. "Why not? Wouldn't take much."
"What exactly are you implying?" Kaden questioned, almost sighing. He was soon a bit distracted when he thought he might have sensed someone mentally reaching out to him, but it faded rapidly and so he regained full focus on the conversation.
"Might be implying something, or I might be saying what I just told you," Kalek replied with a chuckle. "Figure it out. You're the smart one."
"Shut up," Kaden muttered. He felt a tug in his mind again and made a more concerted effort to reach back out so as to better foster the connection. It again failed, however. Someone without mental powers, then. And they aren't particularly close by. If they had such abilities or were closer this would be easier, as Pyros proved.
"Something the matter, Kaden?" Pyros asked.
Kaden shrugged. "Someone is attempting to contact me repeatedly. The connection has been weak enough that it keeps failing and I cannot ascertain who it is."
"They've gotta be on the planet, then," Kalek pointed out. "Any idea who it might be?"
"I'm aware of that. But, no, I'm not sure who it is. There are multiple people who I suppose are capable of making such an attempt, but-" Kaden was interrupted by a rush of dying wind. Just like that, Sonic was there. His father huffed. "He just so happened to be near the top of my list."
Kalek looked over at the blue hedgehog and laughed a little. "Oh, hey, it's you. Haven't seen you since I popped by that place you're staying in."
Sonic acknowledged that with a slightly nervous chuckle. "Hah… yeah. I remember that." Then he saw Pyros and actually smiled. "Hey, I didn't know you were revived."
"It was recent, you haven't missed much," Pyros smirked. "Been taking care of those flames for me?"
"Trying to. Got some actual training in with them earlier today."
"Glad to hear it."
The conversation was short-lived, so Sonic turned to his dad. "You seem… more relaxed than you were last time we talked."
"For the time being," Kaden acknowledged. "That aside, what's the matter? Your aura is full of worry."
"...Yeah… about that…" Sonic hesitated. Then he cleared his throat and forced himself to continue. "Did… you know that Saran was revived?"
Kaden nodded slowly. He didn't like where this was headed. "Yes. We spoke once, shortly before Nareish's rampage."
"Right. Listen… turns out that she corrupted some people during that rampage. And… Well, he was one of them." Sonic went on to further explain everything he knew from his mother, though he didn't make specific mention of her right now. He didn't think Kaden was ready for that.
His father was oddly quiet and non-reactive to this news. Sonic didn't fail to notice that Kaden had entirely withdrawn his aura. "...I see."
"Any idea where he's gone?" Kalek dared to ask, more on behalf of Kaden than his own curiosity.
"Not a clue," Sonic admitted. "To be honest, I didn't even see the guy more than once before all of this."
"Ah," Kalek shrugged. He had lost interest in this subject.
"Anyway… Dad, come visit if you need to. I mean it." With that, Sonic departed pretty much exactly how he'd arrived.
There was a poignant pause before Kaden stood up. "I should get going as well," he told the pair of dragons.
Pyros watched him closely. You may be hiding them, but don't think I don't know what emotions you're dealing with right now. We're going to deal with this at some point. "Yeah. Sure."
Kalek tilted his head somewhat, then looked between the two. "Fair enough, I suppose. You sticking around on this planet?"
"For now, yes. I will remain in this specific area while my son recovers." Kaden started to walk away, but stopped. "If you intend to also stay, I recommend you heed my earlier warnings. I may be a demon no longer, but I still have no problems dealing with you if I must."
"Bah," Kalek muttered while waving a hand at him. "Just be quiet. I need to fight something at some point, and you're starting to look like the only viable option." Coming from him, this was a form of teasing.
"Hn." With that lackluster response, Kaden turned back away and walked out of sight. Soon, he was gone from their senses once again.
Kalek blinked and looked to Pyros, raising an eyebrow. "Who the hell is Saran?"
"His old sensei," Pyros said. "You know, a teacher. Pretty much the only adult who gave a single fuck about him when he was young, too. Which, for the record, isn't normal for non-demons. Demons don't need care and affection and all that, but the other races do. Kaden only got it from Saran, and not for a very long time. Guy died when Kaden was about eight."
"Can't say I understand the situation, then," Kalek admitted with a shrug of his arms. "Not quite my specialty, understanding emotions."
"I figured. So long as you at least grasp the whole 'this is a huge deal to Kaden and matters to him greatly' bit, it's fine."
"Suppose so," Kalek replied easily enough. "Not sure I can do much for him, though. Don't know shit about reversing corruption unless it's how those heroes are doing it."
"Based on what the runt said," Pyros grunted, "it sounds to me like the usual methods ain't gonna cut it."
"Weird."
"No shit."
Kalek really didn't have much more to say on the subject, so he just looked over to Pyros. "Well, I guess I'm hanging around here. Know anything about this place that I don't?"
Pyros shrugged. "Been dead a long time. Way, way longer than I could easily count. This world is just about as new to me now as it is to you. Was thinking about poking around some ruins, though, to see if anything survived from our clans. Come with me or don't, but that's where I'm going."
"Got nothing better to do," Kalek replied easily. Pyros's only response to that was to take to the sky and start flying away before anything else could be said. The other dragon followed suit, taking off with a strong beat of his wings to catch up.
~保護者~
It had been a very long time since Analia had interacted with the deities, when one excluded any recent interactions with them while she'd recovered from her eons of entrapment. Beyond those times, she'd only ever met and spoken with them… perhaps twice. Or was it three times? She wasn't completely sure. Those days had been so long ago, after all. At the young age of fourteen, she'd had many more things to worry about than the business of deities.
Even though, technically, she had been one herself.
The role of God or Goddess of Death had started with Zenith and was passed down through his family. In much the same way that the God or Goddess of Life role had started with Eona and been passed down through her family. At the time, Analia had been the latest inheritor of the role. However, she had received no training. The role had briefly gone extinct when her great-grandmother, Saran's mother, had died when he'd been a young child. Analia suspected that it was nothing less than an act of the Faein that had brought it back when she herself had been born. But it meant that there was no one around who could really teach her about her role.
For most of her life, Analia hadn't been too bothered. She'd gotten upset and confused and frustrated at times like any child would, but it had never been anything serious. Then she'd reached her teen years. Things in her life began to change. To grow more stressful. To become more… overwhelming for her. Her father, Koda, had died. The only members of her family left at that point had been herself and her mother, Temari.
Shortly after his death, her training to take over leadership of their isolated tribe had ramped up significantly, consuming most of her time. Clan wars between the non-tribal tokarians and the dragons had more than once threatened to swallow them whole from all directions. Her precious Chao, who she had hand raised from birth, had died with many others when the Chao Garden had burned down. Her two closest childhood friends died as well, one in a terrible hunting accident and one from illness. The list of problems she'd faced had only continued to grow from there. Everything had been too much for her.
Looking back now with eyes unclouded by as much grief and pressure and anxiety as she'd felt back then… so many of her complaints at the time had been so minor. Some objectively hadn't been, but others had only seemed so large because of her youth and narrow worldview back then. Whatever the reason, though, the fact remained that she'd felt too overwhelmed to believe she could handle being a Goddess on top of everything else. So she'd given up on the idea entirely and sent it away.
Perhaps it was instinct that had guided her on that day. Perhaps Eona herself had woken up and silently lent her a hand. Either way, she'd figured out how to do what she wanted without (knowingly, at least) receiving any guidance. Her goal had been simple. To send her role to whoever out there was most worthy of it. It had succeeded, she'd felt sure of that from the beginning. And years later, she'd met the girl who had received the role. Young Cosmo truly had been worthy. Of that, she was unendingly certain.
Almost idly, she wondered if she would see Cosmo anytime soon. They wouldn't meet one another now, she knew. Cosmo couldn't leave her planet from what Analia had heard. It was just as well. The main two people she wanted to speak with were gathered when she arrived on Nier's small planet. Nier himself was there, as were Cere, Finis, and Therin. Analia alighted in the grass and walked over to the small group. When she had reached out to Therin for help with contacting Cere and Finis, she hadn't expected him to also track down Nier or to stay himself for this discussion. Not that she was complaining, of course. She was just very mildly surprised. "Thank you all for taking a moment to speak with me," she murmured. "I apologize for how short-notice this is."
"Not an issue," Nier assured her with an easy smile. The normally exhausted and battle-ready God looked relaxed and perfectly at ease. It made her briefly wonder if he'd found someone special in recent days. "We're always here for you, whenever you need us. Right, Cere?"
Cere gave a soft nod. "I will always do my best to find time for my allies and friends. Now, please, inform us. What brings you here?"
"I wish I could say that I bring good news, but… in truth, something awful has taken place." Analia sighed. "My grandfather, Saran, was recently revived. He is as powerful and intelligent as ever and has so no doubt managed to help several of our allies by now. However… I regrettably don't know when this took place, but Nareish got to him. He is corrupted deeply and showing symptoms I have never seen before. He has become unpredictable, unreadable, and largely emotionless. I feared what may have happened if you all were uninformed."
Cere was deeply troubled, crossing her arms and putting a hand to her chin thoughtfully. "That is truly disturbing. I presume you experienced everything you have mentioned personally? Has he interacted with anyone else?" Admittedly, the woman was somewhat distracted. She had become aware of something massive occurring somewhere in existence, but tracking down the source proved to be difficult currently. Focusing on this was… almost a welcome break.
"Eila was with me when I encountered him," Analia answered. "To my knowledge, he has been around no one else. And I indeed witnessed those things, yes."
"Fuck," Cere muttered under her breath. Eila has to be the one that I think is responsible for the other mess I'm sensing. "No matter what we choose to do, I need you to keep an eye on Eila. She seems rather prone to throwing herself at danger."
"That is true. I will monitor her to an extent… but I do not feel it necessary to babysit her, as it were." Analia considered the matter a bit further and added, "I likewise do not feel the need to keep her uninvolved in this situation. While I hesitate to say that she or anyone else can particularly help matters, I am not of the opinion that she will make things any worse."
It was at this point that Finis spoke up. "I am inclined to agree, at least for now. But be that as it may, we should still exercise extreme caution. The children of Immortals are uniquely intelligent and powerful, at times more so than any other semi-Immortals in existence. And his father… Kathros was no average Immortal in terms of his abilities."
"This is correct," Cere murmured. "The issue currently lies in how we plan to recover him and purify his corruption. Do you believe this will be more complicated than previous cases of what we have dealt with in this war?"
"There is no way it won't be," Analia told her. "Without the typical anger and hatred to work off of, our usual purification methods will have little to no effect."
"I've never even heard of corruption that behaves like this," Therin grumbled. "Doubt any of my spies will have, either, so I'm of no use on this front."
Cere frowned visibly, but tried not to let her concern remain too obvious. "Do you have an idea as to how we should approach this?" she gently asked to Analia. "Or should our main approach be making sure he cannot kill anyone?"
"I do not know how to handle this at all," Analia was forced to admit. "I do not even know if killing is something this form of corruption has him interested in. All in all, I am just at a loss."
The Hexan woman frowned and crossed her arms, thinking it through. "I do not know how we should handle this…"
"If even you three aren't sure, then I'm pretty sure no one else is going to think of anything," Nier sighed. "I mean, who else could we even ask? Teyan is definitely older, but she doesn't know as much about existence as you guys anymore since she was locked away for so long. Beyond that, who would we even go to?"
"It sounds like speaking to her and Ythene may be a good idea," Cere pointed out. "Chaos is an unusual energy. They may well be able to point us in a better direction." She thought for a few seconds, then added, "On top of the new energy that has come into existence, bonded to Wave. The Aether."
"Chaos has no ability to aid in purification, any more than it does to aid in corruption," Finis reminded her. "As for the Aether, it may not be strong enough to handle this yet."
"However, Chaos remains a powerful force in existence," Cere added. "It is entirely possible that they may be able to aid our efforts in other ways."
"Oi, I just got done saying that Teyan really doesn't know much about existence overall anymore," Nier said. "And I said that because she's said that. If she didn't know anything about corruption in ancient times, which she didn't, she sure won't now. We need to come up with a different solution."
Cere glanced to Nier, raising an eyebrow. "I did not mean to insinuate that they would be able to aid with the corruption," she replied apologetically. "My reason for saying it was along the lines of nobody being able to properly resist Chaos as an energy. We may well need their power just to make whatever plan we conjure up work, assuming we need to do something like restrain him."
"I feel like that might be risky," Therin commented. "Might just piss the guy off."
"Correct, but judging from our findings through Analia, pissing him off is unlikely to change matters. If we are restraining him, then that is our one proper chance to enact some form of plan." Cere gave a sigh, bringing up both arms behind her head. "However… all of that aside, as it is not important until we have a plan, the best approach we have at this moment would involve the Immortals. Jet, unfortunately, is not available to us at this point, but we do have direct access to Sein and Alana. I believe, if I am correct, we also could speak with Rose and Espio, if their aid was needed. It would be good for us to assess what we know for a short time while attempting to monitor Saran. Thoughts?"
"Monitoring him will be… challenging at best," Analia murmured. "He vanished after my brief encounter with him and appears to be hiding his energies. I have not been able to determine his location."
"Another thing to note is that we will likely be unable to track his Light," Cere added. "Corruption, at least in the one case we know of, will completely nullify a Light user's ability to access that innate energy. I presume it will be the same here."
"That does appear to be the case," Analia confirmed. Fresh worry entered her eyes, but she kept it to herself otherwise for the time being.
Cere flashed her a look that said they would talk more later, then turned to Therin. "I would like you and your allies to work toward keeping a distant eye on Saran. If any of you are spotted, flee. Take no unnecessary risk. I would rather take the time to find him once more than allow a corrupted person to kill or harm others."
"Yeah, sure, if we can find the guy." Therin stood and stretched. "We'll look around, Ma. I'll tell you if we locate him."
"Thank you," Cere replied. Her gaze fell on Nier. "Sein and Alana are on Babylon, as is your new friend. I would like you to speak with them, even if only to hear their thoughts on the matter so that they are up to date. Then, keep your head down and take some time with whoever smells like lavender." She flashed a knowing smile, managing to keep herself lighthearted for a moment.
"Oi, I don't need to keep my head down," Nier huffed, though he did smile a little. "Fighting is kinda what I came into existence to do. But yeah, I'll let them know and all that."
Cere smiled and nodded. "Thank you." Nier saluted her jokingly before teleporting away with Therin not far behind. With them having left, the Hexan turned to Analia. "Are you alright?" she asked softly. "I understand this is very personal to you."
"I am only as alright as can be expected," the younger woman admitted. "But I can handle my emotions and the like just fine for now. I promise to seek support when I need it, however."
"That is reasonable, like I would expect from you," Cere murmured, walking up to Analia. "Take your time and relax as best you can. Perhaps seeing your grandchildren would do you well?"
"I was hoping to spend time with them, properly, before all of this," Analia agreed. "If I am able, I will go visit everyone again once we are finished here."
Cere nodded. "You should. If I make any discoveries, I will approach you with them directly."
"I would appreciate that," Analia said, inclining her head politely.
She barely had a chance to finish speaking before they were suddenly joined by another. In fact, it was the very existential being that had been repeatedly brought up mere minutes before. Teyan appeared in a rush, eyes wide with horror, and ran over to Cere and Finis both. It wasn't done out of a lack of politeness, but she nevertheless ignored Analia in that moment. "Cosmo is dead!" she exclaimed without beating around the bush. "The Mother Tree was burnt away into ashes and there's nothing left!" Finish stiffened and looked on in silence, as did Analia. The former was more surprised than anything else, while the latter was well and truly stunned.
Cere visibly paused, taking this news in quietly. Cosmo is dead…? She… she didn't like that. Nobody knew where Gardenia was, save for a few of their allies. Oh my god, the kids. "Were the children evacuated from the planet?"
"Cosmo sent them well away from herself with another Gardenian," Teyan reported quickly. "I found them and those watching over them, all still on the planet and unharmed. No one and no thing else was damaged or killed, just Cosmo. The planet itself isn't wilting at all, so I think a Faein woke up and is sustaining it. It doesn't seem like anyone else knows yet what happened."
The Hexan turned away and walked a few steps from the group, pressing her thumb and pointer finger over her eyes to staunch the tears. Fuck. I'm glad the children are alive, but that means Cosmo was targeted and killed specifically. Another ally… dead. Analia was similarly teary-eyed at first, but she had far more success curbing the emotions for now and regaining her sense of calm. However, it wasn't that she was burying things as Kaden and others often did. She just tended to save her sorrows and fears for times when she could express them privately.
Finis spoke up when Cere and Analia both remained quiet. "I need you to do something, Teyan. Ask whoever you need to, be it the Faein or Eona, but we must know what has become of Cosmo's roles. If they are extinct, we must know so that we may prepare for the trauma this will unleash upon all of existence's balance."
"No kidding. I'm on it." Teyan vanished straight away after that.
It took Cere several seconds to recover, taking in a deep breath and shakily releasing it. "Th-thank you, Finis…"
He shook his head. "You would have made the same call for me had I been in your stead, Cere. No thanks are needed. Take your time while you are able. This quiet will not last much longer."
"I'll be okay," Cere murmured. "Just… it hurts, losing another friend like this." She didn't turn herself enough that Analia could see, only allowing Finis to see how tired she felt. A fleeting, shadowy touch of his hand on her arm was the only comfort he could offer at this point… but if nothing else he understood what she was going through. He hadn't been anywhere near as attached to Cosmo, no, yet he still understood. Like his partner, he too knew the pain of loss far too well.
Only once she could properly compose herself did she look to Analia again. "I must go see the situation on Gardenia myself. Please, return to your family and do what you can to relax with them."
"Understood," Analia said with another polite nod of her head. "My only request in turn is that if you feel any need to remove the children from that world you will bring them straight to me. I can inform their parents quickly and easily of where they and I are at that point so that further decisions can be made."
Cere nodded to this in return. "I will inform you if your aid is needed for this," she agreed.
Once she finished speaking, Analia murmured a farewell and then teleported to Mobius. She didn't want to overstay her welcome and, besides that, she had agreed to meet back up with Eila sometime soon. She wasn't sure what Eila's definition of "soon" was, but it seemed prudent to be quicker rather than slower here.
Analia's return to Mobius seemed to alert Eila, seeing as how the cat immediately appeared in front of her. "Are you alright?" she immediately asked, using her magic to settle her fur and clothes.
"Yes, I am," Analia said. "And you?"
"I am alright," Eila replied. She had no intention of giving information as to what she was just doing, staring at the older woman in front of her. "I wanted to learn more about Saran."
"Alright," Analia conceded immediately. "Though I will need you to to be a touch more specific than that if I am to be able to pass on any information you may deem useful."
Eila pursed her lips for a moment, then nodded. "I would like to know anything that he may have distinctly cared about in life."
"Apart from nature and learning… He truly loved his family above all else," Analia said. "He adored his wife Neferti and treasured their son, my father, Koda. I do not remember it well due to being so young, but my mother always assured me that he held the same care for her and I as well."
The cat nodded and took in this information, then spoke up. "And there was obviously his father, yes?"
"Yes. Their relationship was not loving in the conventional way due to their reserved natures, from what I understand, but he still cared for his father very deeply. His mother as well, but he has fewer memories of her. She died when he was rather small, I was told."
It wasn't clear if Eila had heard that. She teleported a book in hand and cast some spell contained within. However, she did soon respond. "I should be able to work with these details. I've settled the matters I wished to address personally… for the most part, so I will be devoting my attention to this."
"Alright. I thank you for your efforts, Eila, but please do not endanger yourself too greatly."
Eila cast a glance up from the book to Analia. "I can guarantee little. We are in uncharted territory. Until recently… I was the only recorded case of a corrupted Light being."
"Yes, you were," Analia had to acknowledge. "And your situation was quite different from his."
"Yet still similar," Eila had to argue. "The method of purification will be the contention. I was able to be purified by normal means, however the purification received from a True Immortal was the only thing that could save my ruined body. I presume that while normal purification does not work here, it theoretically will be possible to pursue another means through the Immortals. How, I am unsure, but I will work to discover it."
"It may be theoretically possible. I will also look into it as much as I can. However, I am still very tired." Analia sighed and looked away. "I regret to say that I am not capable of doing as much as I once could have yet still."
Eila took a chance and approached Analia, pressing her palm to the woman's head and casting a spell. "I cannot help the tiredness much, but hopefully this allows you further clarity of mind and ability to rest when the chance arrives. It is the least I can do for all of your efforts toward me."
Analia looked over with a small smile. "Thank you again, Eila. Truly. All of your efforts are likewise appreciated."
Eyes averted, Eila nodded. "I will perform my research into Saran and the rest of your family as best I can before attempting anything dangerous."
"I understand. If you have any further questions at any point, simply ask them. I will more than happily tell you what I can."
"Understood." Eila fidgeted for a moment, not sure how to end the conversation. She chose not to put herself in that situation and simply teleported away.
~保護者~
Aniko had broken away from her home to make good on a promise. There was a young girl who wished to train to be a shinobi, and she would never ignore such a thing. That's why she was standing outside of Shadow's home. She knocked on the door gently a couple times, and when nobody answered, she knocked again.
It took several seconds for someone to answer the door, and when they did, it just so happened that the one who answered was Myriu. "So, you wish to train to be a shinobi?"
Myriu blinked and nodded, immediately focused on the woman before her. She noticed rather quickly that Aniko's energy was palpable, much like Toru's. The main difference she noted was that Aniko's felt more… sharp? It would likely make more sense in due time, so she didn't bother questioning it. "Yes. I do."
The older chameleon gave a small smile and nodded. "It is good to affirm. I hear in your voice that you do desire this."
Huh? Myriu didn't quite understand what Aniko meant by that. She'd just told the older shinobi what she meant. It didn't matter. "Yes. Are we staying here, or can we go to the Highlands?"
Aniko didn't miss the tone shift, Myriu plainly not wanting to be her was obvious in her voice. Is it her brother or something else? "We can go to the Highlands, if you would like. I dare to say that Shei, my partner, may be able to aid in your training as well."
Myriu blinked and nodded to this. She took the hand offered when Aniko reached out and closed the door behind her before they teleported away. There was a lot to learn.
~保護者~
Feeling his spirit pulled from the realms of Death, Dion's eyes snapped open in the void of space. He was… alive again, that much was certain. However, he felt something unusual. A connection to someone. Almost as soon as he realized it was present, the connection was severed. He recognized a presence nearby, so rather than trying to get up and look at them, he simply addressed the woman by her "name". "Raven Queen, what the fuck are you doing? Isn't this the same shit that caused you to go into hiding all those years ago?"
His assumption was correct. She spoke in response to his accusation. "Oh, absolutely. Pulling a soul back to a body for my own personal benefit is definitely gonna get me in some trouble again, but it'll be fine." She cackled a bit, then used her magic to lift the cat to his feet. Seconds later, he felt his normal clothes appear on his body. A blue and red shawl splayed loosely across his body, along with a brightly shining black crystal earring that hung from his left ear. He wasn't fond of wearing much, so returning to something so light was… much more pleasant.
Dion gave a little sigh to this and waved her off. "Gods, woman. You're a disaster waiting to happen."
"Already did," the Raven Queen replied cheerily. "I'm heading to Mobius to meet your granddaughter. I assume you would like to accompany me?"
"Mm, sounds like a decent time," the man replied, arms behind his head. "By some god awful chance, though, do you know what happened to all of my weapons?"
She shrugged. "Dunno. Shouldn't have died. Wouldn't have lost them."
Dion rolled his eyes, shaking his head. Asshole. Guess I'll get new ones. He wasn't given a chance to reply before he was suddenly whisked away in a teleport to Mobius.
~保護者~
The constant murmuring in his mind drove Saran to give in and heed the dark woman's call. It was his first time visiting another realm, but he didn't waste time thinking about that for more than a second or two. Focusing on where he was going was more important. There was very real and very present danger on all sides. As uninterested in fighting as he was at the moment, he was equally if not more uninterested in dying. He had a bit of fleeting curiosity that needed satisfying. That couldn't be accomplished if he was dead. Whatever it was that Nareish wanted, he would figure it out soon enough.
He had no sense of loyalty to her anymore. She could no longer control him in any capacity. This time, their interaction would be on slightly more equal footing… though he wasn't fool enough to believe that things would be truly equal. She was many, many leagues above him and he knew it. He also knew that she knew it. It went without saying that he needed to act with some degree of caution. But if she decided to kill him regardless, there would be nothing he could do about it. He wasn't going to waste time fretting over it.
It was quite clear when he had reached her apparent throne room. He couldn't truly see her, but his magic detected her easily. His sharp ears detected the soft sound of her amusement as well, on top of the sounds of her breathing and pulse. Being blind made his ears even more attuned to such slight sounds than what Tokarians were already capable of ordinarily. Those slight sounds were loud to him. At least he had a lifetime of experience to work with in order to cope. "Hello, Saran," she greeted. "Such a pleasure to see you again. I trust my soldiers did not trouble you much?"
"What do you want?" he questioned her. Entertaining her small talk didn't interest him, so he didn't bother.
"Mind yourself, love," she warned with faux sweetness. He could practically hear her smile. "I am a fate worse than death."
"If your aim is to intimidate me, it will not work," he informed her.
"I am well aware," she answered, her tone light. "But it would still be wise for you to mind my words regardless." When he didn't reply, she continued. "I take it you only came here because you decided you were interested… is that right?"
"You were insistent," he answered. Unlike her, his tone was bland and unemotional. "Explain what you want before I lose that interest."
"You think it wise to threaten me, Saran? Truly?" She laughed, stood up, and began walking toward him. His ears reflexively straightened in an effort to keep track of each echoing footstep. "You should abandon your hopes of defeating me. Against true power, you have never stood even the vaguest chance."
"The only one speaking about 'hope' is you."
"Good. I will make you regret paying heed to your heart, should you ever choose to do so again."
"Life is full of things that don't go as you wish, Nareish," he murmured.
She chuckled. "Indeed it is. But, you know… A perfect plan doesn't mean having everything go within expectations. A perfect plan is achieved when it has the plasticity needed to flexibly deal with unexpected troubles."
He regarded her in silence for a few seconds before asking, "And you're telling me this, why?"
Nareish laughed again. "Truly, the more beautiful and pure a thing, the more satisfying it is to corrupt it," she told him softly. She now stood directly in front of him. "I remain as fascinated by your state of mind and emotions now as I was before. However, as I am now unable to corrupt anyone any longer, I find myself forced to simply request that you join me of your own volition."
Saran crossed his arms. "My answer is no."
"So you are content to stay allied with the 'heroes', then?" she questioned. "Of dying alongside them when I inevitably end their lives?"
With a sigh, he corrected her. "They are not my allies. I don't particularly care what happens to them."
Again, he could hear the smile in her voice. "So you're willing to stand aside and let them die without lifting a finger to help, are you?"
"The patience of death is embodied in its willingness to wait for us all," he answered. "Whether you prove to be the cause or not, death will find them one way or another. And as I already said… I don't care."
"People like them love to say all lives are created equal… However, even they will have to confront the truth one day. Only one thing is equal for all but the Faein, and that is death." Nareish laughed openly. "Even Jet will die one day… unless he chooses to join me, as unlikely as that is."
That name meant nothing to Saran. He'd never heard it before. Even if he had, it still wouldn't have mattered in his opinion. "Do what you will with him and the others. I will lose no sleep over it."
One of her hands reached out. As she had done when he'd been under her control, she placed a finger under his chin and tilted it up so that he was "looking" into her eyes. Or at least her face. "And you will not passively let them purify you… will you?" she all but purred.
"I have lost the will to change," he shrugged. His words were honest, as there was no point in hiding this truth. "Perhaps I never possessed it in the first place."
Yet again, she chuckled. He understood well already that laughter was a common reaction from her to just about anything. The only thing he didn't get was why this was the case. "Beautiful flowers, too, eventually wither and fall. That's the fate of virtually all living beings. However, I will be perfectly happy to leave you alive in my new reality… so long as you stay like this. Should you be returned to normal, though, I want you to be aware that I will not merely kill you. I will break you just as I did Kathros."
He felt himself frown at the mention of his father. The reaction had been genuine, if short-lived, much like his earlier curiosity. This time, there had been anger. It wasn't an emotion he was overly familiar with, he had to admit. More than likely, it was a result of the corruption. Looking back… he probably should have been prepared to experience that at some point or another. I suppose I should have expected such a thing.
Nareish's index finger and thumb shifted so that she was now gripping his chin in a seemingly light hold. He knew better than to believe in appearances here. Escape from her grip was impossible. Chances were that he would sustain a serious injury of some kind if he were to try. "The weak are destined to lie beneath the boots of the strong," she told him. "If that angers you, overcome your deficits. Be better than that man was. I see potential in you. More than I see in most. Your future… I believe one aspect of it is guaranteed. Having him for a father has done one last bit of good for you, it would seem."
His frown faded, leaving renewed impassivity in its wake. "I still don't care, Nareish."
More than any other emotion she was feeling, her amusement in particular seemed to grow. "Amazing… Every word that you just allowed to spew from your mouth is an utter lie. I thought beings of Light were not prone to telling lies."
"I possess the Light no longer," he chose to remind her, though she already knew, instead of acknowledging the rest of what she'd said.
"As above, so below," she murmured. "That is to say… People generally imagine 'hell' to exist somewhere far beneath their feet, while we exist above it. Your father is 'down there', so to speak, while you stand 'up here'. So very far apart, you and he… and yet your lives are on the verge of starting down a wondrously similar track. Your reputation going forward may well become intertwined with his own. Does this truly not bother you, my dear Saran?"
Repeating himself on this matter was annoying, but only briefly. The emotion was there and gone in no time at all. "Life is endless suffering… for some. I don't feel any sympathy for them, nor do I feel any regret for contributing to their pain. Perhaps I would have in the past, but no longer." Despite the increased level of danger he was now faced with due to their proximity, he felt no fear and as such didn't hesitate to continue. "Unfortunately, I also don't care about you or your plights. I'm not interested enough in the situation to help you regardless, either."
What she did next was unexpected, yet also not. For whatever reason, she released him and took a step back. "So long as we have an understanding, you may do as you wish. I will not try to force you to join my cause provided you do not choose to stand against me. I tire of these games. I wish for a short end to this long war, and he will be my key. With it, I shall ensure that all things end… so that everything may begin." She turned and began walking back to her seat. "All in due time. For now, there is more waiting to be done… more chaos to sow. I will continue to do whatever suits my fancy until he and his power are ready. You, meanwhile, will stay out of my way if you value your life." She sat down with one last chuckle and asked, "You are still capable of that… yes?"
"There are worthless things, but there are no completely meaningless things," he murmured after a few seconds of thought. "I don't feel the need to assign 'value' to my life, but I suppose there is some meaning and worth to be found in it to a degree regardless. Even if there wasn't, I don't have any particular desire to see it end again so soon."
"Good. Now begone with you. I have other pets who require my attention."
Huffing softly, he teleported away. He appeared nowhere that was particularly noteworthy to him. It was just an empty segment of space with no close planets, stars, or even debris like asteroids. More importantly, it was quiet here. Quiet was what he needed so that he could think. Specifically so that he could think about what it was that he wanted to do. "Want" and "lack of want" were two emotional experiences he did still seem to have to some extent. So, naturally, the question now was what he wanted to do now that she had turned her attention elsewhere.
Did he want to simply ignore Nareish and go elsewhere, or did he want to go against what he'd said and stand in her way? Either option had its own merits. If he ignored her, he could continue to live… though in truth the idea of dying again didn't actually bother him. If he stood in her way, he would have her entire army to take out his newfound (and mostly buried and controlled) hostility on. He supposed the latter held more appeal at the moment… but he wasn't foolish enough to think he could get away with it for long.
Perhaps there were other targets out there that could put up a decent fight. True, those on Mobius could do so easily, but they had Immortals working directly with them unless he was mistaken. Like Nareish, they could overpower him without much effort. It would be wiser to go elsewhere. He just had to decide where. Unlike before his corruption, he was steadily itching more and more for a fight. The only thing that seemed to calm it down was when his emotions gradually faded away to mostly nothing again. Nareish's assessment that this corruption was unusual was nothing if not accurate, evidently.
There was no point in staying here. Similarly, there wasn't any point in returning to Mobius. He had no current business there, and putting himself in close contact with Analia's large group of allies was something he'd already decided would be a stupid idea. Figuring out where to go consumed his attention, but not so much so that it escaped his notice when Eila suddenly appeared near him. Whether he was annoyed or unbothered, he couldn't quite decide right then. Either way, he turned to face her.
The cat did nothing to hide her presence, nor the fact that she'd drawn up barriers around herself. Instead, Eila stared him down for several seconds, then spoke up. "I figured that you would be far more difficult to find, but perhaps my specialties are to blame rather than any mishaps on your behalf."
Saran was expressionless as he listened to her words. "What do you want?" he asked coolly.
Seeing as she found herself capable, Eila read into his thoughts (specifically those regarding recent events). What she found was disturbing… but at least he hadn't sided with Nareish. "I came to ask you a few questions. I have no intention of causing a scene or giving you a reason to remove my head." Rather than say anything, he just waited for her to continue. "I came to learn more about yourself and your family, seeing as I, someone who practices magic that seems to run in your family, wish to learn more."
"You are lying," Saran pointed out. "And I have no reason to indulge you even if you choose to be truthful."
"What does it matter, regardless?" Eila returned, raising an eyebrow. "It's not as if you care. Those people are meaningless to you now, correct?" There was no point in repeating himself for the umpteenth time today, so he simply crossed his arms and waited for her to get on with it. "What kind of people were they, your mother and son?
Boredom was apparently an emotion he still had to some extent. He was feeling it now. If only to alleviate it to a degree, he decided to play along for a little while. Though that didn't mean he was willing to completely cooperate. "I know little about my mother," was all he initially said.
"What do you know?" Eila pressed. "Little is more than nothing, that we can agree on surely."
After a pause, Saran gave up one piece of information. "She often used aliases while she lived. Kuriko and Kari were the most common. I was never told her true name. Not that I can recall, at any rate."
That should be more than enough for me to find her, if I can secure the aid of one of the reapers… "I see. What of your son?"
As with before, all he initially revealed was a name. "Koda."
"How long were you able to raise him?" Eila asked, tilting her head curiously.
"He died when Analia was a child," Saran shrugged. "He was young, but not a child himself."
Eila nodded to this, then gave a frown. "What of his mother? What kind of person was she? What was her name?"
There was no emotional reaction to mention of the woman he had, prior to his corruption, loved with all of his being. All he did was blink and say, "Her name was Neferti. She hailed from the Light tribe known as the Tribe of the Moon. It is where Analia was eventually born."
"But who was she? What kind of person did she choose to be in life?" Eila urged, motioning for him to continue.
"Willful," he said immediately. "Fierce. She was deeply independent and needed no one, yet accepted help easily when it was required. People flocked to her naturally to seek her leadership. She wielded the Light, and so had many traits related to that as well."
"You speak highly of her, in comparison to the way you referred to other members of your family," Eila pointed out gently. "Why?"
"You asked for further details, and I gave them," was the blank reply. "Those were the facts, nothing more."
"...Can you still wield your Light magic now that your Light is inaccessible?" Eila asked curiously.
"Light magic, by its very nature, requires access to one's Light in order to function," he pointed out.
She frowned a little. "I was once corrupted by black magics, rendering me incapable of using my Light… as little as I bear to begin with. Why then, could I still use magic? Is it merely a matter of having learned another magic?"
His head canted, a flicker of curiosity making its way through him. "That would be the only logical conclusion," he soon said.
"The thing I find confusing about that is that my Light magic is as powerful…" She paused, then corrected herself. "More powerful than the magic I wielded while I was corrupted. Normally, one would need to train and practice with any form of magic to make it that powerful, hence why my fire magic is far from as strong."
"You do not always have to train something to make it strong," he corrected her. "Sometimes an ability one possesses is already strong and merely requires perfecting."
"Would this mean you are insinuating that I, from a young age, was as powerful as I am now with my magic?" Eila asked, blinking once.
Saran shrugged. "It is possible. I am not at liberty to say for certain."
You are not totally lost. You are acting more like your true self. Eila crossed her arms thoughtfully, tapping her feet on a platform of her magic. It helped her think. "I see. That is a question that has plagued me, but mages who have lived as long as I have are few and far between. The only person I would have actively trusted recently lost their memories, so this conversation has been insightful." Since he had nothing to say to that, and didn't care either, he just shrugged again. After a couple seconds of silence, Eila spoke up again. "You are no fool. You know my purpose in being here, yes?"
Blind eyes blinked. "That goes without saying."
"What will you do when I come back? I presume it will not be as peaceful as you were today."
"That depends entirely on what you decide to do when such a meeting takes place."
"I would expect you to resist simply by nature," Eila replied. "You seem intent on avoiding purification."
"I am only intent on being left alone," Saran corrected her.
"You would be left alone after your purification, assuming we find a method to do so," Eila stated. "As it is, you would have very little change, simply dealing with me every once in a while."
"I am uninterested," was all he said.
Eila gave a sigh. "In that case, this may be our final peaceful meeting. You will likely attempt to kill me the next time we see each other."
He had already said his opinion on the matter once before, so Saran left it alone. "We shall see."
The cat debated her options for a moment, before ultimately nodding. "I am hoping your family will be more pleasant. They will remember the real you." She teleported away directly after, knowing what she needed to do. It was her only lead.
~保護者~
Using believable excuses to escape Satsuno's family wasn't too difficult. Satsuno would have been stir crazy by now. He would have wanted to escape from the crowd inside for a while, to go on a run or go exploring or whatever else for at least an hour. Amnikaribah was forced to present those facts to Seiko, but he kept it as brief as he could without causing suspicion. If anyone can find me out, it will be this woman.
In the end, he was able to leave and no one was the wiser. Keeping Satsuno's aura hidden was in character as well, so he was able to entirely leave the planet without anyone detecting it. He went straight to the demonic realm. Checking on the state of things was his top priority. And he… wasn't thrilled about what he saw. Everything was in complete disarray. There wasn't a single deity leading in any capacity. His kind was warring viciously in an effort to establish some new hierarchy.
This would not do.
Channeling his own abilities through his vessel, Amnikaribah flared his own aura in order to silence the masses. Satsuno's eyes changed into his own glowing demonic ones. These two things were proof enough to these demons about who he was. It shut them up immediately. Vexing bastards, the lot of them. He turned away and walked toward a specific soul he sensed… one he grabbed by the top of the head and hoisted up with a single hand. "You… I'm familiar with you. Your propensity for failure and disgrace… That reputation precedes you across many realities, Tianak." He pronounced the little rat's name as though he could taste how disgusting it was. Frankly, he may as well have been able to. "Why are you here in my realm?"
"I was in charge here for a bit," the soul snarled, Tianak's natural irritation flaring despite his lack of life. "Until those bastard heroes ruined everything. They somehow had the role removed from existence."
"Pathetic," Amnikaribah spat, voice full of vitriol. "Never before has a demon lived who was so utterly useless. Even the fodder manage to at least provide nourishment for those who are actually strong."
"I don't think you understand," Tianak returned. "I was thrown into an impossible situation. Everything was stacked against me. I was doomed to fail."
"Yes, you were. Call it a bad fate, blame it on 'heroes'... I don't care. This realm has fallen into squalor because of you regardless." Amnikaribah roughly threw Tianak's ethereal body to the ground. After all, it wasn't as though he could wound the man like he wanted.
The spirit tumbled a bit before he could get back to his feet, scoffing. "It doesn't fucking matter anymore. There's not a damn way to preserve this shit. Not even you will be able to make much of any of this."
"I will at least prevent our extinction," Amnikaribah growled. "Something you have damn-near brought upon us."
"Good fucking luck. You won't be able to do shit if you keep hiding in that body," Tianak bit out. "You're going to get noticed."
"It is inevitable, yes. However, there is value in being patient. The right time to fully act has not come." Amnikaribah leveled the dead demon with a harsh glare. "And I am not 'hiding'."
Tianak rolled his eyes. "Then let me give you one warning. There's a new God in existence. He's young and idiotic, but I haven't sensed his kind of power in a long time. Avoid that damned magic or your return is going to be short."
Ancient glowing eyes narrowed. "The name. Tell it to me."
"Cyril. God of Magic. Yellow Babylonian," Tianak muttered, crossing his arms. "Like I said, avoid him unless you're going to kill him. There's something seriously insane going on with him."
Gears briefly turned, then Amnikaribah scoffed. "It is likely the Faein." He didn't elaborate further on his thoughts. Instead he demanded to know, "Does Kaden live?"
"Yeah."
That was precisely what Amnikaribah had expected, though he wasn't especially pleased. I do not sense him within our ranks. He was purified, then. "Fine. I will deal with him and his treachery as well. Now get out of my sight. Stay out of my way or I will personally escort you to hell."
"Dealing with you is hell," Tianak bit out, promptly vanishing elsewhere rather than dealing with this.
Growling softly to himself, Amnikaribah Reluctantly withdrew his demonic aura and hid his eyes again. It was time to return to that fan house… as much as he hated it. He teleported away as well. For now, he had a façade to maintain.
~保護者~
14,213 words this time. I'M SORRY I POSTED THIS SO LATE, AHHH. I FORGOT ABOUT IT Y'ALL. THIS WAS MEANT TO BE POSTED TEN DAYS AGO.
Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support, and I hope you all enjoyed. If you're interested, below are a couple of notes pertaining to the dialogue between Saran and Nareish.
"A perfect plan doesn't mean having everything go within expectations. A perfect plan is achieved when it has the plasticity needed to flexibly deal with troubles." is a quote by Shogo Makishima. I added "unexpected" to it. The quote, "Beautiful flowers, too, eventually wither and fall. That's the fate of all living beings." is also by him. I added the word "virtually" to that one.
"The weak are destined to lie beneath the boots of the strong. If that angers you, overcome your deficits." is a quote by Esdeath… who I think is from an anime? I'm not sure.
Anyway, that's all I have for you for now. Till next time! Posted (at about 8:00 p.m.) 02-21-23.