Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this series of interactions… especially for the one who is hurting so much.
~保護者~
"Consequences"
~保護者~
His sleep had been plagued by some dreams and fleeting nightmares, but something kept him asleep no matter how troubled he felt. Sensations of intense magic and images of immense explosions were some of the last things he could remember before he woke up, eyes snapping open as he hopped up to his feet. Cyril felt a little wobbly and had to steady himself with a hand on a wall, blinking. He was in… Eila's room?
Oh right… she put me to sleep… Guess it makes sense that she'd put me somewhere safe? He was careful walking through her room, making sure to not disturb any of her belongings and only relaxed when he was outside, in Tails's living room. "Hey, uh, anyone know how long I've been asleep?" he called out softly, hoping that anyone might know.
Tails soon called back to him. "Uh, not sure. Less than half a day though."
"Crap," Cyril mumbled, rubbing the sleepiness out of his face. "Everything okay here? Am I all good to go somewhere for a bit?"
"We're fine, don't worry!" Tails answered. "Go do whatever you need to do!"
Cyril gave a small smile, then teleported himself to Babylon. He wanted to find Wave. She was one of the only people he felt he could really talk to about what was on his mind.
Wave was indeed there at the moment, spending some time with Han and Thane while she mentally tried to locate Jet. When she sensed Cyril, she was quick to teleport him to her. "Hey," she greeted warmly. "What's up?"
There was a smile on his face for a few seconds before he sighed, the expression dying. "I wanted to talk to you about something."
"What's the matter?" Wave asked, now frowning.
"Well, uh, I fought the Widow," Cyril reminded her, gaze immediately downcast. "She… she's dead."
She wasted no time in dragging him in for a hug. "How are you holding up?" she murmured.
Cyril kinda shrugged. "I just woke up. Eila did something and made me sleep for a while. Other than that… I dunno." He pondered it for a moment before finally wrapping his arms around her. "I've never killed a person before. Monsters and beasts… yeah, sure, but it's… different."
"I know it is," she agreed softly. "And it isn't easy. I'm so sorry you had to do that, Cyril."
"I chose to do it," Cyril admitted openly. "I set myself out there to stop her, but I guess I just didn't realize how… big of a task I was taking on."
"You dummy," she answered affectionately. "Why try to do something that serious all on your own?"
Cyril sighed. "Han is like a father to me. She was… hurting him. Hurting you. I couldn't let that go. I wanted to do something." He tightened his hug a little. "I had the power to do something about it. I didn't think."
Wave echoed his sigh. "Will you be alright, Cyril?"
"I think so," Cyril said softly. "I just… I wanted to talk about it. I don't think Eila would have gotten it like you do, either."
"Yeah, maybe not," she had to agree. "She tries, but she's just not… bothered by this sort of thing. But you're sure you'll be okay?"
He nodded. Cyril felt… unsure, but that was ignored quickly. "I should be. This helped a lot…" His thoughts silenced him, then he softly added. "I know she was… really evil, but I made sure her passing was painless. I even…" His words failed him and he just buried his face into her neck for a moment, feeling a few tears fall from his eyes. "She even has a grave. I made sure of it."
"Okay. For now, let's try to focus on something else, okay?" Wave smiled a little and gestured at her father and uncle. The pair were engrossed in some sort of brotherly bickering on the other side of the room. "You helped them out a lot today, too. Even purified my dad, despite having never done something like that before. That's amazing, Cyril."
"You always know what to say," Cyril said in a tiny huff, nudging her with an elbow as he slowly broke out of the hug he'd kept. "I couldn't ignore it. I had to do everything I could."
Wave gave him a similar nudge and said, "Regardless of your reasoning, the fact is that you did it. You succeeded, too. That means more to me than I think I'll ever be able to verbalize."
The Aether suddenly appeared in its shrunken form, plopping onto Wave's head. "It's super cool that you figured out so much. You're awesome."
Cyril laughed a little, rubbing a hand over his face. "Thank you, both of you. I don't know how much of it was me versus the power I borrowed from Jet."
"Dude, that's besides the point. It's not like you'd practiced with having that kind of power before." Wave smiled at him and gave him another gentle nudge. "Fact is, you are indeed awesome and you won't convince us otherwise, ever. So there."
The finch rolled his eyes. "Oh, fine. I guess I am awesome," he chuckled softly.
Now Wave was grinning. "Got that right, dum-dum. Usually you're the one telling everyone else that."
Cyril managed a small huff, nudging her again. "Yeah, yeah. I can't be smiles and rainbows all the time, but you're totally right."
"I know, I was just teasing you," Wave answered lightly.
There was a smile on Cyril's face, and ultimately he just wrapped an arm around her gently. "Thank you."
"Thank you, too," she replied in kind while returning his hug.
Cyril kept smiling, then broke the hug gently. His smile only faded when something caught his attention. "Hey… do you sense that massive collection of magic? There's a ton floating around in space in two areas."
"Yeah, I do," Wave soon said. "Is it Eila?"
"...Has to be. Light magic, and it's strong. Can you spare a second to check it out with me?"
"I can, yeah. Let's go do that before anything happens." Wave teleported them both to the source of the magic.
Cyril opened his mouth to speak, then looked upon the ruins of what was once a planet. Debris floated past them both and he shivered, already feeling the massive loss of life that occurred here. "Oh my god… what did she do?"
"I… I don't know," Wave muttered. She was frowning deeply as she looked around.
The finch floated down toward the planet and stared at the destruction, then tossed a small green orb of his magic into a newly formed crevice. The debris floating in space slowly pulled itself back toward its original place. Cyril teleported himself back to Wave and frowned. "That'll restore the planet in due time… but I don't know what she did. The magic didn't feel like when she was corrupted a little while back, either. Feels as clean as usual."
"She didn't say anything to you about potentially picking a fight with anyone?" Wave pressed. "Anything at all?"
"I… I don't know?" Cyril asked. "Last I saw, she was just… making some sort of spell. I guess it was this one."
"No kidding…" Wave surveyed the damage again. "Can you detect any clues as to who or what she took out?"
Cyril frowned a little, but was cut off from his thoughts by the Aether poking out over Wave's shoulder. "Nocturne Clan. Something in my head is telling me."
Wave stiffened and looked at her companion. "Them? Are you sure?"
"I mean, that's what I think," the Aether explained. "Why? What are they?"
"It's a long story," she sighed. "A really long one. We can get into it later. I'm more concerned about the fact that she went after them without even telling us they were back."
Cyril frowned deeply and nodded. "She went somewhere else, too. Less Light magic there and more… fire? Something else, too."
"That doesn't tell us much, unfortunately," Wave sighed.
"Yeah…" Cyril allowed his senses to take over and focused, tracing where her magic had gone to try and figure out where she was, only to sigh. "I don't know where she went, either. She's just gone."
"There's really nothing we can do, in that case," Wave said. "Floating here stressing, while understandable, won't help her or us."
Cyril only nodded. "Yeah… that's… you're right. I don't like it, though," he murmured. "Let's go back to Babylon, then."
She offered him a comforting squeeze on his arm, then teleported them both back. Once there, she suggested, "Why don't you spend time with me, dad, and tae? You know, since dad's finally feeling better thanks to you, and you've never actually gotten to meet my uncle."
"Honestly, that wouldn't be an awful idea," Cyril pointed out, shrugging.
"Exactly," Wave smiled. "Besides, maybe you and your crazy luck will continue to do us all some good while you're here. Seems to rub off on those around you, and I'd like to get some of that pixie dust."
Cyril laughed a bit and nudged her again. "I don't have a clue how it works, but I'd love to help where I can."
"Oh, come on," Wave teased while tugging him by the hand toward her relatives. "We all know you're actually the God of Luck when you wanna be. Don't try and hide it."
The finch followed without hesitation, laughing aloud now. "Just because I'm extraordinarily good at card games doesn't mean I'm the God of Luck!"
"Sure it does," Wave answered with her own laughter. The sounds of their merriment drew the other two Hexans' attention, and they looked over.
Immediately, Cyril gave a wave to them both. "Heya. Name's Cyril. I'm a friend of Wave's."
Both of them had met him before by this point, so they just offered polite nods. Thane, however, soon offered a neutral, "Hello."
The finch conjured a seat near them and took his place there, leaning toward the Hexans with a smile. "How's it going here?"
Both brothers exchanged a look, then shrugged. "Well enough," Thane answered, "though his memory remains lacking." Han huffed at Thane in that annoyed younger sibling sort of manner and looked away.
"Wish I knew how to fix that," Cyril said with a soft sigh, frowning. "Hate that it's like that."
"I wish anyone knew," Wave lamented. There was genuine grief in her voice. She still hadn't spoken much to her father due to how deeply it pained her that even she and her brother had been (however unwillingly) forgotten.
"We'll figure it out in due time, I'm sure," Cyril said. "At the very least, nobody is after him now."
"Yeah," Wave agreed, voice soft. Then she said in jest, "No thanks to you, of course. I'm sure you had nothing to do with this positivity, Mister Doom and Gloom."
"Oh, hush," Cyril huffed, crossing his arms. The joke had gone over his head for once. "I'm allowed to be a little upset, you know?"
"Never," Wave answered. "Never ever."
Cyril rolled his eyes and nudged her with a gentle force of his magic. "You're so mean."
"Me? Mean? I don't believe it." Wave stuck a playful tongue out at him. Han, meanwhile, observed the interaction very briefly before letting his focus drift to taking in his surroundings a bit more.
Another little huff escaped Cyril and he absent-mindedly cast a spell on her, just to make her entirely weightless so she'd float instead of standing on the ground. "So rude."
"Wh- Hey, you brat, put me down!" Wave complained, though she very well could have done it herself.
"Hm… I don't think I will," Cyril replied, arms behind his head. "Kinda content to hang out and let you float around."
The Aether began floating next to Wave, giggling as it spun around slowly. "This is fun."
"You're both the mean ones," Wave huffed, though she couldn't hide her smile.
Cyril waved a finger and caused the Aether to spin a little faster, watching as it giggled and laughed in its smaller form. He then ended the spell on Wave, chuckling. "Sheesh. Never figured you'd make friends with someone else as bright and cheery as me."
"Yes, well, it's for the best," Wave laughed once on the floor. "You know, probably. Then again, I might just die of laughter from one of you these days."
The finch snickered a bit. "Maybe, but I'll make sure to save your butt," he teased. "After all, I'm a God."
"And now he gets a big head," Wave chuckled. "I should have seen this coming."
"His head is normal sized, though!" the Aether yelled to them from the ceiling, where it remained floating.
"It isn't literal," Wave explained. "It just means someone is egotistical, and I was just joking anyway."
"Oh…" the Aether blinked, then bounced itself off the ceiling to land beside Wave. "Weird."
Wave just smiled. "Anyway… tae Thane, what do you think of my friend?" Her grin turned a touch mischievous. He never enjoyed her challenging him to try and be nice, but was also one to seldom back down from challenges of any sort.
Thane narrowed his eyes at her. After a noticeable delay, he said in a blank tone, "He is so far acceptable."
"That sounds pretty good to me," Cyril chuckled softly. "After all, some don't even make it that far." Thane made some sound of noncommittal agreement.
Wave let out a similar chuckle to her friend. "To tell you the truth, Cyril, that's good coming from him. Tae doesn't care about much, and to find something 'acceptable' requires at least a little bit of care. It's pretty high praise." Thane again narrowed his eyes at her, but he opted not to correct his niece… for now.
Cyril smiled a little, cheekily aware of this minor win. "Good to know."
Thane muttered something in Hexan that made Wave laugh again. Han said something in retort and soon the twins were quietly bickering again. Wave managed a truly happy grin. "Memories or no memories… it's nice that some things really don't change about people."
The finch went to reply, but suddenly the Aether grabbed ahold of Wave's wrist in it's beak-like mouth and pulled her a few steps away, only to speak to her mentally. "I know where the Void and Jet are. We should go try to help them."
Wave stiffened. "Are you sure it's them?" She paused. "No, that's a silly question. Do you think we can actually help them?"
"I think you can help Jet, and I can occupy the Void. Jet is the key to helping them both," the Aether explained softly.
"He wouldn't listen to me at all last time. He didn't even try to. I want to help him, don't misunderstand, but it didn't work before."
"We have to. I think he might be willing to listen a bit more, just enough. Please just trust me."
Wave swallowed thickly and nodded. "Alright."
Cyril walked a bit closer to Wave and set a hand on her shoulder. "You about to go do something risky?"
"Probably," Wave admitted. She didn't turn to look at him. "Probably stupid, too."
"Be safe," Cyril said gently, smiling a little as he walked around to look her in the eyes. "As much as you can. I trust you'll come back."
I hope so. Wave smiled again, but this time it was more forced. "Thanks, Cyril."
Cyril saw that forced smile and wrapped her up in a hug. "Hey, be more confident in yourself. You told me that once as a kid, remember?"
She hugged him back readily. "It's not always that easy, you know," she murmured.
"Well, sometimes it's all you got to hold on to," Cyril replied. "Besides, you know how upset I'll be if you don't come back. Let's not miss each other again, yeah?"
"I may not have a choice, depending on how this goes," Wave said. "I'm going, and nothing in existence can stop me… but right now I can't promise anything else. I can't even promise that I'll be brave, for once. I'm honestly terrified, for me and for Jet."
Cyril took a moment to take this all in, then nodded. "Thank you for being honest with me," he murmured. "Just do your best, then. If nothing else, give it your all."
Wave drew in a deep breath. "If the Aether and I don't make it back to you in an hour… send in the cavalry." She gave a wan smile of almost-amusement, then waved in farewell and vanished.
"And I'll be leading them," Cyril promised, taking a deep breath as he watched his best friend leave for danger.
The Aether looked to Cyril and returned to more of its normal size, nudging the finch a tiny bit. "Hey, I'll make sure to protect her. Try not to worry too much." Much like Wave, it vanished with those words, leaving the finch with a troubled expression. He cares so much… I hate that he's so worried.
~保護者~
Sothan had finished his project by now. Taking a break for a time had seemed prudent, if only because he wanted to check on everyone else. He found Li and Novei still napping, along with the two Therian women in another room. Since they all clearly needed the rest, he let them all be. Walking down the familiar hall he'd traveled up and down so much in the past, he reached his own room and poked his head in. He'd sent Xin here to sleep when he'd started looking tired earlier, but unless he was mistaken he was pretty sure he could sense that his brother-in-law was awake now. Sure enough, Xin was sitting up and stretching. Sothan smiled a little. It's so good to have most of my family back. I never thought I would see the day. "Are you hungry?" he called quietly.
Xin started a little, then laughed at himself and climbed out of the bed. "Ah, not particularly. But I wouldn't pass up a nice cup of tea if there are any leaves left."
"We only have bags, I'm afraid," Sothan chuckled.
"Bugger. Oh, well. I suppose I'll live." With that, the pair made their way back down the hall to the small kitchen. Xin set about making himself some tea while Sothan prepared a small snack. "Li and the others are still asleep, aye? I dinnae ken they were so tuckered out."
"Nor did I," Sothan said. "At least they're getting the necessary rest now. And what about you? You didn't sleep long."
Xin waved a hand. "I dunna need much rest these days. Perks of bein' a vamp and all. No need to fret over it."
"'Vamp'?" Sothan echoed, amused. "You truly refer to yourself in such a silly manner?"
"Only when it suits me to," was the cheeky response.
Sothan shook his head. "Fair enough, I suppose. But in all seriousness… are you sure you aren't hungry?"
"Dunna fret over that, neither," Xin told him. "I swear to you that I'm not. Even supposing I was, I can handle it. I have ample control over myself and I can delay feeding when I need or want to. I canny risk venturing far from people like Ghune if I were lacking so seriously, can I?"
A fair point. "Understandable. I just wanted to check, but as ever I trust you and I trust your judgement."
"'Tis an understandable stance on your part as well," Xin assured him with a slight smile. "I understand. In your place, I would also want certainty, chiefly for Li's sake."
Observant as ever, I see. "I was mostly asking for him, yes," Sothan admitted. "But you're his father and, as I said, I trust you. If you're confident that it's fine, then so am I. Now, that aside, what tea did you choose?"
"An old favorite," was the response. "Lucky me, you had some jasmine available for me to swipe. 'Tis naught but a sad little bag, true, but it's much appreciated after the week I've had, let me tell you."
Sothan was abruptly reminded of Xin's brief reveal recently… The fact that he'd found new love, only for his second partner to wind up dead seemingly just days ago. If even that. That must be… awful. Truly, truly awful.
There was a sort of loud groan as Novei emerged from the room she was sharing with Li, glaring at the two. "You both are irritatingly loud. I thought vampires were quiet or some shit."
"I'll have you know that we were being rather quiet," Xin chuckled. "And we're not at all close to your room, besides."
Novei waved a hand at him in disgust. "Not only are you guys taking away from my time with Li, but you're waking me up."
"We truly weren't being loud," Sothan gently corrected. "That issue aside, however, we aren't taking away anything. We're perfectly happy that you both spend as much time together as you do, because it makes him happy. If nothing else, the three of us can agree on wanting his happiness, can we not?"
The woman opened her mouth to protest, but remained silent. She didn't know what to say to that, and her only saving grace was Li poking his head out around her from the bedroom. "What's happening?"
"Just a discussion is all," Xin replied lightly, rather than telling the truth. "And a hunt for good tea, of course."
"Oh, alright." Li smiled a little and squeezed out of the door, stretching with a yawn. "Nap felt good."
"That's good," Sothan answered. "Are either of you hungry? I'd wager I can still make some decent food, even if I was never especially talented at cooking."
Li chuckled. "Suppose I am. If you need help, Novei's pretty good at cooking," he explained, nudging her.
She cast him a glance, then shrugged to Sothan. "I can."
Given the way she had been interacting with him and Xin moment's before, Sothan decided to give her an out if she wanted it. "You don't have to," he said to her. "If you'd rather not, I'm more than happy to take over."
"It doesn't matter to me," Novei answered.
"Feel free, then," he responded while stepping aside. "We'll get out of your way fully as soon as the tea's done."
"I will not cook it all, you will be helping," Novei explained, crossing her arms.
"Ah, my mistake," Sothan said placatingly with a smile. "We'd be happy to."
She huffed a little and waved him off. "I'll be there in a minute."
"Sure."
Li chuckled a little, then paused when Novei looked at him. He wasn't sure what to make of it, not until she gave a tiny smile. Instantly, he relaxed. Oh, so you've accepted them, now? Good. We're all family here.
~保護者~
There was a long moment of silence as Eila pondered about a way into the Realms of Death. Normally, a being such as her shouldn't be able to gain entry, but she quickly noticed the lingering magic of someone else having pulled open a portal. She latched onto it with her own and drew a circle in the void of space, ripping a new portal open that she quickly stepped through.
The moment she did, she was confronted not by Ylden, but by Zenith. "What are you doing here?" he asked her, not wasting any time by beating around the bush.
The cat, face to face with the living incarnation of Darkness, merely blinked. "I'm here to speak to the souls of someone's family. Saran has been corrupted and I believe that they may well be part of the key to saving him, as we cannot ascertain a way to purify him." Eila kept her approach straightforward, more than prepared to find a way around this if Zenith denied her for one reason or another.
Zenith regarded her in silence for a time before inclining his head. "Do what you will. He is important to existence… and the descendent of my closest friend. If this is something you believe will help him, and thus Eona, then so be it."
"Good. Will I be able to see the spirits or do I need to acquire some temporary aid to speak with them?
"I have already temporarily shared with you the ability to interact with them," Zenith said, "excluding the ability to touch. No spirit, no matter how determined, will be able to harm you."
"Meaning you know who I am," Eila muttered under her breath, a bit dismayed that once more… her reputation had preceded her.
"I only know a small portion of your past," he answered. "This is merely an effort to protect you, not to judge you."
"I'm aware," Eila answered, walking past him. "Just don't bring it up." She didn't say another word, creating the pathway to the specific realm she needed to be in. When he had nothing more to say, she walked on ahead and began her silent search. Already, she recognized some of these people from the sea of fractured memories living in her mind. It was easier to break those memories than to let them fester with her feeling so fragile lately…
Pushing those thoughts away, Eila refocused herself. I'm looking for specific people. Pay attention and seek them. You've done something similar in the past. Just… sorta do it again. Raising a hand, she channeled her magic and took a step forward, feeling her body displace itself to appear near one of the people she believed she was looking for.
…This should be Koda, if I am correct. Eila shifted around a crowd of spirits and called out. "Koda? Are you here?"
Soon, a Tokarian with Light-caused white fur (just like what Saran had) approached. His eyes possessed sight and were a gentle shade of green, much like Analia's. "Yes? Can I help you?"
"My name is Eila," the cat greeted. "I've come here looking for members of Saran's family because he's currently in a situation that he cannot save himself from."
Koda's demeanor shifted from one of confusion to one of great concern. "What's happening to my father?" he asked her. "He only just departed from these realms a short time ago. His spirit had not even awakened before then due to the sheer brutality of his death."
Eila had hoped to spare him the details, but she relented in response to his concern. "A woman we are at war with corrupted him and it has affected him deeply. I believe I can save him, but I need to know more about him."
He only grew more troubled upon hearing this news. Still, he appeared resolved to help. "What is it that you wish to know?"
"I want to know more about him and who he was as a person," Eila explained. "His personality, ideals, anything that may give me a clearer picture as to what he is like."
Koda thought this over. "I'm sure you know this already, but he has a tendency to be quite reserved with his feelings. However… that isn't always the case. Around us, he always smiled and laughed freely. He truly loved us, and he always made sure we knew that. That was always a big part of his personality, I think."
Eila nodded slowly. "That is a good start to take note of."
"He truly always was a lover of all things nature," Koda continued. "He spent his whole life living modestly in the dense wildernesses that used to be found all over South Island. Throughout his life, he was a wanderer. Sometimes he would settle down in an area for a while before moving on, sometimes he would only camp for a time before continuing his journey. He truly settled down once he married my mother, but that wanderlust has never left him. As soon as I was old enough, he started taking me along on his journeys. My mother as well, of course, when she saw fit to join us. I suppose that love of nature and traveling was the only love of his, aside from learning, that came anywhere close to his love for us. I'd wager you know about his ever-present desire to grow his knowledge, however."
The cat gave another nod. This was another very useful piece of information, but… how to make use of it wasn't clear. Instead, she focused on the conversation. "I have picked up on such. His mind is very vast."
"Yes, I suppose it is," Koda agreed. He was quiet for a moment. "As for 'ideals'... I don't have as much to tell you. He never spoke of such things, in truth. All I know is that, while more than capable, he generally preferred to avoid killing and fighting if he could. I hesitate to call my father a through-and-through pacifist, but I know he would prefer it if there were no wars, no deaths, and that sort of thing."
I find myself feeling much the opposite. What direction am I heading in, for some of my feelings to align with how he is now? Eila gave a small frown of thought. "I see. Much like many Light users."
"True indeed," Koda agreed with a wan smile. "Were there any other things you wished to learn from me?"
"I am unsure what else I need to know from you," Eila admitted easily. "I will be seeking out your mother shortly."
Koda immediately pointed. "Mum's that way. She likes keeping to herself, usually. Her fur's white like mine, so she's easy to spot. Long hair full of braids, blueish green eyes, that sort of thing."
Eila nodded, then expressed her thanks. "I appreciate your help. I will… I will do everything I can to ensure your father's safety without returning him here."
"Thank you," he answered her.
With nothing else to say, Eila stood there awkwardly for a few seconds before simply walking away in the direction she'd been told to go. Sure enough, the woman was in sight in no time. "Neferti?"
The former tribal leader turned to face her, then canted her head. "You're the living one I sensed. What is it that you need?" Clearly, she wasn't one to beat around the bush.
Eila respected such, and showed her respect by responding in kind. She explained what had been told to Koda, keeping the information as brief as she could without omitting details. "I wish to know about him so I can save him from the corruption."
Any and all calmness in Neferti's eyes was instantly replaced by as much fear (or at least concern) as one with so much Light could feel, but nevertheless she kept a level head and tone. "Tell me what it is you need to know. And once I have told you all I can, I must request that you tell me exactly how such an impossible thing has occurred."
"I want to know who Saran was as a person. Ideals, emotions. Anything you can think of that is important."
"I presume that our son mentioned the same things I would have," Neferti answered. "Unless I am mistaken, you know already how he feels about his family, the outdoors, his books, fighting, death, and the like. In these regards, he is not a complicated man. There is little else I can tell you unless there are more specific things you seek answers to."
Eila frowned a bit, then spoke a question. "How would he have described you?"
"Probably about the same way you would if asked to right now," was the honest response. "My personality is not overly complicated, either."
That was helpful, yet it… also was not. Eila frowned thoughtfully. "I see… I… I am not sure if I have learned anything particularly helpful here, merely reinforcing previous information."
"Then perhaps there are other things you may wish to ask," Neferti suggested kindly.
"I do not know what else I should ask of you," Eila explained. "My strong suit is not… people."
"Nor is mine. But you are the only one here who has had the ability to assess my husband's condition. You are the only one with any idea what information may be needed."
"And I doubt Zenith would agree to me taking spirits with me," Eila added, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I… fuck. I don't know." She felt terrible suddenly, sitting on the ground and putting her head against her knees. I can't even purify people. What the hell am I even gonna do?
Neferti watched her, then sat down across from her. "Tell me what you are thinking," she said gently. "Unlike my granddaughter, I cannot read minds."
"I don't know," Eila muttered. "I don't really have a plan. I'm not sure. I don't know what I can do or if I can do anything." The admission stung, and it made her muscles relax in dismay. "He had a great family, a great life. Things he loved and pursued, but what does knowing any of it help? It's not like it's an energy corrupting him."
"Can you tell me what his corruption is like?" Neferti asked. She was clearly still just as worried and fearful, but was continuing to stay calm outwardly regardless.
"He's not at all the same as he once was," Eila explained softly. "It's like all of the things he once cared about… he simply doesn't care about now. He feels… so little."
This troubled Neferti even more greatly. "My husband has never been a cold or unfeeling man. He is often reserved on the outside, but he feels just as deeply as any other Light user and isn't shy about expressing it when he so desires. That just isn't who he is." She was quiet before continuing. "Are you aware of anything he has felt since this corruption took hold of him?"
"Faintly curious… annoyed, bored, and hostile," Eila answered softly. "If I had to put words to it."
"Only the curiosity sounds like him," Neferti murmured. "If nothing else, it is proof that he is not entirely lost."
"But what in the world do I do?" Eila groaned, raising her head up. "This is such an unusual phenomenon."
Neferti could only shake her head and admit, "I do not know. I have never before heard of such corruption, much less encountered it."
Eila pushed herself back to stand, pacing back and forth suddenly. "The best I can think of would be to find a way to latch onto the corruption itself somehow, but that would require separating out the difference between him and the corruption."
"I do not know how you would go about that," Neferti said. "But I am also old. My mind is, perhaps, not as quick and sharp as it once was. If you so choose to take this monumental task on, I would be more than willing to put my trust in you to succeed where I cannot."
"I think I'm on the right track," Eila explained, unintentionally ignoring what Neferti said. "There might be something to learn from his mother, if I can find her."
"I do not know who she is," Neferti answered. "She passed long before Saran and I ever met. He was just a boy at the time."
"I can find her." Eila took a deep breath, hands on her hips. "I know his energy, and in most circumstances… people have an energy very similar to their parents. If I just focus on that, I'll catch onto her presence eventually."
"You are correct," was the response. "I can assist if you require it."
"I do not need it," Eila said, already preparing to teleport. She only stopped to look at Neferti, managing a weak smile. "Thank you."
"Thank you," Neferti answered.
Eila blinked once at this, then simply nodded and teleprted away. It hadn't taken her long, really, to find the person she was searching for, but… well, she didn't know where they were. Not having the identity of this person has muddled my ability to find them… Rather than focus on this fact, Eila continued on until she found herself approaching another, lone spirit. "May I ask you a question?"
The spirit looked at her, face blank with confusion, and then relented with a nod. "Yes, I suppose you may."
"Does the name Saran mean anything to you?" Eila questioned softly.
Eyes softening, the spirit nodded. "He's my son," she murmured.
"So I did find you, then," Eila said, gently sitting down. "I wanted to ask you about him. He's in a rough situation, and I think I can help, but I need to know more about him."
"I'm… afraid that I never had the time to get to know him as deeply as a mother would like," the woman said. "He was still so young when I fell to my enemy's sword…"
"Oh," Eila murmured. "I'm very sorry. I did not mean to bring that up to you."
She shook her head. "It's alright. I would be happy to tell you what I can. I only meant to convey that it may not be enough."
Eila nodded at this and thought it through. "What… what were his energies like for your senses, when you last saw him?" She didn't like phrasing it this way, but it would give her a better idea of what she was looking for.
"Bright and calm, just like him," the woman smiled sadly. "Reserved as well, but… there was always warmth. Always."
"A curious soul, too, yes?" Eila pressed gently.
"He comes by it honestly," was the soft, slightly giggling response. "Always wanting to learn everything about everything, that one."
Eila winced suddenly, glancing away. Fucking hell… you remind me of my sister. "I used to be like that… Everyone I've spoken to has said he was this way, but I don't know what to do with this information."
"I'm afraid that I can't help you," the woman said. "Not without knowing what is going on. And I'm rather afraid to ask, as it stands."
"I will promise, like I have to everyone I spoke to before, that I will do everything I can to help him. If I can… just figure it out, I'll save him from this. I don't want you to have to see him so soon after he was revived."
"...So he was dead before," she murmured slowly. "That is… regrettable. But I can at least find solace in the fact that there are people like you looking out for him."
Eila blinked a few times to get rid of the welling tears in her eyes, taking a moment to relax her breathing. "I'll do my best, but…" She paused, not sure how to say what was on her mind before deciding to drop it. I'm not a bad person… I know that. Why is it so hard for me to accept that? "I can't promise anything. This is… an unprecedented situation. If I am able to save him, I'll come back and tell you myself." You shouldn't have to worry.
"Please do," she answered. "I would very much like to know what is happening, though perhaps not right this minute. It is my preference that you focus your time on helping my son however much you can."
There was a slow nod from Eila, and she simply looked to the ground. "I feel much better among the dead than the living, it seems," she observed quietly.
"Some people are that way," the woman acknowledged, her tone soft.
Eila gave a soft sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I caused a lot on my own, so perhaps it is more a disturbing comfort as opposed to peacefulness." The woman had nothing she could truly say to that. She just politely nodded. Rather than continue this conversation (she had no interest in spilling out her heart to a stranger), Eila moved to stand. It was only now that a… familiar presence reached her senses and made her freeze in place. Fuck… I should have known. "I-I'll… come back and tell you how it goes… later," she mumbled, feeling herself withdrawing.
The woman stood as well and offered a polite bow, as was customary in the ancient Tokarian culture - much like it was in chameleon culture. "Be well, then, miss. And you have my utmost thanks."
"Y-yeah, no problem," Eila replied quietly, taking a shaky and slow step toward the approaching pair of spirits. Relax… You can relax. Nobody can hurt you here.
It felt like every time she blinked her body had teleported forward. She hardly recognized her steps forward until all at once, her mind blanked when she came face to face with two other white cats (one male and the other female). Eila stood in complete silence. When she plainly refused to speak, the male of the two did so for them all. "Is… is that you, Eila?" He asked gently.
"Yeah," the woman replied. "It's uh… it's me."
The elder woman took a step forward and tried to gently take Eila's hand, only for her hands to phase through. "O-oh…" she murmured, audibly dismayed. The woman winced when she saw Eila flinch back, hurt that her daughter would react so harshly. "I… I'm sorry. I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again. With… everything that happened."
Eila glanced away, steeling her nerves. You're strong… Don't run away. Just… talk, then leave. Nothing more. "Not by my own choice that I live still. An Immortal saved me."
"I'm glad they did it," the male said, speaking up again. "I… I knew we would never be able to save you. I wanted to, but… we were just not strong enough to do it."
"I heard about what you're doing," her mother said softly, looking her living daughter in the eyes. "I'm… with everything you went through, everything that has happened, you've…" She sniffled a little. "You're doing so well. You've grown into such a beautiful, strong woman. I'm sorry we failed you. I'm sorry I failed you."
Eila took in a sharp breath when she heard this, unintentionally shifting a step back. It was hard hearing the pain in her mother's voice, the longing and love they both carried. It hurt. "Y-you… you didn't…"
"I did," her mother pressed. "But… we don't have to talk about it now. Maybe… maybe another day. You got here once without dying. Could… could you come back when you're not out saving the universe? Let me make things right?"
Trying to acknowledge that was difficult. The idea of addressing any of this, especially so suddenly left her shaking. She wanted to cry, to scream. Anything but think about this. "Later," was the only word she could utter, shifting away from them both. "Just… later. Later." Without another thought, the cat left the Realms of Death, heaving in gulps of air to combat the lack of oxygen from barely breathing for that interaction.
The two spirits looked to one another, a few tears being openly shed. To know they'd made a mistake was one thing. To see the consequences of their mistakes… knowing how it affected their daughter. That was so much more painful.
~保護者~
When he awakened, Shadow made a slow and sleepy realization. He seemed to be very well recovered already, a fact which wouldn't have been possible once upon a time. His body was healing much faster than it used to, evidently. Eila's notes had mentioned how incredibly powerful vampiric regeneration and healing abilities were. Looking back, he should have paid that more attention than he had at the time.
The next thing he took note of was the fact that Toru and Elize were precisely where he'd left them. Toru was still dozing in the chair with the baby in his arms. Shadow opened his eyes to look the pair over. Both looked perfectly relaxed. Peaceful, even. Elize still didn't seem to be hungry, so Shadow suspected she'd taken more after her chameleon heritage in that regard. Unless he was mistaken, chameleon babies didn't usually feel any hunger for the first few hours of their lives, sometimes a bit longer. She seemed fine, so he didn't worry about it.
Beyond that, the only unusual thing he noticed was that his father wasn't in the building at the moment. He was a good distance away with two other people. Two dragon people, unless he was mistaken. One had a demonic aura. One didn't. All three of them seemed calm, at times even amused. Shadow decided not to worry about it. He trusted Kaden and knew he was a capable man. And even if something were to go awry, he highly doubted that Zareil was far away. She'd back him up without hesitation. Everything would be fine.
Shadow's attention was swiftly captured by his nose. It went without saying, in his opinion, that he was not accustomed to having such an acute sense of smell. As such, it took him a short time to really make sense of what he was detecting. While he seemed to instantly and through pure instinct recognize different kinds of blood even when it was his first time smelling them, different scents didn't come to him as naturally.
Regardless, this was a smell he'd encountered before, and so he recognized it before too long. All traces of drowsiness vanished from his mind once it clicked. He was smelling a demon. In his fucking house, no less. Protective instincts slammed through him, sending him into motion regardless of whether or not there was still a potential for doing so to harm him. At the same time that he took Elize from Toru (which he did only because those instincts demanded he hold her), he teleported Soren, Lia, and Myriu to him. Myriu smelled like she'd been outside somewhere about an hour before, possibly with another chameleon, but he was too on edge to really focus on that.
Where is it coming from? The scent had infiltrated much of the building by now. It made it hard for him, with his lack of practice or any real skill, to pinpoint the source of it.
Right while he was in the middle of trying to figure it out, Soren spoke up. "Dad? What's… going on?"
Shadow motioned for him to wait and tried to focus again. Only a few seconds had passed since he first started working this out, but it felt like far too much time to him. His only consolation was that he had an answer not too long afterward. "Satsuno smells like a demon," he told Toru quickly. Looking back on what little knowledge he had about the man, he added, "It could be a possession. I don't know."
Soren stiffened. He, like Myriu, had been told a bit about possessions. The idea that one had happened, especially to Satsuno himself, had the teen instantly fearful. Oh, no… This is bad. It has to be bad. Worse than Satsuno ever outright said possessions could be. Lia, meanwhile, didn't really understand what was going on and so was much more focused on rubbing her eyes and yawning. Whatever medicinal potion Soren had given her at Ghune's behest still had her quite tired.
Toru jerked into action, having silently watched and listened to everything around them. His blade was out and he disappeared in a flash, dangling himself over the doorway to Satsuno and Seiko's room. Seiko didn't notice him (if only because he'd intentionally hidden his presence from them entirely), and so she kept reading one of the books she had stolen from Shadow. "Satsuno", if it really was him, was dozing very lightly on the bed beside her. If he was aware of Toru, he gave no indication of it.
There were two courses of action that Toru could take. One would be to burst into the room and do something risky. The other would be to simply watch… but that had a chance of backfiring too. My sister is here. Lia and Soren are here. Elize and Shadow are here. His decision was made quickly, and he appeared over Satsuno with a blade to his neck. "Seiko, we think he's possessed!" he called, simply so she wouldn't attack him. Satsuno's grey eyes opened immediately to give him an incredulous look. If he truly was possessed, the spirit was acting perfectly like him.
As one would expect her to act, Seiko soon had the sword she'd borrowed from Shadow (the one Kaden had crafted) drawn and at the ready. But Toru's words caused her to refrain from immediately striking at him. "What the hell are you talking about?" she demanded, winking with the eye that Satsuno couldn't see from his position. Satsuno sat up and eyed the two of them closely. As per usual, he didn't add any commentary of his own.
Toru was careful with his words, retaining the pressure of his own weapon at the older hedgehog's neck. "Shadow smelled something unusual and took the kids."
"What did he smell?" Seiko asked, narrowing her gaze. "You are not explaining yourself."
The chameleon glanced to Satsuno, watching Seiko in his peripheral. "A demon." Now Satsuno was frowning, but he still did his usual thing and didn't add to the conversation.
Seiko didn't hesitate, sending a pulse of her magic through Satsuno to test this theory. The real Satsuno certainly would have been pained by her magic, but that was about it. A spirit, on the other hand, would be amply inclined to escape so as to avoid being exorcized. Immediately, "Satsuno's" eyes were forced to change to those of the possessing spirits as he growled and leapt away. Glowing demonic orange glared at them, and then he was just gone.
"Shit!" Toru exclaimed.
Before he could act, Seiko barked a command. "Return to Shadow and the children now!" He didn't need to be told twice, vanishing as she threw the blanket off of her. Whoever the fuck you are, I'll banish you to the pits of the worst hell I can find for taking my husband from me.
Once Toru reappeared where Shadow and the children were, Shadow frowned at him. "They left," he stated flatly, clearly not pleased with the situation in the slightest.
Toru nodded. "Yeah, no kidding."
Myriu suddenly looked up at Shadow, a frown on her face. "Is that why he was… acting kinda weird?"
Shadow's expression softened a degree or two when he looked at her. "You witnessed something strange?" he asked her.
"He talked like normal… but it felt wrong." She shifted a little, rubbing a shoe into the floor. "Felt like he didn't care about me anymore."
Troubled anew, Shadow sought the necessary words to comfort her. "It wasn't him. The real him seems to care greatly for you. I doubt that will ever change, much less so suddenly."
Toru added to this by gently picking her up, holding her close. "We'll find him and get rid of the spirit possessing him. I promise."
"Will he be okay?" Lia yawned. She was leaning heavily against her brother's side.
"Yes," Toru replied. "Without a doubt. We'll ensure it." He caught a small frown on Myriu's face, but the girl didn't give voice to whatever she was thinking of.
Shadow, meanwhile, sat down on the edge of the bed with Elize. Being up hadn't so far caused him any pain, but he was still fairly tired. "That was not the energy of a normal demon," he eventually told Toru. He refrained from saying anything more for the children's sake, hoping the implications were clear. That was a uniquely powerful individual. A past god or goddess without a doubt.
Toru frowned deeply and gently set down Myriu. "Do I need to bring anyone here? I'm gonna help Seiko sort this out," he asked, looking at Shadow.
"...No," Shadow eventually replied. He was well enough for light childcare right now. With any luck, he would continue to rapidly heal and, thus, would be able to handle more soon. "Do what you must. We will be fine."
"Alright. Let me know if you need anything," Toru replied. He teleported away.
Once he was gone, Shadow turned his full attention to the kids. Lia was dozing off, so he laid her down where he'd been sleeping. Soren took notice of how tired his dad also looked. Still, he gave vent to a bit of excitement and asked, "Wait… is that the baby?" It obviously was, but still.
Shadow nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Yes."
Myriu frowned as she looked at Elize, tilting her head. "Hm. Interesting."
"Cute," Soren replied with a small smile. "Don't you think?"
"It's a baby," Myriu replied unhelpfully.
"Still cute," Soren said. "That aside, though… I heard you like board games. If you want, I'd be happy to play one with you while these guys rest."
"Sure, sounds better than…" Myriu blinked and glanced to Lia, deciding to not finish her statement. "Better than just doing nothing." Lia, for her part, was too close to falling asleep to even hear her.
Soren stood and beckoned Myriu to follow him. "Okay, come on. You can pick what we play. I don't mind."
The younger girl followed quietly, already thinking about what game she wanted to play. There's a lot of options… At least that means I can distract myself for a while.
~保護者~
The Aether had stopped Wave's teleport, just to make sure she didn't accidentally stray too close to Jet and the Void. It appeared beside her shortly after, taking a breath (even though it didn't have a need to breathe). "So uh, you sure you're ready to do this? I know I wanted to and all, but I don't want… well… I don't know."
"I'm ready, but I'm also not," Wave admitted. "Either way, we have to do this. We have to. I can't stand to lose him. It just… it would just kill me if I lost him."
"And even if the Void won't accept me, it needs help," the Aether added, shrinking down to sit on Wave's shoulder. "It's a tough situation."
"Any idea how we should approach this?" Wave asked. She reached an idle hand up to pet her companion's head. "It goes without saying that we shouldn't be confrontational, of course. I don't know how much gentility will work here, either, even though that's how I'd normally approach Jet when he's suffering like this."
The Aether frowned a bit, leaning into Wave's hand. "Well, first and foremost… we should make sure he's exposed to our energy. I can help mitigate a bit of the effect the Void is having on him, and you have the best chance of speaking. The best way we can do this is approach and see what he reacts to."
"Yeah… You're right." Wave drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You ready for this?"
"Kinda," it admitted gently.
"That's better than me," Wave murmured. "How far away are they?"
"Not so far that they haven't noticed us. Just far enough away that they're not bothering with our presence yet." Wave took another moment to breathe and nodded. The Aether carefully encased Wave in a bubble of its own energy, then it spoke again. "I'll be with you, but he's only gonna listen to you."
"That still leaves the Void," Wave pointed out. "It won't listen to either of us."
"It'll have to put up with me, and Jet seems keen on not letting it do whatever it wants to do freely," the Aether replied.
It had a point. "So long as you think you can keep it from killing us, I guess I'm ready."
The Aether nodded and gave her a small nudge with its energy in the right direction, standing upright on her shoulder. "Let's go."
Wave nodded and flew in the indicated direction. It took just a short amount of time for them to catch sight of Jet. He had apparently stopped what he was doing before and began waiting for them. He already seemed a bit more stable than before, but the glow in his eyes proved that he still wasn't himself. The Aether shifted over toward Wave's shoulder for a second, pressing its forehead against her before it disappeared to keep a watch on the Void.
As Wave cautiously approached Jet, something a soldier from long ago had once said about him rang through her mind. "The king's wrath is both beautiful and terrible to behold." That was certainly true. She'd witnessed it more than enough times to know firsthand. That didn't stop her from worrying. I see the scars of time and war all over. Our efforts have ultimately healed little. So much suffering has been seen since the dawn of existence… Anyone with eyes can still see the evidence of it all throughout the realms. The agony of it all… It makes me wish for an end, sometimes.
But I can't let myself think like that. This is a war of many fronts. As a consequence of that, we have to be prepared to fight it in many different ways. We can't do that if we start giving up. She slowed to a stop a respectful few feet in front of Jet. We have to face the challenges to come with dry eyes. There will be a time to properly mourn, but not until this is done. Night is falling. We just have to keep our eyes turned toward the dawn.
She watched him as he watched her. She knew her thoughts were reaching him. She was ensuring it. Only now did she speak aloud. "The sun shines on both joy and grief in equal measure," she said softly. "I've seen you slay monsters and level armies with scarcely a thought. Grief is an enemy of a different sort. I know it is. But when in the darkness, we must ourselves be the light… even when we cannot personally wield it. You used to teach people that, remember? And besides that, not even the dead are truly gone. I know you know that, and I know that doesn't make it hurt less… but you have to remember it all the same."
The Aether spoke up to add to this. "And one of the best things to do for those who aren't with us is to keep living, keep fighting. We want to make our worlds, our universe, better. We can't make the present better while we're living in the past."
Jet was currently silent. The Void chose to speak to him as well. "Life is small and short, while death is overwhelming and inevitable. Mortal existence is but a brief crack of light within eternal darkness. All mortal things must die. They were never an exception."
This earned a scowling glance from Jet. While she couldn't hear the conversation, Wave knew immediately that the pair weren't getting along. Again. "I will end you."
"You are no threat to me, no matter what you may prefer to believe," the Void growled. Then it said, "I have proven to you already that what was broken can be reformed, making it better than it was before. You yourself are proof of that truth. But you alone are worthy of continuing to live, to fight, while all others must die."
"Leave him alone," the Aether said firmly, staring directly at the other being. "Death is a natural thing, yes, but there's not a single reason for killing everyone and everything."
"What is necessary and what is right are not the same. All that matters is whichever serves him best." the Void glared at the Aether. "Death is more necessary than life. Without it, scum like Nareish could never be stopped."
"But preserving life is necessary," Aether responded, narrowing its own gaze. "Without life, what could cause death? Beings such as us don't age. We won't die. And you don't have the right to kill all things."
"I have every right."
"Shut up, both of you," Jet muttered, looking away. His tone had a bit of harshness to it, but mostly he just looked… dull. And tired. It seemed to Wave that he was entering a different stage of grief bit by bit. One governed more by the pain than the anger.
"Talk to him, Wave," the Aether said to her mentally.
"No… I know that look. He just needs to be convinced to come with us and get some sleep. He's emotionally exhausted himself." Wave took a risk and edged closer. "Are you willing to go back to A'latria with us?" she asked softly.
The mental image of Cadora's body flashed through Jet's mind and he gritted his teeth. "No," he said, tone curt. He didn't bother telling either of them about his student's murder. There was no point, not right now.
"Then go to Babylon," the Aether gently said. "Your parents are there."
He hesitated rather than immediately disagreeing, so Wave pressed the issue. "They'll want to see you. Kath, too. They've all been worried about you." The glow in his eyes wavered and then faded significantly, but he said nothing.
"Your friend, Sonic, will want to see you, too. You've been friends since the beginning, yeah? He's super worried about you, as are your friends. They want to see you," the Aether added with a soft smile. Jet looked away, still not saying anything. His eyes were gradually returning to their usual blue. He seemed more dull and withdrawn than angry now.
"Wave I don't know what I'm supposed to say next," the Aether admitted mentally.
"Think you can maybe put him to sleep for a bit?" Wave asked after some consideration. "That should help him calm down more in the long run."
The Aether took a chance at this, gently reaching out to Jet with its energy. "You can relax, Jet. I promise. We're here. Everything will be okay." When this didn't work, out of concern the Aether instead just used its energy to forcibly induce sleep. It did not want to risk upsetting Jet by him realizing it was trying to influence him in any way.
Wave was quick to catch her friend and looked at the Aether. "Thank you," she murmured once he was safely in her arms. She thought about the situation for a second or two. "The last time something mentally affected Jet enough to make him sleep - that is, when he was given strong medicine - it put the Void to sleep as well. Did that happen again? I can't see or hear it like you can. Or, I guess, not yet."
The Aether tilted its head and approached the Void, then gently cradled its energy around its counterpart to carry it. "It's asleep. I think this'll always happen. Probably the same for you and me."
"Really? That's… unusual. I guess that means we'll have to be careful. No telling if unconsciousness in battle results in the same effect." Wave sighed to herself. "I don't know why he was so adamant about staying away from A'latria, and I don't want to read his mind right now. Not with how he's been since Nareish… you know. Let's just take them both back to his parents for now."
The Aether nodded a little, teleporting them both to Babylon as quickly and carefully as it could manage so as to not even shift their companions. I'm so sorry, Jet… I wish I could help you more. I can't bring them back…
Together, Wave and the Aether arrived at the palace. Wave teleported the four of them again, this time back into the medical ward. If Jet's emotions were still too severe for him to cope with when he awoke, it would be best if he was close enough for doctors to help him. She didn't like the idea of potentially having to let someone issue a sedative, even a minor one, to him and leave him defenseless… but it just might be for his own good.
With that in mind, she laid her now sleeping friend on the same bed he'd been using after the raid. She flared her aura, hoping to catch the attention of the rest of his family. Sein, Laralei, whoever, they just needed to come here. For his sake. While he only might need medicine when he wakes, he will definitely need them.
Sein was there in an instant, visibly startled out of sleep. "Wha- Wave?" He questioned, immediately walking over to Jet's bedside. Alana was close behind him.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to alarm you," Wave said in as soothing a voice as she could manage. "I just wanted to get your guys' attention to let you know Jet's back and okay."
"It's okay," Sein replied softly, looking up to Wave. "I'll keep a watch over him. Whatever you did to get him back here… thank you."
"Of course," she murmured while Alana went to sit by her son. "Do you need anything? I can fetch anything you guys want or whatever."
Sein shook his head. "No thank you," he replied with a gentle tone. "You seem shaken. Go relax a little bit."
"Okay." Wave gave Jet a long, lingering look before heading out of the room.
The Aether poked up from Wave's shoulder, where it had perched in its miniature form. "The Void should be resting on a bed of my energy next to Jet. I hope this sleep helps them both."
"It should," Alana murmured. "Thank you both for your efforts. Words cannot express how grateful we are that our son is home safe again." The being smiled, then vanished as Wave left the room. Alana turned to her partner. With all others gone, she was now fully focused on their son… the one person in the world who was capable of making her truly worried and fearful. "Do you think he will be alright, Sein?"
"I'm sure he will be," Sein replied. "Wave and the Aether wouldn't have brought him here if he wasn't calmer now than he had been before."
"That is not quite what I meant," she said softly. "The pain of losing a child is… immeasurable. And he lost all but one of his in one fell swoop."
"All things considered, I'd be more concerned if he turns out to be alright," Sein replied in kind, sighing a little.
"I just wish there was something more we could do," was the soft response.
Sein winced at this, simply nodding in reply. There was too much to think about, and it left him feeling… more upset than before. It was easier to not think about it, but that was out of the question now. "Yeah."
Alana swallowed back any further comments of that nature and motioned for him to take a seat with her beside the bed. "Perhaps we should rest for now, like he is."
"Yeah," Sein said again, sitting down and settling himself into the chair. Alana leaned against him and closed her eyes. It was going to be a long… day? Night? She wasn't even sure, so focused was she on her son. And, equally, on her hope that he would awaken soon and be alright. But that might be nothing more than wishful thinking.
~保護者~
Reviving people as she saw fit was a power Nareish still seemed to have. Truly, there was no reason not to make use of it. Especially when she had a very clear idea in mind for who she wanted to bring back and why. Ghune still hadn't suffered enough for her role in the raid on Nareish's realm, as far as she was concerned. To that end, she knew just the people whose lives to restore.
Zsasha, Lior, and Cyca were three truly ancient vampires, much like Ghune herself. In fact, Zsasha was almost the exact same age as her. The difference in their ages was a mere matter of a few years. But that wasn't why Nareish was interested in him. In many ways, he was the truest antithesis of Ghune that had ever existed within their people. He wasn't her true opposite in every way, no, but in many ways he was.
For one thing, Ghune had been born from a perfectly normal dream Finis had had during his childhood. Zsasha had been born from a nightmare. Both had plenty of leadership qualities and abilities, but she made frequent use of them while he preferred to go it alone most of the time. She had grown to care deeply about their people, whereas he seldom felt the same way. They were each uniquely powerful, possessing between them almost every power their race was known to possess. It would be so much damn fun to watch Ghune be forced to face him again.
And then there was Lior, a bright and abundantly intelligent vampire with a knack for alchemy. Many of his powers were among those of the stealthy variety, such as the ability to merge with shadows and move with utter silence. Aside from that… he'd been a student of Ghune's, someone that directly interacted with her for quite some time. He was rather a quiet being in terms of personality, as well.
Lastly, there was Cyca. She was certainly an… odd individual, even for a vampire. It made it easy for her to utilize her unique skill set, at least. Her bites were often addictive for her prey. She had the ability to sing like a siren and lure weak-willed people of any gender away for feeding or killing. She possessed the exceedingly rare ability known as "vampiric sight", allowing her to visually perceive events or places even when they were far from her own location. This woman was sly and manipulative, seductive and cruel… Needless to say, she was quite interesting. They all were.
Within seconds the three of them stood before her, their lives restored and their powers boosted as much as they could be. Cyca took one look at her own living flesh and blood and began to laugh. Truly a girl after Nareish's own heart. Lior looked over his restored body with no shortage of interest, immediately brushing at his body idly with hands just to feel that sensation again. Zsasha, meanwhile, took his time considering this unexpected turn of events. Newly freed from hell as they now were, many would have been celebrating to some extent. He chose instead to just cross his arms and ask, "What is the meaning of this?"
Nareish smirked at the trio. "Mm, let's cut the small-talk, shall we? I brought you all back for a reason. You see… Ghune is still alive, as is her dear friend Ryint. Much like you three, I have cause to want them to suffer and die. Ghune especially… though I do know that you, Lior, have plenty of cause to target Ryint as well."
"Mhm," Lior replied with a low tone. "She was a vexing lady with a penchant for trouble, but she is the best way to Ghune if they are still close," he pointed out. "It is also easier to access Ryint than Ghune by a long shot."
"Mm, I bet I could lure one of them away for you," Cyca teased. "I've always wanted to try and tempt those two."
"Do it at your own peril," Zsasha said dismissively. "I won't back you up if you get caught." Cyca only laughed.
Lior gave a little sigh, visibly dismayed by Cyca. "Not that you'll get much out of it, aside from steel to the throat. Or a bat." He shivered vaguely, remembering the barbaric way that Ryint killed. "I'd advise you use your brain for a few seconds."
"Oh, I use it alright. I'm fact, right now I'm thinking about using it to-"
Nareish cut them off with a laugh. "My, you three are amusing. But I cannot let you go just yet. If you were to simply die again right away, all my effort would have been wasted."
"What do you stand to gain from this?" Lior dared to ask. "Sure, you possess the power to restore life and bring death, but why bring us here when you could likely do whatever we would do on your own?"
"Simple," Nareish murmured. "This is fun. And, frankly, Ghune deserves to die in ways that only you vampires can likely dream up. That's why I leave it to you."
Lior narrowed his gaze. "You simply want to watch others do it, then? I must guess that you much prefer letting people squabble as they will."
"I have told you all you need to know on this subject," Nareish answered easily. "Would you like to learn about what is actually important now, or shall I send you back out into the universe entirely unprepared?"
"Mm, depends on what you deem important," Lior replied gently. "What do you have for us?"
"I trust you lot are familiar with Black Doom?" Nareish asked them.
"Very," Zsasha muttered. "The beast attempted to kill us more than once."
"Put up a hell of a fight, too," Cyca grinned. "That was what I call fun. Lots of blood makes me a very happy girl, you know."
Lior blinked. "I never had the displeasure of meeting the creature, but I know of him. Ghune spoke highly of him and his kind. I never saw use in them aside from reagents, but I didn't dare mention such."
"Their race continues to thrive in this era," Nareish informed the group. "Black Doom himself lives as well. And, as it happens, he and Ghune appear to have grown much closer than they used to be. So much so that she had quite an extreme reaction when I… 'borrowed' him once."
There was a bit of a growl that emanated from Lior. He liked the thought of such emotional responses from her. "I can imagine what happened. I have seen her rampage."
"As have I," Zsasha said, the gears turning in his head. "This has the potential to be a useful exploit."
Before Cyca could add any of her irritating replies, Lior spoke again. "Is there other useful information? I have cause to bring back some old work of mine."
"There is one more thing," Nareish said. "A complicated figure has arisen and grown quite dangerous these days. He's the sole spawn of Black Doom, half Tokarian, a recently turned vampire, and a burgeoning Immortal on top of that. Do what you will regarding him… or don't. Just be prepared to struggle if you attempt to approach him.
"I have little need to bother a being other than those already in my sights at this moment," Lior admitted. "Though, if you find concern in this person, I may well have something to present soon… merely as a token of my appreciation for restoring my life."
She laughed openly at his suggestion. "Understood."
Zsasha was still thinking, so Cyca spoke in his stead. "That all?"
"For now," was the amused reply. As he was prone to doing, Zsasha vanished without another word.
Lior glanced to Cyca, then back to Nareish. "Where might I find a Wyvern? I merely need one for my work."
Nareish quickly listed off some worlds before warning, "Saethrim lives again. Be mindful."
"I will not harm them," Lior said dismissively. "Otherwise, he would have obliterated me in my past life." With that, he too vanished.
Cyca grinned again. "Heh. Ciao." She, too, disappeared then.
Only once they were well and truly gone did Nareish shift gears to focus on something else. Namely, she decided to check in on Dark Gaia. The beast had been unusually quiet for some time… or so she'd thought. Once she found said beast, her opinion rapidly changed. She couldn't help but laugh at once she was seeing in her mind's eye. Ah, I see. You have not been idle after all.
Indeed, Dark Gaia had embarked upon a rampage since its revival. It just so happened that it had been revived near a cluster of uninhabited worlds. Each of them now lay in ruin. Dark Gaia had been destroying them and gorging itself on their remains, having itself quite the feast. Well, now, my little pet. You haven't felt so full since the day the Darkness birthed you, is that it? No wonder you have been so content.
Smiling to herself, she began mentally nudging it away from its meals and steering it toward Mobius… just as she had once done long, long ago. On your way now. It is time for you to break this world again. I am just itching to see how much of my training you still remember. Her smile grew. If a creature as mindless as you can learn to obey, then so too can my newest pet. A chuckle escaped her, full of glee and delight. Fly fast, Gaia. Go to Mobius and bring to it as much misery as you can muster. Kill all you can. Break that measly rock if you are able. But above all else…
Entertain me.
~保護者~
13,334 words this time. Many thanks to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support, and I hope you all enjoyed. I'm back from an extended vacation, so posting should hopefully pick back up a little. Posted (at about 9:45 p.m.) 03-19-23.