Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this dangerous alliance… especially for the ones who are scheming.

A NOTE: I accidentally posted this to "Hero" last night, somehow... my bad.

~保護者~

"On the Hunt"

~保護者~

Seiko did not like what she was sensing. Ylden was a hard man to track, but… his Darkness was so potent and active at this moment that it was practically a beacon. There was something terribly wrong here. Still, this was important. She needed his help right now. When she happened across him finally, her fears were realized. It looked as though he was in some sort of in-between state between his normal and dark form. It was rare someone as calm and relaxed as him would be this far out of control.

"Ylden?" He didn't reply, his hand clenched around something she couldn't see. If it was some sort of weapon, Seiko figured she would have to find that out the hard way. But it was more likely a spirit, one he had just finished subduing. Seiko spoke up again, watching as he simply tried to fly off past her. She stuck a hand out and grabbed his arm, only to get rebuffed with an unnecessarily painful blast of Darkness. "Ylden, what the hell are you doing?"

He stopped for a few seconds, turning to face her with visible fury in his eyes. There were other emotions there, but she couldn't figure out what they were. His voice gave her chills, if only out of concern. "Don't you dare touch me."

Seiko tensed up a little, unsure what to say next. He was likely only one step away from properly losing control of his emotions, so she had to choose her words carefully. These thoughts were cut short when someone else entirely spoke up, drawing the attention of her and Ylden. "Seems you've been through a lot lately, eh, kid?" Dion said, an eyebrow raised as he floated over by Seiko. "Never figured I'd see the meek and shy little boy I raised look so ready to kill people."

Where he'd come from, Seiko wasn't sure, but she was glad he was here. Already Ylden's aura was beginning to relax, something more akin to a steadily growing campfire instead of the forest fire it had been. She decided to step back and let them speak to one another, not wishing to impede the progress this stranger (apparently Ylden's father?) had made.

Ylden took in a deep breath and turned, his gaze not falling on his father but instead on the woman with him. "I understand now why I couldn't find your spirit, Dion. A vampire raised you from the dead?"

Before she could speak, Dion cut in, sighing. "Yeah, it's whatever. Don't worry too much about it. What's going on with you? Never seen you so out of it."

"We're not talking about this." Ylden lowered his tone to a point that Dion frowned.

He's not thinking clearly in the slightest. What happened to you, my boy? "Ylden, please. Take a second and stop this. You're deep in that anger and whatever has gotten you this angry is about to push you into a dark form. You're going to lose that little bit of careful control you still have." Dion tried to keep himself calm, but so soon… seeing his son like this was upsetting, to say the least.

Seiko watched the man's gaze shift subtly, back to the woman with Dion. Ylden opened his mouth and she heard the incantations begin for a spell and sought to interrupt him. "Ylden! Satsuno has been possessed by Amnikaribah!"

That seemed to get his attention, turning on Seiko with further anger building in his aura. "What did you say?" he demanded.

"Yes. He's possessed," Seiko explained again. "Right now, I sent someone to go look for more help to deal with this, but we're going to need help from people like you."

"Fuck!" Ylden snapped, covering his face with his hands. "Another fucking problem! I'm so goddamn tired of this!" Dion flinched at his tone. Coming from Ylden, this would have been absolutely unheard of when he was still alive. "First Han and everything happening to my daughter, but then my brother shows up and all of a sudden it's my own fucking fault!" He screamed into his hands, thoughts trailing off as he tried to take in this new information.

Seiko didn't like the way the space around them seemed to rumble. She figured it was Ylden's magic reacting violently to his volatile emotions, but this was way overboard. "Ylden, look. It isn't your fault. Everything is fucked right now. We are in the middle of a war for fuck's sake."

"Shut up!" Ylden yelled, raising his face to look at her. "You don't know a fucking thing about this! Shut your goddamn mouth!" He tried to continue, but his words were drowned out as a bubble of an ethereal yellow energy surrounded him.

A large being comprised of the same energy appeared amidst the group, frowning softly at Ylden as the man struck at the bubble encompassing him. "Eesh… He's really not doing so good…"

Wave appeared right beside the Aether, eyes alight with worry that she kept out of her tone for the moment. "No kidding… Think you can help him?"

"Ehm… yeah, but it'll take a bit. With him so lost in his emotions…" The Aether shrunk down and settled itself on her shoulder. "It should be fine, as long as we move carefully from here on."

"Got it." Wave turned her attention to everyone else who was present here. A vampire, a cat who looks like Ylden, and who I have to assume is Seiko… Right. This isn't complicated at all. "Sorry for barging in like this. My companion here, the Aether, is good at helping with this sort of thing and we both know Ylden pretty well. We're just trying to help." The Aether waved one of its legs as best as it could to everyone, obviously smiling from its perch on Wave's shoulder.

The Raven Queen finally made a noise, snickering a little at the sight. "Hah, never imagined I'd be meeting an existential energy that was quite as nice as Eona is rumored to be. Little thing is adorable, too!"

"Well, the Aether was born primarily from Light, if that explains anything." Wave grinned at her small friend. "Hear that? You're officially adorable."

The Aether practically beamed at this, then looked over at Seiko suddenly with its eyes blinking. "Yeah?"

Seiko was briefly taken aback by the being's obvious ability to tell that she was about to speak, but ultimately chalked it up to this creature being some sort of existential energy (as the strange woman had called it). "This is cute and all, but we do need to work on the situation with Ylden. I believe our introductions can briefly wait."

"Oh, I'm already working on it!" The being smiled and turned to Ylden, whose attacks were beginning to lose some of the aggressive energy behind them. "I've been steadily working to calm his emotions, but he's really upset about a lot of things." Kinda reminds me of Jet, actually…

Wave snapped a finger. "You know what, I know something that might help. Be right back." She vanished, only to return seconds later with her father in tow. He stumbled a little when they abruptly reappeared in the area, but her insistent hold on his hand kept him from fully tripping. He glanced around in confusion before his eyes landed on Ylden.

Ylden, at this point, was standing there panting. His Darkness was still rolling off of his body as if he were lingering between his physical form and Dark form, but it was far from as aggressive as before. The Aether hopped over to Han and spoke up to him. "Do you think you can talk to him? Wave and I think you can help him calm down."

This… was far from being Han's forte. He wanted to try, but didn't at all know how. "I doubt I can help," he murmured. "I wouldn't know what to say."

The Aether smiled softly and floated up in front of his face. "Don't have to know. Just be there and talk. I'm betting he'll calm down once he realizes you're okay, aside from the memories."

"You'll be fine, Dad," Wave agreed. It took him a second to react to the parental term, since he had to remind himself that she meant him. In the end, all he could do was shrug while trying to think of some sort of solution to aid Ylden.

Dion decided to approach and give Han some sort of aid. He recognized who this was simply by his appearance. If my son made friends with you, he must have gotten close. You might be one of the only people qualified to help. "I know you don't know me, but if you're willing to listen, I have a piece of advice." He looked over to Ylden, staring at his son's flared eyes. "It hardly matters what you say sometimes. All he needs is some assurance. Some little bit of knowledge that'll let him know things are okay. I hope that helps, at least a little bit."

Han wasn't convinced it would help, but he was done arguing the point. He didn't feel like bothering with it anymore. With a small nod of acknowledgement, he walked over to Ylden and sat down. If he could get Ylden to subconsciously take a seat, too, that might help physically calm him down. In the meantime, he started simple in terms of words. "Ylden, are you listening?"

Ylden opened his mouth and seemingly replied, but the sound never escaped the bubble. Ultimately, he gave up on replying and just nodded as soon as he realized this fact. Han took note of this quietly. He didn't speak again for a moment. When he did, he made sure to pick his words carefully. "My… affliction with my magic was causing you great concern and pain. You do not need to worry over it anymore. It has been taken care of."

The cat shifted in his stance, shoulders relaxing as his Darkness began receding. Only now did the Aether see fit to let the bubble go, instead using the influence it had by being nearby to continue soothing him. "I… How?" Ylden asked, once he was sure he could speak to Han. "Was it the Faein again?"

"Someone calling himself Cyril came to help," Han said, frowning in thought. "He said something about a 'privilege', but I do not know what he meant. My… brother, apparently… He also got involved." He was still getting used to the idea of having a sibling, so saying that last sentence felt weird.

It clearly shocked Ylden to hear this news, his gaze finally softening enough that he could narrow his eyes. "Cyril was able to? He just gained his powers. How in the hell did he pull together enough power to actually purify your magic?"

"Jet," Wave gently cut in. "That's my best guess as to how Cyril could do it. I'm not sure Cyril is one hundred percent up to handling things like this on his own yet, though he's getting close."

Fucking hell. These kids just keep showing up and really being impressive, huh…? Ylden took a seat, sighing under his breath. "Fucking hell…"

Han turned his head to look at him. "Are you doing any better?"

"Feel like shit," Ylden muttered, laying his head on his knees. "Glad you're better, but it doesn't fix my fuck-ups."

"What happened?" Han dared to ask. Now seemed like a decent enough time to take that risk.

The Aether sensed the panic rising in Ylden and quelled it before it could manifest. He found himself answering the question as opposed to avoiding it. "My brother came back around and attacked my daughter. She nearly died, and is having to recover. My lack of focus allowed spirits to break out of 'hell' as it were."

Seiko crossed her arms and sighed. "So that's how this all happened, then…" she murmured. "We really do need your help, though. Like I said earlier, he's possessed and myself and a strong chameleon were fodder to the spirit." Han glanced at her when she spoke, but there was no recognition in his eyes… even though he'd once been close friends with her and her husband. She chose not to bring this up right now, instead moving on without delay. "You're one of the few people that can help me in separating the spirit from his body."

Ylden shook his head in dismay, forcing himself to stand again. "If it really is Amnikaribah, we're in for a hell of a fight. I can't fight in this condition, and we should get the attention of Cere and the others. They need to know before he chooses to use their ignorance against them."

"There's another problem, too," Wave added. "If you guys think that Amnikaribah itself is possessing someone, I'm guessing Satsuno, then we have to worry about Amnikaribah's soul corrupting his from the inside out."

"Which means we're running out of time already," Ylden muttered. "Fuck… Anything else?"

"Not that I know of," Wave shrugged.

"Good. Less complications." Ylden rubbed a hand over his eyes, trying to force the exhaustion out of his body. "Seiko, return to Mobius and alert your family and their allies. Even if some of them can't help, they need to know fast. Wave, we're going to need the help of an Immortal since we can't kill Amnikaribah. We need at least one of them." His gaze turned to his father, and he frowned. "I… I think our reunion may have to wait. It seems like I'm busy once more." Dion simply shrugged. The pleased smile on his face almost made Ylden smile in return.

"Jet should be on his feet again before long," Wave said. "If he's up to it, I'll make sure he gets involved. Mostly because I won't be able to stop him."

Ylden nodded to this and watched as Seiko left without another word. "I suppose that is reasonable. In a way, he and Cere are very alike."

"You're telling me," Wave grumbled, eyes rolling.

"You go talk to Jet and his family, I'll speak with Cere and the others. I don't plan on letting this get worse than it is," Ylden murmured gently.

The Aether appeared on Wave's shoulder and spoke up with a concerned look on its face. "Be careful when you approach her. I don't think she's feeling too good, either…"

"She probably isn't," Wave had to agree. She turned to Dion and the Raven Queen. "Hey, I just wanted to say that you two are welcome on New Babylon if you ever need a place to stay. I'm guessing at least you," she glanced at the Raven Queen specifically, "have an idea of where that is? Ylden knows how to get there, too, and that's where I'm going to be."

The Raven Queen chuckled a little. "I know where a little bit of everything is. I will do fine locating it."

"That's about what I figured," Wave answered politely. Returning her attention to Ylden, she said, "Dad's staying on New Babylon right now, too. Tae Thane and I have been keeping close to him. He'll be perfectly safe while you're gone, okay?"

"Thank you," Ylden murmured. He didn't feel like talking anymore and so he didn't, teleporting himself away to start preparing.

Dion turned to the vampire among them and gestured in her direction. "I suppose taking a bit of time to rest on New Babylon would be good. Didn't realize there was a new one, but eh. Things happen, I suppose."

"Planetary destruction, Therian war, that sort of thing," Wave explained in an almost entirely unhelpful manner. "Anyway, yeah, feel free to head over there if you want."

The black cat shrugged, then made some sort of sound as he was suddenly teleported away. The Aether frowned a bit. "I didn't really like that lady…"

"She does kind of give off some scary vibes," Wave teased. Then she said more seriously, "But I get what you meant."

It didn't elaborate further, still working out the details of why it felt like that. "We should go talk to Jet. This is real serious."

"No kidding. You ready to go, Dad?" Wave asked. He again didn't react to that term immediately. It took him a second to pull out of his thoughts and realize he was being talked to, at which time he stood up and walked over. The fact that he so visibly couldn't remember being a dad or who Wave was still hurt her deeply, but she was doing what she could to ignore it right now.

The Aether rubbed itself against her neck softly, trying to help soothe her. "It'll be okay…"

"Thanks," Wave murmured before teleporting them all back to Babylon. They definitely had things to do. Her sadness was going to have to wait.

~保護者~

Kial knew what it meant to be a God, what it was like. He'd been one not long ago, after all. Now, he was a God once more. The strengthened senses returned, new powers flowed through him. He could feel the universe in a new way… but now, now wasn't the time to focus on that.

He'd always been good at sensing the emotions of people, it was necessary to survive when blind. His concern lied in Rose, someone he had always had some concern for. When they first met, he had detected the first hints of it, her rage. Perhaps back then she was less traumatized, had gone through far less. He didn't know what all she had gone through in the time it took them to see one another again, but he did know that it was bad.

She was in an amount of pain she had no idea how to manage. He'd experienced it secondhand, really, seeing as she had approached and punched Saethrim. He'd also heard a rumor of her nearly killing someone in a fit of rage. That… that wasn't like her. Her natural emotional state was so kind and caring, loving. It didn't matter what had buried that seed of anger so deep inside of her. She needed help taking it out.

That was why he was where he sensed Analia, someone with strong enough Light that he could simply go to. It wasn't her that he wanted, but he acknowledged that she may know precisely who to speak to. "Analia, I believe that is you I am sensing?"

Analia had been sitting outside the back of Tails's house, idly weaving some flowers together by their stems while lost in thought. When he approached, she blinked up at him. "Yes, I suppose I would be," she agreed. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"I simply wished to check. Things have changed since we last spoke and I wished to ensure my senses are correct." He brushed the topic aside, approaching Analia quietly to sit in front of her. "I fear that Rose's anger has not abated even in light of the advice she has received. It seems to be holding her back yet still from growth."

Fresh worry filled Analia's eyes, not that he could pick up on that. "I see… I had hoped that it would not be this difficult for her." Setting her project aside, Analia considered the situation at hand. "In truth, young Kial… perhaps it would be in her best interest not to talk to someone like me. My personal experience with feeling and dealing with negative emotions is, as you might expect, limited in scope. Interacting with others who possess more knowledge may be beneficial to her."

"My thoughts exactly," Kial replied, inclining his head. "Those who had struggled with anger far beyond their control in their own pasts would likely be the required mentor for her. I do wish her sister could help, but from my knowledge… she is simply leaning in to her negativity while making way for more positive emotions. I believe she would make it worse."

"That is indeed possible," Analia had to concede. "I am not familiar with many who can help, in truth… but perhaps those with Darkness could provide some insight?"

"That is a good idea," Kial agreed. "Who, though, do you know that may be capable and willing to aid? I understand that many beings of Darkness do not like people such as you and her."

Analia smiled. "You would be surprised how many are perfectly alright with us, actually. That aside… I would ordinarily suggest Kaden, but I am now sure how he is doing at this time. He is likely worse off than Rose is right now. I suppose our son, Shadow, could provide help… if he felt like it. Other than that, I am unsure. Perhaps someone like Eona would know of more individuals than I do?"

Kial nodded gently at this, ultimately understanding why she said this. "Surely she could point us in the correct direction, and I highly doubt that Rose would have the heart to deny the good will of Eona."

"Indeed," Analia smiled. "If that is the case, then perhaps I can get you into contact with her. If this is the course of action you wish to take, of course."

"It is for the best. I wish for my fiance to be at her best," Kial replied, slowly standing.

That little revelation widened Analia's smile immediately. "Congratulations on taking that step in your relationship," she murmured warmly. She opened a portal with Light, then erected a barrier around Kial. "That portal will take you to the Realm of Light, and my barrier will protect you from any ill-effects you would otherwise suffer from such raw energy. Eona will sense your presence even if she is not there currently. She will go to you quickly."

Kial nodded to this, bowing his head in thanks before turning to the portal and walking through. He supposed that simply waiting would be fine, considering Analia's own words. Sure enough, he didn't have to linger long before he was found. More Light gently encased him and his barrier, tugging him out of the realm until he was a safe distance away. Eona then appeared before him, wearing the same warm expression she had when she had returned Vun to him seemingly so long ago. "Hello again, Kial. It is wonderful to see you. What has left you looking so troubled?"

He hadn't thought deeply on how expressive his face was (as he couldn't see it), but it wasn't as if it confused him. He banished the thoughts to ruminate on them another time, taking in a deep breath. "My fiance, Rosalline… Her anger has not abated. I spoke with Analia briefly and we both approached the conclusion that having her learn from a being of Light would not be conducive to her growth. Instead, we believe she should speak to someone who has experienced the kind of anger dwelling inside her and was able to overcome it. Beings of Darkness are the chief among those I would personally consider, but I have come for your opinions and thoughts on the matter, as the incarnation of Light."

Eona folded her arms and tapped a finger on her chin. She let out a thoughtful hum, canting her head in a way that was very reminiscent of what Saran and Analia often did. After a pause, she suggested, "Speaking to a woman known as Ghune could be beneficial, but I will more strongly suggest Aniko. For one thing, Rose is already familiar with her. That alone can open the door to her heeding any advice that is given."

Kial took this as his turn to fold his arms, thinking the matter over. "This is a reasonable conclusion. Aniko, from my limited knowledge, is a very disciplined shinobi. Simply learning the emotional discipline of a shinobi could be beneficial, aside from direct advice. It would help her be less rash."

"That is my belief as well," Eona said. "Perhaps give that a try before considering other options. If it does not work out, then I will do my best to assist in finding her another source of aid."

"I will certainly do so. My only request at this point is that you speak to her directly. She has been… adamant that she is alright," Kial murmured, allowing his concern to bleed out into his voice. "I cannot convince her that she truly needs help."

"I will do my best," Eona agreed, inclining her head.

"Thank you." Kial inclined his head in return. "For now, I do believe that I may need to learn more about my newfound position. I do not wish to make the same mistakes again."

"Then let us a take a short time to talk some more," Eona offered. "I was never the Goddess of Nature, only Life, but I knew her well. I can offer insights, if nothing else."

Kial smiled gently. "In that case, I will approach you if I desire aid. Hopefully, it will not be necessary."

"I understand," Eona responded, bowing politely. "Then I wish you the very best of luck in the meantime, though I do not expect you will need it. You are more prepared for this role than you think."

"Your opinion and thoughts are appreciated greatly." Kial turned and took a breath, then spoke. "I have no clue where I am."

Eona giggled melodically. "Allow me to assist you one final time today," she said. She promptly teleported them both on Mobius, close to where he had been before. Her energies were kept hidden to avoid causing a stir. "Welcome back to your home, young one. Protect it well, as I know you will. And try not to let your doubts fester too much. You will do wonderfully."

Kial nodded to her. He still had his doubts and knew that it was a personal matter, overcoming those thoughts. He graciously nodded his head and smiled. "I will do my best, regardless of the thoughts in my head."

"That is all I ask." Eona waved a hand, taking down the barrier Analia had left around Kial. "Farewell for now, Kial. If you ever have need of me, simply seek out Analia or Rose. They can call for me on your behalf." With that said, she let herself vanish in a glimmer of Light.

He "watched" as she left, then crouched down and took a breath, allowing the energies of the nature on Mobius to naturally flow through his senses. It was calming and helped him think more clearly, enough so that he felt ready to approach whatever might come next. I won't mess this up.

~保護者~

Panic was trying to set in.

Kathros sat on the ground with his head in his hands, each breath ragged and shallow. Foolishness and knee-jerk reactions were the cause of this. Not logic. Emotion. He had teleported out here with his energies hidden, expecting to have an opportunity to just be alone with his thoughts for a time. And to see nature again. What he hadn't bargained for was this. Light surrounded him, sunlight specifically, but that was less the issue and more a byproduct of it. The light had drawn his attention upward… toward the sun.

That was what all of this was about. It was just the damned sun. But seeing it had brought back memories of flames and burning, which had in turn set off an avalanche of flashbacks that had entirely derailed him. Now he sat here disoriented and unsure as to where or even when he was, much less what was happening. Was his agony real or imagined, memory or present experience? He didn't know, he didn't know. In some ways, that made everything worse.

He almost wasn't aware of shifting around. Limbs trembling and jerking as though to strike at some invisible threat, he was suddenly overcome by a feeling of… of cold. So completely at odds with his hallucinations of heat and fire was this that it brought many of his thoughts and flashbacks to an abrupt halt. The cold persisted. It grounded him in reality, gave him something to struggle toward out of the haze of fear and pain.

When darkness gave way to blurry vision, he started to understand what had happened. Dim recognition encouraged a clear thought. A stream. I… I kicked my foot into a stream. He found that he was shivering. It had nothing to do with the water that had soaked into his shoe and fur. Striving for further means to bring himself out of his episode, he made a concerted effort to pay attention to other physical sensations he was experiencing. Prior to leaving Eila's side, they had been overwhelming him. Now he clung to them.

A gentle breeze sifted his fur and tickled the tips of his sensitive ears. Beneath him, the grass was cool and soft. The smell of fruit reached him from a nearby tree. Rustling leaves and chipper bird calls carried through the air. It was… going to have to be enough, this sensory input. Certainly enough to be constantly aware of, but with any luck it wouldn't prove to be overwhelming. Not quickly, at any rate.

Finally, he pulled his legs back to himself. He crossed them, still shivering lightly, and kept his head in his hands. What am I doing here? he found himself thinking. Despairing, really. There was no confidence in him. No courage. It was difficult to believe that there ever had been, once upon a time. How could he have ever managed such a thing? I can't do this. I can't handle this. Everything is too much. Whether he meant on a physical level or otherwise in that moment… Even he wasn't sure.

The image of his son's face flashed in his mind. He saw Saran when the man had still been just a boy, and a young one at that. His son had always freely shared that warm, caring smile of his with Kathros. So much like his mother's. Emotions had still been largely new to Kathros back then, but he had always been sure of one thing. He'd loved them. He still loved them. Kaitiri was gone and had been for a very long time… but their son still lived. And he needed help.

I can't abandon him.

That thought rang the clearest in his mind. It shouted above the maelstrom of other emotions and ideas, beating them into silence and then locking them away into cages for the time being. Doubtless they would surge forth again at some point, but he was freshly determined to stave off the impending tsunami for as long as he could. He absolutely had to keep himself together long enough to ensure Saran's safety. To ensure his son never walked the same paths that he had. Nothing else mattered.

~保護者~

Naiyo had avoided being a pest so far, and that pleased Cere. She wasn't in the mood to be dealing with someone's bullshit. She'd gone as far as to place a hex on him so that if he left, she'd be able to hunt him down. Cere returned to him in the same place she'd left him. This was Ylden's brother. He'd attacked Armaris. The latter truth made her upset, but the former was keeping him alive right now. She chose to focus on the former. After all, she'd told Zenith she would try to get him purified.

She could sense the magic power he held and knew that his strength could be a huge asset in this war. That would only be true if he chose to help. His corruption may have not changed his personality much, or it could have made him an entirely new person. The Goddess of Judgement hoped he was a better person under all of that dark magic.

Cere walked over and crossed her arms, watching as he rolled on the floor to look up at her. "Hey, we're going. If you've strewn your belongings around, collect them. I have things to get done."

The cat looked up at her, blinking once in a deliberately slow manner. "I brought nothing." He stood up and dusted himself off. "I presume you have an idea of who to go to."

"Yes, but I have a question for you. What exactly happened when you attacked Armaris?" Cere questioned gently, tilting her head. "I'm curious.""She fought back," Naiyo replied easily. "I didn't expect such power from the girl, truly. She's never tapped into her powers like that, but it caused her to lose control. She randomly swapped into her Dark form. If she had control of herself, I firmly believe I would have died in Hyale."

Cere fought the urge to smirk. She was damn proud of that girl for finally coming into her powers. She'd left Armaris alone a while back when the cat seemed to hit a roadblock in her training. It has obviously deeply bothered her, and she hated how hard Armaris was pushing herself just to keep trying. Good job, girl. Guess all you needed was someone to protect, then? "Glad to hear it."

"For someone so revered, you seem quite happy about the thought of me dying," Naiyo murmured, frowning.

The Hexan chuckled a little under her breath and chose to make a careful admission. "I did not come into being as a Hexan by accident. There is a certain cruelty within me, a vague touch of what could be evil. Someone who is truly good or truly evil cannot take this position and wield it with certainty." She let out a breath, smiling. "It's why I picked Armaris to take my place one day. Unique, she is."

"Demented, more like," Naiyo grumbled. "Are you done reminiscing? I would much prefer the pain of purification to end sooner rather than later."

Cere nodded. "Yeah, though you should learn to hold your tongue. Despite my innate potential evil, I am quite nice. Piss off someone like Armaris again, and not many people could guarantee your life continues." She had a good point, so he simply let it be and fell silent.

The cat shortly approached Cere and the two teleported away. She was very ready to watch the process of purification for once.

~保護者~

Therin awoke with a cough. Disoriented and confused, he struggled to lift his head enough to look around. He found that his vision was blurry. No amount of blinking succeeded in clearing it. It took great effort to try and push himself up. When he did so, he was distantly aware of groaning in pain. So much pain, in fact, that his arms promptly gave out. He coughed again, much more forcefully this time.

What the hell had happened? He couldn't remember very well. His one very clear memory was these… glowing eyes. The eyes of a demon. There shouldn't have been any demon lurking around anymore that was strong enough to pose this much of a threat. Well, maybe one or two, but his spies had reported that the most problematic of them (a being called Kalek) was hanging around on Mobius and not causing trouble. So… which demon had this been? A demon with the power of a high-ranking deity… Therin was sure that was what he'd encountered.

Everything else was a little less clear. He seemed to recall Nier showing up to try and save his ass, but he couldn't sense the Babylonian anywhere now. Not with his head spinning like it was. So much death surrounded him, to the point where it seemed to smother all of his senses. Was anyone else still alive? The fact that he couldn't tell was almost terrifying. All his spies, his friend… That they might be dead was a thought that he couldn't bear.

He tried to call out, but he couldn't. Making the effort incited a fresh coughing fit. All around him, nothing seemed to stir in response to the sound. Nothing and no one moved. If anyone else had managed to survive, they weren't conscious. It felt like he was about to join them in that empty blackness again.

Fighting it off as best as he could, he focused his efforts on trying to connect his mind to someone - anyone - for help. Sona, Cere, Nier if he was still alive, he didn't care. All he knew was that he needed help, and he needed it fast. He did his best to convey that message even though his head was foggy enough that he couldn't quite seem to form coherent words. After that, all he could do was try to stay awake.

It didn't take long for his attempt to gain the attention of someone, a woman appearing near him and running over in an instant. Sona knelt down beside him and set a hand on his shoulder, breathing heavily. "Can you stand?" she softly demanded.

Therin blinked his eyes open blearily only to find that he still couldn't see anything properly. Her voice sounded incredibly far away. Still, he did his best to focus on it. With great effort, he managed to shake his head. One of his hands weakly grabbed at one of the sources of the problem without him even realizing it. Namely his own shortsword, which was protruding from his stomach and poking out through his back.

Sona lightly batted his hand away, shaking her head. "Don't take it out yet. You'll bleed too much," she murmured, carefully wrapping an arm under his neck and around to his legs to lift him off the ground. "I've got you. Stay awake." Her actions earned a groan of pain, but no words. He nearly blacked out at that moment. Somehow he managed not to completely fade away, though. She noticed that he was at the edge of consciousness, so she decided to do something that might surprise him. Her lips pressed to his forehead, and once more she murmured the words, "Stay awake," as she teleported away.

Her decision to do that certainly did surprise him. At least, once it fully registered to him what had just happened. He opened his eyes again to try to look at her, but his vision was still so poor that he couldn't make her out. Since that was the case, he put more focus into obeying her words instead.

At about the same time, Sona appeared near her home… but it soon dawned on her that Azanae couldn't really do much. A dose of panic hit her and she took a deep breath. Who… Who can help him? She almost hesitated, but a single glance at Therin brought her back to reality and she mentally called out to all of the Gods and Goddesses for aid. She didn't quite expect someone she barely recognized to appear, and in an instant it hit her what his presence meant. Cosmo is dead?

When she froze up, Kial moved forward, pressing a hand to Therin's body. He could feel where the injuries were, how the heat radiated off of them. It wouldn't be perfect, but he could make sure the man survived. "Take him inside, put pressure on the wound with the protrusion, and slowly remove the foreign object. I will collect what I need quickly." She didn't feel better when he teleported away, but something in the man's voice made her know she could trust him. Sona teleported herself and Therin inside, setting him on the floor of her room so his body would be flat.

With practiced movements, Sona effortlessly removed the weapon from Therin's stomach and set it aside, keeping a hand on both sides of the wound to keep him from bleeding profusely. He groaned again, much more painfully this time. Sona cringed. "Just… keep staying awake. An ally is coming." She got no verbal reply, but he did at least seem to hear her.

Kial was at her side again before she even recognized his presence, ushering her softly out of the way while using a claw to cut open Therin's shirt fully. Using a vine that grew out of his body in order to was hold some sort of bowl, he carefully applied a thick, paste-like substance over the injury. Sona was amazed to see how fast it staunched the flow of blood, effectively closing the wound. "This will not perfectly seal his wound, and he will likely need further medical treatment. Refrain from allowing him to suffer any sort of additional head trauma. I recommend keeping him laid down with something supporting his head and neck. In the meantime, I can speak to a healer and send her this way."

Sona understood his words, but at the moment she couldn't process any of it. She felt tears stinging at the edges of her eyes. "Okay."

The bobcat noticed her actions, took note of her aura. He took a calculated risk and set a hand on her shoulder. "He will live, this much I am sure of. Take care of him, and together we can ensure he will be more than alive."

Her tail lashed. She didn't like random people touching her, but his words were comforting. She managed to feel alright. "Okay." Sona grimaced at simply repeating herself, but no amount of comforting would change the fact that she was unable to process this… unable to handle it. It was different with strangers. She loved Therin.

"I will send her here as soon as possible. I will trust you with his care… and with lifting him off of the floor. He is not familiar with me." With those words, he left to fulfill his promise.

This prompted Sona to react. She steadied her breath and knelt down by Therin, rubbing a thumb over his cheek for a moment. "You can't speak, can you?" Once again, he blinked his eyes open in response to the external stimuli. They soon drifted shut as he tried to process her words. When he had managed that, he weakly shook his head. "It's okay. You're okay," Sona murmured soothingly, lifting Therin up off the ground in the same manner as before and turning to lay him on her bed with a pillow holding his head up. He didn't make a sound this time. "Just relax. The sword is out and you won't bleed anymore from there. Take some time and just try to rest."

She didn't get any sort of reply. The movement had nearly made him black out for the second time, and he was trying to recover from that. Sona took a second and brushed a hand over his head before laying down beside him. Then she sent out what was essentially a flare into the living room to get Azanae's attention. The older woman had drifted off to sleep again earlier, no doubt still tired from her revival, but that sure woke her up. Azanae rushed into the room. "What is-?" she started to ask, only for the words to die on her lips when she saw the scene before her.

Sona looked to Azanae. An emotion that simply didn't show on her face normally welled up in her eyes. Fear. "He called out for help, and I found him like… this."

Azanae hurried over and began examining Therin with her eyes only. She knew better than to carelessly touch someone with such injuries. Her student's reaction, one she didn't think she'd ever witnessed before, had her even more on edge than she may otherwise have been. "What happened to him?" she demanded softly.

"I didn't look… but there was death on that battlefield. It was a massacre… and it looked like he was tortured by being left alive to suffer from these wounds. Some strong enemy tore through them. Likely a lone person," Sona deduced quietly. "I think… I think they were his allies, the ones who died."

"Likely his spies, then," Azanae murmured. Pursing her lips, she carefully examined his head. "Were there other survivors, Sona?"

Her student looked away. "I don't know. I doubt it, unless they went into hiding immediately."

This earned a deep frown, an expression that Azanae rarely wore. "I see. Sona, I need you to keep him awake. Do not let him sleep. I will go fetch some ice and whatnot."

The younger of the two nodded softly, then turned to Therin and took one of his hands in hers to give it a very light squeeze. "Hey, you gotta stay awake. Ignore what I said earlier." As she spoke, Azanae hurried off. Therin, meanwhile, let out a half-conscious mumble that didn't actually contain any words. His eyes didn't open this time, though the fingers of the hand she was grasping twitched a little… as though some part of him was trying to return her gesture.

Sona felt her emotions get the better of her and she rolled to face him, shifting her hold on his hand. "I'm sorry for making you think I was going to hit you before… I've felt so bad about it. I kept… crying…" Therin took in her words very slowly. When he was finally able to understand them, he tried to say something, to tell her that it was okay… but nothing coherent managed to come out. In the end, all he could do was nod.

In truth, the lack of a verbal reply made her feel better. She didn't want to hear him say it was okay or that she wasn't at fault. Sona felt like she was actually admitting this fault like she'd been wanting to for so long. "I don't want you to think I'll ever hit you. I might nudge and push you around… but I would never hurt you. I'd die before I did that to you." After listening to everything she had to say, Therin nodded again. Though, doing so made him almost painfully dizzy.

Sona didn't quite notice this, her eyes drifting closed. "I'm sorry… I'm so… tired." She murmured, fighting to keep her eyelids open. "I'm always just… tired." Predictably, no words answered her. In truth, Therin was struggling to stay awake as well, although it was for very different reasons. Sona fell quiet, diverting her full focus to not falling asleep. "Have to… stay… awake." Azanae returned to the room as Sona said this and began working on Therin again.

The younger woman couldn't keep herself up, drifting off to sleep as she curled around Therin's arm. She just wanted to protect him…

~保護者~

It could be said that Saran's wanderings had been aimless so far. He had no destination in mind, no goal. He'd simply been maintaining his solitude and thinking… up until now. A group of spacefaring people had happened upon him while he strode across the surface of an uninhabited world. They had, incorrectly, assumed him to be an immediate threat. Though he'd have been content to ignore them beforehand, that changed once they decided to pick a fight. For only the second time since his corruption, he was struck with the urge to kill. This time he didn't bother debating whether or not to follow through. He simply did it.

Blowing up their ships (at least, he thought that was what they were called) was child's play. When they crash-landed around him, the survivors clambered free of the wreckage and rushed toward him with their weapons drawn. He "watched" them come using his magic, eyes slightly narrowed. Annoying. Shifting his stance, he prepared to do a bit of battle. After all… it wasn't as though his life would be endangered by doing so.

The first person reached him, brandishing some weapon Saran didn't recognize. It didn't matter. He created water out of magic. Using his water manipulation power, he then knocked the person away - but his attack didn't let up just yet. Instead, that water poured endlessly over the person in a powerful torrent akin to a waterfall, pinning them there and rapidly drowning them.

At the same time, another individual began "shooting" (was that the correct term?) something he'd recently learned was called a "gun" in this era. Despite the fact that they could properly see and he couldn't, not one shot hit him. He created a web - like that of a spider but much stronger - with a flick of his hand that extended from his skin. It ensnared the gun and yanked it back to him. Two shots later, and that person was dead. Theirs was an… interesting weapon, he decided, but much too loud for him. As such, he cast it aside.

His attackers were catching a clue that their weapons were useless. Several called upon their powers instead. He sensed magic, electricity, and earth powers being used. Energy deflection was a power of his own that he made use of now. It was simple but more than did the trick. All of their attacks were sent right back at them. But, predictably, they were able to dodge.

That was fine. There were other ways to end lives. Empathic manipulation, for instance. By manipulating their emotions, he created in them an intense murderous rage that was directed at one another. Just like that, they were killing each other without any need for help. It was a messy way to get the job done, but effective at times.

Several others still remained. He'd been somewhat interested in trading blows with this strange group and their even stranger weaponry before, but now he was back to not feeling anything at all. With no reason to drag this out any longer, he called upon his magic and unleashed a devastating maelstrom of energy that tore the survivors, the dead, and their ships to bits. When his attack dissipated, bits of cloth, metal, bone, and flesh rained down on and around him.

Unperturbed, he turned on his heel and walked away. Nothing he'd just done caused him any upset or regret. He supposed it might have in the past but, in truth, he'd found that he had no memory of what it was like to "feel" much of anything. Some emotions remained familiar, such as anger, curiosity, and boredom, but that was only because he'd for whatever reason retained them. He didn't understand other emotions anymore. Such as fear, for instance. All he knew was that he'd had a desire to cause those people to feel it before they'd died… and he'd succeeded. The rest was unimportant.

Death also meant nothing to him now. It didn't matter one way or another in his eyes. Ending a life or even many wasn't difficult to do, nor did it strike him as something worth thinking about at great length. If someone died, they died. So what? If he happened to be the one who caused it, then that was just the way things were. It didn't make any difference to him. Even if it were to strike the people he'd once "cared" about as horrible… it wasn't going to keep him up at night. Death and destruction meant nothing to him, and neither did they.

An unexpected surge of energy drew his attention away from his own thoughts. It took no effort to discern that the energy was that of a Faein. As for determining what they were doing, however… that was a different matter altogether. He again felt that passing twinge of curiosity, but it wasn't strong enough to make him act. Merely ponder. What could have happened? What would a Faein need that much energy for right this minute? These were questions he couldn't have hoped to answer on his own. He soon stopped caring yet again, anyway.

Several minutes of quiet thinking passed before he was again interrupted. Only one thing prevented him from simply leaving right then and there in an effort to again be left alone. Namely, the arrival of someone who was, at this point, irritatingly familiar. That feeling, that irritation, passed through him in waves as he turned to face her. It didn't incite him to act. Still, his words were tinged with it when he spoke, unlike the last time he had interacted with this woman. "What do you want?"

Eila was close by, inspecting Saran quietly. She didn't say anything for several seconds, but she did eventually speak up. "You've been wandering aimlessly, haven't you?" He didn't see fit to answer that, if only because her question had a very obvious answer. She took a deep breath, crossing her arms. "Your dad is alive now. I wanted to tell you."

Well, that explained what he had sensed before. His curiosity was satisfied with this information, and therefore he stopped giving a damn. "Fine," was all he said, idly flicking some blood off of one of his hands. He knew he was covered in the stuff and resolved to deal with it later.

"I have also come to… warn you, in a sense." Her gaze sharpened, but she didn't give any indication of being a threat. "I have resolved myself to stop you and have you purified. I know I cannot convince you to go along with my plan but, for when I succeed, I want you to know that I in no way will be upset with you."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "I have no reason to care about your emotions, regardless of what they are."

"I care about yours, so be quiet." Eila turned to leave, shaking her head. "Talking to you is a painful reminder. I would much rather return to the time where I was the one who needed saving." She didn't give him a chance to reply, teleporting away quickly.

Speaking to Saran had made her inexplicably angry. The way he acted, the way he talked, it reminded her of when she was Astra. When Petry was Astra. Fuck you, Petry. You ruined my life. I'm taking it back. Eila knew better than to let herself dwell on this. Her anger would rapidly grow more catastrophic in the emotional state she was in, so she instead teleported herself once more.

She had spent some time working on tracking down Kethro. He needed to die, much like his race. The only problem was that she was seconds away from staring down Malevolence, should she enter the same realm as him. While she had rapidly begun to feel more confident in recent days, she was not foolish. A being of Light entering Malevolence's realm was simply suicide. Nothing more, nothing less. She would need to draw him out somehow… Or wait for him to leave. As long as he didn't return to the Twilight Cage… it would be possible to stop him.

The cat was close to achieving her current goals, but as it stood… she wasn't quite ready. There was one more stop she needed to make, one that she wasn't sure she was equipped to handle. Further flashbacks of her old life threatened to make her kneel in pain, but she knew that Jet would have it worse than her. She needed to stay strong, even if only for a few minutes.

I hope that this isn't a mistake. These words echoing in her mind, Eila teleported herself to New Babylon.

~保護者~

Silence.

It was the one thing Zsasha liked the most. It made it easy to think, to plan, to focus. He had a lot to go over in his mind as of now, none of it greatly involving his on-again, off-again companions Cyca and Lior. He knew what they'd be getting up to by now and, more importantly, didn't care about those activities. The three of them worked together now and then, but that was all. Theirs was a companionship born out of infrequent mutual benefit and occasional necessity. Nothing more.

He had more pressing matters calling for his attention. Such as, for instance, the fact that Nareish herself had personally revived them. Zsasha didn't like that. He didn't trust her. No sane person would have, surely. The woman was up to something, most likely related to seeking entertainment. That irked him. I won't be your pawn… but your desire to see Ghune dead is something we can agree on for now.

Zsasha was crouched on a rocky outcropping that overlooked part of a building within Ghune's city. He idly looked in the direction where he could smell Lior working. The scent of wyvern blood hit him and caused him to scowl. For such powerful and useful creatures, they certainly had rancid blood in his opinion. It was damn vexing… so he just tuned it out.

There were multiple options for how he could proceed with his own plans. If nothing else, Nareish had given them some useful information. Ryint remained one of the best ways to get at Ghune, and Lior was taking that route already. The more mysterious "Akol", whoever he truly was, had always been the subject of Cyca's at times demented fascination. That left two potential targets. Maybe even three.

Finis was the most obvious choice. He was their creator, and Ghune held a closer bond with the man than she would typically admit. But Zsasha was uninterested in a confrontation with him. It would be pointless. While he could never breach his creator's defenses, said creator also could deal no substantial damage to him. A standoff would ensue, one that would waste his time and make it easier for Ghune to track him down. That wouldn't do.

Next there was the creature Nareish had mentioned. The one who had long ago earned the title "the black doom" along with the rest of its race. For Ghune to have lost her heart to a mere beast… I suppose I cannot claim to be surprised. Granted, the being in question was rumored to be intelligent and certainly was ancient and powerful, but it remained strange. A touch confusing, even. What had happened to the violent woman who had let no one other than Ryint in? He hoped that she had at least retained her physical and magical strength. If not, any future fights they had would be devastatingly boring.

And then there was the matter of this new, mixed-species vampire. The one who was apparently the spawn of that creature and, as unprecedented as it was, also an Immortal. Nareish had clearly communicated via her thoughts that this "Shadow" person was a new-blood. Someone powerful but utterly lacking in training and control. It was possible that Zsasha could use that, he just wasn't sure how yet. He needed a bit more time.

His thoughts were interrupted by Cyca. She teleported into the area, choosing to do so right by Lior. Even from this distance he could hear her gushing about how "fun" her fight had been, how "pissed" she'd made her victim, how much she'd learned by "observing" him - as if mere observing was something she ever did. Huffing, he dropped down off of his perch and strode over to the pair in time to hear her gleefully declare, "He's gotten even stronger than he used to be! Now we can have some real fun with each other!"

Well, there went the last of his silence. Zsasha frowned at her, arms crossed. He noticed belatedly that she was wearing even less clothing than usual right now. That went ignored. Where she had even found the time to change outfits, he had no idea. "Silence. Your overexuberance is grating on both my ears and my patience."

She grinned toothily at him. "Oh, I had no idea you were here. I thought you would have disappeared somewhere by now."

Greyish-white eyes blinked. "I did. Here. You disturbed me and whatever else may still lurk in the area."

"You know what I mean," the woman said. "You seldom tend to hang around living beings when you are… brooding or whatever it is you men do."

Lior whipped around on Cyca, anger visible in his usually neutral gaze. "Shut your damn mouth. This work I'm doing is very precise and a single slip-up could ruin the time I have spent on it."

Cyca flopped down onto the ground and stretched languidly. "If that is the case, then perhaps I will be even louder so that I may watch you suffer."

"And I'll use the bit of my work that is finished and ensure you never move another muscle in the rest of your years," Lior threatened. Now, he was not one to threaten someone lightly, but he would rarely follow through with these two in particular. He had a modicum of fondness for them.

When Cyca went to reply, Zsasha silenced her with a band of shadows over her mouth. "You test my patience," he frowned. "Shut up or I will tear your lips off of your face." Cyca finally rolled her eyes and gave up for the moment, no doubt grumbling internally all the while.

Lior returned to his work, but continued speaking now that Cyca was quiet. "Ryint is secured. I've set her off a long distance from any living beings and hidden her scent so that she cannot be found quickly. I plan to engage Ghune and determine her mental and emotional state."

Zsasha narrowed his eyes at Lior. "You understand that she may well kill you."

"Correct," Lior replied. He turned his gaze to look over his shoulder. "While she knows of my work with this venom before, I destroyed many of my notes to prevent her from knowing the true details. I will briefly fight her and attempt to get even a drop inside of her. If it makes contact past the initial layers of skin, it will disable her in mere minutes."

"And if you are not successful?" Zsasha inquired. "What do you intend to do then? I will not likely be available to haul your ass out of trouble."

"Leave," Lior replied. "Her fighting requires her to be in an open area around those who she can either freely kill, or away from living things. Simply teleporting into a populated area renders much of her style useless due to her moral compass."

"There is every possibility that you will not be able to simply flee," was the calm response.

Lior shrugged. "I suppose that is true, but the likelihood of her being able to kill me in an encounter that I will reasonably be controlling is low. I may leave fairly injured, however."

With a soft hum, Zsasha acknowledged what he'd been told. He spoke again after a small pause. "When do you intend to enact this plan?"

"Soon. If I am not mistaken, she will be searching soon. The time it has taken her to do so was the period of time where she is warning and caring for her few friends."

"Most likely," Zsasha had to agree. "If nothing else, I will keep Cyca away from you while you do this. However, I have my own tasks to take care of. Like I said, I will not be available to do you any favors."

Lior crossed his arms tightly, finally turning from his work to face the man. "The only thing I ask is that you be ready to potentially take advantage of her if she enters a rage or frenzy. Her having a lapse of control is dangerous, but one of our better bets at overcoming her quickly without being noticed."

"You do not need to ask," Zsasha asserted with a frown. "If any opportunity arises to kill her, I will take it."

"Good." Lior sighed softly. "The old place that I briefly called home before meeting you is where Ryint is. If you wish to use her as bait, she is there. She cannot resist in her current state." He turned to Cyca, narrowing his gaze. "You, however, are not to use her as bait without my presence. I will not lose a bargaining chip over your games."

Cyca's mouth was freed finally. She grumbled briefly about having been muffled for so long, but quickly moved on. "I am not interested in her right now, anyway. Do not get your panties in a twist, Lior. But while we are sharing information around, it might be worth knowing that Akol seems to be teetering on the verge of a frenzy as well. We might be able to use it against Ghune if it comes to that. His cute little partner finally died, so he is quite volatile emotionally."

Lior frowned visibly. "The pieces appear to be falling far too easily in line. While I am not one to be upset with good fortune, it certainly does seem to be that things went to shit before we arrived."

"Nareish," Zsasha muttered. "I do not trust her, much less her motivations, though her actions have temporarily… 'helped'. Still, do not let your guard down. Either of you. She toys with all lives, not just the ones of her enemies."

"A reasonable concern," Lior asserted. "Problematic, too. She simply returned us here to enact a 'punishment' of sorts on Ghune and her allies, I presume? She likely cares not what we do after, provided it doesn't get in her way."

"That is my current assumption," Zsasha said.

"How annoying," Cyca sighed. "But inevitable, I suppose, considering who we are dealing with."

Lior gave a small sigh, toying with one of his sheathed daggers. "To a point, it's not worth worrying about terribly right now. We're multiple steps in the correct direction to everything we could want. She killed us by separating us the first time. Let's ensure she pays for this."

Grinning, Cyca suddenly sat up. "Oh, she will. She will pay dearly, and so will the people she cares about the most. I will not have it any other way."

"Mm, if I could care, I would almost feel sorry for Ryint specifically. She was hardly involved in any of this." Lior ultimately shrugged. "Not that it matters now. If I was going to care, I wouldn't have stabbed her."

Cyca laughed. "I would imagine not. But forget her, she is taken care of for now. My question is what we should do about the information Nareish passed on to us. That bit about an Immortal vampire has me intrigued." Zsasha gave her a look, but didn't say anything immediately.

"I would say interfering with him has a higher likelihood of getting us killed than fighting Ghune directly," Lior huffed. "Attacking an Immortal, no matter how untrained, is a recipe for disaster."

Zsasha agreed with that sentiment. "Don't approach him, either of you. Do so and I will personally end your lives. If there winds up being a safe way to use him in some form or fashion, I will handle it myself."

"Fine, fine," Cyca replied. "I get it. I will focus on Akol, then, like usual. See if I can't make him snap and all that. I would love to watch him put his apparent family in danger. That would be fun to watch."

Lior straightened a little at this. "Who is his family? Are they of any importance?"

"Not sure," Cyca shrugged. "Not completely. There was a Therian there who might have just been a friend, but she might have married into the family or something. Akol apparently has son, and unless I am mistaken he is the current God of the Forge. The former God was there, too."

"A Therian-" Lior pinched the bridge of his nose. "And the original and current God of the Forge? Cyca, the Therians are dead," he bit out. "Are you quite fucking certain?"

"Not all of them were killed back then, dipshit," Cyca answered. "A very small group of them lived on. Like that enigmatic 'Calypso' woman. So yes, I am sure of what I saw."

"Yes, they're likely her family," Lior pointed out. "If this is the case, unless the Therian is unrelated, we may also be attracting some very unwanted attention. I do not quite believe either of us are well equipped to deal with a woman such as Calypso."

"And we will not be dealing with her," Cyca said flippantly. "My targets are Akol and those other two wolves. I will prevent intervention from the Therians, exercise caution, all that nonsense."

"See to it that you do," Lior answered. "The last thing I want to deal with is two angry Therians. I would much rather kill my own kind."

Cyca waved him off. "Better some pissy Therians than a single pissed off Black Arms," she remarked. "Speaking of which, I took a peek and Black Doom appears to be being guarded by Saethrim. I strongly recommend against messing with that."

"Even you are promoting caution?" Zsasha asked dryly. "Shocking. But your words are noted."

"Saethrim acquired some power from an Immortal early on," Lior replied matter-of-factly. "It made him a threat to beings such as the Immortals themselves. Approaching him or Black Doom is suicide without backup."

"I am aware," Zsasha answered. "I am not fool enough to charge into such a situation, much less alone."

"I believe it also is obvious that should either of them approach us, the best thing to do is cut your losses and go." He glanced between Zsasha and Cyca, frowning.

"Agreed," Cyca said, for once not arguing with him. "However, running is only slightly possible when faced with Saethrim. His warping requires less energy than teleporting does, meaning he can go almost anywhere without tiring. I believe we would be rather fucked."

Lior shrugged. "Fleeing may well give him reason to focus on whatever he was stopping us from doing. In many ways, he is just another wild animal. We must simply respect the danger he poses and hope for the best should we encounter him."

"Ironic that he is the person in that duo, and yet he acts more like a beast than the real beast often does," Cyca huffed. "Though, I would have to argue that either beast is too dangerous to tackle either way. Bailing may work with Saethrim, true, but Black Doom is a predator through and through. Fleeing will incite a hunt and its pursuit will be relentless."

"While this is true, we can use that to our advantage. If he becomes a threat, people will be required to stop him. It may well be in our best interest to make him a target should he pursue us," Lior pointed out. "The creature is already viewed in a negative light. Getting others to attack him should be rather simple."

"Hm, potentially," Cyca murmured.

"If it comes to the point where we need to do such a thing," Zsasha said, "I will leave such manipulations to you, Lior. Assuming you survive your encounter with Ghune, that is." He said this last part flippantly, not quite serious but also never truly joking.

Lior shrugged. "I am quite sure I will."

"Then finish your work so that you have a chance to be proven right." Zsasha turned away, intent on returning to his perch, while Cyca blew them both a kiss and teleported off to who knew where.

Lior blanched, blatantly disgusted by Cyca. He didn't return to his previous work, but only because it was finished. The solution had its time to cure, so he carefully poured it into the vials and doused his blades in the fluid. Just one cut and this whole thing will be over, Ghune. You won't even know what happened…

~保護者~

Ghune soared through space at a rapid pace, eyes and nose scanning for any sign of her target. She was already pissed off and the thought of him walking around and doing whatever he wanted made her mood far worse. It didn't help that she knew he was problematic. He'd once been a student of hers. She had once confided in him, trusted him, only for him to betray her and threaten the lives of the very people she spent her life protecting. She would not allow him to do it again. Never.

Her search came to a halt when she happened across him in a remote location, far from other living creatures. She wouldn't have any aid here, but she likely wouldn't need it. There was a vast power difference between the two, for many reasons. All that mattered was killing him quickly. I can't let this be drawn out.

"Use your nose, Ghune," Lior murmured softly, brandishing a shortsword in response to her drawing her own blades. "You're not so foolish as to miss this."

The desire to not listen was strong. He was calculating, manipulative. If she listened she'd be falling into whatever scheme he had. She didn't have to fall for it, though. The scent of Ryint's blood wafted off of him even here. Her grip tightened. "Where is she?" she demanded coldly, narrowing her gaze.

"Dead." Lior replied, uncaring. "While you were off wasting your time, I found her and killed her. It's a shame, really." He ducked out of the way of a wide slash, creating a platform of his own magic to roll on. "She was drinking one of her herbal teas to relax. You left her in a position of power and it stressed her." Another wide attack, another careful dodge. "She was distracted, an easy target. I slit her stomach and carried her away to let her die. Letting you find her body to resurrect it wasn't an option."

She could hear her heartbeat. She could hear his. The stench of his blood, that vile venom he had created, filled her nose. She also smelled Ryint's blood. Ghune was shaking with rage, enough so that her movement was missed by Lior until it was too late. Grabbing him by the hair, she drove a fist into his gut and sent him spiraling into the distance. The force of the attack made him spit up blood, something she immediately pursued.

The two clashed harshly as Lior brought his blade up in defense. She went into a frenzy that quickly? Has she not fed recently? The thought wasn't worth debating considering the stakes of this fight. He parried and rolled away from her attacks, taking advantage of her lack of control to steadily throw her off balance. When he finally went in for an attack, it was instinct alone that kept her from being stabbed in the heart. She twisted violently, allowing his dagger to slice open her right arm instead. She hissed in pain and immediately set her fangs in the wound, intent on drawing out that accursed venom he'd made.

Lior gave a sigh as he watched. His former mentor reduced to the mind of a beast. It was almost heartbreaking… if he cared. "You never truly learned the nature of this venom. It seeps into your body and eats your nerves, spreading until every last bit of your body is completely paralyzed." He saw the shift in her eyes, the brief moment of fear. A smile broke onto his face, then it vanished. Ghune sliced her arm off and let the appendage float on in space, a trail of her blood left in a massive arc as she stood before him. The creature before him was no longer a person, in his eyes, so he teleported away to the planet of the da Asani. Surely she wasn't foolish enough to chase him.

For the second time today, his assumption on how things would go was wrong. First, how quickly she would lose control, now this? It dawned on him that things truly had changed. He twisted out of the way of a violent explosion and jumped over a home as she cleaved through it with a sword. His running carried him to a crowd, and all it took was the sight of one particular creature to make Lior spin and meet her blade with his. If Zsasha knew I got a kid killed, he'd fucking kill me.

Though he wasn't quite strong enough to keep her back, he wasn't exactly alone. As far as any of these people knew, he wasn't doing anything wrong. She was the wild animal. A variety of different attacks assaulted the elder vampire, driving her back several feet. None of it hurt her, of course, but that wasn't the point. All he had to do was drive her back, make her waste more energy.

With a snap of his fingers, Ghune was brought to her knees with an immense weight formed by nothing more than magic. The ground cracked and split where he centered his attack, and he groaned when she started to stand back up. You've lost one arm and you're still strong enough to just stand up in this? Lior wasn't really surprised. It was more annoying. He had to bring up a barrier to protect himself and those behind him from the violent explosions she caused, the thing only barely managing to hold up against the physical assault she approached with. Her blade bounced off and he strategically dropped the shield right when it would hit, bringing his blade up again to stab her wrist. Even under the assault of several people, she wasn't backing down. This would have to do.

He watched as she cut her other arm off, the blade now floating with her magic. At the rate she was losing blood, it would only be a matter of time before she passed out. Rather than risk it any longer, he took off in flight. She couldn't pursue, not with what she'd just fought through. So much blood lost, so much energy wasted. The woman started to collapse mid-flight, but teleported away at the last second. His thrown dagger went wide and struck one of the members of the crowd that had helped defend him, but that was far from his problem. He simply teleported the weapon back into his hand and stowed it away, sighing.

Lior brought up a brief mental connection between himself, Cyca, and Zsasha, uncaring of if they'd be irritated. "I lost track of her. She teleported somewhere outside of my senses, but she went into a frenzy immediately. She's missing both of her arms now and is exhausted. She may be guarded, but killing her would be far too easy to pass up."

"Knowing her regeneration," Cyca mused, "she should have those back soon. Still, sounds like things went in your favor. Good to hear you made her flip out already." Zsasha, if he was even paying attention to them right then, made no comment.

"She killed random people when I went elsewhere, too. I went to the planet of the da Asani and she recklessly destroyed one of their homes when I moved out of the way of her attack. She is very far gone."

Cyca laughed. She sounded overjoyed. "That is amazing. I wish I could have seen it. She manage to kill anyone? That will piss that race right off and will give her more to worry about."

"Not many, but enough that it's notable. I manipulated the populace into attacking her to drive her away. Might be able to get some support if I ever have to come back here."

"If those people are still close allies with the Babylonians, you might gain additional 'allies' for a bit, but who knows. Supposedly the Babylonians are sheltering Ghune's subjects, so if that's true it might be best to avoid them."

Lior nodded, even though nobody would see. "She's made the situation worse for herself. After this, she will likely run herself ragged searching for us. If we do not find her while she is recovering, we should simply sit back and let her kill herself."

"Well, either way, you should be the one to monitor the situation for the moment," Cyca replied. "I have no idea where Zsasha ran off to, but he up and vanished like he usually does. And I intend on having another 'civilized meeting' with Akol and his family pretty soon here."

"If this indeed happens soon, allow me to join. Something tells me the search for Ghune will be fruitless. You could use some help watching your back."

Her grin was obvious in her voice. "That sounds great to me. We can meet back up where we were earlier to prepare."

"There should be a container of the venom I created stored away near there. If I do not join you, feel free to use it. I figure you will have more 'fun' with it than I will, as I have plenty."

"Understood. I may not use it, but it is so nice to see you sharing for once." All her teasing aside, Cyca was probably grateful. Probably.

"Quiet. We share mutual goals and little else."

"Would it kill you to call me a friend just one time?"

"I am not capable of such. Cease pretending that I can."

"Oh, hush." Cyca didn't say anything more for a moment, then asked, "Got any of your own ideas for how we can mess with Akol? I have not yet settled on any particular course of action. All I know is that I want to give him as little reprieve as possible in between our encounters. That should make the stress and anger and whatnot build quite rapidly."

"You mentioned a family. Perhaps swaying someone he cares for into doing something less than savory is an option?"

"Oh? What are you thinking?"

"It is more of your territory for this sort of thing. It simply depends on who you believe you could sway to follow your orders, even if only briefly."

"Hm… I might be able to allure his kid if I keep it emotional only. I would have better luck feeding off of the previous God than controlling him, though."

"Realistically, if you think you can do it, you likely can. We will simply have to see if you get your head blown off."

This made Cyca laugh again. "I sincerely doubt I will, though Akol will indeed try. Shall we simply meet at the forge, then? We appear to have done all the necessary planning already. I will even be willing to let you share in that meal while I work on the son. And you can leave the Therians to me."

Lior found himself licking at his teeth and in particular his fangs. The sensation of feeding was one of the few things that brought him any form of joy. "I will conduct a brief search of Ghune's normal haunts. If I turn up with nothing, I will see you at the forge."

"You have a deal." Cyca promptly severed their connection.

He brushed himself off a little, only now seeing the large gash that Ghune had left across his chest. Another problematic detail. It ultimately amounted to nothing this time, but my inability to feel pain is quite troublesome for recognizing when I have wounds. While the wound was deep, it was healing rapidly. Lior had no reason to be concerned, so he simply moved on and went about searching for his prey.

~保護者~

14,210 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support, and I hope you all enjoyed. Posted (at about 11:42 p.m.) 04-18-23.