Guardian

by yasha012

I used to want to save existence... I saw it as this beautiful place, capable of fostering life in all of its many forms. A place with the potential to nurture so much Light. But the closer I got to it... the more I fought for it… the better I could see the Darkness waiting within… the evil we would all rather forget. (Part 4 of the Hero series; sequel to "Eternal Shadow Falls".)

216. First Symptoms

Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this time of crisis… especially for the one whose day progressively gets worse and worse.

~保護者~

"First Symptoms"

~保護者~

Everything had been quiet in Hyale for a little while now. Shei wasn't sure whether or not he considered that to be a good thing. All he knew was that his family was at ease for the time being. He supposed that was good enough, at least temporarily. Espio and Armaris had been spending some much needed quality time together without interruptions (something that was important for young, courting couples), and Shei had been doing the same with Aniko. It had been nice, he had to admit, even if the recent deaths of his half-sister and Aku were overshadowing things.

Within the privacy of his and Aniko's home, Shei didn't bother wearing his usual mask. However, he still wore long sleeves, pants, gloves, and at least socks. Preventing his head, tail, chest, stomach, and back from touching anything and, thus, to keep them from melting anything with poisons from his skin was easy enough. It was harder with his hands, feet, arms, and legs. Those areas were more toxic for some reason, anyway, so it was better to keep them covered.

Safely clad in his special poison-blocking clothes, he padded out of the bedroom and into the living room. He wasn't sure what he was after, only that he was hungry. Checking the storage compartment soon revealed that they had allowed their stash to dwindle. It was slim pickings, much to his disappointment. Vegetables it is, he soon decided, reaching out to grab a handful of miscellaneous stalks and leaves. Then he walked back to the bedroom, quietly munching as he went.

"We need to go foraging at some point," he reported mentally to Aniko once he'd entered the room. He sat down on his side of the bed whereas she stayed laying down on her side. "We are running low, though we can last a few more days so long as we are not picky." He was about to say something else when his thoughts were interrupted. By what, even he didn't precisely know. Whatever it was caused his eyes to change to a glowing, malevolent red for a half second before they just as abruptly returned to normal. In an effort to come back to himself after… whatever that was, he blinked several times. What… What just happened?

Aniko grumbled something akin to a light curse. "I honestly cannot be bothered to deal with it at this moment."

It took her partner a long moment to reply. Then he abruptly seemed to reconnect to himself and shook his head. "Then I will handle it soon," he answered.

"What just happened to you?" Aniko suddenly yet gently pressed. "You paused and there was a glow in your eyes." She turned over to face him fully, raising an eyebrow.

Shei was at a loss. "I don't know," he admitted. "It was… strange."

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I am." Though he said this, Shei had to privately acknowledge for the second time how strange that had just been. Whatever "that" even was. It was like he'd been picking up on something, but now that it was over he couldn't pinpoint what that something might have been. However, he decided not to let his thoughts linger on that too much. If Aniko had more to say then fine, but otherwise he was prepared to let it go.

"If it happens again, we're going to investigate it," Aniko replied, rolling into her back and splaying out. "The chance to relax has been incredible but I fear something will soon happen. This means that it may be our last chance to handle important matters."

"Which matters are you referring to, specifically?" Shei asked her. As he spoke, he resumed munching on his food.

"Obviously the foraging needs to be handled, but you should also meet with your father," Aniko murmured.

Shei blinked. He recalled Armaris's insistence that his father was alive again, despite the fact that he'd yet to see proof of that himself. Though, if both she and Aniko were saying that this was the case, then he wasn't one to argue with it. "That will be difficult when I have no idea where he is or why he's stayed away thus far," he commented.

"He may need you to approach him." Aniko sat up finally. "Armaris seems to believe that he can be trusted, and her sense in people is usually correct. We saw that when she was a child."

"I would trust my own father regardless," Shei said. "He was never unkind toward me, merely distant at times. But the fact remains that I do not know where he is."

"That can be corrected," Aniko said simply. "He would recognize your energy, even though this new one has awakened in you."

"Be that as it may, he has not approached as of yet," Shei pointed out. "And as I stated, I am unsure why that would be the case."

Aniko audibly sighed and stood up, arms crossed. "Then why not go to him? Or make your presence known? We can surely find him if he knows you're looking for him. It is not as if you had a relationship like mine was with Ryuji."

"I cannot go to someone who's location is unknown," Shei refuted easily. "And simply making myself able to be freely sensed may not be wise. With this new… energy within me, I am concerned it will draw Hollows into the village. I am willing to see him if we determine where to go, but this particular method is dangerous and impractical."

"Then I propose we search where that Light being has been popping in and out of the Highlands," Aniko posed, crossing her arms a little tighter. "If anything will draw Hollows in, it would be that. Worst case scenario, I'm certain that Armaris could track him. She seems to have spoken to him or seen him more than any of us."

Shei considered this briefly. "That being of Light has popped up near Ryuji's home, have they not?"

"And Ryuji would have killed them if it were not for some other factor," Aniko pointed out gently. "The thing that has confused me is how weak the Light is. It is not like the sensation of Rose being here."

"Her sister underwent some form of purification and was briefly sent here," Shei recalled aloud after a moment. "I sensed weak Light from her at the time. She could be the one who has been traveling here as of late." He went ahead and also stood up, having now finished his snack.

Aniko snickered a little. "One of our fathers may be bedding a being of Light," she joked, arms falling to her sides. "Unlikely, though. If it is her sister, I want to know why she keeps showing up."

"Then let us go to Ryuji's house," Shei said. "We are not doing anything else as of now, and things are at least temporarily quiet."

"Good idea," Aniko replied, reaching out to take one of Shei's gloved hands and teleporting them both away.

When they arrived, Shei immediately realized that Ryuji wasn't here. "He appears to have gone somewhere."

"Hm," Aniko walked forward and teleported into the home, taking a look around. Fucking hell this place looks terrible. It needs repairs, but his Darkness is at least keeping it safe from the elements.

Shei was quick to join her and began looking around without actually touching anything. Messing with the other man's meager belongings would have been rude, after all. But he didn't think about that much, finding himself more focused on an empty bottle and the two glasses sitting near it. "He appears to have had company over. I somehow doubt the Light user would have been imbibing one of our kind's alcohols."

Aniko glanced around and frowned, shifting over to the doorway. "There's been three people here in recent times… And Ryuji is only one of them. He's also been away for a short time."

Nodding, Shei walked out onto the dilapidated porch and frowned up at the surrounding trees. If there is another chameleon still here, they are hiding their presence. Not that that was terribly surprising, but it did make it a bit tricky to try and locate anyone. He sensed no threat, though, which was good. They are either merely observing what we are doing, ignoring us, or sleeping deeply enough that they've failed to notice our arrival. Perhaps if we startle them somehow, we can convince them to come out into the open.

Aniko had come to the same conclusion, and chose to be the one to make a drastic choice. She flared her Darkness enough that it briefly coated her skin. "If you're there, show yourself!"

There was abrupt movement from a branch a short distance away. Almost, Shei smiled. Mission accomplished. Unless I am mistaken, they just jumped. I believe they were indeed asleep.

Aniko unsheathed her blade and pointed it in the direction of that movement. "Drop down and speak. We want to know who has been here."

A few seconds passed, then the same man Aniko and Armaris had spoken to once before jumped into the grass beneath the tree. He landed with a slight twinge of pain in his expression, but that was quickly hidden. "There are better ways to go about that than making threats," he grumbled, almost subconsciously rubbing at his side.

Just based on this brief statement and the man's appearance, Shei was fairly certain he knew who he was looking at. It had been so long ago and he'd been so young, but this was a voice he knew deep down. So it truly is him… In all honesty, he wasn't sure what to think about that just yet.

He didn't have the time to decide, either. His father was suddenly right in front of him, looking him over rapidly with just his eyes before seeming to relax for whatever reason. However, he then just as swiftly backed off. "You shouldn't be here." Despite saying this, he didn't appear any happier about his words than Shei immediately felt. "Your mother-"

"She is no mother of mine," Shei was quick to correct. "I do not recognize her as such, nor will I ever. She is dead, anyway."

Several complicated emotions flickered through his father's eyes. He seemed wary… yet also slightly hopeful, among other things. "You're certain?" he eventually asked. Shei nodded once. His father (Shei abruptly recalled that his name was Haru) let out a sigh and visibly relaxed to some degree. "I'd heard the rumors, but no one other than a bastard spawn of Malevolence was willing or able to confirm it. I'm more inclined to believe you over that thing."

Aniko watched this interaction quietly and sheathed her blade. "As it turns out, we are fairly trustworthy."

"Go figure," Shei added, huffing in amusement.

Haru rolled his eyes at the pair of them, but didn't refute their words. Instead he asked Aniko, "You Ryuji's kid? You look like him." Pretty sure she said her name was Aniko the last time we met.

"Don't mention it," Aniko huffed, crossing her arms.

"Their relationship is… complicated," Shei explained. "Things are improving, but they are not close as of now." Haru nodded his understanding, filing the information away but saying nothing about it. Shei took the opportunity to ask one of his own questions. "Are you injured?"

Haru dismissed him with a wave of his hand. "I'm healing. It's barely a problem anymore. Just moved a bit too suddenly is all."

"Is that why that Light user continues showing up?" Aniko suddenly pressed, an eyebrow raised.

"Eila," Haru supplied. "And that's the main reason, yes. At other times, she simply sees fit to spend her time here or to drag me off to help her kill things."

Aniko raised her mouth to comment, then paused visibly. "Wh- Huh?"

That earned a huff. "What exactly is confusing about what I said?"

Shei continued feeling amused. I definitely remember this attitude of his. The more I witness it, the surer I am of that fact.

"I did not expect that to be a thing she would drag a chameleon to do," Aniko admitted carefully. I like this one far more than I like Rose.

"She does not have much Light and so it does not affect her personality much so far as I can tell," Haru shrugged. "She appears to have a bit of a violent streak."

"Hm," Aniko glanced to Shei, an eyebrow still raised. "Interesting. Are you in any way inclined toward her, considering she apparently spends time here of her own accord?"

Another huff answered her. "Perhaps a bit," Haru allowed, however vaguely. "What's it to you?"

"Curiosity," Aniko said. "When you meet Armaris again, she will want to know, I'm sure."

"...Ryuji mentioned her," Haru replied after a moment's delay. "Said something about her being involved with someone named Espio." Glancing between the pair of them, he added, "And that Espio was our grandson."

Recognizing the request for confirmation, Shei nodded. "He is, yes. Espio is mine and Aniko's only child, and he is indeed in a relationship with Armaris. They are in the beginning stages of courtship."

Aniko chuckled a little. "You're bound to have an interesting time when you properly meet them. A word of advice, stay calm and ignore her if she acts unusual," she explained. "She'll figure it out soon enough."

Haru blinked slowly. He almost looked perplexed by the warning. In all fairness, he probably was. "...Understood."

With that out of the way, Shei decided to get a bit more serious for a moment. "How long have you been alive again?"

"No idea," Haru admitted. "Something like a week or two, maybe. Might've been longer by now."

"And why did you not come see me?" Shei pressed.

That made Haru sigh again. "Your mother," he said. "It was always her intention to kill you if I didn't obey her and stay away during the times when she had you in her custody. I've never been strong enough to properly handle her, either. Until I could be sure she was gone, it was better to keep my distance. I was always unwilling to risk your life. Being unable to confirm where she was or what her intentions were meant that it was safer for you if I remained elsewhere for a time."

"But she's dead," Aniko added. "And now you don't have to worry about it."

"Yes, I know that now," Haru huffed.

"It's simply a point to make."

Understanding that Aniko wasn't going to want to continue this for much longer and that his father needed a bit more rest, Shei asked the other man, "Is this where you're residing these days?"

"For now, at least," Haru shrugged. "Ryuji offered to let me stay long-term, but I haven't decided anything."

"Then we will come back here and visit again soon," Shei said. "Or at least I will."

Aniko nodded gently. "Presuming I feel like speaking to people, I will accompany him."

"Do what you will," Haru told them both. "I have no intention of refusing either of you."

"Good," Aniko replied easily, looking to Shei to see if he had anything else to add. He didn't, at least not beyond giving a nod. "I suppose we will be leaving. Next time I will be kinder if I must wake you."

Haru mumbled something vaguely annoyed about her previous choice in method, but otherwise didn't comment on that matter. "Understood."

With a small wave of farewell, Shei teleported himself and Aniko back home. He gently tugged her into a hug with a silent chuckle. "You are something else," he teased, tone light. "And funny when you want to be." Aniko returned the hug and fell silent, leaning up against him. Truthfully, she didn't like speaking to people and simply did so since she could communicate more effectively than Shei at times. Shei gave her a small squeeze. "Why don't we resume our rest?" he suggested. "I suspect you were not ready to get up earlier."

"Correct," Aniko replied easily, already walking further into the home. Shei walked after her, still quietly amused but deciding not to continue mentioning it. Soon, they were back in their room and laying down. It didn't take long for them both to fall asleep.

~保護者~

Now that the encounter between Jet and Ella had wrapped itself up, Sein felt comfortable to leave Babylon for Li's forge. He had briefly spoken to Xin and Ghune (who were deep in discussion about what to do about Cyca and her allies) before walking away and joining Li in his room. Li hadn't even welcomed him in, so he knew that the man was hurting right now. Seeing the wolf only confirmed it.

He was obviously exhausted, laying in a curled up position with a blanket tightly wrapped around his body. Novei was sitting beside him, petting his head. Sein walked to the opposite side of the bed and teleported a seat from one of the palace's sitting rooms (he hoped nobody had been sitting in it) to sit beside his friend.

"Hey, Li," Sein murmured in a hushed tone, trying to not startle the other man. He seemed to be out of it and may be more jumpy than usual.

Li was scarily quiet, enough to make Sein frown in concern. Eventually, though, he did reply with a hoarse voice. "Hi, Sein…"

"You okay, buddy?" Sein immediately questioned. "I came over as soon as I could."

"No." Li didn't elaborate, further adding to the growing dread in Sein's stomach.

Sein crossed his arms a little. "You don't really feel like talking, do you?" This time, the wolf didn't even reply, shaking his head. "I'm sorry that so much happened. We've got Sothan stable, though. He's in rough shape, honestly, but he's gonna be okay."

That got a reply out of Li, but it was soft. "...Good…"

Sein winced at how unlike himself Li was acting, but he couldn't expect the wolf to be in any sort of good spirits. He himself had experienced a burst of emotions just like this when everything happened with Kath. The hawk had to staunch those emotions quickly, not wanting to add to Li's pain. "We'll make sure he's okay, I promise."

The room became entirely silent. Novei remained silent, while Li seemed to almost doze off. Sein, meanwhile, focused on keeping an eye on them both. The Therian wasn't an emotional being, not compared to what he was used to, but he could certainly sense the boiling fury hiding under her emotionless expression.

Though the room remained somber with Li's emotions permeating everything within, the wolf started to grow still. His exhaustion had been rapidly setting in since Sein's arrival (the man's aura was infinitely more calming to him alongside Novei's), but all at once Li sat up and shivered, clasping a hand over one side of his neck.

It felt like two pin-pricks of white hot pain under his fingers. He clenched down on the source of his pain involuntarily, the sensation of it spreading over his whole body. All Li could feel amidst all of this was how drenched in sweat his body suddenly seemed to be, followed by hands trying to comfort him.

Novei was the most caught off guard by what happened next, eyes widening in shock when Li grabbed her arm and forcibly removed her grasp on his own. Sein shortly followed in her surprise when his arm was also wrenched away and the two were both tossed clear across the room. "S-stay away!" Li shouted.

Sein was able to tumble to his feet, but Novei found her body weight momentarily pinned to the wall from the force of Li's throw. The hawk met Li as the wolf tried to rush out of the room, tackling him and holding him down. "Li, stop! It's me, Sein!" he called out, hoping his friend could hear through whatever was happening to him. The hawk was far from ready to have his entire body thrust into the air from Li's leg, and even less so for his body to slam against the ceiling. It hurt, but nowhere near as much as the brief bout of fighting with Li he'd just done.

Luckily for Sein and Novei, Li couldn't get much further than he already had. Ghune and Xin entered the room in a rush, with the former bringing the man to his knees with a carefully uttered curse. Xin was instantly by his son's side, taking in his condition with rapidly moving eyes. He let out some truly colorful swears in Chinese, mumbled something about how Li must have been bitten, then used a spell to ease Li into a temporary sleep. Then he cursed some more, voice shaking, as he teleported Li onto the bed.

"Mierda," Ghune muttered, gently grabbing Novei and Sein up off of the ground to shake them from their stupor. "Li was bitten. Forgive me for not realizing this happened sooner."

Xin could have added to that, but he didn't. He focused instead on using magic to ease Li's current symptoms. They weren't severe enough yet that he was rendered unable to do anything. Chances were that it wouldn't last longer than a few hours at the most, though. I'll wake him up once he's stable. He deserves to know what's happening and why. Being in the dark will stress him out further.

When no further explanation came from anyone capable of explaining, Novei questioned them both. "Is he turning into a vampire?" she demanded.

"No," Xin asserted firmly. He drew in another shaky breath before explaining to her the same things he had explained to Sein and Alana about addictive vampire bites. I should have checked him to make certain that he had been spared from her fangs. I should not have assumed. Damn it all…!

"Good," Novei muttered. "In that case, make sure that whore doesn't get to him again before I rip her fucking head off."

Ghune turned to Novei, frowning visibly. "Do not go off to face her alone. Vampires are difficult to kill, even for other vampires." When Novei turned to leave, Ghune reached out to stop her. Novei batted her hand away and teleported off, leaving the elder vampire to curse under her breath. She forcibly teleported the Therian back, only to stumble back from a particularly painful punch to the nose.

"Look here, bitch," Novei snapped, materializing a hammer in her hand. "That's my boyfriend, do you understand? Nobody gets to hurt him. I don't care how hard it is to kill you or her, I'll snap both your necks if that's what it takes," she threatened.

"Novei, please," Xin cut in sternly despite the polite wording. "Li will be awake again in a moment and he will need you both here and somewhat calm."

Her breath shuddered as she turned at Xin. So desperately she wanted to hit someone to get some kind of revenge or satiation for her anger, but she understood his point. Novei's entire body relaxed to the point of seeming almost emotionless once more, the hammer breaking apart and flowing back into her palm. "Fine."

What the fuck just happened? Ghune asked herself, wiping away the blood from her nostrils. Her attention returned to Sein, the hawk having become completely silent since they entered. His eyes were distant and body dangerously lax. Is he dissociated…?

It didn't take too long for Xin to also notice what was happening. He came to the same tentative conclusion that Ghune had. "...Is it safe to try to awaken him from this?" he asked aloud.

"I will try," Ghune murmured. "As stated, Li will need the familiarity of these two when he awakes." The woman gently shook Sein's shoulder, but the man didn't respond. She shook a little harder, then did so far harder. That seemed to be enough to stir him, the hawk stumbling about two steps back before blinking.

"Ah- Sorry," Sein murmured, rubbing at one of his shoulders. "Didn't… mean to do that."

"Are ye alright, lad?" Xin asked, slipping back into his accent since he was too stressed to keep up the mental effort to hide it anymore right now.

"I'm fine now." Sein didn't want to explain, so he simply didn't give the full story. "Stress response. Started after a really traumatic event a long time ago. I should be okay."

"Fecking hell," Xin muttered under his breath. However, he was distracted from saying anything else when he realized his efforts had finally paid off and Li was indeed waking back up.

The wolf rose up from the bed shakily, eyes unfocused with obvious exhaustion. However, he was far calmer than in the moments before he'd been put to sleep, looking around in confusion. "What just happened…?"

Ghune sighed gently and spoke up. "It appears that Cyca bit you in the midst of everything else she had done here. What you just experienced were some of the symptoms of withdrawal, a result of her addictive bite. I presume… you experienced a strong bout of pain, followed by hallucinations and extreme agitation, amongst other symptoms." Her nose twitched, and she decided to add, "Clammy skin, too."

"Are ye feeling any better?" Xin asked cautiously. His eyes were full of worry, but he tried not to let it show too much in his voice for Li's sake.

"A little," Li murmured, glancing away. He looked to Sein and Novei, immediately understanding what this all meant. "Are you two okay? Did I hurt-" His words were cut off by a little sob, his eyes watering as he sunk down into his bed again.

"No," Sein and Novei replied in unison, Novei making it to the side of the bed before Sein could. She immediately took one of his hands in hers and held it tightly. "We are fine. We were just worried."

Relieved that his son was doing a bit better, Xin sighed heavily and sat by Li's free side. Not wanting to overwhelm the boy, he merely gave Li's shoulder a squeeze before removing his hand. "Let out whatever ye need to, but please also try to relax. Everyone is alright, and wul all be here for ye no matter what." Li soon had his face buried in Novei's shoulder, clinging to her tightly as what little energy he had was rapidly taken from him by his cries.

Sein winced, but he didn't want to crowd Li. That wouldn't do the other man much good, so he chose to stand back and simply watch for now. He wound up having his attention dragged away by his communicator sounding off, anyway. It was Alana calling. "Something odd occurred, Sein," she told him once he'd answered. "A da Asani we did not recognize was in the medical ward standing beside Sothan's bed when Jet and I returned to the room so he could rest some more. The man said his name was Rusen and vanished shortly after that. Jet believes he was a Faein, but we cannot figure out why he was here. He does not appear to have done anything."

"He's absolutely a Faein," Sein replied easily. "It must be something big if he went to Sothan. They only act when they have good reason to."

Alana let out a thoughtful hum. "Well whatever it is that he set out to accomplish, it is not obvious. Sothan appears to have slept through it as well."

"I'm sure it's a good thing," Sein said, managing a smile. "Things over here got a bit hectic, but it's calmed down for the time being. Probably gonna be a bit before I'm back."

"Take however long you need," Alana murmured. "We all understand."

"I know." Sein glanced over to Li, frowning. "I'm a little worried," he said softly, stepping away from the bed. "He was bitten, too, and that addictive bite thing really got to him."

"How awful," Alana answered just as quietly. "He and Sothan both endured far more today than either of them deserved to."

Sein nodded, though he knew she couldn't see the motion. "I'm sure they'll be okay in time, but yeah… this is rough."

"I understand. This-" Alana cut herself off. For a few seconds, all was silent on her end of the call. Then she could be heard demanding, "Jet, what just happened?" His reply was too muffled to make out. There was a small amount of noise and commotion before Alana told Sein in a rush, "Sothan just disappeared! There was a flash of black magic, and now he is gone!" Hearing this, Xin's ears pricked and he froze up.

Sein considered himself lucky that Li couldn't hear this over his choked sobs, but he did rush to the wolf's side when Novei suddenly vanished in the brief panic that started in the room. The hawk didn't have time to be worried about that, speaking to Alana. "Do whatever you can to search. I'll handle things here." His gaze went up to Ghune and Xin. "That goes for the both of you, too. If Cyca shows up here, she's dead. Someone needs to find her and make sure she doesn't cause more problems."

"I cannot leave Jet," Alana reminded Sein, voice full of concern.

At the same time, Xin stood up and said stiffly, "I'm going. Sein, stay with Li." Without another word, he disappeared. Ghune merely nodded in reply to them both before following suit.

Sein returned his attention to his wife. "Just use your senses as best you can. I'm betting she's going into hiding, but the faster this is resolved, the better it is. I think Li just passed out from crying." The hawk shifted the limp wolf to let him be more comfortable in the bed, sighing to himself.

"Tend to him as best as you can. We will figure something out here." Alana replied with a sigh of her own. "Jet is already using Vision to look around. He apparently inherited it from Father." That statement made her sigh make sense. After all, that power was notorious for damaging Kath's normal sight, and as such its use always worried her.

"Make sure he doesn't overdo it," Sein said with a small frown. His expression eased quickly, however. "I believe in you."

"I will try. And I will call if anything else happens. Please do the same."

"Of course. Love you."

"I love you, too." When it became clear that neither of them had anything else to say, she offered him a small farewell and hung up.

Sein let out one more sigh and relaxed against the headrest, sitting beside his friend. He worried for the man, but most importantly he wanted to protect his friend. If that vampire came here… she'd never come close to harming Li again.

~保護者~

"What to do with you…"

Pondering how to handle her latest victim had been keeping Nareish busy for the last hour or so. Watching the possessed Satsuno stumble upon and then tear through Therin's spies (and Therin himself) had been quite entertaining. Nier had shown up to help… but Nareish hadn't taken kindly to his interference. He'd gotten in the way of a great show, after all. Now he was laying unconscious and bound at her feet in her throne room while she pondered.

Normally, she would have jumped at the chance to corrupt him. With that regrettably no longer possible, she considered the idea of mind control. It was doable, but nowhere near as fun. Killing him certainly held its own merit as well… but while she was growing tired of his constant traversals into her realm, he wasn't the Babylonian she truly wanted dead right now. Wave was the one Nareish had her sights set on. That little fool and her new pet continue to interfere with the bond between Jet and the Void. I will not allow them to continue.

But for now she had this particular bird to deal with. "So many possibilities… So many choices…" She idly nudged her unconscious prisoner with the toe of her shoe. "I'd ask you for your opinion, if your ideas weren't likely to be so very dull." In truth, simply killing him was dull as well. Murder was certainly fun in many circumstances, but it didn't hold quite that much appeal this time. "Perhaps I can simply keep you here for a time… see who comes looking." A slow smile spread across her face. "Yes, I think I will do that. Perhaps someone I care about more will show their faces. Someone like Jet or Wave." Pleased that she had a plan for now, she settled in to wait.

~保護者~

Ryint had just awakened from her exhaustion-induced sleep. She would still be in excruciating pain if it weren't for the fact her nerve endings had been destroyed. The vampire had just barely recovered enough to still be capable of breathing, but she couldn't move. There were a few roaming spirits here, even on the edges of existence. The spirits had been drawn to her, assuredly, seeing as she was somewhat capable of interacting with them. It was mostly for the purposes of feeding, such as what she was doing now with her mouth hanging open, but it was still something she could do nonetheless.

If this lasted much longer, she was going to die. There was no chance she survived this on her own, not even a glimmer of hope. If someone didn't find her, that was it. The damage from whatever Lior had used on her was so bad that the gash on her body hadn't healed fully, either. So, here she was, completely limp and tied, mouth hanging open with a merciful spirit feeding her enough to keep her alive. This was so far from where she wanted to be. She could've been snuggling up to Nier in a comfy bed right now…

Another thing on her mind was that Ghune had assuredly lied to her. The elder vampire had never spoken of why Lior had died, going so far as to ignore Ryint for days on end if she tried to ask multiple times. Of course, she had considered Lior a friend, but that didn't mean that Ghune had to hide the fact he was evil. Part of her realized there were likely other things she'd been lied to about, but that didn't matter right now.

It wouldn't have, at least. Someone appeared in the building and walked up to her. Some… ancient race, one that wasn't alive now. Ryint recognized this person for who they were, though. A Faein, one of the creators of all things in existence, to some extent. Her keen eyes and senses could feel the depth of this person's very being.

"I am so sorry you've had to suffer in this way, Ryint," the woman said gently, removing the rope. "You have been through a lot, and suffered far more than necessary. I am here to help you." Ryint obviously couldn't reply, but the sentiment was understood. Utavi raised her head to look at the vampire. Healing energies coursed through Ryint and restored her body completely, removing any traces of the damage Lior had caused in an instant.

Ryint was soon on her feet, pulling Utavi into a tight hug. "Oh, I could fucking kiss you!" she exclaimed, laughing ecstatically.

Utavi simply smiled a little and accepted the hug for several seconds before lightly pushing Ryint back. "I understand your excitement, but there are two things I wish to discuss with you. One is the predicament of your friends and enemies… and the other is something I wish to ask after."

The vampire tilted her head curiously, then shrugged. Utavi carefully explained the situation with Ghune and the others. The danger that Xin's family was in (including Li and Sothan), what all had happened to Ghune, and how they were both currently doing. Ryint was visibly furious, muscles tensed and ready for action. However, despite her emotional burst, she was calm and careful. This was why Utavi had wanted Ryint. She was emotional, freely so, but yet so carefully controlled. She didn't act out of pure malice until the time called for it.

"Forgive me for having to bring up so much at once. I know you understand, but a lot has happened since Lior attacked you," Utavi explained softly.

Ryint gave a soft sigh and ran a hand through her hair, pulling it all back. "Thank you. I needed to know all of this."

Utavi managed another smile, nodding. "For the second matter, I come to you bearing a gift, one of your choosing. Between you and Sothan, a relative of Xin, my kin and I debated on which of you should become an Immortal to fill a particular space. My kin and I all agreed that Sothan was a better choice, even if only by a marginal amount. I would have greatly wished for you to take this role but, as it is, I cannot allow it. Instead, I wish to… commemorate your candidacy and tenacity."

The vampire tilted her head, then chuckled. "Participation trophy, eh? Never believed much in those, but I learned to not turn down free stuff. What is it?"

A wider smile broke onto Utavi's face. Ryint was bold and upfront… but rarely truly honest. There was a tinge of hurt in her heart that she'd been passed up for such a thing, but it was entirely overshadowed by the warmth in her heart that someone else was picked as well. "As I stated earlier, I wish for it to be your choice. You need not give me anything specific, but I wish to know what you would like."

Ryint was quiet. That presented her with a lot of options, a number of which would really allow her to become very strong. However, what mattered wasn't strength. She liked being as powerful as she was, assuredly, but she instead answered, "I want something that lets me help people more. I want to keep making existence better, even if it's only one person at a time."

Utavi had prepared for such an answer, walking over and setting a hand over one of Ryint's. It was a bold move for her to bless the woman as much as she was about to, but it felt reasonable. "Firstly, I have given you the power to clone yourself. For the sake of existence and your friends, you are limited to two or three simultaneous clones, but you will be able to exercise full control of them. Second, all of your physical abilities have been enhanced to a level akin to your friend, Ghune. Third, your Blood Magic is now at the limit of what I can allow a semi-Immortal to have. You have not used it extensively in recent years, but your mastery of it will be fearsome and helpful in your journey."

Ryint managed a soft smirk, wrapping her hand firmly around Utavi's and pulling the woman into a firm hug, kissing her cheek. "Thank ya, love." While Utavi had expected it, the affection was warming to her. She merely nodded and returned the hug for a few seconds. Both women backed up, with Ryint setting a hand on her hip. "I probably have time to hunt down Lior before I go check in with Ghune, aye?"

"It will be a benefit to existence if you kill him soon," Utavi revealed gently. "There are others in danger."

The vampire grinned and chuckled. "Ah, fuckin' hell. Guess I'll go bash his skull in and teach him a lesson." She vanished immediately after saying this, intent on searching for her assailant.

Utavi blinked once, slowly, then nodded. She absently rubbed at one of her eyes, then decided to stop elsewhere briefly. I want to see how Sonic is doing… He finally began his training.

Her mind made, she too departed.

~保護者~

Ryuji opened an eye and stared up at the ceiling of the home he had been staying in. He'd lost track of the amount of time he'd been here, but ultimately he knew it wasn't too extensive of a stay. He had aided Arein in her efforts of cooking and providing for many of the chameleons that had lost their homes. Arein wasn't in the same room as Ryuji, and so he was soon on his feet and standing outside the building.

His gaze shifted around carefully before locking onto the sight of Arein with a blade buried in the throat of a hollow. He frowned visibly at the sight, then appeared next to her. "Why is it here?" Ryuji asked, curious.

"Ventured near with so many people removed from their homes," Arein murmured. "I couldn't let it venture any further in."

Ryuji crossed his arms and glanced around. "Seems to be alone, at least. We don't need to worry about more stragglers."

Arein nodded slowly. "I will be on guard more the next few days to ensure that nothing else occurs. These creatures are a menace."

"Hm," Ryuji sighed a little and kneeled down as Arein began skinning the creature. His brow furrowed. "Why are you doing this?"

"I have found that the skin is incredibly useful and versatile. With proper treatment, I have created strong shields and such."

"You do realize the dangers of such, yes?" Ryuji questioned softly. "They are demonic in nature."

"Yes," Arein murmured. "I am careful, and still alive and well." She thought for a moment, before ultimately adding, "Also, my Darkness consumes the residual energies that attempt to infect me."

Ryuji had to concede that this was fairly reasonable, though a bit of concern remained in him. "Understandable. Regardless, be careful. I would prefer to not need to hit you."

Arein raised an eyebrow at the way that was said, but ultimately didn't call too much attention to it. He had been in an abusive relationship before, so she was willing to assume he meant well by it. "Be careful with your words, Ryuji. Not all would understand the meaning behind that."

He had to take a long moment to comprehend what she had told him, then slowly gave a nod in reply. "I see." Ryuji still didn't quite get why this seemed to have been misinterpreted, but he saw no reason to raise an argument over it. "I will be more careful."

Navigating a relationship with Ryuji was bound to be complicated, but Arein decided then and there that she was fine with that piece of information. "Don't be upset with yourself over it. Sometimes our habits and traumas speak before we can."

Ryuji did not want to acknowledge this, and so he changed the subject entirely. "I should return to my home, at least briefly. My… friend… he has been healing and I did not intend to leave him alone for so long. I believe he could handle himself, but-"

"You're worried," Arein said with a soft smile. "Go. I will be fine here. Your actions have helped me greatly with our people. We will see one another soon."

"We will," Ryuji confirmed easily, teleporting away without another word. He appeared on top of his home, crossing his legs and taking a seated position. It was immediately apparent to him that there had been visitors here, namely his daughter and her partner. Why is the sensation of her Darkness so strong in this area? I see no battle damage.

Only a moment passed before Haru was dropping lightly onto the roof nearby from an overhanging branch. He, too, took a seat. "There wasn't a problem," he said, correctly guessing at where Ryuji's mind had strayed. "It was just a visit. Aniko brought Shei here so we could talk. She flared her Darkness to wake me up"

"Understood." Ryuji supposed that made sense, but he did find some part of himself… sad? Perhaps disappointed? He wasn't sure what the feeling was. I wonder if she would have even talked to me… "Did your talk go well?"

Onyx eyes blinked slowly at him. "...Don't be so hard on yourself," Haru soon said. "These things take time. Progress has been made, so just be patient and keep moving forward." He paused before answering the initial question. "And yes, I suppose it did."

Ryuji huffed a little. "Reading minds is supposed to be your 'partner's' thing. Don't take the one thing she's good for away."

"Eh, she's good for other things, too, such as murder it turns out," Haru responded with a casual shrug. "As for my 'reading minds'… Let's just say that you're easier to read than you think you are."

"For what purpose would I make it difficult?" Ryuji questioned. "You are not an enemy."

"Any one of the typical chameleon reasons," Haru answered. "You really shouldn't need that to be explained to you."

Ryuji raised an eyebrow. "I am not quite a typical chameleon, as you may or may not have observed."

Haru blinked slowly at him again, pondering Ryuji's words. "Okay… so let me ask you this, then. In what areas do you feel you're lacking general knowledge the rest of us seem to have? I don't mind helping out where I can to fill the gaps."

"Do we have to have this conversation now?" Ryuji muttered. "I'm already bored by it."

A dismissive hand was waved at him, accompanied by a low chuckle. "It was just an offer. Not gonna force you to, you dick." Ryuji turned away wordlessly, deciding to not continue speaking for now. Haru, meanwhile, indulged in a careful stretch. When he managed not to hurt himself by doing so, he went ahead and stood up. "You seem like you might need a bit of space, so I'll go back where I was for now. Just holler or whatever if you need anything."

"Okay," Ryuji replied slowly, slipping into his home through one of the holes covered with his Darkness. Haru disappeared back into the tree at the same time. Ryuji soon found himself curled up somewhere, eyes closed as recent events played back over in his head. I didn't mean to sound so terrible with Arein… What did I do wrong?

~保護者~

Why am I even here?

That thought ran through Zsasha's mind over and over again as he laid on his back in the grass of some remote world, his eyes gazing dully at the sky. His arms were outstretched at his sides with his palms upturned, just laying there uselessly. He had no strength or desire to move either them or the rest of him. Overall, he felt empty, unmotivated, and fatigued. He'd felt like this many times in the past. For the vast majority of his life, in fact. It wasn't anything new. He genuinely couldn't remember anymore what it was like to not feel like this for longer than a few hours at a time, and even then it was only when things made him angry that it happened. No amount of familiarity with these sensations made them in any way pleasant, however.

But his attention really wasn't on that. He kept wondering about the same thing time and again. Why had he been revived? What was the point? No amount of pondering allowed him to come up with a satisfactory answer to the question. Sure, some part of him had been okay with it in the beginning, maybe even a little pleased since it meant he had a chance to retaliate against Ghune… but his desire to do that had been steadily declining in the few days that had since passed. Because, again, what was the point?

She'd killed him during their last fight. They'd been absolutely brawling, worse than they ever had before, and at some point during that… he'd come to the realization that he hadn't been fighting to live. He'd been fighting to die. All he'd wanted was an end to his miserable, painful life. In perhaps the only moment where he and Ghune had ever agreed on absolutely anything, he'd allowed her to deal the finishing blow.

Why his soul hadn't been dragged to Hell after that, he had no idea. It was the opposite of what he'd anticipated. He didn't know where he'd wound up, exactly, only that none of the other souls in the area had paid him any mind. After finding a more isolated location within whatever Realm of Death he'd been sorted into, he'd curled up and gone to sleep. And that was how he'd stayed year after year… until he'd suddenly awakened in Nareish's presence.

It still made no sense to him why she would have bothered restoring his life. Yes, some part of him very much wanted Ghune dead. Yes, he'd had some degree of intent to use other vampires or the like against her in order to accomplish that goal. And yes, he'd told Lior that he would take any opportunity that arose in order to end her. But now… now he wasn't so sure. All of his motivation was gone. It had bled out of him as if from a gaping wound. He had no plans, no desires, no goals, no nothing.

Nareish was, as much as he hated to admit it, overall intelligent. Absolutely mad as well without a doubt, but intelligent nonetheless. She surely had some reason for bringing him back. The only one he could think of that had any merit was that she must have sought to amuse herself by watching Ghune murder him again. As much as he wanted right now to just get it over with and die again so he could go back to sleeping away his existence, he also didn't feel inclined to give Nareish the satisfaction. The question now was what to do.

In the end, he didn't know. Lior and Cyca were dead-set on tormenting and killing their respective targets and expected the same out of him. But he wasn't… like them. Not really. He would never and could never claim to be some sort of innocent angel, for he had certainly done bad (though not outright evil, admittedly) things in the past. However, it was nothing like the things they had done. He stayed in their company because they were the only ones who had ever even slightly accepted him. None of them were friends with one another, but those two were the only companions he'd ever had. Ghune had made sure of that.

Zsasha didn't know the particulars regarding his "birth", only that it had something to do with a nightmare that the then-child God known as Finis had had. Somehow, knowledge of the circumstances that had led to his entrance into existence had reached Ghune within a week of it occurring. Her judgement of him had been immediate and final. Though they were close to the same age in the grand scheme of things, she was at least a few centuries older. He supposed he had been intimidated when they'd first met, and he hadn't known what to think of her beyond that. She'd known what to think of him, though… what to call him in the company of all the allies she'd amassed by then.

Evil was the word she had branded him with.

It had taken no time at all for word of this to reach more people than just himself and her. Other vampires, the deities, a variety of other mythical beings… They took her at her word. Before the dawn of the seventh day of his life, he had found himself ostracized and alone. Survival had been immensely difficult, with no actual knowledge of what he was or how their kind was meant to live their lives. In truth, he should have let himself simply starve to death back then. That would have been the easiest thing. But instead, he'd made the foolish mistake of giving a damn about his life and trying not to die.

Then he'd started feeling like he did right now, hopeless and worthless and exhausted and numb yet also agitated over every little thing… although he'd never once understood why. He'd lived with it, isolated and suffering in ways he'd never understood, for centuries before meeting first Cyca and then Lior. Some people might have described it as "falling in with the wrong crowd", but it wasn't as though anyone else had ever given him the time of day. No one else had ever even pretended to give him a chance. At least these two didn't hate him, even if they weren't capable of genuinely "liking" anyone other than perhaps their own selves.

These two were all he had… and so he'd gone along with them and their goals. By that time, he hadn't seen any reason not to. Everyone had already viewed him as evil since damn-near the beginning. No one had ever believed otherwise, nor would they have even if he'd been given the chance to try and vouch for himself. There was no reason to waste energy trying to prove them wrong anymore. However… he'd never been able to bring himself to do all that much in the way of proving them right, either. He'd learned to more or less walk and talk like those two, so to speak, but he'd never truly begun to think and act like them. Because, ultimately, he wasn't like them. Not really. The only conclusion he'd been able to come up with since then was that he just didn't belong anywhere.

His creation had been a mistake.

In the end, he supposed that this was a second thing he and Ghune could agree on. The third, no doubt, was that he needed to just die again and get it over with. If he just stayed here and didn't move, he'd eventually starve to death. That would save her the trouble and he wouldn't have to expend any energy doing it. He wasn't a fan of the idea of being in that much pain for that long, though, even if he was just as convinced as everyone else at this point that he deserved it. There were surely better ways, but he couldn't think of any right now. Apparently he could add "occasionally stupid" to the list of things wrong with him. Although, in actual fact, the "occasionally" part of that statement wasn't needed.

Whatever he was going to do, he needed to decide soon. Preferably before Ghune inevitably learned of his revival. Assuming, of course, that she didn't already know. She more than likely did, come to think of it. Which… meant that his time was already limited. Hell, she was probably trying to orchestrate his demise right now, right at this very moment. Which meant that this whole thought process had been just as pointless as the rest of his life. Just laying here and waiting for death to find him and execute a plan all on its own suddenly didn't sound like such a bad idea after all.

~保護者~

Espio stopped mid-step, struck by the almost instinctual feeling that something was wrong. He had been walking from the edge of the forest toward his home, carrying a small bag of food for Armaris to snack on over the next couple days. That bag was promptly dropped in favor of his hand going to his sword. Teleporting onto the porch, he quickly scanned his surroundings. His eyes saw nothing. That didn't relax him at all. What the hell is going on?

Gritting his teeth, Espio flared his aura just enough to get Armaris's attention. He didn't want her to be caught off-guard by whatever seemed to be heading their way, particularly if she was napping again. Then he went ahead and drew his weapon. Something was about to happen. Something that went beyond merely being "bad". He could feel it. But he was determined to fight back against it as best as he could.

What he wasn't expecting was for a familiar face to stride into view from the shadow of the trees below him. "Satsuno?" he asked with a frown before he could stop himself and assess the situation.

The deep, growling voice that answered him wasn't Satsuno's. His eyes weren't correct, either. They were… orange. And glowing. Even his fur was wrong, being utterly blackened by active Darkness as it was. "He isn't here. I am."

Immediately, Espio understood what had happened. Possession. Fuck. Does Seiko know about this? He was unprepared for the show of strength and speed this apparent body-snatching demonic spirit showed. It took all of two seconds for an energy-based attack of some description to reach him. Though he managed to dodge, his house sure didn't. Which meant part of it was wrecked yet again. Why that caused a flare-up in temper within him, he wasn't immediately sure… until he recognized his protective instincts for what they were. This, in fact, had nothing to do with the house. Armaris was in there. And she was grievously injured already.

His hand wrenched his sword free of its sheath. I can't kill him… but I have to stop him somehow. Jumping down to the demon's level, he watched as the being formed a sword of corrupted energies into Satsuno's own hand. How is this thing channeling its powers through him? I've never heard of a possession this severe before. That thought lingered for just a moment before he realized that his belief was wrong.

He hadn't been meant to overhear. Seiko and one or both of his parents had been talking. They'd believed him to be outside exploring. But he'd been present, and he'd heard the things they'd talked about. Back then he hadn't understood. Hell, he hadn't even remembered until just now. All that aside, though, his memory had supplied him with one potentially useful bit of information. This had indeed happened before. Which meant that something could be done for Satsuno this time, too.

It wasn't his place to provide that kind of help. He wasn't capable, nor was he seeking to get more deeply involved than he already was. He cared about this man and his partner, but he had his own family to think about. Protecting them was his top priority. The sooner he drove this demon away and contacted Seiko, the better. And it was with that thought in mind that he lunged and engaged his unexpected foe in direct combat.

Because, ultimately, the demon was right. Satsuno wasn't here.

Espio couldn't afford to hesitate, to be sentimental. The pair traded blows for only a few seconds before they both sensed movement within the house. Espio didn't like the malicious smirk that spread across the demon's stolen face - and not just because it was an expression he knew the real Satsuno would never have worn. Stay out of this, Armaris, he silently willed her as though she could hear him. Don't be brazen just this once.

Armaris exploded out of the debris and rubble, Darkness subtly changing the appearance of her body as she violently swung in Satsuno's direction. She had no sentimental feelings towards Satsuno, unlike her partner. What she saw was an enemy that had dared to attack her and the one she loved. Cursing, Espio knocked the demon away and jumped backward in such a way that he landed by her side. "You need to leave," he ordered curtly, taking on a harsh tone that he rarely used with anyone. But it was borne out of genuine concern for her safety, something he didn't hide from his voice this time. If only because he needed her to grasp how serious this was.

"He won't let me," Armaris muttered, lowering her stance and preparing her blade. "I think I'm part of the reason this bastard is here." She understood his concern but, in this situation, she already knew what was happening. A powerful demon is here to either corrupt me and you… or kill us both. I can't flee without him finding me again.

"Tch." Espio had no time to reply with anything else before the demon was upon them both again. This time, he found that he was the one blasted away.

Plainly amused, the demon let their eyes rove over Armaris's currently petite form. "Why linger in this body when you possess a far more useful one, girl?"

Armaris hissed, a combination of noises from both her demonic and cat heritage. "I happen to prefer not being a massive monster. Means I can fuck easier," she bit out, eyes shifting from their usual blue to black. "Get away from my home, you stupid piece of shit."

Chuckling, the demon raised a hand and blasted Espio again before the chameleon could get up. "I think not. You are far too valuable to cast aside. Be grateful for that." Corrupted energies began surging into her, rooting her to the spot and preventing her from being able to escape.

All at once, Armaris let her Darkness take over her body (much like she had a few times now), loosing a series of magical explosions in the demon's direction that shook all of Hyale. He dodged and let out a cruel laugh, entertained by her display and not letting up in his own assault on her. She didn't know where Espio was right now, but it didn't matter. This demon couldn't permanently kill him. Rather than worrying about that, the cat focused her violence and coalesced it into an explosion centered on this other demon's chest.

Though this attack connected solidly, whatever injuries the demon might have sustained weren't surface-level. He tossed her another grin. "You are fighting entirely the wrong thing. Normally those like you at least attempt to resist the corruption. It amuses me that you have yet to bother."

"Half-breeds can't," Armaris hissed. She wasn't sure what was coming over her, corruption or something else, but she found her magic far easier to access. She continued attacking with magic, beginning to instead aim her attacks at his heart and brain.

"Careful," he taunted her, dodging out of the way again. "I am but a spirit. If you kill my vessel, there are many who would seek to murder you for it."

"I'll kill them all!" Armaris snapped, using her Darkness to try and rip herself free of the bonds holding her still. "I don't care what you are!" Even with much of her focus being on trying to get out of this trap, the explosions only got more violent and accurate with each second, her entire body comprised of her wispy, pitch black energy.

Seeing that the corruption was nearly finished, Amnikaribah glanced in the direction of the chameleon he'd first encountered. He'd infected the man with a bit of corrupted Darkness as well but, true to his chameleon heritage, said man was rapidly overcoming that taint and coming back around. Not much time was left, but not much time was required anymore to begin with. Creating a sword out of Darkness, he slashed across Armaris's torso once purely to satisfy his own bloodlust a bit - and to piss her off. Then he murmured, "Enjoy your new life, girl. You should be grateful." He teleported away after that, since he was now done here. And besides, he still had his original target, Kaden, to hunt down.

Armaris collapsed to the ground, body shifting in and out of her dark form as droplets of her energy (as opposed to blood) splattered the ground. Violent thoughts and hatred were rapidly consuming her mind, causing her to curl up and cover her head. She wanted to spill blood, but whose? In the end, she wasn't given the chance to make that choice. Not here, at any rate. Espio's own Darkness suddenly encased her, albeit without causing her further harm, and teleported her away. There was nothing else he could do to protect her… and to protect his people from her.

Once she was gone and he was sure that she wouldn't immediately return, Espio pushed himself up off the ground and teleported his communicator into his hand as he stood. He didn't waste a second in calling the very first person to come to his mind. Pick up, Toru.

Toru must have known something was wrong, for her answered within seconds. "What happened?"

Espio limited himself to simply speaking the facts, since doing anything else would waste time. "A demon is possessing a man named Satsuno. He arrived and corrupted Armaris. I had to send her away before she could start rampaging."

A familiar voice spoke up this time, before Toru could get a word out. It was Seiko. "Shit, he's already on the move. We encountered him once before. It's Amnikaribah. Where did you send her?"

"To the furthest planet of the solar system," Espio muttered unhappily. He chose not to acknowledge the demon's true identity right now. There was nothing useful to say about that. "I am unused to teleporting other people and could not manage anything better. She can get back here easily if she so chooses."

Toru muttered a curse. "Do whatever you can to get ahold of any allies or friends she has. Anyone she cares about is in danger, and if I know anything about you or her, there's not many people who can survive her onslaught."

"She has never mentioned any particular people to me who she is close to," Espio frowned. "I know of her father, Cere, and Cream, but no others."

Seiko almost audibly paled, information clicking together. "Her father is Ylden, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Fuck, she's going to murder him."

Toru yelled suddenly, then groaned. "Fucking hell, she vanished somewhere. I'll figure out how to get in contact with Cere, I guess. You get your family together. The four of you should be able to keep her off of the Highlands if you work together. Though, something tells me she might not be willing to go back. She's not that crazy."

"I will inform them," was all Espio said. He belatedly glanced around for his sword, retrieved it from the grass, and sheathed it. "Tell me as soon as anything else happens on your end. I will do the same."

"If she's not back in the next ten or so minutes, you should also try to track her. Get with Tails and Wery to have her communicator tracked, assuming her Darkness hasn't destroyed it yet."

It may well have. There was no point in saying so, though, so he didn't. "Fine," Espio agreed. "I will talk to them as well."

"Keep me updated," Toru replied. "We're going to get her back. I mean it."

"I said already that I would," Espio answered. He knew he was being a little short with his friend, but he wasn't trying to be.

Toru understood fully, seeming unbothered. "Gotta go and track this woman down." He didn't waste any more time, ending the call promptly once he'd finished speaking.

Espio scrolled through his contacts as soon as Toru hung up and sent a rapid message to Tails. The fox immediately promised to get to work, which was the best Espio could expect right off the bat. He teleported his communicator away and then went straight to his parents house instead. It was considered rude as all hell not to announce oneself before stepping inside, but he couldn't be bothered with manners right now. "Mother?" he called, walking in. He could sense his father dozing in the back room, though the man awakened instantly when Espio called out.

Aniko emerged from the same room, sword and other supplies already strapped to her body. "What the hell just happened?"

Her show of temper momentarily cut through his own and made him more wary, but he did his best not to show it. "Do you remember Satsuno?" he asked quickly in reply. "And the story Seiko once told you of what spirits could do to him?"

Seeing the slight shift in Espio, Aniko lightened her tone. "Is this related to what just occurred? Was Armaris wrapped up in it all?" She didn't mean to ignore his question, but she preferred to get to the important information instead.

"I would not bring it up if it wasn't connected," Espio answered in kind as Shei wandered into the room. "Satsuno is possessed by a demon named Amnikaribah. It is the demon that corrupted Seiko's son Kaden, and it was once a God. It was powerful enough to corrupt Armaris within moments despite her attacking it the entire time."

Aniko frowned visibly. "Understood. Do you know where she went, or will we need to track her down?" As quickly as he could, Espio explained again where he had sent her and why, as well as told her of the plan Toru had come up with to try locating her and keeping an eye on her whereabouts. "I suppose such is reasonable, but she is a creature of habit." Aniko winced, not liking her choice of words. "So to speak. She will be somewhat predictable, even as a demon. I presume her father is in danger now."

"Seiko believes so strongly enough that she took off upon making the same realization," Espio reported. He glanced at his father but, while Shei was plainly listening, he was making no comments. "Presumably to warn him."

I would hope it is not to feed him to her, at least. "Armaris will likely come back to this planet at some point, whether it be for us or something else… likely a place she once lived. I will seek her out and follow her. If she notices my presence, I will return here."

Espio nodded in understanding. He started to address Shei, to voice his concerns regarding the older shinobi's involvement, but Shei calmly cut him off. "I know it is unwise for me to get involved, given the state of my own energies. I will stay out of this, though I am not happy about it."

"Be safe, the both of you," Aniko murmured. "If she returns here, find a way to make her leave, even if we must drag beings of Light into the equation. Our people cannot handle another disaster, and I would equate an attack from her in that state to be such an event."

"I will at least keep an eye on things here," Shei answered. "Should she return, I will reach the both of you immediately." Espio murmured some form of an agreement. Aniko simply nodded in reply, waiting for a moment to see if anything else needed to be said.

It was soon apparent that there was nothing else, so Espio gave a respectful bow before departing. I cannot stand around any longer. I have to inform Ryuji and then determine the proper next step.

Aniko turned to Shei, visibly worried. "This is going to be far worse than last time, I presume."

"Considering that a former demon God is at the root of this… yes." Shei crossed his arms, frowning at nothing in particular. "It will be far worse than anything Armaris or Satsuno have endured before. Neither will escape this unscathed."

"I worry more for those in Armaris's path," Aniko admitted quietly. "We are not blind, nor are we senseless. Her growth has accelerated exponentially in a matter of days."

"It has," Shei acknowledged. "However, worrying over it will not help her or anyone else. You must determine where she is so that she may be helped in a timely manner. That is all that can be done."

"You are correct," Aniko replied, ultimately conceding to what was the truth. "I will do so. As stated, do not engage her if she returns here." The woman teleported away without another word.

"I will not," he assured her by way of farewell. With nothing else to do, he took a seat at the table and closed his eyes so that he could focus on monitoring the energies around him. If Armaris returned… they needed to know immediately. They couldn't afford to miss her.

~保護者~

He'd finally caught up to her. Rose was standing alone in a remote area of Mobius, staring quietly up into the sky. Kial walked up to her, easily gaining the woman's attention. "You're not feeling good, are you?"

"No," Rose replied softly, turning to face her blind partner.

Kial frowned softly, but ultimately didn't come much closer. "I think I know someone who can help you, but your attention is needed somewhere first."

Rose blinked once, then nodded. "Why?"

"Therin was attacked and is in a critical state. We're going to go there so you can help heal him, then I'm taking you to Aniko," Kial explained, already turning as if to leave. "Follow me."

Rose watched as he teleported away. She was distinctly aware that he'd taken on a new role as a deity just from his presence, but it was still shocking to think about. Regardless, she teleported after him without argument. I hope I am in time…

~保護者~

This was one of the few times Eila had felt peace in… many years, excluding the moment of her purification. It allowed her clarity she hadn't attained before facing Ix and Shade originally. This truly was going to be difficult, and yet, she couldn't find a reason to care. All signs pointed towards the death of Kethro.

Despite this peace and clarity of mind, Eila was still bold, perhaps brash. This was a stupid decision and she realized it fully. Why didn't it concern her when she snapped open a portal to the Twilight Cage? The woman stared through this opening between realms and briefly debated her options before simply… stepping through. A blade of pure magic shortly accompanied her, a welcome "ally" in such a dangerous place.

It occurred to her that, for once, she was being careful. Her presence was concealed and she kept her senses active to detect anything that might approach. It felt odd to do so, but perhaps that was because of the rampage of destruction she had wrought on her enemies as of late. It felt much better to destroy with reckless abandon. After all, nearly an entire planet fell when she cast one of her newest spells. She had crafted a few more since then, but they were not quite as dangerous.

Her gaze shifted and she brought up a wall of magic that made her practically invisible, keeping herself out of sight for some of the spawns of Malevolence. Pissing off that thing was far from something she desired (though, if she had time to formulate a plan for killing Malevolence, she would do it). But there was no more time to ponder any of that. She'd been found.

"Answer me something," a low, familiar voice called from the darkness surrounding her. "Do you have any family left…? Any friends…? Any allies at all…? Because if you do, I will find them. I will find them, and I will cut them. I will make them suffer and bleed, and then I will watch them all die. I suspect you were warned against coming here, and now everyone you care for will suffer for it."

Hatred welled up within Eila at the mere thought of someone seeking out and harming those she cared for. Rouge, Sonic, Silver, Wave… all of those names moved through her thoughts in an instant and she stood upright, dropping the various spells and losing concentration on keeping herself hidden. "You're apparently bolder than I, thinking that you would stand a chance of leaving this encounter alive. You surely remember me from all those years ago."

"I remember you… Astra." Slowly, Kethro the Dark wandered into her field of view. He looked unchanged despite the passage of time… apart from one single detail. Most of his body was now nothing but Malevolent energy now. "I also recall not giving a damn about your idle threats before. I see no reason to change that now."

"A lack of change is the end of many," Eila muttered, narrowing her gaze. "And I will assure you that your lack of understanding will be your end on this day."

In an instant, his energy-formed arm had extended and shot across the distance separating them. A now clawed hand clamped down in a vice-like grip on her throat. "This encounter spells your own doom, Light witch," he murmured. "I refrained in the past due to your… allegiance with my so-called leader. That will not happen again."

She had taken a measure to protect herself, luckily, a barrier of magic barely standing against his hand. Eila had a limited amount of Light, and this was far from an ideal place to use it, but Kethro had a death wish. "I have no plan to ignore you either." In an instant, the words, "Celestial Cataclysm" had emerged from her mouth and sent explosions all the way down his arm and around his body, her limited Light poured into the attack.

Her attack evoked a snarl of some kind and he was forced to retract his arm, releasing her in the process. However, he was quick to retaliate by brutally slamming her body into the ground with his own energies. He recalled very clearly what her biggest weakness was and sought to capitalize on that. "You will die, Astra," he bit out, voice full of malice.

The force of the attack made her spit up blood. She hadn't had a chance to cast the other spell she needed to have a chance here, but now was as good a time as ever. "Transcendance." Eila wasn't sure what damage had been done… though this would mitigate further damage, hopefully. The spell was intended to make use of her immense amount of magic to bring her physical traits up to a much more respectable level for a semi-Immortal. Eila pushed herself off the ground, muttering under her breath. "I'm no longer Astra, but you have no right to know my true name," she said, already casting Celestial Cataclysm once more.

Unlike the last time, Kethro managed to mostly dodge. He still sustained injuries, no doubt, but he continued toward her regardless. Mere seconds later, his hand slammed into her forehead as he pushed her violently backward so that she was pounded into the ground. "Do you listen to yourself when you talk…?" he asked her, staring into her eyes in a truly baleful manner. "I don't care what you call yourself. My statement doesn't change purely because your identity, in your mind, has."

Once more, she picked herself up off the ground. How did people like Sonic do this? That second hit would have simply killed her, if it wasn't for the spell she'd cast. Blood pooled in her mouth, and she was forced to spit it out again. "Of course I do," Eila bit out, managing a bit of a smirk despite her pain. "I'm a self-centered withc, remember?" Her movement was impossibly fast for anything she had ever displayed, collecting magic into her fist and slamming it into him in a powerful punch.

This blow staggered him, then it angered him. He returned the gesture and delivered his own punch straight to her gut. A second one collided with her cheek and a third struck her chin. She might have recovered from the first if it had sent her away from him, but both of the following attacks sent her reeling and made her crumple to the ground the moment she landed. The magic was strong enough, but… I am not skilled enough at fighting like this.

She had too much willpower to fall unconscious here, and the intense pain was ensuring that she couldn't. Instead of accepting her fate and letting Kethro be right, Eila decided that she would make good on her promise to Rouge. She wanted to go back to Haru, to see him again. There were other things, too, but these stood out enough that she called out for Wave mentally. "I made a mistake. I need you, and your help. I'm in the Twilight Cage."

There was hardly a second's delay. Wave was suddenly just there, shielding her with golden magic. A forceful strike with that same magic on Kethro's advancing form heralded her arrival, putting him down long enough for her to demand, "Are you alright, Eila?"

"No." Eila realized she couldn't speak physically right now, which agitated her more than anything. The blow to the chin had damaged her jaw enough that doing so was impossible. That also meant she was largely defenseless, seeing as she couldn't mentally cast most of her spells. "I'm sorry."

"Be sorry once you're better and not a minute before," Wave answered, her eyes never leaving their opponent. "Your life matters more to me than apologies."

Hearing that was… almost encouraging to Eila. She wasn't quite sure what feeling was shifting her thoughts, but she picked her own body up off the ground with psychic energy and shifted her jaw, using the power to move her mouth and speak. When she tried to cast a spell, however, a being of gentle yellow energy wound itself around her and slowly began healing her. "Quiet… She can handle it. Relax."

Already, Kethro was standing up. "I will not fall…" he muttered darkly, clutching at his wounds. Already, they were visibly repairing themselves. "I will not fade. Malevolence will restore me again and again, as many times as it takes for me to kill you all."

Wave glared. Whether he recognized her as a the formerly mortal girl he'd once killed, she had no idea. The fact was that she recognized him… and it pissed her off. "It can't restore you if there's nothing left of you." With these cold words, she gathered her magic in a hand, aiming squarely for him. Then she released the energy she had built up all at once, allowing it to shoot through him like a deadly spear. True to her word, this attack spared no part of him whatsoever. In an instant, all there was left was a bit of dust that drifted uselessly out of sight.

Eila was beyond impressed, having gotten to watch this through the ethereal body of whatever creature was rapidly healing her body. It seemed to focus on her chin, enough so that she could speak some few seconds after Kethro's demise. "Fucking hell… I should've just brought you along in the first place…"

"You really should have." Wave was quick to teleport them both to New Babylon, near to where her father and uncle were sitting lost in conversation together. "Why did you even go there to begin with?"

The cat tried to stand on her own, but the weight of this creature was far beyond what she was ready for. She collapsed backwards with it, sighing. "To kill Kethro. Jet warned me that I shouldn't go. Guess this is what I get for not listening…"

Wave groaned. "Next time, just listen to him… please. For your own good." It was only after she said that that the full depth of Eila's words sunk in. Stunned, she demanded, "Wait, you and Jet talked?"

"Briefly… I told him about me killing the Nocturne Clan, the Metarex… the situation with Saran and me having Kathros brought back." Eila almost stopped there, then quickly realized that she would have to explain the situation with Kathros again. She did so before Wave could have a chance to reply.

Once Eila had laid everything out, Wave took a moment to consider what she'd been told. "Look, just… be careful," she eventually said. "I see that there's no talking you out of this investigation of yours, so just watch your back. If you're wrong, I don't want you to be unprepared. But if you're right about him… I'll stand by you. I promise."

The cat was given pause by this, and she slowly nodded. "I called on you during all of that for that exact reason. I know I can trust you," she murmured.

"Well, the feeling's mutual," Wave said. She made a mental note to check on Jet later, though she suspected that the Aether had monitored this apparent interaction earlier. I would have been told if something went wrong, so I don't need to worry so much. It was just her being protective over the man she loved, she knew, but it was still hard to shake.

Eila soon spoke up again, clearing her throat and unintentionally coughing up some of the blood that had never been cleared. "So… what exactly is this? The Aether?"

"Yeah, that's right," Wave nodded. "It can talk like the Void can, by the way. Which, come to think of it, you're being weirdly quiet compared to usual, Aether. You alright?"

It was about now that a loud snore sounded from it's unmoving body, the being wrapped around Eila while its energies finished healing her. Eila blinked once and carefully extracted herself from it, standing up and conjuring a bed to lay the thing on. "I spoke to the Void briefly, and the Aether briefly spoke to me when you appeared to aid me."

"Understood," Wave answered. Somehow, she was managing to choke back a laugh at her companion's snoozing form. Then she grew more serious and asked, "...You spoke to the Void?"

"Mm… briefly. I brought Ix's staff to have Jet store or destroy it. The Void simply ate it," Eila shrugged. "Our conversation was uneventful, but it did inform me that if I had retained control of Jet much longer while I was corrupted, it would have erased me from existence. That, and my own observation that I perhaps am a bit more like it than I would like."

It felt better not to acknowledge that last part right now, so Wave didn't. "Well, I'm glad it didn't give you any trouble," she said. "Just be mindful around it, as I'm sure you know already." She stretched, then changed the subject. "Anyway… if you don't have any more aches or pains, I can let you be on your way now. I know you're busy with things."

"You're right, I am busy." Eila didn't leave, however, instead walking away from Wave and in the direction of Han. "Follow me."

Confused, Wave hurried after her. "What are you doing?" The cat didn't stop until she was only a few feet from Han. She looked between them both and teleported a small, but obviously magical metal ball in the air. The twins noticed this and the approaching pair immediately and looked over, each wearing the exact same questioning expression on their faces. It sort of warmed Wave's heart. Tae always loosens up around us.

Eila looked to Wave, then back to Han. "I cannot guarantee this will work, but…" She sighed gently. "I believe this can restore your memories to you. It may not work fully the first time, and may not even be done the fifth time. I am bringing this to you as a choice and option, if you would like to attempt to bring back what was stolen from you."

Much to Wave's relief, her father didn't hesitate. "I am tired already of living like this," he admitted softly. "If there is a chance that your methods will work, then I am willing to try."

"All you need to do is touch it, then," Eila said. "Preferably, remain sitting and have someone stay near you each time you use this. It may overwhelm you, and the return of your memories may be difficult to endure." She floated the object closer to Han to let him take it for himself.

"How frequently can he use this?" Thane decided to ask. Ever the protective older brother, he held Han back for the moment. "Can you ensure his safety?"

"It may depend on his reaction to it," Eila admitted, frowning. "If he shows an incredible resilience against such a mentally taxing action, unlike myself, then he may well only need to take brief breaks between each use. If it causes him duress, once over the span of several hours or a day may be better. He should take this at his own pace."

Thane took this in, then looked at his brother. "Do it."

"I did not ask for your permission," Han huffed, adjusting his glasses. Despite not having any memory of what life with siblings was like, he certainly still knew how to act like one. It made Wave sort of want to laugh. Still, she refrained as he reached out and took the item from Eila. His own great magic would have normally allowed him to resist effects from things like this, but Eila's wise decision to have her spell strengthened by an Immortal prevented that from happening. In an instant, scattered memories were rushing back into his head beyond his ability to control or even immediately comprehend.

When his posture wavered, Thane took hold of his shoulder to keep him steady while Wave asked, "If he doesn't drop it on his own, how soon should we intervene?"

"If his consciousness seems like it will fade, take it from him. That would be the mark of him beginning to become overwhelmed," Eila murmured, already actively keeping tabs on just that.

Wave watched her father with trepidation, noticing how rigid and still he'd become. She couldn't quite tell if he was in pain, only that he was momentarily no longer aware of them. Then all at once, he came back to himself and abruptly dropped the sphere into the grass with a wince. Wave let out a breath of relief. Alright… so he's conscious, at least.

Eila immediately scooped the thing up in her magic and moved closer, setting a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

It took Han a moment to reply as things tried to settle back into their rightful places. Then, slowly, he nodded. "I'm alright," he confirmed. He paused before adding, "You were right. It did not work fully after one use. I think that a great deal has returned, though."

The cat nodded gently and retracted her hand. "Good. As I stated, don't use this without someone nearby to help you. You obviously understand now how… overwhelming it can be, but please do not believe it may become easier. With matters of the mind, be careful."

"I understand," Han answered.

Wave knew she was likely setting herself up for more heartache, but she still had to ask. "Do… Do you remember me and Alec again?"

Han looked away, frowning in consternation. "I don't… I'm sorry. I want to, but the memories simply aren't there."

"It'll come in time," Eila murmured softly, looking to Wave. "Since that worked, it will happen. When it does, I want you to tell me, okay?"

After taking a breath to steady herself and rally her strength, Wave nodded. "Yeah," she agreed. "I will. And thank you for this, Eila. I mean it."

"After what I requested your help for, I do not believe that your thanks is necessary," Eila answered, shifting her gaze away. "You deserve to have your father back." Wave could only nod again, unsure what else to say. Rather than addressing that further, Eila looked between Han and Thane. "I trust you both will be careful. It goes without saying to not allow yourself to touch that object directly by accident. I once made that mistake and collapsed almost immediately."

"We would not make such a mistake," Thane huffed. Only now that he was certain his brother was fine did he finally remove his hand from Han's shoulder.

"Good," Eila replied. "If there are no further questions, I will be going. I have a corrupted being of Light to pursue."

"Good luck," Wave answered, "and be safe."

"I'll try to not call on you again," Eila replied firmly, teleporting away. She briefly thought over everything that had happened in the last half hour or so, eyes closed. For probably the first time, she had called on help as a result of her own mistake, rather than planning for it. This wasn't something she wanted to do often, but it was nice to know she had friends she could rely on for once.

This was so much better than being alone.

~保護者~

15,874 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support, and I hope you enjoyed. Posted (at about 8:50 p.m.) 05-31-23.