"Ananias?" Nyx meekly called out, causing the desired effect of Ananias stopping what he was doing and turning his full attention towards her.

"Oh, hey Nyx," he said in his usual dull monotone, making it impossible for Nyx to discern whether he was still the slightest bit upset over the result of their previous conversation or not. "What's up?"

Nyx took a deep breath before carefully saying, "I... I just wanted to come by and apologize... for last time."

Ananias raised an eyebrow curiously. "For last time?"

Nyx nodded and blushed slightly at the now embarrassing and shameful memory. "Yes. All you wanted to do was help me and I overreacted like the immature child that I constantly insist that I am not. If I was willing to share the honest truth with you, then I should've been prepared to tell you all of it. Can you ever forgive me?"

Ananias sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, well, in all honesty... I kind of got over all of that."

Nyx's eyes widened in surprise. "Huh?!"

Ananias nodded. "Yep. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I was just prying. I let my curiosity get the better of me and it ended up making you uncomfortable, and instead of backing off, I just kept on trying to egg you into telling me what I wanted to know and just made the entire thing worse in the process. Sorry about that. I should've been more focused on being a better friend than trying to fix your problem. I really don't know what came over me."

Nyx blinked in disbelief before slowly nodding her head and saying, "O-Oh, um, okay then. So... me telling you all that you wanted to hear...?"

Ananias shook his head. "If you don't want me to know, then you don't have to tell me."

At first, Nyx couldn't believe her luck. A chance to duck out of telling someone more about her dark past was practically being gift wrapped right in front of her and all she had to do was take it. Take it and throw it behind her and let it sit there, sealed and forgotten, out of her life forever. But no, she wouldn't, or rather, she couldn't. After all, if she was capable of doing such a task, then she wouldn't be in this particular predicament in the first place.

Nyx shook her head. "No. I'll tell you. I meant what I said earlier and I'm not about to betray myself just because it's convenient to me." She then frowned anxiously. "Just... at least promise me that nothing will change between the two of us after you find out, okay?"

Ananias' eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, well, um, okay. Don't see why that would happen, but yeah, sure. Take it away then."

Nyx took a deep breath. "You know the spell that I wasn't supposed to do, but did anyway?"

Ananias nodded. "Y-Yeah, the one that turns you into a child and keeps you that way, right?"

Nyx nodded. "Right. Well, you see, that particular spell, the way it does that requires sacrifices. Human sacrifices."

Ananias' eyes widened in surprise. "You sacrificed human beings?!"

Nyx quickly shook her head indignantly. "No, of course not! I would never do such a thing!" She then bowed her head. "But the spell, it was going to get its sacrifices, whether anyone liked it or not. Its caster included."

Ananias let out a tiny, terrified gasp and gulped nervously. "So that means..."

Nyx nodded gravely. "Yes. On that day, many lives were lost, all because of me and that foolish arrogance of mine. So many life forces stripped away and added to mine, forcing my body to take on the appearance of a child's and stay like that for the rest of my days, as a constant reminder of the horrible thing that I had done and the countless others I had performed before it."

"Nyx..."

Nyx gently wrapped her arms around herself and bowed her head in shame. "That is why I refuse to request for help in reversing my appearance, because I fully deserve this one. The people who were wrongfully hurt because my actions...," she shook her head, "I cannot possibly be forgiven for that. Especially when I am certain that there is nothing I can do to bring them back and make it up to them. No, as much as I dislike what I have become, it is a burden that I most certainly must bear. I could not possibly forgive myself otherwise."

"... Honestly, I think you've got it a little backwards."

Nyx's eyes widened in surprise as she looked back at the crimson retainer. "Huh?"

"I mean," Ananias said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck as he did, "forgiveness from others only really means anything if you forgive yourself first, right? Otherwise, all of the forgiveness you receive will mean nothing, you know?"

Nyx's eyes narrowed as she considered Ananias' point. "While that may well be for some cases, that means nothing for mine when everyone whom I should seek forgiveness from is already dead."

"Yeah, I guess you've got a point there," Ananias quietly admitted. "Alrighty then," he folded her arms casually and gave Nyx a small and reassuring smile, "now that we've got all that cleared up, I can finally be the type of friend you want me to be."

Nyx's eyes widened once again in surprise. "Huh?"

"If you don't want me or anyone else to help," Ananias explained matter-of-factly, "then that means that the main reason why you told me was to be a listener, right? Like, someone to reliably vent to when you can't vent to anyone else?"

"Er, well, I mean, yes, but if you still feel like you want to help me then-"

Much to her surprise, Ananias simply shook his head and said, "Nuh-uh. No way. I meant what I said too. I'm not going to betray it just because I personally feel that we should. You've already made it clear that you don't want that, so I'll just have to do the second best thing and just support you from here on out, okay?"

Nyx blinked a few times in astonishment before letting out an amused chuckle and saying, "The two of us... sure are stubborn, aren't we?"

Ananias nonchalantly shrugged. "If that's what you want to call it, then sure. I've been called worse."

Nyx closed her eyes and smirked. "Stubborn it is then."


Author's Note: Next will be Ananias and Nyx's S Support, and then it will be Charlotte, followed by Niles, Effie, Female Corrin, Benny, Anna, Ophelia, Camilla, Gunther, Setsuna, Kanna, Selena, Beruka, Xander, Azura, Flora, Odin, Laslow, Rinkah, Arthur, Silas, and Leo. Got someone you want to support with Ananias? Request it. Remember, all Nohr first generation characters, Soliel, Ophelia, Anna, Kanna, Rinkah, Subaki, and Setsuna are allowed to support with him as well and it is a first come, first serve system.