The occupants in Kal'tsit's office were all waiting with nervous anticipation, they were waiting for Ulpianus to arrive at said office. Earlier this morning, Gladiia had been informed that the aegir man had arrived at Rhodes Island. As soon as she heard this news, the aegir leader immediately informed Kal'tsit. The ancient feline then told all of those who needed to know that Ulpianus was now here at Rhodes Island. All of them had gathered at Kal'tsit's office to await his arrival.
Yua, Ch'en, and Talulah were sitting on a couch. Yua was sitting in the middle of her aunt and her mother, the white-haired lung was looking down and was the most apprehensive of the trio. Ch'en was leaning on one of her arms looking forward, but occasionally took glances at her future daughter. The blue-haired lung could see Yua was nervous about meeting Ulpianus. Talulah had her arms crossed and was leaning back, the draco was simply looking at the ceiling. To everyone else, the draco simply looked bored waiting for the arrival of the aegir man.
Opposite them were the abyssal hunters. Gladiia was looking at the door, she was expecting Ulpianus to arrive any second. Deep down, the aegir leader knew that their reunion after all this time wasn't going to be pleasant. Especially, since the cause of their reunion involved someone who meant so much to Ulpianus. Next to Gladiia was Andreana and Laurentina, otherwise known as Specter. The two were whispering to each other. The both of them also hadn't seen Ulpianus for some time and were wondering how he was going to act upon seeing Gladiia, they both had a feeling he wasn't going to be happy seeing her.
Talking to each other in a corner were Fiammetta and Mostima. The two were discussing whether the blue-haired sankta's plan would work. The liberi had her doubts but Mostima was adamant that it would work, the sankta kept telling Fiammetta that Ulpianus would be able to help the present Skadi take back control of her body. It took several attempts from Mostima to convince her friend that her plan would work until Fiammetta stopped asking her about it.
Sitting in a chair on her own was Irene. The liberi had recovered somewhat from her journey from Iberia to Laterano. While she still wasn't in peak physical condition, Irene was certain she could help in the fight to save her homeland. Yesterday had bolstered her belief that her home could be saved, but the liberi still couldn't forgive Kal'tsit for her monumental error in not telling the doctor about Ishar-Mla. Irene did promise Gladiia that she wouldn't inform the Iberian Inquisition of this, but Irene did tell Gladiia that if Kal'tsit hid anything more from her, then there would be consequences for the ancient feline. Especially if Iberia was destroyed.
Lastly, sitting behind her desk, was Kal'tsit. The ancient feline was looking around and observing everyone while she waited for Ulpianus. Kal'tsit was especially looking at Yua and Gladiia. The ancient feline could see the nervousness of both the white-haired lung and the aegir. It wasn't hard for Kal'tsit to tell what was causing them to look at troubled as they were. Kal'tsit wouldn't lie that she was nervous herself, the key to beating the future Skadi would arrive at any moment. If he refused to help, then the plan they had would fail; Terra would be doomed to oblivion.
The waiting carried on until a knock at the office door was heard, this drew the attention of everyone and they all looked towards the door. "Come in." Kal'tsit called out to the visitor and the door opened, a tall aegir man then stepped inside...
It was Ulpianus...
Ulpianus looked around and could see several individuals looking at him with various expressions on their faces. Some of those faces looked shocked, others looked at him with awe, others with fear. One expression however, drew his attention the most. Gladiia was looking at him like she had seen a ghost, a bead of sweat was rolling down her forehead. The aegir man could see his former comrade wasn't happy that he was now here, "Gladiia." Was all Ulpianus said to her.
The aegir leader simply replied, "Ulpianus." Everyone else in the room could feel the tension between the two and the temperature in the room drop with this simple interaction. The other two abyssal hunters could especially feel the negativity between their two superiors, both Specter and Andreana could feel like a fuse had been lit and a powder keg was ready to go off at any moment between Ulpianus and Gladiia.
The two continued staring at each other, neither took their eyes off each other. This carried on in silence for several minutes until Ulpianus spoke to Gladiia, "I trusted you to protect Skadi, Gladiia. I trusted you with the most important person in my life. I see her as my daughter, you of all people know this. And you failed, you failed to protect her. How could you let her fall under the influence of Ishar-Mla? Explain yourself." Ulpianus was clearly angry with his former comrade, but was managing to keep his emotions under control for now. However, what Gladiia would say next could clearly change that very quickly.
The aegir leader gulped before replying to her former comrade, "Ulpianus, I know I have failed. I know I should have been more vigilant, I should have watched over Skadi more carefully. But, it's not as simple as her falling under Ishar-Mla's control. It's more complicated than that. Skadi has been taken over by someone else, or rather, a different version of herself from another timeline. A Skadi that has been taken over by Ishar-Mla, and she has come here to this timeline." Gladiia explained her comrade's situation to her surrogate father.
"What are you talking about, Gladiia? A Skadi from a different timeline? What nonsense is this? You expect me to believe such a tale? If this is some sort of joke, then I'm not laughing." The aegir man wasn't impressed with what Gladiia had just told him, Ulpianus clearly didn't believe in time travel. "Gladiia is telling you the truth, Ulpianus. I know you find it hard to believe, many of us here have found it hard to believe before. But there is living, breathing proof here." Kal'tsit came to the aegir leaders defence when the ancient feline could see Ulpianus didn't believe a word she said.
The aegir man then turned to face Kal'tsit, "Ah, Doctor Kal'tsit. I know a lot about who you are. The tales of your exploits are known to me, I have heard much from across Terra. I have also heard much about the doctor of Rhodes Island. Why isn't he here right now? You know what, never mind. I can enquire more about him later. For now, I want to see this proof of yours that you supposedly have." Ulpianus still wasn't convinced about time travel and wanted to see proof of it.
"Very well. Yua, please introduce yourself." The ancient feline wanted the white-haired lung to introduce herself to Ulpianus. "Huh?" Yua was clearly confused about introducing herself to the aegir man. The white-haired lung wasn't just confused, but also scared of Ulpianus. Yua could now see Ulpianus now looking at her, she could feel his red eyes staring into her very soul. This intimidated the white-haired lung greatly.
Yua could tell that the aegir man in front of her was incredibly powerful, his aura alone drove home this fact, "I have to speak to this man?! Are you trying to get me killed, Doctor Kal'tsit?! Even Gladiia looks nervous around him!! If Ulpianus makes Gladiia nervous, then who knows what he can do?!" Yua didn't want to imagine what the aegir man could do to her if she angered him, it probably wouldn't take much effort for him to kill her if he chose to.
Yua began to shake under the gaze of Ulpianus, the white-haired lung completely lost her courage. Speaking to the aegir man was the last thing on Terra she wanted to do right now. Yua then felt a comforting hand across her back. Looking towards her side Yua could see her mother with a look that said she would be fine, and that she would protect her if Ulpianus tried anything, "It's okay, Yua. Everything will be fine, you have nothing to fear. I promise." Ch'en did her best to soothe her future daughters fear of the aegir man.
The white-haired lung then looked around and could see everyone with the same expression on their faces, even the abyssal hunters. They would protect her if anything happened. This brought back some of the white-haired lung's courage. Yua then looked at Ulpianus again who was waiting patiently for her to speak. "Hello, sir. My name is Yua. I know this is hard to believe, but I am from the future. If you will let me explain, I will tell you everything. You will understand everything about Skadi."
Ulpianus only nodded to let the white-haired lung know that he was willing to listen to her. Yua then began to explain her tale from the very beginning...
When the white-haired lung finished telling Ulpianus everything, something about the aegir man changed. His gaze towards Yua was different, Ulpianus was looking at her as if he pitied the white-haired lung. "I see, I understand everything now. I can't believe that the Skadi from your timeline destroyed your world. For that, you have my deepest sympathies, Yua. And that man that Skadi has told me that she loves, the doctor, he must be an incredible man if he got Skadi to fall for him. But she has no right to take him like she has. I promise you this, Yua. I will help you in rescuing your father, you have my word on that."
"Thank you, Ulpianus. You have no idea how much that means to me hearing you say that. But I have one question for you. Will you be able to fight Skadi? I know you see her as your daughter. Can you fight Skadi, no matter what timeline she comes from?" Yua wanted to know if the aegir man could fight his surrogate daughter, even if she was from another timeline.
Ulpianus put his hand to his head and sighed before giving the white-haired lung his answer, "As much as I will hate having to do it, I must. If it means saving my Skadi, then I will do it. That thing that has taken over her is not my daughter, she is only a monster wearing her face. The Skadi that has destroyed your world must pay for her crimes, even I can see it. But I have to save my Skadi, that is my main goal." Ulpianus knew that he had to fight the future Skadi and would do so. But everyone in the room could tell the aegir man wasn't relishing that fact.
"I know that it must be difficult having to fight your own kin, Ulpianus. Especially your kin that has been taken over by someone else. I have been in that position before, I know that it will be hard, but you must know that if you don't, many others will die. But we have a plan, a plan that will save her. That's why we need you, without you then Skadi will be a prisoner in her own body." Ch'en was the one who spoke to Ulpianus, the blue-haired lung was willing to tell the aegir man of their plan to free Skadi.
This caught the attention of Ulpianus, "Well, that is very intriguing to me, Ch'en. I never would have expected that you would have fought a loved one before that was possessed by someone else. You must tell me of that another time. Please, tell me this plan on how I can save my daughter. I am willing to do anything." The aegir man was desperate to know what the plan was that would save Skadi.
Mostima was the one who began to explain the plan, "We need you to help encourage Skadi to take back control of her body. If she hears your voice, then it might just give her enough strength and willpower to do so. If she does, then the other Skadi could become vulnerable. Or at least, the manifestation of her consciousness will be. If we destroy her consciousness here, then her body back in the future will be nothing but an empty husk. No one else will die at her hands. That is our plan, Ulpianus."
Ulpianus nodded at this, the aegir man seemed to agree with the plan, "I understand, I will do the best I can. But I should warn you, even if my Skadi manages to overpower the other Skadi, it won't be easy. Skadi is incredibly powerful, and like the rest of us abyssal hunters, she can regenerate damage to her body. I'm sure it's the same for the other Skadi. And, I'm positive she could still control the seaborn in some way, we will still have to fight them as well. I hope you all know, this will be a fight for your very lives." Ulpianus warned everybody of the threat they were all going to face. Even if they could get the future Skadi out of the body of the present one, the future aegir would still be a terrifying foe that they could not afford to take lightly.
"I'm certain everyone is aware of what they are up against, Ulpianus. And I thank you for giving us your aid. We will save your Skadi, I give you my word." Kal'tsit assured Ulpianus that everyone knew what they were up against. The ancient feline also gave the aegir man her word that they would save the present Skadi. "I will hold you to that, Doctor Kal'tsit. I'm entrusting the safety of Skadi to Rhodes Island. Do not make me regret it. Now, when are we heading to Iberia?" Ulpianus replied to Kal'tsit.
"A few last repairs are being done on the landship to get it mobile. Once they are completed, we will get going right away. Until then, I will show you to a room not too far from your comrades. You can rest there for the time being, I imagine your journey here has been difficult." Kal'tsit then led Ulpianus out of the office, no doubt taking the aegir man towards a room where he could rest until Rhodes Island began to head to Iberia to fight the seaborn.
Once both the ancient feline and Ulpianus left the office, everyone else in the room was able to relax. "By the gods, talking to Ulpianus was so scary. Did anyone else feel scared being around him? Gladiia, what is Ulpianus capable of? Surely you have seen him fight." Yua asked the aegir leader about Ulpianus's capabilities, the white-haired lung wanted to know what he was capable of.
"He is a force of nature, Yua. I could go into detail about what he can do, but that would take all day to explain. However, know this, there are few people in this world who I would want fighting by my side more than him. Ulpianus is an incredible warrior, you will be glad he is fighting with us." Gladiia gave her explanation to the white-haired lung. This caused Yua to feel emboldened, hearing the aegir leader say what she did about her former comrade made the white-haired lung feel that they could truly defeat the Skadi that had destroyed her timeline.
Rhodes Island could save her father, and Yua could deliver the justice to the future Skadi. She would pay for all the death and destruction that she caused to so many people...
Later on in the day, a certain white-haired lung was on the top of the landship. Yua was looking at the sun setting over the horizon. The destruction from Skadi's attack was still present, a vicious reminder of the battle that had taken place aboard Rhodes Island not too long ago. After the meeting with Ulpianus, everyone had left to carry on their preparations for the battle ahead. They were all equally confident as well as nervous, while having Ulpianus fighting alongside them was a huge morale boost, there was still a feeling in the back of everyone's mind that they could fail.
Yua and everyone else knew that they couldn't fail, not now, not when they were so close. The white-haired lung had come up to the top of the landship to ease her nerves, Yua didn't know if this was going to be the last sunset she would ever see. "I've never noticed before how beautiful the sunset is before. I never really got the chance to admire it. I want to make sure everyone across Terra gets to see another sunset. Father, mother, Amiya, and everyone else. I will make sure you all get to carry on seeing the sunset, every day, that is my promise to you all." Yua spoke to herself while looking at the setting sun.
"I'm sure you will, Yua. Of that, I have no doubt." A very familiar voice spoke out from behind Yua which startled the white-haired lung. Looking at who had joined her, Yua could see Ch'en and Amiya had also come to the top of the landship. Both the blue-haired lung and the cautus had smiles on their faces upon seeing Yua. Knowing that her speech had been heard the white-haired lung began to feel sheepish looking at her mother and sister, Yua was clearly embarrassed the pair had heard her talking to herself.
Yua scratched the back of her head and looked away for a few seconds before she was able to talk to her mother and sister, "So, how are you, Amiya? Are you ribs okay?" Yua asked Amiya nervously. "I'm fine, Yua. Gavial said they have healed now. Me and Ch'en came to find you to let you know I'm joining you in helping rescue the doctor." The cautus told the white-haired lung why she was up here.
"Kal'tsit didn't agree at first, but I changed her mind. Me and her had a shouting match for over an hour. That was not fun, I'll tell you that. But I reminded her that the doctor is Amiya's father as well, she has every right to want to save him. That caused her to give in. Also, Swire, Hoshiguma, and Shirayuki will be joining us as well. Kal'tsit isn't as concerned about them joining us, convincing her of them coming along with us was the easy part." Ch'en explained what had happened earlier when she met with the ancient feline to convince her to let Amiya come with them to fight the future Skadi.
Yua could only chuckle at this, the white-haired lung could easily imagine her mother and Kal'tsit shouting at each other while discussing Amiya's involvement. And while Ch'en did say it had been difficult, Yua could also imagine her mother took some pleasure in shouting at Kal'tsit, especially with what had happened between the pair leading up to now.
"I'm glad Amiya is coming with us, mother. As well as Aunt Swire, Aunt Hoshiguma, and Shirayuki. I couldn't ask for a better family, I promise that I will do whatever it takes to makes sure we all live through this. We will all see another sunset along with father, and hopefully, many more to come." The white-haired lung was invigorated that her loved ones were all willing to come with her. Yua promised that all her loved ones would make it through this, the white-haired lung was willing to die to see that happen.
Yua's new found Invigoration infected both Ch'en and Amiya. They believed every word the white-haired lung was saying, everyone would make it through this alive. The trio then looked towards the setting sun, all of them imagining a world that was free from the future aegir's influence.
All they had to do now, was wait for the call to battle. A battle that would decide the fate of Terra...