"Twenty cracked ribs, over a dozen fractures across your arms and legs, massive open cuts on your chest and back, a crack in the temporal of your skull, three ruptured organs, and your right hand to halfway up your forearm has been cut off." Claire would list off, sighing as she massaged her forehead.

"I know right? Talk about a lucky break." Artorian chuckled, grinning as he looked over to the blonde.

After the defeat of the Dragonfly Savage, nearly the entirety of the forces stationed at the basecamp were sent as rescue teams. Anyone who was an active Slayer were sent out to gather the teams that were injured. A headcount of casualties and injured was taken, with a solid forty Slayers being killed, brutal cuts that were ripped in by a jagged blade having been the source.

The rest were either critically injured or exhausted, leading to a temporary withdrawal from the operation. Most teams were to remain in Qin to recover before going back in to finish off the remaining Savage. However, a few teams were to leave, the members having suffered wounds that required more advanced equipment to treat.

Among this was the Slayers of Little Garden, all suffering a variety of small fractures from their encounter with the Scorned. However among them the worst by far was Artorian, the listed injuries all having him completely bedridden. He was strapped down to the bed he was on, as he was barely able to keep himself balanced when the airship would turn.

"The fact that you're even breathing without a machine is the most confusing part of it all." While most of her wounds were healed by Alonne's lifegem, she still had a few scrapes and cuts from the scuffle. She had a few bandages wrapped around her, a small patch on her cheek being the only one visible with her red uniform on.

"It takes more than that to shut me up, you know that." The hybrid joked. Contrast to Claire, Artorian was in the worst condition possible. With his body so heavily damaged, emergency surgery was required the moment he was brought into the basecamp. To the field medics' credit, he was in a stable enough condition now, although they could only prevent him from dying. He was almost covered head to toe in bandage wrapping, the only visible parts of his body being the right half of his face. He had an I.V. connected to him along with a blood bag, keeping him stable for the trip back to the battleship.

"That, I can agree with." Claire closed her eyes, cracking a small smile before looking to the Lord in concern. "How bad do you feel?"

"Eh, it hurts here and there… and there… and there… yeah it sucks." He admitted, although chuckling as he looked down to the side of his bed. "But the company certainly makes it easier."

At his side were both Liddy and Emilia, the latter resting her head on the bed and the former sitting in a small chair at the base. Both were covered with bandages, the white-haired girl having a few covering her face and hands and a few underneath her uniform, those being nothing concerning and with Artorian's condition allowing the medics to give Claire permission to apply them.

Liddy on the other hand had much more bandages visible. Her face was wrapped to a fair extent, a portion of her left face and her entire forehead wrapped. Along with that, her sleeve was rolled up so that the bandaging keeping her arm clean was allowed to breath. To finish she had a few bruised ribs and a hairline fracture in her other arm, leaving her the second worst of the batch.

"Although I would like them to be in their own beds. Probably not the most comfortable way to sleep."

"You are not allowed to say that after breaking your hand and feet to latch onto a Savage." The blonde called him out, pointing to the fact there wasn't much of a comparison to his injuries.

"Yeah, yeah, you're welcome." He grumbled before looking back up to Claire. "How's everyone else?"

"Erica only suffered a few bruises, she's in the best condition but she lost most of her energy. Her and Liu are resting in the cabin; Xuemei had a surprising amount of work on her plate while we were out."

"Good, they earned some sleep. What about Reitia and thunder-head?"

"Most of Matthew's injuries were intended to keep him stunned, he's moving decently and is watching over Reitia while she rests."

"Let me know how she's feeling when she wakes up, she looked pretty beat up when I got there." The Lord requested, getting a nod from Claire before the important question came up. "And our three guests?"

"The Hunters were removed of their variable suits and the two that were unconscious were stripped of their variable stones. They are currently being held with energy-blocking handcuffs and will be transferred into Dr. Dimandias' care." She answered. "The one who was conscious was allowed to keep her variable stone, only because it was in her eye and removal wouldn't be achievable. And besides… she earned at least to keep it in as long as the eyepatch was locked off after her assistance."

"Probably for the best, not the best memories with that eye. Now then, what about you?"

"What about me?"

"You had a swordspear through your gut, what do you think?"

"I'm fine."

"Claire…"

"…There's jolts of pain on occasion. And I'd be lying if I said it feels fully healed." She admitted, looking to the side. "The stone that healed me was… it did its job, but a bulk of the injury was still there. And I'm sure a scar will be left."

"I suppose it could have been worse." Artorian would say, looking up to the aircraft's ceiling as he did. "Imagine how bad it would have been if Alonne hadn't showed up."

"It would have been a massacre."

"And he would have grabbed the Hunters and Emilia… even after he… bastard…" The hybrid struggled to find his words, tightening his fist to the point he broke skin. His eye would shut tight, his teeth clenched as he appeared to be in pain. Claire was about to step closer to check on him, but paused when he spoke up again.

"Claire… I have to say something. Throwing all shit aside to say this genuinely." He spoke with a hoarse tone, his hand shaking as he then clenched onto the bed sheet underneath him. "I'm… I'm so relieved you all made it. I was… I thought… it was going to happen again."

Claire would then be surprised as tears began to escape the hybrid, his emotions getting the best of him as he let out what he was feeling. From their last mission together, she was aware that Artorian held a surprising amount of worth in the lives of people around him. Far more than she ever expected from someone with as a checkered history as his family did. And with the loss he had suffered during the Second Attack, she could tell that recent events likely brought up many painful memories.

But what was more under the surface that she couldn't tell, was the Lord was struggling with the agonizing reality dropped on him. Hayato was alive, working for the Nameless King and fighting against him. Everything he remembered of his friend, someone who he would have died a thousand times for back then, was now trying to kill him and everyone he knew. He had failed to protect him in the past, and now he's seen that because of that failure Hayato became a shell of his former self.

Unthinking, cold. He's become more of a beast than a person. All because he wasn't strong enough.

Because he couldn't keep his promise.

The hybrid would let himself cry for only a few seconds, the stains of his tears being the only signs of it by the time he stopped and released his grip. Opening his eye slowly, he would only stare up, unable to look to anyone.

"You should get some sleep." He'd say. "You're probably exhausted and have work to do when we get back. I've kept you up long enough."

"Well… you are right in regards that I have a lot of work ahead of me." Claire responded, stepping away for a second. Artorian was about to close his eye to relax until he heard a chair being moved, looking to his side to see Claire sit down next to the head of the bed. "But I also have work to do right now, making sure you get back to Little Garden so that you can be properly treated."

"Claire, you don't have to do that. Emilia and Liddy are here, if anything happens they can-"

"I am the only other person awake. And I know you wouldn't wake them up if you were bothered." The blonde called the Lord out, getting him to look away as he knew she was right. "And besides, I want to… make sure you're okay. Your condition had me scared, I was almost certain you would've died from blood loss."

"…Thank you." Artorian muttered, sighing as he attempted to stay comfortable. "Oh, and Claire?"

"Yes?"

"I may have… miscalculated when I said I'd give you a single tear." He admitted, looking to the side in mild embarrassment. "Guess you got me a bit more than either of us thought."

The comment would get the blonde to blush in response, looking away herself as to avoid being seen as such. But despite it, the two both smiled to themselves, letting a comfortable silence settle between them.

"Do you see them?" Karen would ask, her and Sakura waiting near Little Garden's landing strip.

"Not yet, but I think they're close." Sakura would answer, looking through a pair of binoculars.

While the idol was visiting, an apparent rumor had started going around that the team that had gone on the mission in Qin was reported to be returning. It had confused the two initially, wondering why Artorian hadn't at the least called to tell Karen about the withdrawal. But regardless of the circumstances, they had decided to wait for the team, Sakura keeping an eye on the return path that their transportation would take.

Although it wasn't said, there was an uneasiness between the two girls as they waited. The mission was only said to be no more than two days, but they were returning on the first day, and were being sent in early in the morning. Even with as large of a force that was sent to deal with the Savage nest, the time it would take to eliminate all of them didn't match up at all.

'Please let everyone be okay.' She'd think in concern, continuing to watch the skyline.

It wouldn't be for another ten minutes before the idol saw movement, her eyes widening as she saw a Warslran aircraft approach. "There they are!"

"They're here?"

"They should be here any minute." Sakura informed, helping move Karen's wheelchair down the ramp way as the ship was quickly approaching. Before they could reach the door to be at the waiting location on the landing strip, they were stopped as a group of medical personnel.

"So many doctors…" Karen muttered in concern, Sakura's eyes following the set of professionals, her eyes catching Miharu and Kaede.

"Miharu! Kaede!" The idol would call out, the two stopping for a second at hearing her voice.

"You talk to her, I'll be needed immediately." Kaede said to the nurse, both sharing somber expressions before the doctor ran to follow the rest of the staff.

"Miharu, what's going on? Why is there so many of the hospital's staff here?" Karen asked, getting wheeled over to the nurse. "Did someone get hurt? Are they all alright? Did… did someone…""

"It's okay, according to the reports there weren't any casualties suffered by Little Garden. Artorian and everyone else are alive." Miharu informed, getting a breath of relief from the two.

"But then why is there so many staff? I never thought I'd see so many." Sakura questioned.

"A portion of the team have suffered injuries, the reason their being sent back is because none are able to operate at full capacity or couldn't offer enough offensive capabilities." The nurse answered, her ears perking up as she heard the aircraft land. "I'm sorry you two, I have to get to work. I can't order you to leave but I have to ask you please stay out of the staff's way. Someone's in critical condition and requires immediate care."

As the nurse went off, a bad feeling was shared between Karen and Sakura, knowing that for everyone to be put in such condition spelled nothing but trouble. But seeing as they weren't barred from seeing them, the idol would wheel Karen out, both heading for the parked aircraft. They got as close as they could, being sure to not get in any of the doctors' way as they had all their equipment being set up, including a fresh blood bag and a wheeled stretcher.

When the hatch eventually opened and the ramp extended out, the two girls watched in concern, waiting to see who would be the first one to step out. To their disappointment and concern, the first one to walk out was the Hunters, Nakri and Krovanh glaring heatedly at the staff.

"Get moving!" But before anything could be guessed, Matthew had pushed the boy's shoulder, him and Erica escorting the Hunters down.

"Everyone on board requires medical treatment, you're clear to enter." Erica informed the medical personnel, getting nods of understanding before the critical staff entered first.

"Ah, are my guests here?" Charlotte would ask, approaching the Hunters with Mei Mei by her side.

"Yes, is their containment room prepared?" Matthew responded, getting a nod of confirmation from the doctor. "We'll escort them to there, could you show us where?"

"Of course." Charlotte said, stopping as she saw Mei Mei giving her a pleading look. "Of course you can stay and check on them. But I'll need you to help with our visitors once you're done."

"Thank you Charlotte!" The cyber-cat maid cheered, hugging the doctor as she laughed.

"I can't say no to you. Now if you'll follow me." The doctor would direct, motioning for the Slayers and Hunters to follow, the latter younger two getting pushed to start walking while Nesat went without trouble.

With the doctor and Hunters gone, the three would look to the airship as they saw the medical teams walking out along several of the Slayers. The first to be removed would be Reitia and Emilia, the two accompanied as doctors were sure to have them walk out carefully.

"Emile! Reitia!" Karen would call out as the two were sat down at the makeshift medical station, the Slayers looking up to see the three approach them.

"Karen? What are you all doing here?" Emilia asked, wincing as she felt a numb pain from her injuries.

"We heard you were all coming back early and have been waiting."

"What happened, you two look like you were beaten badly." Sakura asked in concern, seeing the amount of injuries on the two.

"We ran into some… complications." Reitia answered, groaning as one of the medics looked over her injuries. "We got beat pretty bad, enough we had to come back so we didn't interfere with the operation."

"Were the Hunters that strong?" Mei Mei asked, her expression deeply hurt as she saw the two in so much pain.

"They certainly weren't push overs, but they were handled easier." Emilia answered.

"They took down most of my team, but apparently Artorian and the others showed up and managed to beat them." Reitia added in, recalling what Matthew and Erica had told her when she woke up. "But after they won, some one else showed up. A guy who Matthew called the Forgotten Sun." An audible gasp was heard from Karen, the group looking to Karen as she held her hands over her mouth, her eyes widening in fear.

"Artorian… what happened to Artorian!?" She begged to know, getting down casted looks from the Slayers. "D-Don't tell me… he didn't…"

"N-No, no he's alive!" Emilia quickly, realizing the impact the initial silence had. "He's just… he… he… he's hurt really bad." The Slayer answered, her eyes avoiding the girl's as she was washed by a wave of shame. "I wasn't strong enough to protect him and he… they really did a number on him. Not only that, but a powerful Savage emerged shortly after the enemies retreated."

"They were apparently crazy powerful, way past what any of us could handle." Reitia explained, working off what she was told. "Even Claire and Matthew weren't able to beat them. The only one that was taken down was their weakest, and that was after he fought Matthew, Emile, and Artorian back to back. They were… they were real monsters."

"Where is he right now?" Sakura questioned, getting answered immediately.

"Currently the doctors are working to properly stabilize him before moving him." Claire answered, approaching the group along with Liddy at her side, the greenette having her arm in a sling after it was rechecked and properly treated. "He suffered the most injuries, and his condition warrants extreme care before they can operate."

"Operate, he needs to be put in surgery?" Karen stared in fear. "Please, I need to see him! If he was unconscious then he-!"

"You needn't worry, he's been awake for the entire flight." Claire promised, relieving a single worry of the girl's. "Unfortunately, surgery is an absolute necessary for him. A large portion of his injuries are internal, the equipment here though will greatly aid his recovery."

"H-How bad was he hurt?" Sakura was afraid to ask, but couldn't even wait, the fear growing between her and Karen.

"…" Both Claire and Liddy looked to their sides in momentary concern, but the blonde looked bad up to give her an answer. "It was bad, but he's proven to be resilient. I'm certain he'll recover from most of his injuries, the damage shouldn't be permanent if treated correctly."

"You said most." Mei Mei called out, getting everyone present to look to her as she did. "You said he would heal from most of his injuries. Which one won't he heal from?"

"…Artorian's right arm was dismembered from the middle of his forearm to his hand." Liddy spoke, getting terrified stares from the three. "The rest of his wounds are treatable, however as humanity lacks the treatment or technology to regrow complex limbs such as his hand, he'll require a prosthetic replacement, if he desires to continue being a Slayer."

"N-No… how could he… he was hurt that bad…"

"Our opponents were in leagues of their own, encountering them was bad luck on our part." Claire stated. "Some fights simply can't be won; I would count him lucky for managing to survive after the damage he had taken. He fought as hard as he could… I have no doubt so that he could come back to you." The blonde finished, looking to Karen as she did.

She had a new understanding behind Artorian's drive, his whole purpose to be as strong as he could was all for her sake. She knew that at the end of the day, his sole reason to fight was to protect Karen; the same as it was for her to protect her little sister. She had little doubt that in the back of Artorian's mind, his thoughts always went back to surviving to return to his childhood friend. It certainly explained the inhuman level of determination he possessed in his fights.

"How are his vitals looking?" Hearing voices speak up, the group would turn to see Kaede, Miharu and several medics all exiting down the airship's ramp, Artorian being rolled out on a stretcher as they all worked efficiently.

"His pulse is stable; however he's showing resistance to the painkillers and antiseptics. We may require more powerful dosages if he is to be prepped for surgery."

"I'll send the request in. Dr. Howari, get a new bag of I.V. attached, his is running low."

"Already on it Dr. Zarca."

"How are you feeling Artorian?"

"Could be worse, but maybe an update on the painkillers would be appreciated."

"We'll see what we can do, just please hold on until we can get you to the operating room."

"Artorian!" Hearing the hybrid's voice, Karen desperately called out his name, surprising the group as she forced herself to stand up and run after the medical crew.

"Karen, wait!" Sakura called out; her, Liddy, Mei Mei and even Claire moving after her. Emilia and Reitia would attempt to go after her as well, but were stopped by their doctors as they forced them to remain seated.

"Karen?" Artorian muttered as he looked to his side, seeing the girl run towards him. "Kaede, please stop for a second."

"I can't do that Artorian, your condition requires immediate attention. She can see you after you've had your surgery." The doctor responded.

"Kaede, I know you're just doing your job, and I am very grateful for it. But if you don't let me see her, I WILL flip the stretcher over." Artorian warned, getting a look of disbelief from the woman. She then looked over to Miharu, the nurse sighing in disappointment.

"It's better to avoid the risk altogether, he is reckless enough to end up in this condition in the first place."

"Oi!"

"…One minute." Kaede stated, being firm with the hybrid as she did. "You get one minute, afterwards you go to the hospital, no objections."

"That's all I need." Artorian smiled, the medical staff stopping and allowing for Karen to reach them.

"A-Artorian…" She muttered out as she looked down to her childhood friend. She was terrified of his injuries, scared to see what was likely underneath all of the bandaging wrapped around his body. She cautiously reached for his hand, pausing as she feared hurting him. But when he flipped his hand over, he would gently take her hand in his before smiling up to her.

"Hey, don't look so down Karen." He would say, wishing her could raise his other hand up to wipe her eyes as he saw tears begin to form in her eyes. "I'm here, everything's okay. So don't waste your tears."

"I… I was so scared…" The girl cried, closing her eyes as she gently returned his grip. Tears would escape her despite his wish, unable to keep herself calm with the condition he was in.

"I know, I'm sorry for worrying you so much." He responded, letting go of her hand to raise his arm up and wiping the tears on her right check off. "It looks bad, but you know me better than anyone Karen, there's no way in hell I'm going to be kept down by this. I'll be up and at 'em again before you know it."

"I know but… but when I heard He was there… Artorian He would've killed you." Karen cried, placing her hand over his, finding the cold sensation of his body terrifying now instead of the usual comfort it brought.

"Of course He would, but He didn't. And I won't let Him take me away from you." The hybrid would promise. "This is the worst they'll ever do to me. Next time, I'll be twice as strong, and I'll kick anyone's ass I come across. I won't let you cry for my sake ever again."

"I can't help it, every time you get hurt it's for my sake and I… I hate that you have to go through so much pain." She stated, lowering her head as she continued to cry. "It isn't fair to you and I… I just wish you didn't have to always be fighting! You've protected me since we were kids, and ever since Hayato… since he… you've been fighting by yourself and your injuries just keep getting worse. And it's all my fault."

"Don't. You. Dare. Ever say it's your fault." The hybrid stated, lowering her head more until he pressed her forehead against his, surprising her as he kept her close. "Karen I… what had happened… Hayato had… I…" The Slayer was struggling to speak, his shame growing as he closed his eye tight in disgrace. He knew he should tell her, he HAD to tell her. But no matter how much he tried, he couldn't get the words out. He was afraid of what she'd think, he was afraid to let her know the fate that had befallen her brother, and at the center of it all he felt himself as solely responsible.

"It's not your fault, it has never been your fault." He'd eventually say, opening his eye as he comforted her. "We wanted to protect you, and I will continue to protect you because I made a promise. I'm your Wolf Knight, and I will protect your smile no matter what." He vowed, smiling up to her as he let go of her. "So please, let me see it. It's gonna be rough the next few hours, ya know?"

"Artorian I… I'm sorry." Karen whined, wiping her eyes clean as she forced herself to smile, looking to him in concern but focusing on her relief of him being alive. "Please, get well soon."

"I will." He nodded in return, laying his head back down as he closed his eye. "Okay Kaede, I'm good."

"Alright." The doctor nodded, giving Karen a stare of empathy before the doctors all wheeled Artorian off, heading for the ambulance to bring him to the hospital. Everyone around had remained standing in silence, understanding the girl's need to see him alone above everyone else. He was her guardian, her beacon in a dangerous world. Seeing him in such a condition, it made sense she was unable to contain herself any longer as she began to cry once he left again.

As she cried, she would feel a hand be placed on her shoulder, looking back to see Sakura and Mei Mei look to her in concern. She then desperately hugged the two, crying into Sakura's shoulder as she allowed herself to let it all out. The two returned the embrace, holding her gently as they comforted her.

"So… it was him." Ornstein would say, rubbing his forehead as he responded to Charlotte's call. "What's the conditions of everyone?"

"Most of the team were wounded, but most walked out with no worse than deep cuts and broken bones. Honestly I think their spirits took the most damage from the exchange." Charlotte admitted, turning in her chair as she spoke to the Lord over the phone. "Artorian took the worst of the beating though, according to the doctors it's a miracle he survived past ten minutes."

"Damn it." The Lord growled from the other end of the call; the sound of lightning cracking heard as his magic lost focus for a second. "How bad?"

"Dozens of fractures and broken bones, ruptured organs, and his right hand was cut off. Aside from the damage He did to you, I haven't seen a Slayer have such intense injuries before. If he wasn't part Lord, he would've been long dead." The doctor answered. "It's been a few hours since the team returned, he's stable now and has undergone the necessary surgery, and Karen's waiting for when he wakes up to dispel the Abyss."

"I don't get it; He disappears for ten years only to show back up in the middle of a routine Savage Nest operation? Why?"

"According to Matthew, things weren't as routine as expected. Aside from the surprise visit of the Forgotten Sun, he had his own number of knights. Two Lords and a supposed Undead Hollow, however he details the Hollow appeared ideally alive. As if he hadn't been branded by the Darksign."

"You don't think…"

"Matthew detailed that Artorian instantly lost the will to fight the moment he saw the Hollow's face. Ornstein, he broke the Abyss' control because he couldn't believe what he saw. I have no doubt that he was facing Hayato."

"Fuck. Pardon the language." The Lord swore, taking a few seconds to recollect himself before continuing to speak again. "So that means Artorias' theory on Matsuda Kisaragi was correct?"

"We can't say for certain, perhaps Hayato is an outlier that has perfect recollection of himself because he has a goal keeping his memories together." Charlotte theorized, although sounding uncertain as she looked to the past notes Artorias left. "But I would keep it on the table."

"To think He could manage to get his hands on a Pygmy, Charlotte you know the damage he could do with one." Ornstein reminded the doctor.

"I know, it was never a matter of what the Nameless King would do to destroy the Lords, only a matter of How and When." She spoke, tapping the side of her head as she reclined back into her chair. "Luckily Lady Gwyndolin was present, so he should be able to inform Gwyn about the potential risk."

"It's going to look bad on humanity. Not only that there may be a Pygmy outside of the Ringed City, but lost and in the position of the Forgotten Sun. He's going to become more paranoid, and I have no doubt this may tighten the limit on resources he's willing to give for human expeditions."

"We'll find a way around it, but there's something else that needs to be mentioned." Charlotte continued on, pulling up several recordings of the Dragoon Savage's awakening. "The Nameless King didn't pick Qin by sheer luck; he knew that a Dragoon was underneath the lake. He intended on sacrificing the Variants to hopefully mutate it."

"A Dragoon… that's why Artorias left his wolf there decades ago." Ornstein put together, groaning as he did. "Any word on Sif?"

"Artorian and Claire encountered him prior to their engagement with the Hunters, and apparently one of the Scorned were delayed because of fighting Sif. No body of a Great Wolf was found, so it's likely Sif survived the encounter and retreated, likely leaving Qin if the Dragoon was defeated."

"Stubborn wolf, a little too much like its master if you ask me."

"I have no doubt we'll see the furball again, I think we both know where he'll likely go to."

"Hopefully no one shoots him until he gets there, that'll be a mess."

"No worse than the one we already have."

"I hear that. I'll keep an ear out for anything involving Sif or Lord movement, but I'm spread a little thin at the moment." Ornstein admitted. "This Anti-Slayer organization stunt is starting to go dark. I believe whoever has been gathering the splinter cells is done and is now cleaning house. Likely hearing of Sir Alonne is getting him to act quicker."

"How long until they make a move?"

"If we're lucky? A couple months. This ring leader's smart, I almost missed this merge plan when it first started. It didn't seem like much at first, until a report a year later shows that eighty of the organizations had formed into a single group. Not only that, but before I lost contact with one of my informants they detailed a vile feeling coming from some of the compounds. Something he hadn't felt since the First Generation Slayers' creation."

"Someone's making Vessels."

"Which means it's definitely an Abysswalker."

"So much is piling up all at once." Charlotte sighed as she put the notes in her hand down and closed her eyes. "It was bad enough when the Anti-Slayer groups were merging and Vitaly was making moves, but now the Forgotten Sun and two Abysswalkers are running around causing trouble. Think we'll be seeing a war soon?"

"I doubt it. Alonne isn't stupid, he's keeping his powers at their max and likely won't make more than a handful of Vessels if he even does. He also is only focusing on the Lords; I doubt we'll have trouble from him. And Vitaly doesn't have the means of waging a war against Slayers, maybe skirmishes but we shouldn't face too many challenges against her. I'm more concerned about this third Abysswalker, even more than the Forgotten Sun."

"The First Flame is now at risk and you're more afraid of him?"

"We both know the threat they pose. And if they are taking in Anti-Slayer factions, he has members who are willing to become monsters to destroy what they view as the greater evil. And as much as we hate to admit it, both Slayer generations certainly have enough faults to give the faction droves of forces."

"But not everyone is compatible with it. Most of his forces will barely be above the average human soldier."

"If you have a few thousand soldiers, even one in two dozen can be a game changer. And we've seen what a Vessel can become, Meiko was beyond a force of nature at her peak after all."

"Of course…" Charlotte's mood instantly went down, loathed memories resurfacing at the vague mention of a previous Vessel.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned her. I realize her name's still a painful afterthought, especially with Artorias gone now." The Lord apologized, noticing the doctor's growing silence.

"It's fine, I'm over it. Both cases." She stated, more saying it to herself than to Ornstein. A notification then came up on her lab's computer, getting her attention. "I'm sorry Ornstein, I have to get back to work. I'll try and call you later."

"Of course, I'll keep you updated if I hear anything else. Just… get some sleep, okay? You aren't like them, even those chips can only do so much."

"I know, thank you for the concern. Bye." Charlotte would bid before hanging up, looking to her screen as she saw the notification was from Judal. She didn't truly want to look at it, the stress of the past few hours already building up on her.

"Char?" Liza's voice would speak up in concern, getting the doctor to sigh before smiling to the center system in her lab.

"It's okay Liza, I'm just a little concerned is all. It's been a busy day so far."

"Visit Artorian?"

"Maybe tomorrow, I still have a lot of work to do."

"He'd be happy"

"I think he's had enough of the past for one day." Charlotte responded, looking down to Artorias' notes as she flipped through the pages. "I'm sure he won't lose any more sleep than he already does without me around."

"…If you say so." With that said, the girl would log off, the disappointment in her voice hear by the scientist as she refused to look up from the notes, ignoring Judal's message as she looked down in disappointment.

"You know, you gave everyone a real scare back there." Miharu would say, wrapping up Artorian's newest set of bandages. After his surgery, the hybrid was put under sedation in order to let his wounds heal, Karen having explicit permission by Judal himself to remain in the room until he regained consciousness. Once he did and the girl used her Miracle to ward off the Abyss, the nurse returned in the room and shooed her off, having to replace his bandaging and required the room be empty.

"I'd bet, I was messed up bad." Artorian responded, looking to the ceiling as Miharu wrapped up his dismembered limb. Due to the damage to his skull, Artorian's hair was cut shorter, although the trimmed sides were hidden under a layer of bandaging. The rest of his body was wrapped similarly as before, albeit his face was now visible, although framed by his bandages and the entirety of his forehead being wrapped up.

"That's an option, near mutilated is a more fitting one." The nurse stated, looking down to him as she finished his wrappings. "I know it isn't in my place to ask, since I'm just a nurse and you're the Slayer but what happened?"

"We got ambushed, guys were better than expected." He answered quickly. "The Hunters messed me up a bit, but the second group were the ones that did the real number. Followed by a Dragoon Savage, it isn't unexpected I was damaged as much as I was."

"You know that doesn't answer the question I asked."

"And you know I don't want to talk about it."

"…I know." Miharu would sigh, placing the spare bandages to the side as she sat in the chair next to Artorian's hospital bed. "I was just seeing if I could get an answer. I know you're too stubborn to admit the full reason you got hurt."

"We both know you would do the same thing if you got hurt."

"If I got hurt, it would likely be a broken arm or leg. Your skull nearly fractured, your entire ribcage was on the verge of being turned to shards, and you had almost lost a lung, kidney and your liver." She countered, getting him to look away in return. "Artorian, you trust me to look after Karen. And I hold that trust very personally, but I also have the responsibility to look after you."

"I didn't ask you to, and just because the girls are concerned doesn't mean you have to add onto your burden any more than you have. I've looked out for myself for ten years, just because my injuries are worse doesn't change that I can handle this."

"…Did I ever tell you about my father?" Miharu would ask after a moment of silence, confusing Artorian into looking to the nurse. "He was more of an old school guy, he believed that if you can do something yourself, you do it. Tools and the likes were just extra steps for something you can do with your two hands. He even made our house by himself, just before he proposed to my mother." The thought would bring a smile to her face, getting her to laugh lightly.

"He was also, in his own words, "One tough sunnuva-bitch"." She'd continue, being sure to use the roughest voice she could to quote her father. "He served in the army up until a year before I was born, so he certainly had the look to match his description, managed to get to colonel before he was honorably discharged. And then for a few years, he raised me alongside my mother without hesitation. Despite that rough and authoritative appearance, he never yelled at me, even when I broke one of his pairs of glasses. He just picked me up, put me away from the glass and told me "you made the mistake, now learn from it and never make it again". And you know what? I didn't."

"I grew up with him for about four years before things began to change. A man in this strange armor was at the door and asked for my dad. I didn't know what he was looking for, but it certainly involved my father because for the next three years I never saw him. Apparently a private military company was running some kind of special super soldier program. And although he wasn't drafted or anything, whatever they talked about got him to enlist into the program immediately."

"Eventually one day, he came back. I had waited in his old office until the day he came back when I was home, so I beat my mom and got the first hug from him." Miharu laughed, smiling fondly at the memory. "I was so excited and crying so much, I didn't even realize he had lost one of his arms until I calmed down. Along with that, these strange blue markings had formed across parts of his body, going from the right base of his neck across his arm and partially on his chest. Me and my mother had no idea what they were, and he wouldn't say anything about what had happened, not directly anyways."

"Thinking back, I know for certain what he was doing, especially after what happened when I turned ten." The nurse's eyes would then turn somber, looking to the hybrid sympathetically as she did. "You recall it don't you? I know you were three, but it isn't an easy day to forget."

"The First Attack." Artorian muttered, referring to the first large scale invasion on humanity the Savage had committed. And how the world was forever changed by it. It clicked quickly that the PMC that Miharu's father enlisted in was Warslran, and he quickly caught on to what the "secret project" he was put in.

"Humanity suffered over two billion deaths; the armies weren't able to do more than scratch the armor the Savage had. But then, humanity's beacon of hope became public: The Slayers. I knew then after hearing about them that my dad was likely one before, and must have been engaging in the training of the special forces. I'm certain he would have been proud to see the Second Generation and the results they had produced."

"About a year after my dad returned, he became very ill. He was coughing constantly, and his skin was turning gray. The markings on his body also became worse, spreading up his neck and down his torso. Every year he got worse, but no matter what he always assured me he was fine, that it would take more than "a damn cold" to kill him. But the whole time, I knew he was putting a brave face on. He was dying, he knew it, but he refused to do anything about it."

The nurse then closed her eyes and took a calming breath, recollecting herself before she continued on. "Artorian… I watched my father die a slow and painful death for five years. First it was coughing, then he lost the ability to walk, soon he was convulsing at random times as his markings spread more. Eventually he was coughing out blood and his organs slowly began to fail one by one. He was in and out of the hospital constantly, he was on the verge of death at each visit. But the whole time, he told me he was okay."

"Eventually one day, he just didn't wake up." She stated, looking down as she did. "My father died in his sleep, according to the doctors, he had suffered total organ failure. Every part of him; his lungs, his heart, his brain, everything just shut down at once. All the pain he suffered, he died quietly and peacefully in his sleep, just like that." She demonstrated the impact by snapping her fingers, opening her eyes to look at the Slayer beside her.

"They called it Homicida Reliqua; or Slayer's Rest. According to the reports, everyone who contracted the disease were First Generation Slayers, they all died at different times, but the symptoms were the same. Knowing it happened to others, having seen it with my own two eyes… I wanted to be able to do something about it. It was my biggest push to go into the medical field, to help people when they were suffering."

"I had failed to help someone suffering in front of me before Artorian, and I refuse to ever make the same mistake twice." She stated, getting the hybrid to look away again to hide his face. "I know you don't want to be anyone else's problem, but you can't handle everything by yourself. People care about you, they want to help you, no matter how much you say you don't want help they will be there the moment you need it."

"…Gods you know how to gut punch someone with guilt." The hybrid would sigh, looking back to her. "I can't tell you everything, or much of anything for that matter. But I promise you, the moment I'm ready to, I'll tell you and everyone everything that needs to be known."

"That's all I ask." The nurse would smile, relieved that he wasn't adamant on pushing help away when he needs it.

"You can tell the girls that I'll be fine, and that they don't need to worry about me so much. I'm old enough to know my limits and pace myself when needed to." He stated. "I push myself, but I'm not dumb enough to get myself killed."

"I'll be sure to let them know." Miharu promised. "But there's something that I should let you know. I didn't ask what I did because the others were so concerned."

"Then why did you-mph?" Before he could finish, the hybrid would be caught off guard as the nurse planted a gentle kiss to his lips. Nothing special or exciting as one would expect from a nurse as gorgeous as Miharu; just a simple peck on his lips before she pulled away with a smile.

"I asked you because I was concerned for you." She teasingly smiled, winking to him before standing up. "Unfortunately visitor hours are up, most of your classmates are asleep or recovering in your own rooms. But I'm sure they'll be here to visit you the first chance they get."

"I… I don't doubt that." The hybrid would say, pausing as he wanted to speak up about the kiss but left it at it. Instead he would just smile and watch the nurse walk to the door, turning to him to give one last concerned glance.

"Dr. Charlotte had said LiZa is connected to the room's electronics. If you have a problem or require a doctor, you can ask her for anything. Will you be able to do that LiZa?"

"I promise" The altered voice responded, getting a chuckle from Artorian.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the head's up. And thank you LiZa for volunteering."

"I always do my part"

"Get some rest Artorian, you need it." Miharu would say before leaving the room, shutting off the lights for the hybrid as she did.

'Damn it…' Artorian would think as he looked out the window to his side, looking to the moon in the distance. 'I wish I could say it, but I can't. This is my burden to bear, my failure. I won't drag any of you into it.'

"Karen… Hayato… I'm sorry I let you both down."

(A/N): Well, it looks like this has managed to come out. Now as I said before, the hiatus may have been hot wind, and to an extent I feel it's the case. Rather I put it down on the off chance I actually didn't return for more than a month. Now I can't say if I'm fully back, but it certainly felt good to write and I felt more in the groove doing it now that I've given myself time to recharge my batteries.

Although I will say that my batteries in general are a solid if at the moment, temp's beginning to heat up where I'm living and it's made sleeping a small issue, sometimes only got three hours of sleep. Probably one of the biggest factors to me not touching my laptop for over a whole week. But I'm going to try and work my way back into the process of writing, while also getting some reading and planning done for the future still.

As I said in my update beforehand, this chapter didn't have too much in it besides a good amount of exposition, but after all the action I'm sure it's a nice change of pace to slow down to the R&R the team deserves. I actually enjoyed writing the conversations as I both like giving Miharu more to her character and giving interactions between Ornstein and Charlotte. The latter two are great for laying groundwork for important events and details, as they're the insight to the things even characters like Artorian and Matthew don't know. With age comes wisdom and all that.

I'm uncertain if I'll be able to keep up steady updates, the hiatus may still be possible but after recovering from a rough two hours of sleep earlier today and around three hours two days ago I felt inclined to write for the past few days. And this little chapter is what I managed to squeeze out after taking a few steps back.

I hope you all enjoyed it, and I'll see you in the next chapter... whenever it comes out. Peace!