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".)

224. Time Reversal

Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) during this dark time… especially for the one who is stolen away.

~保護者~

"Time Reversal"

~保護者~

Shadow was pretty sure he'd fallen asleep again. The last thing he really remembered was watching over Lia and Elize as they slept, Lia curled against his side and Elize supported in his arms. The next thing he knew, he was opening his eyes to the sound of Elize cooing softly and Lia mumbling in her sleep. He was still holding the baby, but beyond that everyone was in a different position now than they had been. Elize had managed to turn more or less onto her side so that her face was buried in his chest. He had likewise turned over at some point, resulting in Lia now being pressed against his back instead. Them shifting around like that wasn't something he remembered at all. Which meant he'd drifted off.

Annoyed with himself for unintentionally leaving Soren and Myriu to fend for themselves all this time, he sat up and looked out the portal leading into his actual bedroom. Only then did he realize that he could sense Toru out there as well. In his drowsy state, he couldn't quite remember if Toru had been gone earlier… or if he'd in actuality been here this entire time. He supposed it didn't matter, though, since he was at least here now.

Moving around was still painful, it turned out. Not immensely so, but regardless. His body was sorer than he'd realized. Or at least it was more so than he'd been paying attention to recently. The thought that he'd pushed himself to do a bit too much too soon by going to Nareish's realm crossed his mind, but he staunchly refused to consider it a bad idea. That baby had needed saving. Even if I'd been in agony, I'd have gone. I don't care how it would have affected me.

For now, Shadow pushed those thoughts aside. He gently shifted Elize into his left arm, then scooped Lia up with his right. With both of his girls secured, he walked through the portal and back into the house. After laying Lia down in his bed and tucking her in, he closed the portal as best as he could with his fledgling magical abilities. He was pretty sure it was still slightly present, but he didn't care right this second. With that done, he wandered out of the room to go check on Toru and the other kids.

The chameleon was relaxing in the living room, legs crossed as he idly flicked through the channels on TV, holding Myriu under one arm. He cast an easy glance up to Shadow as the hedgehog walked in, offering a smile. "Good to see you up and about. You feeling okay?"

"Sore," Shadow admitted while taking a seat beside them. "But I'm fine otherwise."

Toru smiled a little, shifting just enough to lazily nudge his head up against the hedgehog's shoulder. "Glad to hear that much. You went through a lot."

"I suppose," Shadow shrugged. It was the only acknowledgement of the truth he'd give.

The chameleon rolled his eyes at his reply a little, mocking some sort of irritation before nudging Shadow ever so carefully on a leg with his elbow. "You need anything? You've been cooped up for a bit. I can get you some water or something?"

"No, I don't need anything," Shadow told him honestly. "...Other than a break. Your child is heavy after holding her for hours. It's your turn."

"Oh no, whatever will I do?" Toru said, gasping dramatically and covering his mouth with his free hand. "I have to hold my child?"

Shadow rolled his eyes, but he also smirked. He went ahead and passed their daughter over while telling him quietly, "Cut the theatrics, Toru."

Without hesitation, the baby was wrapped up in Toru's free arm, while the chameleon got comfortable leaning up against Shadow slightly. "Make me." Shadow huffed at him and leaned against him as well, content for now to just let that bit of dialogue hang where it was. "You know, we oughta find a chance to thank Eila for that extra space. Not ruining any of the cool stuff in your house was a nice thing to check off the list."

Despite never being one who was good with apologies and expressions of gratitude, Shadow didn't voice any disagreement. He just sort of hummed an acknowledgement and left it at that for now. Maybe someday.

Toru chuckled in reply, shaking his head. "If it makes it easier, I bet she'd like a book or something. She seems like a fucking nerd," the chameleon said with a smirk.

"Be that as it may, I have no idea what she'd read," Shadow countered mildly.

"Could be a good idea to contact some of your friends. Betting a few of them know her decently well at this point," Toru prompted, smirking wider. "You're not getting out of this, I hope you know."

"Whatever," Shadow sighed. His eyes slipped shut drowsily. He hadn't realized before now just how tired he really still was. "I'll deal with it later."

Toru snickered, victorious. He'd known he'd win. It just felt good to gloat a little. "Good enough for me. You need rest, anyway."

"I am resting," was the immediate retort. "It isn't as though I'm trying to do anything else."

"Yeah, but I feel the need to make sure you know you have to."

Myriu groaned, throwing Toru's hand up off of her and onto the top of the couch. "Ugh, you two bitch so much," the girl grumbled, getting to her feet and walking away.

Tired though he was, Shadow managed to let out a soft chuckle at that. She is too much like him at times.

Toru watched her go, then sighed softly. "Well, progress is being made, at least. Just before, she might've tried to stab me if I dared walk too close. We were able to relax and watch shows for a while before she crashed from exhaustion."

"That is an improvement," Shadow murmured. He didn't have much else to say about it, though he was glad for both of their sakes that things were doing a bit better.

"Yeah, just wish it never got to that other point," Toru said with a small frown, sighing.

"Focus on the present, not the past," Shadow admonished him calmly. "Things are getting better now. That's what's important."

Toru rolled his eyes a little. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Just… hard to. I think a lot about the shit she went through, and it bugs me."

Shadow didn't have much of a comment to make on that, but he at least nodded to show that he understood. There was a bit of silence afterward, but it didn't last too long. The sound of Toru's communicator letting out a small chime broke that silence. Shadow glanced at the offending device just as the screen lit up, then closed his eyes again. "It's Espio," he informed his partner quietly.

The chameleon's attention was immediately refocused, eyes shifting to look at his communicator as he checked the message. It was simple and brief (it had been sent by Espio, after all), but nonetheless contained good news. "Armaris was purified. She's resting now."

"Good. Keep watch over her. She likes to get herself into trouble. Can't imagine she's been completely pleasant since being purified, too." He hoped the joking would be picked up easily enough by Espio, but otherwise simply smiled. "Got some good news from him," Toru explained, holding the communicator up for Shadow to read.

Opening his eyes for a second time, Shadow read the message over. He couldn't decide whether or not he remembered being told about her apparent corruption earlier. If he had been told, he'd clearly been much too out of it to commit the knowledge to memory. But it didn't matter now, he supposed. What was important was that the matter was resolved. "Good," was all he chose to say about it.

Toru let out a slow yawn-like sigh, smiling. "They're alright for each other, I think. Glad he's got someone good for him, like you do." He winked.

This made Shadow huff. "Can you never have a moment of being genuine without shoehorning your ego into it?" he inquired in a calm voice.

"Mmm… that's not how this works," Toru huffed back, rolling his eyes. "Can't believe that you'd dare think I'd do anything different."

Shadow responded by immediately shouldering Toru a bit in reprimand, though he did so overall gently so as to not disturb their daughter too much. Still, she let out a squeak of complaint and snuggled closer to Toru. "The fact that she is apparently taking your side does not make you right," Shadow informed him frankly.

He stuck his tongue out at Shadow, clearly believing himself to have won again, and snuggled the child into himself even more. "Of course it does."

"It does not." Shadow watched with obvious fondness as Elize yawned and began to doze back off. With gentle fingers, he petted the top of her head for just a moment. This, in turn, caused something new to happen for the first time in her very brief life. A small, peaceful smile spread across her tiny face. Though Shadow's face remained impassive… in truth he could feel his heart melting somewhat. It was the same sensation he'd felt when Lia had given her first smile as an infant, too. He hadn't understood the emotions at play within him back then, but he did now. He loved his children (Soren too, obviously, despite them having met when he was a teen), and there could never be any denying it.

"She's cute as hell," Toru said with a falsely indignant huff, shaking his head. "She might just replace me."

"Good. You need to be knocked down a few thousand pegs." Shadow kept up the motion of his fingers since Elize was clearly enjoying it, but he otherwise was content to not do much right now. Aside from continuing to banter, of course. He would happily do that any day.

His comment made Toru scoff, and he lazily waved fingers at the hedgehog. "Yeah, sure. Good luck with that."

After rolling his eyes, Shadow allowed them to drift shut. He was tempted to let himself doze off. He might have done that, too, had he not realized that he'd been smelling something for a while now. Owing to his tired state, he both hadn't been paying attention to it before and needed a short time to work out what it was. …Lia, he eventually realized. The scent of that illness has diminished greatly. The potion Ghune gave her is working faster than I thought it would. A measure of relief filtered through his fatigue. Soon it was a lot of relief. Good. That's… good.

Toru glanced over, knowing well that this particular brand of silence meant he was missing something. "What?"

"Lia's illness is almost fully cured," Shadow murmured with a sigh. "I can barely smell it anymore. Her normal scent is much stronger than it now."

It took a second for that to fully sink in, but when it did, Toru smiled. "Well, seems like the crazy lady's stuff worked."

"She is not crazy, Toru," Shadow told him, a note of disapproval in his tone. "But, yes, it seems to be working as intended. It may not be much longer until it is finished healing her."

"Great to hear. I had my doubts… but Ghune seems to know her stuff. Not sure how it all works, but her knowledge could be very useful… in a lot of places," Toru pointed out. "Might get some people to see vampires in a different light."

Shadow cracked his eyes open again and gazed ahead contemplatively. "That would be ideal," he said after a lengthy pause. "I heard recently that at least one distant ally of ours was turned recently as well. Perhaps as many as two were, and that infant was half-vampire as well. I do not wish to see them suffer because of it." Strange though that is with regards to the adults… given that I don't personally know them.

A sigh and Toru shook his head. "Nareish is likely weaponizing it, really…"

"Knowing her, she is doing exactly that," Shadow had to agree. "She is not likely to give the idea up just because it does not seem to have worked out for her yet so far." He was quiet for a few seconds or so, then continued by saying, "...The Faein who removed my artificial parts spoke to me again." It may have seemed like an abrupt change in subject, but in fact it as entirely on-topic. He just didn't lead with that bit of information and instead kept it to himself to begin with. Toru politely motioned with a hand for him to continue, waiting for what was certainly to come.

After taking a second or two to gather his thoughts, Shadow did as Toru had silently requested. "When he removed Gerald's… 'work'..." he took a second to breathe due to the anxiety that name gave him, "he made a comment about being unable to rewrite my DNA at the time due to being exhausted. When he spoke to me again today, he said he had regenerated enough energy to remove the vampirism that was forced on me."

"Do you want it removed? You've adjusted to it somewhat well," Toru pointed out calmly, turning to lay his head against Shadow's chest."I don't know what to choose," Shadow admitted. He accepted the snuggling, such as it was, without comment or complaint. "We've managed to avoid it being a huge problem thus far, but it is still a problem. And… it isn't as though I ever asked for this." There was a slight pause, almost a moment of hesitation, then he shifted and put an arm around Toru's shoulders as Toru often did to him. Feeling content and comfortable, he opted to stay in that position regardless of whatever teasing he might receive over it later.

"Do you like being a vampire? Even a little bit?" Toru asked, shifting just a little to return the gesture, letting a hand rest on Shadow's side.

"...I tolerate it," Shadow eventually confessed. "The magic is useful, but there is little else to 'like', in my opinion. The constant loss of control is too much of a threat to my allies and family for me to overlook."

"If you're concerned," Toru started, nestling his head against Shadow, "then ask for it to be removed. You don't have to deal with it."

Shadow let out a breathy sigh. He allowed the increased snuggling without comment. "It may be the best course of action," he agreed.

It was almost as if the Faein in question ("Sul", Shadow belatedly recalled) had heard them. Which, realistically, was quite possible. Sul appeared before the couple almost as though he had merely walked into the room. With a polite nod, he wasted no time in speaking. "I understand that a decision has been made… but I feel I must ask you one last time, Shadow. Are you certain that you want this?"

"Yes, I'm certain," Shadow muttered without bothering to make his tone polite. He was too drowsy to adhere to many, if not most, social rules and conventions right this minute. "I wouldn't have said what I did otherwise."

Luckily, Sul appeared to take no offense. He cracked a small smile instead. "In that case, it shall be done. Give it a few hours and your vampirism will be fully removed. I do not wish to do it all at once due to the strain it will put your recovering body through. That, and it could cause some level of physical shock if the process is rushed. Nonetheless, it will be removed in full by day's end."

"Fine, then," Shadow murmured, having nothing else to say than that.

Sul appeared to almost ignore the fact that Shadow had said anything at all. He crossed his arms and tilted his head, a thoughtful frown on his face. "However… there is one other related matter that we must discuss. Toru, I must ask you to be part of this dialogue as well, for it will impact you and everyone else around your partner to varying degrees. This includes your children and sister, though I can assure you that none of them are in any danger."

Toru raised an eyebrow, not quite sure what that all was supposed to mean. "Okay… go ahead."

"To begin with, I must explain something that no one has yet taken the time to tell either of you," Sul said. "You see, vampires and the Black Arms are related to one another. Think of the two races as… distant cousins to one another. This is largely due to their shared origins within the Darkness. Regardless of the particulars, however, there are a few things you both should know. For instance, the enhanced senses you have been adapting to, Shadow, are not unique to vampires. You didn't even acquire them because you were turned. Your senses come from Black Doom, and this is not the first time you have lived with them. The reason you have adapted so quickly and easily is because you possessed these enhanced senses from the time you were born. You relied heavily on them as a baby and a small child."

Shadow immediately put two and two together, which left him frowning more than usual. "The work that was done on me… It has something to do with why I lost those, didn't it?"

"Everything to do with it, in truth," Sul gently corrected him. "And the damage done to your memories as a whole is why you do not remember ever having these senses before."

Just my fucking luck. Stifling the urge to growl out his irritation over the knowledge that Gerald had apparently found yet another way to fuck with his life, Shadow turned his head away to scowl at nothing in particular. It happened to be a wall this time. "What else?"

"My greatest concern is… instincts and the like," Sul confessed to them. "Loss of control due to these things isn't too unlike vampiric frenzies, I suppose, for halflings like yourself - minus the starvation factor of course. You, in essence, possess two latent sides to yourself. Your logical, controlled side that you live with every day, and the more dangerous, instinctual, and… shall we say 'untamed' side that Gerald spent far too long experimenting with suppressing. With great success, I regret to say. But, as I was forced to remove all of his work in an effort to preserve and improve your physical, mental, and emotional health… that suppression is no longer a factor."

Toru sensed there was more to this, so he didn't pose questions, yet. Instead he motioned for the continuation of this topic. "However…?"

"It is possible to use magic to seal it away," Sul said. "Properly this time. Safely as well, I might add. And yes Shadow, your thought is correct. Ghune, with her advanced knowledge of both magic and the Black Arms, would be a good person to ask about this."

Immediately both looking and feeling a smidge unhappy at having his thoughts read (though logically he knew it wasn't something the Faein could just not do), Shadow let out a small huff. Still, he didn't see any point in kicking up a fuss about it. "I'm assuming you do not have the energy to do it yourself, then."

"Not currently, no, though I am perfectly willing to do this for you if you choose not to have Ghune help you instead," Sul answered.

"Though I still think she's a bit of a bitch," Toru started with a small huff, "I trust that she'd do good by you. I'd be okay with her helping if you wanted to ask her."

"It makes little sense not to try that route first," Shadow agreed. "I will ask her next time I see her." With that said, he glanced at Sul and asked, "Was there anything else?"

"One more thing," Sul sighed. "You have become acquainted with Li recently, yes? It may be beneficial for you to go see him sometime soon. He has been through much as of late and, in my opinion, could truly use another friend. Do not push yourself to go there if circumstances make it hard for you, however. This is merely a suggestion."

Shadow thought this over, then accepted what he'd been told. He had no reason to be opposed to the idea. At least, none that he could think of currently. "Fine."

"It doesn't sound like a bad idea, actually," Toru said with a simple shrug.

Sul offered them both a small smile. "I will take my leave now, in that case. Though, Toru… I do recommend that you spend as much time as possible home for now, rather than wandering about. It will make your partner's recovery easier." Once he finished talking, he simply faded away as though he'd never been there at all.

Toru huffed a little. "Didn't plan on going anywhere without good reason."

Shadow finally managed to relax again, even going so far as to smirk faintly. "You still deserved to be told off, if only for the sake of lessening that ego of yours to some degree."

The chameleon stuck his tongue out at Shadow, rolling his eyes. "I've been perfectly normal today, so that was entirely unnecessary." Though his delivery seemed mildly upset, he was amused enough to wink at his partner.

Although Shadow rolled his eyes, he didn't have the chance to say anything else. Elize suddenly let out a loud whine at the both of them and snuggled closer to Toru with a tiny scowl on her face. Evidently, she didn't like having her nap disrupted by their bickering. Demanding, aren't we? Shadow found himself thinking in response.

"I think we let the little one sleep before she skins us both," Toru murmured under his breath, smiling toward his partner.

The mention of sleep reminded Shadow again of how tired he himself still was. Suddenly having to suppress a yawn, he settled back in his seat and crossed his arms comfortably. "If you insist," he agreed mildly.

"Elize is the one complaining," He returned easily, leaned up into Shadow to offer a bit more support as well as giving himself more comfort.

"I am aware." Shadow went ahead and let himself begin to relax, though he didn't quite let himself doze off yet. "...Sul had a point about checking on Li," he murmured. "I intend to do so soon, if you are alright with it."

"Not a bad idea," he replied, echoing himself from the previous conversation. "It gets you out of the house and has you interacting with someone pretty level headed. Whenever you're up for it, we can go… unless you want me to hang back with the kids."

"If you wish to come along, I will ask Sonic and Amy to watch them for a short time," Shadow responded. "He still owes me for how much I babysat his children during their toddler years." Not that Shadow had been unwilling and not that they hadn't had good reasons to ask for the help, but still. Pretending to hold a grudge over it was just another amusing way to get on his brother's nerves. "Seiko is busy watching over Satsuno and Myriu, so I would rather not burden her further."

Toru snickered softly. "Pawning them off on Sonic sounds like a great idea. We can even ask if Amy will conveniently be busy doing something else?"

"Between the two of them, I would prefer she be around," Shadow admitted with a huff. "Lia gets too many obnoxious ideas in her head from her uncle. Amy is less likely to rile her up."

"Fine, fine," Toru teased, sticking out his tongue. "Have it your way. But, really, we should be careful to not upset her any further. I don't want a fussy baby in my arms." He pointedly motioned downward with his head, trying to keep his body still.

Chameleon babies rarely fuss and cry much, Shadow recalled drowsily. This must be strange for him. "Then stop talking," he mumbled… as if he himself hadn't been the one to start this latest bit of dialogue.

Toru let the topic die there, rather than replying. He had no issue with some more relaxation time, especially when Shadow seemed to be feeling better. "Get some rest," he eventually said. Shadow was already gradually drifting toward sleep, however, and as such only responded with a vague hum of acknowledgement. The chameleon waited until Shadow was finally asleep to drift off, not quite joining Shadow, but still allowing himself some time to rest.

~保護者~

Marthal wasn't sure how much time had passed since he'd gone to sleep. After his breakdown and Ylden's intervention, he'd been too exhausted to think or feel anything anymore. He'd curled up as soon as Ylden had left and allowed himself to drift off. He'd done nothing but rest in the hours (maybe days?) since then. Now he was trudging through the vegetation he'd burnt down earlier on his way back to Tyria's home.

He crouched low to the ground in a bush on all fours once the wrecked structure came into view. There was no danger to be sensed, but he was still wary. Eventually he relaxed enough to come out and sit down up against one of the remaining walls. He wasn't sure where Tyria had gone. This seemed like the best place to wait for her.

Once she returned, he knew he needed to apologize for his outburst. After that… he didn't know. Being associated with me keeps causing her trouble. She's bound to get tired of it and leave for good at some point. Or at least make me leave. That wasn't an idea he could get out of his head. After all, even Ylden had left again without having stayed very long. And that was in spite of the fact that he was someone who knew and ostensibly cared about Marthal.

Tyria, on the other hand, barely knew him. Which went both ways of course, but still. Maybe I should just do her a favor and get out of here before she gets back. People who "care" nearly always choose to be rid of me when they've had enough. Why should someone who has no reason to care be any different? Maybe it really was best to go. He started to get up, fully prepared to do just that, only to cringe and sit back down. His nose twitched. Too late. Here she comes.

True enough, she practically just appeared by him, dumping a small sack of rocks on the ground. Her gaze went to him, an eyebrow raised. "We can build a fire and contain it for warmth and cooking, though you need the former far less than I."

Marthal blinked at the sack several times. Unsure what else to say, he settled on a hesitant, "O… kay?" A moment passed before he added, "Did you need help or something?"

"No," she replied gently, arranging the stones in a circle. "Though, if you wish to help me find firewood, I would not complain."

Stifling a sigh, Marthal got up and slunk off into the woods on all fours. He returned a short while later walking upright, his arms laden with suitable branches for her to use. He deposited them in the necessary location and reclaimed his earlier seat. I should leave soon, he reminded himself. There's no reason to hang around.

Tyria had already assembled the rocks for a pit, and quickly set about placing the branches, her gaze flicking to him every now and then. "You seem… anxious? Not quite… but restless."

"Not anxious," Marthal told her simply. He left it at that.

"You don't have to talk about it," the chameleon woman replied, tone soft. "A lot has happened."

Stop bringing it up, then. Marthal didn't say that, of course. He just shrugged uselessly and picked at the fur on his leg a bit. Eventually, he spoke up about something else. "Your house was wrecked when Nareish attacked us. Do you have the means to fix it up or do you need people to assist you? I can talk to Espio about finding a helping hand or two, if you want."

"It's unimportant. My home held little that I would ever require. The matter can wait." Tyria paused for several seconds, then turned to face him. "Thank you, however. I appreciate the concern."

Marthal shrugged rather than responding more properly to the gratitude. As often was the case, he found he didn't have much to say to that. Guess it was pointless to offer. Forgot chameleons don't care too much about material things.

Tyria stared at the assembled bundle of wood for a long moment, hesitating for just a second, before snapping her fingers together and sparking a flame on the kindling and watching the fire sprout and spread over the organized fuel. She wanted to talk, but… she wasn't sure what she should say. Her mother would have told her to just say whatever she was thinking, so she suddenly turned to the cat and opened her mouth, only to hesitate a little again. "I like your presence."

Marthal felt his ears perk up in surprise. There were… potentially some pretty serious implications to what she'd just said, but he didn't allow himself to read that deeply into it. Especially considering the fact they didn't know each other well. What's there to like, anyway? He was quiet for a short time, then shrugged and said, "Feeling's mutual… I guess." He could admit that much, right? It didn't feel dangerous to agree that she was shaping up to potentially be a friend, did it? Well, actually it did, but it was too late to take it back now.

The chameleon fell silent for a long moment. She felt comfortable in silence, but Marthal was not one of her people. Did he enjoy solitude in the same way? Without fail, the woman could sense that he was partly some mythical being, so that could influence his desires… but Tyria knew so little. "I must confess that I do not know much of interacting with 'outsiders'. Pardon my continued erratic silences." Tyria expressed this apology with a deep bow, obviously attempting to show respect. "Would you prefer I talk less or more?"

"The amount you talk doesn't really bug me," Marthal said. Her bow didn't garner much reaction from him, though he understood the intention behind it. "Your scent's always calm. That's all that matters to me."

Tyria perked up, not like his ears had, in interest. "Oh? Do tell," she requested, inching just a little closer.

Deep blue eyes blinked at her. "Tell you… what?"

"Ah." She managed a small chuckle at herself. "I am curious as to what you mean. Not many find scent to be important in one's disposition."

"A lot of yokai are sensitive to one sense of theirs more than the rest," Marthal told her after a pause. "Cats, we have acute olfactory capabilities. So it's the scents of other living beings that tend to bother us, not the noises they make."

She nodded in understanding, eyes wide with intense curiosity. "That is incredible. I can only imagine that it has uses and weaknesses, due to sensitivity?" The sentence was posed as a question, but she looked away, as if asking herself more than anything.

"Damn straight," Marthal huffed. Even as he did so, however, he caught himself wondering, Why am I bothering to tell her any of this? Nevertheless, he continued. "It causes problems, but it's also saved my ass before. So it's whatever I guess."

"I do not have any particular increase of any of my base senses, but I often find that I can sense something's approach far before anyone else if it is touching the ground. I feel the vibrations of footsteps… and can usually recognize what it is if I have ever encountered it before," Tyria explained, smiling to her new yokai friend.

Marthal's nose twitched as he subconsciously sifted through her scent. It wasn't because he was looking for anything in particular, though. It was more just that he was getting much more information from that as opposed to her facial expression or body language. Her scent had changed, but it remained calm. Now she was showing plenty of interest and curiosity, as well as trust. "Huh. That's… pretty unusual. Can't say I've ever heard of that before. Not with a chameleon, I mean."

"I am unsure if it manifested as a power or from some aspect of my training. I am more a hunter than a warrior, so tracking is often key," Tyria replied, offering a small shrug.

Why is she feeling trust, of all things? She ought to be more wary of me than anything else. Marthal found himself belatedly wondering as she talked. His tail swished from the side of him that it had been on to the opposite side, where it lay with its tip idly twitching back and forth. God, I don't understand her at all. "It might be a power, yeah," he eventually said. "No idea what kind, though."

"If it is a power, I will hardly complain." The chameleon shifted her position, crossing her legs in front of her and relaxing by the flames. "I am very limited in what I can do, so anything I can hone to protect what I care about most, I will leverage to the best of my ability."

"Makes enough sense," Marthal told her with another shrug.

"At some point, do you intend to regroup with your allies?" Tyria suddenly asked, tone soft.

"I need to at some point, yeah," Marthal said. "Probably sooner rather than later, but it's been… I dunno, quiet I guess. I haven't been too worried about it." In truth, that was only part of the reason. The rest of it was the fact that he was going to have to tell them all that Mei was killed, and he just… wasn't ready for that. Not yet.

Tyria offered a simple nod, understanding. "Until you feel it is time, we can wait." She had a feeling there was more, but had no intention of prodding. "What do you know of fishing?"

"Uhh… if it involves a rod and line, nothing," Marthal told her, a little confused by the change in subject. "I just use my claws."

"Would you like to learn?" Tyria asked, tilting her head. "I intended on going hunting soon for food, but believed that you may well like the food our people are most used to making."

"I'd really much rather use my claws," Marthal admitted somewhat sullenly. "I don't like using tools if I don't have to. It's not…" He floundered for a moment, trying to find the words to explain how his instincts felt, before just settling on, "It's not as satisfying or whatever."

"As long as you don't mangle whatever we catch," Tyria said with a simple shrug. "I care little the method used, more that the result is acceptable."

"As if I would," Marthal grumbled, mildly offended. "A few small holes in the meat isn't going to ruin anything."

She giggled softly, settling in. "Alright. We will go hunting after a bit more rest," Tyria said confidently.

Marthal didn't bother to argue, instead just settling on a small shrug once more. He almost allowed the conversation to die then and there, but he found himself offering a bit more conversation just seconds later. "Listen… I can help you hunt and all, but I don't know how much longer I should hang around here. I know I said a minute ago that I wasn't worried about it, but the more I think about it… the more I think that I am. I've got some old friends that I need to check on. I've got to make sure they're staying safe." Unlike myself and Mei.

"We can go together," Tyria murmured. "Allow yourself a bit more time to rest and recuperate… feed yourself, and we can go. Okay?"

Marthal sighed, but acquiesced. He didn't want to argue. "...Yeah. Sure."

His words invoked a sense of pleasure in her, the woman far more content than she had been seconds ago. The faintest hints of concern had started dissipating as she settled into her seat. "Good," she murmured, producing a sort of scroll from… somewhere and making a quick hand motion to have a bedroll appear in front of them, then doing it again and offering the second to Marthal, though he didn't take it. "Only if you want it, of course," she made sure to add, not wanting to pressure him. Marthal settled back against the tree they were sitting under and made no comment, choosing to just let the topic die where it was.

She took a moment to roll hers out and relax, laying on her side and staying facing him, an arm under her head to act as a pillow. For now, she was willing to let the silence overtake them both. Enough had been said by both parties. Nothing more was needed.

~保護者~

Without hesitation, Kath plunged his sword (one he'd crafted out of pure aura) into his enemy's chest and wrenched it out violently with a diagonal slash. Blood splattered his once pristine white clothes, his body, and his hair. The amount of pleasure that this simple act (and the gore it produced) provided him with was surprising but, at the same time, not wholly unexpected. He knew a thing or two about demons. What they were like. What they enjoyed. He had just never anticipated becoming one of them, much less so thoroughly. But he'd never placed much stock in most emotions, preferring to tune them out unless they pertained to something that actually, genuinely mattered. He supposed that the question now was whether or not this newfound enjoyment did, in fact, mean anything to him.

He didn't ponder it long.

This activity was an escape from boredom if nothing else. If only for that reason, he was fine with pursuing it for now. Anything to alleviate the personal hell that was his damned boredom. So, with that in mind, he dodged his mortally wounded foe's feeble attempt to attack him and stabbed the man again in retaliation. This time, his sword plunged straight through an eye and out the back of the skull. He then flung the twitching corpse off his blade without a second thought. But that didn't stop shivers of pleasure from rushing through his body and down his spine. That was… going to take some getting used to. The chills he'd just been subjected to, while almost instinctively enjoyable, could too easily prove to be distracting due to their intensity.

If this was going to keep happening, he was going to have to brace himself against it. Though not from personal experience, he knew that emotions and sensations like these could all too easily wrench logic and reasoning away from a person. He certainly felt abuzz with energy and unusually motivated to carry out more violence for the sake of it. The key was that he knew better than to carelessly act on those desires. Far too many demons before him had died in their blind pursuits of pleasure and gratification. He refused to make the same mistake, no matter how good it felt to injure and kill others. As it was, he was already much too distracted by this for his liking.

In truth, however, he was acclimating rather rapidly. This wasn't something he needed to waste time dwelling on any longer than he already had. Shaking his head as though that would clear it, he turned and strode across the battlefield and in search of his next opponent.

Moments later, keen on the idea of entertaining Kath, Ki'aala appeared with a much less… pathetic enemy for the newly corrupted man to fight if he so chose. It was bound by a charm, one she kept in effect even after releasing the being. "I come bearing a 'gift' in hopes that you may be amenable to a request of mine. I realize that the emotions you are currently feeling are not well within the range of what you normally feel."

Almost, Kath allowed himself to roll his eyes. However, he refrained in the end. "What do you want?" he asked her curtly. The person she'd dragged along was utterly ignored, as was the majority of what she'd said.

Ki'aala, herself bored already of the enchanted demon she'd brought, kicked the thing aside and took in a breath of air. "Truthfully, you are the only being in existence, ignoring the Faein, that can do this. I wished to bring back the first God of Demons." Perhaps being direct and forward will be best. Despite his emotional state, I doubt he would enjoy dawdling with idle chatter.

Kath crossed his arms, careful to maneuver his sword appropriately to accommodate the motion. "I have no reason to care about what you want," he pointed out. In spite of the mild turmoil he'd been dealing with prior to her arrival here, his tone was even and his words were perfectly logical. He was by no means out of control like most newly turned demons tended to be, and it showed.

"I know this fact well." She produced the blade Nareish had given her and looked over it for a moment, idle fury built within her still. To do this to Syren's blade… You bitch. "I am willing to offer 'tribute' and promises for this service, as it is also a chance for you to practice some… new concepts with your powers over Time."

Kath narrowed his eyes and tilted his head slightly. That he was entertaining this conversation at all was about the only evidence there was that he was at least somewhat interested. "Explain."

I can't become cocky. I'll drive this in the wrong direction. "I can offer you entertaining opponents for fights, as well as ensuring specific things cannot happen to you. As demons, we would fall under the order of this God, should you choose to aid in is revival. I can, contractually, ensure that you are in no way influenced or forced to act in a method contrary to your own choices, for example." Ki'aala offered a wicked smile. "And, of course, I would offer my own services, should you find use for my magic or other skills."

There was a moment or two of silence as Kath considered what he'd just been told. "Be that as it may," he eventually responded, "I still have no reason to care about reviving your god."

"I understand that. What might it take for you to care? Do you wish someone dead? Maybe for a bout of peace and quiet away from all this fodder?" Ki'aala's smile morphed to someone sickly sweet as she leaned forward, balancing on her elbows against a pedestal of her own magic. "I am unlikely to resist whatever requests you may have."

Huffing softly, Kath allowed his energy-based weapon to vanish and looked off to the side while he again thought. He ultimately felt as though he needed - and wanted - nothing from her other than to more or less be left alone. While it was true he needed a weapon, he wasn't going to ask her for one. There was no reason to when he could just as easily acquire one on his own. "Your offers are worthless. I need nothing from you."

While she didn't know Kath in the way his family did, she knew demons far better than any living being that wasn't of the Faein. "I understand, completely." The demoness stabbed Syren's blade into the ground, then did the same with another, one of her own, that was magical in nature and resembled a simple saber. "Feel free to have one of these as a sort of gift, ignoring my request. I will also, wholly, promise to not bother you again in the future with such… uninteresting requests. Demons often do not willingly make deals or promises, so forgive my insistence and distinct lack of understanding of what to offer. Would simply being unbothered be enough, or shall I give you time to think over it?"

Very subtly, imperceptibly even, Kath began to examine the two proffered weapons with nothing but his aura. At the same time, purely to sate his own curiosity and constant desire to learn more about things in general, he made a request (or perhaps demand) of his own. "Tell me about this god… and why you are so keen on returning him to life."

"Many would believe us to be a couple, of sorts. In truth, we merely were aligned well with one another. Our thoughts and goals in particular aligned well oftentimes, and I found myself respecting him." She didn't care about giving this information away. It was pointless, ultimately, if anyone knew. "Syren is the only demonic deity I have ever truly respected, and one of only a dozen demons I show similar regards toward. You are one of those as well, notably." She offered a subtle smile, then chuckled, standing upright once more. "Syren considered passing the role on to me when he became bored of it… And I declined. I realize now that it was a mistake, as that allowed the disappointments of Amnikaribah, Kaden, and Tianak to take eventual hold over our legions. Someone worthy should be in that position, though I will not bore you further with my grand ideals of the demonic race."

Another huff answered her. Then, without a word, Kath yanked the Immortal-level sword (as that was the only practical choice) Ki'aala had presented over to himself with a thread of aura energy. He caught it in his right hand. Unprepared though he was for the intense rush of additional corruption that surged through him the instant that the weapon made physical contact with him, he showed no outward reaction to it other than a slight frown. He focused instead on considering her words for a moment longer. There was a decision to be made, after all. Reviving him or ignoring the situation… which course of action actually interests me?

His selection of the sword sparked her first feeling of disappointment with Kath, though she made no attempt to make such a feeling known. Rather than spend more time here, a parchment and quill appeared on the pedestal. "Should you find yourself willing, sign this contract and it will bind me to my promises. I will make no attempt to trick you, so feel free to take some time to decide. If you do not, none of my promises are guaranteed and I will continue to act as I please." Ki'aala stood, several bright lights appearing around the horns on her head, circling slowly and illuminating the gloomy air around her head. "I have some plans I wish to see unfold."

Magical contracts were a concept Kath was familiar with, though he'd never personally seen one. Still, his association (and even friendship) with magical powerhouses like Han, Sothan, Quinn, and others throughout his life meant that he knew much more about magic than the average Babylonian. Most of their kind didn't have any sort of magical abilities, after all. He certainly didn't. What he had in place of that was knowledge. Very useful knowledge, as it happened. For instance, he knew magical contracts couldn't be broken. There was no room in them for loopholes, fine print, or other forms of trickery. Each participant got exactly what they signed up for, so to speak. The whole thing was very straightforward and simple, despite what people were often lead to believe.

All this to say… this was something that could potentially work to his advantage sometime in the near future. With that in mind, he approached the document she had conjured up and read it over at a quick pace. Ki'aala watched quietly from where she stood, curious. Not but a few seconds later, Kath made up his mind. Aware that such documents required one to sign their full name (a detail which didn't matter to most, since people tended to only have one given name), he swiftly did just that. The name Kath Salone Inara was spelled out in thin, elegant penmanship and then the quill was carelessly dropped back down. "You get your wish," he said in a mutter, "but purely because I am interested in testing this revival ability. Nothing more."

As Ki'aala picked up the parchment, it was consumed in demonic flames, the contract now sealed. Normally, she would have imposed binds on herself and the person signing, but this was a… special occasion. The familiar pressure of setting new rules on one's existence weighed down on her momentarily before she adjusted. "I will return soon to point you in the right direction should you need it. I have already said his name, but you will be reversing time for the first God of Demons, Syren. If you can manage to keep this from being noticed, even for a short time, that would be best. Your pesky family is likely to act when they realize what has been done."

"I am aware." Kath again returned to his thoughts, but just for a second or two. He didn't think this would continue to be necessary once he had a better handle on this apparent skill of his, but there was a detail he felt he needed to know just this once. "Tell me precisely where he perished." Having that knowledge should make this somewhat easier. In theory, however, I will not need to know such a thing for every revival attempt going forward… assuming I ever do this again to begin with.

She waved a finger in the air, turning away and beginning to walk. "Follow the magical beacon I set for you. I will not go there, as it will sour my mood if Syren has not been revived when I arrive. I do believe I'd act irrationally," Ki'aala replied, offering a glance over the shoulder. "Once he is revived, tell him of our contract and he will likely not bother you, either. I will speak to him directly and ensure that you remain with intact free will and are free of any influence. Have you any other questions, or may I be free to soak my claws in blood?"

The idea of leaving to do that very thing himself, albeit with his newly obtained sword, was enticing and very nearly distracted Kath all over again. It even sent a small thrill of excitement and anticipation through him. But he managed to resist the urge to get caught up in those thoughts and feelings. He turned away as well and said, "There is nothing else." Then he vanished without another word.

Her plan in motion, Ki'aala bit back a cackle. This had gone better than expected. The demoness reveled in the weight of her new magical bonds bearing down on her, and exactly what they meant in this situation. Kath will be a powerful ally to keep around, even if his aid will be unreliable at best. Not much different than Kalek, though I have more reason to be concerned with the latter coming back for me. She let those thoughts drift away and set her sights on Mobius, seeking an old 'acquaintance' of hers. "Stop hiding, Zareil," she whispered in a low, sing-song voice. "I have an old score to settle."

~保護者~

Whatever Saethrim had done to tame Sothan's cravings seemed to still be working for now. However, the effect was starting to wear off already. He was feeling antsy with the need to hunt and the desire to taste blood again. This was all new to him, as was everything else about being a vampire. Sounds and smells were stronger to him than ever before, as was his sense of sight. He was always keenly aware of all sources of blood that existed around him and had to consciously tune out the sounds of heartbeats and blood pumping through veins. Several times now, he had re-experienced that strange visual ability that allowed him to see through a person and view their veins, hearts, and blood vessels. And the list only went on from there.

Needless to say, this was all a bit… much. If only for that reason, he had immediately laid down on his bed upon returning to the forge. He'd retreated to his room mostly to get away from Li and Xin, though. He had no intention of hurting them, but they'd still been pissing him off. Arguing with him, telling him that acting based on his corruption was playing right into Nareish's hands (which, granted, was accurate), asking him if what Nareish had claimed to have done to him was true… it had all infuriated him. Anger wasn't an emotion he was overly familiar with. Coping with it was difficult. It made him want to lash out, to kill more people, to at least get into some sort of a physical fight.

Again, logically, he knew that acting like that was a bad idea. He knew he was only experiencing this aggression because of the corruption. Thinking past that corruption was just… difficult. Not wholly impossible, he'd found, but even so. Still, the fact that he could do it at all meant that he was able to resist the urge to say something cutting to Xin when the other wolf knocked and then just waltzed on in without waiting for a response. Sothan did, however, still demand in a sharp tone, "What do you want?"

"To talk," Xin answered. "Well, more like to ask for a favor of sorts. You built this whole structure by hand, right?"

That wasn't at all what Sothan had been expecting him to ask. He sat up and turned over to face Xin and frowned at him. "Yes. What does that matter?"

"I don't suppose you know how to use that magic of yours to expand a building," Xin further inquired.

"...Why?" Sothan asked him, frowning just a little bit deeper.

"As I said, I have a favor to ask." Xin crossed his arms and sighed. "Whether you do this or not is your choice, but do you think you could use your magic to add an alchemy lab to the forge with a brewing station and other such supplies? Perhaps a room for Ghune and Black Doom to use as well?"

Black Doom? That was a name Sothan hadn't heard in a very long time. He chose not to dwell on it, though. At least, not right this moment. "It would be doable," he said without ever actually promising anything.

Xin picked up on that easily enough, naturally. "I of course can't force you to do this, but I would appreciate it greatly." He sighed and turned to leave the room. "Just think about it, please. I believe those rooms would prove to be greatly beneficial." With that, he exited and shut the door behind him.

Now Sothan was left with a mild conundrum. Never before in his life had he even considered expanding the forge. There had never been any need for the extra space. He certainly didn't want to do it just because Xin wanted him to, as he was freshly angry with the man for coming in here and bothering him in the first place. But… at the same time, he had to admit that the idea intrigued him to some extent. He couldn't have cared less about the bedroom, but the thought of having access to an alchemy lab and potion brewing station had captured his interest. Maybe this would be worth doing, even if it did in the end mean that he was doing what Xin wanted after all.

The change in his emotions was abrupt and dramatic. He was suddenly struck with an intense urge to destroy the entire building out of spite and to potentially kill anyone other than Li or Xin who might get in his way after the fact. Despite that he tried, truly tried, to cling to logic. Emotions weren't something he could trust in himself right now. They were volatile, dark, dangerous. The corruption had utterly twisted them. It was constantly trying to do the same with his mind as well. The urge to give in to it, to let it further consume him, was overwhelming. It left him breathless, even a touch disoriented. Though he managed to resist all of it for the most part, there was no denying the sensation of those roots digging themselves in just that little bit deeper.

Vying for focus, he did his best to fully shift his thoughts back to the forge and, more specifically, to expanding it. Creating a new hallway and attaching a new room to it was easy enough to do. Filling it with the necessary supplies and furniture to make that room an alchemy lab was just as simple. There was now a potion brewing station, plenty of shelves and the like to store potions, glass vials and bottles, as well as anything else that might wind up left in there. Once finished, he turned his attention away from the matter to another.

He thought about ignoring the idea of adding a new bedroom, but the thought twigged that he was only wanting to not house those two due to the aggression he was feeling. To spite Nareish, whose fault all of this was, he went against what his emotions were wanting him to do and created the room in question. Actually, it was more like a separate building of sorts. It wasn't attached to the rest of the forge, though it was still on the same floating plot of land. It was just well away from most of the noise and scents from the rest of the property in an effort to account for Black Doom's acute senses. The space within was dark as well, cold like the Black Arms' deep space home was, and had plenty of space to fit a Black Arms of any size while still comfortably accommodating Ghune and any potential prey item that might wind up being brought in there at any point.

Sothan contemplated being done at that point, but he soon had more ideas. He had always been creative (one had to be, in his line of work) and because of that all manner of crafts had long held his interest. Crafts that, in the past, he'd never had time to delve into due to work and family obligations. The idea of making rooms where he could learn and practice such crafts was enticing enough that he went ahead and got started on just that. He started by creating a staircase that was attached to an otherwise empty expanse of hallway between the forge proper and his room (which had always been the closest to said forge). He then went ahead and magically shifted the alchemy lab to this new upstairs section so as to minimize any sense of crowding on the main floor. From there, he got started on the new rooms.

Across the hall from the alchemy lab was an expansive indoor garden full of every kind of herb or botanical reagent one might wish for no matter how rare and exotic. He certainly didn't know of every kind of plant out there (far from it), but that hardly mattered. With creation magic, he could simply will such a garden to be. Therefore, he did. The plants were all sustained through his magic - no sunlight, water, or other such things required. He made certain to add plenty of storage for seeds, gardening supplies, and the harvested plants themselves as well.

Next to the garden room was another room for plants, this time of a different type. He essentially did the same thing he'd done before, only this time planting nothing but trees within the space. How many kinds, he honestly couldn't say. There were many, and being sustained by magic meant that they (like the rest of the plants) would grow quickly, never face the risk of becoming ill or rotting, and so on. As for the reason for adding this, it was simple. He'd decided he had an interest in woodworking, and that meant he needed wood. Common types, rare types, magical, not magical, all were of interest to him. So, directly next to the garden of trees, he made a workshop. It had a woodworking table, a lumber mill, storage, carving tools, and so on. If anything more was needed, he could and would just add it later on.

Across the hall from all of this, next to the alchemy lab, was a jewelcrafting room. It contained all the tools, stations, and storage Tempest had once told him about such a space needing, during their limited couple of talks together. Spending no further time on that, he created a library next to that room and filled it with a great many books. He, Yuma, and Xin had always loved to read, after all. Sothan had just had very little time for it after fully taking up the mantle of God of the Forge at about the age of twelve. Right about the age in which he'd first built this place, in fact. But those memories were cast aside as irrelevant now. He simply teleported the books he kept within his own bedroom into the newly formed library, added some seating and tables, and moved on.

Proper soundproofing was required for the final room he added upstairs, that way nothing happening within it would disturb anyone in the library it was adjacent to (or anywhere else in the building) who was trying to concentrate or rest. It was a room for sparring, training, and testing out newly forged weapons. There was nothing special or noteworthy about the space though, really. It was rather typical for what it was with regards to its size and what was in it. In truth, he didn't spend much time on it due to the lack of need in the moment. If more care needed to be put into this room later, it could be handled then.

There were a couple more things he needed to do. First and foremost, his newfound son needed a room. At his current tiny age, him and his crib staying in Sothan's room was fine. But, eventually, the child was going to need his own space. With that in mind, Sothan expanded the space between his and Li's rooms and constructed a new room between them. As that cat (wasn't her name Eila?) had left him with many supplies that he had yet to fully go through, he didn't create anything within the space for now and instead just transported all of said supplies into there. It would have to do for now.

Then there was the matter of Xin, Tempest, and Calypso. While Xin had been grating on his nerves since his corruption and he felt nothing particularly positive toward the two Therians either at the moment, he had to acknowledge that the three of them needed places to sleep that weren't the couches or floor in the living room. Li's room had once been this building's only guest room and, frankly, his nephew had been the just about the only person to ever use it. There was no guest room now, but evidently there needed to be.

As the space across the hall from the three current bedrooms was nothing but an empty wall, he went ahead and used that as the place to attach the room in question. It was right across from Li's room and contained only basic furnishings, just two beds, a light, and a small amount of storage space for clothes or the like. Next to that, he created a proper bedroom for Xin. Anything beyond a bed, dresser, closet, light, desk, and bookshelf that he might want (and Sothan knew for a fact he'd want those) would have to be discussed later. Sothan still had no desire to speak to him or to anyone else.

One last final thing was done before he called it quits. To accommodate the fact that it was no longer just him or just him and Li spending lengthy amounts of time here, he expanded both the living room and kitchen. There was more seating in the living room now, and more appliances, cabinets, and the like in the kitchen. He even made sure to dedicate one cupboard to nothing but stored tea leaves for Xin's sake… though that was the final "nice" act he felt he had in him right now. Satisfied with everything he quelled his magic, turned over on his bed again, and closed his eyes. Maybe now he'd be able to get a bit of sleep without being bothered.

It was around this time that Xin felt the need to begin exploring all of the changes wrought upon this once almost frozen-in-time (so to speak) structure. He happened to have been in the kitchen preparing to drink some sad, plain water when the room was expanded. He was immediately drawn to the newly established tea cupboard thanks to his keen nose telling him quite immediately just how many jars of leaves were hidden within. It took him only a second to find the ones that made him the most enthusiastic about this sudden change. Jasmine! Always a favorite, you are.

Tempting though it was to linger and just make some tea, it seemed prudent to let Li know exactly why his uncle had just added to their shared home for the first time ever in the boy's lifetime. Going into his room with Novei in there was a less than stellar idea, however, so he just poked his head out of the kitchen to see if his son had emerged from said room or not.

Li was already out, investigating, and heading for the source of all of this newly created area. Seeing this, Xin called out softly, "Li?"

The wolf popped out of a new room, poking his head around the door. It seemed he'd already noticed the changes. "Yes?"

"Why don't you come in here?" Xin invited. "We should talk."

The younger wolf offered a quick nod and left the room he was in quietly, shutting the door behind him before walking to his father. "What is it?"

"First off… This is in large part your home now, so I want to apologize for making these arrangements without asking you about it first." Xin let out a soft sigh. "Ghune is coming here. She intends to try to find a way to cure Novei and Sothan. I convinced your uncle to add space for her and Black Doom to reside in and for Ghune to work, though that took some doing. Everything else he added, he did so for reasons only he knows, however."

Li offered an unconcerned shrug. "I knew it had to be one of you," the wolf answered with a smile. "I just wanted to check it all out. No worries."

Xin smiled a bit at him. "Alright." He went silent briefly before speaking up again. "On the topic of your uncle… being in his presence when he wasn't actively furious proved something important to me. He's holding back his corruption to a remarkable degree. He should be doing far worse by now than he is. The fact that he's not much worse off than Novei as of now means that he may, may, be just as easily saved from this as she will be. Provided, of course, that he continues to be able to fight this."

A single nod answered that. "I see… that's good to know. Did you figure out anything else about how we should… approach all of this? Anything that seems to not grate his nerves?"

"Keeping myself calm in his presence gave the corrupted anger nothing to latch onto and feed off of," Xin murmured. "It seemed to help him, whether he realized it or not. He was certainly still irritable, but speaking with him this time around went much better than it did earlier today."

"I'll keep that in mind…" Li murmured, pursing his lips. "I've been… stressed out. It's been really hard to keep myself calm and relaxed." As he said this, his ears swiveled suddenly, and the wolf shifted his attention briefly before turning to face Xin again. "Novei woke up," he offered in explanation, so as not to worry his father.

Xin tilted his head. "Do you want to go be with her? We can speak more about this another time. And I will do my best to find ways to make this less stressful for all of us if I can."

"I don't think it's necessary," Li said easily, waving off the idea. "She's at the door, listening. She knows everything is okay."

"Alright." Xin was quiet for a moment before allowing his shoulders to sag a bit. "Li, I don't know about you… but I still simply cannot wrap my mind around the idea of your uncle being an Immortal."

"I… have given up trying to understand everything going on," Li admitted openly, raising his hands in mock surrender. "It's… a lot, really. But… I can't say I dislike the idea. On the contrary, he feels like he'd be a good fit."

"It does feel oddly fitting, in a way," Xin agreed. "Although, I cannot for the life of me figure out what he's the Immortal of. Nor do I know how to tell him that this change took place, as he seems unaware of it."

The younger wolf tilted his head in thought, frowning. "It's hard to say. We aren't the most 'in tune' with the balance of existence, after all."

"Especially not me," Xin said with a small chuckle. That bit of amusement faded quickly. "There's, unfortunately, a bit of bad news regarding his newfound Immortality, however. I don't doubt you largely know this by now, but…" He trailed off before forcing himself to continue. "Immortals can be evil without necessarily threatening existence. It's happened many times throughout history. He's not being controlled or influenced in any way by Nareish. He appears to have no interest in threatening existential beings, be they semi-Immortals or other Immortals. And the fact is that this would have been fixed by now if corruption in any way impeded his ability to fulfill whatever role he's meant to as an Immortal himself. There's nothing here that will allow the Faein to intervene."

Li answered that initially with a nod. Then, after taking a moment to consider his words, he spoke. "If the Faein could have dealt with this, I feel that they would have. For now, though… the fact that it hasn't escalated, that they haven't had to intervene, means we still have a chance to get this cleared up ourselves…" He glanced away, trying to mask a grimace. "At least, I hope."

"That's my hope as well," Xin said. "We just… need to do all that we can to help keep him and Novei stable in the meantime." I hope, too, that Ghune can figure out something quickly.

"Novei may well manage herself, but I think her loss of control might be more… explosive. She has less restraint, less reason to care about being angry or aggressive. It wouldn't take much for her to lean into it," Li said with a small shrug.

"It wouldn't take much for either of them, in truth," Xin said with a troubled frown. "That's part of why I feel we need to be so careful with them."

Li nodded. "Reasonable enough, really."

Xin started to reply, but cut himself off. It was nothing more than a bit of vampiric instinct that told him this place, which had effectively become part of his territory, was about to be invaded. Not by a foe, however, which kept him as relaxed as he could be given the current circumstances. "I think Sein might be about to show up," he informed his son quietly. "Mayhaps you should spend a bit of time with him, hm? Take your mind off of things however briefly. I'll mind Novei and your uncle as best as I can in the meantime."

A small gasp escaped the man and he hurried off to go meet up with the Immortal, allowing himself a bit of a grin. The two rarely got to see each other with how busy things had been lately. Xin followed at a more sedate pace, keeping a close eye on Sothan and Novei's auras as he did so. They seemed calm… for the moment. Hopefully it was going to stay that way.

Sein and Li embraced each other readily when they met, more than happy to see each other. Sein was the first to pull back, clasping a hand over one of Li's shoulders with a smile. "It's good to see you again," the hawk said, sighing when he saw where Li's attention went. "Okay, look. I promise I didn't mean to have my gauntlets messed up."

It was clear in the wolf's eyes that he didn't believe that at all. He stared, then raised an eyebrow and waited for his friend to explain. "Go on."

"A demon showed up, a dangerous one. The flames went past our aura barrier," Sein explained softly. "I was using them correctly this time, so don't murder me just yet." Despite the way his demeanor shifted, he tried to keep a joking tone, chuckling a little.

"Are you okay?" Li asked after watching his friend's movements. Emotions weren't always his strong suit. Specifically… fully reading the way others felt, but he knew well the patterns his friends moved in when they were upset. "We can sit in the living room."

Sein followed his friend and they both took a seat, the hawk sighing. "That demon showed up and wreaked havoc. Meteors, canyons… her magic was absolutely insane. She was even fast and strong enough physically to keep pace with me."

The wolf grimaced, the thought alone making him shiver a bit. "Sounds…" He trailed off, not wanting to finish that thought. This demon likely pursued that life, unlike Kaden's situation. "I assume you want me to look at your gauntlets and make sure they're good to go?"

"I'd appreciate it," Sein answered, offering a quick nod. "It was a rather miserable fight."

While he was saying this, Xin wandered into the room from wherever he'd been before. It was possible he'd simply remained where Li and Sein had been talking before but, as it wasn't relevant to the discussion at hand, he didn't say anything about it. He merely claimed his own seat and let the conversation continue unimpeded. Or, at least, that was what he did at first. When it was clear that an awkward pause was brewing, however, he went ahead and said something. "What else has occurred, Sein?" he questioned carefully. "You look more troubled than I have ever seen you. Surely a fight by itself, no matter how unpleasant, cannot be the cause."

Sein winced at it being brought up, but he wouldn't deny that he'd been trying to find a good place to do so himself. He removed the gauntlets and handed them over to Li for closer inspection before speaking. "...Kath was corrupted in that fight. I couldn't stop her fast enough…"

Xin felt an icy cold chill race through him. "Shénme?" he blurted out in whispered shock. ("What"?)

"Yeah," Sein murmured, gaze downcast. "I'm pissed. I don't know what to do."

"I'm… I'm sorry," Li replied gently, turning a gauntlet in his hand. "Novei and Sothan are in a similar situation right now, admittedly. It's a long story…"

"...And you don't look surprised by it," Xin observed slowly, eyes on Sein's face. "I assume Nareish went spreading news of it around, as she often does."

The hawk offered a small shrug. "Part of why I came by. Figured seeing a good friend and checking on family was a good call, especially when the enemy is a serial liar."

Hearing this earned a sigh from Xin, coupled with some mumbled words in Chinese. "I understand," he eventually said in the Universal Language. It was apparent by his tone just how much he was forcing himself to sound calm despite the news Sein had only just shared with them about one of their family's oldest and closest friends. Then he abruptly stood. "You two keep one another company. I'll be right back." He walked out of the room without further explanation or warning.

Li looked as Xin left the room, blinking once before turning back to Sein. He offered a wan smile and motioned for the hawk to follow him toward the forge. "Let's try to get these fixed up before you end up having to leave."

"Sounds reasonable enough," Sein replied quietly, stepping in line with his friend. "Don't wanna get caught off guard."

"Had a lot of that in recent days," Li admitted, waving a hand and bringing a few chunks of metal to compare them to the gauntlets. "Just… a lot of things happening back to back. It's rough, and knowing that I've gotta keep it together so Novei doesn't freak out sucks… She's never been really good with my emotions, and so I try to keep my head as level as possible."

Sein ultimately shrugged. "I try to be strong for my family, too. When things are just going all sorts of wrong, I want them to have a pillar they can stand on, even if I can't always keep myself upright with them."

Li nudged him with an elbow. "That's why we're friends. I'll do everything I can to help with Kath, even if it's just fixing up your stuff."

"Same with you guys. Novei and Sothan… anything I can do. We're more than just friends, at any rate. You're more like family, my brother."

"Being sappy, huh?" Li joked, wanting to lighten his friend's gloomy mood. "What? Gonna reminisce on how you tried to blame breaking into the armory of Babylon on me?"

"I might just do it again," Sein grumbled, falling for Li's good-natured bait. He crossed his arms and huffed.

Li rolled his eyes, plenty amused in return as he finally found the right material and set to work, heating and carefully molding metal back into place, repairing any damage while replacing the scorched metal in an effortless manner. "Try it. Not like anyone's gonna believe you this time, either."

By now, it clicked in Sein's head that Li was tricking him into a better mood. He decided to not care. After all, it had worked, and becoming upset again wasn't… ideal. "I'll just have to cover my tracks better this time."

The pair fell into a comfortable silence after that while Li worked. Several minutes passed uneventfully until, unexpectedly, there was the sensation of a previously hidden barrier around Sothan's room dropping. Xin emerged from said room a moment later, sighing heavily and rubbing a hand over his face. "Cripes…" he could just barely be heard mumbling to himself from where he now stood in the hall. "I wasnae expecting him to go all peely-wally on me."

Li immediately tore his attention away from the work at hand to look at Xin, concerned. "Is he okay? Does he need something?"

Xin, realizing he'd been overheard, sighed again and walked into the room to join the pair. "He isnae 'fine', in the strictest sense," he revealed. "I heard him coughing somethin' fierce for just a second before he put that barrier up, so I went to check on him. I cannae figure out how he managed to make it happen, but he coughed up some of that nasty feckin' blood he was forced to drink. He's still fighting that corruption, but it's fighting him back now. He seems to be spiking a bit of a fever."

"Oh…" Li replied in a soft tone, clenching the fingers of one fist together for a few seconds. "I guess we're gonna have to wait to see if he's able to fight it, then?"

"We dunna have a choice," Xin said unhappily. "If he canny do it himself, the only other option is to wait on Ghune and hope she can manage it. Wur a mite short on other options." He resisted the urge to let out a third sigh and said, "Focus on what yer doing, lad. I intend to monitor him myself. You dunna need to worry about it right this second."

Sein stayed quiet, just to let them converse. It took Li several seconds to speak, opening with a sigh as well. "Yeah… that's probably for the best." Xin offered his son a weary smile and silently slipped back into the hall.

Li fell quiet as he went back to work on the gaunlets. There wasn't a lot more to say, and the sharp drop in his mood made him want to speak less. Despite it all, Sein scooted closer in his seat, setting a hand on the wolf's back to offer some silent comfort, knowing it was the best he could do for now.

~保護者~

Nareish was sitting atop the ruins of her throne. Her dark eyes surveyed the damage surrounding her. Dried, sticky blood coated her almost from head to toe, but that was something she ignored. She'd summoned Cyca and Lior and was waiting expectantly for their arrivals. The pair showed before long, though Cyca took longer to do so. Nareish knew full-well why. Unbeknownst to Lior, she'd sent his little friend to spend some "quality time" with various generals. Nareish was not in the mood for this seductress's games. "I trust you've learned a bit about holding your tongue, hm?" she asked as Cyca limped into the room.

Cyca was uncharacteristically silent. She was unsteady on her feet, and her fair skin was riddled with deep, dark bruises. There was a decent amount of blood dripping off of her as well. By all appearances, she wasn't completely conscious. She most likely wouldn't have gotten herself to her feet at all if not for Nareish's order to do so. Eventually, she mumbled something under her breath before stumbling a little to one side. Though she managed to remain upright, her balance was tenuous at best.

Lior had always been the bold one of the three (Cyca was often more brash… in his eyes), and that was no different here. Contain your aura… Don't let Nareish see your anger. He didn't ask for permission or even see how Cyca would respond before grabbing her by the chin and opening her mouth to pour a potion past her lips. This should help the pain and recovery.

Cyca reflexively coughed and, when he was finished, muttered a few choice words at him for what he'd just done. But then she swayed again and her complaints were lost in the wake of her lightheadedness. In the end, she just sighed out a soft, "Thanks," and left it at that.

That was, of course, the moment that Nareish chose to interrupt. "I have some delightful news for you both. Chiefly you, Cyca. You see, I took the liberty of searching the ranks of my armies and locating your father for you. He was just so thrilled to learn that you are finally working for me, just like he always wanted." A twisted grin spread across her face. "It's too bad that your mother chose to hide away with you once you were born. Perhaps we needn't have killed her if she'd simply given you up, hm? But then she used her magic to hide you from us further even after she died… You missed out on far too many years of discipline and training, my dear."

The mere mention of her father had caused Cyca to grow even paler than she'd already been due to her injuries. This was a part of her past and heritage that she'd never told anyone about, not even Zsasha and Lior, for one very simple reason. She wasn't one for fear, but the man who had attacked her mother and used her to conceive a child (namely Cyca)… that was a man Cyca truly feared. "He's… he's dead," she blurted out in a small, shaking voice. "I watched him die. He's dead."

"Are you really so certain about that?" Nareish chuckled.

A tremor worked its way through Cyca, one of both pain and fear, and she took a slow step back while her eyes remained locked on the other woman. Then another. He can't be alive. He's dead. He's supposed to be dead.

The ticking of a clock settled into Lior's mind, the only sound he'd ever learned to use to settle himself. It helped him keep a rhythm, one that even fused with his aura to keep it from pulsing in irritation. He walked in time, second after second, before standing in front of Cyca, between her and Nareish. "This is pointless."

"Actually, it isn't," Nareish drawled. "Dear Cyca needs some training. She needed to be made aware of it as well."

Lior frowned at her and drummed his fingers against his side. "For what? Seems a bit fucking pointless for you to have waited this long." Stop, Lior. You know better than to do this.

"Her mother hid her away for a rather long time," Nareish re-explained to him in amusement. "Even after we killed the woman, Cyca remained hidden."

"You missed the point. How long have you had us under your control?" Lior pressed, taking a daring step closer. "How long have you waited just to present this information? Right when it'd be least convenient? Don't you have things you want us to do for you? Why do this now?"

"This is what she will be doing for me. Training and working within my armies as she was born to do." As Nareish said this, Cyca cringed even further away.

"I don't give a shit. This is moronic," Lior bit out, his anger tainting his tone. "She wasn't born to do anything for you."

"You're quite incorrect, Lior. This is, in fact, the sole reason why she was born. The only hiccup in the plan came when her mother decided to love her rather than scorn her as my general, her father, anticipated." Nareish chuckled softly. "But that's neither here nor there, at this point. You both have new assignments. Cyca, go and observe your prey for me. Do not let yourself be seen. Report back frequently. Those are your orders, now leave my sight." Unable to disobey no matter how much she wanted to, Cyca promptly teleported away.

Lior snarled, already working to formulate more of his plan together and trying to think of the best way to get out of this. "I hate you, Nareish."

"I'm rather glad to hear it," she chuckled. "Now, I think it's high time you visited your favorite prey item. What do you think?"

In the wake of all of this, he'd somehow managed to forget about that. He was glad to have his anger to bank on to refocus, staring at her. "Whatever it takes to not have to talk to you any longer. This is miserable enough as is."

"This will make you feel better, however temporarily," was the chuckling reply. "Much better, in fact. You know this just as well as I do."

He let out a sort of hiss. "Whatever. I already agreed."

Nareish laughed some more and teleported Quinn into the room with them. "Eat up, then. And do make sure to enjoy yourself."

Somehow, he'd forgotten that Nareish would probably watch. Lior rolled his eyes and walked up to the Babylonian, pulling him over by the neck and biting. This time he knew better, to try and control himself, but he still felt his muscles contract, gripping tighter on the man… the draw on his mind to take more and more. You can keep yourself in control… You can…

"I meant what I said, Lior," Nareish told him in amusement. "Let yourself enjoy this. Cease your attempts at resistance."

Lior tore himself away from Quinn, baring bloody fangs at her. "How the fuck do I enjoy something when you're watching with that sick, satisfied smile on your face?" He snapped, blood dripping from his teeth and lips.

"Easily," Nareish told him. "Because I am leaving… and I have ordered you. Simple as that." True to her word, for now, she up and vanished.

With her gone, he felt his body relax. The list of reasons for revenge grows. Lior turned his attention on Quinn quietly, looking at the open wound. Feeding more only expands my power, even if temporarily. I am sure she wouldn't mind if I borrowed a few drops of his blood… Before getting back to his feeding, he pressed a vial to Quinn's wound, collecting several drops of blood before returning to his source of food, relishing in the flavor of that rare magic.

Once he finished, he stashed the vial away and snapped his fingers to make the blood on his face disappear, figuring she would reappear in due time. This time, he sat Quinn down to help him cope with the loss of blood. He barely had time to finish that before Nareish reappeared with a piece of parchment in her hand. She used a bit of magic to toss it to Lior and, once he had it, said, "Your job for now is to make these potions for use in my army. You have creative freedom, of course, to make these toxins as potent as you desire. But you are not free to deliberately tamper with them or make them non-lethal. Understood?"

"I need to know who you intend to use them on," Lior argued immediately, opening up the parchment to look over it.

"Various powerful mortals," Nareish shrugged. "The last two, the most powerful ones, I would prefer to have my generals use on semi-Immortals if possible."

"Races," Lior groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. "Unless you did the research to know if a race would be immune to a certain type of poison based on biology and origin, I would need to know what they are so I can accommodate. You don't just make poisons."

"You are every bit as serious about your craft as I had hoped," Nareish laughed. A new list suddenly appeared in Lior's other hand. "There is the rest of the information you need. I took the liberty of gathering it all for you earlier."

The vampire took the list and huffed. "Spend time and get good at something that you actually give a shit about. Makes a difference in how you treat it."

Nareish gave him an amused smile. "So I can see. Now, off you go… unless you need or want anything further from me."

Lior didn't hang around, simply leaving. He didn't want to deal with the warmongering woman any more than he needed to. Still, in his head, Nareish dealt one last parting shot. "Oh, and Lior… don't worry too much about dear Cyca. Her father and I will take excellent care of her." The connection ended as soon as she finished speaking.

And thank you for reminding me of who else to find a way to murder, Lior thought to himself before setting off to work.

~保護者~

Kath was silent. Walking through the desolate wasteland Ki'aala had directed him toward, his eyes took in the environment around him. Dark clouds of smoke hung heavily in the air from this world's innumerable blazes. They raged in the distance, giving the horizon an eerie blood-red glow in every direction. Beyond that, the sky was perpetually dark. If not for his keen vision, he would have been unable to navigate through the thick, heavy air at all. As it was, his eyes were more adapted for brightness and as a result he was having to be cautious with each and every footstep.

Nothing but dirt and rock coated the ground around him… at least in terms of things that were part of the ground. There were plenty of skeletons and corpses, some ancient and some decidedly more modern. Weapons littered the region as well. He eyed every potentially promising one that he passed by but, as of yet, he'd not found one that was worth the effort to take. Most were too badly damaged. The rest were simply of poor quality to begin with. He left them all where they were.

There was a bit more to observe, anyway. Massive plateaus jutted out of the ground in various places, breaking up the monotony of this otherwise flat landscape. Some were massive purely due to their height, others due to their sheer width. Some were both. He was tempted to break off from his current task to explore a few of them, though he ultimately decided not to. He'd have plenty of time once he was finished with his contractual obligation. Besides, he'd meant it when he'd said that he was interested in seeing if he truly could do what Ki'aala had asked. It was for that reason and that reason alone that he'd agreed. Nothing more.

Gradually, he approached the approximate center of this dry and dusty environment. Even if not for Ki'aala's magical marker, he would have suspected on his own upon seeing it that this was the correct place. Though it was mostly concealed by a barrier of pure Darkness, there appeared to be some sort of enormous crater directly in front of him. Stereotypical though it was in his mind to think that this would be the sort of remnant left behind after the killing of a deity, he supposed he couldn't think of anything else that reasonably would have been there in its place. So he brushed that matter aside.

He had just about started setting to work puzzling out how to do this when an unwelcome voice barged its way into his solitude. Rather than being in his mind, however, it appeared to be echoing softly around him… no more than a whisper in the hot breeze. "Hello, Kath."

Crossing his arms, Kath glanced about the area just to be sure he was in fact physically alone. Only once he was satisfied with that did he reply. "What do you want, Nareish?"

"Would you believe that I am here to make amends?"

"I'll believe that once the Faein themselves are dead."

"That is quite impossible," Nareish reminded him pointlessly, a teasing lilt to her tone. "Point taken, I suppose. But, regardless, allow me to explain something. You have had some difficulties with your time powers, yes?" When Kath was silent, she continued. "That would be my doing, I'm afraid. I required the ability to manipulate time, and so I… shall we say, 'borrowed' them."

You bitch. Despite the fact that that was a word Kath normally would never use, it popped into his mind instantly. However, that wasn't what he said aloud to her. "Return them now."

"Oh, I will," she said with an audible smile. "In a moment, that is. You see, I have done numerous things with these powers of yours. I facilitated the abduction of Jet by Astra, specifically by creating a chamber for her to hide him within. Time passed very differently in there as opposed to elsewhere. Seconds passing for us was years for them. I did the same thing when Cyca took Sothan, though the change to the passage of time was not quite so drastic in that instance."

"Are you just here to gloat?" he demanded, already losing his patience with this. And with her.

"Not at all. I am telling you this so that you understand a bit more of what you yourself can do with your abilities. They are quite remarkable, after all." She chuckled to herself. "Speaking of which… I trust that you remember the Time Eater. I had so much fun setting that beast upon various timelines, long ago… right up until the you of this timeline teamed up with Kaden, Analia, and Locke to defeat and destroy it. I'd thought for certain at the time that sending them hurtling into the ancient past and Planet Babylon would keep them out of my hair… but you all proved me wrong. I hadn't known about the extent of your abilities until you obliterated my little pet. That was the day I stole most of the rest of your abilities. Yours, specifically, not the you of this reality. You were, what… six then?"

Kath could hear the sly smile in her voice by the end, and he scowled at nothing in particular in response. "Why bother only taking most of them?" he questioned irritably. "Why not save yourself the trouble and take them all?"

"I wanted you to survive, of course," Nareish answered frankly. "I still do. Stealing all of your powers with my Privilege and, thus, removing your latent eventual Immortality would have ended your life right then. I had no interest in that, and I still don't. I would much rather you stay alive… provided you also stay as you are now. Consider this gesture an investment into your new future."

Power rushed into him with no further warning. It flowed through his whole being, filling a vast emptiness he hadn't previously realized was even present. The return of his natural abilities also facilitated a sudden and rapid full transition from mortal to Immortal. Everything happened with so much suddenness and strength that it nearly staggered him. However, he managed to recover himself before he could actually lose his balance... somehow.

Utilizing his newfound Immortal senses, he did a sweep of the area to assure himself of one thing. Nareish's presence had well and truly left him. It was once again just him and the barrier. That fucking bitch, he thought again before putting her well and truly out of mind. He still had a job to do and, quite suddenly, immensely greater strength with which to accomplish it. Allowing his instincts alone to guide him just this once, he pressed a hand against the barrier and allowed time to flow from his palm.

The effect was nearly instantaneous. The barrier faded from existence as though it had never been. He perceived it as the crater decreased in age until it simply ceased to be. Standing in the heart of the space where that great hole had once been was a lone figure clad in nothing more than dark purple boots - so dark, in fact, that Kath at first believed them to be as black as their owner's skin. Glowing golden eyes glanced about the area until they landed on Kath. Then the man smirked… and suddenly was standing directly in front of him. "I see I have you to thank for my revival, Immortal," he said conversationally. "Ki'aala must have offered you something rather agreeable to your tastes, then."

As if he hadn't known already, this just further proved that the man before Kath was the original God of Demons… a man named Syren. The sheer malice the other demon was radiating might have bothered him in the past, but due to his own demonic nature he couldn't have possibly cared less about it. "She's waiting for you." Saying nothing further, Kath turned and began to walk away.

Syren appeared in front of him a second time. "Heh… interesting," he murmured. His smirk grew, now being quite toothy, while his eyes were focused on Kath's hip. "To think my sword would willingly choose you as its new owner… It would have slain you, for all the good that would have done, for even attempting to carry it as you are had it not accepted you wholly. You are fortunate."

"It is not as though I wouldn't have revived."

"Oh, I'm aware. That is far from the reason why I said what I did. Rather, you are fortunate to have in your possession the very highest quality demonic weapon ever forged." Syren crossed his arms and flashed Kath a grin. "Take care of it, and I too will accept this. I am eager to witness how much blood and suffering you can feed my blade. It has been much too long since either of us have tasted carnage."

As with earlier in the day, Kath found the idea of going out and killing some more to be deeply enticing. He'd been eager to get back to doing that ever since the moment he'd stopped. Only his rigid self-control had been keeping these new desires and impulses in check. Talking to another demon about slaughtering other living beings again, however, was testing that resolve somewhat. "I will do as I please regardless of whether or not you approve," he muttered, eyes narrowing slightly. "I do not take orders from you."

The God actually laughed. It was a dark and vile sound, one that could have easily struck fear into the hearts of most. Kath was unaffected. "Indeed not," Syren acknowledged. "However, I do hope you would be amenable to more mutually beneficial cooperation in the future. Such a partnership would be… entertaining."

Kath frowned, contemplating the options that lay before him. "There is little in life that one can truly control," he eventually said. "I am not one of those things. Keep that in mind and perhaps I will consider it one day."

Unperturbed, Syren circled him. His eyes roved over the now deeply unhappy hawk. Kath had no desire to submit to such an inspection. The only reason he stayed put was a passing curiosity as to where the other man was going with this conversation - if indeed he had a larger point at all. "I personally prefer darker colors," Syren told him both suddenly and pointlessly. "Purple and red, in particular. However… I am forced to admit that the gore stands out beautifully on the white of your garments." He grinned, the expression no less sinister than all the previous times he'd done so. "I cannot help but approve."

"I don't care for your approval," Kath reminded him irritably.

Syren circled around back to Kath's front and crossed his arms again. "I must say that you deal death rather exquisitely. But perhaps I could be of further assistance in such matters, hm…?" His smirk was back in full-force. "Razors, knives, swords - blades in general, really… They have so many… interesting uses. I can see that you have discovered that for yourself throughout your life. I will gladly send more weapons your way, should you ever desire them. Consider it my own sort of promise. Continue to be the cruel death-dealer that you are, with or without more weapons of mine, and I will leave you be unless I deem it necessary to do otherwise."

"You have no reason to make such a deal," Kath responded, his eyes still narrowed just that little bit. "Nor do I have reason to trust you."

A flash of Darkness answered him. Moving images filled the blackness, snippets of memories both old and young. All of them were his. All of them showed him locked in some struggle or another, usually but not always involving combat.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Syren murmured as yet more memories streamed by before their eyes. "The strife that always follows you… You conquer it well. The way you turn it all onto your enemies is a wonder to behold. You have a knack for this, Immortal." His head canted, eyes considering the sights he'd conjured up in the space between them. "This existence possesses a near-limitless capacity for pain. It truly is no inconvenience to help you bring out a little more. And as I already said… I, for one, am happy to assist you in your endeavors, whatever they may be. I will gladly facilitate you doling out any suffering you see fit wherever and whenever you see fit." The Darkness faded away, taking the visual representations of those memories with it. "Believe me or don't, that's your decision. But know that my mind is made. My opinion will not be changing."

"I don't care what anyone thinks about what I'm doing," Kath told him. "Their emotions are irrelevant, as are yours."

"Few have ever been so bold as to speak to me in such a manner." Syren's grin grew a touch wider. "First Ki'aala, then my daughter, and now you… You truly are shaping up to be an interesting acquisition, Immortal."

Kath instantly bristled at the idea of being acquired by someone. "I do not belong to you," he bit out. His control slipped a bit, then, and he unintentionally gave into a demonic impulse by issuing a crass threat. "Try to claim otherwise and I will slit your throat and leave you to choke to death on your own blood."

Syren laughed openly, though it didn't seem to be because he disbelieved Kath's words. "I suppose I'll have to take that threat seriously, won't I? Only my daughter and Ki'aala were ever worthy of having the chance to end my life… and only after I spent many countless eons honing their strengths and intellects. I groomed them both from the beginning to potentially take my role from me one day. No one else will ever kill me. I refuse to allow it." He laughed again despite his words and added, "You might just have to be the sole exception to that little rule of mine."

"I don't care," was all Kath said. Internally, however, he replied a bit more than that. I don't give a shit about you or your games. I'm fucking bored again. Leave me be so I can return to what I was doing.

Almost as if he knew Kath's thoughts, Syren continued. "I do so love finding entertainment in the spilling of someone's blood," he said. "I will always relish the extreme pain and horror I have inflicted upon others. I sense that you are much the same as me in that regard. Go, then. Have your fun. I will bother you no further on this day."

Scoffing, Kath teleported away to the demonic world he'd been raising hell on prior to Ki'aala interrupting him. There were many other demons to slice his way through. Powerful demons. Clever demons. The idea of pitting himself against them was already enticing enough, but the idea of being able to do that with a real sword in his hand (as opposed to the energy-based one he'd conjured up the last time) was downright exciting. The simple act of imagining what it'd be like to feel real metal tearing into flesh sent an errant thrill through him.

Though resolved to get these feelings fully under control, and soon, for now he supposed he could allow himself to indulge in this once more. After all, it wasn't like he had anything better to do. Certainly nothing else even remotely as desirable as this. So, drawing his new weapon, he wandered off in search of a good fight.

In his place clacked heel-like feet on the hardened ground, a familiar sound to Syren. How long it had been since such a noise graced the deity's ears, followed by a similarly recognizable voice and presence. "My, Syren, you almost look excited," Ki'aala laughed, hands on her hips. "How pleasant it is to see you again."

"I approve of the man you corrupted, Ki'aala," Syren told her with a dark smile in lieu of a greeting. "I looked into his eyes and I saw nothing. His are impure eyes that love no one."

Sharp teeth morphed into a wicked grin on the demoness's face. "Truly. Much of his family are Immortals, as well. I risked a lot to get him."

"As I would expect." Syren prowled over to her, leaned in close, and carefully took in her scent with his sensitive nose. "You appear to be a far worse person now than you once were. I approve of that as well."

"Careful now, Syren," she boldly cautioned. "I've encapsulated a lot of myself with black magic over the years. I wouldn't dare make you smell such abhorrent things."

Syren leaned back with a low chuckle. "Speaking of magic… I'd intended to ask the Immortal what manner of contract you both signed. What are your restraints this time?"

"Hate me if you will for this, but I assured him that I would prevent specific influence by you, from such things as your existential role," Ki'aala chuckled, offering an uncaring shrug. "A minor enough restraint, truly. I've also managed to shed many of my older contracts by bearing the weight of punishment or unbinding them. Truly a troublesome thing, but to have the weights removed…" She let out a pleased noise.

"It is rare that I come across a demon so unwilling to submit," Syren mused. "As I told him… he may have to be my newest exception to the rules of my little game." Chuckling to himself, he began walking away from his ancient death site. "I intend to keep an eye on him. A close one. The promise he shows is great."

Ki'aala let out a sort of hum, offering another shrug as she followed. "If he kills you, I'll find a way to banish his soul to the Realms of Death, my own life be damned. I would not submit in the same way to him as I do you, even if you accept him."

"A heartwarming gesture, Ki'aala, but quite impossible." Syren summoned his second-best sword to himself and strapped it to his waist. "There are other reasons why I am interested in that one, anyway. Reasons that might catch your eye as well." She clicked her tongue, then inclined her head to him. "As you should recall, the ancient Babylonians used to be a rather war-like race, owing to their rivalries with the Therians and Erukti. It is part of why we were successful in corrupting some of them during those early eras."

She made a noise in reply at first, then motioned for him to continue. "Your point?"

Impatient as ever, I see. Amused to no end, Syren kept walking and resumed his explanation. "There were some families we didn't manage to steal anyone from, despite their potential. Prior to my death, I was keeping an eye on them to see how they developed from one generation to the next. And since no one ever successfully put me into Hell, I continued to do so off-and-on after I died. His family was one of them. His lineage is nothing but warriors, soldiers, intellectuals, mages, assassins, beast tamers, and more. And they still carry within them the very same potential for animosity and violence that drew us to their ancestors to begin with. He is no exception, as his teenage years proved in spades. That man was effectively bred for this life, Ki'aala."

"On the same note, he had grown quite accustomed to his life before corruption, as had the ones who care about him. They will stop at nothing to get to him back." Ki'aala didn't truly sound concerned, and she wasn't. In fact, a small smile crept onto her face. "The one to be concerned about is Jet. I have tested myself against the adoptive child of Kath's."

"My snooping into her realm seemed to suggest that Nareish has plans of her own," Syren shrugged. "Whatever they are, they appear to encompass many of our mutual enemies. That should keep the Immortals plenty busy and, thus, away from our own activities. At least for a time."

"I have every intent of collecting our old friend, Saethrim," she murmured, as if others might be listening. "Or killing him. I haven't decided. It wouldn't be terribly hard to pin a newfound Immortal into an eternal loop of death."

"Indeed not. That would allow me to resume where I left off in corrupting vast swaths of his mythical beings as well." Syren thought it over and then said, "I would prefer a death-loop. I do not wish to waste energy fighting to control that beast of a man."

"What? Believe yourself incapable of handling it?" Ki'aala teased, joking playfully. This earned her a dry look and a raised eyebrow. Had he been even somewhat less tired (as Kath had rewound time only enough to restore Syren's life, not to fully heal his injuries or fatique from the battle he'd had), he would have freely played along. However, he tended to get less chatty even with Ki'aala when he was in need of rest. She waved him off, then chuckled. "Oh, relax. Go tend to yourself. I have some problematic potential issues to quell before they arise."

"One final thing, Ki'aala," he said to stop her from immediately taking off. He crossed his arms and fixed her with a rare serious look. "I have plans of my own to enact. Do not question me on them now. I will explain myself when I deem it necessary. Am I understood?"

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Simply do not blame me if my actions interfere, as I am woefully uninformed of what my demonic lord wishes." Ki'aala then smirked, turning her glowing gaze to him. "As long as that is acceptable, I will not."

"Good." Saying nothing else, he unfurled the wings on his back. They were the same color as the rest of him and looked like large, tattered bat wings. Unlike with bats on Mobius, however, his were a proportionately proper size for his body. With a powerful downward push, he soared off into the sky and soon disappeared into the distance.

The woman watched him go, taking an easy glance over the god's body for just a moment and delighting herself with her imagination. Everything falls into place. With his exit, she took it as her time to leave as well, waving a hand and creating a mass of sensors over various different planets with her magic, just to monitor things before she made her move. Why not stay informed?

After all… she finally had a proper God to serve. She would be damned if she wasted that chance.

~保護者~

19,640 words this time. Sorry for the delay, but many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all his help and support. A quick explanation: near as I can tell based on my Googling, peely-wally = pale and sickly, and/or unwell and tired. It's also used to tease people with a lack of a sun tan. Hopefully that's accurate, haha. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Posted (at about 5:00 p.m.) 01-10-25.