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W̴͕̺̳̦̳͉̙̣͇̪̳̺̮̽̆̔̊̏̿͒͑͊̾͆̀̏͝ͅh̷̟̟̪̱͕͖̯̹̠̗̖̪͔̊ͅa̴̢̨̺̻̭̬͕͔̦̞̖̮̘̻̾́̈́̏̒̑̔͛̀̃̏̎͊͘ͅt̴͔͚͖̗͖̖̭͓̀̈́̈̋̈̌̈́͊͋̕'̵̛̘̺͍̤̞̰̓̀͊̅̐̄̽͗̒̽͌̽͘͠ṣ̸̦̤̥̚͜ ̴̟̙͈͚̮̇̉̓͆̈́̌̎̕͝͠w̷͈̍̽͘r̶̡͕͇̝̳̬͖͉͓͇͖̻̭̰̈̿͒̆̉͒̌̇̉͒̅̉̕ő̶̢͕̥̺̣̬̮̣̺͈̙͙̥̗͚́̅̈́n̷̢͙̤͎̙̜͙̺̝͚̝̩̄̔̇̊ģ̷̧̫͚͔͚̠̇́͌͊́̃̽̑͑̋̔̄̔͘͝,̷̖͍̺͚̰͓̟̙̳̠̯͖̠̓̽̀͊͛́̈̀̚͝ͅͅ ̸͇̘̝̺̬̙͚̥̺̅̿͊̃̑́͘J̵͎̻̖̃͗́̈́̌̽͠a̶̢͉͈̲̝̱̺̱̻̟̭͕̳̺͔̐͂̅̂̅͊̓̂̃̕̚͝ī̸̢̤̼̳͓̫̺̯̱̲̒́̎̅̈͑̉͐͌͘ͅl̶̟̬̭̟̲̩͚̲̋̓̀́̌͗̓̽̔̇̊́͜͝͝e̶̡̛̝̖͓̫̣̱̪͐̉͑͑̈́͆r̷̙̣̥̟̳̮̯̫̗̤̟̘̯̲̙͌̈́̇̌́̊͝͠͝?̵̡̢̱͇͙͖̘͙̏́̐ ̶̹̣̃͊͋̾̿̀̀̏͐̈́̐̉̒͛̈́N̶̡̢̰̤̥̝͈̖͖̤͋̀̈́̇͑͐̈́͜͝ͅo̴̝̠̦̥͓̮̲̓͋̈̓̌͆t̴̤̰͔͚̲̰͙̼̹̫̳͕͛̌̋͒́̔́̈́̽̽̏̀̋̏ȟ̵̡̠̙̫͍̠̖͕̝̯̘̖͓̫̽ĩ̶̡̢̨̢̛̜̥̪͇̎̀̈́͆͌̅͆̎̋̀n̷̰̱̰͒͑́̆̒̕g̷̛̬͍͖͂̃̍̊̆̄̀͆͐̄́͘ ̴̛̬̹̞͕͇̱̓̑̈̋̋̇̈́͐͘̚ț̵̉̀͊͊̇̃̓̑͋͌̿͐͆̚͝ơ̴̼̳͕̲͈̖̲͈͜ͅ ̷̡̨̻̥̙͉̜̟̯͇̘͖̐͜ŝ̴̡̧̈̂̄̾̅̈́́͗̕͘͝a̷̼͔͖̥͚͔̞̝͕̝̫̘̩͛͆̆̈̊̊̀̋̉̿̍͘̕͜ỹ̷̢̛͓̀̄̋̀̿͒͊͆̍̍̾ͅ?̴̠̦͚̲̈̑̈̎͒̓̓͛̉̊͗̓͝
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C̴̡̗͉̺͕̽̓̈́̎͌͊͐̓̀͛̚o̸̜̳̪̱͙͇̜͉̫̍̓̎̾̈́m̸̡̡̛͎̗̖̪̯̰̦̙͓̬͍̐̋̄̓͆̔̐̈́͐͜è̸̛̻̗̭̝̱̮̜̙̙̮̿̊̽͋̔͊͌͑̎͝͠ͅ ̶̖̭̀̇͑̄̌͗́̍n̴͇̝̺̟̖͈̻̙̖͓͓̗̝͚̔̇͒̿̇̍̈͐͝ͅǫ̷̛̯̙͍̺̲̗̲̂̔́͒̀̓̅̆̏̊̚̕ͅw̷̛̺͚͈̪͚͔͛͌̐͑̀̐͂̒͊̈́͗͛.̴̡̜̥͎̲͈̤̯͙̣̝̯͓̆̅̉̒̀̈́͊̀͘͘ͅͅ ̷̨̡̧̩̩͇́̆́Y̷̞̙͕͚̯̹̗̪̫̤̫͒̓̇̀̂̈́̿͑̈́̎̅͌̚͝ô̷͇̝͎̤̣̼͕͛̀̃͊̏͌̋̈̃̀ų̸͖̠̙̭͚̫̼̝̲̝̣͖̈́̄̍̌̕͝ ̶̨̬̠̖̤̱̼̦͔̖̹̏̕͝m̶̲̗̹͚̟̗͚͍̙̻̩̫͍͈̎̾̐̃̃̕u̴̫̰̙̤̠͎̱͍̗̰̪͔̲͌̾̓͠͝͝ͅs̶̢̛͓͔͚̺͉̅̀̑̾̓̏̽͑͒̈́̈́̉̑t̴̼̾̽̈́͆̽͛̅͌̾̈̓͘͝'̶̼̳̟̼͙̟̝̲͙͔̬̲̣̔̾́̒̓̄̽̈́̇̀͑́͋̿͠v̵̧͈̹̪͉̻̬̘͖͖̩̑̅̀̒̽͊̚ͅẹ̵̓̊͋͠͠ ̶̢̢̪̪̗̱̞̠̮͙̻̮̞̩̃͛̀͆̿̈́̀̄͋̾͐̑̀̚͝h̷̳̽͆̅́̽͊͐͠͝á̷͚̮ḑ̶̛̭̮̜̲̼̗̙͈̤̭̙̩̟̋͗͒̂͌̚ ̷̢̨̦̙̮̜͇͕̜̥̾̐̑͒̊̑̈́͛͆̈́̿̒͘͜͝͝ͅš̷̡͔̺͓̘̲̱͍͖́̊͊̔́̀ǫ̴̠̘̥͍͇̯̫͍̈́͊̂͌͛͐̊͛͒̉̽͘͝ḿ̴̻̙͔͓̣̟͇̆͝ȩ̸̝̭͇̥̮͖͉̩̲̈́͂̈́̈̂̀͜ ̸̧̥͓̥̹̪̟̣̃r̴̡̛͕̰͉̜̟̥̼̭͗̀̎̆́̒̎̇̈́͘̕̚͝ͅȩ̶̻̫̻̰̬̬̯͙̺͎͍̘̄̾̎̈́̓͘ͅͅa̶̡̢̡͖̫͙̠̯̮̘̟̩͓̰̓͑̄̋̇̔͒̂̏͐͂̍̀͘͝ͅs̶̛̼͇͓̹̖̀̊̌͛͌̊͛̾̑̃̆̈́́͠ǫ̸͍͓͙͋̔͑͜n̷̢̢͓̻̯̫͎̤̺̥̝͉͍̺͕̎̏̋̈͂͋ ̵̨̧̛̞̝̩̯̩͎͙̬̫̻͛̑͂͘f̴̬͈̬͓̜̬̭͠ŏ̶͉̋̆̊͊̉̈̌̀́͂͛̅r̷͔̟̙̟̣̪̲̪̦̖͕̥̩̗͊̀̍̍̅͜ ̷̢̢̢̮̱͔̼̦̥̲̬̫̥̝̆̌̆́͐̕͝v̶̡̭̖̘̰̰̪̫͎͆͜ḯ̵̢͖̤̥̍̑̚s̸̲̐̎i̴̧͓̥͚̟͕̭̇̎̀̈́̋́̒͊́̏̑͝͝ͅt̷̨̻͕̱̦͉͖̞̎̊͝i̵͍͈̙͔̣̜̱̓͌̒͑͂̅̆̚n̷̠̩͓͈̰̾g̷̨̰͕͚̹̤͂̿̓̅̈͋̓̕ͅ ̵̡͖̦͈̮̣̩̲̌̓̏́̀̉̕ų̵̛̗̭̻͙̟̣̼̜̟̦̅͛͌̊̀̊̇́͜ş̷̗̭̟̈͛͠?̷̡͖̜̟̻̯͋
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P̴̻͌̓̀̋̈́̉̀͌͝ͅẹ̵̬̗͇̤͋̿͜͠͝r̵̡̙̰̺͙͓̞̺̘̳̦͔͈͉̫͋́̃͆͋͌̃̓͊̑͝h̸̘̹̍̐̋̌͊̉̕å̴͈͕̼̩̭̱͖̉̒̀̌̈́͗͘͝͝p̴̻̞̫̤̠͉̠̱̤͕̄̈̀̂͒̎̋̚͘͘͠͝ş̷̬̲̦̖͈͙̈̀̓̉̕ ̷̧̨̻̙͔̝͇̗̼̩̙̪̟͂͊̓͆̏͋͌͒́̐̆̚̕͝͝ͅy̴̢̢͓̦̝̩̤͚̹͙͕̻̞̺͎͋̀͑̄͛̓̃̐̄̊͠ö̷̡̝͚̠͓̼͉̼́̀̃̊͒̽̌̇̄̽͂͂̈́ǔ̶̥̟̝̱̬̯͕̫̬̼͚̃̊̊̈́̆͒͑̅̓̒̐̕͜͝ͅ'̸̡̛̮͚̻͙̟̭͓͕͇͎̭̹̘̝̑̍̀͊v̴̢̟͎̘̯̙̰̹͈̹͙͛̈̽͐̋̈́͝͝e̴̡̳͇͓̭͉͉̹̥̦͎̠͕̯͔͛̀͊̓͌̓̾̔̇́̅̓͋͘͘ ̵̢̨̦̠̬̼̻͓̮̪͉͎̮͔̼̃͠f̷̭͉͇̦̭̈͒͋͂̎̇̽̎̚̚͜͝i̸̢̨̪͖̲̿͗̈́͆̒́͌̀̊̀̚n̷̲̘̬̲̭̂̑́͊͋͑̀͝ą̶̢̳̗̻̬̦͈̠̰̣̒̽͗͊̚ḷ̵̡̛͍̗͚͈̯͕̯̥͎̱̦̾͗̊͝ͅl̴̢̲̪̞̺̰̙̺̪̲̟͔͗͜͠ẏ̷̛̪̂̉͌̂̍̓̈́̓̓̏̒ ̸̖͕̒͐̈́͋̊͐̓̍̅͛̍̌ć̸̛̥̮̦̳̫͙͉͔͈̙̦̳̇͌̇͊̃͑͝ͅo̸̡̨̢͕͚̻̣̖͉̘̤̪̖͙͋̄̍̽͛̏͆͆̽̈͆̋̿̿̑ḿ̷̡̘̤̤̥͕͈̮̬̒̾͑͌̏͌́̈́͑̉ę̴̿̀͒̎͗̊̑͠ ̴̻̇͑̌̂̂́́́́̌͘͘ḁ̵̢̡̢̧̰̜̬̝͕̻̀̍̀́͘r̷̡̧̫̻̺̳̳͕̥̬̼̦͑̅̀͠ơ̷͉͙̩̜̩̄̀͆̽̂ų̸̟̞̺͐͒́͗̓̃͆̇̚͝n̶̰̻͈̺̭̑̂̐̽͑͊̈̇d̵̲̬͍̰̟̀̉̐̆͑͂̌͘̚̕ ̴̡͖͕̘̰͔̙́̀̊̍̎̌̓̀̂͠͠t̶̨̛̛̗͇̳͗̈́́̃̾̊̓̿͂̑̇͑̓͜o̵̜̓̿̍̽ ̸̘͖͖͇̘̰̺͔͇͔̝͇̮̈́̽̈́͂͝ỏ̶̧̟̜͈̣̲͒̾͗̿́̎͗̔͊͌̂͜ͅu̴̪͓̮͖̝͍̿͌̓͆͑̂͑̏̓̌͗͑̚͜͝r̶̺̈͌͂̉̒̔͜-̶̧̜͎͕̜̼͑͆̈́́̉̑̽͠
Stop talking like that.
W̷̲̼͂̔̍͆̿̿̇̔̃̇̓̽͑͗́ẖ̵̛̥͙͙̜̱̙̪̪̤͍͍̙̪̈̍̓̈́̍̑́̇̅̎͝â̸̛̦͎̥̰̰̤̹̫̫̘̮̘̏̾̃̔̃̒̎̈́̐̀̂͌ͅţ̴̤̥̎́̂e̷͍̓̓͊̊̉v̶̡̧̹͙̟̗̗̈͌̌͂̽̈́̍̚͜͜͝e̸̢̛̦̣̩̩͚͕ͅr̸͉̯̘͙̥̜̤̯͋͒̑̅̀̄͆͗̑̚͝͝ ̴̗̯̤͕̳͖̟̮̯̣̘̝͆̽̀͋͠d̵̬͙͈̻̟͙̥̮̥͍̘̤͓͂͋͆̀͊̉̐̐͗̉̏͌̅͘ờ̷̢̫̤̻̤̖̣̣̀͌͌́̃͑͛͂͐̂̈́͜͜͠ ̸̧͎̬̇̂y̸̡̨̬͖̹̙̘̻̫̯̤͖̏͜͝͠͠ͅo̷͈̱͚̹̹͈̼̲͆̐͛͜ụ̷̡͚̙̥͕̯͍̞͈̖̒̉̓̿̏̈́̍̔̈͜-̵̢̛̞̣̯̀͊̃͜
I know you all can speak normally. So cut this crap out. I'm not in the mood for it.
...Fine. Spoilsport. What do you want? We were busy before you came here.
Busy doing what? You're all stuck down here for eternity.
What you believe is eternity. And we were doing something very important. One of us discovered a new way to-
I don't care. I need to ask you all something important.
Touchy today, aren't we? Hmph. Would we be correct in assuming this has something to do with our cousin?
"Cousin?" So she is related to you?
Using mortal terminology, yes. More specifically, we share a common ancestry, but have such diluted blood that we're only tangentially related. Only about .00000001% of our existence is similar to hers.
But she is like you?
In a sense.
Then she can be trapped, down here? Like you all?
...You...you seek to...imprison our cousin...in the Abyss?
It's the only way I can think of to stop her for good. Killing her does nothing, she'll just come back from the dead. We can't corrupt her, as she destroys all Mana that enters her body. I don't know if Mind Control would work, as she seems particularly willful. That only leaves imprisoning her forever. And if she's similar to you, then what we did to you should work on her, right?
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Right?
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Say something, damn you!
...Heh. Heheheheheheheheh. Hahahahahah̴͈̘͓̝̙͙̗̭̦͙̱͖͍̿͐́͂͌̑̆̔̈́͘͝a̸͈̥̘͑̂̊͗͛̊̂͋̈̀̕h̷̢̗͙̥͚̯́̐̒̿̋̂̂̒͐͑͘ͅả̵̹̖̮̳̪̬͚̥͕͍̠̦̋͋̽̇͘h̶̫̪̲̳̀̒͊̿̀̀̀̀̾͒͌̃ą̶̨̩̱̘̞̣͎̱͉̝̬̼͆̀̓ͅh̶̢̺̘̠̤̯̗͚͈̭̅̀̍͜ẫ̶̢̛͖̗̺̠̦̬͈̣̳̝̇̊̾͌͆̀̓̄̎͜͠ͅ.̴̢̡̨̛̠̳̳͉͖͕̠̊̀̒̑͘ ̸̛̙̯̽̌̆̀̎̌͝AH̷̱̹͇̟̠͖̱̤͈̱̔̒̋̿͒̉̈́̚͜͜͝ͅĄ̴̛͚̭̦͖̻͈̤̻̻͈̼͔͗͌̈́͋̍̃̔̇̎́̕͠H̸̝̽̀̔̂̊̈́̈̒̄̐͐͘Ẳ̷̢̡͕͎͗̓͊͐̿ͅḤ̶̠̙̗̩̈̆́̒̃̆́͌̕͜Ạ̸̣͍̳̭͐̚H̴̡̩̅Ḁ̵̡̨̺͙̗̜̩̺̻͊̔̐̈́̏̉H̷̢̡͖͖̗̫͑A̷̧̮͚̙̭̗̣̭̼̝̥̼̯̞͋̀ͅḦ̵̡̨̡̛͔̲̮̰́̅̍͆̽͌̀̕À̶̱̦̞̜̔̂͑̈́͋̉̾̅̏̈́̐̏͘͝ͅH̶̡̡̨̡͙̭̗͍̤̮͎͓̬͍͐Ą̵̮̮͍̳͍̻͓͇̗̽̂̿͒͌̌͗̓̚͘͘͝͝H̶̨̡̧͖̘̖͍̩̗̯̯̰̀̄̈̎̈́̇̇́̄͑͜Ą̷̢̹̥̭̯̳͎̻̱̲̝̀̅͝H̵̭̭̠̺͔͔͛̽̽̔̚A̴͍͚̝̩̱̲͎̺̭̻̪͖̖͖͇̽̓̈́̐̃̕Ĥ̴̗̦̪̫̖̙̥̼̹̈́Á̵̢̢͇͛̾̊̀̿͌̊͘̕H̵̠̬͇̤̤͉͂͐̓͗̈́̿̾̃̈̊̅͋͠Ǎ̶̢̛̮͔̥̗͇̭̘̺̳̯̪͈̲̜͛̏̆̋̋͝H̴̛̘͉̼̹̙͈͈̗̉̌̂͐̌̋͌̏̚͝Ą̷̣͙̲̼̠̭̭̘̈̈́̊̽Ḩ̷̖̣͚̠̦͍͈̉ͅÂ̶̛̻̤̥̏͗̀̂̄̒͑̏͒̚H̶̘̯͔͙̒̃̓̓́̋̄̊̿̅̈́̚͜͝ͅA̴̧̮̪̬͓̽̄͠H̵̛̫̽͆͊̒̅̅͂̓̏̌̐̃͝Ạ̴̡̻͈̲̗̹̬̥̲̈́Ḧ̷̛̛̱̳̮͕̩̟̦̥̙̹́͗̂̈͆͂̊̄̌̚̚͝͝A̷̧̨̩̩̼̪̥͙̫̩̻̭͒̑͑̂̀̈́̇́̿̀͊̽̾̉͘ͅȞ̷̠̳͖̒A̶̧̞̟̻͍̦̭̗̱̭̓͌͒́̂͂̔͂H̵̛͙͔̰̗͖̟̮͗͆̃̇̓͗̆͂͐͝͠ͅA̵̰̦̝̱̲̾̏͌̈́͌̃̽̒͆̇̌͘̕̕͝H̴̺̪̠̪̩̰̾̆̒̐̉̈́͂̈́͘͘͝Ã̴̛͋͌̽̂̓͆̊͊̈́̕ͅH̶̡̧̡̨̱͇͚̭̠̖̥̑̈́͑͋̓̐̀̓̐̆̍͘ͅͅÄ̴͖̝̙̜́̎̓̓̅̌͊̾͋̈́͗̔̾͐͜͜H̴̭̼̓̀̈́̇̓͒̈́̂͝A̷͓͙͇͉͊͛̏͆͆̀̆͊ͅḨ̵̧̮̭͉̉̾À̷̬̻̺̱̥Ḧ̸̛̳͍̍̃̏̓̉̐͌̇̕̕͝A̵̧͎̜̹̤͎̥̻͓̤͓͙̱͑̾͑̑̈́̈́̋̓͋H̸̢̡̞͔͚͉̺̜͉̜̍̅̑̎͘͘̚ͅĄ̷̛̱̥̗̙̺̰̼͊̽̔͑̏̆̒̕̕!̵̺̯̰͕̤̫͙̒̅̃̂̽̈́̄͗́͌͌̇͘͠
Are you...are you laughing at me?!
Ha-s-stop it! We-we can-hahaahahahahahaha! Hey! Hey, everyone else! Come listen to this! Our Jailor, thinks that she can imprison our cousin! Yeah, the Lady Of The Moon. She Who Embodies The Stars Themselves! The Jailor thinks she can imprison her!
What? Is it so far fetched!? It worked on you all!
Yes! It did! Because we are a part of this world!
What do you mean?
Jailor. Though our existence is one that can't be understood nor comprehended by the mortal world, it is still one that is tied to this one. We are still beholden to the rules of this reality. Why do you think we took the form of Mamono when The Great Spell was cast? Though we may not be fully under the command of a Demon Lord, we are still effected by her actions. The Divine Magic used to imprison us relies on this connection. If we were not of this world, then these bindings would do little to keep us still. We could break them with but a thought.
So...what exactly are you saying?
That, if you were to use the same methods you used to imprison us on our cousin, then she would only be mildly inconvenienced. After all, she has already broken the rules of this world. What are bindings that operate off those rules to her?
Well then...can you kill her?
Excuse us?
You said it yourselves. You're cousins. If so, then you would be able to put her down for good, right?
...Perhaps. If she were brought before us in this Abyssal Prison of ours, then we could try.
Perfect. I know just how to get her-
But there is one caveat: We will need to be released from our bonds.
What?! Why?!
So that we may fight at our full power.
You would need that much strength to fight her?
You are asking us to face off against one of our cousins. One who's domain is the Heavens that rest above this world, and whose power is unshackled. Believing that we could defeat her while our bonds are still intact is the height of foolishness.
Are you indirectly calling me a fool?
Yes, Jailor. We are.
Not even denying it.
There is no need to deny the truth.
Well then what makes you think that'll let you win against her?
Domains, dear Jailor. Our cousin's domain is the Stars Above. While she is among them or beneath their light, her power will be at its fullest. But here, deep beneath the rolling waves, where even the Light Of Hope does not reach, that is our domain. If we were to face her here with no chains to hold us, then we would be able to inflict our full might upon her body and soul. Granted, the battle would likely cause natural disasters as a consequence, but that is a small price to pay for victory.
...
So, Jailor. What do you say?
...No. It's not worth it. There has to be another way.
As you say. Then we have, two other possibilities.
Tell me.
The first is to find her home. Beings such as her all have a realm they call home. Much like yourself. Should someone enter that place, and defeat her there, then she would be felled for good. However, they will be facing her in her own domain. Where she is strongest.
Hmm...alright. That's going on the back burner. And the second idea?
Leave her alone.
Excuse me?
We have been observing our cousin from our imprisonment. We have seen her actions upon this world. We have watched as she has gathered others to her side. And we have concluded that the best way to deal with her: Is to leave her alone. She does not wish for conflict. She does not wish to rule this land. She does not wish to kill. She simply wishes to live. Within her home. With her children, her friends, and her closest companion.
...
If that is what she wishes, then who are we to get in her way? If she is left alone, she will not fight us. She will not destroy the world that you hold dear. She will not step beyond her bounds and threaten the very fabric of our reality. Thus, what is the harm in letting her have what she wishes to have?
...No. I can't do that. She's too dangerous. The things she can do...they'll ruin everything.
Ah, yes. The Demon Lord's Plan. That must take precedent over everything else. Isn't that ȓ̸̫̪̼̠͉̺̘̤̟̰͖̉̀̄̓͛̊̅͛͛̕͝ͅǐ̸̡̮̲̀̒̽̃̊̈́̚g̵̺͔̩̜̣̰͎͛͐̏̑́̍h̵̫͍̤̣͍̙̺̓̓̎ͅt̷̝̬̥̤̪̦̫̩̣̝̜̤͚̤̄̂͋̌͆̄̐̓,̸̨̢̗̰̰̳͔̳͚̼͖͔̿͐̎̊̆̇̊͜ ̸̨̻̼̥͚̯̜͚̗̬̉̒̌̓͊ơ̷̞̦͋͋̍̉̄͑́̒̈́ͅų̶̧͓̼̫̱̝͈͓͖͈͖͉͊̋̿̿͛̿͐̕ͅr̴̨͉͍̗̹͔̥͎͉̯̬̍̓̅ ̵͕̜̱̤̲̩̦̲̰͊̂̒̐̀̏̑͂͐̚J̵̘̤̻͈̟̪͍̳̗̫͎̪̏̈́ͅa̷̧̨̖̫̼̭̣͔̥̻̓̈́̋͊̈̕̚͜ͅi̷̧͒̀̐̋̌̆͠͠ļ̵̟̑̾̽̋̑̓͘̕͝ó̵̢̖̳͎̥̻̳̝͉̙̜̖̱͌̇͊͗͜r̵̨̟̯͉͉̰͋͘?̵̺̜͕͒̆̃̑̑̐͆̈́̚
I told you to stop talking like that.
Y̴̡̢̛͙͔͚̋̈́̐͋̏e̷̛̔͛̽́̄͆̀̈́̈́̍͋̽͝ͅs̷̝̤͙̺͓̝͓̙͇̿͛́͊̆͛͋̏͑́̇͛̕̕͝,̷̦̰̮̲́̀͗̓̋͗͂̌́̑̅͘͠͝ ̶̺͖͈̙̲̊̓̿a̴̡̢̱̫̬̼̮̮̩̘̍́͊̕n̴̦̺̭͎̞̠̽̑̈́́͝͝d̵͔͔͓͛̎͑͌̽͆̏̋́̆͘͠ ̸̫̭̞̹̥̣̀̋͝ẇ̵̢̭̗̞̤̤̺̩͈̺̭̓̃̚ͅe̸̡̧̘͔̞͖̬̼̥̝̯͋ͅ ̶̩̣͕͇̞̯̹̤͚͋̒͋̂̀̾d̵̡͓̦̞̥̺͉͇̱͉̝͖͐͆̂́̽̅̓͑̒͆̊̄̀̃̚i̸̪̳͎̗̟̠̯͓̤͖̜͇̒̌́͒̇̄̇͗͌̿̃͂̊d̵̡̖͍͍̦̤̼̝̘͕͚͎͍̐́ͅ ̵̡̼̙̙̳̟̻͖̲̦͈͈̦̬̀̒s̷̺̳̹͉͖͓̝̚͜ö̸͚͚́͂͑̐͛̐̈́̀̽̏͛̈́̚ ̴̧̪̖̙̈̃͌̄͘̚ą̸̥̘͈̭̘̩̤͕̠̍̆̓̊̒̿̅̽͒́͝͝s̸̨̼̰̖̘̬͎̙͎̩̣͔͎̀̋͐̆̂͆͐͝ ̷̛̗̲̹̹͉͙͕̬̪̩͍͍̺̎̃͛̎̅̈͗̾͋͆͆͐͘͝ͅw̶̧̛̠̙̩̭̎̔̎̒̾͋̊͛͘͝ë̸͉̻͙̱͚͍̠́͗̍́̃̌͜ͅͅͅ ̸̢̢̨͖̪̖̣͈̥̱̪͋́̀̂́̌͒̇̏͋͑́͌̉k̵͉͖̠̻̟̪͋̐̆́̋͆̋̊̒͜n̸̨̧̡͈̤̺̺͔̠̹̐̀̎͒͐ě̷̱̬̯͕̻̯̙͔̼̣͙̗̽̆͑w̶̢̡̗̜̔̿͗̀̓̚̚͝ ̵͕̳̜͔͎̺͇̝̉̉̒̿̕̚͜͜͝͠ͅỹ̶̡̢̨̩͚̝̬̹̯̰̜̯̯̰̂͐͗͐̔͌͂͠ō̵̭̊̓̀̾̉͗̓͘ú̴̡̪̅̽̔̾͋͑̒ ̴̡̙̱̙̰̬̟̳̥̙͉̰͎̮̱͛̓̈́̒̓͌̉̒̈́̈́̏̔͆̚w̷͕̰͙̝͌o̸̹͕̪͚͓̜̺͙͖̘̭̞̲̖̾̈́͠ͅu̴̧̡̼̠̲̟̦̤̦̜̪͐͜l̷̜͓͋͗͊̆͂̉̊ḏ̸̨̨̨̠͚̣͙̗̮̯̙̝̤̑̏̍̋͜ ̷̨͎̪͍̭̳̮̲̼̠͉̘̠͐̌l̴̠̻̗͖̣̫̤̥̙̞̎͊̇̀́͋i̶̝͐̉̒̇̅͋̆̎́ş̵̢̩̳͇͕̖̻̪̅̈́̑̎́̅̔̅͐͌t̴̤͖͎͆̽̈́͆̉͑̕͝e̶̢̥͖͎̲̝͕̹̝͋̑n̷̢̪͈̼̖͎̹̹͊̈̀̀̃̇̍̎̈͜ ̴̨͎̳̩̳̞͍̂̈́̿t̷̨̟̦̤̣͍̩̙͓̫̿͛͜͝o̷̡̫̗̘͓̗͓̠̩̹̳̠͑͗̓̈́̒̊̉͠͝ͅ ̵̘̩̭̗̭̠̝̯͖͈̬̳̮̓͑͗̓̆̓̀̃̍̃͒̋̈́́̕ừ̶̙̱̠̬͚̖̖̣͕̞̖̫̮͒͋̅̀̀̿͛́s̷̡̛̗̼̞͇̮͚̜̟̻̻̣̝͔̑̊͗́͌̄̿͑̿͌̋.̴̢̛͔̰̟͍͇͔͙͖̜͉͎̇̀͌̂̋́̀̄͘͜͝͝ ̷͝ͅṆ̶̕o̵̡̟͔̮̘̳̯̾͒́̅̓̌͜w̷̧̡͔͉̮̲̫̠̖͇͕̫͕͚͙̓̑̆̋̓̔̓̚,̴͙͉͇̜̯̥̜̟̳̠̣̤̾̉͒͒̈́̏̕ ̴̺̈́̿̿͌̓̿̓́̌́̈͘͝y̸̨̢̜̮̹͎͈͖̖̪̺̫͊͒͝o̶͇̹̞̙̩͈̼̭̳͒u̸͇͐̀͋̚ ̶̱̣͎̞̞̫̭̮̲͆̈́̑͌͋ͅh̸͉͉͔͓̰̹͊͂͊͐̿â̴̢̧̡̧̱͇̘͕̭̪͚̐ͅv̵̨̛̝̠͈̯̼̦̭̣͉͊͌̈́̀͒͗̀̆̆̀e̶̛͚̝̜̰̦̞̺̼͕̫̥̾̄̐̉̎̀̆͘ ̶̢̛̙̼̫̣̜̦̝̘̫͋͆͆͗̆̎̓̄̕͜͠͝͠͠ŝ̵̮̺̥̱͉t̷͙͇̙̲͈͊̈͑͆̌̈́͐̆́͛̋͘o̶͈̬̥̞͌̉̆̄̌́̉̈̄̌̿̕͘p̴͇̰̪͓̘̲̬̥̭̬̯̞͍̐̐̒̎͗̒͑̌͑̅̉̈̓̍p̵̧̜͖̣̭͋͋̊̒̇͊̄́ė̶̡̡̯͉̳͔̗͚͖͈̜̳̱̖̈́̇̆̃̈́͆̈́̌͒͜͝͝d̷̡̡̼̱̫͔͖͚͆͐̓̈́̈̚.̴̛̫̤̮̳̟͉̗́́͊̌̋͌̅ ̸̨̰̗̤̹͙̱͈͂͑͗̇͑͆͛̚͠T̶̩̲̘̲̤̮͓̘̜̈̅̈́́h̶̡̢̨͚̣̹̲͉̼͔͉̯͋̔̓ͅͅų̸̨͍͍̣͍͔͖̦͈̃̀̑͋̎̂͋͌̔͋͌̿͋̊͜s̷̜͍̻̼̋̈́͛̔̄̾́͝͝,̶͖͈̟͔̦̫͍͎̫͎̝͖̩̭͐̓̓̊̆͐̏̾͠ ̵̧̧̮̫̙͙̥͔̙̖͉̓̔͊̍̔̒̾̊̾̀̏̕͝ͅẅ̴͚́̉͂̀̊̆͝ȩ̸͍̦̗̖͙͕͍̘̗͈͓̐͆́̉̉̃̍̈͌̀͑̕͘̚͝ ̴̙͍̭̈́͗̈́̿̆͗̕s̸̡̥̙͖̬̹͕̲̱͐͐̓̈́̀e̷̢̧̢̨̹̻̘̻͖͓̺̼̜̻̙͌̀͑͑̂͌͝͝e̵̡̺͈͖̺̫̩̫̦̭͔͚̐͝ ̴̢̝̠̻͎̥̥͌͗̅͑̇͋͝͠n̸̻̰͓̊́̈̎̏̈́͊͒̀͌͘͝ò̵͙͇̎͐͌̉̃̊͐̚͠͝͝ ̸̡͇͙̼͇̭͈͕͉̭̘͎̠̌̐̇͒̿͂̚r̷̢̝͈̬͆̍̉̋̇͐̊̉̿͐͛̒̓͌͝ě̷̞̥̠̟̗̤͓̭͙̋̐̊͛̽̏̆͗͠ǎ̸̧̭̫̩̘͓͙͓̖̘̐͆͊̈́͗͗͐̽̐͜͝s̸̨̧̮̳͙̜͚̹̻͔͚̯͇̔͑͊͗͋͊́͛̊̚͝o̴̘̼͍̣̘̫̬̩̭͔͕͔͋̓̾̈̑̀̈́̋̇n̶̡̨̛̞̬̝̘̫͙̲͚͓̬̾̋̍̀̏̏̌͌̈́̒͘͜ ̶̻̏͌ț̷͎̟̞͇̻̘̣̬̼̳͌̉̀̕͘ơ̶̦͈͚̮̯͓̰̲̺͔̗͐̋͒̈́̅̊͜͝͝ ̸̢̢͈͙̭͕̩̫̞͍̹͎̠̺̿̂̈̐̇͗͂̎̽̍̕̚͝ͅl̷̡̺̟̺̠͇̠̣̗̭̂͒̄̋̋̐̊̅͑̒̐̾̈́͝ͅͅi̷̛̬̭̳͈͍̟͈̦͚͙͕͊̈́̏̿̍̈́͜s̴̥̳͒̉t̷̛͚̰͚͓̙̰̝͉̪̫̂͂͗̿̑͜͠e̵̛̖͚̦͇̰͎̙̳͇͑̎̉̋̆͝ͅͅn̴̢̰̹̬̳͙̤̙̗̺̰̣̪̿̓̔̉̄̾̋͆̊̓̍̾͝ ̸̨̣̲̱̾̚t̷̛̗̠̻̫̮͖̲̫̗͎̘͖̋̍͗̊́̾͒̏͠o̸͕͙͚͙͈̹̹̲̖͉͗̑̕͜ͅ ̵̧̻͉̻̞͈̗̰̼̺̱͓̆͛̊̐̈́͐̃̚͝y̸̺̍̈́ơ̸͚̗̗̹̜͇̯̞̟̯̺͎̻̈́̆̔̃̀͜u̸̡̨̗̖̗̥͉͉͓̞̟̎̑͋̏̈́̑̈̒̀͠.̶͙̗̬̇̅̒͒̂̈
Hmph. Whatever. The information you have given me will be put to good use. Goodbye.
...
S̷̢͔̩̹͙̤͖͎̬̮͔̆̀͗̅̂͗̉̃̌̏h̴̢͍͖͇͔̟̜̤͓͇̫͖̊̈̄̀̆̓̿̇̈́͂̍͋̇̕͝é̸̡̢̘̭͚̣̅̎͂̈́͑̈́̈́̕ ̵̨̨͈̮̠̣͇͍̪͇̣̗̒͌͛̅́͑̏͌̉̑͗̉́̿̕i̴͕͉̹̣͋̃̐̅͛́͆̑̈́̊̚͠s̸͕̝͕̼̼̝̜̮̙̓͆̿͑͐̒̀͒̉̈́͂̄͝ ̷̧̯͉̮̲͚̉̊͛͗͒̈́̉̚ģ̵̛̗͔̹͙͈̂̃̓͒̀̓̿̆́͠o̶̢̡̳̝̠͚̖̼͎͔̫̖̥̫͆̽̉̽͒̓͜ṇ̵̱͖̙̘̠̮̟̲̞̰̮̳͍̓̔̔̀͘̕̚͜ȩ̶̳̝͕̲̺͓̖͒͒̋́̅̈́̾͘.̵̡̢̧̮̲̟͇̄͒̈́̑͐͊͘
̶̛̲̞̓̃́̆̉̍͊̇͜
̶̧̞̮͍̘̱̠̝̮̱͈̻̪̩͌ͅ ̴̤̟̟̰͈̝̖̰̰̣͍̗̄͛̀̇̒̄
̷̛̺͈̫̝̲͍̥̊͒̎̈́͆͗̚͜
̷̻̭̦̦̙̭͉̬̪̘̥̤͇̮͖͋H̴̨̟̱͉̘̆̎́̋́̈́̐͋̊̃̾̏͘͘̚m̶̨͉͙͔̱̣̗̯̟̝̙͚̠̱̋͊̕͜͠m̵͎̬̥̭̩͎͙̲̪̻̯̿̿̅̽̈́͋̄͜͠͠.̶̾̀̇̐̈̎̎̀̌͗̓͜͠.̷̹̭̗̪̤̫͑̐̎̀̊͒̿͂̽͌͒̎͝.̸̡͈̭̦̦̮̟̜̼̠̯̼͚͎̫̔̏̋̉͌̾̌̉͝p̶̛͚͈̻͍̟͙͈͙̹͚̹̑̿ͅe̸͎̞̺͍̻̓͛̏̋̐̓͋̂͘̕͘͠͠r̷͍̟̗̹̔̀̏̈͂̈́͗͂́͆̆͊̕̚͜ͅh̴̟͇̲̯̗͋͛̿̈͆͒͗̒̈́̕͝a̴̹̤̰̙̻̙̪̘̻̞̱̎̒̓̂̏̿̓͊̎͗̐͝͠͝ṕ̵͍͓͑̏̏͑͋̆̄̋̀̐̚͘͝s̴̨̧̫̱͎̠̲̰̳̫̥͈͊̉̇̈́̈́́̆̉̕ ̶̠̭͉͔͚̤̥̣̔̎̄̈́͌̾͐̾͐̌̈́̽̔̃͜͠w̸̳̐́̌ȩ̷͖̻̩̣͍͚̺̱̮͙̥̩̐͋ ̴̢̧͔͔̼̦̣̘̦̯̾̈́͊̍͑̓͘͝š̸̗̺̪̓̈͗̈̃͋̽͘h̵̛̛̗̹͙̖̗̏̀̌͑̏̌̂͜͝ò̵̡̡̟̟̦̻̼͔͚̯͎̬̤̳̣̔͋̈́̔̎̃́͝ư̵̢̺͂̊̇̈́͂̇́̉͛͘͝͠ḷ̴̢̲̠̣̮̼̋̑͒d̸̲͒̉̌̾̽͆͆͂̏͂̽ ̴̢̲͂̓̄̿͊̑̇̋̋̅͘͝p̸͔̱̗̮̩͕̹̰͛̆̎̉̕͘͝a̶͍͆̓̈́͌̾́y̴̡̫͕̳̗̯͎̟̺͂̄͐̑̕͝͝ ̵̡̖͇̩̌͛͑̽̆̈́͗̈́̚͘̚͝ͅo̶̧̧̭̭̲̱̺̟̞̘͆͂́̂̿̋̕͠u̸̹̳̾͊̍̒͛̀̾͊̽̈́̚̚̚͝͝r̴̨̢͓̹̖̬̼͙̦̟͍̠̗̀̚ ̴̬͔̙̖͚͓̼͉̫̘̆c̸̯̼͓̘͛͐̃͒̏̕̕͝o̷̡̡̺̠̮͙͓͉̙̯̺̮̪͉̓̔͊̓̿̓͑̌̾͐́̔͝ͅų̵͙͔̦̞̩͍͍̜̺̼̺̾̔͋͑̋͒̏̋̎̑͗͜͜͠͝ͅş̸̈́̀͑͝i̶̺̣̺̮̗̐n̷̤͕͓̝͇͓̠̖̮̒̆͊͗̆͗̑͗̎͆͜ ̵̻͖̾̊̌̎̇͛͒̎͌͋͒͘͠a̴̡̤͉͇̰͇̋́ ̷͈̭̦̣̖̱̼̣̖̖̤͉͈̩̓̐ͅv̴͍͓͔̙͔̟̲̬̘̻̂i̶̧̨̪̤͎̪̤̼̣͍̖͙͇͂̿͋̔̒́͆͐̋̋ͅs̷̡̢̘̳̲̥̤͕͖̘̞̯̫͐͆i̵̡̛͇̰̲̗̱͗͊̈̈́̿́͆̿̈́̄͑̈̕͝t̶̨̟̰̣̳̤̹̞̳̱͓̀͒̒̽̒͗͒͗͌͆͝͝ ̸̦̤͔͔͛͛̎̐̽̒̌̿̿͗̆͜ş̴̧̙̺̼̳̝̗̗̺̤̖̭̰͗̎̎̑̀̉̾͗͊̃̄̋̕ǒ̸̘̟̹̣͈̹̰͇͙̪̖̉̀̌̉͛̓͒̎͐̔̚͜m̴̢̨̡̜͙̟̲̙̲͉̮̮̑̑́͜͜͠ę̶̨̨̫̥̥̩̼̮̻̪͚̭̐h̸͇̗̱̄̾o̷̼̹̤̩̓̈́̃̊̒̍̐͘͠w̶͍̞͓͉̜̼̐͋͗̓̆́͌͂̋͜.̶̢̫̲͈̲̽̐͆́̓̀̒̿̏̉͠ ̷̢̢̛̠̼̲͈͉̩̋̈́͛̃͋͆͐̅͜͝I̷̢͙͕͇̮̻̥̽̓͒͛̄̉́̇̚̕̚͝͠f̶̨̛̻̯̠̹̤͓͓̭̮̥̰̀̈́́̀́͆̕͘̕ ̸̡̛̠͓̤͂̋̆̇͛̂̇̎̽̏̔̒̚͝ō̶̧̙̺̫̮͉͚̻̤̫̾̋̎̔̂̓̔͂̔̌̚͜͝͝͠ņ̸̛̘͕̲͙̘͇̤̰͔̝͙̣͚̯̀̽̋̿͒̏̐̐̍͗̚͠͠l̵̨̛̟̜͉̥̝͇̮̙̰̲͕͕̰̔̏̈́̈̏̀̕ͅy̵̙͚̫͙̙̻̺̖̖̺͒́̿̃͐̚ ̸͎͚̘̯̩̬̳͛t̴̛͉̜̆́͘o̷̟̹̅ ̸̹̘͎͎̦̣͇̰͔̝͕͐̾̒́̄̑̈́͂̚͝͝ẁ̵̡͇͕͇̹͔͎̥͎̆̌̈̽̀̂̃͗͘a̸̧̱̪̯̰͌͆̒͗̐͊̒̎̔̽̌͋̚r̸̨̫͙͉̀͊̓͛̋̄ņ̸̰̫͎͙͊ͅ ̴̛͖͊h̸̭̫̜̜̝͖̮̩̰̝̯̞̎̔̾͌e̴̡̢͖̹̤̲̳̟͙̟̥̠͐̓͑̀̎͆͐̓̑̉͠ŗ̵̨͍̗̦̹͍̘̫̭̞̘̟̑͋́̌̋́̀̍̀̊̈́́̌̌̕͜ͅ ̸̧̙̗͚́̔̅̔̀̏̑̾̊́ͅò̷̡̜̲̙̮̻̬͈̪̘͍̭̈́̔̿̎̿̉̈́̀̚̚f̷̨̧̧̺͕̫̰̟̙͎̂ ̴̨̤̪̞͚͖͍̼̫̠͈͕̉̋́͛̒͊͂̍͋͋̚ẁ̷̡̢̩̲̩̝͚̼͚͕͍̗̻̹̙́h̶̤̖͍̠̟̰̤̱̘̖̪̤̓̈́̏͌̅̾̆̽̂̚͜͝͝a̶̞̦̣̣̬̳͆̾͒͜ṭ̷̳̯̒͑̌̑͊̽͗͒̍͐̽̕͝ͅ ̵̩̮̹̝̮̝̥͈̻̬̫̇̉͗͝î̴̡̬̫̙̱͇̺͇̼̜̕ş̶̢̱̥̳̜̦͔̥̮̝̩̻͇͗ ̶͔͖̬͈͇̫̼̳͚̫͎̮͍̔̋̌̈͆̂ț̵̡̢̹̘̻̜̒̇̂͜ǫ̵͍͚͔͉͚̲͛̊̈͐͊̂̈́̚̚͘ ̷͙͓̹̬͍̫̅̎̈̓ć̵̦̖̈́͊̄͒̇͝͝o̸̡̨̠̻̖͈͠͝m̸̦̮͇̘̗̀̓̑e̴̘͖͈̻̣̠͇̝͔͇̠͂͑̋̕.̸̡̧̨͎̮̘͇͈̜̉̎̀͂̉̊́́̏̚̕͝
̴̧͎̺͕̮̱̓͒̀͋
̴̨̧̨͉̺̲̺͔̑̅̑̓̽̐̏͑̅̓̎͌̑͜͠ͅ ̴̡̡̰͍̟͉̦͖̮̝̣͉͈̾̍͗͋͋͌̿̈́̽͊̊̚͝
̷̫͖͕̲͍̬̪̖̪̻͍̝̩͒̈̉͝͝ͅ
̴̢̝̱̲̱͆͆͊̿̂Ļ̴̦͎̠̙̳̘̭͙̯̋̈́̇ẽ̵͔̻͎̼͕͎͙̣̽́̑͠ţ̴̛̱͇̱̳͈́s̴̡̛͙͇͉̩̭̻̰̹̲̗̺͋̂̿̓̽̕͜͝ ̷̧͍̰̜̥̙͈̈́̈̈́̿̂̒̋̽́̚s̵̢̛̱̥̘̩̜͖̙̠̞̊͛̆̿̃̾̾͊͂͗̏̓̊ȩ̶̨̰͎̗̥̦͉̱̤͉̅̑̿͋̍̓̎̑̕ẽ̶̛̠̙͑̐́͛̒̿̋̀̇͝.̶̼͍̅̉̌́́̏͝.̸̣̳̑̆̓͒̐͋̚.̶̮̍̎̉̈́͑͋̐̾ì̴͚̿͑͑̓̏̀͌̂̏̚̚̚s̶̛͇̒̾̄͠͝ ̶̡͇̳̼̠̭͗͑̈́̊̎͝o̴̜͍̗̭̅́́ņ̷̲͖̩̌́̽̒̊͝ę̸̱̺̝̞̩̮̪̼̰̑̎̀͑̀̿͝͝ ̶̱̀̉̑̿͘ǫ̵̗̠͈̭̩̩͇́̈́f̴̫̬̘̍͑ ̶͇͔͙̮̫̭̔̾́͝ö̷̢̥̙͍̥͙̞̦́̍̓͊̑͑̀̿̈́̉͊͆͘͜u̶̡̧͎̭̪̪̙͎͂̊̂̀̓̿̾̄́͊͋̓̌̚͜ͅr̷̢̛̝͓̪̥̪̐̄̄͐̚͠ ̴̫̹̤͔͈̟͕̳̜̝̙͇͕̪̓̃̔̎̍̍̀͛̓̈́ͅş̸̹̯͐ĕ̴̛̱̭̯̗̼̫̮͙̠͖̦͎̰̇͋͋ͅr̴͇͛̓͂͒v̷̨̛̥͆̄̓̓̐̀̐͋̂̈́̔̕̚͜͜͠ͅḁ̸̢̧͍̥͖͇͔͈͎͖̯̖̘͓͋͌̀̄̽̆͐̓̃̆̏̍̾͠ǹ̸̡̛̰̟̙̱̝̳̦̫̐̑̏̔̎̈͊͜͝͝ͅt̵͚̤͇͍̜͖̠̟̙̬̰̥̫͉͗̽̊̍̂̇̑̈̀̇͝ş̴̢͍̺̦̱̣̩͚̝̪͍͊̈́̑̉̏͋̑̓͗̉̒͜͝ ̵̙̞͕͂̃́͂̎̀͘͠͠n̷̢̞̼̠̜̼̯͇͚̮̓̀͑̉̈̓͋͝ę̸̢̝͕͇̲̓̃̽̂̆̐͝͝ẵ̷̻͔͕̫͇͙̫̼̥̹͇͙̺̳͗̐͑̈́̈́̿̄̎͌͊͜͝ŗ̶̻̭͍̠͔̫̫̮̟̺́̑͊̂̓̔̿͗̿̓b̸̧̢̫̙͙̼̱͍͕̘̖̼̤̥̔͋͋̒̾̈̍͛͘͝y̴̡͕̘̟͓͍̯̣̼̱͓̟̭̼̋̆́̀̀̎̅̋͌̈̕͘͝͝?̶̡̡̹̻̲͙̫̞͈͉̗̖̆̐̋́̿̃̉͂̽̐̈́̚͠ͅ ̸̧̪̟̜̼̪̱̩̞̒̊H̴̹̖͉͎̺͚͉̘̼̗̲̆͒̊́̈́̅͊͆̅̔̃̾̚ḿ̸̨̲̳̪̱͓̝̼͌̇͑̀͜͝m̵̨̢̝͎͕̞̪̦͈̪̈̾̓͑̆͋̐̓͜.̶̡̟̖̞̙̲̺͈̭̗̣͔̅̊͜ͅ.̴̡̡͉̫̩͓̞͈̞̔̑͋̋͐̾̇̐̒͂͑͒̕͝͠.̴̧̧̧̢̖̫̳̟͎͚͖̣̮͒͛̔͜͝a̵̫̻̝̻̩͒́͗͐͊̋̚h̸̡̪͕̏́͂͌͋̀̌̽̍̐̏̒̍.̶̡̫͆͌͂̎́͑̈́͆͌ ̴͚̮̦͈͙͊̄̽̊̇́́̈́̌̈́̔̿̈́T̶̨̼̯͖̖̲͍̼̘̼͈̠̄͋̎͗̒̈́͘h̷͚̰̐ẻ̸̡̢̧͕̦̝̝̆̽͆̎̓͛̇̕͜͠r̶̨͓̳͔̣̽͆̓͛́̏̈̀͊̽̏͝͝ȩ̵͉̤̘͖̳̱͉͒̅̅̋̔̋̃͒̄̉̿̓̍ͅ ̶̘͇̘̣̹̪̽̏̔͜y̷̡̧̗̘̠͍̤̦̖̥̙͍̅͛ͅo̶̱͙̫͕̽̈u̶̢̙̟̪͈̫̟̩̖͕̖̭̎̊͆͋̓̄͋̉̚͝ ̸̨̻̦͎̮͍͇̗̉̀̋̉̋͆͂̋͝ą̵̡̪̳̙͇̤̳̆̆̄̀͂͌̃͊̍͘͠͠r̴̰͕̺̩̘̜͐̅̄͗̉̊͊̿̅̇̿͝͝͠ȩ̸̡͖̼̫͍̻͖̪̤͈̙̋͗̉̏̇̾͐̓̾̊̀́̇̚ͅ.̴̨̨̢̛̛̘̜͖̪̪̤͉̬̥̟̰͛̽̒̽̑̓̔̄̌͒͛̕͜͠.̸̧̲̼̬̼̖̩̩͉̳͎̙͂̀̈́͒͘ͅ.̶̢̧̛̬̘̰̼̪̜̾͌͌̔̀ͅ
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"I wonder what Druella wants with us."
Silvia Scarlet, Vampire and mother to Teresa Scarlet, looked up to regard Corelia with stern eyes. She shifted in her seat outside the Throne Room, idly shooing away a roper tendril that had gotten too close. She had hidden her wings, giving everyone a clear view of her dress beneath. Her blonde hair had been cut short, with twin bangs hanging over her ruby red eyes. A white blouse covered her chest while the rest of her bright black and gold dress seemed to twinkle in the dim light of Lescatie's Palace.
Silvia leaned forward, thankful that Druella had led the two of them to a place away from the Palace windows. It was early morning, the absolute worst time for a Vampire to be out and about. Doing this went a long way towards alleviating Silvia's building irritation. After all, what could the White Lilim want with her and her servant this early in the day? She had only come to Lescatie to get word of her dau-the Dhampir, and her two missing servants. Yet, rather than explain herself, the White Lilim had taken every opportunity to keep her in the city. She begrudgingly agreed, planning for her stay to only last for three days.
It had been four since then.
Druella was lucky that the Vampire had the foresight to bring one of her thralls along with her. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been such an agreeable guest. Though, sharing a room with her thrall hadn't been a complete waste of time. Having some time to themselves did let her enjoy drinking his blood more than usual. And it had-
Silvia shook her head. No! No! She didn't enjoy being with that boy! He was a filthy, no good human and she was a noble vampire! The only thing he was good for was his blood. No other reason. She shook her head to clear it. Then she focused back on Corelia, speaking in an imperious tone of voice, "You mean, you don't know?"
Corelia shook her head. The Dark Mage had seen better days. There were bags under her eyes, her skin looked clammy, and her pupils were darting to and fro. She would sometimes jump at shadows or the moans of other Mamono within the Palace. Her staff was laid across her lap, while her hat sat next to her on her own bench. Her purple hair was a mess of split ends and unkempt clumps of hair. The Dark Mage looked over at the door, "I mean...I'm hoping it's about that...that..."
She doesn't finish her sentence, arms wrapping around herself as her body starts to shake. Silvia's stern gaze softened as she beheld the Dark Mage's distress. Corelia had told her what happened when the three of them went to investigate the stranger. While she had been upset at how Corelia "creatively interpreted" her orders, she couldn't bring herself to be mad after seeing the Dark Mage's state. She wanted to help her, but Corelia refused to tell her anything. All she would say was that she saw "The End Of The World" on that night. No more.
Being forceful wouldn't work either. Silvia had tried giving her a direct order to tell her what she saw. It only resulted in Corelia crying herself to sleep.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Silvia got up from her seat and walked over to sit beside Corelia. She placed an arm around the Dark Mage's shoulder, pulling the shaking girl into an embrace. She rubbed the smaller woman's shoulder as she spoke, "There, there, Corelia. It's alright. You're safe here."
Corelia's shaking stopped, but she didn't pull away from Silvia. The two sat like that for a few moments. Corelia's breathing got slower and slower as she calmed down. When it got back to normal levels, the Dark Mage nodded, "OK. I'm OK, now. Thank you, Mistress."
"It is no trouble," Silvia patted the Dark Mage's shoulder, "It is only right for me to ensure my last servant is taken care of."
Corelia's mood fell, "Yeah. I wonder how Akuri and Kogero are doing. Akuri's been responding to my messages...but I wish she'd hurry up and get here."
"She's likely gathering as much information as she can. If this stranger was powerful enough to scare you off, and defeat a warrior like Kogero, then we'll need as much information as we can get," Silvia explains, her own thoughts going to that stranger. She would never admit this outloud...but she had been extremely curious about this stranger. A warrior who managed to defeat a Dhampir, seemed to have no Mana whatsoever, and was female? Something like that wasn't common nowadays. In the past, before Lilith? Certainly. But now? You were more likely to run into an Incubus that still had the blessing of the Chief God.
While she had only wanted Akuri to observe the woman, she had put her up to the task for two reasons. The first was to make sure the Dhampir still didn't know where she was. The second was to see if the woman would be a good candidate for Vampirism. After all, someone who managed to purchase such a fine manor had to have some noble stature. And Silvia had been wishing for someone new to talk to after all these years.
Then she learned of what happened to Corelia.
Now? Now she wished to find the woman and make her pay for what she did to her servants.
The sound of the door to the Throne Room opening brought the two out of their musings. A Dullahan, her dark armor blending in with the walls of the room. She gave a Silvia and Corelia a slight bow as she spoke, "Our Lady Lilim will see you now."
Silvia and Corelia stood up from their seats. They walked forward, side by side as they entered the throne room. Beneath them was a purple satin rug that ran all the way from the door to the other end of the room. There sat three separate thrones, two clearly having been brought out for the other occupants in the room. They were arranged in a triangular formation, one on the left, one on the right, and one in the center with all facing the door. In front of the three, two succubi and an incubus knelt before the front throne.
Kuroferuru sat in the throne on the left. The Baphomet had two large black tentacles hanging around her, each carrying a vial filled with a strange liquid.
The Roper Queen, Fransica, sat in the throne on the right. She didn't seem to be paying attention to Silvia and Corelia's entrance. She was leaning back in her throne, a dopey smile on her face with her mind clearly elsewhere.
And, sitting in the front-most throne, her white wings hanging over the sides, was Druella. The Lilim was resting her head on her right hand, while the left was waving at the trio kneeling before her. Her voice was sultry and soothing as she spoke to the three, "Thank you, Jillea. Now, why don't you go and show Riza and her new husband around the city? There's plenty for the three of you to see."
"Yes, Lady Lilim," Jillea, a succubus with four wings coming from her back, stood up. She used her tail to guide the other two away from the Lilim. Silvia and Corelia passed the group without a word, as the two only had eyes for the Lilim.
Druella smiled as the Vampire and Dark Mage approached her. She leaned forward in her seat, waving her arms out wide as she spoke, "Ah, Silvia Scarlet. I apologize for the long wait. Recent events have kept me rather busy these past few days. I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me."
Silvia felt something grab hold of her cold dead heart. She grimaced as the White Lilim's power fell over her body. Already she could hear sultry whispers trying to worm their way into her mind. Each one was telling her to forgive Druella, and that doing so would make the Lilim so happy. She could tell that Corelia was under a similar effect, as the Dark Mage's expression had changed to one of pity.
However, Silvia was a Vampire. And you don't live to be more than a hundred years old by being weak willed.
Silvia crossed her arms under her chest, frowning up at the White Lilim, "Apology accepted. However, I do expect compensation for making me wait for so long."
"Oh, not to worry. I'm fully prepared to compensate you for the inconvenience. However, I'm afraid I impose upon you both for a little bit more," Druella hold out both of her hands, tail pointing towards Kuroferuru.
The Black Goat's tendrils moved to drop the vials into Druella's hands. The White Lilim thanked the Baphomet as she took the vials in her hands. Silvia noticed that the two glasses seemed to glow with a strange purple light. The stoppers on the top kept the liquid inside, but she could see small trickles of smoke leaking from the tops. Druella held them up for Silvia and Corelia to see, "If it is not too much trouble, I'd like to ask the two of you to look into something for me. Something that I believe concerns the two of you as well."
Druella waved a hand through the air. A section of the world trembled before a purple scrying window appeared in mid-air. It moved so it could be seen by both sides, the strange misty surface shifting for a few moments. Then it cleared up to show an image that shocked both Corelia and Silvia.
"No way! That's...that's Akuri!" Corelia said, shock evident in her tone of voice.
Silvia didn't speak, but had to agree with the Dark Mage. They were currently staring at an image of Akuri riding on a horse. She was missing an arm, but didn't seem any worse for wear. Silvia let out a quiet sigh of relief. It was good to have proof that at least one of her servants was still alive. Even if she had lost one of her limbs.
The scrying portal remained focused on the Kunoichi for a few moments. Then it widened out to reveal the person she was traveling with. This made Silvia actually gasp in real shock. Her eyes widened as she beheld something that, even with her long life, she never thought she'd see ever again.
A male monster.
An Ochimusha.
And if he was traveling with Akuri, then...
"Ko...Kogero?" Corelia asked, cheeks suddenly flushing.
"I would like to ask you two to take these potions and give them to these two," Druella explained, face splitting into a devious grin.
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The squeaking of hinges announced Teresa Scarlet's entrance into, what was now, Micheal's place of business. She stepped inside, taking her hat off while giving the interior a quick examination. Her attention eventually fell on the desk at the front...and the black haired girl sitting behind it. Her hair had been tied into a bun, revealing her single gray eye along with the one that was closed shut. A line of scar tissue ran from the top of her head down the middle of the eye, ending at her upper lip.
She looked up from the desk, frilly pink dress moving with her. A bright smile came over her face, "Oh! Hello there! Welcome to Micheal's Property Sellers. I'm Tera Gideon. How may I assist you?"
Teresa walked over to the front of the desk. She waved at the girl in greeting as she spoke, "Hello, Tera. My name is Teresa Scarlet. Before I get to my reason for being here, would I be correct in saying that Micheal has hired you as his apprentice?"
Tera nodded, a beaming smile on her face, "Uh huh! Mr-I mean, Micheal called me here just last night. He said Mr. Montgomery was gone, and that I didn't have to do what he said anymore. When I told him I didn't have any way to get money for my family, he let me have this job. I...I owe a lot to him."
Tera looked at the ground, cheeks taking on a slight shade of red. Teresa's smile only grew wider. Not only at hearing the girl's praise for the recently made Merchant, but also because she could recognize how the girl really felt about him. It was rather easy as a Mamono. They were more attuned to the emotions of others than most knew. And right now, she could feel the hints of a crush from Tera's own words.
Tilting her head, Teresa waved a hand towards the stairs, "Well then, I should go thank him for his kindness myself. Would you mind if I head upstairs to meet with him?"
Tera shook her head, "Not at all. I think he should be finishing up with another client. Let me just-"
"Ms. Barns! Please get off me!"
Teresa and Tera turned towards the stairs. Confusion came over their faces. They both recognized the voice as coming from Micheal. But they didn't understand what was wrong. Moving quickly, Teresa made her way up the stairs. Tera followed shortly after, taking the scroll Micheal had given her to take notes with her.
Upstairs was but a single hallway with pair of double doors at the end that led into Micheal's office. So, it was a simple matter for the two of them to walk straight to the entrance. Teresa held out a hand to stop Tera from just walking inside. She looked at the human girl and placed a finger to her lips to ask for silence. Confused but curious, Tera nodded as the Dhampir slowly creaked the door open. Only enough to let the two of them peak inside.
What they saw, made both of them freeze in place.
The office was a spartan affair...at least, it was now. Marks on the floor indicated that numerous things had recently been removed from the office. The only objects still inside were the desk Micheal sat behind and a single chair that sat in front of his desk. The man in question was currently leaning back in his chair, both hands up and eyes wide as he beheld what was happening in front of him.
That being, a half naked woman sitting in his lap.
The female had long, golden locks of hair that fell down to the small of her back. Neither of them could see her face, but they both saw the numerous welts and bruises on her back. Teresa recognized them as injuries from whips and other such instruments. What she did not know was how the woman received such markings.
Such things went to the back of her head as she heard the woman speak. Her voice was sultry but Teresa could tell any sexuality on display was false. One look at the woman told her what she was trying to do. Her words only confirmed it, "Come on, little boy. Drop that whole 'Noble Man' act. I know you want me~. Here, you can touch these all you want~."
The woman grabbed Micheal's arms and placed them on her chest. Teresa heard Tera gasped in shock, while the woman moaned with pleasure. The woman continued, "But, if you want to do more than this, then we keep the agreement I had with Brigid going. You get to have my body whenever you want, but you have to keep giving gold to my folks. That sounds like a pretty good deal, don'tcha think~?"
Seeing Micheal's distraught and confused face made Teresa grip the door tighter. This woman dared to do this? To attempt to use her feminine wiles and the sacred act of sex to seduce Micheal? For what? For some extra coin that he likely would give her if she asked? She wouldn't stand for it! Her pride as a Dhampir wouldn't let her-
"No."
That word made her freeze in place. Tera did the same and so did the woman sitting on Micheal's lap.
Micheal took a deep breath in. Then he let it out as a sigh.
He pulled his hands away from the woman's chest.
Then he pulled her red and white dress back into place. He fixed the buttons and zipped up the back.
Then he helped her to the floor, standing up as he did. He was as tall as she was, so he was able to look her in the eye. He placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke with a calm conviction to his voice, "Thank you for the offer, Ms. Samantha Barns. But I must decline. I am, however, willing to negotiate over your family's situation."
The now named Samantha stared at Micheal in completely surprise. Then her expression turned sour. She violently forced her way out of Micheal's grip, "What?! Are you saying I'm not good enough for you?! That you're gonna fuck over my family cause I'm not like that little waif you call an apprentice downstairs?! How much are you paying her to fuck you everyday, huh?!"
Micheal seemed to stand straighter despite the woman's anger, "My relationship with Ms. Gideon is an equal partnership. In return for acting as my apprentice, I shall teach her skills in the Mercantile arts and give her due compensation. In addition, I do not plan to just leave your family to suffer. I plan to undo many of my predecessors actions, lower the rent, and improve the conditions of their homes."
"Ha! You expect me to buy that?" Samantha poked a finger in Micheal's chest, "And why should I trust a limp dick like you, who won't even fuck a woman who is willing to let him do whatever he wants to her?"
"Because I'm not Montgomery."
"Why should I buy that?"
"Because I will prove it!"
Samantha took a step back in shock at the amount of conviction within Micheal's voice. Micheal stared her down for a few moments, before walking back to his desk and sitting down in his chair. He nodded to the woman, "Thank you for meeting with me, Ms. Barns. I hope to see you again some day."
Samantha blinked.
Then she scoffed before turning around. She stomped her way towards the door. Not wanting to be caught, Teresa and Tera moved to the sides to avoid detection. Her anger blinding her, Samantha didn't even see the two as she made her way down the hall.
Tera's blush had grown to encompass her entire face. Teresa could swear she heard the girl's heart beating, and could see how she trembled with barely contained excitement. Tera spoke in a shaky, but happy voice, "M...Micheal will see you now, Ms. Scarlet."
Then the girl ran down the hall. When she was alone, Teresa turned to stare into the room.
There she saw Micheal slumped over his desk. He was face down with both hands on the back of his head. Teresa stepped into the room and called his name. He looked up, revealing cheeks aflame and sweat dripping from his brow. Seeing the Mamono only made things worse. He started to fail his arms around as he tried to find words, "T-T-T-Teresa! I didn't expect to-how long have you-did you see any-oh by the Gods not now!"
He placed his head in his hands, shaking his head while mumbling nonsense to himself. Teresa moved to sit in the chair in front of his desk. She crossed her legs as she spoke, "Well, just so you know, I saw everything that happened. Are you alright?"
Micheal was silent for a few moments. Then slowly raised his head up so he could look at the Dhampir, "Um...Teresa...if I told you that I was...aroused by Ms. Barns actions...would you think any less of me?"
Teresa's eyes widened in surprise. Micheal took it as shock and disgust. He placed his head back down on the desk, "Oh! I knew you would! I'm scum. I made that big speech, yet here I am still effected by just seeing a naked woman! Oh, what am I gonna do if she comes back? Will I be able to resist then too? What if she comes at night or drugs me or-"
"Micheal. Calm down," Teresa waved her hands through the air, "Breathe. Breathe. Get your thoughts in order."
The human did as the Dhampir said. When he was finally calm enough, he straightened himself up. Adjusting his glasses he cleared his throat, "Thank you, Teresa. I...apologies for all of that."
"It's no trouble, Micheal. I'm glad to help."
"Ah, yes. Um, again, sorry if learning about...that...made you think less of me. I-I-I try to resist such attempts to sway me. But...I have little control over my body's natural urges. As much as it shames me to admit it," Micheal said, one hand going to his head. He was almost certain that the Dhampir would start to loathe him soon enough. Teresa had long since revealed her Mamono nature to him and the Guard Captain. In her own words, the three of them were in this together now. If they were going to succeed, they needed to know exactly what she and Akuri were. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to fully trust her. He always saw the action as extremely inspiring. The fact that she was willing to reveal such a fact to them showed how much she trusted them. At the time, he had been extremely happy that she trusted him that much.
Now, he was certain that trust would be gone. He was going to take over Montgomery's position, after all. They would need him to make deals and purchases to get them the supplies they needed for the defense. And there would no doubt be female merchants who would attempt to seduce him to make him alter the deals to favor them. He had to stay strong and resist their he had let Samantha's wiles get to him. Make him aroused and erect. He hated himself for that. What kind of man would-
"I don't think that at all."
Micheal froze up.
Slowly, he turned to look Teresa in the eyes. Her's seemed to sparkle as she flashed him a rather cute smile. He blinked twice before asking, "Um...excuse me...Teresa. What did you say?"
Teresa's smile only grew. She placed one hand on the desk and spoke up, "Hey, Micheal? When you're not too busy, would you like to go out with me?"
"Y-y-y-you mean as friends, right?"
Teresa shrug, "Perhaps at first. But if you want more...I wouldn't say no."
"Eh?" was all Micheal could say.
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When Selina awoke, she became aware of the fact that someone was shaking her. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she lifted herself up from her bed. She still wore the dress she had purchased from the tailor, the habit of sleeping in the same clothes as the day before yet to be shaken. Though with short trips to the Hunter's Dream, or a helping hand from Eve, any required cleaning was quickly accomplished. When she managed to push herself up using her elbows, she saw the culprits behind her awakening. Those two being Horace and Gloria. Both children stopped what they were doing, big smiles plastered on their faces as they watched Selina rise. Selina looked between the two, rubbing her left eye with the back of her hand, "Horace? Gloria? What are you two doing up?"
"We woke up early so we could play!" Gloria said, bouncing on the bed while looking at Selina with big, bright eyes. Selina was surprised at the young girl's actions. She didn't remember seeing Gloria this excited since she spoke with her a few days ago.
Horace got outta the bed, placing a hand on Selina's arm so he could pull her laong, "Come on, Mom! Lets go! I want to show you how many logs I can split now." Gloria followed after her brother, doing the same with Selina's other arm.
"Alright, alright. Hold on. Let me get up," Selina said, rising from her bed to follow her children out the room, "And we can't forget to clean up before we head out. Eve, Matilda! Can the two of you clean the room while I'm gone?" Selina shouted to the two dolls still in the bed.
The two dolls immediately rose from their slumber, Eve getting out of bed and dusting herself off, "Of course, Good Hunter. I will see you later today. Come along, Matilda."
"Yes, my creator," Matilda followed after Eve, already pulling a washcloth from...somewhere on her person. Selina didn't have enough time to wonder about that. She was busy being pulled out of the room by her children.
After the three of them had washed up, they headed out the back door to the rest of the yard. Selina took note of how the leaves on the trees had begun to change color. They were now a mixture of vibrant oranges and yellows. Underneath the trees were leaves that had likely fallen from their branches. A cold wind picked up and blew some of the stray leaves through the air.
Selina hummed to herself. It seemed that Fall had come. Perhaps the month she had spent here was near the end of Summer? Either way, it was nice to see a change in season like this. Especially after the never ending Night Of The Hunt. She frowned at the memory, shaking her head to clear it before focusing on her children. Gloria was running through piles of fallen leaves while Horace had gotten a good sized log and taken it to a stump. Leaning against it was a single ax with a wooden handle. Selina walked over to her adopted son, staring at his actions while being ready to help if needed.
Horace, once he was sure Selina was watching, placed the log on the stump. Then he picked up the ax and held it in both hands. He took a deep breath, lifted the ax until it was behind his head, then swung it down. It hit the log and managed to get halfway into it. Horace placed a foot on the log to help him pull it from the wood. Then he looked up at Selina with a smile, "See? I did it!"
Selina nodded, "Yes, you did. Mostly. However, would you mind if I showed you a better way to swing your ax?"
Horace tilted his head, "What do you mean?"
"Well, first, hand me the ax," Selina held out her hand and Horace obliged. She lifted the ax up until Horace could see her holding it, "Now, the way you were holding it is not a good way to do so. Because if you hold it like this, with the head behind you, the head is pulling you backwards and draining more of your energy."
Selina demonstrated by lifting the ax until it was hanging behind her back. After being sure that Horace could see, she brought it back around and held it in both hands, "If you wish to avoid it, it would be better if you used it like so."
Selina placed one hand near the ax head. The other she moved to near the end of the handle. Then, in one swift motion, she swung the ax while letting the handle slide through her hand. She did the same thing three more times, before handing it back to Horace, "Now, you try."
Horace nodded, taking the ax in both hands. Selina knelt to help the boy get the right posture and hand position. Once he had his hands in the right place, she guided him through the motions. They made a few test swings. Then she let Horace go so he could try it.
The first time he missed.
But the third time he managed to split the log the rest of the way in a single stroke.
"Huh! I did it!" Horace jumped up, a beaming smile on his face, "Thanks mommy!"
"It is no trouble, Horace. Keep it up, and you'll be strong enough to wield a blade in no time," she assured the young man. His smile only grew wider. Selina felt something grab onto her thigh. Looking down, she found Gloria pulling at her skirts with one hand. The other was raised up towards Selina's face.
Selina scooped Gloria into her arms, holding the girl close as she spoke, "And what do you desire, my darling daughter?"
"Up! I want to fly!" Gloria shouted with a wide smile.
Selina's own smile grew as she grabbed the girl under her arms, "Alright then. Three, two, one."
She tossed Gloria up, the girl shouting in excitement as she went into the air. Selina repeated the action five times, each time catching Gloria as she fell. Selina felt a sense of happiness and pride well up in her chest. One that she couldnt remember being there since she met Eve.
This?
This is what she wanted.
This is all she wanted these days. No battles. No bloodshed. No worries.
Just her and her children.
However...she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Gloria and Horace hadn't been this energetic since...since Matilda was made. Even when she brought them outside while Koga was with them, they still seemed reserved. Yet now, they were acting so outgoing.
As she put Gloria back on the ground, she turned to see Horace pulling at her skirt next. He was pointing deeper into the forest, "Come on, mom! Lets go see the rabbits again!"
Selina grabbed Gloria's hand and let Horace draw the two of them into the forest. There they stopped near an outcropping where the two children started running around, looking for an entrance to a warren. Selina stepped forward until she was but a few paces from her children. Then she called them to her side. Horace and Gloria stopped what they were doing and ran to hug Selina's legs.
"What is it, mom?" Horace asked, his face the picture of innocence.
"Do you want to go get Auntie Eve and Matilda?" Gloria asked, head tilting to the side.
Selina looked down at both of her children. Then she sighed before kneeling to be at their level. She placed her hands on their shoulders then spoke, "Horace, Gloria, what's wrong?"
"What do you mean?" Horace's voice didn't sound any different.
"We're fine, why wouldn't we be?" but the small hint of uncertainty in Gloria's voice gave her away.
The Huntress stared the two children down, "Now, you two know it's not nice to lie to your mother. While I don't hate that you two are so energetic, I would like to know why. Tell me, what's wrong? Maybe I can help."
The two children shared a look.
Then, slowly, their expressions fell. Selina felt a pain in her heart as she beheld the sadness coming over her two children. But she didn't press them. She waited until they were ready to tell her. Horace spoke first, "We...we heard what you said to those ladies last night."
"What?" Selina's eyes widened in surprise. Her mind went back through the previous night's events, trying to think of when the two could've seen her, "How? When? What were you two doing up so late?"
"I...I had a bad dream. And you weren't there to hug," Gloria stated, hands going to the skirts of her own dress. She gripped them tightly, "I woke Horace up and we went downstairs to look for you."
"We met Marcus on the way. He was going to pee," Horace continued, his hands going behind his back. He didn't meet Selina's eyes as he continued, "After he took care of that, we heard noises from the living room. So we snuck over there."
"How much did you hear?" Selina asked, worry holding back any other emotion she could have.
"Not a lot. We just saw those weird ladies in the room with you. We couldn't understand what they were saying. But...but we did hear what you said you would do after today," Horace's body started shaking.
"You're going to leave us. Again," Gloria finished for her brother, her own body shaking as well.
Selina felt her heart sink.
Of course. Why hadn't she considered that? These two have been without her for weeks now. Then she comes back and only stays with them for four days? Of course, she had planned to inform them before she left. Give them both reason not to worry about her, and make them confident that she would come back.
But as she prepared the same speech she had for that moment, a thought came to her mind.
Which is worse?
Worrying that someone you care about won't be coming home?
Or knowing that, even if they promise to stay by your side, something will always take them away from you? That, no matter how much time you spend together, it will all end for an unspecified amount of time?
Perhaps to some, such a thing isn't much of a concern.
But Horace and Gloria?
They were children.
Orphaned children who had clearly suffered from abuse in their lives.
Selina was, likely, the first adult to actually show them legitimate kindness. To be the thing that they deserved from the day they were born: A good parent.
And she was about to leave them.
Again.
Selina was at a loss for words.
She didn't know what she could say.
She wanted to stay with them. To be here and raise them. To take care of them and give them the lives they deserved.
But she couldn't. Because, even if it was for naught, as long as there was a fraction of a chance to stop Druella from attacking Pran, she had to take it. Otherwise, blood would be shed once more.
Selina didn't know what to say.
So, she did the best thing she could.
She pulled both of her children into a hug. She held them tight to her chest as she spoke, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I will say this as many times as I have to, I promise that I will always come back. No matter how much time passes. No matter how far away I am. I will find my way back to you both."
"But why...why do you have to leave?" Gloria was on the edge of tears, "Why can't you stay?"
"Because...because there are things that threaten us. Threaten our little family. Threaten our lives. And I am the only one that can truly face them."
"Then why not run away?" Gloria continued, words interrupted by sobs, "We can just go somewhere else! Or find a place to hide!"
Selina shook her head, "There are problems you can't run from, Gloria. For if you do, you are simply delaying the inevitable. They will always catch up with you. And once they do, you will have nowhere to run."
"But...but...wwaaaahhhh!" Gloria fell into tears. Her hands gripped the Huntress' dress, staining it with her tears and snot.
Horace held onto Selina's torso as he spoke, "I'll...I'll protect the house. Whenever you leave, I'll protect it. I promise. I'll keep everything safe and sound until you get back."
Selina smiled, pulling both her children closer, "I know you will, Horace. And, once again, I am sorry."
Horace didn't respond. For he too began to sob into Selina's dress.
Selina remained there with her children.
With only the early autumn breeze to keep them company.
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