"When we were young, Dylan and I grew up together."

"We shared many things together, experienced the hardship of the previous Apostles' rules, while learning how to defend ourselves."

Eliza looked at the ceiling, reminiscing over her memories. Dylan closed his eyes, leaving her the opportunity to share her past.

"The previous 'Savior' formed a few members of our generation between the age of ten to fifteen. Many were talented, with above-average skills, but none had what it took to take his mantle."

"Only the two of us managed to catch his attention."

Orion quietly listened, curious. It was also a first for Nylon, so he joined his brother and placed his full attention on his mother's words.

"With astonishing reflexes and raw strength, we overcame every trial used to test us with ease. In fact, since we both did everything together, we were oblivious to our own talents. Shared strength, shared feelings, we were synchronized all the time, making every challenge a walk in the park."

"Astonished, he took us both in, and focused everything he could on teaching us his intricate techniques and abilities."

Her eyes became to glow yellow, which wasn't missed by Orion.

'Eagle Eye.'

Recognizing the ability, he frowned.

Looking at Eliza's face, he noticed that she looked frustrated, and slightly in pain.

"Don't force yourself."

Dylan put his hand on her back and gently stroked it from top to bottom repeatedly.

With a nod, she stopped her demonstration.

'Something definitely happened. Dylan hinted at that a few times already, but I never asked.'

Respecting his privacy, Orion never tried to force him to tell stories he never openly discussed with him. If Dylan never told him, it meant that it was either a painful memory, or a bad experience.

From the looks of it, it was a painful memory he wished to forget, but couldn't.

After her complexion looked better, she breathed a sigh of relief, and continued her story.

"At the time, I was the strongest beastman among all the villages. I was even able to push back our teacher occasionally, while Dylan was keeping up relatively well. He was improving day by day, while I simply let my body work to complete the tasks given."

"When I turned sixteen, a certain incident happened that changed everything."

"Dylan and I were both working on finding who would become the next 'Savior'. After speaking with him, we decided that I would be our faction's 'Savior' while he worked alongside me to protect the places I couldn't reach in time."

"Our teacher agreed with our choice, and tenaciously made us learn how terrifying the world is."

Her expression turned sour.

"It was during one of our sorties out of the village."

Dylan glanced at her, clenching his hands. Orion and Nylon could tell, he was seething inside, and it was showing on his face.

"It was supposed to be a simple training session, where we had to clean a large perimeter around the village."

"There had been sightings of multiple hordes of beasts fighting around town, which spelled trouble for our town. With our teacher, we went all out and dispatched the hordes without trouble."

Eliza placed her right hand on her nape, before lifting her long silver hair. She turned her head toward Orion.

"!"

A very deep vertical scar, starting from the middle of her nape and hidden further past her clothes, made him understand.

Of course, Nylon already knew his mother had this scar, but not the reason for its existence.

She straightened, adjusting her hair back behind her, and looked at Orion with a blank expression.

"We encountered two Apostles on our way back."

The sounds of gnashing teeth coming from Dylan made it obvious that it was a painful part to remember.

"I won't forget their names. One was a male, called Dellthord."

Orion winced, picturing a certain man he would very much prefer not to remember.

'Kelvin Dellthord's father, probably.'

"Our teacher went and fought him while we faced the second one."

"A woman named Planar."

The name ringed into Orion's ears. He knew that name, as he heard it only once.

'Planar?'

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

-

A day after, Orion and Florian met with the dragons.

"Orion, what are you going to do against the remaining Apostles?"

Florian asked, curious about Orion's plans.

"Since we can't do anything for now, I was going to ignore them. They aren't strong enough to hold us anymore."

Convinced that they wouldn't pose a threat anymore, he answered.

"I wouldn't be so sure about Layla."

"That's a familiar name. Isn't she the 'leader' of the Apostles?"

"She is. Layla Planar, the maniac obsessed with Elliott, and the only member of the Planar lineage."

Orion frowned.

"Are you telling me she's..."

"She doesn't age. It's been well over six hundred years, maintaining her spot at the top of the group. At least, she isn't one of the original Apostles, that we know."

-

'Layla Planar... we will have to rid the world from her presence in the near future.'

Seeing that Orion came out of his thoughts, Eliza continued.

"She was a terrifying opponent. She single-handedly destroyed any hope we had in either fighting back, or fleeing. We learned that day how powerless those crushed under their feet felt."

"As we fought, I learned that she was a ruthless, sadistic, and deranged human. Never did we encounter someone like her."

Her hands trembled slightly on the table.

"She separated us with her magic, and focused mainly on finishing me off."

"Yet, at the last moment, she went for Dylan. I couldn't tolerate losing him when I was supposed to be her opponent."

"She attacked with thin blades of water, sharp enough to a line of trees without effort, and powerful enough to dig into the earth. I forced my way through the wall of water she had erected between Dylan and me, and threw my body in front of him. Dying with him wasn't that bad of a fate."

"The blade of water was almost there. I knew that none of us were going to survive, especially knowing how ruthless that woman was. Yet, before the blade actually sliced me, I heard a groan coming from her."

Eliza touched her neck, remembering the intense pain she felt that day.

"Mistakenly, or by her own volition, she made the blade travel downward instead."

"It sliced my nape, and across my back, leaving me to bleed out. But it was better than having both of us suffer. Everything that happened after is blurry, as I lost consciousness, only to awaken two months later, unable to move correctly, and unable to continue my training."

She smiled, letting go of her nape.

"After that incident, our teacher suddenly vanished. I think he went somewhere far away to live the rest of his life quietly. That's what we hoped for him, as he was a great person to be around. Kind-hearted and wise, while walking with the determination to protect the faction."

"Somehow, Dylan adhered to his principles, and became just like him. He became exactly like our teacher."

With a warm smile, she looked at him. This was one of the many reasons she fell in love with him in the first place.

Scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, Dylan looked away.

"Dylan chose to take over the title of 'Savior'. With the incident in mind, I couldn't accept that everything fell ultimately on his shoulders. It was supposed to be us, together, but because of me, our whole lives came crumbling down."

"I needed him, so for a few years, he stayed with me. But once I recovered enough to walk and do the most basics of tasks, he went away to protect our faction members."

"While I kept pestering him to marry me because that was the only thing I could do for him, I lost hope in life. Dylan rarely came back, but when he did, he either stayed a few hours, or came covered in wounds and blood."

"Still, this moron always managed to cover my needs. Thanks to him, I had everything I wanted, which was enough to make me feel better, that I wasn't a burden to him. That I was important enough in his eyes."

Orion saw his past self in her words. As he looked down and reflected upon his actions, he kept listening.

"But..."

A kind and warm smile, directed straight at him, caught Orion off guard.

"Thanks to you, Orion, he returned home one day with a flower bouquet, a ring, and a teary face."

"He apologized for an hour at least, telling me that he had neglected me because he couldn't forgive himself for being weak at the time."

"That a baby he had dropped in Auro made him wish for happiness, and that it couldn't happen if it wasn't me."

Dylan was terribly embarrassed. Even Nylon looked slightly flustered.

"Since then, my life has been changed from barely tolerable, to pure bliss. I have a son that I am proud of, a husband who cherishes me, and a second son I wish I had adopted."

Orion stood suddenly stood up.

They looked at him with confusion, as he walked around the table without a word.

He stopped behind Eliza, and pushed her long hair aside.

No one questioned his actions, as he simply placed his hand on her nape.

*Flash*

His body turned white, as two large angelic wings stretched around her, as if wanting to envelop her whole.

"Relax."

Confused, Eliza nodded, and closed her eyes.

From his hand, a bright light glowed, before it transferred to her entire body.

"It feels... warm. Comfortably warm."

Nylon and Dylan stood up and before stopping at each side. With shock, they watched as the scar on her back glowed.

'It's a pretty old scar. It's going to take a bit of time.'

Orion focused not only on her injury, but also on her entire body. He removed all long-lasting physical abnormalities he found, and finally, removed the scar completely alongside everything.

"E-Eliza!"

"What? Why are you shouting all of a sudden?"

Removing his transformation, Orion took a few steps back with a smile.

"That's all I can do for you. Kindness is answered with kindness, that's what I was taught."

"Huh?"

Eliza stood up from her chair, touched her nape, her back, stretched, and sat back.

"H-Huh?"

Without even feeling it, tears rolled down her cheeks, and fell on the table.

"I feel fine. My breathing is better than ever, and my spine doesn't hurt anymore. That weight I always felt is also gone."

Looking at her hands, she noticed a healthier pink color that she missed dearly. Her wolf ears, which were always limp above her head, began to rise.

Though, at one point, she couldn't see any more thanks to her tears blurring her vision.

"W-Why? I..."

Orion walked back to his chair, and sat down.

"If I had known from the very beginning, I would've healed you nonetheless. In fact, I should apologize for not doing it sooner."

"I don't need a reason to heal someone important to me. This is neither my way of making you feel indebted."

"And as I said, doing something good doesn't cost me anything. It was in the range of my capabilities, which is why I did it."

He smiled.

"You've shown nothing but kindness toward me from the moment we've met. What kind of man would I be if I ignored your suffering?"

Suddenly, Eliza stood up, wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and pushed the table aside effortlessly.

Dylan and Nylon, who were holding their tears until now, instantly looked with horror, as she displayed a strength completely unusual to her.

The table's feet screeched while rubbing the floor, but she didn't care.

Orion observed with surprise, before she took a few steps forward. She grabbed one of Orion's wrists, and pulled him.

"Thank you so much! I will never forget what you've done for me!"

Completely stunned, Orion looked at Dylan with a pleading gaze to help him. Yet, Dylan shook his head with a smile, telling him to give up.

"Hnnf!"

She pressed his face between her breasts, wrapped her long silvery tail around his waist, and embraced him powerfully while rubbing her cheeks on his hair.

"How long has it been since I felt this lively? Not only did you save my son, but you also saved me the very same day!"

"Ah! I wish you were my son!"

With a faint smile, Dylan looked at his son.

"That's how she used to be. I guess she had a lot of repressed love to share. Be prepared, or she'll crush your bones."

"..."

Fearing for his life, Nylon stared at his mother happily hugging Orion.

'Well, it should be fine.'