In the dilapidated corridor of an ancient yet advanced bunker, Kane and Luna lay naked, arm in arm. Their moment alone was kept private by the four walls and doors surrounding them, shutting out the trash inhabiting this place.

It wasn't entirely silent, however, as the angry denizens of the bunker pounded on the door, trying to get in without much luck.

But the Master and Valkyrie leaning against the floor, were entirely focused on each other. Luna smiled mysteriously at him after he asked about her disappearing clothes. "How about I show you? Close your eyes, and hold up your hands!"

Kane raised an eyebrow but saw no harm in indulging the playful catling, so he did as she asked. First, he removed his arms from around Luna, then he closed his eyes and held up his hands.

With his arms gone, he felt Luna shifting until she sat up, and then, suddenly, a long, heavy object was dropped in his hands. He knew this object.

His eyes snapped open, and a wide grin appeared on his lips. "There you are!" he exclaimed excitedly, gripping the object tightly.

It was the sword he'd been using for the last four years, given to him by Nina during their strange engagement ceremony. This kriegsmesser-style weapon was matte black, and its single-edged, slightly curved blade gleamed in the dim light.

He immediately realized the weapon had been left behind in that forest, and Luna had likely taken it with her.

He looked up at the catling with a knowing grin. "So, you took it with you despite your dislike for Nina, huh?"

Immediately, Luna pouted and turned her head away. "I don't dislike that crappy little kid..." Then, she turned back and narrowed her eyes at Kane. "Besides, this and that have nothing to do with each other! I know you love that thing, and I figured you'd be needing a weapon!"

Amused, Kane chuckled and placed the weapon on the ground next to him before pulling Luna back against his chest. He kissed her forehead, thanking her. "I didn't mean to imply anything, my Valkyrie. Thank you for bringing my weapon."

Luna grinned happily, a shudder of delight running through her spine as he called her 'my Valkyrie'.

Kane suddenly took her right hand, inspecting the new ring on her finger with a curious glint in his eyes. "So, someone gave you one of these storage rings as well, huh?"

With everything that had been going on, he'd forgotten to check the ring on his finger that Ella told him about earlier. 'Good thing, too,' he now realized. 'Otherwise, I would have been disappointed not to find my sword in there.'

Luna didn't pull back her hand, instead looking up at Kane with surprise and a hint of frustration. "As well? You got one, too?" She began pouting a little, "I was hoping to surprise you with a gift..."

Kane smiled gratefully and kissed her lips. "Sorry, Luna. But this is good news! Now we both have one. I guess that Viljar person gave you yours?"

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Luna nodded, a little happier now. "Yeah, it was Viljar. He found me while I was carrying your sword, my own weapons, and my tactical backpack, so he gave me that ring to put everything in."

Then, she smirked mischievously. "I practiced putting my clothes off and on using that thing while you took your sweet time rescuing me just now."

Kane snorted, flicked her forehead, and rolled his eyes. "No one here needed rescuing, you mischievous little cat." Suddenly, he thought of something and raised an eyebrow. "Wait, didn't you put those techniques from Archibald in that backpack? I'd like to take a look."

Rather than take out those techniques, Luna's mood visibly worsened at the mention of Archibald. "Right, the bald fuck who got us into this mess to begin with..."

Kane shrugged casually. "You're not entirely wrong, but honestly, I have yet to tally the pros and cons of this whole adventure of ours. I mean, we're both alive, stronger than ever, and away from Father."

Luna narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Are you implying we let him off? Even if it all ended up in an okay manner, he still put us in danger and tried to force you over that edge!"

Kane nodded thoughtfully. "I know, and normally that would be enough for him to end up on our permanent shit list. But you have to take into account that he saved your life, even after trying to dissuade you from coming."

Luna's eyes widened in disbelief. "He saved my life?! Bullshit! When?!"

Unable to stop himself from mocking her a little, Kane grinned. "Well, how else did you think you survived that stab to the chest? Where's that bracelet he gave you, by the way?"

The confused catling blinked and looked at her empty wrist. "That... I completely forgot..." After waking up in the forest, her every thought had been about finding Kane, with the reason for her survival tossed on the back burner.

But then she frowned and narrowed her eyes again. "Alright, but if I'm to thank that bald fuck for my survival, I at least need to be sure. Can that woman-who's-apparently-in-your-head-now do a scan or something?"

Luna still had a little trouble wrapping her head around the Ella of it all, even more than his apparent species swap.

Kane nodded. "That's not a bad idea. Ella?"

Unfortunately, he didn't get a response, causing him to frown, and try again, "Ella!"

This time, she responded, "W— What? Oh! Y— Yeah, just give me a moment…"

Kane frowned suspiciously, and decided to check the emotions coming from his bond with her. But when he read them, he couldn't help but grin. Her emotions were filled with a combination of arousal and embarrassment. 'Innocent little Ella has been watching us…' he chuckled inwardly.

After a few seconds of silence, she spoke up again, a little hesitant. "Okay... I've found an inactive set of primitive nanites in her bloodstream, but based on their code, they certainly weren't there to heal. According to their logs, I can guess they were hacked in the middle of operation?"

While Luna was waiting patiently, Kane responded thoughtfully in his head. "Yeah, I was the one who hacked those." He didn't have much time to think about it at the time, but now he realized the likely culprit of those nanites. The face of a certain father rose in his mind, and anger came with it.

'I guess he meant what he said about being able to kill Luna even from there...' he thought hatefully, realizing that Father had likely injected Luna with those nanites long ago, and then activated them just before the two of them jumped over the edge.

But then he grinned victoriously, promising terrible revenge. 'But I guess he underestimated me. I'd long since written my own hacking programs, rather than rely on the basic shit he provided me with.'

Regardless, this didn't provide any answers about what Archibald's bracelet had done exactly.

So, he asked Ella, "Did you find anything else?"

Ella sent him the mental equivalent of pursed lips. "Well, yeah, but it's a little strange..."