Holding a picture in his hand, lying on a soft bed, Alastor exhaled a long sigh. His mind was overflown with information. The things he didn’t know, the things he thought he knew, were actually very different from what he expected.

Earlier this day, Vincent has shown him a large spherical structure inside his mansion, able to support two to three people inside it. It was the machine the doctor and the Artificer have built together as a mean of travel between Astora and this world. Of course, in order to keep this as a secret between them, Vincent hasn’t told anyone beside from Alastor and Fiora. He was afraid that this invention might fall in the wrong hands or be used for an evil purpose, a lesson he learnt from Marcus. After all, most of the evil in this world or any other was done by people with good intentions. And so the sphere has stayed in his basement for the last thirty years, unnoticed.

The problem was that the machine was quite heavily damaged and therefore unusable, which meant that Alastor would not be able to go back to Astora any time soon.  And even if that machine worked, which it didn’t, Vincent has warned him that without an ‘anchor’, something that was connected Alastor’s timeline just before he was dragged into the rift, he could very well come back to an Astora thousand years in the future or in the past. That was a big risk and something the boy would rather avoid.

In addition, there was the revelation about Marcus’ daughter. According to Vincent, Stella died a very long time ago. If so, then who was the Stella Alastor knew? Was she just a replication of his original daughter as part of his own atonement? He couldn’t let her go so he decided to recreate a machine in the form of his daughter to ease his pain? Perhaps. But that would not matter to Alastor. To him, Stella was still Stella, whoever or whatever she was in the past. Either way, he must have a talk with her upon his return. That was it if he could go back.

And so Alastor slipped away into his dreams, into a dark world he hasn’t visited for a while.

…..

“ALASTOR!” a figure jumped at him from behind the moment he opened his eyes. The feeling of something soft touched his back allowed him to recognize the identity of the person immediately.

“Asmodeus! It has been a while!”  he said.

“Sure did. How have you been these days? Magnus told me that you ended up in a strange place after fighting that Goddess Elemyr.”

“Magnus told you? Really, the guy still can’t give up his stalking instinct…How are everyone these days?” Alastor asked.

“….About that…. I need to talk to you about something. But I ask that you remain calm!” Asmodeus spoke hesitantly.

“What is this about?”

“It’s your daughter, Odium”

…..

“……”

“Alastor, I know that Xenes was stupid for doing so without telling you but it’s not entirely his fault either that Odium died. It was her plan and she did that to herself so….” Asmodeus claimed.

“…..Now I understand what Odium told me when we first met. How that one of my own will betray my trust. *sigh* “ Alastor sighed in disappointment.

“Alastor, I….I am sorry!” Asmodeus uttered in an apologetic voice. Her eyes were almost on the verge of tears.

“No it’s not your fault, Asmodeus. You can’t control everything by yourself and you are still the person I trust the most among all the demon lords. Don’t take what I just said too seriously! And beside what kind of big sister would cry in front of her brother?” Alastor put his hand on her back and patted it, trying to console the elf.

“…You rascal!” Asmodeus poked the boy’s forehead.

“I think I will go to sleep now. It has been a long day for me!” Alastor yawned. Before he knew it, it has already been an hour since he was here, lying on Asmodeus’ laps.

“Alright. Just remember to drop by sometimes ok?” the elf smiled gently at him as she looked down at his small face.

“I will. Take care!” with it, Alastor’s body faded away, leaving Asmodeus behind by herself.

…..

“He takes that better than I thought he would.” A large figure landed in front of Asmodeus and spoke. “Odium must not be that important for him then.”

“Are you blind or just incredibly stupid? He is clearly affected by her death but instead of blaming you, he is blaming himself. They might not have spent a lot of time together but in the end, she was still his daughter and all she did was for him.”  Asmodeus grunted.

“Meaningless sentiment! If he wants to become a demon lord then he should abandon all unnecessary manners of feelings. He has the potential to become the greatest of us. The ultimate weapons are basically handed to him just like that. Yet he is still bound to his own consciousness. If only he was just an empty shell, that would be much better.” The dragon Xenes lamented.

“What is that supposed to mean? Are you implying that you will do something to him? Because if you are, I won’t mind get rid of your foul mouth right now. Don’t forget who you are talking to, dragon!”

“My, my, what a change in attitude! I can already see how great of an actress you are. Such a gentle sister figure in front of him! Yet behind that facade lies an ugly truth! Don’t misunderstand me! Personally, I think that’s great. But it makes me wonder what Alastor would do when he finds out what you really are.” Xenes grinned.

“You really want to test me?” An ominous aura emanated from Asmodeus. All of the sudden, a tremor originated from her location, shaking the entire Abyss, even wakening the dark sun from above as he looked down to see what was happening.

“Hahahaha! Of course I am not that much of an idiot to challenge you, Asmodeus of Calamity. If you are serious, not even a God could stop you.” Xenes laughed out loud. Despite facing such a terrible from the elf, the dragon felt no fear. For he has forsaken all his emotions a long time ago. “If memories served well, that Goddess tried and ended up being killed by you. That was probably the most hilarious thing I have ever learnt about.”

“And still you don’t seem to learn enough yet. Let me imprint this lesson in your fucking skull!”

“STOP! That’s enough!” a grave voice shouted from above. Magnus has finally decided to get involved. “You must not fight among yourself right now! What would happen if one of you was to perish? Alastor will not be able to use your power anymore. And that’s not part of the plan.”

“Alastor still didn’t find a Dragon Scion and so far he has been perfectly fine without it. That means Xenes is not necessary to the plan.” Asmodeus fumed.

“And you? How many times did he even use your power? It only worked on those puny grunts but in most fights, your power is useless.” Xenes retorted. “Just wait till he finds the Scion and all the powers he had before will be nothing compared to it.”

“Xenes, back off!” Magnus raised his voice.

“What? You are taking her side now? Do you fear her that much? The Great Magnus fears one of his own creations? You are just…..”

“BE GONE!”

With a single shout, Xenes abruptly disappeared into the darkness.

“He is lucky that you teleported him away.” Asmodeus grunted.

“Don’t cause any trouble now, Asmodeus! You are still our ace in this war! The moment Alastor uses it, it will be your turn to finish the job.” Magnus said.

“I will do what the boy wants, not what you want.” The elf turned back and walked away.

“Asmodeus, why are you so obsessed with Alastor? Is this because….”

“Not a word!” the elf woman shouted in anger. “Not.A.Word!”

“….Fine! But take this as an advice…for your own sake: Alastor is not and can’t ever be a replacement for your brother!” Magnus said before vanishing into thin air.

Asmodeus once again found herself all alone in this darkness. Perhaps that was for the best.

“I only need him. Him and him only!”

* * *

“Did you sleep well last night?” asked Fiora.

“The bed is very comfortable, so fluffy and soft. I dozed up the moment I lied on it.” Alastor sipped a black drink from his cup. “EUHHH! What is this? It’s so bitter.”

“It’s coffee. We drink it to wake ourselves up in the morning, or at any other time in the day whenever we need to. If it’s too bitter for you then put it some sugar.” Fiora handed over a pot containing a bunch of small white cubes.

Helping himself to one of them, Alastor licked a cube to have a taste. “This is…sugar. How did you make it into a cube like this?”

“If you are surprised by just that, you will be amazed to know that there are a whole lot more interesting things out there. But that’s not to say your world doesn’t interest me either. You know, in our world, magic and dragons exist only in stories and games so I kind of envy grandpa for being able to go to your world like that.” Fiora confessed.

“Say…why don’t you live with the old man? He is your grandpa, is he not? From the look of it, it’s not like he has any money or housing problems either so why do you stay in this tiny room?” Alastor asked.

After their conversation yesterday, Vincent has invited both of them to stay at his home for the time being until they figured out a way for Alastor to go back to his home. However, Fiora has politely refused his invitation for some reasons. Curious about her situation, the boy has decided to follow the young woman back to her home and stayed there.

“…..” but the girl didn’t answer. She had a painful expression on her face, one that made Alastor regretting for asking that question. Why did he do that? Such rudeness on his part to poke around other people’s business, Alastor thought. Taken by the guilt, he grabbed the coffee cup and almost drank it before realizing that he hasn’t put any sugar in yet. Things were even more awkward now.

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 “I am sorry! I shouldn’t have been too nosy…”

“Ah no, it’s alright. I am just afraid that my reasons are nothing that special so it might disappoint you…” she muttered softly. “My parents and I used to live there with grandpa. Just like him, both of them were researchers, working on a way to get rid of the threat of the Monochromes of our world. Even though they were so busy with their work, they still did their best to spend time with me. But…” Fiora clenched her fists; her hands were trembling from the memories of that day. “But it all ended after a freak accident happened in their lab and cost them their lives. After that, I just couldn’t stay in that house any longer. I just wanted to forget everything and live on. So after I discovered my power and became a Greyman, I moved out to this apartment.

I know it’s not fair for grandpa but I am afraid that if I stayed there any longer, I would go insane. The memories of my parents, everything that belonged to them, are still haunting that place. Even yesterday when we were there, I still couldn’t get over it. Pathetic, isn’t it?”

“Still you did come back. It takes a lot of courage to do that. That alone makes you incredible. Don’t try to forget the past! Your memories make you who you are today!  I don’t have any right to say this but cherish your family while you still can! Sometimes you might take them for granted and before you know it, they are already gone….And when it happens, it will haunt you for the rest of your life! ….Don’t end up like me….” Alastor lamented.

“…Do you want to talk about it?” asked Fiora. She could feel a deep pain hidden behind his words. Was it because of her telepathy? Or was it because he had such a sombre expression?

“It’s a very long story”

“We have the whole day, don’t we?”

……

“You have endured that much for someone your age…*hic hic*. I feel like my pain is nothing to yours.” Fiora sobbed, her eyes reddened from all the tears that poured out. The girl was the kind of person who was easily affected by drama and Alastor’s life was full of it.

Alastor was sitting with her arms around his neck as the two were facing the window, looking at the dim moonlight outside. It was in the middle of the story that she moved to his side, insisting that they stayed in this position. And he had no reason to refuse. The boy has always liked to sit between an older woman’s arms or lie on their laps. Perhaps that was due to the fact that Alastor had a certain maternity complex, wanting to be a spoiled child with his mother. That much was certain.

“We all experience our lives and losses differently. It’s not the number of deaths around us that determined our pain. I never knew my real parents so their deaths didn’t affect me that much. And my daughter….Look at me! I can’t even cry for her. Guess I am starting to get used to it by now…” Alastor faked a smile.

“Why are you lying to yourself? Your tears may not come out but that doesn’t mean you didn’t care for her.” The girl retorted.

“Because I didn’t. Not ever once I have thought about seeing her or even helping her. Only when it was too late I realized that I was wrong. But why does it matter anymore? She died because of me. That’s all that matters.” Alastor spoke angrily.

“Then be a man and make amends for that! Don’t just sit there and lament about what you could have done! Think about the future ahead! You may not forget about the past but don’t be bound by it!” she said loudly.

“You are one to talk. You are still haunted by your parents’ memories.”

“Well that makes the two of us then!”

“…..” The couple stayed silent in this reticent night. The pale moonlight shined into the lightless room, revealing two people’s true feelings. They knew they were wrong. They knew that the other only said that out of kindness, because they cared about them. So why couldn’t they just admit that? Perhaps they already knew the answer and this awkward silence was the sign of their acceptance.

“Have you ever thought of staying here instead of going back?” Firoa broke the silence.

“What?”

 “To leave behind everything and start a new life here. I am sure grandpa can help you settle in quite easily. You can stay here if you want. With m…..”

“You know I can’t do that.” Alastor spoke firmly.

“Yeah… you are right. It was stupid of me to say that. Ha..ha..ha!” the girl put on a clumsy smile and scratched her head. “So what will you do in the time being?”

“Staying here…I guess. Unless you don’t want me to.”

“You are always welcome here, you know!”

“….Why do I feel like there are something else you are implying in that sentence?” Alastor said.

“It’s just your imagination. Go to sleep now!” she grinned.

“I will if you let me go!” Fiora’s arms were still around his neck and it didn’t seem like they were going anywhere soon.

“Just sleep like this! Tomorrow I will bring you back to grandpa and discuss on how to get you back home!”

“…Alright then. Good night!”

“Night!”

* * *

Inside the monitoring room in the underground of the Greymen’s HQ, the veteran Kennedy was sitting in front of a bunch of flashy screens. It was supposed to be Fiora’s job but he volunteered to replace her temporarily. To be honest, he would prefer to keep the girl as far away as possible from any Greyman’s duty. As an old friend of her late parents, he has watched her for her entire life as a guardian, a god-father. He wanted to keep her safe from all the dangers this job could unfold. But the young woman was just too stubborn to realize his intention. Or perhaps she did but simply refused to be protected any longer, just like how every child would one day leave their nest to make their own.

“What a day it was! A Traveller out of all things…” he muttered as he put his hands on the back of his head in a relaxing position on his bending chair.

The door behind him opened and a long white haired woman walked in.

“You are by yourself, teacher? Where is Fiora?” asked Jora.

“She won’t be around when the Traveller is still here.” Kennedy replied. “Let’s just say that she is our ambassador for the time being. Hahaha!”

“That girl…neglecting her duties like that!” Jora grunted.

“I am not complaining. It suits me perfectly fine.” The man said.

“You are spoiling her too much.”

“Hahaha! Are you jealous?” Kennedy joked.

“Wh..at? No!! Of course not! I mean….No! Just no!” the woman panicked.

“I am just joking. Still, it’s better if she uses this opportunity to have a normal life. I tried to keep her inside this boring office, hoping that she would quit. But that girl is just too stubborn.”

“There is no such thing as a normal life once you are an Esper!” Jora dictated.

“That’s a sad thing to say, Jora! We may not be normal but that doesn’t stop us from searching for our own happiness, for a place to call home.”

“You mean a family? We face death every day. Have you ever thought what would happen to them if you die? Family is not something a Greyman should speak of or even think of.”

“…I am not saying that you are wrong. True, death awaits us at every corner. And even if the Monochromes don’t exist, the government would never let us go freely. Still, I wish that one day, we may be freed from that fate. Surely you too want to have a family some day? With the one you love. Has any lucky guy caught your eyes yet? Someone like Edmur isn’t so bad.” Kennedy laughed.

“Edmur? He is just a kid. I prefer someone ….older. More mature….” Jora fidgeted.

“I see. Hope that you will find that person soon.” The man gulped down his cup of coffee.

“Teacher, I….”

Suddenly the red beacon glittered as an alarm appeared on one of the screen, accompanied by an emergency message.

“WARNING WARNING! Anomaly detected in district A! Power level: Four thousand!”

“What?” Kennedy shouted, jumping from his chair. The Monochrome was always an imminent threat but they usually came one by one with a fairly distant time in between. One just came through yesterday so how come the second one was already here? Yet his surprise didn’t end there.

“WARNING WARNING! A second anomaly has been detected in district B! Power level: Five thousand!” the message appeared on a second screen.

“WARNING WARNING! Anomalies detected in district C, D, E, F, G, H! Multiples hostiles have been spotted crossing the rift. Power levels measuring from five thousand to eight thousand.” Red warnings appeared on the other screens as well.

“This is not possible. How come there are so many of them at the same time?” Jora uttered in disbelief.

But then a final warning came on the biggest screen that covered the entire city.

“WARNING WARNING! Two anomalies detected in district Z! Power level…. measuring….measuring. Maximum limit reached! Critical Error! Critical Error! Evacuate the entire city immediately!”