Lillie placed some water over Amadeus’ mouth. He drank it in greedily before collapsing back into sleep. Jared looked annoyed with him as he tried to shake him further.

“He’s spent,” Victor chimed in from the side.

“I…. I just need a minute,” Amadeus replied lazily.

He’d cleaned out the two Seeds and stared at them intently for the moment. One of them looked like a tear of blood that was warm to the touch. The other was something intimately familiar to Victor. It was Amadeus’ Crystallized Lightning.

That was a conundrum. His bestiary was open before him, along with his item compendium so that Victor could reference the information.

[[Count Hemotep]: SIZE: M THREAT: GREAT ABILITIES: SEED: Bloody Tear, SEED: Crystallized Lightning, Shapechanging

Hemotep is one of the stronger Metamorphs I’ve seen. Whereas others at or above his level are mindless creatures that obey an Imperial, Mythic or even a Deity, he was instead a completely independent entity. I always did admire his tenacity. Before being lucky enough to acquire his Seeds, he was only a simple Metamorph Thinker working under some Imperial or other.

Though he’s had them only for a while, he is adept at using his Seeds. They allow him to multiply and create an ichor-like blood that fuels his stronger abilities, like his devastating lightning. The Pantheon at one time tried to recruit him because of those very abilities, from what I’ve heard.]

From the description, Victor should’ve pitied the man. In some ways they were similar. They both fought for their people. But despite that, he couldn’t find it in himself to muster up any sympathies, even against the supposed wishes of his bestiary.

The description also didn’t help him understand what the Bloody Tear could do. He’d even checked the item’s description, but the vagueness of it made it hard to work with. So as always, it was up to him to decide where the Seeds would go.

Am doesn’t need another Lightning Seed, that’s for sure. Lillie doesn’t have anything resembling offensive abilities, so maybe she should get it instead? But then, what if we need resources?

“Huh?” Victor muttered to himself. He’d come across his fair share of Seeds in the previous loop, but at least then the path had been clear cut. He and Amadeus hadn’t much to their names, so they’d been forced to sell of the scarce few Seeds they found. This time, instead of too little, he had too many choices.

“Figure something out yet, Vic?” Lillie asked him. She was leaning over his crouched form, looking towards the Seeds with gleaming eyes.

….She needs protection, Victor decided. He picked up the Crystallized Lightning and tossed it over to her.

“You should absorb it as soon as you can,” Victor told her.

“Y-you sure? What about you?” Lillie asked.

Victor popped a blade off of his knuckles in response. Then he fired it off towards one of the walls.

“I’ll manage.”

He then scooped up the Bloody Tear and brought it over to Amadeus. Maybe it was a bit foolish handing something that great over to Amadeus, but he’d already made his choice.

The truth was, Victor didn’t know how long he’d live. He wanted to keep his options open for the future. And the Seed— albeit powerful— was another option he was locking away for himself in this life.

“Hey, Am. Take this, would you?” Victor curled the man’s hands around the Seed.

“What? Is this a tooth or something? I don’t want to have teeth magic, Vic,” Amadeus mumbled with his eyes closed.

“Oh really? Think about it, Am, you might become the one thing all ten out of ten doctors recommend,” Victor replied sarcastically. Amadeus chuckled, showing a gap-toothed smile.

“Now come on, absorb it in,” Victor said.

In a moment the Seed sank into Amadeus’ flesh, and he furrowed his brow with eyes still closed.

“Jared, get me a vial of blood,” Victor ordered. the boy managed to scrounge one up from around the room and brought it to Victor.

“Bottom’s up, buddy,” he fed the blood to Amadeus, unsure of how the abilities worked. Though his friend grimaced and stuck out his tongue, a moment later his eyes were open.

“That was… disgusting,” Amadeus said. He spat to his side; spittle mixed with red. He then looked around frantically at the room, and the kids still hanging by the chains. And though their hands were bruised from the chains, not a single one looked harmed beyond it.

“Now that you’re awake, let’s get your family out of here,” Victor told him.

****

It didn’t take the group long to find the keys that unlocked the prisoner’s chains. Slowly but surely, they lowered each of them down, from the toddlers to the adults. And no sooner than they’d started did the kids start waking up.

The first of them cried when they did wake, but softened their cries once they found Amadeus. He hugged and held them, reassuring them with every passing moment that he wasn’t going anywhere. He and Lillie dressed their wounds as the kids spoke without pause, letting out their fears, sadness and anger.

Once they were all down and awake, Victor took a good hard look at them. How Amadeus managed such a large family he’d never know. He seemed to remember each and every one of them by name. Dudley, Duke, Samantha, Yvette. It made his head spin, and he was the one who could actually record information in his bestiary.

“Where were you?!” One of the girls, Yvette shouted at him as she grabbed onto his collar. She was a tanned girl with purple hair and bags under her eyes.

“Stop it! Don’t hurt him!” another girl, this time a teenager, stepped in between. She had tears in her eyes which made the older woman stutter.

“And how are you so buff now?” another little girl, Tiffany, asked. She was hanging off of Amadeus’ arm like it was a solid tree branch.

“Maybe he’s been working out?” Dudley replied. If Victor remembered right, he was the one who loved detective novels.

“But Jared looks the same?” Tiffany replied.

“H-hey! I’ve been working out too!” Jared defended himself.

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The entire group kept bombarding Amadeus with questions. He met them all head on with a smile, his arms wrapping around each and every one so tightly it looked like he never wanted to let go. Even Yvette was brought into the giant hug despite her grumbling.

“It’s a really sweet sight, isn’t it?” Lillie said with a sombre smile.

Victor smiled for Am. He should’ve been happy, he knew, but a thought lingered in the back of his mind. What about his family?

That part wanted to rush out of there as soon as possible to get to them. Hold his own brother and sister in his arms and smile at them. And with every moment that passed, that reality became a bit more distant.

“Alright, everybody, calm down!” Victor clapped to catch their attention. “The rest of this can wait till we’re out of here. So, let go of the man and stay behind us while we clear a path, alright?” Victor finished.

The kids looked between themselves and murmured in silence. Even Yvette looked at him distrustfully.

“Victor’s right. We can’t be playing around right now. Can you guys be good for a little bit, at least until we’re out?” Amadeus asked, crouching down to their level.

The kids nodded one by one.

“Great! Let’s get going, then.”

The group started to walk, Lillie, Victor and Amadeus in front. While they continued, Victor handed Amadeus a bandolier of blood vials he’d found in the room.

“Wait, I have to drink these every time I want to use the Seed?” Amadeus asked.

“Get used to it. It might be the only way to use it,” Victor said.

“Why not take it yourself?”

“I’m saving myself for something special,” Victor fired back. “That, and I wanted to know. Am, can you try that red lightning trick Hemotep pulled off?”

Amadeus raised a single hand as they walked. when he focused, only yellow lightning crawled along his arms.

“Wait a minute. I’ve got this. It’s just like…. Rubbing your belly and patting your head at the same time,” he said.

“What?” Victor asked.

“Ah, you know, like…” and as Amadeus tried to form a comparison, the first sparks of red mixed with the yellow. He stopped and quieted, concentrating on the feeling once more. Within a few minutes, red lightning sprang from his hands, travelling around like a sharp snake around his arms.

“There it is!” Am said happily before quenching the sparks. The kids in the back quivered a bit at the sights, and Amadeus had to console them before they continued onwards and out of the castle.

****

“There goes my last bullet,” Victor complained as he examined the magazine of his pistols.

The Metamorph Brute faded into a puddle of clay before him. Victor idly slammed his magazine back in the pistol and tucked it away.

“Way’s clear!” he shouted for the kids.

Lillie approached with the Hemostone in hand and placed it onto the final pedestal. As the walls shifted around them, they glimpsed the beacon of light that led to salvation.

“Thanks for keeping them safe, Lil,” Amadeus chimed in from behind them.

“It’s no problem. Especially when they’re so gosh darn adorable!” Lillie replied, pinching Tiffany’s cheeks.

“Be careful. That’s how they get you. These kids are demons when they don’t listen,” Yvette chimed in.

“And yet you still take care of them,” Amadeus said.

“Because someone has to when you’re not around.”

“You still handle the house better than me!”

“At least I don’t have to hear you snoring from five rooms over…” Yvette muttered to herself.

The walls parted fully for them and the group moved forward. Victor waited for the last of the kids to pass before he did so himself. He took one last glance back at the castle and wondered to himself what would become of it.

Probably conquered by some other monster once they figure out the whole thing is abandoned.

He took the Hemostone from the pedestal just in case. The walls closed in behind him and Victor made his way to the front of the group. Towards the Gate.

“Brace the kids for this. It’s going to be a bit disorienting going through,” Victor said.

“Dudley, Sam, with me,” Yvette said. She held onto the two kids and nodded to Victor.

Victor popped blades over his knuckles before entering the Gate. He didn’t know what could be waiting on the other side, and he didn’t want to risk it.

“I’ll go in first, just to check.”

Victor took the first step and popped out of the other side. A passing wave of nausea overcame him yet he persisted. The junction leading to the castle was empty, which was surprising to him. Victor looked around for signs of life, Metamorphs or other monsters waiting in ambush, but found nothing.

He popped back through the portal he addressed the whole group.

“Way’s clear.”

****

The main base of the resistance was alight with motion once Victor and his group had come back. Alex was the first to greet them on their return. Her mouth was agape with the number of people they’d dragged back with themselves.

“What’s wrong, Ponytail? Thought we’d die out there?” Victor asked.

“Honestly? Yeah,” she replied. “Gray! We’ve got company. Get the kids some blankets and something warm to eat!” she waved over one of the others.

They were in one of the larger buildings on the street, so Victor winced when she raised her voice so loud.

“You’ll attract the monsters if you keep shouting so loud.”

“You’re the one who brought children into the building. You think they’re going to be quiet?” Alex asked.

“No, but there’s some things you can do about it,” Victor said. He took her to the side and started a long talk about certain Seeds he knew of.

While he did that, Amadeus, Lillie and Yvette did their best to help the kids. Most all of them fell asleep as soon as they were done wolfing down the canned soup that Gray had brought out. The straight-faced man just nodded to them, leaving the kids under their purview as he grabbed a rifle and went up the stairwell.

Amadeus made sure each of them was tucked in comfortably among the blankets. He painstakingly helped each of them into the large padded room Gray had directed them towards. The other survivors gave him a glare when they were forced out of it, and all he could do was smile back sheepishly.

Then he leaned back against one of the desks in the room and breathed out. Finally, they were all safe. A massive weight lifted off of his shoulders, and the smile he’d strained to keep for so long felt effortless once more.

Thank you, Vic. Truly.

“What are we going to do now?” Yvette asked. Beside her was Jared and finally Lillie.

“Survive the best we can,” Amadeus replied.

“You’re not leaving?”

“Only for a little bit. I owe Victor that much,” Amadeus said.

“Seems like a reliable guy. Was he your friend or…?”

“I think…. He thinks so. We have these inside jokes, but truth be told, I don’t remember a single one of them,” Amadeus said.

Yvette raised an eyebrow. “You think he’s all there?”

“I think he’s more grounded than any one else in the world right now.”

“Victor saved you guys. That’s all I need to trust him,” Jared said.

“You too?”

“He helped me with my powers too…” the teen added.

“And what about you, Lillie?” Yvette asked.

“I think it’s better if I stick around. For both our sakes,” she said with a smile.

“Whatever. I’m knocking out for the day,” Yvette said idly. She took one of the remaining blankets and squeezed herself into the pile of sleeping bodies there. Lillie and Jared left the room too, but Amadeus stuck around. He wanted to keep watch. Not just for their sakes, but for his own.

He didn’t know how long had passed when someone entered the room behind him. Under the dim light, he almost didn’t notice how tired Victor looked. Even though he looked like he’d been through the ringer, he had a backpack on.

Amadeus rubbed his own aching eyes and smirked.

“You should drop that, Vic. No need to haul it everywhere,” he said.

“I’m taking it with me, Am. I got your family safe, now it’s time to find mine,” Victor replied.

“Wait, right now?” Amadeus asked.

“Yeah, quicker the better. Can you tell Lillie for me? Can’t find her anywhere.”

He turned and started to leave the room, but Amadeus stopped him.

“Wait.”

“Huh?”

“What… the hell is wrong with you?” Amadeus asked.

“Excuse me?” Victor asked.

“You gave me the power to save my family, helped me reach the other side of the country and then took down the one responsible for kidnapping them. After all that, you think I’d just let you off alone?” Amadeus said.

He had real anger in his eyes, the kind that Victor didn’t often see. In his last life, it was mostly sadness or tension that scoured the man’s face.

“You helped me, I help you. And I’m not letting you go off alone and tired to Charleston,” Amadeus said.

“They could be in danger, Am. What if-”

“You’re in danger. Of collapsing from exhaustion. You’re out of ammo, do you even have food in your pack?” Amadeus asked.

“I was hoping to pick some up on the way….” Victor muttered.

“Vic, in your condition, even I could beat you.”

Victor had no response. He just… he wanted to see them so bad.

“Victor, a day or two. That’s all I’m asking. Then you, me and Lillie go together,” Amadeus offered. Victor took a sidelong glance at the sleeping children.

“What about them?” he asked.

“They stay. We won’t be gone long. We’ll find your family, bring them back and live through this nightmare together. That’s what friends do for each other, don’t they?” Amadeus asked. He held out a hand for Victor.

The Timewalker hesitated for a moment, then he clasped it in his own. He pulled Amadeus in for a hug after.

“Thank you, Am, truly.”

“Heh,” Amadeus replied. Funny how that worked out.