Late at night, Celeste sat near Reina upon her bed while a showered Yuna drifted in and out of sleep on a nearby chair. Reina recounted the events involving Aelfric and Nero.

“Almost right after Augustus pleaded with Yuna to stop—,” Reina said.

“Was boring anyway.” Yuna yawned.

“A medical team showed up to take Talia. Nero went along. Dante said he’d never seen Nero ‘shellshocked’, for lack of a better term.”

“What do you think Aelf said, anyway?”

“I’m not sure. He was his typical self with you. ‘You should not have to involve yourself in matters of discipline. Your assistance is appreciated, however. I will tend to the cleanup. You may leave.’”

“Yeah, then walked away, like nothin’.”

They all sat in silence for a bit until Celeste stood. “It sounds distasteful, but this event is fortunate. It’s for the best you two understand what Aelfric is. Who our partner-in-crime is. And what he’s capable of.”

“Eh?”

“What he ‘is’?” Reina asked.

“I’ve seen men like him before. Dealt with them.” Celeste looked at Reina. “Reina, I saw it in your eyes. Did you think what Aelfric did to Talia, to Nero, was sadistic?”

“I…I don’t know. The thought has crossed my mind.” Reina nodded.

“It wasn’t. It was nothing. Merely a means to an end. I had my suspicions after learning of Aelfric’s assassinations, but this confirms it. You should view him as a zealot, a fanatic. To whatever ideal him and ‘Diana’ are after. I’ve no doubt whatsoever he held any malice. He surely knew not only who Talia was, but her relationship with Nero.”

“The hell’re you talking about, Mom? You saying he’s religious or something?” Yuna asked.

“These type of men are usually religious. But religion is merely an ‘ideal’, hun. There’s a purity to their actions.”

“‘Purity’?” Reina and Yuna asked in unison. They shared a glance.

“Yes. You both possess a similar purity.” Celeste glanced between their confused expressions, then looked at Yuna. “Yuna. I’ve never had to ask because I know the answer, but do you enjoy inflicting pain when you’re fighting?”

“Huh? Not sure I’ve thought about it.” Yuna paused. “Not really?”

“Do you regret the pain you inflict?”

“No?”

“Exactly, hun. You want to find ideal fights. You’re not out to hurt others. It gives you neither pleasure nor pain. It’s only a byproduct. Similarly,” Celeste turned to Reina, “Reina’s curiosity, that insatiable thirst of wanting to know more even when there could be severe consequences. Can you two comprehend the stress you cause your poor mother?” She observed varying levels of discomfort on Reina’s and Yuna’s faces. “Anyway. The point I’m trying to get at is, Aelfric is dangerous. Even if we’re comrades now, if we were somehow to run afoul of their ultimate goal, he could turn on us in an instant. I need you both to keep your guards up. For me. Okay?”

“Pfft. I can take him if it ever came to that,” Yuna scoffed.

Celeste looked at Yuna. “I can see what’s in your head, hun. He doesn’t care about some fight being fair. He’d avoid a confrontation altogether. I’m sure you already know this.”

“Lame. True.” Yuna shook her head.

“I think I understand, Mama,” Reina said. “I had no idea you thought about these things. I can’t deny I’ve let my curiosity get the best of me more than once. And now that you’ve said it… I think Yuna’s bloodlust has maybe never bothered me because subconsciously I recognized that ‘purity’. ‘Bloodlust’ even feels wrong to say now. Inaccurate. I’ll be cautious, I promise.” She met Celeste’s gaze, who gave an acknowledging nod. “But it still bothers me. Did Aelfric really see killing one and maiming another as the best solution?”

“This is something else you’ll need to understand. There’s a good chance similar events will happen again.” Celeste sighed. “He had to make an example. He probably strongly considered killing Nero, but recognized the chaos it would cause. Despite all your dealings, neither of you understand how necessary fear is in the underworld. The way your father’s run Vyxora has skewed your perspectives. However, before Vyxora, your father had to do the same more than once.”

“You mean when you guys were mercs?” Yuna asked in excitement.

“Yes,” Celeste said in a somber tone.

“Well, c’mon, what happened?”

“That’s…” Celeste walked to the corner near Reina, her back turned to them. I know I promised not to tell them about those days, Leon, but I can hardly think of a more fitting story to help them understand the world we’re entering.

Yuna moved to the edge of the bed. “C’mon, Mom, you guys never spill on those days. I’ve asked Pops so many times.” A brief silence ensued. She glanced at Reina. “Help me out, Reina.”

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“Mama, help us ‘understand’, please?”

Celeste turned around, slightly startled by Yuna, then paused in thought again. You cunning little… Well, I was going to, anyway. As hard as it is to believe, Leon, they’re adults. And neither of them subscribe particularly hard to a morality you worried about. They won’t come to hate you. She leaned against the wall.

“Don’t tell your father.” Celeste received an acknowledging nod from each of them before continuing. “About a year after I joined the Reavers, Darius, the founder, passed away. He had a terminal illness, which was the reason I was even able to join at such a young age. I helped hide it with what medical knowledge I had at the time. Darius declared very clearly before passing that your father, Leon, was to be the successor. Leon was already a seasoned veteran at this time, but still only nineteen years old. Darius’ right-hand man, Julien, fifteen years Leon’s senior, did not take the news well. I didn’t really know that much of their relationship at the time, but later learned Leon saw Julien as an older brother. They got along well, and Julien had even trained Leon often. It was this relationship Julien tried to use to pressure Leon into giving up the seat. Leon wanted to give up the position, but couldn’t in the end. He felt like he’d be betraying Darius’ wishes.”

“Things were real tense the next few weeks as we wrapped up whatever contract we were on. People started choosing sides, mostly Julien, until we appeared on the verge of splitting. Julien, however, wanted it all. Leon spoke maybe a quarter as much then as now, if you can imagine. He was losing us. Even I didn’t see much value in having him as our leader. On a humid, uncomfortable night in some miserable jungle, he planned to talk to Julien once more, but overheard Julien persuading those still left undecided. Darius’ mental state, his illness, Leon’s age, Leon’s leadership, on and on other personal attacks. Some valid. Some not so much. Then Leon appeared and threw a knife at Julien’s feet. Much later, I found out Darius had left a note for Leon somewhere. ‘Make an example out of Julien, if you have to.’ Darius foresaw this moment. There wasn’t a way to amicably resolve it. Those who deal in the business of lives really only respect strength, fear, and money.”

Celeste sighed. “Of course, your idiot father decided he had to go further to prove himself and fought unarmed. That did probably make it impossible for Julien to refuse at the time, I have to admit. Guns were plentiful back then, but a duel reliant on martial skill was still a thing in our world. Leon won. Barely. He challenged others to step forth, but the brutality displayed had cemented him as our leader. No one there that night questioned his position ever again.”

“What? That’s it?” Yuna asked. “Can’t you describe the fight?”

“Hell no. I’m glad I’ve long forgotten. Julien had his skull caved in. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination. The only image I remember is the absurd amount of patching up I had to do on Leon. He was bleeding all over from knife cuts.”

“Fucking lame.”

“Papa really had to do that? Kill someone he viewed as a brother?” Reina asked.

“Yes. There was no other way, hun,” Celeste said.

“But couldn’t he have just left, or something? Did Darius’ words mean that much?”

“I’d be the equivalent to Darius and unlike him, I’ve been trying to get you to leave this life for how many years? Look where that’s gotten us. Even a bunch of greedy, bloodthirsty mercs were the closest thing to family for Leon. And he felt indebted to Darius.”

“Think about it, Reina. They were gonna mutiny Pops,” Yuna said. “It was pretty much kill or be killed.”

“Mm,” Reina mumbled, her expression contorted in thought.

“All feelings aside, Aelfric making an example out of Nero’s disobedience has likely set an important tone for Abyss,” Celeste said.

“Hey, so who was this Darius guy to Pops?” Yuna asked.

Celeste winced as both Reina’s and Yuna’s gazes fell on her. Damnit. She rubbed her brow. Knew I wasn’t being vague enough. Even tried changing the subject. Thought it’d be Reina who poked at something, though. Maybe Yuna intuitively sensed it? Well, I can share a bit. Keep them distracted from asking about me. Gotta throw you under the bus, my lion.

“Darius ‘Vyx’,” Celeste said. Reina’s and Yuna’s eyes widened in surprise. “Your father’s adoptive father, pretty much. I’ll tell you how Leon met him and joined. On one condition. You won’t ask any more after.”

“Okay?” Reina said.

“Fine, whatever,” Yuna said.

“Good. I wasn’t around at the time, obviously, so it’s really just secondhand from Darius himself. In a country that doesn’t even exist anymore, he’d been hired to strike at an insurgency while a civil war was going on in the country at large. There was a village where it was nonstop fighting, as it had the misfortune of being along a major supply route. Even with much of it leveled, somehow a resistance had kept a battalion at bay. They inflicted quite a few casualties, hence Darius’ relatively small outfit being contracted at the time. As they swept through the city, they got hit several times. One was killed, a few were wounded, including Darius. His mercs assumed it may be as many as half a dozen strong, but he had a theory and put it to the test. He used himself as bait, exaggerating his injury to lure an attacker, and sure enough, they bit. A firefight ensued where Darius’ company far outmatched them. When it became clear they’d stopped firing, Darius found a young boy lying on his side, hidden well amidst ruins. The man was utterly ragged, covered in dirt, grime, and blood. So thick was the stuff that it had acted as camouflage. He held fast a wound at his neck, bleeding profusely. When Darius got close, the man rolled over, gun in hand. Darius hadn’t let his guard down, however, and kicked it out.”

“Darius then had to prevent some of his men from executing the boy on the spot. That was Leon, your father. A mere thirteen years old or so. Although, he supposedly had already looked closer to a grown man. As it turns out, he’d been the sole resistance in the village, executing the guerrilla strikes all along. Darius had him patched up and offered him a job as a mercenary in the Reavers. Leon accepted. Your father’s never brought up his life before that point of his own volition, so I’ve never asked. I did once work up the courage to ask why he accepted, and he simply said ‘survival’. Darius told me of how, while it had started as merely recruiting a promising piece of clay to mold, it become something more. He figured it was a father-son relationship, though never having had a father himself, didn’t really know.”

“Damn. So Pops was a real badass?” Yuna said. “Why’s that story sound kinda familiar though…?” She ran her fingers through her hair.

“Well, hun, because it’s pretty similar to how you became a Vyx.”

“Oh, shit.”

“I always thought it was just because Yuna was so young back then, but…” Reina said. “Papa…” She sniffled, as her eyes glassed over.

You see, Leon? Celeste thought. I knew they would accept you. They’re not stupid. They know the rest without having to be told.

“Fuck.” Yuna turned away while rubbing her eye. “There’s something in my eye. You wouldn’t think you’d miss someone who barely talks…”

“So much,” Reina said, her voice cracked as her lips trembled.

Celeste dropped to her knees, then forcefully pulled Reina and Yuna into her embrace. Neither resisted even as they were pressed into her drenched cheeks.

“Fucking old man.”

“Papa…”

“Wake up already, my foolish lion.”