The next day, in Reina’s basement room, Dante exited his room, having recently awoken. He heard voices from the adjacent room and groggily spotted a tall figure at the exit, cloaked head to toe in shadowed garb. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief. The figure remained for a few seconds until giving a slight bow toward where Reina-cat would be, then left. He moved to where he could see Reina-cat, who sat motionless in their chair facing the exit.

“Hey, I’m awake, right?” Dante asked. “Was that a ninja or something? Only seen a getup like that as cosplay IRL before.” Several seconds passed, with no response from Reina. Dante closed in, waving his hand some. “Hello? Reina? You okay?” Reina-cat’s head twitched, turning slightly.

“Oh, Dante. Good—.” Reina paused. “Evening. Did you say something?”

“Yea. ‘Sup. Who the ninja?”

“‘Ninja’?”

“Tall, dark and clothed head to toe? Just left?”

“Oh! That was Aelfric.”

“Ah, should’ve guessed. Gotta respect he’s so devoted to keeping you guys hidden-ish.” Dante sat in his usual chair. “Kinda funny, imagining him sneak in here.”

“Yes…”

“You think he scurries from corner to corner?”

“Yes…”

“Fineee. I’ll ask. I’ve gotten used to this. I can see the gears turning without actually seeing you. What is it, now?”

“Are you sure? You said to keep you out of the loop as much as possible. I’m still trying to process it myself, honestly.”

“Is it something I can help resolve? Like, today?”

“No. No way.”

“Aight, nevermind then.” Dante stretched and yawned.

“Oh…okay.” Reina-cat’s head drooped a little.

“I’m kidding. It’s not gonna kill me to listen. I would hope?”

Reina sighed without muting, on accident. “Thank you. I’m not sure yet when to tell Mama and Yuna.”

“Guess that means it’s not some imminent threat, at least. Alright, hit me, let’s get this over with.”

“I just remembered, you don’t even know about the other thing yet.”

“‘Other thing’? I did happen to watch Yuna’s match, if you mean that. In ALTR. Long story.”

“No, though now I’m curious what you mean…but—.” Reina explained about the real estate mogul’s assassination.

“Shit.” Dante paused. “Pretty fuckin’ weird knowing—.” He stopped himself. “Well, yeah, you know.”

“The crazy thing is, there’s arguably an even bigger event. That’s what Aelfric was just here to tell me, before checking on Yuna, and now Griff, since I told him.”

“Okay, you’ve got me.” Dante shook his head. “Curiosity successfully sparked. Hit me.”

“The council member, Thanasius, leader of Sparta, resigned. That’s all we know right now, but the council had Aelfric come to them this morning. They offered, or ordered, more accurately, that Aelfric take over Odin, effective immediately. They already validated the duel as a kind of exchange.”

“Goddamn. What’s that saying? When something, it something?”

“When it rains, it pours?”

“Yeah, that’s it. Shiiit, you weren’t exaggerating. That really sums it up.”

“Can I tell you a crazy coincidence?”

“Sure?”

“It’s been literally pouring rain all day.” Reina breathed a sigh of relief.

Dante chuckled. “RL can give ALTR a run for its money sometimes. I just feel like laughing. Crazy shit.”

“Honestly, the saying popped into my head earlier after I heard the rain while I was—, uh, doing something. I wanted to tell someone. So, thanks.”

“Heh, I know that feeling. Well, dare I ask what’s next?”

“Aelfric requested I help by speaking with a ‘Tyr’ from Odin.”

“‘Requested’, huh? Can’t help but appreciate the guy hasn’t already been corrupted by power.”

“I wondered if things might change between us too, but he still apologizes whenever asking for my help. And he kinda kept rambling about how this is only because of the short notice.”

Dante sighed. “Not like it matters. I don’t even have to ask, but I’m gonna, anyway. You won’t be able to raid for a while, will you?”

“No, sorry.” Reina giggled. “I had a feeling, but this was all about ALTR again, wasn’t it?”

“At first, sure, but even I’m not immune to curiosity about such big happenings.”

“I can’t tell how much of it has sunk in yet.”

“Wonder how many names from the Norse pantheon are gonna pop up.” They shared a laugh as they started working at their monitors.

Meanwhile, in Griff and Yuna’s room, Celeste slept in a chair between them. Aelfric, with his hood now down, entered. A tall man followed behind him, wearing a worn down trench coat and bowler hat atop long gray hair. He had a permanent scowl beneath a five-o’clock shadow. He stopped around the entrance while Aelfric continued further in. Griff remained asleep, sedated, his vitals stable. Yuna grinned as she watched a show in her IRIS, not even noticing Aelfric. She appeared comfortable underneath a blanket on her bed.

“Yuna,” Aelfric said. “You seem well. I am glad.”

“Huh?” Yuna glanced around for a moment before spotting Aelfric. “Oh, shit. When’d you get here, Aelf?”

“Just now.”

Yuna looked over Aelfric. “Still playing ninja, eh?” She reached over to Celeste, then lightly prodded. “Mom, wake up. Your favorite Aelf’s here.” She reached a little further to Celeste’s shoulder with a pat, but recoiled with a wince. “Ow.” She grabbed at her side.

Celeste stirred awake. “My what?” She looked at Yuna.

“Your Aelf.” Yuna gestured to Aelfric.

Celeste looked, then stood. “Oh. Hello, Aelfric.”

“Well, I thought it was funny…I’ll tell Reina later,” Yuna sulked.

“Greetings, Celeste.” Aelfric gave a slight bow. “My sincerest apologies to both of you for my absence. I had several unavoidable engagements. I’ve been apprised of Griff from Reina.”

“We know about one of ‘em,” Yuna said. Celeste shot Yuna a disapproving glance, which caused her to notice the tall man.

“Who is this?” Celeste asked.

“Yes. Allow me to explain,” Aelfric said. “This is Dr. Ichizaki. He’s a skilled physician whose services I used recently. I’ve since enlisted him on permanent retainer.” While Aelfric spoke, Yuna and Dr. Ichizaki glared at one another. “After seeing how reckless Yuna fought, I’d meant to bring him here sooner. Alas, unavoidable circumstance that I will explain shortly, interfered. To cut to the heart of the matter, I’d like to station him here at Vyxora. He will provide medical care to your residents, free of charge. All he asks is that you treat him as you do many of your residents - foregoing their past. Please also understand this is not a comment on your ability, Celeste, nor the Nezins. The Dr. requires a safe location that Vyxora can provide, and I’m confident his expertise will expedite Yuna’s recovery.”

“We were trying to not—.” Celeste paused for a moment, having sworn she’d seen something in the corner of her eye near Ichizaki’s legs. His coat rustled a little. “—to take in more residents. I know you’re doing your utmost to hide us within Abyss, but I still worry we may eventually get targeted.”

“Enough of this yapping!” Dr. Ichizaki grumbled. “I need a place to lie low, and you don’t ask questions. So let my skill do the convincing.” He abruptly walked toward Griff. Several extra steps could be heard between his own, which both Celeste and Yuna noticed in confusion.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Celeste looked at his feet to see two small feet taking multiple steps to keep up with the tall doctor’s stride.

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“The hell? There someone else in here? Why do I hear extra steps?” Yuna asked. Ichizaki reached the terminal at Griff. A petite young girl peered out from behind his trench coat, meeting Celeste’s gaze for a moment before quickly retreating out of sight. Celeste walked forward.

“Sharp ears, this one,” Dr. Ichizaki said. “This tiresome growth on my leg is Io. My daughter.” He tapped away at the terminal. Celeste lowered herself to eye level of Io. Equipped with a gentle smile, she tried to meet Io’s gaze again. However, Io shuffled away at the sight of Celeste until Ichizaki’s hand stopped her from moving. She stood about as tall as his hips. “You know the rules, Io. No clinging to my front.” His large hand very gently pushed Io. She grabbed at his coat, lifting part of it to shield herself.

“Hello, Io. What a beautiful name. My name is Celeste.” Celeste spoke in an uncharacteristically soft tone. Io tried to keep herself covered, but clung to a stuffed tiger in her outer arm, making it difficult. “Would you like anything, hun? Hungry? Thirsty?” Celeste could see the top of Io’s head shake. She had silky red hair. “Hmm. Let me know if you change your mind. May I ask what your friend’s name is?” She pointed at the tiger. Io peered out just enough to see Celeste’s hand.

“Grr,” Io whispered. Celeste only heard the sound, unable to decipher it. She started to open her mouth.

“Did she just growl at you?” Yuna chuckled. Io partially released her cover, revealing her surprise. She glanced in Yuna’s direction.

“What?” Celeste stood and turned to Yuna. “The heck’re you talking about, Yuna?”

“I don’t think she likes you, Mom. She growled.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

Celeste and Yuna started bickering for several seconds. Io suddenly rushed out from her hiding place. The petite, frail-looking little girl held the tiger high into the air. She pointed at it with her other hand. She had shoulder length red hair, sapphire-blue eyes and soft features.

“Grr,” Io said, only a little louder than before while she gestured to the tiger.

“Ooh,” Yuna said, interrupting Celeste. “My bad. The tiger’s name is Grr. I like it.”

Io relaxed with a sigh of relief, pulling Grr back into her chest. A few seconds passed until she realized Celeste had again moved to her eye level. Clear panic ripped across her as she turned in haste, only to be held in place by Celeste’s hand on her shoulder.

“Hold on a second, honey. Just want a good look at you,” Celeste said.

Io tensed up and reached for Celeste’s arm. However, she stopped when her gaze fell upon Celeste’s face. Her arm dropped back to her side, and the tension evaporated. Celeste’s warm smile set Io’s heart aflutter. An unfamiliar sensation reverberated throughout her body. Before she knew it, her body moved on its own, embracing Celeste. A second passed before she realized what she’d done. She moved to pull away, but Celeste reciprocated with a tight, warm hug. She relished the moment until the initial squeeze ended, to which she pulled back again. Celeste withdrew in response. Io rushed back over to hide behind Ichizaki. This made Celeste remember the Doctor, and so she stood.

“Doctor, who said you could—?” Celeste asked.

“You’ve done a serviceable job keeping the man alive, but that’s about it,” Ichizaki said in a dismissive tone. Agitation engulfed Celeste as she started to move toward him. “Not an entirely small feat, considering the amount of Ascend. However. Sedation is not the answer here and it could still go sideways any moment.” Celeste stopped.

“What do you mean? Explain.”

“Detradoxin, do you have it?” Ichizaki continued to work at the terminal.

“I asked you to explain. Are you really saying Griff’s in immediate danger? His vitals have been recovering.”

“Listen, woman. We don’t have time for me to give you a biology lesson. I’ve seen a lot of overdoses of this garbage. So many that I’ve lost count. We need to counteract it, not just suppress it.” Griff’s vitals climbed. His body started twitching. “See?” Ichizaki gestured to Griff. “Now, Detradoxin, do you have it?”

Celeste glanced at Griff, then dashed over to a medical cabinet. “No.”

“Desoscine, Dorozin, Descavin, stop me when.”

“Descavin! We have it.”

“That’ll have to do. Create a solution with some Towisine.”

They rushed about, without having to share further words besides Ichizaki giving exact amounts. A short time later, they’d injected Griff with the solution. The twitching stopped. Io had stealthily moved to hide behind Aelfric. Ichizaki stood at the terminal again while Celeste observed Griff.

“Thank you,” Celeste said. “Now, explain. I’ve been dealing with drug withdrawals and overdoses for a long time. Have I been handling things wrong for Griff? Let me warn you now, though. If you speak to me like that again, I will slap the stubble off your face. My name’s Celeste.”

Ichizaki grunted. “Very well.” He went on to explain how the extremely high dose changed things and reaffirmed it was miraculous Griff still breathed at all. “I’ll concede you don’t exactly have the resources here, clearly, but ultimately, yes, your methods have likely been poor. You’ve been lucky.” He then asked Celeste about her medical background. Celeste glossed over her days as a medic, then what she’d been handling during her time at Vyxora. “Self-taught, essentially. Hmm.” A fearsome woman. Seems more competent than half the doctors and nurses I’ve had the displeasure of working with. I had my suspicions with how much Aelfric talked her up, but maybe this really is a place we could settle for a while. He glanced at Aelfric, who now had a sleeping Io upon his back. He then moved close to Celeste.

“He may wake within a day. He’s stabilized and our measures appear successful thus far,” Ichizaki said in a low tone. “Have I earned a place here with my demonstration?”

“That’s a relief to hear. I really had no idea.” Celeste shook her head. “She’s an adorable little girl. Which is why, in good conscience, I can’t allow you to stay here. I already can’t get my current residents to leave, despite the danger we face. I’m sorry.”

Ichizaki grunted as he clenched his jaw. Beg, if you have to, old man. Don’t let this slip by. You’ve fucked up too many times already. “I’m a prideful man to a fault.” He struggled to get out each word as his jaw tensed further. “So, I ask you, please, reconsider.” Some tension faded from his jawline. “Aelfric has assured me this place will remain safe. I swear to you, whatever may happen, it’s better than how I have been living with Io. We have nowhere else to go. Please.”

Celeste met Ichizaki’s gaze, which conveyed several conflicting emotions. She sighed. “If I were to allow it, I would need to break one of our cardinal rules. You’ll need to tell me your why.”

Ichizaki shifted in discomfort. He glanced at Io again. “Very well. I saw her hug you. A miraculous feat, in all honestly. Aelfric seems to be surprisingly good with children, but even with bribery, it took him several weeks. You’re a mother if I’ve ever seen one. I’ll risk trusting you.”

“That raises several questions, which we’ll discuss later. I’ve talked some residents into leaving, so you can have a few choices. Should we come to terms.”

“Very well,” Ichizaki said, his voice returned to normal levels. “Let me be clear. I’m not interested in any kind of charity. I’ll earn my keep and then some. Now, to the girl.”

“Yuna.” Celeste turned around to look at Yuna, who had fallen asleep some time ago. “I’ve patched her up worst. But I’m not arrogant enough to say I’m perfect. And she’s a quick healer, which I’m sure helps. You should know my daughter is…difficult with new people. She probably dozed off during our talking, knowing her. This might be your best chance. However, at the same time, if she wakes up, you’re probably gonna get hit hard in the face, hun.”

Ichizaki appeared unfazed as he moved over to Yuna. “I don’t mind having helped with the man. However, my original agreement with Aelfric was to expedite this one’s recovery.” He pulled some medical gloves from a pocket and put them on. “I watched her get skewered. I need to take a good look.”

“So be it. I’ve warned you, hun. She hits real hard.” Celeste went into a nearby drawer, then handed Ichizaki some scissors. “You’ll need these.” He accepted with a nod.

Ichizaki pulled the blanket away. Yuna had a sports bra on, while most of her midriff had bandages wrapped around it. Her arm lay at her side. His hand trembled slightly as he reached. He held his wrist with his other hand as he cut the bandages with care. Just as he finished, his vision blacked out for a moment. He stumbled backwards, almost falling, while dropping the scissors.

“The fuck you think you’re doing?” Yuna asked.

Ichizaki’s vision returned as he held his hand to his right eye. Yuna had delivered a lightning-quick jab to his face. He moved toward Yuna. “I made a deal to review your condition. Allow me to continue.”

“And how’s that my fucking problem? No.”

“Yuna, calm down,” Celeste said, having approached and placed a hand on Yuna’s shoulder.

“No. Why would you let him do that? Why should I trust some rando Aelf dragged in off the street?”

“He knows what he’s doing, hun.”

“You just met him.”

“I can tell after he helped with Griff. Trust me.”

“I’m healing just fine with your handiwork. Like always.”

“That scarring indicates otherwise,” Ichizaki said.

“Those are from another life, dipshit. Before I even met Mom.”

Ichizaki had a grim expression as he glanced at the sleeping Io. He turned back to Yuna and bowed deeply. “Please forgive my ignorance.” He continued to bow. “Please allow me to do my job.”

“Whoa, uh.” Yuna appeared taken aback by Ichizaki’s peculiar actions. “I’ve only seen that kinda bow in shows. I get your serious and all, but…”

“It’s vital that I fulfill my deal.” Ichizaki stood upright. “What will it take for you to agree to my examination?”

Yuna stared at Ichizaki’s determined eyes amongst his aged face. The eye she had hit was slightly more closed than the other. “Tell you what, you survive a real punch from me, and I’ll let you.”

“Yuna, that’s—,” Celeste said.

“I accept.”

“You don’t have to.” Celeste turned.

“I only tapped you before,” Yuna said. Surprised this old fucks still on his feet. I’ll just knock his ass out.

Ichizaki approached and lowered himself, causing Celeste to step back a little. “That’s fine. I can’t allow you to deliver a proper blow, however. The weight distribution holds too great a risk for your injury.”

“This is ridiculous, Ichizaki,” Celeste said. “I’ll convince her to stop being a brat. Step back.”

“It’s fine. I can recognize another prideful individual.” Ichizaki stared into Yuna’s eyes, which brightened in response, while a slight grin formed on her lips. “Go.”

“Wait.” Celeste moved to interject, but Yuna delivered a heavy blow even while seated to Ichizaki’s other eye. He grunted as Yuna let out a cry of pain. His entire body shook as he stumbled backwards. He barely held himself up, using his arms for balance.

“Holy fuck.” Yuna winced as she grabbed her side. “What the fuck? Did you punch me, you old goat bastard?”

Celeste grabbed onto Ichizaki, and helped him steady himself as he stood. His vision was blurred as he spoke. “Pain is a great teacher. You made no rule I couldn’t hit you back.”

“Fuck. That’s fair.” Yuna chuckled, but then winced from the pain of laughing. “Ouch.”

“Will you be okay?” Celeste asked Ichizaki.

“I will. Thanks.” How would a fully fledged blow feel from this girl? I feel as though I have a concussion. Christ.

Celeste moved to Yuna and pinched her ear. “Ow, ow, ow.”

“You’ll behave now,” Celeste whispered. “And quit the swearin’ immediately. You woke Io. I’m ashamed I didn’t reprimand you sooner.”

“I will, jeez. Quit it, Mom.” Yuna pushed away Celeste’s hand, then rubbed her ear.

Some time passed as Yuna allowed Ichizaki to inspect her wounds. Celeste, with Aelfric as an intermediary, convinced Io into taking some juice and a snack.

“I didn’t think you would be good with children, Aelfric,” Celeste said.

“I’ve had a great deal of training,” Aelfric said.

Celeste raised a brow at the curious response. Suddenly, coughing rang out from Griff. Celeste rushed to his side while Ichizaki made for the terminal. She grabbed one of Griff’s hands in both of her own.

“Am I dead?” Griff asked. He coughed as his eyes flickered rapidly. The light of the room blinded him.

“You were close, you old fool. What in the world happened?” Celeste asked.

“Celeste?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I must have—.” Griff coughed hard. “Wa—.” Celeste already had guided a glass of water to his lips.

“Sip slowly, okay?” After a few seconds, he brushed it away weakly.

“Head’s a fogged mess. Can catchup later. Something I gotta say. What was it? Shit. It’s right there.” Griff fought his own eyes closing.

Celeste gave Ichizaki a frantic glance. He shook his head. “That would be ill-advised at this time.”

Griff’s eyes closed for a few moments until he grabbed Celeste’s wrist. His eyes opened in full for a mere second. “Undying. That piece of shit, Siegfried. Somehow alive. Get Rei—.” His hand slid away as he fell unconscious.