A grin tugged at the corner of Mars's mouth when Lea returned to the living room and settled in for sleep. She responded with a playful wave. "Night-night."

She then clasped her hands together under her chin and rested her elbows on her knees. After some time of nodding off while sitting upright and silently cursing the angelic nightmares that crept into her mind between waking moments, she gave up. She stood and walked toward the window on the west side of the treehouse. From the side, she parted the curtain enough to peer outside at the dying light. The sun was gone but she could make out the skyline of trees against the faint glow.

Then she noticed the single approaching shinigami. Her heart sank in fear and she instinctively made her way outside, turning back only to double check that the door was locked on her way out.

"Where's Seamus?" she whispered once the figure was in earshot. "And Gwen? I've been so worried. What took you all so long?"


"See you soon," Seamus said as Rei hurried off in the same direction as Gwen. She scanned the beach one final time before starting in the direction of the forest with the angel on her back. To Silas, her movements were slow and deliberate. He followed her. She looked in his direction once and he looked down, still scattered from earlier.

"There's so much I want to ask," he said. "I don't know where to start..." The sound of crickets and crushed leaves filled the silence for some time. "How do you know about the crystal back there? And why are there barriers around it?"

"There is a sealed energy source in this area," Seamus began. "I have never heard of a time-wandering crystal, but it could easily be another form of the source's wonder. The barriers suppress its aura, and many are ancient."

"Why does it need to be suppressed?" Silas asked.

"I don't know," Seamus continued. "The barriers will drain anything in their vicinity, though, energy and being alike. Maybe they once harnessed its energy, or maybe they deter greed." There was a short pause. "Where did you hear about a crystal?" she asked.

"It was in a book―but it was also a legend, too, right Arael?"