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#101
Old 12-21-2021, 12:17 AM

"W-wait!" Gwen stammered as Jason bolted out of the room. She reached forward out of habit, only to realize that her sister was unusually not at her side. "Ah..." she mumbled in fear. She quickly turned to Lea and grabbed onto the girl's arm. "Don't leave me! I... Please, I..." She lowered her voice to a near-whisper. "I don't want to be alone..."

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Mars narrowly dodged the angel's slash. It was thanks to the blade's shimmer, like a ray of starlight against the dark, that she could react in time. "Stop!" she shouted, but it was but a drop of diplomacy in a sea of rage. He swung and she dodged again, their dance of death completely unaware of the rest of the world.

The blue-green glow around the scythe's blade brought Silas back to his senses. When he came to, there was a stranger blocking the way to his opponent. The memories of his friend seemed a thousand miles away, drifting further still. When he realized this, he lowered his katana and it gradually de-materialized.

Mars breathlessly huffed in relief when Rei stepped in. She accepted her scythe and nodded. "Okay." Then she stepped ahead of Rei toward Silas and extended the scythe sideways with one hand. The two of them stared in silence as they caught their breath. At last she spoke up. "Hold onto this for me."

"I'm sorry," Silas said. With palms toward the sky he accepted the weapon. Mars shook her head.

"I should be saying that," she insisted. She watched curiously as Silas touched his palm to the flat part of the cutting edge. A current of kyanite blue joined the electric blue-green in helix aura that surged around the blade. One strand of cyan and one strand of kyanite. Just like their eyes, she thought to herself as she watched the unspoken greeting illuminate the vicinity. Briefly she wondered if he would do something rash, but a moment later the aura dimmed to its usual glow, albeit slightly calmer, and he removed his hand from the blade. Doesn't that hurt? she wondered as she turned to walk toward Arael. His eyes followed her like a hawk but he said no more.

"Let's go," she said to the youngster on the ground as she extended her arm toward him. "We need to get out of here."

Seamus blinked as she listened, thinking about how to navigate the situation without casualties. She needed Solias to leave now so she could shoo Mars & co. toward the shrine and get the little ones inside to safety, but she was careful not to make haste lest he catch on. "Is the little one really the only reason for your visit?" she asked.

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#102
Old 06-04-2022, 04:03 PM

YumeBott:

((Gaaah, I can't believe how long this took me ;~;))

Lea brought her arms around Gwen when she latched onto her arm, and tried to sooth her by gently running her hand over her hair. "I'll not leave you, Gwen." She murmured softly, petting her hair and slowly lowered the two of them to sit on the floor in hopes of soothing her.

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Rei stood quietly as she watched the three of them, Mars, Solias and Silas. She sighed in short relief as Mars extended her arm to Arael, who slowly reached for her in return and slowly stood with her help.

Rei turned to Solias as Seamus addressed the angel warrior, having no intentions in leaving Seamus.

Solias glanced to Seamus and nodded. "He is the only reason." He spoke calmly, lowering his weapon in hopes of showing that he meant them no harm.

"However, if I leave now.." He spoke, his words trailing a bit as he glanced off into the distance. They would have company regardless.

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#103
Old 10-04-2022, 12:21 AM

(( No worries c: I'm still here and happy to write ))

Gwen stumbled, lost in the dust of her racing thoughts until she found herself secure in Lea's hug. It was familiar and pacified a deep-rooted sense of grief and abandonment that would hijack her mind every so often. It was a feeling she couldn't trace back in memory, but it permeated her sense of self nonetheless. Gwen's momentary panic subsided in Lea's grip and she felt exhausted all of a sudden, but she also felt grounded and generally glad to be in good company. She turned her head to the side, outward from the safe haven hug and toward the window. Then she noticed the distant lights.

She had heard old stories of large-scale battles between the guardians and the shinigami. If it weren't for the state of affairs between the two factions, their picturesque descent might have felt more like a fairy tale rather than a nightmare.

"Lea," she whispered. "A-are those...Guardians?"

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Silas followed Mars's movement until she reached Arael. He felt hopeless, but refused to admit defeat. There was still time. Broken and alone my foot, he thought. Then, he noticed Jason take flight from the balcony a ways off and spark of courage re-ignited in his chest. He had failed over and over before, and he wasn't sure if he would have a second chance, but under the grace of the opportunity ahead he vowed to not go down without a fight.

"Are you sure?" Seamus replied. She didn't take her eyes off of Solias, but Mars got the hint and looked up.

"Shit," she swore under her breath. Then she raised her voice and habitually summoned her wings out of the shadows of the fading light. "What the hell is this?" she demanded. "You tell us to f**k off with one of your own so that you can sic reinforcements on us when we turn around?! Agh―forget it. Rei," she said as she turned to look at her companion. "We need to go fetch the little ones, we're not safe here. I can do it, I should be right back. If something happens, we can meet at the shrine, okay?"

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#104
Old 01-13-2023, 05:44 PM

Lea glanced up at the window as Gwen spoke and felt her blood run cold. If they were here.. Jason didn't stand a chance. She didn't know what she would do with herself if anything happened to him. "Yes Gwen, they are." She spoke softly. "We've to stay here until the others return." She said softly, despite herself.

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Solias turned to Seamus. "Go, Seamus. They were not sent on my accord, but the loss of the captain." He explained, stepping passed the shinigami and stood in front of her, his own wings open and his spear in his hand. "Take the children."

Jason's wings folded slightly as he landed near the group, having felt the energy of Seamus's voice as she turned to Solias. The angel child moved slightly to stand closer to Mars. He slowly approached and held his hand out. "Come. We'll keep you safe." He said softly, having a feeling those guardians were coming for him.

Arael glanced from Mars to Jason and slowly took his hand. Jason however, paused as soon as their hands touched as if energy had been shared with him. Arael's energy.

Rei turned to the two and took Arael's hand and glanced at Jason. He couldn't withstand their energy yet, and Arael didn't have much left.. "Jason." She said, snapping him out of his momentary daze. "Let's go back and get my sister, and your partner." She said, calling her wings from the shadows in a similar way Seamus had, and drew the angel child into her arms.

Jason shook his head and turned to Mars. "Not without Mars." He said.

Solias turned to them, stance as powerful as a true celestial guardian. "Go now, young ones. Your siblings will follow, i promise." He said.

Jason glanced at the guardian, then Seamus and Mars and nodded lightly. "They better." He said, taking flight as Rei did and followed her back to the treehouse.

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#105
Old 03-23-2023, 11:56 PM

Gwen remained quiet but struggled to quell her mind. Stray thoughts and what-ifs threatened to wander off to infinity. Gwen knew she was a hat trick in combat at best, and that was only if she could place an arrow or needle well and only on the off-chance that she could muster up the courage to inflict violence at all. She was a much better fly on the wall but at this rate there might not be a single wall left by the end of the night.

She turned her head back into Lea's embrace and let out a hopeless whimper. "I hope that's soon," she said.

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Mars grinned faintly when she heard Jason's retort. "Right behind you," she insisted as he took off, and she watched the figures ahead shrink out of earshot.

Seamus withdrew her sword. "It appears we are on the same side today," she said as the dull hum of the blade quietened as she tucked it away in the scabbard. Seamus nodded toward Silas briefly. "Don't delay," she insisted.

Silas nodded in return. He offered the scythe to Mars next to him. "I can't fly with this," he admitted. Mars reached for the handle and blinked in surprise when she realized that Silas never let go. She stared at him, and he stared at the handle, and a moment passed between them in awkward silence. Silas close his eyes at some point and then finally resolved to let go. Mars continued to watch him, distress clear in his furrowed brow, and an unfamiliar sense crept up her spine. Eyes shut, Silas turned abruptly, summoned his wings, and took off toward the cabin. Guilt, she thought as he left. This is guilt.

"Do you need assistance here?" Seamus asked toward Solias. "The others know the way out already."

Silas frowned when he heard her voice from behind. It was difficult for him to accept the idea that a lie could protect someone. It was clear as day in war to lie to your enemy, but for Seamus and Mars to betray that they wholly intended to follow the children was a stab in the back at best. Still, he wondered. If they hadn't said that, would Jason and the other shinigami have left without them? He pressed forward.

"Hey!" he called as he approached the crew and landed.

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#106
Old 05-15-2023, 07:52 PM

Lea didn't know what else to do other than offer Gwen comfort by holding her in her arms and praying their goddess for the safe return of the others.

It didn't take long for Rei and Jason to spot the tree house and Jason flew a head of the shingami carrying the weakened angel child. "Lea!" He called as he landed and rushed through the door.

"Gwen." He said as he found the two huddled together in a tight hug. "Don't be afraid, okay, Mars told us to come back with a couple of guests, and one of them needs medical attention. Now." He said, locking eyes with his partner before glancing at Gwen. "He's fading." He said softly.

Rei was usually better at dealing with an angel's source of energy, but with Arael, it was so much stronger, even in his fading state. Once landed, she turned to the guardian, Silas. "Do you wish to save him?" She asked simply.

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Solias turned to Seamus and Mars as the children took flight. "Join your siblings, both of you. I will talk to them, and even if they still wish to fight, I am of the higher ranks for a reason." He offered calmly.

"They will have to face treason for fighting with a celestial." He said quietly. "I will guard these parts, watch over the forest and river and see to it no Angel finds you or your brethren." He vowed softly, glancing at Seamus. "Let's bring to life the treaty of old, starting with me and you." He said calmly. The treaty before the angels and shinigami were forced to fight, before the celestial's were forced to sit and watch from above the clouds. "I wish not to see anymore bloodshed."

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#107
Old 06-23-2023, 01:09 AM

Gwen's heart leapt at the sound of Jason's voice from not so far away. "Jason?" she thought aloud. She lifted her head to hear more clearly and when she caught sight of him a wave of relief rushed over her. She sniffled and tried to stand up from Lea's tight hug. "I-I'm okay now, thanks," she murmured on wobbly legs.

At first she didn't understand Jason's words about the fading one, but the missing pieces fell into place as Rei came through the door with the light-winged stranger. Gwen stiffened defensively at the sight of him, but she recognized him as having been the one called Arael. The sudden shout from his companion nearly broke her composure.

Silas landed, dematerialized his wings, and bolted up the stairs to the cabin. It had taken everything inside of him to let go of that blasted scythe and prepare to gather everyone so that they could take off again toward the cavern in the sea. He stopped on a dime when the one in front of him―Rei, was it?―turned around. The surprise question jammed the gears in his brain that were already struggling to turn under the weight of the issue at hand, and for a brief moment he stared blankly.

"What?" Silence. "Of course!" he stammered. "How can I do that?"

Half a dozen other questions buzzed through his mind from various directions, like Can we do this while moving so that the sky-dwellers don't catch up?! and What on Earth can I actually do to help?!, but he held his tongue.

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Mars listened carefully as the white-winged elder spoke. The whole thing smelled fishy, and she felt the general state of alert in her brain somehow heighten further lest she be caught flat-footed. Yet what she found when she glanced at her partner was the complete opposite: absolute surprise. Slowly, Seamus released her combat stance and sheathed her weapon. The low hum disappeared along with the blade and Mars could more clearly make out the sound of distant sirens above.

"I thought that treaty was a myth," Seamus admitted as she slipped the heavy scabbard over her back. "To think that someone else knew...of Keeghan's dream, that his brethren never realized." She lowered her gaze alongside her guard. "And that I chase nonetheless..."

Mars watched in horror as her partner of steel certainty for the first time slipped into an absent-minded and basically asleep-but-standing trance. Instinctively, she reached out and touched Seamus's arm, and a blink later the person Mars knew was back in full clarity. Seamus looked at her and smiled in that same old subtle but warm way that Mars had come to love over the years. "Thank you," Seamus whispered. She then looked toward Solias and took a breath.

"To the end of this bloodshed," she pledged.

Mars followed suit, albeit still frazzled from a moment earlier. There were a lot of things she needed answers for, but she could at least throw in the towel as this person's enemy for the time being. "Let's put an end to this fighting." She held out her scythe and sighed. "I only wish I had found a way to start sooner."

Seamus took a sharp breath and then pulled a dagger out of her pocket. She gingerly touched its shinigami blade to that of Mars's scythe. "What are you doing?" Mars asked.

"If we travel with a commander's soul, it will give our position away."

"Why didn't we go over this sooner?!" Mars asked, near hysteria.

"I forgot," Seamus said. Once the dagger captured the whole of the cyan hue, Mars backed away with her scythe and prepared to take off while Seamus stepped forward to offer the smaller vessel to Solias. "This belongs to you all, I won't try to apologize for the gravity of this one's loss. I appreciate the risk you've taken today in the spirit of lasting peace, and I am sorry if we've met before and I no longer remember you." Inwardly, she recounted that it was rare for her to speak so much outside of duty or combat, both usually alongside the sound amplification of her blade. Out of caution she refused to dwell further and instead refocused on the matter at hand, but the sparkling veil of familiarity and trance lingered nearby.

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#108
Old 10-01-2023, 08:25 PM

Leah frowned slightly as Rei turned to the guardian. "Absolutely not." She hissed softly, knowing what would happen if they tried to share energy. "You know what will happen, and I garentee Seamus would say the same thing." Rei glanced at the younger shinigami, eyes flashing in mild warning. "He will die if we do nothing." She said softly.

Jason hadn't a clue what the girls were talking about.

Rei turned to Silas. "We can save him, if I call on Lady Nerva and combine the energy of my sister, mine, and yours. It will affect him.. he will no longer be pure but he will live, that I will tell you now." She said softly, glancing at Gwen as well as Silas. Rei knew the risk and possible punishment for tainting one with pure energy, but, she was willing to risk it to save this child. "I would ask him if he were able, but because he is not, I ask you again if you want to save him, even knowing that." She spoke softly, words calm despite the gravity of the situation.

Jason was stunned into silence. They could do that? He didn't doubt Nerva's power, it wasn't that.. but even they had rules and lines they couldn't cross, especially regarding the angels and guardians, and he could tell Lea was on edge. He didn't understand a lot of things, being new and incomplete.. but.. if it meant saving an innocent life, shouldn't they at least try?


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Solias stood and watched the other shinigami take their leave to rejoin their siblings and friends, before lifting his spear and jabbing the end of the pole arm into the ground with a slow breath as he raised a barrier around the area he said he would guard. Nothing would get in, or breach the barrier, without him knowing.

He glanced off into the sky as the white-winged clouds drew closer. He opened his large white wings and took flight to meet them, likely Anders sister, Cecilia, and her subordinates. "Enough is enough." He said calmly. "All you're going to bring is more bloodshed." He said slowly. "I understand your loss, and the gravity of the situation, however.. I was sent from above the clouds, to avoid anymore casualties."

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#109
Old 03-18-2024, 01:58 AM

Leading a descent of dozens of guardians, Cecilia neared the ground. She frowned when she saw the barrier. When Solias came into view, she raised a hand and broke formation to meet him.

"Solias, thank you for your condolences," she said. "I will stand down on the note of bloodshed and not let my grievances get the better of me."

"The rest of my cause for visit is unfortunately also official business. Specifically," She lifted her tech watch and read from a hologram. "To recover the soul of Highrose's late commander, charge the second-in-command of Highrose with treason, and rehabilitate the fledgling guardian that the second-in-command took hostage." She closed the hologram. "I appreciate your concern for keeping the natural flora, fauna, and ground-dwelling inhabitants of the area safe from indiscriminate harm," she said with a dry smile. "However, I hope it will not infringe on official business? As for the winged traitor and his hostage, if they are unwilling to cooperate..." Nearby and just within earshot, her colleague Beatrice grimaced.

Cecilia withdrew a small grey stone from her pocket that materialized into a grey orb of light. Typically, she brought a magic weapon of this sort with her that reflected the color of her hair, just like the orb of light her brother wielded. Decades of academic research had led her to that flavor of magic that ultimately became favorites of both she and her brother.

However, while this orb was similar in that it could catalyze magic in combat, it was void of color and looked almost sickly in contrast to the glowing hue of Cecilia's hair and her other magic creations. Moreover, unlike her brother's weapon, it was unable to record and replay as part of reconnaissance. Instead, this weapon was capable of combat and memory manipulation: to suppress, force out, or limit its creation. It could do no permanent damage without significant augmentation from other restricted weapons and techniques, and it required huge amounts of energy from its wielder in order to be channeled at all.

Even with those constraints, its potential for cognitive chaos was serious enough that it was kept secret such that only commanders and higher-ups like Solias were even allowed to know of its true nature. As soon as it was created the weapon was confiscated with further research prohibited, but in rare political catastrophes like this it still found use.

"Then I will need to use some force to encourage compliance."

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Seamus and Mars had taken flight to return to the cabin when the barrier rose. They were both close enough to its source, and perceptive enough, to notice immediately. Mars looked back out of suspicion but Seamus merely glanced upward before continuing ahead.

Mars relaxed, seeing that her partner had returned to her usual serious devotion to work. "Who's Keeghan? It sounds like he knew Solias. And what was that about a dream?"

Seamus slowly nodded once. "He was my immortal guardian, and alongside a few others he sought unity with the shinigami. I don't know if the 'treaty of old' Solias spoke of was a pact once or if it was just that shared dream."

Mars was silent for a few moments as the wind and trees breezed by. "Is that...why you became a shinigami?"

"Yes."

They touched down near the cabin. Mars could sense her partner's unwillingness to continue the subject but opened her mouth anyway. "What happened to him?"

Seamus continued to walk toward the steps. "He disappeared suddenly, and other than the whisperings of a new Saint above the clouds I haven't heard his name in the hundreds of years since. I assume he was killed for treason, but I fear his fate is worse than that."

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Silas stared at Arael for a moment, and then another. "We have to try," he said, not knowing that he and Jason were in silent agreement. "Right?" he looked up at Rei. "Is there some way I can take on the side effects in his place? Like...instead of giving him your energy, give him mine, and then I could bear the impurity?" He drew a circular motion in the air. "Like musical chairs?"

Gwen twiddled her thumbs and pursed her lips. She had practiced a bit of energy transfer in the past but the task at hand sounded complicated, further beyond her reach than usual. The distinct sound of familiar wings and footsteps near the cabin drew her attention away. She smiled as Seamus and Mars came into view, and scurried toward the doorway to greet them. In unison, she received a pair of smiles back as the two entered the cabin. Also in unison, their smiles faded as they each caught sight of the rest of the crew's mixed expressions surrounding Arael. Mars spoke first.

"What's going on here?"

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#110
Old 03-18-2024, 02:36 PM

Solias stood his ground as the sibling of the late Commander approached and showed her orb as she spoke. A weapon he'd heard about and witnessed it's power. Nonetheless, he wouldn't let her or any of the others pass. "You would face treason, and fight me?" He asked.

"I was sent down to protect the fallen guardian and the child, from you and your troops. They are under my protection. Turn back and go home, Cecilia." Solias spoke calmly. "There is nothing Highrose can do to save the child. He died the moment his connection with Ghost was broken. His only hope is here, and Silas has been appointed his guardian, and I their protector." He explained in a way even Cecilia and her second could understand clearly that he wasn't going anywhere.

"As for the late Commander's soul.." He said softly, taking the small dagger out of his robe pocket and gingerly held it out to Cecilia. "It's here, and belongs with you and the people of Highrose." He said warmly.

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Jason paused when Silas spoke his silent thoughts and nodded lightly in agreement, his eyes flickering to Leah, Rei, and Gwen.

Rei paused when Silas asked about the more advanced transfer of energy, and shook her head lightly. "I-if we did that, we would have to have enough energy to match the lost energy, at the same frequency or your energy would run dry and there would be no guarantee ours would be enough to keep you alive." She explained slowly. "It would work with the little one because you have the energy to match what he's lost and we have the energy to balance that. He requires less energy than you. What you're asking to do is.. the need to transfer and regulate more energy through not only you and the little but also us and Lady Nerva while maintaining a steady flow of that same energy." She explained.

"Rei.." Leah said softly, pausing when Gwen took to greeting the two older shinigami and glanced at her friend and companion, not even sure how to handle or explain the situation.

Rei turned to Marz and Seamus, practically in tears at not knowing what to do but knowing they didn't have much time. "The little one.." She said softly. "He is fading faster than a collected soul from our blades once they leave the vessel." She tried to explain, voice soft and uncertain. "W-we have a chance to save him if we combine our energy with Silas's through Nerva. It will taint the young one but he will survive, and Silas wants to take on the impurity himself by giving the young on his energy and taking in ours instead. There wouldn't be enough to balance the two, and the side effects will be much worse than simply being tainted." She explained to the two, trying to keep calm and her voice even.

"It's bad enough you're thinking about crossing that line in which pure and impure should never cross." Leah said softly. "Lady Nerva wouldn't be able to save you from being smited." She said. Rei glanced at Leah. "He is a child, an innocent, barely having had a chance to spread his wings. Lady Nerva wouldn't turn a blind eye to such circumstance. I fully believe she would stand with us, and sheild us from those who would try to smite us." She said softly.

"If we do nothing, he will die." Jason said softly, repeating Rei's earlier words and glancing at Leah. He didn't understand why Leah was so against the idea.

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#111
Old 03-20-2024, 02:59 AM

Cecilia was at first puzzled by what she heard. As she listened she dematerialized the restricted weapon and put it away in an inner pocket. It seemed impossible that two officials could ever be put against each other in the same current of official business. And yet the alternative, that Solias had lied, seemed similarly unlikely. What kind of a ruse would require one to continue to bluff in the face of confrontation? It seemed strange.

Her thoughts stilled when Solias offered the blade. She accepted it with two hands and studied it. In that moment, she realized a lingering hope for this soul had at last faded away in the wind. There was no doppelganger that fought alongside Ghost, and what had burned was real. Her brother was gone.

Beatrice, a few yards away, fidgeted anxiously. Her striking attention to detail, and ironically high resistance to the feelings of others, put her above her peers as a candidate for right-hand in her house. Something about the situation wasn't right, and other than a vague sense of malaise she couldn't articulate it. It wasn't the sensation of the unusual barrier in the surrounding region. It wasn't the aura of an exposed soul. It was something else. How long had it been like this? A few moments? She mentally kicked herself for not noticing sooner. At some point between their descent and this moment something went wrong. If she had any clearer sense of the problem she could interrupt her commander and Solias. Unable to do anything else, she stood down in the absence of a clear cause.

Cecilia finally sighed and put the blade away in a pocket that fastened tightly onto her person. She fixed her gaze once again on Solias. "Thank you." She was silent for a moment while the gears in her head began to grind again. "This is...awkward, to say the least, but I need to ask you for proof of official business. Here is mine," she added as she clicked something on her tech watch to pull up another hologram document.

"I will not question my superiors if it turns out we are both in fact on official business. However, I will need to inconvenience you with this due diligence before I return. Please forgive me for this rudeness, after all you have done for me today."

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"Gah, I didn't realize..." Silas managed. He tried to see the options through to their natural ends, but the mess turned into an unsolvable nightmare in front of his eyes.

It hadn't occurred to him that energy flow could differ so greatly between beings of different origins. Worse, he didn't have the strength to make up for it. He was a pawn on someone else's chess board that tended to mortals, let them down, and then fought them when they became shinigami. When he wasn't confined to the capacity of a pawn he was weak and unable to help those he loved. In the end, there was nothing he could give or give up to make a difference.

How could he dare ask for more? He wasn't a god. It was gracious enough that there was even a chance of saving Arael. And yet the possibility of Arael suffering a taint unlike any other without a chance to say no was intolerable. Was that even preferable to death? And what was the deal with the side effects worse than being tainted??? Silas briefly closed his eyes and furrowed his brows.

In the time it had taken for Rei and Leah to get agitated about the situation, Gwen had inched closer and latched onto Seamus for a hug. It was a bit unusual, since Seamus was too tall, too cold, and not one to hug back, but Gwen needed a rock that wouldn't get involved in the upset, and she could tell at a glance that Mars was about ready to go over and hug those two anyway. Seamus patted her once gently and remained silent in deep thought. Meanwhile, Mars went over as Gwen had expected and took one hand each of Leah and Rei to squeeze them gently, in a "I'm here and we'll get through this together" kind of way. She shot a glance at Jason, like "You too bro even though I don't understand your deal yet."

"It may be necessary to try," Seamus said. She looked toward Silas. "You are here because Arael bears the legacy of his grandmother, right? About a crystal underground." Silas nodded, so Seamus continued. "If he is tainted for senseless reasons then what you seek beneath the waves may outright reject you. After all, the sea passed on a chance to drown you when you first arrived, and that is no coincidence. It may be necessary to try to protect him in this way. Lady Nerva may deny you in your cause, but I am willing stand with you in your request."

Seamus let go of her Gwen-pat and looked between Jason, Leah, and Rei. "What do you think?"

 



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