Walking through the puddles, Slady silently gazed at the stars. Truth stood beside her, equally silent...
"I'm sorry for saying those words, Slady. I was cruel..."
"No, I wasn't."
Slady closed her eyes, feeling the rain pound her bare chest. Sighing deeply.
"I don't seek your approval. But having your sincerity, even if cruel, is necessary. I don't deserve to hear pretty words..."
"What I am today, Truth, doesn't speak about you, but about me. If I'm a monster, as you say, I've become that way."
"But if I have to be a monster to protect my girls... be sure of one thing, Truth..."
He stared at her, his tone colder than usual.
"I'll turn this world to ashes if it's for their own good."
Slady turned away, retreating from the scene. Truth remained alone, her ghostly body oblivious to the rain, making it difficult to hide the tears beneath her closed eyes. Her body began to dissolve, resting in the mind of the one who lived there.
***
The next day, Shaphira was eating sandwiches, Elisa was resting on the couch, fiddling with the hilt of her sword. Ferinish was stretching, preparing for training.
"Where's Slady? I wanted to thank you for dinner last night."
Elisa sat on the couch, adding to Shaphira's question.
"Actually, I didn't see him."
"He woke up early, he must have gone to take care of some things," Ferinish replied, tying his hair into a ponytail.
***
A little far from the library, Slady found himself in a forest, more like a waterfall. His lotus position showed he was focused on something that wasn't physical, but mental and spiritual.
Inside her mind, Slady found herself sitting next to Truth, the two of them seemingly enjoying a moment together, something that had always been good for both of them.
"You should be with the girls, Slady."
"Yes, but I don't want our relationship to grow cold. We will always live together; we must talk about the things that trouble our minds."
"I understand, but I'm not okay. It's not just because of you; these are things much more... personal."
"Tell me."
Truth hesitated, but she didn't have much choice. She simply sighed, her hand on her chest, resting her palm on the white fabric that wrapped around her body.
"I recovered memories of who I was, before I was born inside your mind."
"Dig deeper."
"...I was one of the Creators."
"Creators? Explain, Truth."
"The Creators are parts of Zyrionq, God of our world, the God of Creation. I was the Creator of Truth. But I'm no longer an angel, I'm a Conceptual Destroyer, the Truth."
"..."
Slady fell silent, processing Truth's confession...
"I knew you were the Destroyer of Truth, but I didn't know you were once an angel..."
"How did you stop being one? How did you become a Destroyer? And how did you end up in my mind?"
"Please, Slady. I still have so much to understand; my memories have been erased, all of them! I'm recovering everything with the knowledge you've gained! Let me organize my mind!"
She exclaimed, not wanting to be pressured.
"..."
After a sigh, she began:
"Before this world existed, before everything, there were two beings, the God of Creation and the God of Destruction, known as Zyrionq and Krythos."
"I, The Truth, was Zyrionq's eldest daughter. I accompanied him for thousands, millions... billions of years, before everything ended."
"Krythos wanted power, pleasure. He didn't feel complete with goodness, like Zyrionq. He wanted more, much more..."
"So, the God of Creation banished him. Punishing him, turning him into a human. But as the years passed, he regained his memories, and with that, regained some of his power. Bringing about the First Renkai Awakening."
"I remember it to this day. The demons flew to the skies, the humans fought bravely, but to no avail. Then, as the daughter Zyrionq trusted most, he sent me in a physical, "human" body to face him."
Truth clasped her hands on her knees, as if feeling vulnerable. But she continued to tell.
"He... killed me. Before that, I managed to weaken him to such a degree that a certain man could trap him in his own creation, the Inferius Complex."
"I wish I had known that man, Slady. He was a hero to humanity and he simply disappeared from the world."
"..."
Slady fell silent, placing his arm around Truth's shoulders, offering comfort. She snuggled into his chest, sighing at the familiar sensation.
"So, as the Destroyer of Truth, I was reborn from your will, Slady. The will to know, even if it was for survival. You gave me life, and that makes me eternally grateful. Even if I don't agree with your actions."
Slady gave a small smile, not exaggerated.
"I'm grateful to have you by my side, Truth. All the blood spilled was not in vain. This nightmare will end, so I will make my last mission perfect."
The scene faded. Opening his eyes, he found Shaphira standing in front of him, confused.
"What are you doing here, Slady? We were worried!"
Slady briefly shifted from her position, apologizing.
"Sorry. It's just that in the middle of the night yesterday... I had a curiosity to satisfy, which made my shirt catch fire and turn to ash..."
Shaphira couldn't help but laugh, knowing the need to satisfy her curiosity, even if it was dangerous. But she kept her tone firm, now less angry.
"Okay... just don't do it without warning!"
"Wow, even after a year, you're still so angry!" (She said jokingly)
"Shut up, I've changed a lot in a year!"
Shaphira snorted and stepped into the waterfall, feeling the cool water reach her feet. Her tail stood straight up to avoid getting wet. She sat on a rock, returning to her more relaxed state.
"I... can I bathe with you, like old times?"
"It's not like we've gone long without bathing together, Shaphira..."
He said, a little hesitantly. Before he began to feel emotions and sensations, he would have accepted without hesitation; after all, he didn't mind nudity and felt no shame. But now, it felt quite intimate, but the familiarity they both shared helped him reach his conclusion.
"But if you need to relax, join us."
Shaphira stood up, sitting between Slady's legs. Despite wearing his black and gold kinomo, he didn't feel the need to remove it, simply snuggling into the chest of his fatherly figure.
With the same thought that there was no need to remove his underwear, Slady simply wrapped his arms around Shaphira, realizing now how important these moments were.
***
The day passed like this. Slady had put on a black and red shirt, which matched the rest of his clothes very well. He was leaning against a tree, watching a sparring session between Ferinish, Shaphira, and Elisa.
The blows were swift; Shaphira used Renkai Energy to fight with physical strikes, including her tail. Elisa used her blood magic to make her sword more effective and launch other attacks. Ferinish fought calmly and with experience, easily overcoming the duo.
A look of pride appeared on Slady's face as he looked at the sight of his family. Even though his "daughters" were adopted, he realized how much he loved them and how much they had matured in one year.
His gaze fell on Ferinish, and he discreetly removed his eyepatch to observe her...
His feelings for her seemed to grow more intense. He wasn't seeing Ferinish just as a beautiful and strong companion...
But as the woman of his life.