"I tell you, little one, you don't have to be afraid of the rain, it's just water... and a little thunder."
Skyler said, holding the child tightly to her chest, who was only making cute baby sounds.
"Don't worry, go to sleep, you'll soon be in your mother's arms."
The gloved hand gently patted Flowey's bottom, who murmured and closed his small eyes, ready to rest in the... paternal warmth emanating from the bespectacled man.
The man's gaze fell to the darkened skies of the Inférius, his brows furrowed in suspicion.
"I feel a greater energy than I desired coming from there..."
He murmured, and it happened. The silhouette of a large demonic creature fell upon him. Suddenly, a sort of cane, enveloped in a reddish light, appeared...
Slash!
The large demon was cut in half, a red-haired figure falling beside it, along with another on top of a large robot.
"I think everyone's been eliminated, Ferinish."
The gray-haired woman confirmed calmly, the redhead nodded with a naturally cold tone.
"Okay. Let's find a place to rest. Until we resolve this Inferius issue, we're not leaving."
"How determined..."
The two disappeared in an instant amidst the rain, leaving only the corpse of the demonic figure, which slowly evaporated.
***
The bedroom door opened.
"I'm coming in..."
Vector announced as he entered, finding only Alice in the room, dressed in more appropriate clothing, the opposite of delicate. From behind the man, Lucy surprised him by climbing onto his back.
"Gotcha!"
"Fuck!"
Alice laughed, standing up in bed and crossing her arms over her chest.
"She told me she wanted to scare you by coming into the room so suddenly."
"Okay..."
He forgave her, placing his hands on her legs to steady her as he answered her.
"Skyler told me she's coming to dinner with us and said she'll give you her daughter so you can relax."
"That's great..."
"Skyler's coming?! That's great! I haven't seen him in a while!"
***
While Vector prepared dinner, Lucy showed Alice around, her tone becoming more relaxed.
"There's plenty to do here; it'll be like a second home for us."
"But I already have a home. Are you and Vector just staying here?"
"No. Everyone has a second life beyond this one. I'm a teacher at a private school in NeonyRain. Vector is still trying to get a job with Skyler's help. He's gone through a lot of problems that have made it incredibly difficult for him to find a job. Paul... well, he works solely for Skyler, as if he were a weapon to hunt down more... powerful people, let's say."
Alice felt her mind racing with questions about Vector, but soon became curious about Paul.
"Why? Can't he get another job?"
"I think so. Skyler has tried, but that... disgusting guy always does something bad; he gets some sick pleasure from causing pain."
"Sick?..."
A deep, ironic male voice echoed in a dark hallway. Lucy stepped in front of Alice, beckoning her to follow.
"Yes, sick."
Bound by several chains around his body, his gaze, bordering on pure desire, fell upon the two women, a devilish smile spreading across his mouth.
"Look at that... fresh, young meat, just waiting to be devoured."
Alice's fists clenched, her nails tearing at the skin, drawing blood. That kind of man, that kind of human, was the kind she hated most.
But did she have the strength to kill him?
"If you touch my friend, I'll..."
"WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO, LUCIANA?! ARE YOU GOING TO TRY TO STOP ME?!"
He exclaimed, intending to intimidate. Lucy swallowed hard, Alice bracing herself for any eventuality.
"ARE YOU GOING TO TRY TO SHOUT SKYLER'S NAME?! BEHIND THOSE MUSCLES OF YOURS, IT'S EASY TO SEE HOW WEAK YOU ARE!"
The chains began to loosen, Lucy didn't back down, nor did Alice...
Crack!
Like a wild animal, the large man rushed toward the two. Vector saw him and tried to stop him, but he received a powerful punch to his ribs, feeling his bones shatter in an instant. Lucy struck him with a punch to the face, but slowly, Paul's face turned, laughing in victory.
"With no one to defend you, you will be my women now!"
Before he could touch them, he felt his body paralyze with the butt of a cane on his forehead.
"I warned you never to touch another woman again, Paul Raigen—"
"Die, Skyler!"
He swung his arm, slamming the other man's head against the wall, which proved unharmed, even with his glasses intact.
"You condemned your fate."
With a tap on Paul's chest with the cane, the predator's body exploded into several pieces, with a familiar energy being "devoured" by the staff, which let out a sound of satisfaction and glowed for a brief moment.
The room was covered in blood and the remains of a body. Vector seemed more frightened than expected. Alice placed her hand over her lips, terrified by such violence, and Lucy simply remained silent, unsure of what she truly felt about such a sudden death.
Skyler, however, remained cold, unrepentant, his face, like the rest of his body, drenched in a metallic-tasting red. He lowered his cane, which disappeared from his hand, making an announcement.
"With this death, an important mission will begin in the next few hours. Clean this place up, and I'll take care of dinner."
He left the scene.
***
"I didn't know they were so kind to the Pillars in this town."
Aurora entered a hotel room, a robot holding a simple banquet for them both. Ferinish stood, watching the endless rain.
"That's good..."
She seemed more tired than usual, sighing... Aurora found it strange, sat on the bed next to her and placed the banquet on a table in front of her, asking:
"Why are you so depressed? Come on, because of our presence, in the city center, there's going to be a grand welcome banquet."
"Why do they want to hold an event? This place is chaos! Why celebrate just for our presence? We are Pillars, not deities deserving of such celebration."
The intelligent woman nodded, her tone becoming more serious as she answered her.
"We are not just a title, Ferinish. We are the hope of a fearful population. Even if everything gets worse, we are here for them. That's why we're celebrating; it's a way of saying thank you."
"... I understand."
The redhead simply turned toward the exit door, her hand almost touching the doorknob.
"It's not just that..."
"What is it then, Ferinish?"
"I hate being next to the one who took my daughter from me... and still caring. I know their intentions and I know how good they are, but it still hurts, so much."
"Ferinish..."
Her tone became even more serious, but there was... understanding. Aurora stood beside her.
"I can't imagine how awful it must be to work with or be friends with someone you hate for taking someone important away from you, but I swear, with my soul, that if Shaphira truly proves an ally to humanity, I will welcome her with open arms to Libretânhya."
Ferinish stared into her eyes, searching for a lie, something that wasn't real, but it was a fact that she was telling the truth; Aurora didn't make empty promises.
"I appreciate that, Aurora. I'm sorry for putting my stress on you."
"It's no big deal, someone has to be logical enough not to start a fight, right? But seriously, take a walk and enjoy the city, not everything is chaos... and of course, don't cut off my head while I'm sleeping."
The stronger woman gave a small laugh, brief but sincere. Then Ferinish opened the door and left the scene.