Zein walked through the market buying some food on his only day off of the week. These days healed his soul; strolling through the quiet streets of Mirathun while observing how much the city had improved after the departure of the Empire helped him clear his head.
While buying, something caught his attention in the distance: among the crowd he spotted a tail that proved exceedingly familiar, though it disappeared from his sight in a matter of seconds.
With nothing better to do, Zein decided to follow the trail.
He moved through the people until he managed to close the distance, and when he finally saw her clearly, he was stunned. It was Kio, doing some shopping.
Zein was about to greet her, but stopped dead in his tracks. Accompanying her was a small troop of children: one was riding on her shoulders, two were holding her hands, and two others were following right behind her.
«Is this what she left the colossus for? Wasn't she supposed to have gone on a mission? I didn't imagine Kio was that kind of person», Zein thought, completely dumbfounded.
After following her a couple more meters, he shook his head to regain his sanity.
«No, no, it's not possible. No living being can have children in three months. It's biologically impossible», he reassured himself.
Still intrigued, he decided not to lose sight of them.
As they moved forward, Zein noticed a very particular dynamic. Kio showed herself to be much more patient and kind with them than she ever was with him—though with Lyra she was always like that—but there was something even stranger: every time they approached a stall, the children, with impeccable coordination, stole small things from the tables; harmless trifles like food or simple accessories.
«What kind of bad habits did you teach them, Kio?», Zein thought, watching her with a bit of disappointment.
Shortly after, the group stopped at a park. The children ran off to play while Kio simply sat on a bench to watch over them so they wouldn't hurt themselves.
«Could they be Kio's unacknowledged children who finally found their mother?», Zein thought from afar, racking his brains to figure out the origin of those children. «No, impossible. None of them have ears or a tail».
His wild theories were cut short when a shadow blocked the sun.
—Spying on people is very rude, don't you think? —Kio said, standing right in front of him.
Zein got such a fright that he lost his balance and ended up sitting abruptly on the ground.
—K-Kio... what a coincidence seeing you around here, hahaha... —he blurted out with a nervous laugh, trying to play it off without success.
—I know perfectly well that you've been following us since the market. Come on, sit and let's talk for a bit —she told him, turning around toward the bench.
Both sat down to catch up on everything that had happened during the months Kio was away.
—So you're taking care of them because you reunited with a "certain" acquaintance who had a child in his care, and the kindness to help him was born in you? —Zein summarized.
—Exactly —Kio bragged, puffing out her chest.
—Poor man, I pity him. Now he doesn't have one, but five on his shoulders —Zein commented, watching the children run.
Kio gave him an indignant smack on the shoulder for the joke.
—And how is it going with your training? —she asked.
—Pretty good. I've progressed so fast that it even surprises me —Zein responded.
—See? It's all thanks to the contract we signed —she said, even more proud.
—True... I didn't even remember that anymore —he admitted, scratching the back of his neck—. And by the way, why hadn't you returned even to say hello?
—Well... due to certain matters I cannot talk about —she said, turning her gaze to the side.
They continued talking until the sun began to hide on the horizon, marking the time to leave.
Zein accompanied Kio to leave the children at a secluded house that he had never seen before. On the outside, the structure looked quite neglected and in apparent abandonment.
—Are you sure I can come in? —Zein asked, stopping at the threshold—. I don't want to be a bother.
—Of course you can, don't worry about that —she insisted, pushing him gently.
—Well, if you say so...
Zein stepped forward a couple of paces and was left in awe. However ruinous the facade looked, the interior was a completely different story: everything was immaculate, tastefully decorated, and with furniture in excellent condition, besides a very well-kept garden that could be seen in the courtyard.
He kept his gaze fixed on the details until the snap of something falling to the floor made him react. Turning around, he instantly recognized the person standing a few meters away; someone he would have preferred never to meet again.
There right in front of him was Sora.
In a blink, Zein summoned his sword and unsheathed it at a astonishing speed. At the same time, Sora molded a magic sword with equal quickness. Both weapons ended up pointed directly at their necks, though Zein's blade had arrived first, noticing out of the corner of his eye that the glow of Sora's spell looked much weaker than in their last clash.
They held each other's gaze in a tense duel and in silence, until little Talik ran to stand in front of Sora, opening his arms to serve as his shield even though he didn't even reach the height of the edge.
Kio took advantage of the instant to intervene and step between the two.
—Lower your weapons right now, there are children present —she ordered with a firm voice.
Both obeyed reluctantly.
—Kio, what on earth is he doing here? He is an extremely dangerous guy who can regenerate as many times as he wants. It's not safe to let him breathe —Zein demanded, clenching his fist—. I should have made sure he was truly dead.
—Calm down, Zein. Sora is now... harmless. He lost most of his powers and no longer has any way to hurt anyone. Besides, if a single foolish idea occurs to him, I'll disintegrate him on the spot myself —she explained with an icy smile.
—Thank you for such a moving defense —Sora commented with sarcasm while bending down to pick up the spoon he had dropped.
Zein stared at them in silence for a second and, noticing the naturalness of their dynamic, couldn't prevent an idea from occurring to him.
—Are you two dating by any chance? —he asked.
—OF COURSE NOT! —both shouted at the same time.
After the fright, the waters calmed and everyone set out to have dinner.
While waiting for the food, Zein observed Kio entertaining the children while Sora handled the cooking; a scene that proved to him somewhere between absurd and unbelievable.
«Who would have thought that Kio would take the role of the husband and Sora the wife», Zein thought, holding back the urge to burst out laughing.
During dinner, the tension between Zein and Sora floated in the air so thick that even the children noticed it and showed themselves uncomfortable.
—So you finished the assignment in Dravemur quickly and by pure chance bumped into Sora here? —Zein inquired to break the ice.
—Exactly —she nodded.
—Yeah, sure, if by "chance" you mean kicking my door down and barging in without asking permission —Sora complained.
Upon finishing eating, Zein started playing with the children for a bit, winning them over completely.
—Do you plan to return to the house soon? —Zein asked suddenly.
—I don't think so. I was ordered to stay out of what is about to happen. Besides, I have to help Sora take care of these little ones; after all, none of them have a home to return to —she explained.
At that moment, one of the children pulled gently at Kio's clothes.
—Don't say that. This is our home! —the little one claimed with a radiant smile.
—You're right —she said, caressing his head with tenderness.
—Though, looking closely at it, between you and Sora you look like a married couple taking care of the family... —Zein began to say, but a pillow thrown by Kio impacted him full in the face, cutting him off short.
Later, when Zein was already preparing to leave, Kio stopped him a second before crossing the door.
—Zein, can you come tomorrow and bring Alexander with you? I need to talk about something with him —she asked him before letting him go—. And please, don't tell anyone about this... not about Sora, nor about the kids, nothing.
—Don't worry, count on it —he responded naturally before saying goodbye.
The following day, Zein returned along with Alexander very early. Upon crossing the door, Sora received them.
—You look much better than the first time I saw you, Sora —Alexander greeted, without showing the slightest surprise at finding him there.
—And you remain just as old —Sora blurted out to him in response.
Everyone settled in to converse. They spent a good while amid laughs and chatter about insignificant things; somehow, in a matter of minutes, Alexander and Sora connected so well that they seemed like lifelong friends.
In the middle of the pleasant chat, Kio asked a favor of Alexander: to help her acquire the deeds to the house, since the property lacked a legitimate owner and legally belonged to the state. She assured him that she had enough money, she only needed his help to expedite the process.
—So you occupied someone else's house —Alexander deduced, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.
—I-I don't know what you're talking about... —Kio murmured, becoming nervous and turning her gaze away—. In my defense, Sora was already living here when I arrived!
—Hey! Don't put the blame on me —Sora replied instantly.
Alexander simply sighed with resignation.
—I know you all too well, I knew that at any moment you would come out with a wild idea like this.
—You sure know her well —said Sora.
—Alexander... can I speak with you alone for a moment? —Kio asked, changing her tone.
—Sure.
Both retired to an adjoining room, closing the door to maintain privacy.
—I've been keeping an eye on the situation a bit and I want to warn you about Novius —she said in a low voice.
Alexander looked at her with absolute gravity upon hearing that name.
—I don't know him. I never heard speak of him in all my years of traveling, and much less in Mirathun. To make matters worse, sometimes I lose sight of him completely, and you know perfectly well how rare it is for someone to escape me when I'm tracking them —she explained.
—I understand...
—Be extremely careful with him. I don't know who he is or what he's after, but I doubt he's on our side —she warned him.
—Don't worry, I'll keep my eyes open.
Upon leaving the room, they came across a completely different atmosphere: Sora was preparing lunch while Zein was playing on the floor with the children. Sora did not hesitate to invite Alexander to eat, and he accepted gladly.
During the meal, Sora and Alexander didn't take long to bring out the drink and ended up getting drunk together, cementing an almost absurd camaraderie.
At sunset, with the meal finished and the bottles empty, Zein had no choice but to shoulder a completely drunk Alexander to carry him back home.
—You know something, Zein? My daughter is coming back soon... —Alexander stammered halfway, slurring his words with a melancholy smile—. After so long, all this madness is going to end and she will finally be able to lead a normal life.
—I'm very glad for you, Alex —Zein responded with a smile, readjusting the weight on his back.
—All this storm will end... One of the two sides will win and all this will remain as a simple memory in the mind. The weapons are going to rust in the earth and the grass will grow back. Our children will live in the world in peace that we could only dream of...
However, his poetic drunk speech was abruptly interrupted by a slight bout of retching that forced him into silence.
Upon arriving at the house, Mei opened the door for them. Far from being upset by her husband's state, she received them with a serene and understanding gesture. She took Alexander into her arms and guided him toward the courtyard.
She sat on the fresh grass and settled Alexander's head on her lap, caressing his hair with infinite tenderness while letting him rest under the starlight.