want to go back, but I don't want to put you and Xirel in danger by being here."
"Heh," Nafury replied. "Trouble is like my own personal shadow, anyways. Maybe the three of us stand a better chance at keeping it at bay."
Ubi smiled and touched the pendant on her neck. "I have a family now," she said optimistically. "We are family. I won't let them take you or Xirel from me."
"Same," Nafury assured her. "We all have a hundred secrets, a hundred regrets, and a thousand demons. But if we are honest with each other, I know we will be alright. Even if the truth is as painful as this. Can you promise me that?"
Ubi nodded and looked back at the screen as the memory of the news broadcast faded and left grey static on the screen. "I was so young at the time, but I remember this sickening feeling in my stomach when I saw this. Only when she was gone did the memory return to me that she was my mother. I rushed downtown to try and find something--anything of her, but I found nothing. It was complete chaos, even after the Asterians left. That was when the Sentry found me and put me in an asylum. I guess because of what my mother did made them not want to kill me right there. Or maybe it was because of the dragons being there, I don't know."
"If only Sybl would have told me you existed before she died. It wasn't until she spoke to me as a spirit shortly after that I learned of you," Nafury said and looked to the ground. "I might have been able to save you sooner."
"It's okay, cause it all worked out now. Besides, I probably would have killed you if you came near me back then."
"I suppose you're right," Nafury said.
"Fay govern the will of Aragmoth, and therefore Aster. Of course I'm right."
"Has Xirel inflated your head that much already?" Nafury laughed.
"Hey!" she snapped back. "You watch, when I learn how to use Thread, Aragmoth will listen to me too."
"I don't doubt it in the slightest, Mistress over Awls," Nafury mocked. She punched his arm rather hard. It was enough to wake them from sleep in a fit of laughter.
"What in blazes is going on down here?" Xirel asked from the stairs.
Nafury and Ubi only laughed harder, till she finally curled up and returned to sleep.
Xirel just shook his head as he looked at Nafury. "Caelestis save us all. Their madness has reached the point of laughing at their nightmares..."
"Lighten up you old grump," Nafury said and got to his feet. "It's going to be alright." Xirel's purple eyes suddenly grew wide and Nafury froze for moment. Then he looked around for what might have stumped the Awl so bad. He didn't think till now that it was even possible to surprise an Awl. "What is it?"
The normal Xirel came back around and shook his head. "It is nothing. I am going back on deck."
"By the way, did we have a plan for if we get outnumbered over there?"
"Yes, you just reminded me of it actually," Xirel replied.
"Oh?"
"We pray."
THIRTEEN
It took Kenshe over a week to recover from the Fay's attack. His own shift had inflicted a near-lethal amount of damage to him. He was still on edge as none of his training as a Custos prepared him for any of it. He had been born like a True--he never thought that one day he would be almost eaten by one. He closed his eyes and found his thoughts drifting to those of Nafury. Something had struck the Threads between them hard enough to get his attention.
"Lord Kenshe," Feryl's voice said from across the table. The council members in the room had taken notice of the Atrum Lord's lack of attention.
Kenshe blinked and pulled his focus from whatever the hell Nafury was doing now to the present.
"You heard it too, didn't you? Just now?" Prisca asked from where she stood looking out the window of the War Room.
Kenshe looked at his most devoted ayame, who was always one step ahead of him. She rarely missed the chance to be by his side since she was just a little girl watching him from her windowsill. He had almost lost her to death by Simera at
"Heh," Nafury replied. "Trouble is like my own personal shadow, anyways. Maybe the three of us stand a better chance at keeping it at bay."
Ubi smiled and touched the pendant on her neck. "I have a family now," she said optimistically. "We are family. I won't let them take you or Xirel from me."
"Same," Nafury assured her. "We all have a hundred secrets, a hundred regrets, and a thousand demons. But if we are honest with each other, I know we will be alright. Even if the truth is as painful as this. Can you promise me that?"
Ubi nodded and looked back at the screen as the memory of the news broadcast faded and left grey static on the screen. "I was so young at the time, but I remember this sickening feeling in my stomach when I saw this. Only when she was gone did the memory return to me that she was my mother. I rushed downtown to try and find something--anything of her, but I found nothing. It was complete chaos, even after the Asterians left. That was when the Sentry found me and put me in an asylum. I guess because of what my mother did made them not want to kill me right there. Or maybe it was because of the dragons being there, I don't know."
"If only Sybl would have told me you existed before she died. It wasn't until she spoke to me as a spirit shortly after that I learned of you," Nafury said and looked to the ground. "I might have been able to save you sooner."
"It's okay, cause it all worked out now. Besides, I probably would have killed you if you came near me back then."
"I suppose you're right," Nafury said.
"Fay govern the will of Aragmoth, and therefore Aster. Of course I'm right."
"Has Xirel inflated your head that much already?" Nafury laughed.
"Hey!" she snapped back. "You watch, when I learn how to use Thread, Aragmoth will listen to me too."
"I don't doubt it in the slightest, Mistress over Awls," Nafury mocked. She punched his arm rather hard. It was enough to wake them from sleep in a fit of laughter.
"What in blazes is going on down here?" Xirel asked from the stairs.
Nafury and Ubi only laughed harder, till she finally curled up and returned to sleep.
Xirel just shook his head as he looked at Nafury. "Caelestis save us all. Their madness has reached the point of laughing at their nightmares..."
"Lighten up you old grump," Nafury said and got to his feet. "It's going to be alright." Xirel's purple eyes suddenly grew wide and Nafury froze for moment. Then he looked around for what might have stumped the Awl so bad. He didn't think till now that it was even possible to surprise an Awl. "What is it?"
The normal Xirel came back around and shook his head. "It is nothing. I am going back on deck."
"By the way, did we have a plan for if we get outnumbered over there?"
"Yes, you just reminded me of it actually," Xirel replied.
"Oh?"
"We pray."
THIRTEEN
It took Kenshe over a week to recover from the Fay's attack. His own shift had inflicted a near-lethal amount of damage to him. He was still on edge as none of his training as a Custos prepared him for any of it. He had been born like a True--he never thought that one day he would be almost eaten by one. He closed his eyes and found his thoughts drifting to those of Nafury. Something had struck the Threads between them hard enough to get his attention.
"Lord Kenshe," Feryl's voice said from across the table. The council members in the room had taken notice of the Atrum Lord's lack of attention.
Kenshe blinked and pulled his focus from whatever the hell Nafury was doing now to the present.
"You heard it too, didn't you? Just now?" Prisca asked from where she stood looking out the window of the War Room.
Kenshe looked at his most devoted ayame, who was always one step ahead of him. She rarely missed the chance to be by his side since she was just a little girl watching him from her windowsill. He had almost lost her to death by Simera at
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