Ahazkun: "(Forty-four percent… No, too low… I need to… Seventy-four percent… Still not enough…)"

His echoing voice might have given the impression of the mumbling of a madman in the dark room, but Ahazkun didn’t really care. There was no one else around, and saying these things out loud always helped him concentrate a little better, and a little meant a lot in tasks like this. No one, not even his comrades could truly fathom the way he perceived time, and to be honest, he himself would have been in for a hard time if he wanted to explain it to them. What he saw when he perceived what to come were not pictures of upcoming events, nor some endless stream of numbers and percentages as his notes would suggest. Those were just his interpretations of what he felt. When he gazed into the future, he didn’t exactly see anything material. Sometimes, when he consciously surveyed it, it seemed nothing but a chaotic sea of shapes, colors, sounds and flavors. What he saw, was not something that could be described by words, it was something that had to be felt to be understood. No, it was even more difficult than that. One had to immerse oneself into the whirling storm of sensations, had to become one with them, and take the needed information back to the present without losing the concept of self in the tempest of odds.

It was a task a thousand times harder than anyone could ever imagine, but for him it was nothing more than a simple routine. He skillfully dived into the waters of probabilities countless times, returning with a small segment of a possible future each and every time. They were small fragments, pieces of a huge puzzle he didn’t even know the shape of. With every new part he added, they created a system like a snowdrop; complex and orderly, yet seemingly simple, more beautiful than anything human hands could create and, in the end, ever so fragile.

However, this time, something was different. The sensations felt odd, almost numbing; as if the possibilities he grasped were nothing more than shades in the distance, a mirage he couldn’t reach no matter how hard he tried. It left him greatly confounded, but he didn’t have the luxury to stop yet.

After a few seconds of silence his hand abruptly reached out and he hastily scribed up a few more numbers on a page he found lying around. He only glanced at it for a second before he put it into the ever-growing pile of notes on his desk with the kind of precision that indicated he knew exactly where it belonged in the chaotic mess of papers. At last he leaned back in his chair and let out a pent up breath that turned into a whisper half way through.

Ahazkun: "(… what the hell are you doing…?)"

The question was aimed at the mad scientist, naturally. Thinking about him, Ahazkun’s already sour mood turned for the worse. He stood up and reached for the glass of water on the night-stand, sat down on the bed and drank its contents in one go. It was just water, but somehow it still felt terribly bitter.

His earlier conversation with Soketsu came to mind. He didn’t really want to doubt Gabe; he owed him a lot over the years, but even if he didn’t have any solid evidence, he still had to take precautions. It was a well-known fact that Gabe always disliked his ability to predict the future, though he never explained why. At least not in reasonable terms. His recent behavior was also too peculiar to disregard, which would have made him suspicious in Ahazkun’s eyes anyway, foggy predictions or not.

Foggy… That was the right word. He could tell that the scientist was the focal point of the coming Event, just like last time, but for some reason he couldn’t grasp his exact role. It was unnerving, to say the least. Before Nov’Elsfaan’s descent, he could tell every single detail that was to come up to that point, but this time… This time, he had a hard time even with the simplest of predictions. The fact that Gabe became an unstable element in his calculations was undeniable, but there was one thing he still couldn’t understand: Why?

Why would he do something, anything, which would endanger their work? They spent two lives and countless sacrifices to create the future they decided upon the day the four of them forged their alliance… Why would he cast all of it away? Or rather, would he?

The oracle forcefully shook his head and began rubbing his own temple. Maybe it was just him after all? He knew all too well that his devotion to rogue elements has become something bordering paranoia in recent years, but the numbers spoke loud enough to silence such doubts about his own judgment this time. Something was wrong, and he could only hope he would be able to bring the whole issue to light before everything collapsed. Again.

He wanted to wash his troubling thoughts away by returning to his work but a sudden wave of exhaustion engulfed his mind as he was trying to stand up. It wasn’t surprising though, he didn’t even remember the last time he rested. Was it yesterday? Or the day before that? It didn’t really matter, the effect was the same. He was so engrossed in his work that he completely ignored his weary body up until this very moment and it came back to him with too great of a force to resist. He soon surrendered to the calling of the bed and laid his stinging head on the pillows without even bothering to change out of his clothes.

At long last, he silently closed his eyes. His work was done for the time being, all that remained is to rest and get ready for the next day, awaiting the challenges it will undoubtedly have in store for him…

~~~

Kay let out an exhausted breath as she waved her hand in front of the security checkpoint by the gates of Avalon. In the end she could only help the mad scientist by handling the tools and components he asked for, but she still learned quite a few things. She always believed building such a thing would require great precision, resources and many, many professionals working together, but Gabe somehow made the whole process look ridiculously easy. It was as if he was playing, as if he was just routinely piecing together a puzzle he solved a million times before. She felt she gained a small bit of respect for him, and yet…

Kay: "(Uuuu… It was so awkward…)"

Even though she generally trusted the man, the thing he was working on could have actually been a doomsday device for all she knew, with his speech about changing the world and everything…

She sighed again as she started climbing the familiar hill leading up to their quarters. She still couldn’t decide if keeping Gabe’s project a secret was a good thing or not, but for the moment, she decided not to think about it. However, there was one thing that she was quite sure of: this tiresome day was finally over. Or at least so she hoped.

Kay: "Ummm…"

She froze with a blank expression once she opened the bedroom door. It was quite late, so she fully expected that Soketsu would be in bed already. She couldn’t have been more wrong.

Soketsu: "You’re late."

The man’s voice held no resentfulness, yet, coupled with the scene in front of her, it felt like a shell-shock to her. Soketsu was sitting in the corner of the room, surrounded by a myriad of flames. Candles. At least a hundred of them, or even more. Those were the only sources of lighting in the room, its air filled with the fragrance of scented wax and a hint of smoke. It was eerie and a little mystical at the same time, and the girl was completely taken aback by the unexpected spectacle. It took her a few moments to snap out of her surprise and close the door behind herself. The familiar sound of the door’s hinges turning, something she normally wouldn’t have even noticed, felt like the screaming of a jet-engine to her ears. As she looked back at Soketsu, she suddenly felt a small drop of guilt. After all, she really was late.

Kay: "Sorry, I lost track of time and-"

Soketsu: "Don’t worry, it’s fine."

The voice that cut her words short was calm, almost soothing, which somehow made her feel even more awkward.

Kay: "B-But… The candles… It must have taken a long time to…"

Soketsu glanced around and shrugged his shoulders in embarrassment.

Soketsu: "These? Erm… Well, it’s a funny story." He slowly stood up while scratching his chin and took a step towards the confused girl. "You see, I wanted to create the right mood, so I decided to light a few candles, but you didn’t come, so I… I guess got a little carried away."

Kay: "S-Sorry."

The man hastily raised his hands.

Soketsu: "It’s okay, really! I mean, yeah, it’s late, but at least I had time to think about… well, stuff."

He might have seemed calm on the outside, but to Kay’s eyes his small gestures spoke otherwise. The way he held his hand, the movement of his eyes, the curve of his lips… She instinctively realized he was really flustered, maybe even more so than herself. It was a perception that made her even more nervous, as if she wasn’t that already, but it also made her curious beyond measure.

Before continuing, the man took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, as if to expel the piling tension from the air.

Soketsu: "Phew. Okay, I’m not going to beat around the bush anymore. The thing is; we have to talk."

Kay: "You mean… about this afternoon?"

Soketsu: "Well, about those things too. What we talked about and what we didn’t and…" He paused for a second and let out another, disappointed sigh. "Okay, I said I’m not going to beat around the bush so…" The large man’s words quieted into a whisper that then gave way to silence for several seconds before he shook his head and tried to casually gesture towards the bed. "You know what? Let’s sit down first. It will be a little easier to talk that way."

By this point the air in the room was so tense it wouldn’t have been strange if it snapped like a piano wire. Both of them were visibly fidgeting as they sat on the end of the sizeable bed with their heads hung and obviously avoiding each other’s gaze. They were right next to each other, yet the small space between them felt strangely gaping. The silence was deafening until Soketsu finally raised his head with clear determination in his eyes and faced the diminutive girl at his side.

Soketsu: "Okay, there’s really no point dancing around the issue anymore, so I’m going to say it straight and simple. Kay…"

Kay: "I-If it’s about the training, then I…"

Soketsu: "I love you."

Kay: "…don’t mind a…"

Her nervous blather came to an abrupt halt as the words finally reached her mind. With her mouth still half-open, her eyes widened so much that it was almost comical. Soketsu, on the other hand, looked like as if a great weight was finally lifted from his shoulders. Finally, after several seconds of silent shock, the girl’s voice rose a full octave as she blinked in panic.

Kay: "Wha-Wha-What did you sa-say? For a moment I could have sworn you…"

Soketsu: "I love you."

On the second time the words came out so naturally that it surprised even Soketsu. Were these three words really so heavy in the past? Kay, on the other hand, suddenly got about as red as a lobster.

Kay: "A-Are you… serious?"

Soketsu: "Yes."

Once again the room descended into silence as Soketsu waited for her to collect herself.

Kay: "Why now?"

Soketsu: "What do you mean? Isn’t this as good as a time as any?"

Kay: "But we just had that fight today…"

Soketsu: "… I can’t really see the problem with that. Actually, it was more of a reason I wanted to make things clear once and for all."

Kay: "… Are you sure?"

Soketsu: "Of what? That I love you?" Hearing these words, the girl turned even redder, impossible as it might have seemed at the moment, and could only nod. " I thought a lot about it, but yeah. I wouldn’t have said it otherwise. I love you."

Kay: "How can you say something like that so casually?"

Hearing the slightly sulky question, Soketsu couldn’t help but chuckle.

Soketsu: "Believe it or not, it’s quite easy to say after the first time. Do you want to give it a try?"

The girl immediately averted her shy gaze without saying a thing. Somehow it seemed unbelievably adorable in Soketsu’s eyes, and her expression looked like it was just begging him to tease her…

Soketsu: "No?"

Kay: "I-It’s not that! It’s just too sudden!"

Soketsu: "Okay, I can wait. The night is still young after all…"

Kay: "You are so unfair."

Soketsu: "No I’m not."

The room fell silent once again, this time for several long seconds, before Kay spoke up again in a thin whisper.

Kay: "Are you really sure you are okay with me…?" Her partner didn’t answer, so she continued; "I mean, the way I look and everything, and t… wah…?"

Before she could finish her last sentence, Soketsu suddenly reached out to her face and grabbed her cheeks between his fingers.

Kay: "Auwwww! Wad awe yuu dowin?!"

Soketsu: "Smile! Have you forgotten how to do it?" For a moment, Kay’s expression rapidly cycled between baffled, embarrassed, angry and confused, but since she didn’t say a word, Soketsu let out a disappointed sigh and continued; "Seriously now, when was the last time you smiled? Where is the lighthearted Kay that would have jumped into my lap while grinning like an idiot hearing these words? Stop asking pointless questions like that and start acting like yourself!" By this point the girl’s expression finally solidified into a frown. "Don’t look at me like that, I’m serious!"

Kay: "It huwts…"

Soketsu: "It hu…? ! Ah, sorry!"

He immediately let go of the girl’s face as if he was touching burning iron. A moment later Kay’s hands were already rubbing her cheeks, red for an entirely different reason this time.

Kay: "You are mean!"

Soketsu: "Sorry, sorry. I really didn’t want to pull that hard, I just got a little carried away… Stop looking at me like that! I told you I didn’t pinch you on purpose!"

The girl’s eyes still seemed a little peevish but bashful at the same time. Their earnest gazes kept crossing each other until Kay promptly stood up and stepped in front of him. Before Soketsu could even react he could feel the weight of the small body thumping against his lap.

Soketsu: "Whoa!"

Kay: "Here…"

Soketsu: "… That was… surprising."

Kay: "You said you wanted me to jump in your lap, didn’t you?"

As the girl turned his face towards him, Soketsu couldn’t help but smile awkwardly.

Soketsu: "Well, it wasn’t the main point, but… it’s a step in the right direction, yes."

The girl didn’t say anything, not right away. Her gaze seemed like she was deep in thought.

Kay: "I think I understand what you meant."

Soketsu: "You do?"

Kay: "Looking back, I really haven’t been my usual self lately, have I?"

Soketsu: "That was the point I was trying to make, yes."

Kay: "… One last thing."

This time, Kay completely turned around on his lap. They were face to face, so close that their noses were almost touching. Her eyes were nothing like a few moments ago; her pupils were gazing sharply into Soketsu’s own.

Kay: "Are you completely, one hundred percent sure of this?"

Soketsu: "… How many times you want me to say it. Yes, I love you, and I’m sure of it."

Kay: "… You know I’m going to take you on these words, right? I’m not going to let you slip away from the responsibility and…"

Soketsu: "Yes, I know. Lighten up a little already!"

The girl kept glazing into his eyes, and finally nodded.

Kay: "I’ll try. I… Have a lot on my mind right now, so I think it will take a while, but if it would make you happy, I promise I will try to return to the way I used to be. But in exchange, you have to promise me that you…"

Her last words were muffled as Soketsu gently hugged her and pulled her to his chest.

Soketsu: "Shhh… There is no need for any exchange. I love you, and that’s a fact. There is no need for you to barter for guarantees."

Kay once again flushed red, but after a couple of second a series of awkward giggles escaped her mouth and she began to earnestly rest her head against her partner.

Kay: "How can you say these things with a straight face?"

Soketsu: "I told you, it’s actually not embarrassing at all after the first time… Plus I don’t have to worry about your answer, so it makes things a lot easier."

Kay: "But I still don’t get it… Why now?"

Soketsu: "… Let’s just say I got a little push to say something that I should have said a long time ago."

Kay: "… I agree."

Soketsu: "Hehe… Well, later is still better than never, and I think it was pretty obvious anyway."

Instead of answering, Kay raised her arms and hugged him back. It was a completely different feeling from when he embraced her alone, like as if something just clicked into place inside him. For a few blissful moments, they kept cuddling without a word.

Soketsu: "By the way…"

Hearing his voice, Kay lifted her face from his chest and looked upon him.

Kay: "Yes, what is it?"

Soketsu: "If we are talking about things I needed to say for a long time, there are two more things I should mention while we have the chance." Kay didn’t seem to try to interrupt him, so he said; "First of all, no matter what you think, you are beautiful the way you are."

Kay: "Do you really mean that?"

Soketsu: "Yes, I’m completely serious. Also…"

Kay: "Yes?"

Kay looked at him expectantly, but instead Soketsu averted his gaze and simply muttered;

Soketsu: "My legs are getting numb."

~~~

Kiseki: "Vikkiiiii! Are we there yet?"

Viktor: "For the hundredth time, I don’t know!"

Adhi: "Can’t we do it tomorrow, I’m tired!"

Viktor: "What are you, kids?!"

The knight was at his wit’s end, but surprisingly, this time the Calamity Couple was not to blame. Or to be more precise, there was something even more annoying in his hands. A constantly beeping broken machine…

Viktor: "Come on you piece of junk!"

Adhi: "Maybe it’s the battery! Did you try changing it?"

Kiseki: "Or maybe submerging it in liquid nitrogen?"

Viktor: "Shut up and let me concentrate!"

After snapping at the two, Viktor returned to the device with a small curse under his breath. He couldn’t even remember how many times he swore in the past few minutes, but considering the situation, his manner was the last thing he was concerned about.

The detector, or PEEDS, as it was officially called, was unreliable at best. When it was originally designed, it was used to collect emission data that was fed into a central database that could then pinpoint the location of the source of said emissions using GPS coordinates. Unfortunately neither the central database or the GPS satellites existed anymore, so at the moment it was barely more than a complicated, super-sensitive (and subsequently super-finicky) Geiger-counter… except it didn’t measure radioactivity but something else entirely that the knight wasn’t told about. Even the whole ‘database’ and ‘GPS’ business was outside of his field.

As such the only way he could use the device was to reset the machine after every dozen or so steps and check if the new readings indicated they were closing on the center of emission or not. This was a task that would have been hard and tedious even if the conditions were perfect, but doing it at night, in the middle of the desert, with the temperature way below the freezing point and followed around by half a dozen brutish monsters and two hyperactive mercenaries… It was something that would have made even greater men cry out in rage.

Viktor: "AAARGH!!!"

As such he felt it justified in doing so.

Kiseki: "Vikki! Are you all right!?"

Adhi: "Did you get bitten by a scorpion?"

Kiseki: "Was it radioactive?"

For a moment his determination almost wavered, but he quickly shook the feeling away.

Viktor: "(Fuck it, I was the one who got riled up on the first place! We either find that blasted place tonight, or die trying!)"

Adhi: "Vikki? Are you sure you are all right? Was it really radioactive?"

The knight sent one last sharp glance at the two,and pushed the reset button once again with renewed determination.

Viktor: "Hm?"

Finally, the readings showed a sharp increase! They were on the right trail!

Viktor: "Finally! This way!"

Adhi: "Whoa…!"

Kiseki: "It must be his scorpion-sense tingling!"

And with that, the two leisurely followed in the footsteps of their guide, who was more than happy that they finally decided to lag behind a little. With that they once again sank into the darkness of the desert night.

~~~

Pabloc: "Lily?"

The scientist quickly looked around in yet another of the many rooms of the facility, but couldn’t find the girl. He let out a sigh as he readjusted his glasses on the bridge of her nose before he sighed in exhaustion.

Pabloc: "(Where did she disappear this time…?)"

He quietly shook his head as the door closed behind him. He just couldn’t imagine where she would go at a time like this. After all, it was her who wanted to spend the evening together the first place, yet she not only didn’t come home but also disappeared into thin air. It was just so uncahar…

Pabloc: "Huh."

After a moment of thinking Pabloc miserably shrugged his shoulders. Actually, it was completely in character for her to do something like this. With that in mind he moved to the next room with a weary expression, and just as he expected, there was yet another empty room waiting for him.

Pabloc: "(This is getting ridiculous… Where is that girl?)"

He left the empty place and returned to the corridor. As he looked down the hallway, he couldn’t help it but sigh again. There were several dozen more rooms, and it was only one of the many corridors on the eastern wing of the facility. At the very least he knew she was somewhere around here, but it was still a needle-in-the-haystack situation.

As he stood there, an old question surfaced in his mind: How the hell did Gabe’s fairies manage to build this place? Avalon itself was an unbelievable feat, some of its technology was so advanced that even he had a hard time understanding their principles, not to mention actually building them. They bore the sign of Gabe’s genius touch on them, but that just made it all the more confounding. Why did he make plans for such technology and not implement them back then? Or were they made specifically for the fairies even before they needed them? What was his plan?

Plan. The word once again reminded him of something he rather wanted to forget. Ahazkun’s accusations in the past weeks were baseless in his eyes, but they were unsettling all the same. He trusted Gabe more than anyone, but his recent behavior, Ahazkun’s worries and the whole Avalon-issue couldn’t be swept under the rug just because he wanted to believe it was just the part of some plan for the greater good that Ahazkun couldn’t perceive. He was just about to sigh again when he stopped on his track.

Pabloc: "(I’m already at the end of the hallway?)"

He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn’t even realize he already looked over all the rooms in his path. Not that it made a real difference, there was another just beyond the corner, and another beyond that.

Avalon was huge, but the supporting facilities around the city were nothing to scoff at either. There were hundreds upon hundreds of intertwining tunnels woven under the desert with thousands of facilities. Storage rooms, low-emission power plants, processing plants, factories, barracks, laboratories, test-grounds, and the list goes on. With its outlying facilities, Avalon was more of a city-state than a simple town. It was glorious, but right now, it was a great annoyance.

Pabloc: "(For the love of… Where is she?)"

He went down another hallway, and finally, after searching for so long, something hit his ears. It was a low, muffled sound coming from one of the janitors’ storage rooms. Of course he couldn’t be completely certain it was Lily, but after knowing her for years, he just instinctively knew it had to be her. The scientist reached for the door without hesitation and it opened with a quiet hiss, and as he took a glance into the small room he couldn’t help but bury his head his hand.

There were two girls in the room. One of them was Lily, sleeping like an angel, sometimes quietly mumbling to herself. The other one was Tiari. Struggling. With her head in some sort of a wrestling hold. And her ear was being chewed…

Pabloc: "(Why do I have a feeling Ahazkun is going to kill me tomorrow…?)"

The awkward moment was quickly broken by the trashing catgirl’s protesting shouts.

Tiari: "Aaaargh!!! Help me! Get this crazy monster off me!"

After letting out an exasperated sigh Pabloc finally moved in. Even though she was sleeping, Lily held the catgirl in her iron embrace like a bird of prey holding onto a small bunny with its cruel claws.

Pabloc: "It seems like she’s fast asleep."

Tiari: "No shit Sherlock! I didn’t ask for your expert opinion, I told you to get this fiend away from me!!!"

Pabloc: "Sheesh… Okay, okay, just a moment…"

At first the man tried the obvious solution, for no avail. He couldn’t even budge Lily’s arm, it was locked around the catgirl’s neck like it was smelted from solid iron. After running through a few options, like the usage of power-tools or just simply levitating them back to his place, he decided on a less flashy solution.

Pabloc: "Fine, I have no other choice…"

Tiari: "Nyah…? Wait, why are you taking off your gloves?"

Pabloc: "Nothing you have to worry about…"

The scientist’s wry smile didn’t fill her with assurance, to say the least.

Pabloc: "Try not to move much, okay?"

Tiari: "Seriously, what are you trying to…"

Pabloc defiantly raised his hand and promptly readjusted his glasses as a bold smile rose on his face.

Pabloc: "It’s time for…" He purposefully paused as he wriggled his fingers. "… tickling!"

The catgirl only blinked t him for a second or two before her face twisted in a grimace of disappointment.

Tiari: "It’s official. You have spent too much time around that idiot. You are infected with the Gabe-itis."

Pabloc: "Oh, shush. Just be quiet and watch."

The scientist quietly hunched over with a serious expression. He readjusted his glasses one last time and then suddenly flexed his fingers. The next moment, his hands lashed out like a pair of whips, aimed at the small girl’s vital areas. And as his fingertips touched her …

Pabloc: "Lily-chin~~"

…they began their elaborate dance upon her soft skin.

Lily: "Zzzzz… Gihi… Hihihi …zzzzz…"

His fingers delicately ran around her soft cheeks, drew a small circle under her chin then gently moved over to the nape of her neck with one continuous motion like a stream of warm water running around her delicate features.

Lily: "Zzz… Hihihi…"

As the blond girl started fidgeting, Pabloc’s other hand moved in to up the ante. His other palm slowly slid down her side and his fingers began their tapdance on her back, slowly moving towards her tummy. At the same time he tenderly brushed her long golden hair aside and began stroking the base of her ear.

Lily: "Haaa~! Hihi! Nowd theewe~! Id twigles~! Hyaah~"

The girl slowly began squirming more and more. Finally the scientist decided it was time for the coup de grace. He leaned even closer to her and, without a word, pressed his lips against her forehead. In that very same moment, Lily’s entire body surged up like she was hit by an electric current. She opened her arms wide open, finally letting the exhausted catgirl go…

Lily: "Pabloc-saaaan~"

Pabloc: "Ack!"

…only to clasp those same arms around Pabloc’s neck without a moment’s notice.

Lily: "Just five more minutes~…"

Her small frame snuggled up to the scientist like a tiny animal. Pabloc slowly exhaled, with a smile on his face, then reached under the small body and lifted her into his arms.

Pabloc: "Well, here we go. Are you all right?"

He turned to Tiari who looked at the two like they were some sort of weird creatures in a zoo exhibition. After a brief moment of daze the catgirl hastily stood up and began straightening her clothes.

Tiari: "Yeah, I guess I’m fine just… Ouch!" She reached up to her head and gingerly patted her chewed-up ear. "My ears are in a bad shape, but I guess I’ll survive…"

Pabloc: "You are welcome."

Tiari: "… What about you? Are you all right?"

The scientist’s brows slightly rose at the question.

Pabloc: "What do you mean?"

Tiari: "Your head is… kinda… blue."

Pabloc: "… Oh, that…"

Lily: "Zzzz…"

The man slowly turned his head to the side, and after pushing against the small girl’s seemingly delicate arms for a moment, his neck suddenly twisted back into its natural position with a barely audible snap.

Lily: "Unya~ …zzz…"

Pabloc: "There. Thanks for noticing, I sometimes tend to forget about my circulation."

For a few moments the catgirl wordlessly kept eyeing him with an exhausted expression.

Tiari: "I was joking before, but you should seriously use a hazmat suit when around Gabe. You really are getting infected with his stupidity."

Pabloc: "Hey, that’s not a very nice thing to say…"

Tiari: "Whatever. By the way, what’s the time?"

Pabloc: "I don’t know. Around ten, I think."

Tiari: "Wha…!? Oh crap! I was supposed to get back home by eight, and I didn’t even make dinner! Ahaz is going to kill me!"

Pabloc: "Don’t be so dramatic. I’m sure he is too busy with his predictions to…"

Tiari: "Aaaaah! That’s even worse! He was at it since yesterday morning! He always forgets about the outside world when doing his clairvoyance-thing… Damn, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was already unconscious from dehydration without me around to remind him to drink!"

Pabloc: "Now that’s just…"

Tiari: "Aaaarhg! I have to run, but if something happened to Ahaz because of your stupid fiend held me up, I’m going to kick her sorry ass back to R’lyeh or wherever the hell she came from!"

Pabloc: "Hey, you don’t need to be so…"

The catgirl took off with lightning-fast steps and disappeared in the labyrinth of corridors without even listening to his last words.

Pabloc: "… rude." Pabloc gazed after her for a few seconds and at last he let out a soft groan. "What are you, his mother?"

Lily: "Tia-okaasan!"

As the scientist glanced down at the source of the comment, he found Lily smiling like and angel.

Pabloc: "Oh, you are awake?"

Lily: "Hai~! Ohayou!"

Pabloc: "Morning? I guess it’s a little late for that. Speaking of which, what were you doing with Tiari in this place anyway?"

Lily nonchalantly stretched her bare feet and opened her mouth in a huge yawn before she answered with an unusually smug smile.

Lily: "Tia-chan was trying to ambush Kay-chan at the gates when she came home, so I decided to play with her instead!"

Pabloc: "I see. But why here?"

Lily: "Nyu…? Why? Where are we?"

The small girl in his hands looked around with a confused look on her face, as if she just noticed that they were in a janitor’s storage.

Lily: "I don’t know… I was a little sleepy…"

The scientist rolled his eyes with an amicable smile and hefted the girl in his hands.

Pabloc: "No matter. Let me put you down and…"

Before he could finish his line, the small girl’s arms clasped even tighter around his neck.

Pabloc: "What is it?"

Lily: "Carry me!"

Pabloc: "Seriously?"

Lily: "Hai~!"

For a few moments they kept looking each other in the eye, but it soon became crystal-clear that Pabloc had absolutely no defense against the girl’s smile.

Pabloc: "Fine, fine. Here you go, princess."

Lily: "Yay~! I’m the princess-sama!"

The scientist’s lips involuntarily curved at the sight of the exited girl squirming in his arms.

Pabloc: "(She is so easy to please…)"

Lily: "Onward!"

Pabloc: "Yes, yes. Onward we go."

With that, the strange pair turned around and slowly vanished in the maze of the facility’s countless corridors, leaving behind nothing more than the occasional echoes of chirping laughter in the air.

~~~

Gabe: "(There you go. It’s done.)

After stretching his back the scientist wiped the sweat from his forehead with the hem of his dark lab coat and casually fell into the small armchair beside the workbench inside his inner-workshop. It was a crude patchwork of a seat he hastily pieced together for Kay a few hours ago. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but it was still better than the old swivel-chair he usually used. He wiped the sweat from his face one more time, and then straightened himself while a deep sigh left his mouth.

Gabe: "(Well, no point sitting around! It’s time for the finishing touches!)"

The man sharply shook his head and swept back his mid-long brown hair. It was a little bothersome, but there was no point in cutting it, so he learned to cope with it. After one last, small stretch he finally stood up and moved back to the workbench. Upon the table lied his masterpiece, finally complete. From its outer appearance, no one would have thought it was anything more than a suit of full-body armor, but as always, appearances were deceiving. Even if one took a closer look and noticed the faint lines of pulsating energy running all over its surface like shining blood-vessels, it would still not have inspired the awe it deserved. It was not some mundane machine created for personal protection anymore; it was a finely tuned tool of rebellion, a mad scientist greatest and most beloved invention.

Yes, it was something of a lovechild of his, made even more obvious by the small, content smile on his face as he faced it. He had long ceased to count the hours he spent on its creation, and it was not a huge stretch to say that it was the most advanced piece of technology on the planet at the moment. As he thought about it, the only person who could understand its inner workings was him, even Pabloc wouldn’t be able to break its secrets no matter how much he were to try. Well, at least not in a single lifetime. The reason was quite simple: it worked on principles that didn’t even exist. Not yet, anyway. It was a tool created for the absurd goal of challenging the rules governing the universe, so yes; it would have been strange if it wasn’t outlandish itself.

After forcefully exhaling every bit of air from his lungs, the scientist extended his hand and ran his fingers over the chest-piece of the armor. The lines of surging energy flared up at his touch, shining with a bright green light. It was a strangely mesmerizing sight. As they bathed the room and the scientist’s figure with their warm light, his fingers began tracing the circuits themselves. His hands danced around the surface of the dark-red metal plate like a pianist’s, sometimes gently tapping at the intersections, other times roughly scratching multiple lines at the same time. For the uninitiated eye it almost seemed like he was really playing with some weird toy. If only they could see what he could…

For several minutes, the only thing that could be heard in the eerie silence was the soft scrubbing of fingertips on the smooth metallic surface. As he kept working on the chest-area, the lines slowly expanded towards the extremities of the armor, and as they reached the fingertips a blinding flash of light filled the air of the workshop. For a few moments there was only an infinite whiteness. As the light slowly subsided, the scientist’s black cloak was the first thing that could be seen, standing above his masterpiece with a gleeful expression.

Gabe: "(Good. It has even less recurrent backflow-errors than I could have hoped for. Soketsu’s monkey-things really are something else…)"

After a few moments the light almost completely faded, but did not disappear. In fact its source was shining even more brilliantly than before. The armor itself went through a peculiar transformation. Its dark-crimson surface was now white as snow, like the garment of an angel, while the veins of viridia on its surface became a darker, thicker shade of green. As he looked at it, it seemed almost ethereal, an unearthly beauty that should not exist in this world. If someone would have entered at this moment, they would probably have been struck speechless by the sheer sight of the thing lying on the workbench. Even the man responsible for its creation had to stop for a moment just to absorb its full beauty. For several seconds, he intently stared at it as if he wanted to carve the moment into his memory. Maybe he did just that. Either way, after a few moments of almost reverent silence he turned his back on his creation, if only for a few seconds.

He moved to one of the huge, armor-plated tubes at the back of the workshop. As he looked all over it, he couldn’t help but smile.

Gabe: "Oh… these are still here? How silly…"

With that he extended his hand and tore down the warning signs on the surface of the tube. They were on them ever since they were first installed here, but he they never really bothered him before. In fact, he found them quite fitting. A workshop should have warning signs, right? It was part of the image. But they were not needed anymore. After all, if everything goes well, he won’t need these tanks anymore. Or the workshop itself for that matter.

After discarding the torn signs he drew one last breath and swept his hair back again. For a second he hesitated. Was it too soon? While Kay probably didn’t realize it, her presence actually helped Gabe’s work tremendously. As an Alternate, just being around she absorbed excess Ether in the room, making the precision work he had to do much simpler. In retrospect he felt a little silly for not thinking of this sooner, but in the end her being there saved him several days of work. Because of that, he felt a little unprepared to take that final step.

The hesitation didn’t last long though, as at last a daring smile crept onto his face and he stepped forwards with renewed determination.

Gabe: "(Here we go. No turning back now.)"

After a brief moment Gabe promptly rolled up his sleeves and then theatrically raised his right hand. For a moment he was looking at it with utmost concentration, then his palm flared up with a strange light. It was impossible to tell its color, or if it had a color at all. It was just… there. A strange light that humanity had no words for, something that was beyond the scope of natural perception, yet the scientist’s expression was terribly calm. Of course it was, it is not the first time he did this. He didn’t like to use something like this, something that even he didn’t fully comprehend, but a tool is a tool. Just because you didn’t know how each and every component of a car worked it wouldn’t keep you from driving it, right? Well, this was a little more complicated than that, but it got the job done, so there was no point complaining.

That said, he slowly extended his now glowing hand towards the tube in front of him. For a moment, he hesitated. It was not about this experiment. It would work. Of this, he was one hundred percent certain. He ran countless simulations and eradicated every possible chance of an error, so it wasn’t the source of his anxiety. It wasn’t about if it would succeed, but about what he would do after it succeeded. In truth he didn’t put much thought into it, or rather he never really wanted to think about it, so he avoided the issue. What was he going to do after this?

He quietly shook his head and steeled his resolve. There was no place for such thoughts in his head anymore. What will he do? The same as always: something. He had a whole city to run, so he can probably find a lot of things to deal with, not to mention the outcome of this very experiment. He would be busy no matter what, probably more so than ever before.

Gabe: "(Here we go!)"

He slowly drew his hand back like he was taking up a fighting chance, then…

Gabe: "Ha!"

…he lunged forward without a trace of the previous hesitation in his eyes.

~~~

Lily: "Yaaay! Transform~!"

Pabloc: "Easy there, easy. You are going to break the sofa."

Lily: "Shhh! Now’s the best part!"

The scientist, while still in the kitchen, couldn’t help but smile at the blonde girl excitedly jumping up and down in front of the big floating screen. He got out of his usual labcoat, instead he was wearing a bright pink apron over his casual clothes. Even he knew it was kind of bizarre, but it was a birthday-gift from Lily, so he had little choice but to wear it, and by now it kind of grew on him. Thinking so he put the two mugs of chocolate-milk he was making onto a small tray and returned to the living room.

The layout of the place was the same as Ahazkun’s quarters’, but it gave off a radically different impression. The room was littered with plush toys, the walls covered with posters and drawings and, generally speaking, the place had a lot less formal feel to it. It wasn’t just a place for sleeping; it was a home in the truest sense.

The man wordlessly moved beside the hyper girl and carefully placed the tray on the short coffee-table in front of them.

Lily: "Yay~! Cocoa! Arigatou~!"

Pabloc: "You are welcome."

He took of the apron and, after folding it, laid it onto the back of the sofa. By the time he turned back, the girl had already snatched her mug from the table.

Lily: "Unya~! It’s hot!"

Pabloc: "Be careful not to burn your tongue."

Lily: "Hai~"

Pabloc: "By the way, what did I miss?"

Lily: "Oh! They transformed again and beat the big bad man with magic!"

Pabloc: "I see… so it was the usual?"

Lily nodded repeated as she raised the mug to her mouth, only to let out a pained hiss a moment later.

Lily: "Owie! Pabwog-san! Ive buwnd mai twonge!"

Pabloc: "Even after I warned you not to drink it like that…"

Lily: "Owie-owie…"

Pabloc: "Here, let’s switch, mine is not that hot."

Lily: "Awigado…"

After switching cups the scientist finally laid back on the soft cushions. As he looked up, he could see the opening of the show playing.

Lily: "Next episode! Next episode!"

Pabloc: "(I wonder where he finds these things nowadays…)"

It was a silly mahou shoujo anime, made a few years before the Devastation set in. It was nothing special. In fact, its mere existence was more interesting than its contents. He borrowed it from one of the fairies working at the main labs, who in turn got it from Gabe. Apparently, he found it while rummaging through some archives on the other side of the world before they reunited. Thinking about it, Pabloc could never understood how he could be so nonchalant to take home such seemingly useless things, but Lily was really into these kinds of shows, so this time he was kind of grateful for Gabe’s eccentric priorities. He tried to lay back and just relax, but…

Lily: "Pabloc-san, are you all right?"

Pabloc: "Huh? Yes, why?"

Lily: "You seemed like… uuuu… this!"

The girl suddenly broke out into a weird grimace.

Pabloc: "… No I wasn’t."

Lily: "You were! You were! Just like this!"

The scientist chuckled softly and gently poked her forehead with his index finger.

Pabloc: "Okay, okay, I get. Stop making weird faces like that."

Lily: "Then Pabloc-san should stop making them too!"

Pabloc: "I’m not making weird faces, I’m just a little troubled."

Lily: "Why?"

Pabloc: "I… don’t really know. I just have this weird feeling…"

The girl tilted her head questioningly before she muttered;

Lily: "I don’t understand…"

No matter how he looked at it, she was just adorable. For a moment he fought with the urge, but he suddenly raised his hand and began patting her.

Pabloc: "Don’t worry, it’s nothing. I think I’m just tired. Come on, let’s watch the show."

Lily: "Okay~~"

With that, they turned their attention to the screen, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not get that weird, nagging feeling out of his head…

~~~

There was no sound of collision. No bones breaking, nor metal bending. Nothing. And yet, his hand was inside the tube. In fact his entire arm was merged into the tube about elbow-deep, but there were no signs of damage on its surface. He didn’t as much break through it but reached through it.

There was only silence. He didn’t even breathe as he slowly retracted his hand. As he pulled it back, there was no hole left behind. The tube was the same as before. His hand however…

Gabe: "Here goes two hundred years’ worth of Black Ether…"

It was black. No, it was even darker than that. There was no reflection on its surface, to the contrary, it felt like it was devouring all the light that fell upon it, like as if someone cut the contours of his hand out of space itself and created a hole on the canvas of reality. The air seemed to be boiling, rippling around his hand even though there was no heat. The dark thing, like a fine glove, seemingly covered it entirely. In truth it much less covered as saturated his hand. As he waved it, it left a short trail of distortion that stole the color of the world seen through it… and yet, terrifying as it was, the scientist couldn’t help but find it the most beautiful thing in this universe. Why wouldn’t he? Dreadful as it might have seemed, it was no weapon, not even magic. It was the fruit of wisdom right from the three of the Garden of Eden, the fuel of creation, primal and wild yet holding infinite possibilities, and nothing less than the crown-jewel of his masterpiece.

For a few moments he intently gazed into the infinite darkness within his palm, then abruptly turned around and faced the solemnly glowing white armor on the table. Even though he knew there was no will within, he felt it was calling for him.

He quietly walked up to the workbench and placed his hand onto it. In a few moments the blackness visibly drained from it without leaving a stain on the chest-piece. As a matter of fact, it left no trace whatsoever. Once all the Black Ether was gone, Gabe let out a pent up breath and walked over to the opposite end of the workbench. There, amidst the leftover tools was a single, red button the size of a fist on a rectangular base pained with diagonal black and yellow stripes. He gingerly lifted it up from the bench and raised it to eye level before nodding.

It was only natural that there would be a big red button. These kinds of important experiments needed a simple and easily distinguishable punctuation to start them. Not to mention, it was a classic. Everyone loved the big red button, right?

He grabbed the underside of it with one hand, his fingers securely wrapping around the sides, and he raised his balled up fist high… and then he stopped and let it back down. Something was missing. After a moment of consideration, his face bloomed into a childish smile followed by a series of chuckles.

Gabe: "It’s now or never," He muttered before he opened the flood-gates, threw his arms apart and let out a deep, manic belly-laugh that seemed to last way longer than his lungs should have permitted and echoed dully in the workshop even after he finally ran out of air. At last he straightened himself, took a huge breath and muttered; "I always wanted to do that," before he unceremoniously raised his hands again and placed his thumb upon the red button.