Leona sheathes her sword. “It’s always nice seeing you, Gia.”

Gia snorted. Her eyes quickly glanced at Kato. For a moment there’s a ball of desire. She reins those desires back, and swallows them back.

“Oswald, it’s good to see you again.”

“Silva,” Kato focused his mind. The wounds on him being stitched back. He spat on the ground before retracting the armor on his limbs.

Simone places a hand on his chest. “I didn’t think you’d visit us, milady. It’s a  pleasure?”

Gia takes a document out. Simone reads the documents. Brows meeting at the words written on this. He confirms the signature and the appearance before sighing.

“It looks like you have the support of the Magi-Clans.”

“They are easy to persuade. Of course, the permission of CASE is beneath me, nonetheless, I still have respect for your organization. It doesn’t hurt to visit these sanctuaries.”

Simone hands over the document to Leona. Her eyes moving up and down — memorizing the names of the clans who are in cahoots with the Wisterian Faction.

“It pleases me that you always dominate.”

“Is that so?”

“Hmm, when will you agree to combine our blood, Silva?”

“Never.”

She smiles, her eyes on Kato. “Oswald here refuses as well. A shame, you two are willing to waste such good genes. Still, I am quite confident Mr. Oswald here will capitulate in regards to handling his DNA.”

Kato swallowed a gulp as he felt the fury in Gia suddenly. Her magic rumbled for a second, before it settled down. His all-senses could feel it deeply.

“He will not. Not into a whore like you.”

“How rude.”

Leona smiled again. “Well, I am not in a hurry. Maybe one day you two will voluntarily give me your genes.”

A practitioner of eugenics. Has she always been this way? Always looking for a way to get good genes. For what? To create the perfect man? Selectable breeding until they get the pinnacle of the physical and spiritual aspects.

“We will not. Do you not get tired of speaking like this?”

“I usually don’t. One must have a hobby and having a lot of grandchildren running around, expanding thy family is always a merit. Then again, you enjoy taking in orphans, making them your family. How are we not different?”

Gia did not entertain it. Simone’s eyes remained on Kato and then on Gia. Leona, who was making an amused expression, was the one who spoke up about what she had described.

“I heard you killed him.”

Gia didn’t reply. She calmly accepted Leona’s accusing glare. The placidity of her expression did not hide the second of guilt she tried to hide. Kato didn’t know how much they had learned on what happened to the Island. As far as Kato’s concerned, CASE and the Lionhearts were the only people that knew what happened. The hole allowed the demons in and the fight between him and Gia — killing Kato in the process.

Denying it is impossible. So seeing Kato and Gia standing together without any open hostility might have been odd to them. What happened? Or was there any backroom negotiation which led to Kato allying with Gia?

“It was a mistake. We have talked it out. Mr. Oswald will help in the purging of the daemons. He has already started, haven’t you, Oswald?”

“I have,” Kato replied. “Most of them are lesser. They can be taken care of. My concern is on the demons possessing the humans who have made use of this to their advantage.”

“Indeed, my people have broken individuals who have taken on the forms of the greatest enemy,” Leona takes something out, showing a holographic image of a deformed human with inhuman appendages. “These mutants are running around, devouring people, they leave a strange biomass, fleshy-formations and creations. The mutation of parasites in their bodies could become a problem. You are a scientist, a researcher, and a well-learned woman, Silva. You know their fighting power, appearances are not the concern, but the bacterias and viruses they carry from the bowels of hell. If we leave these creatures alone, there is a possibility of a hellish plague to occur.”

Gia hardens, her voice laced with concern. “It might become a disease like it happened in 2026.”

“I suggest purging them with fire,” Simone commented. “And I believe the Wraiths have been thoroughly conducting the sanitization of places involved. My concern is there are places in this world we cannot reach. Unidentified caverns, biomes, and forests impossible to traverse without making a commotion or the local government asking questions.”

Leona snorted lightly. “It is quite awful to leave such a mess. Nonetheless, I don’t care much for your allegiances. I do care you bring the demons to our plane of existence. Silva, I do respect you, but you must understand the duties our clans and the Pact demands. And if there is anything I know better is you will not stop until you get this wish. So will you kindly tell us the wish you dared so much.”

“I can’t. It is MY business. However, I have accomplished some of my wishes. Nonetheless, until then, I hope you also understand.”

Leona shrugs and then puts on a mask of nonchalance. “I respect your drive, nonetheless, if such an accident happens again. I can promise you the might of my family and those who swear upon the oaths sown. Banners will be raised. Swords shall be pointed and spears thrust. Have a good day, all of you. I shall take my leave. I have satisfied my curiosity.”

She walks away without a coordination set of motions. The eyes of the students followed Leona. Her presence is of a bulb in a darkness. There’s a curious fury in Gia’s face. She turns to Simone.

“I appreciate your neutrality so far, Simone.”

“Don’t. I rather not have such appreciation. Ah, I’m getting too old for this. Maybe I should consider retirement nowadays.”

“You won’t,” Gia commented.

“Indeed. It is nice catching up to you, friend,” Simone thumped Kato’s shoulders before walking. “If you have any business in this sanctuary, please do so. I’d rather not let any speculation grow when you are here, milady.”

Gia nodded. She crossed her arms and watched Simone leave. She turned her eyes to Kato. “Mr. Oswald, I believe we have something to talk about.”

“Yes, we have.”

Kato followed Gia out of the sanctuary. Upon exiting the sanctuary, she tunneled and opened a place unknown to him. He took a step out and smelled this clean air. He looked around the place. It is a cabin surrounded by mountains. A lonely cottage in the middle of nowhere.

“What’s this place?”

“A private place when I'd like to think. The perks of fortune and technology is you can find ways to create a cabin like this. We had a dream like this once, didn’t we?”

Kato blinked. “Yeah, we had.”

He settled down on the bench just next to the door. “I was one last job away. Just one job.”

“Are you concerned?”

“On what?”

“How do I want to continue?”

“Maybe,” Kato leans forward. “I don’t mind it. Part of me wants to see family again. Aunties and all of that. Still, ever thought of the disparity between this search of yours?”

“I have.”

“It’s been a hundred years. Auntie might be alive. Still, how can you know there’s no disparity between time? I can’t imagine it. Even if we find it. What then? Do we go back? Send them here? If we make enough ruckus. Maybe those monsters back in our world will flock and make a mess of everything.”

“I got a hundred years thinking. What may happen and what may not happen. Maybe it’s all useless. I still want to try. You seem to have given up.”

Kato threw his hands helplessly. “I don’t have the will. I got nothing left. Hell, I feel garbage knowing you can do this for a hundred years. Do you know? I’ve been here for a few months. I woke up in a body inside a pit of corpses and what about you? You got used to this world while I slept for so long. I died already. THRICE. I died three times. I don’t know what to do. I gave up on life. Did one last job, hoping I could buy a place in those haven and maybe live some peace and quiet. What do I get instead? I get shot for my effort and now all of these! Demons! Monsters! And then magic! I feel trapped. I don’t know how you get your shit together.”

Gia looked down. She sat on the bench as well. “I didn’t. Took me a few years. I somewhat manage. I’ve been able to manage. You need a purpose to live. And this has been my purpose.”

She squeezed his hand. “I do feel tired. It’s not easy being on everyone’s shit list, da. And in a way… I guess it’s the people I took in keeping me safe. Do you want me to stop?”

Kato clenched his hand. “I don’t know. A part of me misses that shithole. It’s a shithole, but it was our shithole. But everyone looking at you like this ain’t worth it. There are good people there. Very good people. I'd wish they could live with her. But this isn’t right. Maybe I just don’t understand. How could I? I’m still my old foolish self. I’m just a bloody merc, Kat. How could I ever understand all of this?”

Katey smiled lightly. “Hard to see you like this. I… don’t remember you like this.”

“And you’ve changed so much. Or was this always you, Kat?”

“Maybe. I don’t know myself. I guess this world has turned me like this.”

Kato loosened his fingers. “This world’s peaceful. Unlike our world it can’t be called a place where it already ended. No orange skies. No burning oceans and wastelands. The quiet’s getting to me and I hate myself for feeling so secure when doing mercenary work. It confuses me.”

And most of all he didn’t want to admit it. Seeing the only warmth he had thought of turning into this extraordinary woman. He felt like it ain’t right, hoping she’d go back to the kind self she had. And perhaps there’s a good part of him screaming still — he had let her down. There’s nothing to make up for. The worst part is he didn’t want to dare to stand next to her, fearing all kinds of excuses.

This isn’t her. She’s not like this. Such horrible thoughts in his head despite confirming it’s her. She had laid her soul bare in front of him and yet he didn’t want to truly accept it yet.

Looking at her makes him think of the face she made when she took her last breath. Afraid he’d fail her again like last time. He’s proud she’s doing better. Not even letting the world break her will and so determined to connect to the world they lost.

Being given a chance in life doesn’t fix all the previous traumas he had. He’s grateful he could remember his past life. And yet it stood out in his will. How he remains to be the same broken wanderer who lost his everything, simply wanting to find a peaceful place to live.

“I like to think I’m still me,” she said suddenly.  “Auntie would scold me for being a bit bloody, ain’t she? Still, Auntie never did raise me as a pushover. Always told me to fight when I can and be as peaceful as I can. And right now I need to be a fighter if I want to survive. Gia Silva’s a fighter… but don’t worry. I want to believe your Katey’s still the same fool.”

“I don’t want you changing on me because you think I want to. I never want you to do such a thing. I didn’t marry a woman who’d do that. Don’t you dare.”

“And I’m glad I did marry one who’d think so.”

She pulled him and buried his head on her chest. “I don’t care if they see me as Gia. As long as you remember me as Katey Lores, then I’d be good. You add to my strength, never weakness, Kato. Don’t you dare to think I ask more than that.”

Hearing her say made him a bit upset. It made him think how lucky he was to meet her again. Although he’s a bit wary of a warmth he had long forgotten. To Kato it is a drug he can’t stop taking.