Adam held Nyla gently, as if she were a fragile doll.
His wings had long since faded, his transformation undone as well, as he reverted to his original form.
But the aftertaste of the violence and high he felt during the whole process still lingered within him, the use of his monster energy was a pleasurable experience around him.
Blood speckled his feathered clothes, faint smudges lined his jaw, and his eyes looked tired yet content.
He had done what he came to do.
And more importantly, he’d kept his word.
"Sigh, tonight has truly been a life-changing night. I met so many people, gathered so many new abilities, and best of all, I got stronger."
Adam said with a smile, and to be honest, although he does not need sleep, he would want nothing more than to rest his head on a soft pillow.
Meanwhile, Nyla stirred faintly in his arms, her red hair fluttering in the morning breeze of the monster world. Her ears twitched once, and her tail gave a lazy wiggle as it wrapped around Adam’s arm.
She was still very much unconscious, but safe nonetheless.
Kiera watched on with wide, trembling eyes.
She said her own emotions were overwhelming her in this instance.
Because the moment her gaze locked onto her sister’s sleeping form, her knees buckled. She didn’t fall gracefully or dramatically, she just... dropped. It was as if her body couldn’t hold itself up anymore.
Like she had been stitched together with sheer will, and the thread had finally snapped.
One hand clutched at her chest as she exhaled in sharp relief, eyes flooding before she even realized she was crying. Her breath hitched, shoulders trembling with a soundless sob. She pressed her palm harder over her heart, like she was making sure it was still beating, that this was real.
It was barely a breath, but her gratitude was that of someone who says when words aren’t enough and probably never will be.
Her voice cracked, and the pain she was holding inside all began to crash out.
The fear, the guilt, the crushing helplessness of being unable to save someone she loved.
Clara and Adam watched on as Clara looked at Adam and said.
"....Hmmm, I do feel bad for her, and this village, I mean, can you imagine it, one moment you have everything you need to be happy, and all of that almost disappeared in one night. Sure, some things were saved, but everything else is gone."
Clara remains quiet, she does not know how to respond at this moment, she herself had once lost everything, even now it is not reclaimable, but un child, she has been dead for god knows how long.
To weep for things that no longer exist would do her no good.
Adam, on the other hand, just watched Keira start to cry in joy.
A lot of thought flooded her being.
One that was the most prominent was the fact that they hadn’t even properly spoken since he’d arrived, and they became friends due to the chaos.
But that didn’t matter.
He brought Nyla back.
That was everything to her at this moment.
Looking at her , Adam’s expression softened.
The tension around his shoulders unraveled. The bite in his usual smirk dulled into something more human. He didn’t speak right away. He didn’t need to at this moment, actions speak louder than words after all.
As such, he stepped forward, the worn earth crunching softly beneath his feathered shoes, and gently lowered Nyla into Kiera’s waiting arms.
She gathered her little sister close without hesitation, cradling her against her chest like a mother who thought she had lost her child. Nyla didn’t wake, but her breathing was steady. Peaceful.
Adam stood over them a moment longer, hands in his pockets, watching as Kiera buried her face in Nyla’s hair and wept quietly into the red strands.
"I told you I’d bring her back... And also promise that I will save your mother if I can, we are not done yet, we are still working, but on my side of things, I have done the best I can."
Adam said, his voice low.
It was not filled with pride, rather, he was just talking casually.
"I don’t break promises."
Then, in a motion so casual it almost betrayed the softness behind it, he reached out and patted Kiera gently on the head. Her hair was damp with sweat. She flinched at his touch, as her cheeks started to get red.
"It’s okay now... I know a lot has happened, but like I said before, you need ot be the princess everyone needs, what your people need, and seeing these villagers despite being burned, injured, and tired working together already tells me that you have things figured out already."
Adam held himself still as Keira rocked Nyla gently in her arms, the two sisters a single knot of trembling relief in the moonlit clearing.
He then cleared his throat and said.
"Well, guys, I’ve got one more thing to handle."
Keira looked up, her tear-streaked face pale.
She blinked, and the muscle in her jaw quivered. Adam could almost see her mind racing: Is he leaving? Is he...? She didn’t ask.
Clara, on the other hand, stepped forward with the silence of a cat. Her crimson eyes shone with unreadable curiosity. She folded her arms, the long sleeves of her feather dress brushing against her wrists.
"Where are you off to?"
She asked, her voice calm.
Adam offered her a half-smile as he said.
"Well, I am going to make a call.... or rather, I am going got reach out to my family, and tell them the good news, honestly, we deserve a good rest after tonight’s incident."
"Your family? Oh, the Shinso family, hmmm... well, I can’t wait to meet them."
Adam chuckled, a low sound that rattled his own ribs.
"Don’t worry, you will meet them soon, just wait here, and help Keira if she needs any."
Clara inclined her head and, with a flourish that was almost mock-regal, gave him a curt bow.
Adam laughed, the sound sharp and bright against the dark.
He saluted her with a crooked grin, then turned and strolled away from the group. His boots crunched on the brittle underbrush and cracked wood sticks, burning grass, and dirt.
After a dozen paces, he found a gnarled oak tree, or a tree that looks like one, and honestly, he does not know much about the plant life in the Monster world.
It was a topic he would definitely have to get familar with in his studies
The tree trunk was scorched from the spreading fire but survived nonetheless. But that aside leaned against it, closing his eyes and letting his breath settle into the natural rhythm of the approaching day. Then he reached out with his mind, with the intent of reaching out to his big sis.
He called mentally, injecting a rough edge into his thoughts.
Then, like a bolt of lightning cleaving the still air, her voice crashed into his head.
[Yo! Bout freakin time you hit me up, brat]
[Are you slackin on your end, or you just enjoyin the scenery]
Adam cracked open one eye as he said.
"Mission’s complete. Nyla is in safe hands, I captured a vampire like orders, and I guess the threat has left the village, and yes, the letter was delivered albeit not in the way I was imagining, but hey it got delivered right."
He kept his tone even.
A bark of laughter answered him.
[Ohhh.... Hehehe... you have fun ehh... Maybe this training was too easy. Then and again, a lot of unknown factors were involved, it’s not easy, but good job lil bro. Although I will admit that a lot of people reaching out to me is getting kind of annoying... I already got Nyx and Morgan blowin up my comm feed, my great goddess, we did this, and that, and wait, these guys are this and that...ahhh give me break]
Minerva was clearly annoyed by different people speaking to her in her head.
Most likely from being mostly drunk, so the voices in her head were annoying for sure.
Adam’s gaze found the green sky, turning red as he said.
"Well, I did my part, big sis... although is Nyx and Morgan okay?"
Minerva scoffed at this as she replied to him, saying.
[Hmm.... Well, they’re duking it out with residual bloom that my spawn for yo. Bit of a rough match, kinda struggling cause Nyx keeps screwin around...y’know, like me she gotta make it a spectacle]
Her voice softened just a touch, uncharacteristic for her.
[And Morgan’s holdin’ her own, though she is fighting some dude. But they’ll be fine]
Adam’s lips twitched into an amused half-smile, thinking about the two he had just met.
"You could have told me you had... a spawn, you never even mentioned her once to me, big sis."
"You could’ve at least told me something, you know."
[Well, you never asked little bro]
Adam couldn’t help it, but he let out a tired chuckle, and he laughed again, this time a little louder.
"Hehehe... you got me there."
Right after that, there was a pause between the two, however, Minerva was the one to break the silence as she said.
[Anyway, listen up. You did good. Really good. But don’t get comfy just yet. The squad’s already on the move. We’ll be in the village in like, what? Minute or two tops. Just chill where you are. Don’t go makin’ more trouble]
[Yeah.... It’s mostly for questioning and for cleanup duty now]
"Hmmm... Alright, I will be waiting, big sis."
He said aloud, mostly to himself.
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