Tidal Florette - A Painted Soul I

Epilogue

"Don't you think we're pushing her too far?"

"You know it's not enough. This isn't any easier for me."

"Couldn't we at least tell her something?"

Nox lowers his head as his face darkens. "I wanted to, but you know it hurts more if we don't explain anything."

"She's beginning to resent me... She's too clever not to wonder..."

"Beginning to resent you? My own daughter loathes me so much she---"

"Then stop hurting her." Pyris growls with his arms crossed

"Haven't I told you enough to knock that off? If you want to protect her then we don't have any other choice."

"He's her keeper, Nox. And you haven't told him anything. He's just trying to do what's best for her..."

Nox groans with frustration. "Reminding me I have to torment my child is hardly what's best for ME."

Pyris' hair flares golden with warbling flames. "Tell me why you won't stop."

"You shouldn't even exist before she's ascended and you think you have a right to make demands of me? Why don't you fuck off back home? Turn into a candle and keep things lit until she's ready for you."

"She needs me now, she's in pain."

"She's always in pain you bloody oaf, how many times do I have to tell you--"

Pyris cuts him off. "Her pain is power and her power is pain. Isn't she powerful enough?"

"Nox... what is that?"

Nox takes a moment to sense for what she could mean and suddenly shifts furiously in a dark aura of screaming pandemonium. "That scheming swine! How fucking dare..."

His aura calms and his fist clenches tightly as the space around him dreadfully warps. "This will just make things faster... Then he'll suffer for this..."

Pyris raises a flaming hammer over his shoulder. "I'm getting her out of there."

Nox whips around with a pitch black rapier drawn. "SILEN–"

The ringing of a blade catching his own deafens the realm around them. "This is too far, Nox. Let him help her!"

He strains against the pale katana pushing back against his blade. "I can barely keep her hidden from that tyrannical bastard. You expect me to hide her keeper as well?!"

"I will not enter the mortal realm." Pyris' grip tightens around the hammer. "I can't let this happen, I HAVE TO PROTECT HER."

Jin rests a hand on Nox's shoulder gently, holding her katana steady in one hand. "Please... Maybe this isn't too much for her... But this is too much for us..."

Nox relaxes just enough to dismiss his blade with a flash. "She's not even close to ready, we can't give up now or it's all over."

Jin dismisses her own blade. "This isn't the way. You know she would never want this."

Nox turns away, his shadowy tempest of an aura thrashes around him as he walks away. "She never wanted any of this," he pauses, "Pyris... Our blood is on your hands if you fuck this up."

Pyris doesn't waste a single moment responding.

Nox looks back to Jin as he creates an archway leading to a memory of Ukiyo. "Just because you're her keeper doesn't mean you can use her against me."

Jin frowns with worry. "Someone has to for your sake... Don't act like I don't know where Yumi gets this from."

Nox sighs sadly as he walks away into the memory and shuts the portal behind him, "And yet... She's so very much her mother's daughter..."