Tales of Raiverin: One

Chapter 9

Leon took a deep breath as he stepped outside, the world was still broken, but it felt more put together than it was before. Paris slinked behind, his ears flat against his head.

"Leon, I'm sorry about what happened b-"

"Don't worry about it, it's just who you are, I guess I can understand."

Paris sat down, pressing against Leon for comfort. The Ragamuffin pulled away at first but soon allowed himself to relax and lean into his half-uncle. Their familial ties were distant, and they felt disconnected from one another, but this moment was one that they both needed.

"Was he always that bad?" Paris asked, just gazing blankly into the distance.

Leon shrugged, sighing heavily. "I don't think so. My father, his brother, told me that he used to be really innocent. Their life wasn't the best, hell, I wouldn't even say it was tolerable. But they made it work. I guess Ashton was caught in the middle of some major family issues, and a lot happened. I don't know the full story, but my dad said that Ashton always tried to stay positive, no matter how bad things got. I wish we all knew that Ashton wasn't... Ashton before all of this." Leon quieted down, gripping the ground a little tighter. "That monster... he killed my father, my mother, my sister... he took everything and everyone from us and it wasn't even him. It just makes me hate him more, because all my life I spent trying to stop someone who was just as weak as me. I wasn't meant to stop Ashton, I was meant to stop whatever was controlling his corpse. Now what? I'm meant to just accept this? I can't do that, Paris. I can't forgive him, no matter how innocent he may seem." Leon glared at Paris, still upset that he could entertain the idea that Ashton hadn't done anything wrong.

"I'm sorry, Leon. I am. But he wasn't doing these things on his volition, he was being controlled, I can't blame him-"

"Shut up, okay? I don't want to defend him, I don't want to think about him. He's dead."

"But then... what gives you the right to think about your family?"

"What are you implying?"

"I'm just saying that... if we disregard deceased creatures simply because they were bad... is that not us deciding who lives and dies? Be it through memory alone?"

"We're the only two people in the world, please, don't."

"Just listen, what if I hated your sister? What if I didn't want to speak about her ever again? Would that not be me deciding to kill off her memory? I just think that-"

Leon rolled Paris to the ground, pinning him by the arms and hissing loud. "Don't you ever talk about Lana that way!"

"I-I didn't mean anything by it, it's only a hypothetical!"

"She was everything to me! She meant the world to me! She was the only person who ever bothered to talk to me..! She was... the only family I ever cared for." He said, calming down as he began to cry. "She was all I ever had, Paris... Please don't take her away from me... I need her, I can't do this without her..." He whimpered, letting go of Paris. Paris took Leon into a hug, one similar to the embrace Leon had given him. Leon sobbed as the memories of Lana came back again, Paris understood now.

It hurts so much more when you remember it all, and still lose everything.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way... we don't have to talk about him, or anyone..." He said softly, letting his body do the rest of the speaking. As the two held each other, they heard a faint sparkling noise. As Paris lifted his head, he saw a large, extremely tall, shadow-y, feline-shaped figure. The figure lowered its head in respect, the two cats now letting go of one another and staring up at this figure.

"I apologize for the state of the world, Viceroy. This was not the intended status you were meant to see. I also sincerely apologize for your memories, you were meant to regain them after your release, but the power in the building made that impossible."

"Oh- that's okay, I guess. Who are you though?"

"I am Raiverin, the God of Life and Death."

Leon's eyes widened, Paris gasped softly.

"On behalf of all the Gods, we want to thank you both for ridding the world of the Impulse. For this, there is a reward planned for you two."

Paris laughed softly, nudging Leon in the shoulder. "Come on, get excited! The Gods want to reward us!"

Leon kept staring at Raiverin, as if something in his mind had clicked.

Paris shrugged. "Sorry about him, I guess he's shy about meeting a God!"

Raiverin chuckled softly, his low voice echoing throughout the open area. "Yes, who wouldn't be? What we offer to you is this. We will send you both back in time to before this event ever occurred, we guarantee that the Impulse will have never invaded the mortal world, and you both can live your lives in peace."

Paris began to hop happily, smiling and laughing. "You hear that, Leon?! Everything is gonna be okay! We can finally get our lives back!"

Leon shook his head, smiling slightly. "Y-Yeah, that sounds great."

Raiverin nodded, clapping his paws together as the ground shook a little. "Then off you two go, live well and prosper. We wish you both the best in your new lives."

The two felines felt a connection between themselves and the God, their visions suddenly filling with white as the world around them faded away. Soon, they would be where they belong.

Home.