As he walked over the puddles of water, Slady silently watched the stars. Truth was by his side, equally silent.
"I am sorry for saying those words, Slady. I was cruel..."
"No, you were not."
Slady closed his eyes, feeling the rain strike his bare chest, and sighed deeply.
"I do not seek your approval. But having your honesty, even when it is cruel, is necessary. I do not deserve to hear pretty words..."
"What I am today, Truth, does not speak about you, but about me. If I am a monster, as you say, I became one."
"But if I have to be a monster to protect my girls... be certain of one thing, Truth."
He stared at her, his tone colder than usual.
"I will reduce this world to ashes if that guarantees their well being."
Slady turned his back and left the scene. Truth remained alone. Her ghostly body did not feel the rain, which made it hard to hide the tears beneath her closed eyes. Her form began to dissolve, retreating to the mind of the one she inhabited.
***
The next day, Shaphira was eating sandwiches, Elisa was resting on the couch, fiddling with the hilt of her sword. Ferinish was stretching, preparing for training.
"Where is Slady? I wanted to thank him for last night's dinner."
Elisa sat up on the couch, adding to Shaphira's question.
"Indeed, I have not seen him."
"He woke up early. He must have gone to take care of a few things."
Ferinish replied, tying her hair into a ponytail.
***
A bit farther from the library, Slady was in a forest, more precisely near a waterfall. His lotus position showed he was focused on something that was not physical, but mental and spiritual.
Inside his mind, Slady was sitting beside Truth. Both seemed to enjoy a moment together, something that had always been good for them.
"You should be with the girls, Slady."
"Yes, but I do not want our relationship to grow cold. We will always live together. We should talk about the matters that disturb our minds."
"I understand, but I am not well. It is not only because of you. These are much more... personal matters."
"Tell me."
Truth hesitated, but she did not have much choice. She simply sighed, placing a hand over her chest and resting her palm on the white fabric that wrapped her body.
"I recovered memories of who I was before being born inside your mind."
"Go deeper."
"... I was one of the Creators."
"Creators? Explain that to me, Truth."
"The Creators are parts of Zyrionq, the God of our world, the God of Creation. I was the Creator of Truth. But I am no longer an angel. I am a Conceptual Destroyer, the Truth."
"..."
Slady fell silent, processing Truth's confession.
"I knew you were the Destroyer of Truth, but I did not know you had once been an angel..."
"How did you stop being one? How did you become a Destroyer? And how did you end up inside my mind?"
"Please, Slady. I still have many things to understand. My memories were erased, all of them. I am recovering everything through the knowledge you obtain. Let me organize my mind."
She exclaimed, not wanting to be pressured.
"..."
After a sigh, she began.
"Before this world existed, before everything, there were two beings, the God of Creation and the God of Destruction, known as Zyrionq and Krythos."
"I, the Truth, was Zyrionq's eldest daughter. I accompanied him for thousands, millions... billions of years, before everything came to an end."
"Krythos wanted power, pleasure. He did not feel complete with goodness, like Zyrionq. He wanted more, much more..."
"Thus, the God of Creation expelled him, punishing him by turning him into a human. But as the years passed, he recovered his memories, and with them, part of his power, bringing forth the First Renkai Awakening."
"I remember it to this day. Demons flew across the skies. Humans fought bravely, but without results. Then I, as the daughter Zyrionq trusted the most, was sent by him in a physical, human body to face him."
Truth clenched her hands on her knees, as if feeling vulnerable, but she continued.
"He... killed me. Before that, I managed to weaken him to such a degree that a certain man could imprison him within his own creation, the Inferius Complex."
"I wish I had known that man, Slady. He was a hero to humanity and simply vanished from the world."
"..."
Slady remained silent. He wrapped his arm around Truth's shoulders, offering comfort. She nestled against his chest, letting out a sigh at the familiar sensation.
"So, as the Destroyer of Truth, I was reborn from your will, Slady. The will to know, even if for survival. You gave me life, and for that I am eternally grateful, even if I do not agree with your actions."
Slady offered a small smile, nothing exaggerated.
"I am grateful to have you by my side, Truth. All the blood that was spilled was not in vain. This nightmare will have an end. And so, I will make my final mission perfect."
The scenery dissolved. When he opened his eyes, he found Shaphira standing in front of him, confused.
"What are you doing here, Slady? We were worried!"
Slady briefly broke his posture and apologized.
"Sorry. It is just that in the middle of last night... I had a curiosity to satisfy. That made my shirt catch fire and turn to ashes..."
Shaphira could not help laughing, knowing his need to satisfy his curiosity, even when it was dangerous. But she kept her tone firm, now less angry.
"Okay, just do not do that without warning us!"
"Wow, even after a year, you are still so feisty!" (he said jokingly.)
"Shut up, I changed a lot in one year!"
Shaphira snorted and stepped into the waterfall, feeling the cool water reach her feet. Her tail stood upright to keep it from getting wet. She sat on a rock, returning to a more relaxed state.
"I... can I bathe with you, like in the old days?"
"It is not like we have gone that long without bathing together, Shaphira..."
He said, a little hesitant. Before he began to feel emotions and sensations, he would have accepted without hesitation. After all, he did not care about nudity and felt no shame. But now, it seemed quite intimate. Still, the familiarity they shared helped him decide.
"But if you need to relax, join me."
Shaphira stood up and sat between Slady's legs. Even though she was wearing her black and gold kimono, she felt no need to remove it. She simply leaned against the chest of his paternal figure.
With the same thought that there was no need to remove his lower garments, Slady simply wrapped his arms around Shaphira, realizing how important those moments truly were.
***
The day passed like that. Slady had put on a black and red shirt that matched the rest of his clothes well. He was leaning against a tree, watching a training session between Ferinish, Shaphira, and Elisa.
The blows were fast. Shaphira used Renkai Energy to fight with physical strikes and her tail. Elisa used her blood magic to make her sword more efficient and to launch other attacks. Ferinish fought calmly and with experience, handling the duo without difficulty.
An expression of pride appeared on Slady's face as he looked at his family. Even though his "daughters" were adopted, he realized how much he loved them and how much they had matured in one year.
His gaze fell upon Ferinish. He discreetly removed his eyepatch to observe her.
His feelings for her seemed to grow more intense each time. He was no longer seeing Ferinish merely as a beautiful and strong companion.
But as the woman of his life.