Unusually stale air lingered inside the Coros home. Jakery was out for the week, helping treat Valentine's eyes. Hazen had to take time off her partner, choosing to aid Enoptes in plotting different attack routes.
Where warm embers would swirl, dance, and crackle, sat several small logs. The ones along the bottom cushioned themselves with the ashes of those burnt previously by the hellish flames.
Orako shivered, his teeth chattered mindlessly as he struggled to keep himself warm. The long brown hair froze stiff along his shoulders, he needed warmth soon.
Footsteps broke him out of his trance, bringing him back onto the real world. He continued to listen, more footsteps echoed throughout.
Azir peeked from behind the archway that stood to separate the hallway from the living room. He poked more of his body out, now revealing a large smile over his face.
"Rakko!" Azir cheerfully called out while shyly stumbling closer. "Rakko, why are you shivering?"
"Remember, baby Azir, you are a Thrawed," Orako struggled to move. "If only I was an Ascent Feral, I would be able to bring you to Digon." He imagined himself as one. "Y - yeah, I like that idea."
Soft steps ceased, Azir stood before his oldest sibling. The softness in his eyes was pure, he intended to sit there and stare up at him in admiration. Just like most Yonies.
Orako chirped, playing a little melody Azir quickly adored. They hummed together, enjoying their music while Ether bathed their younger siblings.
By the end of the hum, Etherna emerged from the arch followed by Ether and Hylo. The trio seemed different from one another. While Etherna was cheerful to see her brothers, Hylo tightened her grip on Ether.
"Neddy," Hylo whispered. "Will I ever find someone who becomes this happy to see me?"
Ether looked back at her, his cheeks stretched as he smiled wide. "I become that happy to see you. Maybe finding someone that isn't your relative like this might be difficult, but I'm always here for you."
Hylo frowned. "But Azir, Orako, and Etherna always hang out with each other and leave me alone! Will the fields you talked about be welcoming?"
"F - fields..?" concern spread over Ether's face. His eyes scanned the room, looking for a way to change the subject. "I... uh... fields... Hylo, I have to be honest with you."
She went silent, listening intently as her father sat her down on the cold floor. It filled her up with the cold feeling of her mother's grasp, she felt loved.
"Those fields aren't happy places. Me and Pearl risk our lives every time we go out there, you wouldn't understand because you never are out there," Ether got on one knee. "We... lost a long-time friend."
"But, Neddy," Hylo stepped closer to her father. "When you lose a friend, you find yourself. It is what you taught me."
Ether resisted the urge to smile at her response, he was proud. "You find yourself in ruin, Hylo. I know you wouldn't want to drown in your tears."
Sorrow tainted Ether's movements while he stood back up. He kept his gaze on Hylo, who frowned deeply up at him.
It was obvious, Hylo was going down a path Ether couldn't avoid. So instead of trying to persuade her away from it, he wanted to empower her.
Give her the tools to shape her own legacy, one within the Coros lineage. Using the blade her father wields and letting it inherit a piece of her.
He sighed, letting out his uneasiness. Distant humming broke through to his focus, the sounds of three siblings enjoying their time together. Contrasting Hylo's isolation.
"Orako," Ether's voice cut through the music. "Help me prepare our breakfast. Pearl had to go on an empty stomach today, not going to let that spread to us."
There was no hesitance, Orako instantly obeyed. He broke away from the group, walking over the frigid floor and stopping beside the counter.
Ether held out an open hand, which revealed a small flame dancing in the middle. He handed it to his son, allowing the warmth to flow freely on it.
In response, Orako accepted the gift. A father's warmth washed over his body, bringing his temperature back to normal.
"Why do you seem so sad?" Orako whispered.
"Hylo feels lonely, as always. I do not want her to fight, not so young. She is still sweet and innocent, I am afraid she cannot claim a life just yet," Ether whispered back. He paused right before reaching in the icebox. "Am I wrong to think that?"
"Let her show you," Orako opened the icebox and pointed at a piece of Eteni meat. "If she can kill an Eteni, she can kill a Feral. We are both animals, many treat us the same."
Ether picked the frozen slab of meat up. "Except I raised Hylo properly."
He settled it on the counter, turning to get a wooden plate from a nearby shelf. Orako got to work on cutting the meat to pieces. Using his claws, it divided effortlessly.
While the two oldest Variants in the house cooked, Hylo sat far away from her sister and brother. There was a sudden jolt of shame that crept down her back.
Despite being twins, Etherna was distant from her sister. Neither shared interests with each other, except for the basics, such as the Legion and the family.
In an attempt to coop with the stress she felt, Hylo balled herself up in a corner. She kept her head down and forced herself to not listen.
All of this was to stop herself from wishing she was part of the group. In order to secure herself, she pictured her feeble body inside battered armor.
Corpses decorated the world around her as she stood in triumph over the deceased hordes of a leader who was too ignorant to accept defeat. She glared in the distance, piercing the heart of the faceless entity.
However, she recognized one thing of that entity. Its heart beat in unison with hers. It was like that since the day she was born.