-Right after stepping through the rift, Ether's room-
Hitirus slept soundly on Ether's bed. The soft texture of a Yonie's skin made her eyes heavy, along with the energy consumption of a Thawed.
She snored quietly, feeling at ease after many years of travels and deaths. Just like her body, her mind was at ease.
Each Variant huddled around the tree, watching the seedling. Nobody spoke, trying to keep each thought silent until their body woke up.
Thawed cherished the site of an actually maturing Will Power. None of them felt forgiveness for their in-fighting, but each felt hope for Hitirus.
Maybe someday she will become a Wielder and manifest each one into Servants. However, that day wasn't there. Even if they wanted to, this day might never come.
Yet they held out hope, patiently waiting for their host to awake. Then she rose as the door opened. Her blurry vision caught a Zawed carrying a Zesher inside.
"Neddy, are you okay? Look at me - look here, am I blurry to you? Is your - can you hear your heartbeat in your ears? Is it all okay? Does it hurt?" Hylo frantically asked.
Ether nodded, cringing at the pain. He remained strong, even in all the pain he was in. It was his duty, as her father and mother, to represent what a warrior should be.
Hylo's eyes became red with tears as they trickled down her pale cheeks. She couldn't stand seeing the one she always looked up to in pain.
As she cried, Ether breathed heavily. His heartbeat became slower as he calmed down. By each passing minute, the sand lost strength.
"P - please Neddy, don't die... I'll miss you..." Hylo wept.
Hitirus yawned, looming over Ether. She locked eyes with him, forming a split second bond. The duo saw something in each other that screamed for war.
"Do not worry about your 'Neddy.' He will be okay. Look at me and speak what's on your mind, girl," Hitirus asked.
But Hylo wouldn't relent. She felt angry at Hitirus for ordering her around. It had no power over her, only Ether did.
Right before she could lash out at her, Ether stepped in. He held onto her hand, showing the gentleness of a mother.
"Listen to Hitirus... it knows more than us... th - think of it as your secondary mother or father..." Ether's pained groans requested.
So Hylo did, albeit very hesitantly. It didn't sit right with her to obey her mother's killer, even if there was no proof of Pearl and her siblings being dead.
"Hylo, stop seeing me as your enemy. Instead, see me as your friend. I am not going to damage you or Ether," Hitirus urged. She pointed across the room at a table, where several ribbons and brushes sat. "Bring your favorite colored ribbons here and we can decorate Ether's hair."
Despite the stress, this was something that brought her out of it. Ether would never let her do something like this, yet now he was.
The reason? She needed the relief.
So Hylo followed instructions. Her boots thumped as she crossed over the fluffy purple carpet. When she stopped before the smooth, brown table, she looked over the ribbons.
Purple, yellow, cyan, navy, orange, red. Even black and white. With ear rings to match. Hylo picked her favorites, then cradled them within her mighty palms.
Hitirus smiled after Hylo presented them to her. Except she paused at first, realizing Hitirus was changing again.
The over all body of a male Thawed replaced the smaller Yomie frame, but the skin and eye colors changed to an oceanic blue.
Each tooth in his mouth grew like spikes, bending backwards to hold prey inside. Even his hair changed. Instead of the green color, now it was bright orange.
"Ignore... the changes..." Ether commented.
Hylo nodded, slowly coming in to hand some ribbons and brushes. She felt an odd mixture of comfort and uneasiness while looking at Hitirus.
There he was. The one that she blamed for her family's disappearance. Yet he wasn't there to hurt her, it was the opposite. Enemies tend to unite when the odds are against them.
He and Ether were no exception.
"I'll take the yellow ribbons and place them around the ends. You can do the rest," Hitirus told her.
She handed him the yellow ribbons, then she settled the rest beside Ether. Her eyes panned between the wounds, tainted a dark red to show early stages of recovery.
"How do I..?" Hylo looked down at the brush in her hand, confused. "What if I hurt you - like, tugging your hair?"
Ether shook his head. "You won't. You have... discipline, Hylo. Trust yourself."
Like her father said, she began trusting herself. Her hand reached up to a portion of Ether's shoulder-length hair, then she began to press the brush against it.
Despite her uneasiness, she tried to be gentle with each tug. The more she did it, the more comfortable she got. Until she was done with that piece.
To Hitirus and Ether, Hylo seemed busy and showed some joy. It looked like she enjoyed brushing Ether's hair.
Hitirus leaned closer to Ether. "She has ambition, but no strength. It's like having a blade. You have the part that does the action, but not the part that assists the action."
Ether nodded. "She has years, Hitirus. Hopefully, this little 'rebellion' won't get her killed."
"Ah. But we'll need a link in order to compete, won't we? My Will Power isn't strong enough to make one," Hitirus sighed.
"F-"
"I can help," a genderless voice interrupted.
Everyone instantly looked over to the closed curtains. Expecting to see the shape of somebody standing outside. But someone was already inside.
A three-piece outfit covered a metallic body. Each part of the suit seemed armored, keeping the overall elegant appearance with a hint of subtle defenses.
The being looked like a butler in every sense of the word, except for the skin. It was all metallic. With no hint of what kind of Variant this was.