After eight hours, Ether and Hylo regained full control of their bodies. The father and daughter traded a look of thankfulness and unity.
It felt discouraging seeing his daughter as beaten as she was, but it also felt like a valuable lesson taught. Now Hylo knew better than to approach dreams the way she did.
The duo emerged from the ocean of orange grass. Coming into view of Befehlnadir. The Virrtwertsur sat underneath a lonely apple tree atop a hill.
His eyes scanned through his body, checking over which parts needed the most reinforcement. But it wasn't for a fight, Befehlnadir knew better than to disobey the original plan.
It was for a scouting run. He aimed to stalk Nestres and his pre-Nobles until all of them came back from the dead.
While Hylo slowly walked up the hill to check up on the Variant, Ether refused to go. The memory of this apple tree made him feel nervous about his age.
Until now, Ether has been a successful warrior and an even greater father. But he was rapidly approaching the middle stages of his life.
And this tree reminded him of that. With all its soothing beauty and hanging fruits, this was the same tree Ether remembered resting under with his brothers as a kid.
Days turned to nights, Lya called them in for dinner. They'd leave and redo it all again the next morning.
"Neddy, are you okay? You look sick," Hylo's voice was full of innocence.
Ether snapped out of it, returning the glance back to Hylo. "Huh? Yeah. I just had a memory come up. Nothing bad."
Hylo walked down to him, eager to hear the story. Her eyes sparkled just like Ether's did from time to time. Which he found adorable and couldn't resist but to cave in.
"This tree looks very similar to the one I used to sit under when I was young. My brothers and I would come by and eat the apples after training sessions," Ether detailed.
Just the thought seemed welcoming to Hylo. Making it difficult to ignore the lonely tree. She wanted to experience what her father experienced. But something held her back.
It was the loss of her siblings. She could've been like Ether, sitting there with Etherna and Azir. Yet they were missing.
Yet she held out hope that one day they'll meet again. And when they did, Hylo would give Etherna the best hug ever given, and Azir would get the best stories ever told.
"Hey, don't get lost in your thoughts. We need to ask Hitirus what we should do now, and I need to bring back Bergo. So let's go before we do anything else," Ether instructed.
The duo looked around for Hitirus, leading them to a small tranquil pond sitting a fair distance away from the tree. Crystal clear waters and cool pebbles decorated the area.
Hitirus sat to the shore, back turned to them. The lack of noises made it difficult for Hitirus to break thoughts as he focused on each individual sub-version.
"Shh, shh. Somebody's approaching," a Wind Ripper Feral notified.
"Uh, hey, sir... do we have a plan?" Ether asked.
"We do," Hitirus' voice was low and firm. "Sit down and I'll explain it."
***
Ether and Hylo left Hitirus alone. The duo felt uneasy about the plan, especially with how tight the schedule will have to be. While yes, Ether could simply force Bergo to loom over the horizon, it would throw Koroth off balance.
So he decided to stick with the first idea. But his mind was already set on planning a possible alternative to his fight.
Hylo, however, felt uneasy. She still wasn't used to dying like that, and her abilities as a Dream Chaser became nothing but minor issues during her fight with Fruzzy.
Fighting Solqulo, a highly frowned upon Oracle for his odd ritual practices, would mean the worst for her. Especially since he was sure to know how his dreams work.
"Well, what now?" Hylo sighed.
"I'm going to bring Bergo back. Hopefully the Far Fetcher brought down the kindred moons again," Ether answered.
But the Far Fetcher was recovering after his second death in just three days. To him, it felt targeted and even started angering the thirty female Ferals within him.
Energy flowed through Ether's hands as he pulled himself out of Pareidolia. The world went dark around him before a blink caused everything to go back to normal.
Coshire laid in charred ruins. Completely destroyed by Ketra's self-destruction. Night still clung to the sky, completely clear of clouds.
"This isn't good. I'll have to reach out to another Noble Mind, then," Ether muttered.
A fiery orb appeared before his chest, emulating Bergo. Ether spun his hands around it, poked different sections and dragged solar winds further away from Bergo.
Until a different Noble Mind caused the eldest of the three moons to grow dimmer. Then two more Noble Minds started to drag their source of energy away from Ether's side of Koroth.
By the end, this side was nothing more than just empty skies with stars strewn about. Allowing Ether to bring Bergo over to his side of the planet.
Sunrise slowly flowed as Koroth turned in accordance. The rays shown light to the damage Ketra had caused.
Many Variants outside of Coshire shared a confused morning. They questioned where all the ash and debris came from, unknowingly being evidence of the pre-Noble's power.
Ether watched Bergo stare down at him, his shoulders eased and eyes sharp. The sight caused the being to communicate with its current owner.
"So much destruction... sweet Koroth doesn't deserve this... What are you planning to do to her..?"
"Koroth is safe," Ether clarified. "I just want you a favor from you, Bergo."
The being remained silent, waiting to hear what Ether would say. After some time of consideration, he spoke.
"You saw everything on Koroth since it was made, tell me Solqulo's story and history," Ether requested.