Udo walks towards him. Ren and Alko are about to follow, but Kimberley puts her hands across them. "Wait. Let's give them a bit of alone time."
Udo gets to the campfire. "M-may I take a seat?"
Izaak pauses, looks up at him, his glittering golden eyes shining right into Udo's soul. He smirks, then goes back to chopping up the animal.
"Udo Iche, son of great Eze Iche himself. Don't worry. Your friends told me everything about your motives. I'm guessing Father Abrams sent you to me?" Izaak questions.
"Y-yes. And I'm guessing you're the one that healed us? Th-thank you," Udo responds.
"Take a seat, Udo," Izaak invites.
Udo sits on a log of wood facing Izaak across the campfire. "So, you want to become a Dove host, I heard."
"Y-yes," Udo confirms.
"Interesting. I've never encountered something like this before. A fiend host trying to convert to Dovanity. Normally, the fiend in control of their soul wouldn't even let them take this decision," Izaak remarks.
Udo looked at Izaak with a mix of anxiety and anticipation. "I'm only part fiend, sir. My fiendification process failed halfway."
Izaak smirked, exuding an air of knowing confidence. "I know. I even knew you were coming today."
"Y-you did?" Udo stammered.
Izaak casually picked up another piece of bison, resuming his chopping. "Why do you want to become a Dove host, Udo?"
Nervously tapping his feet, Udo began, "Um, there's someone that needs my help. My foster brother, Bowen. He got caught in the crossfire when my past caught up to me. I want to save him, but I can't use my fiend vibration anymore, or else I will be taken over completely. That's why I need your help, Izaak. I need to become a Dove host; I need power. Please, Izaak. I will do anything you need me to do."
Izaak paused, putting his chopping on hold. He sighed, wiping the blood off his machete with a cloth and wrapping the pieces of meat in a blanket. He got up, draping the blanket over his shoulder.
"W-where are you going?" Udo inquired anxiously.
"Home," Izaak responded.
"What? But you can't! I need you to-" Udo started, his desperation evident.
Izaak interrupted, stating, "Udo, you're not fit to become a Dove host."
"W-what? What do you mean?" Udo pleaded.
"Do you even know who a Dove host is, or the duty they have in our society? Your reason to become one is very self-centered and egocentric. I doubt a Dove would even like your soul," Izaak explained.
"But... you can't leave! Wait, give me another chance to explain-" Udo desperately approached Izaak.
However, Izaak aimed his palm at Udo, and suddenly, an invisible force sent Udo flying away at a blistering pace.
Kimberley, Ren, and Alko, engrossed in their own discussions, were taken aback as a blur—Udo's airborne body—sailed past them. "Huh?" Kimberley uttered, her gaze tracing Udo's trajectory.
The anticipation of a severe collision with a tree loomed, but just as the inevitable seemed certain, Izaak's clenched hand altered the course of events. Udo's swift momentum ceased, leaving him suspended for a moment before he fell gracelessly to the forest floor.
Dazed, Udo tried processing what had just occurred. "Wh-what the hell was that?"
Rushing to his side, Kimberley's concern was palpable. "Udo! What happened?"
"He-he's leaving!" Udo choked out, a hint of panic lacing his words.
Kimberley's disbelief echoed Udo's. "Wh-what?"
The urgency in Udo's voice was contagious as he clambered to his feet. "Come on! We gotta stop him!"
The scene morphed rapidly. Izaak's snapped fingers unfurled a portal, its smoky tendrils inviting entrance to an unknown realm. He muttered, more to himself than anyone else, "The last thing we need is another pseudo-Dove host."
Udo's desperate shout broke through the forest's serenity. "Izaaaak!"
Izaak's exasperation was evident. "Oh for God's sake."
Alko, displaying agility, emerged with Udo securely on his back. The pair intercepted Izaak, with Udo's voice echoing his plea. "Izaak! Please! I need this! I need to save Bowen!"
Izaak's unwavering resolve met Udo's desperate eyes. "I've made up my mind, Udo. Not everyone has the mentality to become a Dove host, and your friends should know that."
As Kimberley and Ren joined the group, their breaths ragged from the chase, Izaak continued, "Unfortunately, they may be just another example of the pseudo-Dove host epidemic we're facing."
"That's why many of them stagnate at a certain level. Just ask them how long they have been at the rank they're on." Kimberley and Alko's exchanged glances did not go unnoticed by Udo.
Izaak's voice, thick with finality, ended the conversation. "I'm sorry, Udo. I can't help you."
Beneath the swirling vortex of the portal, Izaak's form began to dissolve, hinting at his imminent departure. Udo's desperation became palpable. "But I need to save him..." he whispered.
Alko, with a glint in his eyes, gave a sly smirk. "Hold on tight, Udo," he said with a hint of mischief. Before anyone could react, Alko's powerful arms seized Udo. With a flexing of muscles and a rush of momentum, he hurled Udo forward.
Udo's trajectory was perfectly aimed. Just as Izaak was fully immersing into the portal, Udo's body collided with him. The impact was swift, the result immediate. "Gotcha!" Udo exclaimed, his grip on Izaak unyielding.
With a look of sheer disbelief, Izaak managed a gasped, "What the-" before the portal fully closed around them.
From the confines of the portal, the two emerged, landing with a soft thud amidst an entirely different landscape. Qurnat As Sawda' greeted them with its cold embrace. Udo tumbled off Izaak, landing on the icy ground with a soft "Ah!"
Looking around, Udo's eyes widened in surprise, taking in the snow-covered surroundings, the sight before him bathed in ethereal moonlight. "Wait...where are we?" His breath, visible against the chill, crystallized as he spoke.
Izaak, gathering his composure, uttered a resigned sigh. "Home."
The landscape ahead was mesmerizing. A quaint mountain house, secluded amongst a dense thicket of pines. Its facade, a rustic wooden construct, glowed warmly with interior lights. A faint trail of smoke emanated from the chimney, indicating the comfort inside.
The house's door opened with a soft creak, revealing a striking figure. Samira, with her radiant beauty and flowing dress, looked as if she belonged to the moonlit night. The sleeping baby cradled tenderly in her arms added to the serenity of the scene.
"Izaak, where have you been? You're 30 minutes late for dinner-" Her voice, laced with concern, trailed off as her gaze shifted to Udo, who sat a little dazed on the frost-covered ground.
Her confusion evident, Samira hesitantly asked, "Wh-who's that?"
Izaak, rubbing his temples, released another sigh. "Samira, meet Udo. Udo, meet...my wife."
The surprise in Udo's eyes was unmistakable. "Huh? You're married?"
Samira, her eyebrows knitting together in thought, said, "Udo? You mean Udo...Iche?"
The situation was evidently more complicated than it appeared. Izaak, acknowledging the gravity of his unintended choice, replied, "Um...yeah."
There was a pause, filled with tension. "You brought a member of the Iche clan back home...to our newborn?" Samira's voice held an undertone of disbelief and concern.
Realizing the precariousness of the situation, Izaak quickly tried to explain, "Okay, Sammy, I know this looks absolutely terrible, but I promise you I didn't bring him here on purpose."
Udo's desperation hung heavy in the frosty air. With a swift move, he prostrated himself before Samira, the weight of his plea echoing in the silence. "It's true, I latched onto him. But before kicking me out, please," he implored, his forehead pressed to the frozen earth, "just hear me out for a second."
Izaak's expression grew stern, the firm set of his jaw emphasizing his resolve. "Udo," he began, his voice dripping with finality, "I've made up my mind. You have to leave, now."
Yet, from the most unexpected source, dissenting words arose. "No," Samira's voice was soft but unwavering.
Izaak blinked in confusion. "What?"
Samira's eyes held a mysterious gleam. "He's not going anywhere."
The bewilderment on Izaak's face deepened. "Huh? Wh-what do you mean?"
Without answering, Samira declared with a hint of playful challenge, "I'm curious. He's having dinner with us."
Izaak's astonishment was evident. "What?"
Gracefully, Samira approached the pair. Handing Izaak their baby with a purposeful look, she crouched beside Udo, her warmth cutting through the chill. Taking Udo's trembling hands in hers, she said softly, "It's okay, get up."
Udo, pulled up by Samira's gentle strength, found himself caught in her comforting embrace. She examined his face with a motherly concern, her fingers lightly tracing the scratches on his skin. "Aww, you look rough," she murmured sympathetically. "Did Izaak do this to you?"
Izaak, flustered, attempted a defence. "Huh? Of course, I didn't-"
But Udo, his voice small, interjected, "Yes."
Izaak's exasperation was palpable. "What?"
Samira's arms enveloped Udo protectively. "Awww, poor child." Then, as if to even the score, she reached over and gave Izaak's cheek a firm tug. "What did I say about using your powers on others?"
"He's lying!" Izaak's protest went mostly ignored.
Samira, her decision made, beckoned Udo towards the warmth of their home. "Come, Udo. I made Tabbouleh."
Udo responded with mock enthusiasm, "Ooo, my favourite."
Left standing, a somewhat baffled Izaak cradled baby Elias in one arm and rubbed his cheek with the other. He mumbled to himself with mock indignation, "Of course, she believes an Iche over her own husband. Next time, I'm using the portal for takeout instead." Affectionately, he lightly tugged at baby Elias's cheek, "Right, Elias?"