New Beginnings; Flight To Scotland

(POV: The Mind Of Tristan Devroop Akvash)

[Recap more based on Tristan's thoughts and emotions: Where His Shadows Were Outed During The Rain. Some parts are from the last chapter, and some are sad fluff.]

I watched the mysterious individual, Derrick, driving away with the unconscious mage in his vehicle as I was still in a stupor, wondering about the existential horrors awaiting me till Caliel spoke up to Orion.

"Orion… You do know the guy more than I do, right? Has he always been that cryptic?" Orion responded dumbfoundedly to her question, still trying to shake off Derrick's words.

"At this point of being around him, Cal, I've learned just to drown out some of the cryptic words from him and for a few others... are living rent-free in my head every once in a while when I fall asleep; he can be a bit over the top, but he can be pretty helpful sometimes... Well, anyways, Tristan, you ok over there?" He spoke to me while I was still dazed with Derrick's mumbo jumbo, but just like Orion, I also forced myself out of the daze to answer him.

"Oh... I think I'm fine. But what are we doing outside now? As it's about to rain-" And just like that, I was interrupted by the rain now pouring down on us, and I saw that purple-haired girl use something like wind protecting her from the rain, and like a 'monkey see monkey do' moment, literal shadows popped out from me and shaped into a flowery umbrella... Both Zil and I were having a mental crisis at this point, while the two people, who were strangers by technicality, were blankly staring me down.

'GOD DAMN MY MONKEY BRAIN!!!' I started screaming internally to myself while trying to keep a poker face; Zil was worse off, as this was the first time for him to be this emotional.

<DAMN IT TRISTAN!!! WHY DID YOU DO THAT, YOU FUCKIN TARD!!! IT HASN'T EVEN BEEN AN HOUR, AND YOU'VE ALREADY EXPOSED YOURELF.> I then spoke back to Zil.

'SCREW YOU, ZIL!!! I WASN'T EXPECTING MY SHADOWS TO POP UP INTO A FANCY UMBRELLA SUDDENLY!!!! BUT HOLY FUCK, I SWEAR I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT THIS TIME!!!' My words had made Zil silent for a moment, and he spoke as calmly as he could.

<.....Ok, Tristan... It was nice knowing you, and I'll now start trying to make up experiment names for as most of those would usually like numbers... Oh, I got one!!! How about Project 683-2, you fuckin donut!?!?!> This made me mentally flip Zil off and said to him back.

'*SIGH* Zil, you are obviously overreacting here, as those two are shady as hell, and the chances of those two actually being dogs of some sort of government are nil... And also, what's with my surroundings being all slow around me? ┌∩┐(ಠ_ಠ)┌∩┐ ' Zil scoffed at me and said.

<Well, Jesus Tristan?!? You finally figured that out when we have our little conversations every once in a while, surroundings go slow-mo, and you could say it's because of 'me,' also time were getting pieced up by giant bug as accelerated process evolved. < em>

And you're welcome, by the way, because do you have any idea how dumb we look when we talk in your head? Because newsflash, you look like a mental patient who's been through the prison yard showers during Christmas Eve with the way you zone out.

And also, how in the seven bloody hells do you know that about these two, even though it's only been a bit since we even met them? Also, I'll fillet you like a fish if you rhyme my name again...>

with his question I answered with complete confidence. 'Well, I mean, look at them, Zil!?!? One of them, from the sounds of it from the arguments, is trying to spring up her cults everywhere, and the other looks like a deadbeat father!?!?!' My half-assed explanation made the disembodied voice silent, and if Zil had an actual body, then she/he would have already died from a stroke because of the confusion.

<ఠ _ ఠ ...< em> That isn't really a good answer. Even though you're completely right about that woman, the other assumption of the guy is completely uncalled for... He looks more like someone who went through hell; honestly, you know, one of those hunters in WOD?

Quite a few of them had their own family slaughtered by the supernatural, but because of how he isn't really hostile towards that lady and us, something else might've happened, and I don't really want to find out. And here's a reminder:

You are not in a forest anymore, but with two people in front of you willing to take us in, even though the reasons behind it are weird. Your parents are a bizarre bunch, so their circle should be odd, too. And try not to voice your thoughts out loud and potentially disrespect both of them in our first actual meeting.> Zil's words struck a chord with me as my mind was still stuck in the forest, wandering for any sense of direction. That sense of feeling was already starting to become something familiar, and I didn't want to remain stuck, and yet even with Zil's words, I still bantered back at Zil.

'I didn't need to hear all of that ZIl!?!?! That felt waaaaay too long of a teaching moment in our predicament. Couldn't you have made it shorter without making me feel out of place?' 

Zil was seething with frustration and went back to a yelling match with Tristan

<You son of a CURRY MUNCHING, DIRTY LOOKING <strong>APE!??!? I SWEAR TO GOD THAT I'LL-!?!?!?> Before Zil went off on a racial tirade, Caliel interrupted the 'conversation.' Caliel, during their 'mental war,' was already near Tristan and carefully caressed the umbrella with her hand and said.

(A/n: .....)

"With all of the shit I've seen in my life... Never have I imagined seeing something like this, Tristan!?!?? Do you know how many humans can even do this kind of thing?!?!" With her question that had already made me feel like a caged animal, I still spoke.

"Uhhhh, I don't know?..." Caliel then spoke up with excitement.

"Well, Tristan, none of them are even freaking human at all!?!?!? And with how your shadows act and the composition being different from the shadows I've seen before, from that of the Lasombra!?!? It's almost like magic a mage would use!!! And I cannot stress this enough as using Obtenebration is basically selling yourself in slavery with its uses for most?!" A shocking revelation was revealed about my shadows, and I felt frozen by them finding out so fast.

Holy lord, my embarrassment as a reincarnator was immense at this point. Tattered into pieces, I wanted to bury myself in a small hole, but I might as well do a bit more now that the cat's out of the bag. There was no way to hide something like this any longer... But this shadow stuff means business if what she said was right.

"Wow!?!?... First, Cal, let me call out something... Mr. Hand!!!" I yelled to my new shadow friend, confusing both Orion and Caliel until they saw something slithering out of the umbrella. Instead of a hand, a darkish shadowy snake with deep orange eyes floated around Tristan, and this new form came as a surprise, messing up the nickname I gave to the shadowy construct.

"Now, wait? Weren't you a hand before? Now that ruined your original nickname... But am I in some sort of slave contract with something shady with you or any shadows?" I squinted at the snake, still wondering about the hand's change to a snake, and upon hearing my question, made the snake's eyes widen in surprise and shook its head in desperation as it darted toward him in blinding speed and wrapped its body unto my arm, clinging like a frantic child. I stared at the snake for a bit longer and then toward Caliel, responding to her.

"Well... I guess that answers my worries for now, but was there anything else you wanted to say, Cal?" Caliel and Orion, who watched the entire scene folding before them, had varying degrees of emotions; Caliel was looking at him as if he were her potential cult leader who could open up a new religion or maybe even boost her own, and Orion just wanted to talk to Tristan inside the house because he was the only one getting wet. So he said with his hand rubbing his forehead.

"Alright, guys, I think it's time for us to go inside... I'm the only one at this point completely soaked by the rain, and staying here is getting annoying." Orion said, reminding the both of them, and luckily, Caliel wasn't defensive about it as she looked back at Orion.

"Oh yeah!! That's actually a good idea, Orion; it's getting kind of depressing out here, too; let's go, Tristan!!!" Caliel held my hand as she walked back to the house, with Orion lagging behind her.

I was in an utter daze while Caliel was dragging me to the house, and Zil uttered a few words that I barely even registered.

<I guess I was overreacting... But am not going to take back my words and the ones about slander you with!!!> I didn't bother to entertain Zil's words as I felt somewhat empty.

'Why are they so... Friendly?' A numbing feeling spurred my thoughts, and Zil immediately started to worry as my inner turmoil was reaching higher levels of discomfort.

(3rd POV: Another Recap, The House)

All three of them were in the living room, with Tristan sitting down on the couch, Caliel on Tristan's left side, sitting next to him, and Orion standing in front of him, looking at the snake in semi-confusion. He began saying.

"You know, as an imbued, I will usually have my instincts on high alert when seeing something like that, but this is kind of my first time not getting any of that when it comes to those shadows..." Caliel examined Orion strangely when she heard that, and said to to him.

"Honestly, Orion, even though I do find that weird, that isn't entirely the kid's fault either that your instinct had dulled with the lack of hunting that I can see as your conviction from the looks of it has stagnated throughout these years..." Her eyes glowed a light purple, looking at Orion carefully over. Caliel then said again.

"But there's something else you wanted to say to Tristan before we prepare to leave?" Unperturbed by Caliel's stare, Orion shook his head yes and looked into Tristan's eyes.

"Tristan... Whatever other secrets you have, try your best not to have them exposed like that again. If it were someone else other than me or the glorified purple-haired wench over there, then things would have taken an entirely different turn of events. I will still have you going to a school in Scotland.

Still, with those abilities of yours, I will train you on my ways of fighting anything supernatural or typical human, and it will be you who will incorporate my mediocre teachings, Tristan.

Kai will probably be the one teaching you about magic mojo bullshit for you... But only if you feel comfortable around me, you could tell me just a few of your secrets... Also, I'm not going to say something stupid like not to use that shadow ability of yours, but prepare yourself as that ability will piss off a bunch of vampires as that ability is 'the' status symbol and their pride of power... So make sure to show those shadow blood-sucking cucks that humanity is better than them at their own game." Orion smiled at the end of his speech while Caliel deadpanned toward Orion.

"Really, Orion? Was that last part necessary? I mean, he is also obviously going to be my number one Acolyte and cult leader in the making here." Now it was Orion's turn to deadpan at Caliel, but he didn't argue this time.

"Tristan, now that it is your own choice to make, your father just wanted to make money and, at some point, summoned a demon because he needed help going to Arcadia alongside that monster of a wife of his." Tristan pondered Orion's words for a bit before saying.

"You know... I'm actually thinking about that, and it sounds pretty enticing, but I'm not going to do it right now, as I still need a more permanent place, and I do need to go to school, and I already have an idea of what I want to do..." Caliel softly remarked to Tristan with a grin.

"You could ask me about it anytime, Tristan, when you want to become my fellow cultist... And also I have to say this extra fact about your father, as he initially wasn't even into Occultism... He even tried summoning me through knowledge online and played with random offerings to bring my Apocalyptic form down into the human world.

At first, I was mad that a random mage summoned me, but then that anger subsided when I listened to what the mage wanted to do. We both wanted to go to Arcadia, and he gave me the ability to go there with my true might Instead of inhabiting a random human body... But never mind that I have something I wanted to provide you with." She stood up from the couch and reached both of her arms up at a 90-degree angle, and two scimitars appeared in her hands.

"These Scimitars were your fathers originally; I had to travel to the sight of where he fell and found these blades stuck in place; he even had the idea of forcing them in place with quintessence and that divinity I've given him as a last resort so that it would be impossible to remove... But he probably didn't realize the flaw in using both different systems was that there were holes to exploit to remove the bindings." She then flipped the Scimitars, having them facing downward, and as soon as she let them go, the blades floated toward Tristan, and when they were both close to him, they disappeared immediately. Confusing Tristan a bit on where they went, Caliel said in detail.

"Don't worry about those blades, as they are alongside you now; you could say that they've linked to you as soon as I brought you to the bedroom a while ago." Tristan's original confusion subsided, but he had to ask while not trying to think about the blades for now.

"When are we leaving for Scotland?" Orion immediately answered with a tired look.

"In two days, we are leaving for the airport; we already have your passport in hand with everything needed for identification." Tristan, satisfied with the answer, slumped back onto the couch and closed his eyes to relax as best as he could. He tried to force this numbing feeling within himself without even comprehending the problems that were slowly rearing their existence upon the material world of Earth.

[2 Days Later]

(Tristan Devroop Akvash: Journal)

it has been three days since the catastrophe known as my birthday, and now it's the 24th of September.

I learned a bit about my jailers- I mean caretakers; they have been very nice to me, and that was cool and all, but the only problem was an SCP known as Anafabula, otherwise known as 'Ana' as she wants me to call her as.

Now that I actually have time to process the events from back then during my walk in Alaska, an entity that generally should never be in its physical form or even should be in this specific world is telling me that she is my 'familiar,' she didn't seem to have any red flags about her from my interactions with her.

Throughout my interactions, I even felt at peace and that somewhat scares me. But now that everything has settled down, Ana has been acting pretty odd. During the previous two days, she was trying to turn Orion into a paranoid mess with all of her pranking and trying to pin it on Cal. 

 But never mind that I wanted to write something. This shall be the end of what I call my ULTRA SECRET Journal!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Journals End:)

(3rd POV)

After Tristan finished writing his journal in the bedroom, where he was seated on a chair in one of the corners of the room with a table, he felt reinvigorated as he played with his shadows and studied how his anomalous energy worked during these two days of relaxation. 

That relaxation didn't last long when the voice in his head spoke once again after one of Zil's so-called 'hibernations.'

<You do know that your creepy stalker of a familiar is probably reading what you wrote right next to you, right?> Zil said as the both of them acted like their yelling match didn't happen

'Oh, your back, Zil!?!? And yes, I did notice... And she did become quite a bit stranger, too. If I say so myself, especially with all the cheese wheels she has been throwing at Orion, I can't believe she's wasting all of that precious cheese just to throw it at him. Also, I have been staying inside of this house for too long while both Cal and Orion are doing who knows what.' Tristan only received Zil's silence when he answered back to the voice before speaking again.

<..... no, I mean she's right beside your shoulder, Tristan, while you were writing.> Tristan's eyes widened, and he turned to his side immediately to see Ana staring intently at the journal that was handwritten; she chuckled with a seemingly innocent glee if you ignored the static sound of her voice that she would usually give off as Ana pulled him to a side hug.

{FUE HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH~ Howdy there pardner!!! Ain't it fancy meetin' ya here!!! How's it sittin' around here instead of walkin' around in Wendigo territory?!?!?} Ana spoke with a southern accent while shaking Tristan around with her arm wrapped around his shoulders; Tristan was trying his damndest not to fall off of the chair at this moment. Tristan was now starting to realize that being shellshocked was the beginning of a new norm for himself; he mustered up a sentence to Ana.

"You honestly need a bell wrapped around you, Ana." Ana stopped shaking Tristan and focused on him as intently as she could as her crimson eyes glowed lightly, her eyes squinting with a focus that Tristan had never seen from her; he asked but came to regret even asking why.

{You see Tristy~ I am literally locking in right now, with my target being you~🖤} Tristan shivered a bit hearing how she switched between her normal voice and the static. And Tristan, the king of evading topics changed to something else.

"Before you start doing anything energetic, what did you do to Cal? She's been locked in the bathroom for a while, and you're the only one I can think of to have anything to do about it. I also heard from Orion that every time he walked from this house to the car, there would be a cheese wheel thrown at him out of nowhere periodically." Her face came back to normal as she began to giggle, squeezing Tristan even harder around his shoulder, bringing him closer.

{Well, you see, Tristy, you won't have to worry about that demon because as of why she's in the bathroom... let us just say that I've changed her hair to 𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕘𝕣𝕖𝕖𝕟~, and now she's a teeny bit pissed, but what I did with Orion, though...

Maybe I went a bit overboard trying to chuck one of the cheese wheels like a disk while he was driving 80 mph on the highway, but he's still fine!!! Except now his second sight is on overdrive, as I think he is trying his best to find me.

But he's still doing the errand run, though, even after almost getting into a car accident around Highway 84... I gotta respect that.} This moment in time had made Tristan realize that this spirit... otherwise known as an anomaly right in front of him, was only going to become worse unless he said something about it. But is Tristan going to do that?

"Um... Ana, before I talk to you about your behavior, what's [second sight] about? Does it involve hunters generally or a specific type... I'm guessing it's the latter, but please do enlighten me." Tristan chose the option of burying the problem of her crimes of Assault With A Deadly Weapon (cheese), potential second-degree murder, and harassment or vandalism for now.

Ana lightly smiled at Tristan, still not trying to let go of him, and the arm around Tristan's shoulder only squeezed tighter. {Well, you see Tristan~ you are right about it being the latter as only a select few of the hunters should have the ability of [Second Sight], and to put it simply, only the Imbued have this innate sense to be able to grasp and identify the supernatural and any other phenomena, that wouldn't mean an imbued can automatically reveal the true nature of the creature, just indicating it's supernatural.

But here's the clutch of this ability: It can make Creatures trying to hide in plain sight obvious to the hunter or imbued, in this case. If a creature creates a false image, sound, or other sensory illusion, it's clearly unreal to the hunter.} Ana spoke in the same static voice he had heard from her during his first meeting with her in the forest, and now wanted to ask her again.

"What's with the voice Ana? You keep changing it back and forth every time I see you." For a flicker of a second, Ana's expression was hollow before she turned her head to the side, trying to pout cutely

{Well, Tristy~💙 I'm just uncomfortable speaking in this voice specifically as I've been using so many different other voices back in my other world to lure out prey!!! The static voice is the one I have been using the most lately as I thought you would be attracted by it; you dumbo!!!} The 'innocent' answer from Ana only made Tristan want to go deeper, as what she said was downright terrifying in a different context.

"Oh... Were those voices made by yourself? Or were they-" Ana cut him off with an empty tone.

{I don't want to answer that one, Tristan...} Ana stared aimlessly toward the wall in front of her as there was complete silence between the both of them; a moment later, she began squeezing Tristan into her bosom as she picked him up instinctually from his chair like a teddy bear. 

"H-hey Ana?!?! Your- sq- squeezing TIGH- AGGHH!?! I DON'T WANNA DIE FROM SNU SNU YE-!??!? UGUGUHH!!?!? *CRACK* FUUU-!!" Ana finally snapped out of it and looked down to see she was holding on to Tristan.

{Oh my?!?! I'm sorry about that!?! Are you alright?} She said, worried as she was for him. Her arms loosened to give him a breather. Tristan spoke up.

"Do- don't worry- see!! I'm already healing right now!!" and just like he said, his spine that was snapped was healed moments later, relieving Ana's worry, but it didn't relieve her guilt.

{But I'm still sorry about snapping your freaking spine Tristy!?!?! I do not care if you're able to heal from something that life-threatening!!? The very fact that you are treating something I did like it's a common occurrence is worrying!!! Please just have a bit of life preservation for me, Tristy!!??} Tristan stared at Ana confusingly, making him wonder if she realized that her curvy twin hills were sandwiching him.

"You know Ana, for once in my life, I wouldn't mind going out with a bang like this... This would probably be my top second on the list of ways to hit the bucket..." Ana began flushing, hearing Tristan, but she didn't try to let go.

{... Would you..... Rather have me do something else? It hurts me to see you in pain sometimes, and I am hoping I can relieve you in some way.....} Ana asked Tristan without the usual flirting tone she had always shown off; all that showed from her eyes as she stared into Tristan was a distant, dreamy look as her cheeks were red. 

"Holy shit Ana... Y-you would what now?? Umm, hey, you could let go of me now?!?! Wait, wait, wait, wait, WAIT!?!??! Stop touching me there!!!?!" Tristan began his struggle while the anomalous abomination was playfully snuggling with him while carrying him to the bed.

{Ahh~ Sweety~!!! who said that you have a choice in this matter~ Don't worry, I'll be gentle~💛} The last word from her as she pinned him to the bed reverberated around the room, sending shivers in Tristan's newly healed spine; Ana was laying gently on top of Tristan trying to cover him like a blanket, and just like how one was drowning in murky waters, Tristan's struggle was a fleeting dream, he even tried speaking to Zil out of confusion as he closed his eyes hard.

'OH GOD ZIL, WHY AREN'T MY SHADOWS HELPING!?!??!!?' Listening to Tristan's question, he answered in a mix of boredom and mockery.

<Oh Tristan, Tristan~ You're not in any danger at all; your own shadows even gave her the green light ever since you met her, walking piece of garbage... Also, that anomalous energy is already cheering on!!~ If she were an actual threat, then head would be on a pike without us knowing because how weak we are right now~ But don't worry about suddenly losing control, as both know much enjoying this secretly~> Tristan yelled out in helplessness.

'YOU'RE NOT HELPING!!!!! THIS BODY IS ONLY FUCKING 10, YOU ABSOLUTE FUCK!!!' Zil, who was vibing, can only say.

<Heh~ sounds like a skill issue to me~ But hey buddy, remember~ I'm rooting for you!!!~> Tristan had another regret that would only pile into a list at this point, and it was even asking Zil for anything.

Slowly, he blinked his eyes open, greeted by the sight of Ana pressing him down. The room was somehow dimly lit, casting a gentle glow on her features. Ana's deep red eyes met his, and a shy smile played on her lips as her face was blushing like crazy, mirroring Tristan's blush. She methodically placed her hand on his chest and held on to the necklace that he had kept throughout his time in Alaska.

{You know~ I did want to talk about this earlier, but this necklace... This was from your 'parents,' right... Or what was left of them... I can see tiny pieces of fragments of their souls at this point with barely any personality, as in even ego, id, or superego, with the only thing keeping those souls alive being the necklace itself...

It's almost like a form of torture at this point~ Forcefully giving souls that have been utterly fragmented and broken for your amusement with just enough energy to survive while also having just enough id to recognize and experience the pain one would go through with such distorted parts of the soul, what's even worse is that the rest of those two souls have been utterly blown into the cosmic storms of the supernal realms to the point where erasure would have been a mercy... But knowing you, Tristy, you really want to bring them back, huh?} Ana spoke without any reserve, ruining the moment she had created; Tristan's blush quickly turned back to normal, and he stared back at Ana, devoided of much emotion.

 "Is there- any way for you to help?" Ana felt Tristan's body quiver a bit under her body, pinning him down; Ana gave him a saddened look.

{Tell me about your parents before I say anything else, Tristy... I would love to know about the ones that have been taking care of you all of this time in this new world of yours...} Silence filled the room; Ana was patiently waiting for Tristan to speak and for her idea to make him feel comfier instead of just pinning him, he went to wrap her arms around him. She hugged Tristan like a support animal while he was in his head.

"..... T-They were probably the only ones that I could be closest to since my time here—a-all I ever wanted was to stay by their side, albeit those two were pretty dysfunctional in their own right, of course, Julius being one of those tax-evading, weed-selling, environmental terrorists, and international felons for something...

I don't know what he did to become an environmental terrorist, but the way he looked at me was weird when he talked to me about it like he ate a lemon... But my mother thought Dahlia could be the nicest mother and wife, but she was a freaking hater!! Anything other than me or my dad would have a field day in ruining someone else's life...

It would be even worse if it were a different race entirely, like take the Garou, for example; she would call them a group of feces-driven furried dung-slinging pack of dogs offhandedly when she's drinking too much, and I haven't seen her in her heian era- I mean at her prime... I think you and her would have hit it off quite well." After Tristan finished letting out all that he could, Ana took a deep breath and sighed as she told Tristan.

{Tristy... You do understand that you're hurting those small pieces of soul fragments; even if you're giving them enough energy to survive, they still need to be released... Their fragments are a blank canvas, and letting them go will let whatever's left to recycled into the Umbra planes and turn into something new... I'm saying this for you and your sanity... They only wanted you to keep on moving, Tristy...} Silence in the room filled once more; Tristan's lungs were tightening from the thought of letting these pieces go. He once again asked Ana.

"W-what about the rest of their souls?? Where are they??" He asked another question that he unconsciously knew somewhat, and it took Ana to drive another nail and yet give him a spark of hope.

{Hmm? With the world you're in, the possibilities are pretty endless and, at the same time, somewhat constricting with the laws, too... 

But the chances of being able to find the entirety of their souls can also be difficult to save or maybe find unless you try to juggle the very foundation of time throughout the entire Tellurian without being detected by any higher beings or realms with a conscience.

Those soul pieces in that necklace are now blank sleights, making them useless when using any clairvoyance. Also, you forgot their entire personality when trying to keep them from leaving.

It already evaporated as soon they finished saying their goodbyes... They juked you entirely with that message. I genuinely don't know why they did that, but from how you talked about them, they didn't want you to get dragged down by something... The only positive thing I could say is that the rest of their souls should be somewhere.} Ana had a downtrodden expression of guilt and sadness when explaining her take on his parent's situation, not wanting to look into Tristan's eyes and only resting on his shoulder while still trying to act like a blanket around him.

Tristan sighed depressingly, with a hint of resignation for right now, "Ok, Ana. I barely have any information about this world except for some general info and the beings that would probably stomp me out of existence. I am now regretting even knowing about them, with my only luck being they will give zero shit about me, giving me time to adapt my powers and figure out what I want to do, except for weed selling and playing with technology."

Tristan couldn't see Ana's face, but if he did, then the pity from her face would've told him everything. Tristan still kept going, "I think there are some things I should worry about more, though, and really, Ana? What's your game? At one point, you were trying to molest me like some Amazonian just to give me minor depression, and it makes me kind of disappointed in you."

Ana quickly sat up from Tristan, now sitting on Tristan's stomach; from the view of anyone looking, it now looked like she was methodically rowing back and forth, swaying her hips erotically on someone smaller than her as she grew a wide cheshire smile.

{Ohhhh~ my dear little Tristy~🖤 I can make you feel so much better~ even if it's only temporary.} Ana, once again, went for another attack, but sadly, before she could succeed, a door opened quickly to see a ruffled-up Orion witnessing something that a certain sad, weed-selling mage had to see.

Orion:.....

Ana: (¬_¬")

Tristan:..... I can explain.

(POV: Orion Constatine)

When it comes to my life, I have gone through some fucked up shit as a hunter, and even before being a hunter in the first place, and I mean, sure, weird things had happened to me when I met Julius, as that bastard had put me in some... Odd troubles during the times when I was most active during my hunts... But never have I had FUCKING CHEESE WHEELS FLYING TOWARD MY FUCKING CAR!?!? 

I almost got into an accident a few times when I only wanted to go out for Chinese takeout... But still, someone sniping me with cheese wheels, of all things, was kind of refreshing to go through... And when FINALLY I got that Chinese food for the kid and tried driving home...

AND WOOPDEE DOOOO!!! There was an accident blocking my original route to my house... It was a massive pile of cheese wheels blocking the exit... Which caused a few accidents to happen also... Well, now unto the next exit...

(3rd POV: Orion Constantine)

[2 hours later]

Because of an incident near the Chinese restaurant, Orion had to find a new way to head back, turning a 20-minute drive into a couple of hours. Finally, upon arrival, Orion sensed something amiss in the house that reminded him of back when he drove for takeout. He decided to keep moving with the Chinese food in his hand and walked inside to see nothing wrong.

He set the Chinese food on the table, and suddenly, he heard a frustrating yell that seemed to be heard in the bathroom to his left side that led to the hallway; so, as a worried civilian, instead of immediately checking the person in the bathroom, he went toward the far right path that led to the kitchen, and to the corner where a gun safe was positioned and unlocked it to get a suppressed semi-automatic Beretta 71 pistols in .22LR, and loaded it with holy rounds and went back to the bathroom.

He was soon back to the bathroom, tapped the door lightly, and said, "Is anyone in there? Is it you, Cal?" He received an immediate hostile voice.

"GOD FUCKING DAMNIT!!!!!! SHUT UP ORION!!! I'M HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY HAIR!!! IF YOU SO MUCH AS FUCKING SHOOT ME THROUGH THE GODDAMN DOOR!!! I'M GOING TO LOSE IT!!!!" Orion was taken aback as his beretta was aiming at the door and thought to himself.

'Ok then? I guess I am not the only one who had something happen today, and it is already almost time to leave for the plane to Scotland... Now I hope Tristan's alright...' Orion turned on the safety of the Baretta, removed the suppressor from the wooden door, and put it in the back of his jeans as he slowly walked further into the hallway to Tristan's temporary room and heard something weird going on.

He didn't even try to listen in through the door and barged through to see something that made him feel like he was tweaking out like crazy to see a random woman sitting on top of Tristan, but he held back and kept a poker face, what made Orion twitch his eyes were Tristan's words.

"... I can explain..." Orion's mouth widened a bit as if he wanted to say something, but he stopped midway and closed his mouth, trying really hard to act like this wasn't the weirdest thing he had seen today. What pushed him over the edge was the attractive woman on top of him who spoke with a static-like voice; she said something downright diabolical.

{Ummm, excuse me? Why did you have to cockblock me, buddy?} Orion had veins popping on his forehead once again and shrieked like a banshee while saying.

"HE'S FUCKING TEN, YOU DUMB BIMBO OF A SPIRIT!!!!!" spirit closed her eyes and shook her head while clicking her tongue in disappointment.

{Tch tch tch tch* What should I expect from a brainless ruffian like you? You can't even possibly understand the 'finer' things of life and its exquisitness~ Don't you understand that I've preordered this magnificent gentleman right 'here'} Ana, whose focus wasn't on Orion anymore, didn't stop swaying her hips back and forth on top of Tristan, leading to Orion to immediately to pull his gun out at an inhuman speed and without hesitation, shot her squared through the temple of her forehead, albeit because she stayed in her physical form, her head was tilted to the left side of her shoulder slumping for a bit.

Ana, who had her hands on Tristan's chest, moved both of her hands to her head and twisted her head back to a normal position with a resounding crackling pop that could be heard throughout the room. 

*POP/CLICK* {Ahhhhh~ Do that again!!! I could eat those bullets like crayons, you silly billy~} She began motioning her fingers, eating her fingers one at a time and smacking her lips, and looked back at Orion with a widened, crazed smile. Orion could only look at Tristan to see him covering his face with one of his hands as if he was used to her, so he asked Tristan.

"Tristan... Who the fuck is she?" Tristan sighed and said.

"Haaah* Well, you see... The crazy chick on top of me is supposedly my 'familiar,' and I only had her around for a few days... You know, the common mage bullshit that randomly happens sometimes." Orion shook his head, lowered his Baretta, and put it back behind his jeans. He opted for another question to the kid.

"... Why is she appearing now? From how she acts, she could have easily hidden herself almost entirely like one of those damn changelings!?!?" Orion's question confused Tristan, but he answered with a question.

"Well, why don't you ask the person in question? She'll answer-" And that was when Ana blurted out.

{Oh noo!!!! I've been found out, Tristy!!!!! Oh, woe is me!!! I guess that should make us about even, huh Tristy??} Tristan really felt like she was throwing shade at him in some way but couldn't muster up the effort to say much of anything anymore, as his eyes were now only looking up to the ceiling with a blank expression. Orion wanted to chuckle a bit but kept up his god-given poker face and said to Tristan.

"You should keep that familiar in check before she actually causes some damage... Like that cheese wheel incident..." Ana's smile turned into a surprised face upon hearing Orion; she said to Orion.

{You have no evidence in the first place!!! You're just trying to pin the crime on me!!! And that's something I would do too; you're 'honor'!!!!!} It was now Tristan's turn to speak, and decided to be a bit petty for once.

"Well, you're honor. If we are talking about what's what, then the most guilty person in this room should be Ana here." Ana's face lit up with a deep red blush as she turned to Tristan, pointing her finger at him.

{HOW dare you slander me with such an abhorrent case of slander, Tristy!?!?! If this weren't a court hearing, then I would sue you for defamation and slander!!!!} She breathed heavily for a bit and then finally looked back at Orion.

{Oh... Shit, I forgot you were there a moment ago while I was trying to defend my own 'rights' from Tristy, but yeah, Tristy is right... *Te~ he~*} Orion wanted to cry out of rage, but at the same time, her little theatrics, added to Tristan's uncaring attitude toward this weird spirit, were dumbing him down a bit. And now, like a drone, he spoke emptily. 

(A/n: Did she really, though?)

"Tristan, I genuinely would like to know how and why you have such a dangerous spirit with you. Honestly, I don't even know what I'm looking at, too, when it comes to whatever is sitting on top of you. But we are leaving shortly, and I bought Chinese takeout for you. Get yourself dressed and eat because we are running somewhat late, but it should be doable." Orion gave The 'Spirit' one last glare and closed the door to walk back to the kitchen to find a chair.

He was all by himself, covering his face as he groaned in frustration. Then he heard a door slam open loudly, which made him jump a bit in surprise. That was when Cal finally opened the bathroom and slowly shuffled to the kitchen to sit right next to Orion, who looked like she was in a daze. 

Orion found her new hair color odd, so he asked, "So, I see you've dyed your hair gree—" Cal shot him down with haste.

"Shut- The fuck- UP!!!" Orion didn't even try to hold up a conversation anymore and went back to leaning on the table and covering his face once again.

'I haven't tried praying in a long while, but for whatever god is out there... Please give me strength!!!!!' Orion's thoughts, once about daily necessities, are now a sign of plea that might become a new norm for him... And now, finally, what made him weep was when he heard Cal speak.

"Oh my!!! Is that Chinese food?!! Bon Appétit!!" Orion kept covering his face. He was now hoping that Tristan would get here quickly or he would drag him to the table.

(POV: Tristan Devroop Akvash)

While I was still pinned down, Orion probably left for the Kitchen to clear his head a bit over the clusterfuck named Ana; I didn't want to waste any more time anymore; it was already 3 pm, and the plane was going to leave around six, so I told Ana.

"Hey Ana, could you get off of me so that I can get myself dressed?" When I said that, she immediately floated off of me, turning into a pervading dark stream of energy.

Then, she moved to the other side of the room from Tristan to reform into her physical, human-like form. Instead of having a face as she usually did, she was a faceless silhouette with pale skin. The only things the same were her body shape, her black dress, and her dark thorn-like hair. Instead of the static voice of a radio, she spoke with a voice that had a metallic edge to it that could make anyone's skin crawl.

{S҉u҉r҉e҉ T҉r҉i҉s҉t҉a҉n҉,҉ b҉u҉t҉ n҉e҉x҉t҉ t҉i҉m҉e҉ w҉h҉e҉n҉ I҉ g҉e҉t҉ i҉n҉ t҉h҉e҉ m҉o҉o҉d҉ t҉h҉e҉r҉e҉ s҉h҉o҉u҉l҉d҉n҉'҉t҉ b҉e҉ a҉n҉y҉t҉h҉i҉n҉g҉ s҉t҉o҉p҉p҉i҉n҉g҉ m҉e҉ f҉r҉o҉m҉ O҉U҉R҉ s҉p҉e҉c҉i҉a҉l҉ t҉i҉m҉e҉ t҉o҉g҉e҉t҉h҉e҉r҉,҉ r҉i҉g҉h҉t҉ T҉r҉i҉s҉t҉y҉?҉} And after that 'not-so-clear' threat, she violently disappeared back to who knows where, probably just watching me or doing her own thing. Now, why did she have to threaten me with a good time? Women are weird... But still she did sound a bit mad, though.

<Oh really now!?!??! That was a BIT MAD, you say???> I began to have a migraine from Zil's words and spoke back.

'Zil... That thought of mine was rhetorical, and you know it, but I'm going to get dressed and quickly eat some of that Chinese food... Okay?' With my thoughts crossed to Zil, I immediately got up from the bed to the dresser near the bed to put on new clothes, changed into a new tee-shirt and sweat pants, and left for the kitchen to see that Cal had eaten all of the Chinese food.

(POV: Caliel Velzula Montra Orthos Ezaroth ->)

It looked like Tristan was busy having fun practicing his shadows while I've got nothing to do now; well damn, I wanted to get to know about him, but I guess I'll do that once we actually settle in Scotland...

This new thing called parenthood is kind of weird, especially with an odd child like Tristan; I wasn't even listening to Orion, except that he left to get something while I was to make sure that Tristan was safe, and then I felt something odd from my hair... So I went to the bathroom to check and...

"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY HAIR!!!??!?!??!" I screamed in anguish and confusion because a moment ago, my hair was a perfect purple, and now I have this disgusting green!!?!? I put my effort into trying to change it back to my original color, and the effort was slower than it should have been with this weird energy. Luckily, it had no effect on my soul, though, and it seemed like a prank from one of those faeries, too.

I heard a weird rumbling sound, which should have been coming from Tristan's room, with that similar energy signature, too, which seems like... Wait, why the fuck is there an Annunaki in his room? 'SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!!!!'

(A/n: Within the Abyss, many unspoken horrors dwell, the most ancient, remembering and dreaming of times without the constraint of logic and form. These ancient beings are the Annunaki, the Great Dreamers of the Void. One of them is literally a sentient, alternate timeline comprised of anti-history that can replace the effects of time within the Fallen World with his influence. The fallen world as in Earth and beyond.)

I ran as fast as I could to Tristan's room, but with my heightened hearing. I heard giggling? So, instead of rushing in, I slightly opened the door to peek through and saw something that made me gawk at as a literal woman was straddling a ten-year-old!!! And what made my skin crawl was what she said.

{Ahh~ Sweety~!!! who said that you have a choice in this matter~ Don't worry, I'll be gentle~💛} 'Oh, HELL no!!!!! I'm gonna back to the bathroom!!! This is Tristan's problem!!! Not mine!!!' And so I went back to the bathroom to fix up my hair. Also seemed like Tristan was already handling it well, and whatever that thing was didn't seem harmful unless I popped in, and that's only a feeling I have. I am a horrible caretaker...

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(35 minutes later)

I am only halfway there into fixing my hair, and it has been a pain in the ass fixing it with my divinity/faith; at least It's only hair, so the cost wasn't much... But why is it only halfway done!!! I was so focused to the point that I had just sensed Orion was already in the kitchen.

I still can't believe he tried to pull a gun on me, of all people. So I stopped focusing on my hair and dragged myself to the kitchen, still dazed from my magnificent hair turning green and the fact that at the age of ten, Tristan already pulled a 'fiance' out of nowhere... And a terrifying one at that. His father would be proud of him... And then I heard Orion trying to say something, but I told him to fuck off. "So, I see you've dyed your hair gree—"

"Shut- The fuck- UP!!!" My frustration was immense, but happily, there was something that caught my eye.

"Oh my!!! Is that Chinese food?!! Bon Appétit!!" I started digging in on the Chinese food without a care in the world that Orion was still covering his face. And then finally Tristan arrived. And he said.

"Umm? Where's the Chinese food?" 'Oh... I was supposed to be sharing.' I screwed up big time, but it seemed like he didn't care about it.

"Never mind that. Aren't we supposed to be leaving for the airplane in two hours?" Hearing his words, I was suddenly jolted up in surprise when Orion blurted out.

"HALLELUJAH!!!!- I mean, yes, we are. Do you have anything, Tristan, for me to pack up?" It's actually nice to go to a new place.

"Absolutely nothing... Everything I had was-" Orion interrupted Tristan when he was making one of those 'boo hoo 🎵 I Lost my family and lost my home 🎶 WOMP WOMP sounding stories...' That actually sounded wrong, and why am I feeling such a heavy killing intent? I looked around while those two weren't looking in my direction, but it seemed like I was just imagining things.

"Well, if you have nothing, then we're leaving!!!" Orion stood up excitedly and grabbed Tristan as he went through the front door, leaving me alone. 

".....Welp!!! I'll have to see where this path goes for me!!!" I stood up and followed where they both went. Just outside was a black pickup truck. In the cargo bed was a bunch of luggage, which gave me a bunch of question marks, but hey, I could guess what was in there as he is still a hunter, even if retired, but for him to pack so much heat is a bit overkill.

I was finally near them, and I heard what they were both talking about. "Hey, isn't carrying all of those firearms illegal?? Especially trying to transport them in planes." Tristan spoke out first, and Orion scoffed at him and said.

"Buddy, there ain't no laws when it comes to carrying guns in planes!!! Just relax; it's not like I'm trying to take over a plane or something, Tristan." Even though Orion is right about that, I think there could be a problem if there aren't any transportation laws created at some point in the future... But that's not my problem!!! I spoke up in front of the two.

"So, are we leaving or not, you guys? Time is of the essence!" Orion glared at me and then at Tristan with pity before saying.

"Let's go in all of you... I'll be the one driving." With that, Tristan and I got in, with me in the passenger seat and him in the back seat, respectively, and Orion drove off to Boise Air Terminal if that was the place that Orion was talking about yesterday.

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(POV: Tristan Devroop Akvash)

(2 Hours Later)

[Location: Boise Air Terminal]

We finally made it with thirty minutes to spare!! Even though I did try to ask Orion why his truck was busted up during the car ride, he told me, quoting his words, to "shut up and stop yapping, young blud, before I strap tape to your mouth and tie you up to that seat of your's son." 

Honestly, that's number one caretaker material right there in the making, if I have to say so. He's just lucky that there weren't any cheese wheels flying at his car. If there were, then he wouldn't be talking like that.

We were at the air terminal parking lot, making our way inside, when Orion threw something at me. I caught it, and what was in my hand was my passport, which said 'Tristan Devroop Constantine.' Instead of my actual name, Akvash, I looked at him curiously, and he said.

"Quite a few people were looking for your parents, and one of them was the IRS for tax evasion, and there was another organization trying to pin a war crime on them too... And that was the poisoning of an entire town of civilians in Denmark during WWII; of course, they weren't civilians, but still... Your mother's pretty fucked up in the head..." Wait... She did what!?!?! My eyes were turned as wide as an owl as I whispered without attracting attention from other people walking by as we were now inside the Transport.

"Are you insinuating that my mom??? Poisoned an entire town in World War Two?!?!?! What was my dad doing in Denmark, too?" I kept my pace up with Orion and Cal while waiting for Orion's response; after a moment of silence, he spoke once more.

"Well, they only started talking about this recently, but while your mother was spreading chaos with her poison-making skills as a distraction, your father Assassinated King Christian The 10th during the highlights of the war." I started coughing like crazy, to the point of hacking up my lungs and hearing new information... I asked again.

"And that's why I've been given a passport with your last name instead?" From the look I got from him, I thought, 'Why did it seem so hard to answer that kind of question?' And that was when he answered with something I didn't expect.

"Well?!?!? I mean, that is a part of the reason... But I also gave you my last name so that there won't be any complications like, 'Sir? Where is that child's parents' Or 'What are you doing with a child that is only ten?!?!? I'm calling the cops, you freaking pedo!!!' etc. It would lead to me being investigated, and I don't need to go to jail again or anywhere else with needles!! Got that kid... And also, your other passport with your last name is with me, so don't worry." 'My... God!!! Ok then, I guess that answered my question, but that felt like too much info... And now I guess I know he is afraid of needles.' 

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(10 minutes Later)

Well, now that was faster than usual when it came to international flights; I think there was a name that went with Skyworks on that piece of paper of mine that said I'd be flying to Inverness, Scotland... With little time left, we finally found the line that led to the airplane heading to Scotland, with Orion, Cal, and I waiting to give our passports... But because of how much stuff he carried with him, it took longer for the flight to start, and it was that bastard's fault that the flight was delayed by an hour...

It was because of him that we were all given death stares by the other people who just wanted to fly a 19-hour flight in peace. And, oh man, was it an awkward flight... But at least I get to explore Scotland with all of its mysteries.

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(A/n: My second longest chapter, and it was fun to write, too; now the next few chapters will be an exploration Of what Tristan can do with his powers and how he will develop with his mind almost entirely cleared because of a creepy but lovable spirit. Also, with all of the disappeared comments, that would happen when someone would correct me on the word errors, and those comments are helpful when I try to find them and fix them.)