Blessed by Night

The young girl's eyes fluttered open and she found her brother coming closer quietly as if he was afraid to spook her.

"Hey… I'm real glad to see that you're up and about now."

"Y-You…"

"Aww, don't be so dramatic… I just have a little flu is all. It's not as scary as it looks."

The words that were meant to give her brother consolidation failed to do just that.

Malachi sat on the bed beside his sister and pulled down her covers just a bit.

Her arm was heavily bandaged, and he slowly unwrapped it to reveal a horrible wound that looked like it was already terribly infected.

"D-Don't look, it's gross!" Aubrey yelled.

"Aubrey... shush."

Malachi placed his palm over the horrendous wound and closed his eyes.

Concentrating on the venom flowing through her system, he slowly pulled it out of her body through her opened wounds.

A thick, black liquid trickled out onto the bedsheets and spilled onto the floor.

Aubrey let out a sigh of relief as she felt her body start to show rampant improvement; so much so that it was practically like a miracle cure.

The black veins running along her face gradually disappeared, and she finally sat up on the bed with an incredulous look in her eye.

"How... did you know that you could do that?"

"I didn't..." Malachi admitted.

His desire to see his sister healed under any circumstances had somehow... willed his body to move on it's own.

Though he should have been grateful for this, it only made him feel more and more worried.

"Well... thank you!" Aubrey hugged her brother and seemed to be back to her usual self as if there was nothing wrong.

"Truth be told, I was feeling really shitty before! Now I just need to take a shower and then I can-"

"Hey... I'm going to be leaving for a bit."

The entire room seemed to fall into an inescapable dead silence as Malachi's words sank in.

Aubrey: "You... what?"

Aisha: "Hey..now ain't the time for jokes..!"

Sei: "Honey, what are you saying?"

Bianca: "What do you mean you're going to go?!"

As Malachi stroked his sister's hair lovingly, he spoke to all of the girls in a sad tone.

"I hate to leave so much shit unfinished but I think it's just time for it, you know...? Got a lot of shit I need to sort out, and... I don't wanna hurt anyone anymore."

"I-I'm fine now, see! Besides, I stuck my arm into your mouth willingly!"

"If this is about that stupid video then just forget about it! Those people don't know you!"

"If you want to hide for a bit then just stay here! We already live in a literal impenetrable military base!"

Malachi shook his head amidst all of the complaints he was pelted with.

"I'd like to stay and hide out, but... this place isn't really for me right now. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable."

Aisha, Bianca, Anna, Sei, and Luna immediately tensed up.

The panic around Malachi's monstrous new appearance was not solely centered in the outside world.

His friends and former guild members were now slightly afraid of him too.

He noticed it on the way here.

As he walked through the corridors and passed his friends who were normally grateful to see him, he noticed that they were looking sat him with traces of fear in their eyes as they spoke.

They tried to hide it as a means to be respectful, but... he noticed the fear all the same.

He could smell it.

The knowledge that some of the people he valued most were now living in fear of him killed him inside.

But he didn't blame them.

For some reason... he just couldn't.

After all, he was a monster now.

And who in this world does not fear that which goes bump in the dark?

Luna bit her lip hard enough to draw blood as she clenched her fists in frustration. "Those girls... I'll keep talking to them! I'll drill it in to her minds that they don't need to be-"

"Mei, you don't need to do that. You can't change their minds through force, or else Anna likely would have already done it by now."

"..." Blushing silently, Anna slipped her brass knuckles back into her pocket.

"So what...? You're just going to leave me and go where? Outerspace?? What am I supposed to do without you?!" Aubrey had tears in her eyes as she struck her brother's chest repeatedly as if she were banging on a drum.

Because Malachi did not feel like it was his place to stop her, he simply let her be without putting up any defense.

"I... don't know where I'm going yet. And I won't be gone forever... I'll come back when I'm no longer a danger to you."

"You're not a danger now you bastard!"

"I am... and even if you don't think I am to you, it is undeniable that I am to others. I have to do this."

"No! I won't let you go anywhere!"

As Malachi wrestled with this situation, a familiar and very welcome voice played in the room.

"I.. think I can help you both."

Standing in the doorway, they found Nyx wearing her usual sleek black sundress in the guise of their human mother.

"My son... come to my realm with me. You can stay there as long as you like while you figure things out for yourself... and this way Aubrey you can be free to visit him at any time."

"Your realm..?"

"C-Can I really..?"

"Yes, my realm." Nyx said as she sat with them on the bed. "My space may be a bit of an acquired taste for you since it isn't exactly the brightest.

But I can bring you both there all the same since you have mine and Thanatos' blessing. Being there will likely make you stronger too."

Both Aubrey and Malachi sat quietly as they pondered over this newest revelation, when Bianca posed a very important question.

"And what about us...? The girls and I... none of us can bear to be separated from your son for even a second."

Nyx rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she stared at the girls' bodies through their clothes.

They had a lot of their son's essence within them... like a lot.

As such, she could not only take them, but they would find the lands hospitable as well.

"Of course I will take you girls... I couldn't imagine leaving my precious daughter-in-laws behind for even a second."

All of the girls smiled as they wiped small tears from their eyes, and smiled reassuringly.

This in turn made Malachi feel a lot better, as he could have imagined ever going anywhere without them.

'So this is what it means to be in love... I already knew it, but it really is a crazy feeling.' he thought warmly.

Even with the entire world against him, the allegiance of these four had never waned or wavered.

Everyone will always make assurances of their loyalty, but to see it actually be tested in person was one of the most wholesome experiences one could ever witness.

It left Malachi more than a little touched.

"I... still don't know how I feel abut you leaving... What if something happens and I can't get to you..?" Aubrey asked.

Malachi had no answer for this, but luckily Nyx did.

She placed her hands on both of their heads, and a change occurred in them.

Malachi's hair became the same suffocating dark grey as Aubrey's, and her eyes took on his permanently glowing violet color.

"This way, the two of you can always carry each other around with every step you take. When your brother returns, you can both be swapped back, how does that sound?"

"...Okay." Aubrey agreed.

"Good, now hug us both." Nyx said with a smile.

Aubrey smiled wryly, and the group of three became entangled in a warm embrace as they finally settled upon their plans for the future.

"I'll come and get all five of you later, at dawn's first light. Make all of your preparations before then, okay?"

"""""Got it."""""