Book Four – Prologue – Part Five – Home Sweet Home

“Servi, did you have a good nap?” Fisher asked. He awaited a response that he believed wouldn’t come, but it did, and not in the form he expected.

“Good?” Servi said, repeating Fisher's words like a child. Her head questioningly tilted to the side while her voice changed both tone and inflection, like she didn’t know how to properly speak. “Good? Good?” The captain signed a breath of relief when he didn’t have to worry about Servi charging at him like a rabid bull.

I’m happy she’s awake, and I’m delighted Momo’s smiling and laughing...Unfortunately, I need to sour the mood... I need to ask because I need to know if I was the one who sent Sakdu down this path… It was a different village, right? It wasn't… I have to verify it…

“Fisher, this is good news!!!” Momo had restrained herself from shouting. “Before, Servy would only cry, and now, she’s talking! It has to mean she’s getting better! Right? Right?” She turned her head Servi to Fisher so fast her hair inadvertently danced with Servi’s black locks.

Fisher smiled. “I do believe so. I don’t think it’ll be long until she’s back to her old self. Do you want me to escort you to the Warden office?”

Momo’s tail whipped around like a rebellious teenager with something to prove. “If it isn’t too much trouble. You ready, Servy?”

“Ready… Ready? Ready!!!” Servi hopped up and down, and Fisher averted his eyes from the red-eyed girl’s bouncing bosom, which was clearly noticeable against her blouse.

Evidentially, when Itarr had changed Servi’s clothes for her, the Goddess didn’t slip underwear on underneath. That explained the odd—wonderfully odd sensation Momo felt when she carried Servi on her back.

As slow as Momo could be, the Singi caught after she followed realized Fisher stared at the ceiling. “Ehh… Waaaaaa!!! Servy, we-we can bounce like bunnies later, okay? It’s time to go home.” Momo stood in front of Servi, blocking her chest from Fisher’s vision. The pink Singi’s face was redder than Servi’s eyes, nearly matching the infernal, volcanic flames before it erupted.

“Home! Home…?” Servi hopped for the last time, stopping completing as her face took on a neutral look.

“Yep! We’re going home. You can finally sleep in a bed. Are you excited?” Momo asked.

“Excited!!! Excited!!!” Servi squealed. After she spoke, her face, once again, eliminated all emotion. It seemed she only sprung to life long enough to repeat a word once or twice before shutting back down. Momo briefly wondered if there was any hidden meaning behind it.

“Hehe!!! Come on!” Momo turned to the door and started to walk. Fisher followed behind, and it wasn’t long until the group had the blazing sun staring down at them.

“Happy!!!” Momo sang, who skipped along with her best friend.

“Happy!!! Happy!!!” Servi said, doing her best to copy Momo’s time and voice. She also skipped along and swung her arms, doing the same thing as the Singi holding her hand. The soft sleeves of her blouse fluttered with the wind, blowing her black hair back. Momo started to bounce her head with each step, adorably giggling every few seconds. Their footsteps were in total sync, becoming a single noise.

Fisher watched with find eyes. In many ways, it was like he was looking at his children. The two girls both loved joyously skipping when they went with their mother to the market. Fisher sometimes tagged along when he didn’t have to work, and just spending quality time with his girls meant the world to him. The feelings he’d receive were indescribable to anyone that wasn’t a father, and he felt the same joy watching a Singi and her best friend.

The group came upon a turn and walked in near silence for the next fifteen minutes, with the only noise being Momo’s humming. Eventually, she broke the brisk silence with a question that needed to be answered. “Let’s see… Servy’s shown sadness, anger, happiness, and joy… I don’t know how many emotions a person has, but I wonder how many she has left?”

“Maybe guilt? Uneasiness?” Fisher replied. He found himself growing more uneasy by the second. The story Momo had told him about Sakdu definitely involved Fisher. It had to. There was just no other way because the details all lined up. What are the chances...? Is it possible another Human did the same thing? Within the same time frame?

Common sense then dictated that Fisher was the one who was ultimately responsible for Servi’s condition and Momo’s frightful experiences. If that was true, the guilt would be unfathomable at best and monstrous at worst.

“Maybe? Servy did show her guilt earlier, but it was before she was like this. I wonder if she’s cycling through them? Like after this, she’s gonna be sad again. Or will she skip to being happy? Hmm… I guess I just have to keep a close eye. That’s okay! I was going to do that anyway. I—” The Singi talked a meter a second while staring at Servi. She kept a perfectly smiling face, which was a far cry from her previously unemotional and bland stare. In Momo’s eyes, that smile was brighter than the sun.

“Momo,” Fisher slowed to a snail’s pace, his steps becoming smaller until he stopped moving at all. The armor protecting his body became so heavy it restricted his airflow. Not that it mattered, but the number of citizens around him was zero. Other than him, Servi, and Momo, he was totally alone, having the privacy he needed to speak the following sentences. “The Human in your story… The…the one who committed those unspeakable atrocities. Was… Was it me?”

Momo halted her skipping and looked back, spotting Fisher a few footsteps away. With her previous pep gone like a breeze in the wind, the Singi walked up to Fisher. He had his head turned towards the ground, his eyes holding back what seemed like an infinite deluge.

“I can’t keep ignoring this! Please, Momo… Please tell me if I was the one behind it all…”

With a quivering voice, Momo opened her mouth. It was a struggle to evict the words. “Sakdu said the Human’s name was Fisher Jin…and he lived in Canary…and he had a wife and two daughters…”

“I… I see…” Robbed of his strength and ability to stand by a single sentence, Fisher fell to his knees. His hands slammed into the dirty ground, staining his armor, but it was the only thing keeping him upright. “It seems that everywhere I go—every day that passes—I keep bringing you two trouble… If I could change it, I’d go back in time and slap some sense into my younger self, even killing the bastard I used to be. But I know that’s only an excuse… Those nightmares I’ve been having… I finally thought I had conquered them... How can I when— AAAHHAHAH!” With a desperate shout, Fisher punched the ground at least fifteen times, with each one accompanied by a scream and a loud clang. Dirt flew with every slam, obscuring their forms.

“STOP IT!!!” Momo shouted. Servi cowered behind the brave Singi, whimpering like a lost lamb. “Hurting yourself isn’t going to change anything!!!”

The captain raised his arm and was about to beat the ground one more time but froze when he felt a hand touch his head. It took all he had to look up at his savior, whose tears splashed down on his cheeks. The water was an inferno, hotter than the blood of Sakdu’s family when he slaughtered them. Even now, the feeling was coming back. The stickiness he felt for days when he couldn’t wash away the crimson...the scent of burning scales reappeared inside his nostrils. Blinking, his vision flickered between reality and nightmare. “Come on, stand up,” Momo said.

Fisher sighed, losing the battle keeping the water in his eyes. A whimper burrowed from his lips, water streaked away from his tear ducts, and he looked like a babbling child cosplaying as the captain.

“Fisher, you want to make things right. Honestly, I… I already knew about your past because Servy told me. Please don’t be mad at her. I guess she just didn’t want to have any more secrets. Here’s the thing, though… Servy wants to make up for her sins by helping people, and I think that’s admirable. I’m going to help her every step of the way. And I think you want the same thing. You want to start helping people. Why else would you propose the orphanage idea? And…and as long as you keep striving to do good and make up for your wrongdoings, I’ll forgive you. I can’t forgive you for those that aren't here, but I can forgive you for yourself. I’ll do it for you until you’re strong enough to do it yourself,” Momo said. She stared down at the weeping husk of a man and smiled.

Servi popped around from behind Momo, staring and smiling at Fisher. “Forgive!!! Forgive!!!”

Momo remained silent, only extending an arm of assistance. However the captain chose to take it was his decision.

Servi also extended an arm, and Fisher broke down even more. Yet, somehow he found the resolve to keep going after receiving their forgiveness, and he took the hands in front of him. Compared to his own, their palms seemed to be so small. They didn’t have the brutal scars or calluses that made it somewhat awkward to hold his daughters.

“Momo… Servi… I… I…” Fisher scrunched his face, holding back even more tears.

“It’s okay to cry. I told Servy this, but sometimes all you need is a good, long crying session. I feel better after one, and Servy felt better too. We’re not that far away from the Warden office, so we’ll be okay. Why don’t you go home and see your family?” Momo asked.

“Yes, you’re right. I have the strongest urge to spend time with my daughters, but I can’t do it now.” Fisher let go of the hands he gripped and wiped his eyes clean of tears. Then, he straightened up his posture and readjusted his gauntlets. “I have to go to the cells. Jeri and Sea won’t interrogate themselves, and I need to get to the bottom of this.”

Momo slightly frowned, and Servi did the same after copying her. “Okay…but don’t work yourself too hard.”

Fisher thanked them and went to turn around, but before he did, he had one last thing to say. “Momo, I mean this in no disrespect, but… It might not be the best idea to hold Servi’s hand.” Momo instantly opened her mouth, but Fisher held a hand up. “I know… I know… I’m not saying this because I’m disgusted. I’m saying this because if the wrong person catches you two like that, they might make a scene.”

“I know. I already took that risk into account, and it’s one I’m not concerned with because I know Itarr will keep us safe. Claire said that peoples’ souls communicate when they hold hands, and right now, more than anything, Servy needs help. If my soul can help her, then that’s all the more reason for me to do this. Besides, Arcton only happened because I ran away. Fisher, I won’t ever, ever, ever make that mistake again. And I already told Servy this, too. I made a vow to always be there for her, and I won’t ever break it.” It seemed like the air around Momo became thin and volatile because Fisher found it hard to breathe. Then again, it was possible he was slightly taken back by the Singi’s fierce determination.

When he stared at Momo, with her defiant eyes looking towards the future while protecting her best friend, it made Fisher truly realize the errors of his ways. Even though he had already faced his past and realized what a horrible person he had been, the sight of a Singi and Human holding hands and facing what fate had in store for them hit him differently.

“That’s a good answer.” Fisher tried to smile, but it only partly came out. “Now I’m more convinced that you’re the best friend Servi could’ve asked for. It feels like I have no right to ask you this, but can you promise me something before I leave?”

“Promise? Promise?” Servi looked down at Momo.

“I think I can do that. What is it?”Momo smiled and gently rubbed Servi’s palm with her index finger.

“Promise me you won’t ever look down on yourself again.”

“I think I can make that deal. I know beating myself down isn’t healthy, and I need to stop it. But sometimes it’s hard, you know. There are times I just wanna call myself a dirty, stupid cat, and after I do that, I’m mad because I did that. But…but now Servy needs me to protect her, so there’s no need for me to talk bad about myself. Because if I think about it, would Servy or Itarr trust a stupid cat?” Momo shook her head and held out her hand. “No, they wouldn't. So, this will be my promise to you, Fisher. I swear I won’t ever look down at myself. I have to be strong…strong for Servy. And that means admitting my weaknesses. Itarr, I swear to do what I can, but I’m still only a Singi. I hope you don’t mind if I continue to rely on you.”

Fisher shook Momo’s hands. “Then it’s a deal. You’re a good friend, Momo, and Itarr’s a good friend, too.”

“And you’re a good man, Fisher. When Servy is better, we’ll come see you at the guard headquarters, okay? If we don't see you around the city, that is.”

Fisher nodded, said his goodbyes, and walked away.

Momo and Servi stood still, watching his back become smaller before disappearing after he went around a corner.

“Servy, Fisher's a tortured man. In many ways, he’s just like you. I’m sure he had nightmares for many years, but I wouldn’t wish those horrors on my worst enemy. You told me about the one you had—with the bloodied Momo—and I didn’t know how to react to it… I want to say I can only fathom how it affected you, but I guess I already know how it did.” Momo looked to the right and saw Servi. She had their connected hand raised up to about chest height, and she drew little circles in the back of Momo’s palm. “Hehe! I did the same thing to you. Do you remember?”

“Remember? Remember?” Servi tilted her head, causing strands of black hair to flutter by her red eyes. The child-like wonder in her face seemingly disappeared at random, tearing its head again whenever the mood found it suitable.

“Yep! It’s when you were asleep during the Warden Tournament. I thought you would never wake up, so I just did anything that came to mind. Now, do you wanna go see Claire?”

“Claire!!!” Servi started to bounce in place, sending her unrestrained breasts jiggling all over the place, including rubbing against Momo’s hand. She nervously laughed and tightly hugged Servi. However, that only made Momo realize the power differences between their bosoms.

“Servy, if you bounce like that in public, people might see. Why don’t you wait until we get our rooms at Warden, okay?”

After Servi repeated the word ‘okay’ twice in an innocent tone, the two friends set off to continue the remainder of their short journey. Momo was in a terrific mood, and she set about singing the enhanced version of her song. After every verse, Servi came in with a jolly repetition of ‘Soon! Soon!,’ causing Momo to laugh. Oddly enough, Servi’s mouth moved as if she wanted to giggle, but that joyful laughter never made it past those pained lips.

As soon as the pair of best friends entered the slow-paced Warden office, a certain Elf dropped her pen and slammed her desk, knocking over her cup of water. The documents she was looking over were ruined, but pages were replaceable. The desk she nearly broke was one of many stored away in the supply closet.

Lives, however, couldn’t be so easily replaced. Everyone born in the world, be it Human, Demi-Human, or monsters spawned to life via Skill Energy, was unique and personalized. That didn’t account for twins or triplets, but even they weren’t the same. Things like attitudes, personalities, and even personal beliefs varied from identical twins.

The single feeling preventing a red-haired, purple-eyed Elf from stampeding ahead to the pink-haired Singi was the need to be professional. Though any professionalism was thrown out seconds earlier.

Regardless, that need didn’t last long. Not even three seconds had passed before the audible clang of heels clacking against the wooden floor sounded out. Claire's facial expression was one of pure relief, thankful that her nightly prayers hadn't been ignored and her close friends were safe. The red ponytail fluttered behind as the sound of her footsteps slowed down to a simple walk.

At Warden, it wasn’t too uncommon for receptionists to develop close friendships with favorable adventurers, so what Claire did wasn’t out of the ordinary. It’d be odder if she didn’t find a group she liked. That was why she didn’t garner that much attention even though the Warden office was practically dead. The slow, late afternoons gave employees the chance to catch up on filing documents and sending reports. If anything, the heartfelt reunion between handler and contractors was something to break the monotonous atmosphere.

“Momo…” Claire whispered when she was within arm distance. Her voice quivered on the border of breaking down, trembling like a ballerina performing a pirouette on her tippy toes. Her footsteps were rapid at first, like she couldn’t wait to embrace the Singi, but then a dreaded fear consumed her.

What if this is a dream? I couldn’t focus on work for the past two weeks… Even Fisher started to get annoyed with me—I know he was— and Dineria is away on business…

“Hi, Claire,” Momo said. Her blue eyes seemed to droop as they were soaked with water, ready to fall.

“Is it you? Servi… Momo…” Claire whispered a second time. Her purple eyes turned to the black-haired girl, who held a somewhat neutral expression on her face. She looked up at Claire, but it was like her red eyes saw through the Elf and out beyond her.

“Claire…” Servi softly said the Elf’s name, allowing it to roll off her tongue. Then she looked up and smiled like the sun. “Claire!!!”

“We’re home, Claire,” Momo said.

Claire started to weep, allowing quiet moans to break free from her throat as she wrapped her arms around Servi and Momo. The Singi and Human joined with the Elf with her wails, and the three close friends shared a nice, long cry lasting a bit over two minutes.

Claire was the first to pull back, using one hand to straighten out her black blouse while the other wiped her reddened eyes. “I… I had thought the worst came to pass,” she said as her mind reviewed all the horrible events it hypothesized. “It wasn’t supposed to take that long. Go, deliver, and come back. That was all… I… Then there was news of the hole…and refugees…and…you two weren’t…”

Momo reached down and took one of Claire’s hands and led her over to an empty bench. Funnily enough, it was the same one where the three friends had shared a bag of chocolate. Momo sat in the middle and allowed her tail to rub against the stiff wood. Claire and Servi took the side, but the latter had her eyes turned up to the ceiling.

“Claire… Things… Things happened in Arcton,” Momo said. She had finally decided on the disguised truth she wanted to tell.

“Momo… Servi… What happened?  There were words of a giant hole near Arcton, then… the Mafia?”

And so, Momo began to explain the slightly altered story of how Servi had to kill a robber to protect Momo because she fainted. After the foe was slaughtered, Servi couldn’t take the guilt and mentally escaped away to her mind. Because of that, Momo had to travel at a snail’s pace and stick to the back routes to not overload Servi’s tender state of being. Momo also included the scene with Jeri and Sea, but she adjusted a few pressing details to where Fisher heroically saved the pair of friends.

“Oh, you poor thing…” Claire stood up, walked to Servi, and crouched down. She went to touch the meek girl. With her free hand, Servi grabbed her head in agony and violently rocked her head back and forth, slapping Claire’s approaching arm with a whip of black hair.

The Elf was so alarmed she fell to her rear as Servi screamed and roared, shattering the peaceful tranquility. At a loss of words, Claire watched with wide eyes as Momo stood and gently embraced Servi by leaning down and rubbing the back of her hair.

Like a tamed beast, the harsh sounds erupting from Servi simmered like a boiling pot coming off a stove.

“I—But—Sorry—” Claire stammered, unable to find the right words.

Momo shook her head, allowing her long hair to swoosh from side to side. She desperately needed to cut it. “No, you didn’t do anything wrong. Servy reacted the same with Fisher. When we left, she was repeating my words. I think... since she’s in this state, it’s like she’s a child again. She remembers you, of course, but... I think Servy has to connect the new memories with the old memories. I think they’re connected to when she had to kill to protect me. Please, don’t be upset with her,” Momo pleaded.

As Claire dusted herself off and stood up, even more water leaked from her amethyst-colored eyes. “I won’t ever be mad at her. I think she’s brave, though,” Claire said as she sat down beside Momo. “And you’re brave, too. I see you took what I said to heart. Heck, I bet you haven’t let go of her hand, have you?”

“Hehe! Nope! She’s in this position because of me. Because of that, I’ll forever follow her and be the best friend I can be. Besides, it feels like I’ve held her hand longer than I’ve known her, even though I know that isn’t true. Still, if I’m not doing this, then I feel scared and afraid.”

Claire lifted her gloved hand and patted Momo on the head. She lightly grinned and closed her eyes. “She couldn’t have asked for a better protector to watch over her. Oh, I’m sorry if this insensitive, but—”

“The letter?” Momo asked, interrupting her Elven friend. “Servy and me managed to deliver it. Umm… Your letter was touching. We appreciate everything you do for us, Claire. Hehe! I’m happy we’re friends!” Claire was taken back yet again, and she accidentally removed her hand from Momo’s head.

Soon enough, the Elf was as red in the face as her hair. “I meant what I said, ya know? About us celebrating your promotion?”

“I’d love to, and I know Servy does too, but I think we’re tired from all that traveling.”

Claire smiled. “Of course. It wouldn't be the worst thing to put it on hold. Tell you what, whenever you feel she’s up for it, you and Servi come to me, and we’ll start planning it, okay? It’ll be super fun!”

“It’s a promise! Servy, did you hear that?” Momo turned to her friend, who smiled as if she was a kid receiving a bag of candy.

“Fun!!! Fun!!!” repeated the ruby-eyed girl. Her two irises seemed to glow like a crimson gem in front of a laser with how sparkly and full of life they were. She hopped up off the bench. Claire stood up, and since she was taller, looked down. Closing her eyes, Servi simply glanced upwards and stood still like she expected something.

“She probably wants you to pat her head. Servy copies me a lot. Hehe! So this is how having an adorable younger sister feels, even though I’m sure she’s older than me,” Momo explained, adding her feelings about the matter to the end.

“Ah, I see. Here you go!” Tilting her head, Claire enjoyed playing the motherly role to the child-like Servi, even finding herself humming a song her mother used to sing for her. Servi hummed as well. It was a musical mess because she didn't know the rhythm or melody. Before Claire's head patting came to an end, Claire wrapped her arms around Servi and held her close to her chest.

“Servi,” she whispered. “You did a wonderful thing protecting your best friend. Words probably don’t mean much at this point, but… You chose the right action. You care about Momo probably more than most people care about family, so I know the bond between you two is strong.” In a way, I’m a little jealous… But that’s not something I need to say out loud.

It didn’t take long for Servi to start whimpering, and as much as Claire wanted to remain hugging, she was still on the clock. Stepping back from the embrace, the Elf tidied her work uniform a second time and wished Servi and Momo the best.

“Thank you, Claire… For being here… I’m sure Servy enjoyed it.” Momo waved to Claire as she walked away, and Servi joined in. Claire returned the wave and hurried to her duties at registering new Warden members. She didn’t see a line, but her boss was furiously and impatiently tapping his foot. His clump of white hair looked like a soggy hairball. “Hey, isn’t that the Dwarf we saw three weeks ago? Hmm… Yeah! Servy, you remember, right? He was talking to Claire when we came down from your room?”

Servi remained quiet and docile, having returned to a neutral state after waving at Claire.

“There’s a lot I don’t know… There seems to be a lot of rules regarding the healing process… Bah! I guess I can just face it as it happens. You’re you, Servy. You have your own unique quirks and ways you do things. We all do. Now, let’s head upstairs.” Momo started to walk with Servi right by her side, then stopped and frowned in annoyance.“Itarr, can you get Servy’s ID? We have to stop by the innkeeper and get our rooms.”

The Goddess replied by summoning a red stone tablet with a sack of coins. Since it was floating in midair, Momo desperately grabbed at it. Her plan was to make it inconspicuous, but her rapid movement backfired, and an eagle-eyed Elf noticed something odd. His gray eyes narrowed, then he shrugged and turned back to his friend.

“Come on, Momo. You’re a Singi, right? Aren’t cats smooth and sneaky? Yeah, be more like that,” she whispered to herself. She tucked the coins and tablet under her free arm and began ascending the steps with Servi in tow.