Biohuman

Lee Seng sighed and pulled his mask off. Crow had already seen his face, so there was no point in hiding it. At least, not in the safety of his 'old room.' Lee Seng slipped the mask to his side, brushing his hair away from his face. Even after the haircut, it was still an annoyance.

"We're here for a Cup. An ornate Cup that could potentially help some people in Daros." Lee Seng told Crow. "We set off after the gods personally got involved and now… We're here."

"Is it worth risking your life? If anyone see's you, they'll attack you. The Fox that was under Lord Cain has gotten a reputation after the stunt you pulled. Tortured by Lord Cain because of that… Thing that's inside you." Crow pointed.

"He isn't there anymore." Lee Seng told her. "He's dead. He's been dead for years… His death came with the rise of the Deimons, supposedly." Lee Seng turned to look at the sunrise. The red glow was the only thing that kept him sane in this Realm. Crow sighed and nodded.

"Those things. The 'Deimons,' what are they? They aren't anything I've seen before. They're not like actual Demons but they… Almost act like them. Where did they come from?" Crow asked.

"Earth." Lee Seng replied. Crow took a step forward as Lee Seng continued. "An experiment the Creator performed… It seems like I'm learning more and more why he even did this." Crow raised her eyebrows. The old woman tilted her head and wondered what the Fox meant by all of that. Lee Seng sighed and turned.

"I'm oversharing." Lee Seng brushed his comment off. "The Deimons are here and I have to deal with them. Lord Cain wants one, but I need to get back to my friends before anything happens."

"Can they see the monsters in here?"

"They can."

"The Realm should almost be entirely a mess for those without sight… How can they see so clearly?"

"It's only a theory, but I think it's because of me." Lee Seng told Crow. "You know I'm more than I seem. A Biohuman and a Fox. Strange things occurred because of that… Another long story. Stories I don't have time to tell you about. I need a way out, Crow. Do you know of a way out?"

"This is why Lord Cain called me into the Estate so randomly. He knew you would come in here… Why though?" Crow whispered. She turned and moved to the dresser. She opened the bottom drawer and pulled a red box out. She closed the drawer and returned to Lee Seng. "Here. I was told to give these to you when you came a long time ago. I didn't understand it at the time, but I guess today's the reason."

Lee Seng took the red box and unlocked it. He opened it and noticed rings in each slot. There were a set of twelve. Lee Seng looked up from the rings at Crow.

"What are these?" Lee Seng asked.

"Crimson Ghast rings. They'll keep you and your friends hidden from most onlookers." Crow waved her hand. Feathers mineralized swirling around as the ring on her finger started to glow. A large portal appeared as the feathers froze in place. Lee Seng turned and smiled. The forest could be seen from here.

"Go." Crow motioned. "Lady Esme will be quite upset when she learns I deceived her and the little Fox went under her nose." Lee Seng nodded and pulled his mask off his side and attached it back onto his face. "Fox. Whatever you do, stay clear of the Estate. The Crimson Ghast rings won't have much of an effect where Limbo's magic is strongest." Lee Seng nodded and closed the box, locking it in place. He moved over to the portal and turned to look at Crow.

"Why are you always here when I need you?" Lee Seng asked. Crow had saved him enough times to be in debt. He wondered why she even stayed in Limbo. He wondered a lot of things and hoped to learn her identity but knew the hold people have in a place such as Limbo.

"Lord Cain knows all." Crow replied. "So I must do the same, too. I hope you and your allies succeed in taking a Deimon down. The place you are going has a couple. They are quite powerful and if it wasn't for how fast I could run, I would be dead. Be careful, Fox."

"You too, Crow." Lee Seng nodded. He turned and stepped into the portal, the forest overtaking his senses in an instant as the feathery portal closed in on itself.

"Did you find him?" Olivia asked. Her eyes were puffy. She came to a stop, catching her breath as the others returned.

"No. I can't find him anywhere!" Manny shook his head.

"I can't find him, either!" Evan answered. One by one, everyone began to say the same thing. They couldn't find a trace of Lee Seng anywhere. A rune lit up and Keng flashed into existence.

"Any luck?" Calis asked Keng.

"None." Keng sighed. He wiped his brow as he looked up. "I can't believe he just vanished like that!"

"Why would a portal just open up outta nowhere?" Manny asked.

"We should've asked for more detail before… y'know." Ritsuka motioned. Olivia sighed and turned away.

"I-I…" Olivia began to say something as Liz moved over and side hugged her.

"It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault, okay?" Liz told everyone. "There are just… something's we haven't fully processed together as a whole entire group, 'kay? Lee Seng wouldn't understand because he was in a coma for all those years and we had to deal with everything. I can't even imagine what he's feeling."

"Worst than us?" Evan asked. "Can he feel worse than us?" The group grew quiet as Keng sucked in a breath. He started to count. It was the one thing he was told to do in times like this.

"Should we even be doing this right now?" Ritsuka asked, sharply. "We can't push the blame to anyone. It doesn't work like that!"

"I know! I know that!" Olivia shouted. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the tears fall. "I don't know what to do with all of this!" She slammed her chest. "It hurts! It hurts so damn much! How much more do we have to lose, hm? How much?"

"H-hey…" Liz quietly whispered to Olivia. Olivia pushed away and turned her back on the group. She began to count in her head as she wiped tears away. The crunching of footsteps quickly alerted Keng and Calis. They looked up, summoning their weapons as they turned to see Lee Seng step out from the forest.

"Lee!" Keng shouted. The entire group turned and looked. Lee Seng was holding a red box and looked slightly different. Keng and Calis jogged over to Lee Seng, taking a closer look at him. "Are you okay? Where'd you go?" Lee Seng silently looked up. He had heard the entire conversation and felt bad. They were all suffering. His suffering was 'different' to Olivia, but they were suffering.

Lee Seng didn't say anything for awhile. He just walked back to the group with Calis and Keng at his side. He entered the group huddle around the dead campfire. They had lost a couple hours because of the portal. Lee Seng unlocked the red box and opened it. He turned it and revealed the red and white rings.

"What're those?" Calis asked. He could sense the innate magic they held in them. Manny and Ritsuka were the next to pick up on it. The group turned their entire attention onto it, leaving Olivia to gather herself.

"Put these on." Lee Seng told them. "They're from a friend of mine. They should mask us from being caught by those portals… The powerful people will try to capture me, so hiding ourselves is our best bet." Lee Seng plucked a ring out and handed it off to Calis. He plucked another one and handed it to the next person until Olivia and him were left. Lee Seng moved over to Olivia and pulled a ring out and showed it to her.

"I don't know what you guys went through, but… I'm really sorry." Lee Seng apologized. "If you blame me for your grandmother's death then… do it whole heartedly… I made the choice to pour everything into you guys so that Deimon could die, but I guess I didn't do enough to protect… so the deaths of all those people are on me… It's fine if it makes you sleep better at night. It's fine if you hate me for the rest of your life, but we gotta do our job. Once we're done… I-I'll go to Earth myself and fix it."

Lee Seng pushed the ring into Olivia's hand and turned. He plucked a ring out for himself and closed the box. The fox rune on his right hand lit up and he stuffed the box in it. He put the ring on, listening to whispers echo around him as the Void storage gate closed.