It had been coming for some time, that he knew, and he had tried looking into things as best as he could without heading back. Nothing in the journal he had left any indication of what that ceremony he had been a part of needed in order to succeed. So after all this time had passed, and the time spent witnessing the flourishing life of Joy and Tempesti, he decided to return to Feronia to look for something to guide him.

It wasn’t something to be done lightly, so before he left, he made sure to shower and pack a small bag of things he might need. A flashlight seemed like a good idea, considering he was certain the floating lamps from his past were no longer functioning. The only few things he still needed required him to head into the city. Hopefully, he could manage to sneak into one of those stores that had no people inside but still accepted the paper and metal currency that he’d been given to spend.

With another look around, he nodded to himself and slipped out into the forest, waiting to power up until he was a bit deeper into the thick of it so as not to bring any trouble to Antisana’s home. The last thing he wanted to do was to bring some sort of trouble or creature back with him. They’d been so kind to let him stay and keep him out of harm’s way as best as they could. It wouldn’t have been right for him to cause them trouble and go against their offered hospitality and aid.



With the information from Londonite in mind, Chalcanthite started to look around the area they’d mentioned near one of the green spaces. There were only a few that were connected to thicker forests, so he had narrowed it down to a few. It would be a long night, that he knew, but he was determined to see this senshi who was oh so willing to do their part for a whole that didn’t care if they lived or died. It took a special type of person and society to bring something like that up, and he couldn’t help but wonder.

With his medallion in hand, rubbing his thumb over it in the same spot he always did, he half wondered if he might rub the engraving off of it over time. It was a tool that he’d found quite fitting, and as he felt a new signature coalesce somewhere in the forest ahead, he looked back towards that self-serving store behind him and smiled. While most had cameras, this one seemed to lack working ones, something that made it easier to look into while powered up without having any trouble brought to oneself.

It wouldn’t be hard to wander there if you were worried about being seen or disturbing the people of the city. A perfect spot to lay low, so he headed inside as he made sure he’d tucked the large coat of his into subspace as well as the pins and embellishments he normally removed while playing the part of captain. That signature seemed to be hesitantly drifting closer, so he made himself look busy as he glanced longingly at the packs of cigarettes tucked into a lockbox attached to the checkout counter.



Feronia’s ears perked up as he felt someone nearby, but they didn’t seem to be getting closer. If he felt them, that meant they weren’t just a normal person, so he could worry less about things while powered up. It wouldn’t be a shock, he thought, for someone to see him out maybe.

Looking around as he dipped out of the treeline, he could see the vague silhouette of someone tall in the store, only one person at least, which meant he could still get what he needed. Juggling some things in his hands, he managed to tuck most of the smaller tools in his subspace and pulled out the small pouch with currency in it.

It was a quick thing, he told himself, in and out, then he could go and look into his planet. Though as he nudged closer to going back, he worried about going alone. If something really was there, that chaos or whatever that feral senshi had mentioned, then maybe he should have someone come with him.

Stepping into the store, he grabbed the few things he needed and pulled out the small piece of paper he had that explained how things worked so he could pay properly. It was then that he noticed the tall man standing near the other checkout, looking at something locked behind a clear case. Upon closer examination, he stuck his tongue out slightly at the memory of those smokes from the page.



The fact that the senshi seemed to skitter around nervously and grab things that looked like the perfect supplies to bring off world, he smiled and checked out the bottle of water he had, and looked at them as they made a face at the case of cigarettes.

“Not one who has a preference for those? They are an unpleasant habit to pick up after all.” Shaking his head, he looked away from them and focused his full attention on this little senshi. The blossoms and fruit that hung from them had him curious, but otherwise, they looked like they wouldn’t hurt a fly.

“What brings you out this late? Are you lost, little one?” Offering a soft smile, he cracked open his bottle of water and took a sip as they finished up. This senshi must have had someone teach them how registers worked, or at least how currency worked in this world, though he didn’t bring anything up about it at this time.



Surprised as they not only paid attention to him but spoke, Feronia perked up and held his snacks and flashlight to his chest as he looked up at them. Aside from being tall, they didn’t look too scary. If anything, they seemed a bit more pleasant than many of the others he had met, even if all of them seemed so very different from each other. Something seemed so trustworthy about this man, even though he towered above him.

“They taste foul…” Rubbing at his arm slightly, he only waited a moment longer before gathering his items and the printed paper that was called a receipt from the machine that he had paid money to.

When they asked if he was lost, his ears twitched, and he shook his head slightly. “No, not lost. I’m heading home to look at something… Though I haven’t been home in a very long time.” Part of him wished Antisana could join him, but the squire was busy this evening.

The man didn’t seem bad, and they gave him the same feeling as Arakahn, but weaker, so perhaps they were alright. So far, he hadn’t had trouble with many people, mostly with creatures or monsters that seemed to pop up in this city.



Watching as the little deer spoke, Chalcanthite nodded along slightly before rubbing at his chin. “I see, are you worried about going home without someone accompanying you?” He could tell they were nervous, much like the deer of this city. It was all over their posture and little movements as they seemed to flit about and move even in the few sentences they’d said.

“If you are alright with it, I could join you? I was only out looking around at the trees, the leaves have been blowing around this city the past few nights, and I wondered how this side of the city has fared.” It was a simple enough excuse to give, especially when he could tell this senshi didn’t exactly seem to react to chaos the same as so many others did. Did they not know what chaos was? Londonite hadn’t brought that up; his captain had only mentioned the cult-like ideology that this deer had.



Jumping slightly as they offered to come along, Feronia really thought about it as he shifted his weight from foot to foot as the nervous energy ran its course. This was a stranger, but they were polite, and they did feel like the first person who had helped.

So after they seemed to wait for his response, he took a moment and nodded. “Okay, yes, I would like you to come along, but what do I call you? I’m Feronia.” Offering his hand out in greeting, he thought it would be less of a problem if he knew their name, because then they wouldn’t be as much of a stranger if Antisana asked him about how things went.



Pleased with their response, Chalcanthite offered his hand out to them in greeting. “Chal would be easiest for you, Feronia. And if you would like to go now, I have no qualms with that.” Better to avoid anything that might change this skittish deer’s mind.

Finishing up his drink, he dropped the empty bottle in the recycling bin near the registers. He had more supplies in subspace as a precaution, as always, but he didn’t need to bring that up. Nothing seemed particularly harmful about going up there, though he could never put it past a senshi to cause trouble for him in one way or another. Though with this senshi, it seemed like any trouble that might happen wouldn’t exactly be their fault directly.


“Chal… oh! Okay, I uhm… yes!” Scrambling slightly to shake their hand before pulling out his senshi phone, he tapped at it and tried to remember what the cat had told him in passing about how this all worked.

While he kept hold of Chal’s hand, he got it set up to go to his homeworld, hesitating only a moment more before closing his eyes and hitting the button. It had been quite some time since he’d left there, even longer since he had really seen his world, and that had been before he’d been laid to rest in a way.

The stale smell of aged paped and gravedirt hit him, and he opened his eyes as he looked around. It hadn’t been a dream when he’d woken up and seen everything dead and gone. That realization had him pulling his hand away from Chal and holding both of his hands to his chest as he looked around with worry.

Forgetting about his guest for the moment, he hurried forward to the shelves of scrolls and books, reaching out to touch them and flinching away as one disintegrated from even the slightest nudge. A small whine came out, his ears dropping before catching himself and looking back at his guest.

The room they stood in was empty aside from dirt and dust. It had been one of the record rooms where things were stored for reference between harvest seasons. The air was stagnant, dust floating in the air only to be disturbed by either of their breaths and the movement he’d just done.

“It… it wasn’t like this. I… I don’t know what to do.” Not that an outsider who lived on a lush planet would exactly know, but he would’ve still said it even if he had come here alone.



Coughing as he inhaled the dust, Chalcanthite pulled his sleeve over his face slightly to keep more of it out of his lungs. It took time for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. While he’d been on a few planets by now, it always surprised him to see things so abandoned. This was worse than any of the other places he’d been. Was it because this senshi hadn’t been here before? It didn’t seem like they knew what was going on. Not that he knew either.

Stepping forward as they seemed to panic, he rested a steadying hand on their shoulder. “Breathe, no need to panic.” Advice that he himself had trouble with from time to time, which Liam would point out if he were privy to this conversation.

“What was it like then? If not like this.” A simple question, one to divert their attention to keep them calm, and to also get more information if he could.



Their words helped, and after a moment of still fretting slightly, he breathed and tried to think. It felt like he was shaking the dust off his memories as he thought back to anything before his last waking memory on his homeworld. Those last few minutes had been peaceful but nerve-wracking.

“It… well. The Vinemoss always had me help with things, had me run cermenoies for the harvest, and to make sure that everything went smoothly year to year so that there was enough food for us all.” Looking over at the scrolls, he wanted to touch them and look through them to see if there were records after he was laid to rest.

“Every cycle brought new focuses for the people, and we all did what we needed to so that the crops grew. The weather always worked out if we did everything just right, we never had issues with the harvest… at least not until…”

He could remember that something seemed to be going on, that something had started up in the whisperings behind closed doors and in meetings between those of the Vinemoss above him. As senshi, he had been raised by them, but he didn’t think it was important to say that to Chal right now.

Finally stepping away from the man, he turned and walked down the shelves, looking over everything and trying to remember how many scrolls and shelves there had been the last time he had been down here. It hadn’t been for months before they’d had him be a part of that ritual to return the senshi to the world in order to fix the harvest.

Even now, he still felt like this had happened because he hadn’t fully returned, hadn’t truly laid himself down and given up his life for this world. He’d been scared slightly; anyone would have been, but he didn’t know what had happened.

“I had helped with a ceremony, but something happened, I’m not sure why, but when I woke up, it was like this and… I feel like so much time has passed. There are more scrolls here than when I was awake before things happened.” Putting it more mildly after how the previous person had reacted to the truth, he gingerly touched what looked like a somewhat less aged scroll. It didn’t fall apart from that light touch, but as he tried to unfurl it slightly, he paled as he saw the panicked scrawl that covered it. The handwriting was so vastly different than what he expected from the Vinemoss that for a moment he wondered if it was left by someone else.

He had to be patient and careful as he tried to open the scroll further. Flakes started to break off, drifting to the floor as he went and scanned the messy ink. Curses over how something had happened seemed to repeat, blame at him and the ritual, as well as something he didn’t exactly know of.

What hit him the hardest was the seal at the bottom, pressed into faded green wax with vines throughout it. It cracked and broke away as he thumbed at it, dropping to the ground in pieces. It was from Thyme, the one he remembered being kindest to him. Even though they had said that it had been his fault, his chest ached, and his breath came with difficulty as he leaned against the shelves and pulled another scroll down.

Each one had scrawled writing, and one by one, each of the Vinemoss had condemned him as the weak link in the ritual. He’d done everything they’d said, kept secluded from others who hadn’t been approved. Had it been because he was scared? What could he do to fix things? Even now, he couldn’t think about the elephant in the room, the what-ifs about what fixing things even meant. With all the time that had passed, how could he turn the clock back and fix everything to be just as it was?

Dropping the scroll, he looked back at his guest, tears welling up in his eyes and making paths through the clinging dust on his face. It didn’t make sense to him, at least he didn’t want it to make sense.


While they explained things, he thought of what Londonite had mentioned. It seemed very much like a cult, in a way at least. Though the change in Feronia’s mood didn’t bode well, and when they turned to face them, he could see cracks forming. They hadn’t said what was on those scrolls, but he didn’t need them to tell him. When things came down to it, it seemed like Feronia was the scapegoat.

He almost felt sad; he would have been genuinely so in a similar situation, but in this moment, he could see the opportunity. It just had to be done right and not rushed, as things had felt with Portia. He needed time to work this case and to nudge this little deer towards a better option than this ancient room filled with curses calling out for them.

“Perhaps it might be best to leave and come back after a bit of time to reflect? You seem rather put off by all this, Feronia.”

Stepping forward, he took a glance over what he could and internally cursed at the fact that all the written words were in a language he couldn’t read. He had expected it, but at the same time, it didn’t mean he liked it.

Spying an illustration of some sort of meteor with gas coming from it, he had a vague idea of what had happened. Something outside of the senshi’s control. It was a sad and unfortunate series of events, but if it led this deer towards a new home, then it would be all worth it for him to play his part as a worried bystander.


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