All she knew was she had earned the attention of many ghosts, ones with evil intent. They were not benevolent, did not want to pass to the other side, and were pissed at the women who had just killed them. The child thought she could protect them, remove a threat and they wouldn't have to worry about the unseen. This is when she ran, fearful for her own life now.

'Don't see me, don't see me.' The words were chanted like a mantra as her feet quickly carried her farther into the forest. Ducking behind a tree, Akira huddled against it, fighting the urge to whimper as she quivered. Yet, her spectral assailants passed by without taking notice of her. Awful wailing soon overwhelmed her ears, the sound of utter despair, heartbreak, and loss. It sounded like Larka and Lirin.

Celeste's face flashed before her mind, and Akira's heart stopped as she burst from her hiding spot to run back. The worst had happened. Larka disappeared, Lirin held Celeste's limp body and talked about saying proper goodbyes. Denial and loss filled her, and she didn't know what to do… So she ran.

Akira ran and ran, never knowing where she was going. The entire time she fought back the weight of tears that closed her throat with a painful knot. She couldn't be gone! Not now that Akira had finally found a family! The child did not stop even when she got to the edge of the water. She kept running, afraid if she stopped, she would cry.

When her foot touched the water, ice blossomed from her feet, creating a safe place for her to stand upon. Each footstep lengthened the ice, creating a bridge for her to run across. For days she had ran, her limits were nearing the max by the time she made it to her father's island in the middle of the ocean. Monsters were forgotten as she pressed on, only stopping when she stumbled upon the stairs to the castle. On all hands and knees, tears welled up, and trailed down her cheeks. "Father!" Akira cried out as she curled up on the stairs, buried her face in her arms and began to sob uncontrollably.

The unending night held a special kind of beauty to the God as he watched upon his balcony. The silver starry sky illuminated the isle in a serene blanket of light that would have made Discordia a magical place. If not for the fact that this was a place of devilish nightmares and hunger denizens that would sooner turn on their unwelcome guests when their backs were turned for a moment. Silent was he as he turned his attention back to a series of marble size balls made of pure darkness as they whizzed by one another in a disorganized set of paths on a game board. When two did collide, they simply melded together into one twice their size and as it made contact with more, it would absorb them and increase in size. Eventually, none but a massive sphere would exist as it took up the majority of the space of the board.

Perhaps Xunatar believed that in this world, that all things would be swallowed and be assimilated. The calm man watched from his hoods, waved his hand over the board and just like that, the game started all over again. There was much to be prepared for in the near future, many ploys that he would take comfort dipping his hand in. There was also the matter of planning out the ceremony with Scarlett and then their own future together. Hardly one to be considered the sentimental type of these sort of things in his youth, he was much more mature to appreciate such things now than before.

Lost in his thoughts for a moment, he was awoken by the sound of tears upon his doorsteps. His head rose slightly in acknowledging that it was from that of a child. There was no pleasure taken out of the poor thing’s misfortunes but rather a look of uncertainty written across his face. He was no stranger to being portrayed as a cruel demon and monster that would take bad children away should they misbehave or something that lurked and chased them. Horrid bedtime stories were what they were. Still, Discordia typically didn’t see children aside from his grandchildren. Many were too afraid by the bedtime stories to even think of daring to set foot here.

Yet, as he lived and breathed, there was one. More importantly, she called out Father. From then, he knew who it was. It was his youngest and most recently discovered daughter. It was still baffling on how the wheels of fate had turned at times. 

Rising slowly from his seat, the God took his time making his way through the palace and met with the doors that lead outside. Instead of pushing them open, he placed a hand on it and faded away. When he appeared, he was standing before the weeping girl. He inhaled deeply, taking in her scent and closed his eyes before withdrawing his hood. A face behind the shadows, one that she would recognize as her father

“What worries you, precious child?”, he spoke softly as the shadows beneath him drew closer to her, and went to cover her small frame much like a blanket. There would be a strange warmth from it as he sat beside her on the steps as he patted her head.

The sound of a voice startled the child into an upright position. First, she saw the shadows stretch toward her, a mix betwee the billowing clouds of a storm, and clawed hand of a creature. As frightening as it imagined itself to be in her fatigued, and thoroughly distraught mind, Akira's eyes darted up. Craning her neck to peer up at the man's face, familiar features gazed back at her.

Sniffling, she sat up and threw herself into his arms, wailing louder. Anyone with regular dealings with a child might assume she was making an exaggerated big deal of nothing. When she finally calmed down enough, Akira scrubbed at her eyes. "Akira meet up with Mommies Celeste and Larka in forest of rain. Met Celeste sister Lirin. And… many bad men came out. And…" She couldn't bring herself to voice it, afraid that it would make it all that much more real.

Instead, she sat up and poked his chest, holding her finger there, slightly off to the side of his heart. "Feather and wood stick out here. Lirin think we say goodbye. Where Celeste go?" Her bloodshot, tired eyes silently begged Xunatar for his answer, hoping against hope that he would not say Celeste was truly gone. "She… be okay?"

Xunatar had no idea whatsoever as to why Akira was out here, calling for him to come. But it was evident that she was in some sort of turmoil as the wailing continued and she fell onto him. He quietly shushed the little fox demon so that she could tell him what was going on. His head tilted slightly to the right as she spoke of these “mommies” and such of hers, likely a pair that adopted her. Whether it was formal or not remained unseen, not that he asked many questions about the subject. It was possible that she knew of them even before she had met him.

“Bad men?”

He cocked his eyebrow and lowered his gaze towards where she pointed at on him before the reason of why she was here clicked in his mind. Xunatar isn't known for beating around the bush. Nay, in the case of “raising” his children, he told plenty of them bluntly of how the world worked; many of which were around the girl’s age at those times. Still, even with all the coldness that his spirit was draped beneath, he was much more expressive in his feelings that he had prior to claiming the Throne of Darkness. He wouldn’t express the same cruelness he gifted to her siblings, but he wouldn’t lie to Akira either. It was best for her to be told these things early on so that she could understand them better later on.

“This Celeste…I’m afraid that she is gone”, he spoke in a seldom tone. “It is likely that she has crossed over now from this world and into the Soulstream, of which both Angela and Villanesca rule over. Are you familiar with those names? Like me, they are the blessed of the world.” A long finger reached and tried to wipe away the tears that threatened to stain her pretty face. Yes, he could surely see the resemblance between her and her mother more clearly now. “Your mommy Celeste is there, to return as a new person if deemed good, or will be sent to Dalanesca to be judged accordingly if she been bad. I know not of which will happen to her.”

“Death is a complicated thing, especially for a young lady like you to understand, but these things happen all over the world.” Xunatar glanced back up at the starry sky. “For as beautiful as the world can be at times, at others, it can be pure ugly, Akira. You must be cautious and wise to avoid sharing such a fate.”

Gone. Father said she was gone. It was as if Akira's soul went cold, plunged into dark ice. Pain filled her heart, a grief she had never known threatened to shatter her very existence. Yes, people died, she had seen it in the pirate haven, but never someone she knew. There was a hard, painful lump in her throat. If she spoke, or uttered a sound, everything would break.

Silently, she shook her head to the question as Xunatar wiped tears from her face. He spoke of Angela rebirthing Celeste if she was food, and Dalanesca keeping her if she was bad. Laura didn't want a new person, she wanted Celeste! Who else was going to teach her about water magic and healing? Larka could not teach her to string a bow, or other things requiring both hands. While the reaver was capable, there was only so much she could do.

The child burrowed into the deity, gripping him close. For as much love as she had from Karma and Celeste, there was something about their connection that created the desire to be close to nim. Her natural, dangerous habit of trusting people instantly did play a part in this as well. He was her father, he would not harm her, why should he? "Can… Can Akira stay with you? For a bit? Larka not at home…" she whizlered, tears swelling, close to bursting. Before the god have his answer, the foxling had fallen asleep in his lap.

Despair, grief, and pain…he could smell it lingering over the small child. She didn't have to speak them out verbally. It was something that happened to most children when they lose their parents prematurely. He silently watched her as she tried to come to terms with everything, it was possibly going to be a rough road for her. A life lesson of this caliber was best dealt with now rather than later. A loss could make one weaker…or stronger. 

He wouldn't sugarcoat it to her, he had no intention of doing so. Like her sisters and brothers before her, he was honest enough to not fill her head with tall tales saying that she'd be back, at least not on her own accord.  And what of this Mommy Larka and Sister Lirin? Where did they disappear off to instead of seeing after Akira? It wasn't hard to imagine that she was likely looking for her out there, though. 

"Yes, you may", he started to say, but by then the girl was out cold. Exhaustion had finally caught up with her after making her way here. Xunatar cradled his youngest
daughter in his arms and drew in the shadows to swallow them both. Before long, they had slipped into one of the unoccupied rooms and it morphed into her liking, both in appearance and in possessions. He placed her into the bed and drew the covers on top of her. His hand slowly slid down her cheek before he drew up one more thing, a stuffed white fox toy and placed it beside her. A special little toy that would allow him to see through its eyes in case he was needed, and then some. A silver bell was also brought out so that if she rang it, he would know to come there immediately.   

"Dream, Akira. Dream far from this cruel land and think of beautiful things." His last words for the night for her before he slipped away. 

Her slumber lasted long, a solid fifteen hours at the bare minimum. So deep she was that there were no dreams, despite her father’s whispered words and desires. Groggily, the child opened her eyes and found herself in a room she had never seen before. The walls were painted as a forest, the sun shining through the branches. Furniture had etched ivy circling and entwining around itself. Contrary to the earthy browns and greens, her bedding was stark white in comparison. It felt soft like a fluffy cloud.

For a moment, she burrowed deeper in the covers, relishing the feel of warmth and softness. Her bed back home was nowhere near this way. This was bringing back memories of Celeste and Larka, and naturally the end of Celeste herself. She could not fight the tears that burst forth, the pain she felt at the loss. When she realized she was not alone in the bed, the other occupant being a stuffed fox, Akira pulled it into a tight hug, still crying her poor little heart out.

When she was quieting down, sniffling as she tried to catch her breath, there was a rustling from the corner that caught her attention. Peeking out from the covers, she noticed a gilded cage. Inside was perched a small rainbow phoenix, about the size of a pixie. Fox tucked under her arm, the child slowly crawled from under the blankets and made her way over to the cage, releasing the phoenix. Peals of giggles filled her room as the phoenix flew in circles around her before landing on a dresser. Akira then took some time to wander through the room, fingers trailing over every surface.

The child came to a silver bell. As most children would, she lifted the bell and gave it a ring to hear the sound. With a smile, she set it down. ”Shiny.” He had set up this room just for her. Did he know she may need some place to stay? She turned and saw her father standing there. How long had he been there? ”Morning Daddy. Time to eat? Um…” Akira remembered the long trip here, though she wasn’t quite sure how she made it across the ocean. ”Akira have clean clothes?”

And so did the child slept, a long slumber that she had needed given her situation. While Xunatar still barely knew things about her, he figured that she would learn and grow from the experience, though she wouldn’t take comfort in it. Akira was still so young and already knew more about the world’s working than most of her siblings when they were her age. Whether her sleep was peaceful or not could be said by him- dreams were out of his jurisdiction. All he could do was be ready to hear the bell toll for him as he slipped away to his own ventures.

When the ringing arrived upon his ears, the God had been on the beaches, looking for more of the special metal for Scarlett. A pile of thick, dark metal was tucked under his arm when he heard the summons and soon appeared before the girl in her wonderland like room.

His eyes settled upon his daughter with a genuine smile on his lips. “Good morning, child.” She seemed in a far better mood than the other day, or perhaps it hadn’t just hit her yet. No, he could see that her face still had some remnants of the trails that her crying had left. But with the wonders of the room, as well seeing the fox he had gifted her, it seemed as though her mind was taken away from the painful subject.

Closing his eyes, the girl would now notice that her previous kimono, which was neatly folded on her bed, was replaced with that of a pink one with white trimmings. There was a distinctive smell that came from it, one that smelled of cherry blossoms. Xunatar looked to her feathery new friend, “I see that you have fine taste, my dear Akira.” Holding out his hand to her, he would lead her through his home. The shadows were chased away from them by the ever constant appearance of Coldfire, burning brightly in its bluish hue. Through the wave of hallways and corridors, they arrived in the main hall where he summoned forth a feast- fruits of all sorts of colors and sizes, cooked ham and eggs, warm slices of bread, cheeses, sausages, and pitchers filled with milk and juices and a pot full of tea.

“Enjoy, Akira.”

Xunatar released his hold so that she could enjoy the breakfast and even went to join her though he didn’t require substance these days. A slice of cheese and bread was taken and joined with his fangs as he chewed, keeping a close eye on her as well.

She smiled with amazement as the new garment appeared, her old one mysteriously folded on the bed. Akira looked at herself and twirled happily. It was noticed when he glanced at her rainbow phoenix. ”Thank you, daddy.” His hand was happily accepted, her free hand still clutching the new fox toy protectively to her chest. While they walked, the child’s eyes wondered the hallways, admiring everything. This was not her first time in his home, but it was still a new concept that he was her father, and he was powerful and strong.

However, when they made it to the dining room, and Xunatar summoned the feast, Akira paused in her tracks. She had never seen such large helpings of food on one table with so few people to enjoy it. A frown creased her brow as she tried to comprehend the emotions she felt at the sight. ”I can't eat that much.” Did he eat like this all the time? And it clicked. Her entire life she spent alone, struggling to survive with so little food, and here he ate in abundance in solitude. Somehow, this made her think of all the hungry children just like herself, fighting for food exactly as Akira had.

Akira took a step back, not feeling right to even enjoy one morsel of the feast. ”Daddy eat like this all the time? What about kids like Akira? Hungry and alone. Some die, some become bad people to live…” Her voice was soft, confused as she hugged the fox tighter. While her heart twisted with empathy, her stomach rumbled with hunger, demanding sustenance to replace what she had nearly depleted. Stubbornly, she refused to walk forward, to give into temptation. Bad things always happened back in Vilpamolan. Somehow, that lesson was snaking it's way into this situation.

Akira, being as young as she was, didn’t quite understand why he had set forth a large spread for her. He hadn’t been in her life until recently, and he didn’t know what she preferred. The god hadn’t thought to ask her of what she’d want to eat. The god looked to her with some confusion written onto his expression as he ceased to eat the bread and cheese and looked at her. She’d had a rough life from the bits and pieces that he knew of her; so to be thrown into such lavish environments and possibly have everything she could ever have as much of a culture shock for the poor thing.

“No, I do not require food, at least not now”, he said with some care. “I didn’t think you’d be able to eat all of this either, but I didn’t know of what you wanted to eat, so I figured to give you the option of picking the things you’d like.” Her further questions only serve to have him ponder whether this was from her or from her adopted mothers. He supposes, in all fairness, he hadn’t been the one to raise her even though he didn’t know of her existence at the time. Would he have cared to, back then? He wasn’t sure if his younger self would have taken the responsibility. Still, he did feel the pang of guilty because she was the youngest of his children and she had to endure much without his guidance.

“We all have to do things in order to survive, my dearest. Sometimes, a person can be driven to do bad things in order to survive. I’m sure you have seen a good deal of it yourself. It is unfortunate that there are many that suffer, but this world can be kind to some and cruel to others.” He stood back up slowly approached one of the long windows and beckoned her to come to look outside. “There’s much that I should have taught you, of how to survive against the waves of oppression and hardship. If only your mother had told me of you, but I am to blame for that. I hadn’t stayed long in the city she lived in and knew nothing about your birth.”

Perhaps she didn’t fully trust him, which would be both wise and understandable. “Akira, you are neither dead or bad, you are a survivor. Many your age don’t make it long by themselves without either one of those things happening. I may be called bad by some people, but even I am incapable of doing some things, like harming you or your siblings.”