"She's right," Hugo said. He was looking at the flames crackling in the fireplace. "It's almost gotten you killed."

Matt held up his hands because he figured he needed to shut any potential bad discussion down. "Well, let's talk about that later. Point is, I just wanted to make sure we weren't leaving Soma high and dry."

"He's fine," Hugo said. "He's got a team to help him out."

"I dunno about that, he doesn't want to get Hammer and Yoko involved, it seems," Alasea said, frowning. "Chances are he probably only tolerates Arikado and Julius, but hell, those two are on their own in the castle too."

"We don't really have a choice," R.D. pointed out. "I don't like leaving him if he needs help, but we've got to get a move on now that we've got the Essence here."

"I know... doesn't mean I have to like it, though," Alasea sighed.

"I ain't leaving just yet," Matt said, twirling a hand around. "I'm taking a break from getting my ass kicked by big green dudes."

"Ileyna's still passed out anyway," R.D. said. The girl was sleeping soundly, curled up on the couch.

Matt looked at the little girl, all tuckered out. "Oh, I ain't gonna move that," he said, smiling. "Let her sleep for a while."

Alasea nodded, turning back to the door. "Alright then. I'm gonna go back and see if we can do anything else about Soma."

Yoko and Alasea spent an hour on the problem and cracked none of it. They simply couldn't find any sign to be concerned about. Finally, Yoko closed her book with one hand and released a frustrated sigh. "I don't know, Alasea. So far Soma seems perfectly normal. Well, for someone with his kind of abilities, at least."

Alasea slumped back and sighed. "Maybe Soma's right and the souls inside of him already destroyed whatever Dmitrii did to him," she admitted. "But it still bothers me that there's no trace of it. The spiritual world doesn't work that way."

She looked up at the ceiling, feeling annoyingly powerless. "Maybe I'm just worrying too much about this. Can't say I'm surprised," she admitted. "Anyone would be after seeing what state demonic corruption's left my world in."

Soma folded his hands. "You never really told me a lot about your world. What's it like?"

Alasea fell silent for several moments before speaking.

"Most signs of civilization have been destroyed," she started. "Roughly seventy percent of the world's population is dead. Africa had a large piece of it torn out of its center, and its a miracle the planet didn't destabilize because of it. Australia no longer exists, it was completely destroyed. Most of the planet is falling to corruption, and the gateways between the death netherworlds have been disrupted, allowing the souls of the dead to freely travel back to the mortal plane. The last bastion of human resistance was nearly destroyed, and they'll be lucky if they can mount any offensive in the near future."

"I'm sorry," Soma said. His gaze fell to the floorboards.

"Don't be," Alasea said kindly, placing a hand on top of his. "There's still people trying to fight for its survival, and we haven't lost yet. We'll keep fighting to the end if we have to."

Soma just nodded, more to himself than Alasea.

"Alasea!" Matt's voice shouted again. "Come here!"

"He sure likes to yell," Yoko said, looking annoyed.

"Be grateful you don't have to travel with him all the time," Alasea said with an aggravated sigh. She quickly exited the room. "What, Matt? What is so important you have to yell about it?"

Matt tapped the non-existent watch on his wrist. "Savin' the universe, last time I checked."

"What are you getting so antsy about?" Helena asked. Her wings wrapped around her arms to allow her to sit on the soft couch more easily. Pressed against her hip was Hugo, and she tapped her claws against his helmet.

"I wanna keep moving. We've been goofing off too much and now I'm starting to get worried about it."

All Alasea could do was blink. "You... feel bad about goofing off?" she all but sputtered. "Did the Apocalypse occur while I wasn't looking or something?"

Matt scoffed. "I can PRIORITIZE. I've just been thinking about it. Thinking of what might've happened while we messed around."

The girl sighed. "I must've stepped through a portal to an alternate dimension when I came through that door," she said, looking off to the side for a moment. "Let me go get my things and then we can get going. You need to wake Ileyna up anyway."

Helena reached over and placed her claw on Ileyna's little shoulder. "Ileyna," she said softly. "Wake up, we're about to go."

The girl's eyes fluttered open and she rubbed at them with the back of one hand. "Is it morning already?" she asked in a groggy voice.

Helena smiled. "No. It's still night. Come on, get your things together."

Oh, that was adorable. Well, as adorable as a mother figure with claws waking up a sleeping child could be, anyway. Matt stood up and stretched. Yeah...even he thought it was a bit strange to feel the need to rush, especially after the vacation they took after defeating Commander Komodo. But he was a paranoid guy, and, well, he was always great at predicting trouble. Their pace only served to make it worse.

Ileyna grumbled a bit as she got off the couch, still rubbing at her eyes, and in a few moments, Alasea returned with Yoko and Soma in tow.

"Guess we're all set to leave now, huh?" R.D. commented, standing up from the wall he'd been leaning on.

"Pretty much," Matt said.

"Hold on, you're leavin'?!" Hammer stormed into the room from the kitchen - the beefy ex-soldier was currently using his manly arms to mix a large pot of chocolate frosting. "I haven't even finished the cake yet!"

Well, that was terribly emasculating. Matt slung his pack over his shoulder. "Sorry, Hammer, but we gotta roll. Worlds to save, you know?"

"Stay safe," Soma said. "It's tough out there."

"Don't we know it," R.D. said with a sigh.

"You guys gonna be okay?" Alasea asked, slinging her purse on her shoulder.

"We'll be fine," Yoko said, placing a hand on Soma's shoulder. "And Soma definitely won't be fighting alone. Me and the others will help him in any way we can."

Matt smiled a thin, professional kind of smile. "Well, it was good workin' with you again, Soma," he said, holding out his hand. "Good luck. And if you find Dario again...give him hell."

Soma grasped Matt's hand and shook it strongly. "I will."

R.D. shook Soma's hand next. "Let's hope next time we meet, its not in some demonic castle, alright?"

Soma chuckled. "Knowing my luck, we probably won't get that chance."

"Take care of yourselves," Alasea said, waving to the others as they departed. As the door closed, they heard one last bit of talk from R.D.

"--Dario didn't seem that bad, really--"

"He tried to kill you, R.D.," Hugo said as the crisp winter air surged over their scalps. "It doesn't matter who he is."

"Maybe we should've finished him off, too," Helena volunteered. "It would've only helped Soma in the long run."

"Yeah, I know," R.D. said, waving it off. He was reaching into his satchel to get out the Great Serpent's Scale. "He was only drunk on his own power. Take that away and give him a bit of rehabilitation, and who knows? Could turn out normal."

"Doesn't matter now," Alasea said. "I don't think that Celia witch wouldn't have allowed us to kill him anyway."