Bro, I'm not an Undead!

It was hard to fathom that this mansion – Darwel's mansion – had once been brutalised during a war that started and ended overnight days ago; a war that barely lasted a few hours.

The dents and scars of history had been erased indeed.

As Skullius warped inside from the roof into a lavish hall that spotted more green than gold, with air so fresh that even the Hybrid Warmoth had to applaud its purity, he felt someone approach him. Said someone must have been waiting for him eagerly all along. There was passion in their steps.

A slender set of arms wrapped around Skullius' shoulders from behind. His nimbus turned faint to allow the individual purchase. It was a she, of course. Darwel pressed herself against Skullius' back and gave a comfortable moan.

"Did I keep you waiting for too long?" he asked.

"I can hardly be the one to complain, hogging you to myself, when you are the one who is going to decide whether the world ends or not," Darwel said with a bright smile.

"Don't feed my ego. It's not all up to me. Many others can determine Direction better than me."

"Oh yeah? Then how come it's only you who's been contact with Deity after Deity and making favourable terms with them?"

Skullius frowned and turned to grab her around the waist. He liked the way her skin felt through the silken gown she was wearing.

"Who says I'm the only one?" he said to her, drawing his face close to hers.

"I can't factor in the things I don't see now can I? I only value what's in front of me," Darwel said, smiling as she met his eyes.

"You know what? Fair enough. I could use a little boost to my esteem. Three women I know didn't play nice with it over the last hour or so. Keep stoking my flames."

Darwel laughed. The brand on her forehead, golden and star-like seemed to beam as bright as her mood.

A silence stole the moment between the two. Darwel took Skullius' upper right hand in hers and locked their fingers.

"It's almost time for this to end, isn't it?" she said, a majority of her joy slumping. "What I wouldn't give to pretend as though I was going to be by your side forever just for a little while longer. I haven't felt this relevant to someone in a long time."

To this, Skullius failed to find a suitable response. Uyuniya never did give him tips for how to handle a woman's sad heart.

And no, his subordinates didn't count. In Skullius' mind, Kintar hardly counted for a woman. She was a little monster constantly whispering dark, unfunny things in his ear. Pherdanta was as much a part of him as his shadow – however much he tried to change her role. Yuyui might have been that one funny bone Skullius once had, given human form. Elita was like that one buddy of his he didn't know he really needed until recently, especially in these dark times.

Darwel was different.

"I can't escape what I've shared with you, no matter what I'd like to call it – duty, necessity, or whatever else," Skullius said, pushing away strands of Darwel's hair from her face. "You're a part of me now, just as I'm a part of you. I'm just not sure what I'd call you yet." He smiled. "Mother of my children counts though, I suppose. Works as a start."

Darwel agreed with a broad smile.

"That does work," she said, and kissed another one of his hands as it brushed against her cheek. "Are you still certain?" She looked up at him. "I think the kids would like to see you before everything begins. They were very aware of their surroundings."

Skullius felt heavy with conflict immediately.

Someone reading this part of his tale might have been confused as to what Darwel meant, but assuredly, there was no mistake.

Darwel had given birth some dozen minutes after Skullius shared with her his seed.

How?

Well, Maximum Catalyst might have been the most inventive and versatile ability Skullius had ever created.

Accelerating the growth of a fertilised egg was a trifle for it, especially when it was in the womb of a Master Stage expert like Darwel. She was not harmed at all during the process, and in less than a minute after Skullius worked his magic, she had given birth to twins.

Skullius had been unwilling to meet these children, however. Shortly after they were born, something hidden somewhere in his fractured cordon of memories throbbed, jolted by the familiar bundles of life. Skullius had feared the odd sensation would trigger Doom Factor 2 and had thus warped away.

He'd also been afraid of what this meant for him. These children weren't only bargaining chips for his talks with Luserus, after all. They were life that he had helped create.

The current Skullius, with his view on how precious life was, was torn.

It didn't help that he meant to contradict this very view of his, hammered into him by Actuass and Allora's death, by committing something heinous in order to defeat Fulgardt.

Thus, even now, his soul couldn't handle seeing his progeny. Not yet.

Darwel could see the conflict in his eyes. She couldn't understand what it was, but all the same, she didn't press the issue.

"It's alright," she said, stroking Skullius' chin with a finger. "At the very least, can you promise me that you won't die before introducing yourself? I've heard men get stronger after a bit of first-time sex." She chuckled. "That should help you return alive, shouldn't it?"

Skullius gave a sniffy laugh.

"You… You're crazy," he said, shaking his head. "But I do feel a little riled up. I'll give them all hell."

"Good," said Darwel and she gave him a passionate kiss. Skullius returned her zeal with his own. He didn't expect to have a romantic experience like this after today. Not with Darwel, at least.

After the two shared the heated passion, Skullius swiped a hand behind Darwel, and a rift into the Empyrean Bosom appeared.

Only Darwel had remained after every other human, Sif and beast was warped away. Skullius hadn't wanted to dismiss her so brusquely when Suzamete had arrived to speak to him.

Seven Strawlers were waiting for Darwel on the other side of the rift.

"Make sure she gets a nice place of her own in the Hatcher," Skullius commanded them as Darwel drew away from him. The Strawlers acknowledged.

Darwel gave one last weighty look to the Hybrid Warmoth before disappearing into the Bosom.

Skullius sighed afterwards, happy to have a moment to himself again.

"These relations are complicated," he remarked and buried the thoughts about his children under mounds of the schemes he had planned.

Indeed, he could consider taking a peek at the twins after this was all done and decided whether or not he could really call himself a father.

It was an odd term. No amount of terrestrial memories of the fathers he'd killed could make him appreciate the experience wirelessly.

'What in the world am I doing? What would Bonet say if he found out? Would he even be able to comprehend the concept of children?' he thought gravely before telling himself to focus on strategy.

"Masterrrrrrrrrrrr!" a dragged-out voice suddenly rang right then, irritating the Null living heck out of Skullius.

Kintar popped out from a corner somewhere, floating gracefully in the air. Weaver and Sila followed behind her.

"That was so touching. So sweet! How come you never speak to me like that?" Kintar said, feigning pain in her chest. Her little oval-shaped eyes, drawn into crescents told of the lies and mirth.

"One more fleshing sentence out of you, and I swear I'll kill you," Skullius warned.

Kintar grinned, but remained silent.

…For a while.

"Since Darwel's clearly out of the picture, how about I take a shot at being your wif—"

Skullius killed her.