Slady finds herself in a sanctuary, located in her own mind. Now facing Truth.
"Do you still feel bad, Truth?" He asks.
"No, thank you."
Truth says, feeling calmer.
"I know you don't like it when I kick you out..."
Slady walks over to her, sitting next to the Destroyer.
"But it's the only efficient way to not make you suffer."
"Slady..."
Truth stands next to Slady, resting her head on his shoulder, watching the sunset in his mind.
"I don't like being an emotional person, but I can't be without you around, whether it's in our mental world or me just appearing in your mind in the external world. We're empty without each other."
Truth turns her head toward Slady.
"Just don't do that again, you're the only friend I have."
She hugs Slady, even though she doesn't feel his body in her gesture, it seems to do the Destroyer of Truth good.
"Promise."
Slady puts his bionic arm around her chest, caressing the area in an intimate and innocent gesture. Maybe, more often, it would be good for him to visit Truth in person.
***
Suddenly, Slady feels a weight and a familiar smell near him, opening his eyes, as if he had come out of a deep sleep.
It was Shaphira, sitting on his lap and with her tail moving.
"Dad, they're here again..."
She points to Faller and Victoria, who were sleeping spooned on the couch.
"Yes, they're good people. You shouldn't worry."
Shaphira nodded, just staying on his lap.
A few minutes later, Faller wakes up, feeling his wife's arm wrapping around his bare chest. Looking around, he sees Slady in the kitchen, preparing food, and Shaphira, who was leaning on his shoulders, learning from him.
"That demon..."
Faller mutters to himself, but does nothing, remembering Slady's warning from a few days ago...
***
"Don't ever attack her again, or I'll kill you."
***
Shaphira seemed to notice Faller waking up, seeming to cling tighter to Slady in a gesture of protection.
"..."
Faller noticed Shaphira's protection of Slady, he had never seen such a "human" Renkai Creature, so for him it was very impressive.
"Cough-cough!"
He coughs on purpose to get Slady's attention, who looks towards Faller.
"Are you awake?" he asked, expressionless.
"Yes..."
Faller seemed hesitant, but gathered his courage and asked.
"Is this 'thing' dangerous?"
He asked, not wanting to be disrespectful, but not knowing quite how to describe the Renkai Creature.
"Hey!!"
Shaphira didn't like being called a "thing", but ended up being silenced by Slady, who placed his hand over her lips and spoke in her place.
"She's my daughter. She may be a Renkai Creature, but she's as good as any human."
Shaphira seemed to be happy with his praise and care for her, like a little girl who loves her father's approval.
"Thank you..."
Faller watches their relationship, giving a small smile. Then he puts on his shirt and gives a quick kiss on Victoria's cheek, who remained asleep. Standing up and walking over to the two.
"Maybe we..."
He refers to himself and Slady and Shaphira.
"We haven't had the best interaction so far, but I want to fix that."
He extends his hand to Slady with a friendly smile.
"I'd like to invite you and your daughter to have a drink with me and my wife."
Slady looks Faller straight in the eyes, reading his intentions through his eyes. But she realized it was a genuine invitation.
"People might not want Shaphira around Libretanhya, it's better to be at night at La Taberna."
He shakes Faller's hand. After greeting him, he extends his hand to Shaphira, who hesitated a little, but upon seeing Slady's approval, she also shakes it politely.
***
At night, Slady was sitting on the bed, Shaphira was only in her underwear, completely comfortable in his presence, showing him some dresses.
"Which one do you prefer me to wear, dad? I want to look really pretty."
Shaphira smiles, excited. Slady just analyzed them neutrally. "To me, you look good in all of them. Just wear whatever you want."
Shaphira pouted, but nodded, then put on the dress she liked, twirling around.
"I like this one, I'll wear it."
She sat on Slady's lap, hugging him.
"Do I look pretty?"
She moved away a little, still with her arms around Slady's neck, letting him see her appearance more clearly.
"You look, really pretty."
Slady said sincerely, he picked up a small flower petal and placed it in her hair. Shaphira seemed to like it a lot, her tail wagging more excitedly, rubbing against Slady's face.
"I want to go hand in hand."
"Okay..."
***
In Libretanhya, at night, the two were walking. Shaphira held Slady's hand in an intertwined manner, seeming to have found the huge city beautiful.
"Why have you never taken me here, father?"
"Humans are bad with Renkai Creatures, they could make her feel uncomfortable."
Shaphira looked at Slady, a little sad, but she knew it was true.
"I know... but can we go out once in a while, at night?"
Slady seemed thoughtful, this could interfere with his mercenary work, but he also wanted to be able to see Shaphira happy.
"No problem, but once in a while, okay?"
"Okay."
She hugged Slady's normal arm, leaving it between her breasts. He didn't mind, letting her get closer as she wanted.
Upon arriving at La Taberna, Slady finds the place "empty", with only Faller, who was already drinking beer with Victoria, where the couple was competing over who would drink the most.
"I'll always beat you, love." Victoria says, taking another sip.
"If I win, I'll have a reward tonight." Faller says with a mischievous but also loving smile.
Slady covered Shaphira's furry ears, who didn't object to the gesture. Raizer looked at him, drying some glasses, giving a friendly smile.
"Look if it isn't Slady with his princess!"
Faller and Victoria look at Slady, looking excited.
"How beautiful!"
Victoria approached, giving Shaphira a gentle squeeze on the cheek, finding her very cute and delicate. She felt uncomfortable with the touch on her face from someone other than Slady, politely moving Victoria's hand away from her face and hiding it in Slady's chest.
"..."
Slady noticed Shaphira's discomfort, placing her hand on her head. Victoria also noticed, feeling a little guilty.
"Sorry."
"No problem, you didn't do anything wrong."
After Slady greeted everyone, he sat down on a bench and Shaphira sat on his lap, feeling more comfortable being close to him. Raizer, Faller and Victoria looked at the scene, amazed at Shaphira's trust in Slady.
"Your girl is beautiful, isn't she, Slady?"
Raizer said with a small laugh, Slady nodded in agreement
"How cute..."
Victoria muttered to herself, having never seen a Renkai Creature so obedient and "human". Faller just stood there in silence, admiring the father-daughter relationship between the two.
Suddenly...
"Uncle Slady and sister Shaphira?!"
Elisa appears from the second floor, running towards the two and jumping into Slady's lap, hugging him and Shaphira, who also returned the gesture. To Shaphira and Elisa, they were like sisters and best friends.
The rest of the group laughs when they see Slady having to hold the two young women in his lap.
"You're going to kill Slady like that, Elisa!"
Raizer says, not really angry, he just wanted to warn his daughter.
"Sorry, Uncle Slady!"
Elisa says. Then she rests on his lap, snuggled up to him and Shaphira. It seems that the two were comfortable sitting on each of Slady's legs.
Victoria and Faller were already laughing, seeming to enjoy Slady's torment, Raizer just laughed lightly, seeming happy to have his friend there.
"You should rest with the girls, Slady." Raizer says, taking a sip of his wine.
"Oh, great idea, Father!"
Elisa says, getting off Slady's lap and pulling him and Shaphira to her room on the second floor. Shaphira smiles, wanting to enjoy the moment with her best friend and Slady just lets himself be dragged there.
Seeing that both of them are gone, Raizer lets out a sigh, Faller and Victoria look at him, confused by the sigh.
"Do you need something, Mister Raizer?" Faller asks.
"No, I was just observing things. It's good to see you so... relaxed."
"Slady?" Victoria asks.
"Yes." Raizer says, pouring more beer for the couple.
"He always seems to be carrying a huge weight, so I'm glad my daughter and his daughter make him feel better.
"You seem to have known him for a while, don't you?" Faller asks, taking more sips of beer.
"Yes, for a long time..." Raizer says, placing his wine glass to the side.
"You guys seem curious about Slady, why?" Raizer says in a low tone.
"Well, you've known him for a long time, we'd like to know more about him from you." Victoria says.
"Hmmmm..." Raizer puts his hand on his chin, then decides to be honest.
"Slady... is a confusing guy to understand."
"What do you mean, 'confused'?" Faller asks.
"He's a man who seems very cold and closed off at first glance, but in reality, he's very innocent." Raizer says.
"But also, he's someone you shouldn't mess with."
Raizer's expression darkens, Faller and Victoria They become even more confused, asking again.
"What do you mean? Is he dangerous?" Victoria asks.
"No, Slady is someone very trustworthy, but he is completely intolerant of bad people and traitors..."
"And also, like you and me, he is also a *Hunter of Destruction*."
Faller and Victoria are surprised, but they don't seem to be that surprised.
"That's why he managed to stop my attack..." Faller mutters to himself.
"Attack?" Raizer asks.
"Yes, I had attacked his daughter when we first met... I thought she was a Renkai Creature." Faller says, feeling regretful.
Raizer chuckled, although he was a little nervous too.
"You were lucky you didn't die, Slady may be the only human I know who isn't capable of *Awakening the Mana Releaser*, but he is a real monster when it comes to being smart."
Faller and Victoria listened carefully to the words, being shocked.
"Wait... he didn't Do you have a Mana Releaser?"
Faller stands up, placing his hand on the counter.
"That's impossible, all humans have a Mana Releaser, even if it takes them a while to awaken it."
Victoria says, equally shocked and standing up next to Faller.
"I'm not lying, Slady doesn't have a Mana Releaser. But don't underestimate him, he's no joke." Raizer said.
The couple nodded, but Faller seemed to have one last doubt about Slady.
"Although Shaphira is clearly not Slady's biological daughter, I still have one doubt..."
"Was this man different before he had this girl?"
Raizer was surprised by the question, then his expression darkened.
"We could say that Slady 'softened' after adopting Shaphira, back when he was a member of the Complexity Hunters, he was a true *killing machine*..."
***
A few years before the Second Renkai Awakening...
Raizer and Raintalya were on a mission to the Inferius Complex, where they had been warned that a Destroyer of Snow had been awakened. But as they wandered around the place, the Destroyer was nowhere to be found, until they heard crying in a cave covered in snow and ice.
Upon entering, the duo met Slady for the first time (his appearance was not that different from the current one). He was conducting an experiment with the Destroyer of Snow herself.
She was... crying? That was not normal.
(When humans come into contact with Renkai Energy in their bodies, they undergo the "Test of Sin". Their bodies undergo many effects, such as fatigue, pain, etc. Where, if the human gives in to "sin", they will turn into a demon.)
(But if the human resists all of this, they will become a Destroyer. But they undergo the second test: "The Test of Consciousness". Where they try to maintain their consciousness and not be dominated by the Renkai Energy, being the hardest part of becoming a Destroyer)
(But even with all of this, the human passes both tests, the Destroyer will be able to enjoy consciousness and be able to use the maximum potential of their power. This was the case of the Destroyer of Snow)
The woman was completely naked in front of Slady, lying on a flat rock and paralyzed. He ran his hand over the woman's face expressionlessly.
"I'm not going to hurt you, I just... want to understand you."
"What is this?!"
Raizer and Raintalya questioned at the same time, shocked by the scene. As they took a step into the cave, they stepped on a line that was almost invisible to the naked eye and several sharp ropes wrapped around the couple's bodies without them being able to react, hurting them a little and tearing some of their clothes.
As they fell to the ground, small stakes flew towards their necks, where they had a sleeping pill, which made them both fall asleep instantly. Slady looked at the two neutrally and looked back at the Destroyer of Snow.
"Anyway, just relax a little."
He put his hand on her hair, stroking it carefully.
"Shhhh..."
Despite her fear, the Destroyer of Snow felt calmer, surrendering to Slady's affection and rubbing her face against his hand.
"Don't hurt me... I'm not bad."
she murmurs with crystallized tears coming out of her eyes
"I won't, just rest."
Slady says as she looks at Raizer and Raintalya, murmuring to herself.
"I'll take care of you soon."
A while later, Raizer and Raintalya ended up waking up in a room, completely naked and their bodies is paralyzed, sitting on a chair. Saldy was in front of them, looking at them naturally.
"At last..." he sighs.
"WHO ARE YOU?!" Raizer asks, trying to move, failing.
"Why are we naked?"
Raintalya asks, embarrassed, looking at her husband's naked body, enjoying the view.
"That's not important, but it's easier to see if you're lying to me."
***
"Despite a terrible reception, that's how I met a good friend."
"Fuck..." Faller mutters
"But what happened to the Destroyer of Snow?"
Victoria asks, who was already leaning against Faller's chest. Raizer sighs.
"Although Slady took good care of her, she ended up dying in his arms. Maybe he had failed in something that caused the woman's end.
A heavy atmosphere remained in the tavern, Faller and Victoria seemed thoughtful.
"He must feel guilty, right?" Victoria asks.
"Yes, he must be. Slady would never hurt someone so innocent."
"Despite him being someone very strange and mysterious, Slady seems to be a good person after all."
Faller strokes Victoria's hair, who closed her eyes and lay with her head on his lap. Suddenly, the door opened, revealing Shaphira and Elisa, who were bringing Slady to the first floor, where the young women had made some changes to his appearance, tying his hair in a beautiful bun.
"Look at the change we made."
Elisa and Shaphira introduce Slady, who awkwardly struck a pose (probably taught by the two) and muttered to himself.
"I hate this..."