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*Mystina growled, turning around and walking over to him, pressing up against him making sure his feathers and clothing wound up wet too* You jerk.... why cold water?! you could have made it warm! *She doesn't even NOTICE the fact she's in a white t-shirt and...is rather indecent*

*Mystina laughed and grinned* Let's go home for a bit so Aetas doesn't smite us... *she smirked, her anger fading away*

Sent stared at Tac, trembling, "b...But I may never see her again...at all." Tac nodded, "Thats a possibility, yes, but you must also realize that each time I fade out from the Brink, there's the chance I'll never return. Think about that before you start telling me I don't understand. Each and every single time I've been there recently, she hasn't. Besides...I'm sure Aetas can help. Go ask...and, um, while you're there, give him this." A piece of folded paper found its way to Sent's hand as he slowly stood, "What...?" Tac shook his head, "Don't open it. Its personal. As he's the same person as me I don't feel too bad about him reading and translating it. And Sent, don't worry about it, I'm sure you'll see her again some day. Likely not here...but you will."

Outside the Old Man was long gone, nearly ten days had passed since Sent last saw Mystina, trying to occupy himself with taking the Old Man's place, but now he was being given the oppurtunity to go to her...see his child born. He looked to the door, and then back at Tac, "But what abou..." Tac interupted, "It wasn't meant to be. I'll just have to hope I have the time. So it goes. Go to her. Be with her. Support her. Be a better man for her than I can be for Cora."

High above Aetas sat in his private chamber shaking his head. He sighed, thinking aloud, "Such a naive way of thinking. He'll learn. He'll learn. Hell, it'll only be another minute or so."

Tac slowly began to materialize, laying down in the center of the Twelve Doors, all his clothes discarded. His holster and grenade belt lay on the ground not far from him as he was rudely awakened by the cold stone floors and the familiar echo and ring that filled his ears. For a brief moment he was numb to his thoughts, nothing coming through, but as he sat up he drew his legs in, the memory of what happened the night before washing over him. Her face...her clothes...her hair. He had always known somehow he would have to face a harsh reality as what happened to her, but he never could have imagined he'd experience it so soon. He simply couldn't take it...they had destroyed her, and when she went back, they'd finish the job.

He slowly stood, floating off the ground as the very air around him began to bend, condense, and contort. Even light was drawn to him as the gravity field around him skyrocketed to insane strength. Everything began to distort as the light reflected from the surfaces was distorted and even the air in the room began to condense before him. A vaccuum pulled through the Tower as air rushed down to fill the space of the air that was being drawn to him. He was left in darkness as his anger began to erupt from within him...

Tac unloaded several clips worth of ammo into Aetas's face, the rage not subsiding. Cari and Orcanus finally cut him off, so he kneeled down and began bashing Aetas's face in, again and again and again. Orange and green blood covered the white marble floor, smoke slowly rising as Tac finally fell back, too exhausted to continue. Regardless, he kept trying to hit at Aetas in any way possible, the gravity holding him down subsiding as well.

Aetas slowly stood, looking down at his avatar behind a shattered visage, blood plastered over his clothes and dripping from his mangled face. He shook his head slowly, "Tac...you know I can't. Everything will be fine. You'll see her again, I guarantee you that fact." Tac could do nothing but cry.

Aetas rubbed his temples for a moment before turning to look at Tac, his face hanging off his skull as the exit wound exploded outward. The hanging pieces jiggled and swung back and forth as he spoke, "Tacitus 'Jordan Daize' Nusradai, how many times do I have to tell you no?" Tac narrowed his eyes at the god, "Until you give in. Don't call me Jordan." Aetas slowly stood and walked towards Tac, "I can't allow you to see her world. If you went as you are, or in your next body, your rage would boil over and you'd wipe out any chance her world has at salvation." Tac tried to punch him in the face, but Aetas caught his hand. Tac strained against the god's superior might, "You can't expect me to sit idly by knowing what they will do to her." Aetas threw him back, "You have no idea what will happen. I know, I've seen it. I even visited her world myself. I watched everything that poor woman had to endure. I feel just the same way you do, but plans are in place and I simply can't let you go right now." Tac righted himself with a shift in gravity, landing on his feet and unloading several more clips into what should be Aetas' left eye, producing little result. Tac dropped his weapons, breathing heavily, "You. Are. The god of Time! When it happens shouldn't matter!" Aetas conceeded to this fact, "Yes, but not just yet. Soon, but you won't be going. In time you will know, you'll know everything. You must have patience when dealing with Time." Tac let out a sigh as he slumped to the ground, "Now I know why people hate us." He looked back up to the god, voice shifting to Jordan's, "But I swear ta god, if ya don't keep yo promise to us, we'll kill ya."

Nearly a month later, or so it seemed, Tacitus and Aetas were once again in the Chronos Tower, sitting opposite one another, staring from the comfort of the rather large chairs. The tower had rebuilt itself and had begun to send out a beacon of sorts, drawing beings of temporal energies to the Tower in hopes of one day being able to open it to all, or at least anchor it on a single plane.

For the second time...a door opened.