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Thorite wasn't sure how long he'd been running on and off, escaping from the Negaverse. Sure, nobody had tried to stop him or anything, but that was before anyone knew. He had a feeling they'd known very quickly after he'd left, somehow, if anyone came to his room after he'd gone. Hopefully he had a much larger head start than he thought, but he couldn't be too careful. Not with them.

There. Relief washed through him as he felt the first Order aura of the night. Thank G-d. What an opposite feeling compared to before this night, he thought to himself with a laugh. This time, it was someone who could help him. Not would fight him.

He veered towards it, ducking through different alleyways until he appeared at the mouth of the one the Order aura was in.

"Excuse me," he called out softly, holding his hands up in a show of surrender, "I, ********, how did he even say this? He suppressed a whine of fear and licked his lips. s**t. s**t s**t s**t. He should have had a better plan than this.

"I want out," he said, trying to make himself sound sure, and only speaking very loudly as a result. He cringed as it bounced off the walls.

"Of the Negaverse," he clarified half a second later, quieter this time. "Can you help? Or, uh, find someone who can?"

Ganymede was out enjoying the cool night air more than she was patrolling the streets, letting her mind wander here and there — from old memories that weren’t quite her own, to their recent alien guests. As the days crept ever closer to a way that may free them all from Metallia, there was much to consider, and much more to prepare for.

The message came from a familiar source, the request itself even more familiar. A Lieutenant, this time. New, then, and already weary of it. Or kept subordinate longer than most, a pawn in Metallia’s vast army.

As always, there was an inkling of suspicion, the thought that this might be a trap, a way to lure her in and trap her, but if Fólkvangr vouched for them, then Ganymede would heed the call. (She would heed the call no matter what, truth be told, just a little more on her guard had the request come from a less known ally.) She sent back a quick, ‘On my way,’ and turned to make the journey.

The distance was not difficult to cross. Their auras were out of range on her mental radar when she received the message, but not for long. The extra boost of speed that came with being an Eternal helped her find them relatively quickly.

Ganymede was watchful when she arrived. She observed her surroundings, made sure they were alone, then offered a comforting smile to the nervous Lieutenant.

“Hello,” she said, approaching slowly, letting the Lieutenant get a feel for her aura. It was pure and bright, and would soon be brighter. “It’s alright. I can help you.”

To demonstrate, she drew upon her power and assumed the white gown, silvery wings, and massive aura that marked her as a Princess.

Fólkvangr nodded. His explanation made perfect sense; her voice was soft when she explained--

"They took my whole family from me, before I got myself out." He needed to know, she thought,t hat he wasn't alone; that she, too, had made this same leap, once upon a time. Not even that long ago.

Yes, this Lieutenant was a stranger to her--but she didn't care. He was taking the biggest leap that could be managed, and choosing to run for the light, and he was only a Lieutenant--the darkness hadn't yet taken as powerful a hold of him as it had plenty of others she'd seen and known.

Her. Her brother. Her sister.

She put a steadying hand on his shoulder as Ganymede appeared, and the Princess's arrival made her relax. If anyone was going to ambush them, it would be now, but there was no one.

"Thank you," she said, softly, though she wasn't the one who really needed to thank Ganymede. Still, that she'd come at Fólkvangr's request made her feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Thorite exhaled softly. Killed her whole family? Geez.

"I left mine," he murmured, "They weren't... well. Couldn't be used as blackmail." Just leave it at that, he thought to himself. Folkvangr didn't need his life story. Especially since he was about to lose it.

Ganymede spoke to him and he finally lowered his arms, feeling a bit embarrassed from having held them up for so long.

"I'll do it," he said with fierce conviction. He'd take the pain and the loss, as long as it meant he didn't ever have to go into the Negaverse again. Ever. It was a cold, dark place.

He inhaled deeply as she stepped forward, and the pain felt like a sucker punch to the chest. He cried out, knees going weak, and he scrambled to keep himself upright, grabbing onto Ganymede's shoulders as the burning sensation ate at him.

Soon enough, it was over, and he dropped to the ground on his knees with a low groan.

<********, my head hurts," he hissed, slapping his palms to his temples in hopes the pressure would help. He didn't feel very good at all. Clean, in a way, but the pain lingered in ways he hadn't expected.

Still, he had enough presence of mind to crack an eye open (when had they closed??) and flash a weak smile up at Ganymede. "Thanks. Sorry for, uh. Falling on you."

Ganymede would have caught the Lieutenant, would have offered him more support than his hands on her shoulders, but she had to keep channeling magic through her crystal, had to make sure the purification was complete, that the Chaos was gone.

When he was no longer a Lieutenant, when Ganymede knew for sure that he was free, she reined in her power, banished her crystal, and quickly powered down to Eternal.

The substantial aura of a Princess was always a risk. The less time she spent in that form when there was no one and nothing around to dampen the effects, the better.

“Don't worry about me, I’m fine,” Ganymede said, offering Fólkvangr an appreciative smile. She wobbled a bit and adjusted her feet to steady herself, shifting her weight as she got her bearings.

Purifications always took a lot out of her, but they were worth a little fatigue.

Slowly, Ganymede lowered herself to her knees so she was level with the new Squire. “I’m sorry for the pain. If I could take it away, I would. You’re safe now. If you need a place to stay while you’re getting back on your feet, I can help with that, too.”

That he was a Squire of Cosmos earned a briefly sour look, but Ganymede’s expression smoothed out quickly. “It’s a shame Cosmos couldn’t be here for this, at least to meet you. I haven’t heard if anyone’s been able to contact her recently.”