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 Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2026 8:53 am
Backdated to early January; follows Inheritance
He expected his friendly little alien friend to show up.
Instead, the Negaverse found him first.
It was the first time arriving early had ever gotten him in trouble.
He’d pried himself from the tree at the General’s command, or maybe because there was something a bit more steadying about having his feet on the ground.
It wouldn’t have mattered either way. If the General wanted to kill him, he could have.
Lyon had no friends on call. He didn’t think he could focus enough to make it up to his Wonder.
So, he played nice.
The General wanted him to listen. Lyon wanted to live.
He talked, not a lot, but Lyon hung off his every word anyway. When the General stepped closer–maybe trying to intimidate him–Lyon stepped back. It happened twice more. He didn’t have to pretend to be unnerved.
His heart was racing. It wasn’t cold enough to justify the trembles rippling through his body.
Lyon was just slightly shorter than a boy his age should be, but that was no excuse for the General to totally dwarf him. He'd been intimidating in the basement, not for his stature but for his skill.
Talking with him was different. It couldn't be said worse because no one had died, but the General had a way of taking up space that didn't belong to him, like a black hole .
Lyon wasn’t the sort to be scared easily but he didn’t try to suck up his fear and shove it down. The General seemed to like it, anyway. So Lyon didn’t mind giving him what he wanted. Let him think he was just a terrified Page, let him think that whole sword thing was a fluke.
It didn’t particularly matter to Lyon if the General thought he was a coward or not. He wasn’t trying to earn his praise or approval. He just wanted him to say his piece and leave.
…But the General was taking his time to get to the point.
And Aliez was going to be here any minute.
Lyon wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2026 8:55 am
Aliez didn’t know who the man was.
He’d expected to see Lyon alone beneath the oak, waiting. Maybe impatiently. Instead, he saw a stranger in a dark uniform standing much too close. Energy twisted around him in a way that put Aliez on edge. It wasn’t that he could feel his aura, but he didn’t need the alerts on his ComTech to start reacting for the hair on the back of his neck to rise.
Aliez took one silent step behind a separate large tree, heart hammering in his chest. He couldn’t identify the General, couldn’t calculate threat levels. All he had was instinct… and instinct told him Lyon was in danger.
He wasn’t supposed to interfere.
He wasn’t supposed to act against the Negaverse in any way.
But Lyon was shaking. And the man kept stepping closer.
Aliez’s breath caught in his throat. Although he was usually restlessly curious about things, it now twisted into something unsettling. He had questions that could wait. Lyon’s safety couldn’t.
“Holly,” he whispered, touching the pangolin on his shoulder. She unspooled like a living coil of metal, with tiny claws gripping his sleeve before she dropped soundlessly to the ground. Her optics flickered up at him, waiting.
“Shield only,” Aliez murmured. “And don’t let him see you.”
Holly chirped and slipped into the brush. Aliez pressed a shaking hand over his mouth, watching as the faint shimmer of a shield swept up around Lyon.
Aliez stayed in the shadows, heart racing. He had no idea what would happen if the stranger came looking for him. Lyndin could protect him from the fallout later, from the politics and accusations -- but not from a blade in the present. Not from someone as strong as this man seemed to be.
Please don’t notice her, Aliez quietly thought to himself, barely breathing. Please just leave.
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2026 8:55 am
The shield went up.
The General obviously hadn’t been expecting this, but he judged by Lyon’s expression that neither had he.
“Interesting,” the General commented, intrigued but not happy.
He stretched out one finger, tracing it slowly along the shield’s exterior. “Did you do this?”
“I’m still learning,” Lyon said quickly. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
"Clearly."
The General's hand dropped and he took a step back, not in retreat, but in conclusion.
He hadn't summoned his sword. Didn't need to. Lyon wasn't much of a threat, even if this impromptu shield was a curiosity.
But, there were many types of magic in this world. This wasn't so unique. The General must have contemplated hitting it just to see how many blows it took to shatter it, but when it seemed like a wasted effort, he simply shrugged.
His cold eyes saw past Lyon, into the distant treelines. He scanned the area with no urgency. Anyone watching him would have mistaken it for boredom--Lyon, included.
"You made your point," Lyon insisted, drawing the man's attention back to him. "Can I please go? I'm sorry for breaking your desk. It won't happen again."
The General must have thought him stupid--because, obviously there would be no further desk breaking. Once was enough.
But Lyon had served his purpose.
A silent corpse would pass no messages.
"Go," the General commanded, tilting his head as if to direct his dismissal.
Lyon could take a hint. He offered no gratitude nor any lingering words.
The General was letting him go--so he hurried away. Not towards anywhere in particular. Away.
That shield wasn't his. It wasn't any of the Lysithean shields.
The only person who should be around here was Aliez, and--well, they were friends, weren't they? If Aliez had his back, Lyon should return the favor. Which meant not shouting out into the shadows to find him.
He hurried into the trees, not with any real destination in mind. 'Away' was good enough.
But he needed to get further away. Preferably with Aliez. If he could just find him, without drawing the General's attention.
He felt the General's eyes on his back, and when those were gone, he still felt his aura--and then finally, a moment later, that was gone, too.
Lyon rested against a tree. His legs were shaking, which was really pathetic. He bent forward and pressed his hands to his knees as if to force them to be still.
"Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck."
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2026 8:56 am
Aliez didn’t move. Not even when the General traced a finger across Holly’s shield. Not even when Lyon lied for him, or when the stranger’s eyes swept across the area like he was searching for something he couldn’t quite sense.
Aliez stayed frozen behind the tree, his breath held so tight that his lungs hurt.
Only when it seemed like the General’s oppressive presence seemed to dissipate that Aliez dared to move again.
He tapped his ComTech with trembling fingers. A silent scan rippled from it. No high level Negaverse signature within the search parameters. When the display dimmed, Aliez finally let himself take a shaky, almost painful breath.
“Holly,” he whispered.
The mechanical pangolin slipped out from the brush moments later, her tail curled protectively around herself. She skittered up to him, pressing her armored head against his shin before climbing up his pant leg with ease. Aliez scooped her into his hands immediately, holding her close for a moment longer than necessary.
“Good girl,” he breathed, voice barely there. “Thank you.”
When he stepped out from behind the tree, his knees nearly buckled. He forced them steady, his Vanguard training kicking in despite the lingering tremors. Holly perched on his shoulder, scanning with him, little optics moving quickly over the area as if she understood the urgency.
He found Lyon several yards away.
Aliez hesitated for just a moment, still scared and unsure if another threat lingered, but concern pulled him before rational thought could catch up.
“Lyon?” he called softly, stepping out of the shadows with both hands visible and empty. “Are you hurt?”
He crossed the last few feet quickly, but not recklessly, glancing over Lyon for signs of blood or other injury. His heart hadn’t stopped pounding.
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2026 8:56 am
Lyon’s head snapped up, eyes wide but not wholly alarmed. He exhaled, like the stress melted right out of his shoulders. “Oh, Aliez. Sorry, I would have warned you if I could.” He laughed–quick, dry–and forced himself to stand upright.
He pressed his back to the tree for support.
“I’m fine. I think he was just trying to scare me.”
He was trying to play it cool, but it had obviously worked.
Lyon flashed a mirthless smile.
“My friends and I ran into him a few nights ago. We were investigating a weird part of town. We just thought it was rumors, you know. We were having fun. It was supposed to be stupid. But turns out it was just some Nega lair and we were interrupting–I don’t know, something. We didn’t get any answers. He’s dangerous, don’t go near him.”
Releasing a shuddery breath, Lyon still didn’t push himself from the tree. “He hurt a bunch of us, real bad. I mean, I’m okay. But he killed–or almost killed?–two of my friends. I wasn’t trying to drag you into this though, sorry. I didn’t think–I don’t really know how he found me.”
He looked Aliez up and down. “Are you hurt?”
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2026 8:56 am
“No,” Aliez answered immediately. But too quickly, too shaky. After a moment, he corrected himself and tried again, softer. “Not physically.”
He stepped closer anyway, as if that would help confirm that Lyon was really standing there and breathing. His hands hovered for a moment, unsure if he was allowed to check, then lowered them again when he saw no blood.
“You shouldn’t apologize,” he murmured. “You didn’t drag me anywhere. I came because you’re my friend. And because--”
His throat felt tight, and his stomach twisted dangerously close to nausea.
“He was going to hurt you,” he whispered.
He knew he should be careful. The Vanguard’s alliance with the Negaverse was keeping them alive while they were on Earth. But he didn’t like how someone from the Negaverse looked at a teenager like he was… disposable.
“You said he attacked you before,” he said quietly. “And your friends. I should report this.” His voice was barely a whisper, and it was more to himself than to Lyon. Lyndin would know what to do, of course. But as quickly as the thought formed, he shook his head, eyes wide with realization. “No… No, I can’t. If I do, someone will trace where I was. What I saw. And if they start asking questions about you…”
He trailed off, letting out a shaky breath.
“I can’t risk anything leading back to you.”
He would talk to Vyn, to Andreiya. Surely they would know what to do. He wouldn’t involve Lyndin, not yet at least. Not until they understood the General’s role in all of this, or why his friend was being targeted.
“Are you sure you’re not hurt?” he asked again, gentler this time, but the fear behind the question was unmistakable. “Please don’t lie to make me feel better. I need to know.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2026 8:56 am
“Do I seem like the kind of guy who would lie to you? Come on,” Lyon said, drawing out the last word. He laughed, but it sounded like an aggressive effort to seem calmer than he was. The grin on his face was more real than not, and he didn’t try to hide the efforts he was going through to calm his breathing.
He patted himself over, checking for injuries. He knew there weren’t any. Nothing new, at least.
The General hadn’t touched him.
“He didn’t hurt me, no. I mean, not tonight. Worst I’ve got is some aches from when we ran into each other the other day. But, no. You came just in time. Thanks for that, by the way. I don’t really trust that he’s not going to be back. I don’t want to put you in danger.”
He talked quickly, unusual for Lyon who liked to take his time and savor the attention he garnered.
“So–don’t report anything. Please. I definitely don’t want you getting dragged into this. I know you’ve got your own s**t to to deal with, I don’t want you getting in their cross hairs. I’m fine. I mean, I feel like my heart’s trying to jump out of my chest, but I’m fine.”
He looked at Aliez very seriously and let his smile fall just a bit.
There was no performance this time. “I’m fine,” he repeated. “This just really isn't how I wanted tonight to go. I wanted to gossip and give you a present, not scare you.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2026 8:57 am
Aliez blinked at him. Slow, skeptical. Unconvinced.
“...Yes,” he said honestly. “You do seem like the kind of guy who would lie. You already did.”
There was no heat in his observation, just a blunt sort of Velencian logic. He wasn’t upset, just stating the data as he had it. But after a moment, his expression softened, because Lyon’s tone had shifted. The performance had dropped away, and Aliez could feel the truth in it now.
He nodded. It was small and meant to reassure more than anything.
“Okay,” he let out a breath. “I believe you.”
Holly tapped her metal nose to his jaw, sensing the tension still vibrating through him. Aliez lifted a hand and stroked her plated back. The familiar texture helped keep him grounded. But even as he soothed her, his other hand lifted his ComTech, fingers dancing across the interface. A quiet pulse of energy swept the area.
No signatures. No warning. Nothing within range, at least.
It didn’t settle him. His stomach still felt like it was trying to twist inside him.
“He didn’t hurt you this time,” Aliez echoed softly. “But he wanted to. He was considering it.” There was just something about the General’s presence that convinced Aliez that he was right.
He shook his head, glancing in the direction the General had vanished, as if expecting him to appear out of the darkness at any second.
“I don’t want him coming back, either,” he frowned. “And I don’t want you anywhere near him. Even your voice was… different. You were scared. I’ve never heard you sound like that.”
He swallowed, then forced himself to breathe, trying to settle himself. But Lyon’s next words caught him off guard.
“A present?” Aliez repeated, eyes widening just a little. “For me?”
His voice seemed to crack in a small, bewildered way, like the concept just didn’t fit with the fear still hanging in the air.
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2026 8:57 am
Initially, Lyon huffed and waved his hand dismissively, as if the simple gesture could chase away whatever doubt or worry Aliez harbored, but he quickly found there was a simple distraction. His eyes followed Holly with silent interest, but he was already plunging his hand into subspace.
“A present, yes. For you. That’s what friends do, right? I mean, when they’re not already chasing away monsters. I’d have given it to you sooner but it took me some time to find the right one. I wanted it to be perfect. I’ve been planning it since we met, nearly. Here. I didn’t wrap it, so act surprised.”
He withdrew his hand, curled into a fist, and held it out. Anticipation had only a few seconds to build before his fingers unclenched and he presented his gift palm-up.
A bright green, polished stone lay centered in his hand. It was perfectly smooth, with a thumb-sized indent in the center.
“It’s green aventurine, do you know it? I’ll give you the spiel, anyway.” He cleared his throat. “It’s name is rooted in Italian, so you know it’s good taste. ‘A ventura’--by chance. Like how we met.”
Lyon seemed very proud of himself and continued eagerly, as if by talking quickly enough he could make Aliez forget about the General. “It’s also lucky. Like the carnation you gave me. Only, this will last longer. It’s said to bring you adventure, and bravery, too. This one’s a worry stone. Just in case you’re not feeling very brave.”
He pushed his thumb into the indent and rubbed the smooth stone, just in case Velencians didn’t have such things back home.
“I wanted one to match your eyes. So it took a while. But it had to be perfect.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2026 8:57 am
For a long moment, Aliez just… stared at the stone in Lyon’s hand. Not necessarily in confusion, but more like his brain had stopped processing new information.
“You—... you were planning this?” he managed at last, voice in faint disbelief and surprise. “Since we…? But that was—”
He cut himself off, because his thoughts were becoming a tangle with too many threads pulling in too many directions. He felt overwhelmed, which softened his expression into something almost shy. He reached out slowly, carefully, like he was afraid the stone would vanish if he touched it too quickly.
When it settled into his palm, he let out a shaky breath.
It really did match his eyes. Almost unnervingly well. Which meant Lyon had remembered— had looked. How deeply had he looked into his eyes to remember…?
Aliez felt his cheeks flush a little, but his fingers curled around the stone, holding it to his chest — a precious gift from an unlikely friend. He brushed his thumb over the smooth indent, mimicking the motion Lyon had shown him. It soothed him instantly, as if the stone were already doing its job.
“It’s beautiful,” he said, finally looking up to meet Lyon’s eyes with the full weight of his flustered gratitude. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do this. I’ll keep it safe, I promise.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2026 8:57 am
Lyon tilted his head slightly as Aliez stumbled through his questions. While his heart was in his throat, there was at least some comfort in that there was no energy signature lurking on his radar.
He wanted to hope that the General was really gone.
Now was a good time to have a worry stone.
“I know you will. You’re very responsible. I don’t have a doubt about that.” Lyon smiled, a bit more confident on the outside than he felt internally, but he’d cling to any normalcy until he could stabilize.
“Are you surprised? We humans do weird things all the time.” He placed a hand on his chest. “I happen to be very good at gift giving. I put a lot of thought into it. What, did you think I was only good for gossip and snacks? No, no. I’ve got lots of talents.”
The tension eased incrementally from his shoulders, but he was closely attuned to every snapping twig or rustle of leaves.
“We’re friends. You don’t need an excuse to do something nice for someone you care about.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2026 8:57 am
We’re friends.
The words felt heavier than the stone in his hand. Aliez froze for a moment, a faint flush coloring his cheeks.
“Oh,” he said softly, like the realization had to pass through him before he could understand it. His grip tightened just a fraction around the worry stone, using it to ground himself as he lifted his gaze back up at Lyon. “I know that. I mean—”
He knew they were friends, but it was just… well. Unexpectedly heavy after that horrible General could have hurt Lyon. He’d already hurt his friends.
“I think I’m getting used to what that means here,” he admitted. “On Velencya, we don’t really… do this. Gifts are practical. Functional. Or ceremonial. Not—” He paused and gestured vaguely between them as he let out a quiet breath. “Not… just because.”
It wasn’t as though Aliez had never given his friends or family gifts before, but he couldn’t recall a single thing that didn’t have exact purpose or usefulness. Not that he supposed a worry stone wouldn’t be useful, in a way. But the meaning behind it held more than its physical properties.
“You didn’t have to think about me like that,” he said, voice gentle and sincere. “But you did. And I don’t think it’s weird. I think it’s very kind.”
Holly shifted on his shoulder, the artificial plates clicking together as she adjusted herself. Aliez absently reached to stroke her scales, helping to keep his emotions from getting too unmanageable.
“Humans scare me sometimes,” he confessed, but there was no accusation behind it. “This world does. The Negaverse. The way people can hurt each other so easily.” He glanced warily toward the dark treeline before looking back at Lyon. “But then there are moments like this. And I think… maybe you’re right. Maybe humans aren’t all so bad.”
Lyon had offered to let him meet some of those good humans, after all. Somehow, he felt less anxious about it now.
He paused for a moment, and then quietly added, “I’m glad you’re my friend.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2026 8:57 am
Lyon’s attention shifted briefly to Holly, who sometimes had such realistic reactions that it was hard to think she wasn’t actually a living, breathing creature.
Holly was so kind to Aliez. Aliez was so kind to her.
“Well, I’m glad you’re my friend, too. I mean, you’ve been taking care of me since we first met.” What would he have done without Aliez?
Probably hurt for a lot longer. Maybe even gotten into more trouble.
“Humans scare me too, if it’s any consolation. But that’s why it’s so much more important to be good to each other. The world’s not always nice, you know? And you can’t tell what someone is going through just by looking at them. So you have to be the good you want to see in the world. We humans also say cheesy things like that all the time.”
And the stupid thing was, sometimes it helped.
His nerves were alight with stress and worry, but the General was gone. And still gone.
He hadn’t popped back into the area. His message had been clear enough the first time.
“Well. The good ones do. Or the ones who are trying to be good, at least.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2026 8:57 am
Aliez listened quietly, the stone warm against his palm.
“I understand what you mean,” he said after a moment. His voice was calm, but there was something careful about its weight. “About trying to be good. And about kindness.”
He glanced again toward the trees, his shoulders still a little tense, before he looked back at Lyon.
“But I think…” He hesitated, choosing his words in a way that he hoped Lyon wouldn’t take personally. “I think kindness has to be paired with caution. Especially here. Especially when there are people who aren’t trying to be good at all. My people… we once had our own world. Our resources and technology were sought after by others, and—”
He stopped himself, knowing that he was getting a little too heavy with a history that had no reason to be shared. Not when they were trying to save what they had now.
“Kindness can be turned into leverage. Or a wound someone keeps reopening,” he said softly. “I don’t want that for you. Or for your friends.”
That didn’t mean he rejected Lyon’s belief. Just that he couldn’t afford approaching everything the same way.
He reached out, gentle, resting his hand lightly against Lyon’s arm.
“I think you’re right that goodness matters,” he added quietly. “I just don’t think it should cost you your safety.”
Holly chirped faintly, her optics flicking as Aliez’s ComTech gave one final, unnecessary scan. Still nothing. Still quiet.
“We should go,” he said gently, already reluctant. “Separate ways. At least for tonight. I don’t want him finding either of us again.”
He managed a small, sincere smile. “But… thank you. For the stone. For the trust. We’ll talk again soon. Somewhere safer.”
Reluctantly, carefully, Aliez took a step back — not away from Lyon so much as just taking the necessary precautions for their survival. And holding the reminder of their friendship close to his chest as he did.
Fin!
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