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Stefan didn't quite understand how the colony could accept him this easily, and, more importantly, this fast. They had seemed to be plenty mistrustful before, but now, they were apparently regarding him as some sort of tolerated nuisance. They mostly evaded him, but also supported him if he showed he was appreciating their (at least at times) hospitable behavior towards them.

This small boy, Luka, was an especially confusing case. He did look a lot like 'his' Luka, but at the same time, he wasn't possessing any strength given by a powerful soul. At least, nothing hinted that there was anything unusual about this boy. He could try all he liked, but there was nothing supernatural about the blond male. He was just Luka. A small boy, who was clinging to his bird plushie like to nothing else.

Stefan still felt that he had found some place he could call 'home'. It had been far too long since he had left the other Immortals behind. He couldn't tell how long it had been, his feeling for any time had dulled down once he had been on his own. It could have been five years, five decades, five centuries. It wouldn't make any difference. Only if he would have listened very closely to his soul, he might have found out since when he had wandered about on his own.

Not that he was too keen on finding out about it. Stefan just wanted to enjoy the moment for a change. He had put himself under constant strain often enough. He had seen quite something of the Third World, about the hardship, but also of the brighter moments.

Those people, this colony, they were one of the light moments in this rather gloomy life and this almost hopelessly destroyed world. He knew how it had come this way, sure, but he didn't want to remember. He didn't want to remember the moment he had abandoned Luka and betrayed him in the worst way somehow possible.

The small boy often enough looked at him with a curious expression on his face which almost hurt Stefan. It caused his heart to ache, his chest to tighten in this very definite way telling him that he was drowning in guilt. The raven-head didn't want to feel like this, didn't want to feel like he had done something beyond forgiveness. It somehow disturbed the image he had of himself, this imagination that he was better than the other Immortals. They had turned away from the world, and just tried to survive on their own, tried to accumulate even more power. Nothing he was interested in at the moment.

In some way, he had the feeling that the nega-souls already had won. They just needed to find the Life Seed to confirm they had won their fight against the Immortals. And then, well, then it would be over. All over. The planet would die, the souls would all shatter, and Envy would be the biggest motherfucker in the universe.

"You are a scary mister." The small girl, having grown into a curious little thing with bouncy, light brown curls, had found him sitting on the outside in the shadow. He gave her a indifferent look, then noticed she was chuckling. "But you are also quite nice, mister."

"I'm not nice." A weak protest, really. Stefan thought of himself as tough, maybe even scary. But surely not as nice. Scary was all okay, but not nice. Never.

"Sure you are!" The little girl sat down next to him, and there was nothing he could do at the moment to make her go away again. "You know, you are one of the nicest big ones I know."

"What do you mean?" Stefan had the feeling that she wasn't talking about the adults in general, but rather about something completely different.

"About your soul, silly! It's really bright, and has so many colors!"

"You can see my soul?" Now, Stefan was growing curious. He had often enough tried to find out what abilities the humans gained when they were dipping into the potential of their souls. And here, he would have the opportunity to actually find out more. "Are you sure that it's that what you are seeing?"

"Yes, I'm sure, mister." The girl readjusted her position lightly, her eyes on him and filled with an honest curiosity. "Myria and Revas, they have very colorful souls, too. But they don't have it all for themselves. You have much more for yourself. Like a double rainbow."

Stefan could keep himself from laughing just in time. It just sounded so utterly cute, and at the same time wrong. A double rainbow? That rather gave him the feeling of being something very cute and harmless. Nothing which was describing him in the least.

"And then there is Luka." The girl seemed to be unsure about what to say now. "He is really strange, you know that, mister? He has almost no colors around him. Much less than anyone else. I can even see my own colors, and they are more and brighter than Luka's."

"What does that mean?" Stefan didn't assume that she knew for sure, he just was curious if such a little girl already had a theory about it.

"It means that you are one of the guardians." That had come with such a convinced tone, it didn't allow any doubts. "You are one of the big ones, right, mister? One of those who can move the world!"

"I wouldn't say I can move the world, but yes, I'm one of the big ones, if you like to call it that." What was this even...? Was he really just discussing with a little girl? "And what do you think about the others?"

"Hrm..." The girl looked down at her feet, having an extremely focused look on her face. "It means that the others have really strong powers. But not as much as the big ones. And Luka, he is different from us. He should have many more colors than that, but he just is dull. He's a little like the world." At Stefan's questioning look, the girl smiled. "It means that he lost his powers."

"You think he had some?"

"M-hm. And he did something that made him lose them. Maybe he forgot about it, too."

Stefan merely shrugged, but he had to smile. This girl was much wiser than her age would have suggested. Maybe, or so he pondered, she would become part of one of the Guards's souls. It would have been quite possible, after all. With how much she already observed, she was a valuable addition to the vast knowledge of the Guards.

Revas and Myria, the two acting as godmother and godfather for the four children of the colony, were indeed an interesting case. Stefan had observed them for some time, and had drawn the conclusion that their radiance might was the reason why the colony never had any trouble with the nega-souls. As tempting as they had to be, the nega-souls weren't suicidal. Their numbers were limited, especially after the Second World had cleansed most of the taint away from the souls. It would need quite some time, maybe more than they had, to regain their former strength.

Luka came their way, covered in dust and looking a little tired. The boy still was limping, still was unable to talk. No one seemed to mind, especially the fact that Luka didn't seem to age. Stefan had heard the others talking about that, but they didn't see it as anything threatening. Rather as a blessing and curse at the same time for the young male.

The blond boy sat down next to the girl (Stefan didn't remember what her name was - or had he even heard it yet?), looking somewhat relieved to finally be in the shadow. It had grown warmer ever since Stefan had come to the colony, but he guessed that simply was the influence of the 'burning guardian'. Strange with what names the humans could come up...

"What are you thinking about?" The girl had prodded Luka, and the blond boy began to draw in the dust. Stefan didn't look too closely, though sometimes, his eyes flicked down to the lines Luka drew into the still rather hard soil. Apparently, he had developed some kind of sign language to express whatever was on his mind. Impressive for such a child, which according to the girl didn't seem to have many talents.

Melena, the young girl, soon enough was laughing with Luka, nodding and blabbering about something this fast Stefan had trouble understanding her. But Luka seemed to be used to that, and soon enough, the two children were all occupied with each other and didn't pay much attention at the 'scary uncle' any longer.

Stefan slowly rose, dusting off his pants and getting some distance between him and the kids. He didn't want to bother them too much in their little discussion about whatever they currently were talking about. Aside from that, he was quite convinced that he would be regarded as some kind of creep if he would stick to the children too much.

The thought alone had something terribly wrong about it. Grunting, he shook his head about himself. He needed to occupy his head with something else, or his mind would wander off to subjects he absolutely didn't want to ever consider. He just wanted to know what his place was in all of this. He wanted to find out what he could do to bring the Luka he knew back.

In some way, he felt that it would be unfair towards the small blond boy, who had such a striking similarity with the Immortal Luka. But there was no guarantee, no clue that the two of them were one and the same. Rubbing along his face, Stefan sighed deeply, trying to sort out his thoughts. It was hard to think about anything with how confused he was.

"Still trying to appear somewhat useful?"Myria had caught him when still having been in thoughts, and her sarcastic tone made Stefan sneer lightly.

"I'm not just trying to appear like that, thank you very much."

"Well, you haven't done much in your time with us yet, have you." Myria was giving him a long look, and he couldn't tell what it was supposed to express. Was it the discomfort to be around the stranger, or was it the fact that he was out of place and better was off somewhere else? Wherever those thoughts had come from, Stefan supposed they weren't without reason.

She wordlessly pressed something into his hand, and only as he looked down, he could see that she had given him some kind of pendant. What in all of the worlds...?

"You seem to be looking for someone, right? And you think that you found this someone in Luka."

"If it is this obvoius for you, it doesn't make much sense to object, right? So, yes, I was hoping that I have found the one I'm looking for in this blond boy."

"Then I have to tell you one thing. You are most possibly mistaken."

That now confused Stefan to no end. How could she claim something like that with such certainity? "Are you sure you are not mistaken?"

"I am sure. Luka is a harmless boy, and he most possibly was tortured by a fucking creep like you. So stay away from him."

Stefan was left speechless. First, she had given him this pendant, and now, out of the blue, she wanted him to piss off? What the Hell was up with her?

"Now, just wait a moment. You don't know me. You know nothing about me, or what I am looking for."

"Oh, I think I know it better than you." Myria radiated pure anger, and that only served to confuse Stefan further. "We already had all sorts of creeps in this colony, and you are just one more of them. Just... stay away from us all, or I swear I will do something really horrible to you."

She left him standing there, confused beyond words. She had completely ambushed him with that, and Stefan needed a whole while to sort out the mess in his head. Maybe, or so he pondered, she just had been having a really bad day. Bad enough to make her snap at a complete stranger.

After some time, Stefan found himself a little outside of the colony, close to one of the very rare grass patches outside of the colony, outside of a controlled environment. He stroke along the petals of a flower about to close for the night, wondering what had driven him to come here in the first place.

It couldn't have been the boy. Even after a closer look, there was nothing the boy could have radiate to lure Stefan any closer. At the same time, the Immortal refused to believe in a coincidence. There were no coincidences in such cases. Sure, he hadn't exactly planned to materialize close to the colony, but then again...

Was it possible for his subconscious to lead him here and give him this little riddle as to why he had come here?

Stefan shook his head, still unsatisfied with himself. There was no way that he would let his subconscience take over control. He had to be imagining things. On the other hand, however...

It was just confusing beyond words. On a second thought, it was impossible to find much logic in this world. The Third World still was in the process of forming its own rules, this fabric of reality. There were loopholes in the ways everything flowed, and it was quite possible that it would lead to such strange encounters.

On the whole, Stefan compared the Third World to a very laggy version of the First World. It definitely wasn't like the Second World. He missed the computers of the First World, even more when looking for Luka. Sure, a search on the internet wouldn't have helped him all that much, but it at least would have given him more of a feeling that he had used his possibilities.

For a moment, he froze and slowly blinked up into the skies. Had he just...? No, it couldn't be. But there it was again. A soft, almost unnoticed tugging at his soul. Something was calling for him, trying to attract his attention. Only one soul would have done so voluntarily - but could it really be?

Stefan gathered his thoughts and himself up, narrowing his eyes and focusing on his immediate surroundings. Somewhere, there was a little force prodding him, and his soul reacted to this touch. "Hello? Anyone there?"

He was aware that he must have appeared quite strange, but Stefan couldn't care about that. It never had happened that a soul would approach him like that, would try to wake him from his endless circles of thoughts and occasional self-pity.

A smile came to his face as he followed the tugging sensation, further away from the colony. If Luka had seen him like that, he most possibly would have kicked his immortal ass around the world and then stomped him flat into the ground, until he would have lashed out and countered the assault - most possibly with quite interesting and certainly not innocent results.

Further and further into the tiny wood, ever cautious of not stepping onto any of the bigger flowers. Stefan was patient, at the same time barely able to keep himself under control. What could that tugging have been?

He soon enough found a little raven chicklet, the aura around it hinting that there was more power in this tiny body than necessary to fuel it with life. Cautiously, Stefan crouched down, picking the chicklet up in his hands. Maybe, it was one of Luka's pets. It could well have been, seeing how it seemed to have survived without parents. And that alone was quite impressive.

"Seems like you, too, are searching for him." Stefan sat down on the ground, keeping the tiny bird close and warm against his body. "Odd that he would use you to call me out here."

By now, Stefan was convinced that Luka had been tugging him out here, away from the colony. Most possibly for him to cool down again. Chuckling about that, Stefan stroke along the soft feathers of the raven's plumage. Luka knew him much better than he ever would have assumed, really. And that was somehow unsettling.

He leaned back further, until he was sprawled out on the ground, staring up into the clouded sky. He could see the shadows circling above, how the vanished for moments and reappeared slowly. A strange, surreal sight indeed, even more as he never really had been paying attention to it. Now that he looked up at this clouded sky...

It really more and more felt like he was caught in a simulation, albeit one still swarming with all sorts of bugs. The sky alone was a pretty good example. And, what should those shadows be in the first place? Where they nega-souls? He somehow couldn't imagine that. He could feel some faint power from them, but it wasn't the tainted sort of nega-soul power he would have awaited. Rather a faint echo of something entirely else.

But still... he had the strong suspicion something was wrong about these shadows. Something was indeed terribly wrong about them. What exactly was disturbing him about them? He couldn't tell. Stefan just knew that he wasn't trusting the peace around here. He hadn't trusted it from the very begin he had come here. Peaceful places were bound to end up in the most horrible chaos at some point.

Stefan glanced down at the raven chicklet, which now had tucked its beak beneath the tiny wing and was sleeping. He pondered if he should take it with him, but he wasn't sure if he would anger the parents or the force protecting it if he would do so. It seemed to be trusting him, true, but he still didn't want to risk any quarrel.

All cautiously, Stefan laid the chicklet back down into the nest of grass, smiling to himself. So small, and still valued. Protected in a harsh and unforgiving world, which could fall into chaos and anarchy at any time. And still, this little animal would sleep without trouble, without worries. It was an oddly cute, and at the same time a very satisfying sight.

The raven-head took his time with returning to the colony. It was almost time for their little meal. If he was invited? He definitely hoped so. And yes, indeed, Luka brought him a bowl with fresh vegetables. Seemed like none of the adults had been able to take their time with cooking something up.

Stefan, as before, gave Luka a questioning look, but merely received an encouraging smile. The raven-head sighed, then chuckled and pulled Luka into his lap. So, yes, he liked the boy how he was. Silent, but quite adorable like that. Even when being muted, Luka still had a way to express himself which was far beyond any understanding.

"Did you have a nice day?"

Luka nodded gently, and at the same time, Stefan felt peace and at the same time a soft warmth flooding him. That was exactly what made the boy quite unique in his mind. Even if Melena had said there wasn't much about Luka (and he trusted that he wasn't lied to), Luka definitely had the ability to express himself in this special way. He was convinced that Luka had psychic abilities - however hidden they were.

"I guess that the others don't like me yet, huh?" Stefan chuckled as Luka grimaced and shrugged. "I know, but hey, they seem to have a reason."

The blond boy shook his head, not looking convinced. He seemed to believe that Stefan was quite trustworthy, despite the dark appearance and the somewhat menacing aura. It was quite impressive Luka would look past that and straight into Stefan's soul. Right into the part mattering the most in this world.

"Does your leg still hurt?" Luka looked down at that question, moving his foot lightly. He flinched at the slight motion, nodding with a frown. "That's bothersome. It should stop hurting at some point, shouldn't it?"

Luka gave a shrug, reaching up to ruffle through Stefan's hair. The Immortal squirmed half-heartedly, not really intending to escape Luka's treatment. It was rather nice, really, and he felt like he was valued like he was. Not looked down on for being a 'creep' - in whatever sense that had been meant.

"Eh, stop that." Stefan grasped Luka's hand and pulled it away from his mohawk. "Bad. Don't do that."

A quite broad smirk appeared on Luka's face, and of course, the small boy was all over Stefan in no time. They were laughing and fighting against each other, and quite surprisingly, Stefan had to struggle quite some to get Luka to stop from ruffling him. And all the while, he had the impression that he knew the small boy better than he could have after just a few days.

"Alright, now it's enough." Stefan kept the small boy in his lap, though, while he finished eating the vegetables. Now and then, he was ruffling through the blond mop of hair, making Luka squirm and chuckle idly. "See, told you, it's enough. And if you don't stop bugging me, then I'll tickle you until you die from laughing so hard."

Of course, Luka didn't believe that one second. And he didn't stop bugging the Hell out of Stefan until the raven-head grabbed him and began pulling such horrible grimaces Luka was laughing too hard to even do anything any longer.

Shaking all over still, Luka leaned against the raven-head, sighing softly. He looked quite tired right now, most possibly because he had risen early this morning. Quite out of character for Luka, as he usually was the type to sleep rather long, and sometimes even oversleep mid-day.

"Alright, time for little boys to go to bed." Stefan finished his meal rather quickly, before picking up Luka and carrying him over to his room. Luka wasn't even protesting, just limply hanging in Stefan's arms and generally feeling quite boneless. "This tired already?"

Luka nodded weakly, yawning into Stefan's shoulder and wrapping his arms loosely around the raven-head's neck. Sighing softly, the Regenas stroke along the boy's back, soon enough feeling the gentle breath brushing against his neck. Asleep already... too cute.

"I wonder what you are trying to tell me at times..." Stefan had tucked Luka in, petting over the blond hair, while he focused on the distinctive scar across Luka's throat. "There i more about you than meets the eye, that much I know. But what..."

Stefan sighed, cuddling up against Luka. He was tired, really tired, and didn't want to go away from the boy now. It was just so comfortable with Luka. He felt safe close to the blond boy, for what reason ever. Not that he cared about it overly much. What occupied his mind far more was a possibility to repay the kindness of the colony.

Okay, sure, there were enough regarding him with this mistrustful look, but that was no reason that he would act the exact same way. Sure, he had every right to. But he wouldn't let his damned pride get the better of him. Not this time, and not if he had a chance to make up for the mistakes of the past.

He curled around the smaller form, resting one arm around Luka. He was convinced that this boy and the Immortal having gone missing were connected. Despite his sense telling him the blond boy was weak, he had the feeling that his true strength would show through when time would come.

Stefan nuzzles his nose into the mussed hair, smiling lightly to himself. He had the feeling that he knew this smell, but he wasn't entirely sure. It could be that he was imagining things, that he wanted it to be Luka this desperately he would even make a child some sort of replacement for his dear friend. Even so, he didn't feel bad about it. At least, he had something to anchor himself to now.

Luka stirred slightly, blinking up at him with a sleepy and still quite bright smile. It was cute to see Luka like that, and at the same time, Stefan had to remind himself that the little one needed sleep.

"Hey, you should rest now, silly."

A very soft, complaining sound came from the boy, but he finally hid his face in Stefan's chest. Luka's breath tickled lightly, making Stefan chuckle without control. But he wouldn't wake the other now. It was hard enough for Luka to sleep through a night - at least from what he had heard from the other adults.

Myria and Revas both had been suspicious around him, but they had reluctantly agreed that they needed more time for the crops than for the children at times. Currently, they were growing more than they needed - given that there was no trouble with all sorts of influences from the outside.

There always was the possibility that there were thieves, or simply marauders causing destruction and despair all around them. Not all humans could live in peace with each other, and even with the world constantly at the brink of a catastrophe, they would still try and rob what little the weak had.

Stefan despised those morons for that, but there was only so much he could do. Even when being one of the Immortals, he couldn't simply barge into any situation and intervene however he liked. He had to consider his steps carefully, even if he would grow anxious like that. He had to always keep in mind that the Life Seed was weakened, just as the world was.

That were the worries accompanying him since the begin of the Third World. And all the other Immortals were constantly trying to make the situation more bearable. The longest time he had stayed with the other Immortals, he merely had seen how it had grown worse and worse. They simply weren't cut to rescue the world, it seemed. Not after what they had done to the Second World.

Sighing quietly, Stefan pushed away those thoughts and worries. He could bother with that later on. For now, he needed to calm down and relax. He needed to think. The solution wasn't far away, of that he was convinced. There just was a detail that could rescue them all. Some simple answer, which they never had considered.

He glanced down at the sleeping form, a heavy feeling spreading in his chest. It was such a nice illusion to believe that everything could be solved just like that. There was no easy way, only the long and hard way. They needed to step by step rebuild a world, almost from scratch.

"At least, you are not that worried." Stefan murmured into the blond hair, eyes half-lidded. "You can enjoy life, while I need to think about things which would probably make your head swim."

Luka's hands curled into the front of Stefan's shirt, and a rather happy sound came from the boy. Chuckling, Stefan made no attempt at separating himself from Luka. It was so oddly heart-warming, so utterly adorable to see how peaceful he was.

But there was worry in Stefan's heart. He knew that out there, somewhere, Envy was lurking just to strike and turn everything having seemed like Paradise into an image of Hell. And accompanying him, that accursed witch, Malice. He couldn't stop them on his own. None of the Immortals could have challenged them without help.

But he had to try. He had to try and protect the colony, as they surely would soon sense him. He didn't have any illusions about the outcome, should they ever discover this relatively protected colony. They would make sure that the humans living here would experience just what 'apocalypse' meant. What it meant to drown in despair, without any possible relief at any point.

The mere imagination made Stefan's chest tighten, and he instincitvely curled tighter around Luka. It made the little one flinche lightly, and sleepy as he was, he blinked up at Stefan. There was faint wonder in his eyes, but also a certain pity. Stefan merely smiled, though, and pressed Luka's face into his chest. Not long, and Luka had fallen fast asleep once more.

He didn't have to know yet. There was no need to wake the child from a wonderful world, when there still was so much time to enjoy life without the burden of knowledge. Innocence was such a rare good in this world... it had to be preserved as long as somehow possible.

But then, there were the nega-souls. And the shadows in the skies. What would be the next step of the nega-souls, and what would the shadows do as soon as there would be a strike from the side of the nega-souls? Stefan barely dared to imagine the consequences. He barely dared to imagine the overall loss of any innocence in this world. The loss of the world itself seemed to be nothing compared to that.

Description
Stefan didn't quite understand how the colony could accept him this easily, and, more importantly, this fast. They had seemed to be plenty mistrustful before, but now, they were apparently regarding him as some sort of tolerated nuisance. They mostly evaded him, but also supported him if he showed he was appreciating their (at least at times) hospitable behavior towards them.

This small boy, Luka, was an especially confusing case. He did look a lot like 'his' Luka, but at the same time, he wasn't possessing any strength given by a powerful soul. At least, nothing hinted that there was anything unusual about this boy. He could try all he liked, but there was nothing supernatural about the blond male. He was just Luka. A small boy, who was clinging to his bird plushie like to nothing else.

Stefan still felt that he had found some place he could call 'home'. It had been far too long since he had left the other Immortals behind. He couldn't tell how long it had been, his feeling for any time had dulled down once he had been on his own. It could have been five years, five decades, five centuries. It wouldn't make any difference. Only if he would have listened very closely to his soul, he might have found out since when he had wandered about on his own.

Not that he was too keen on finding out about it. Stefan just wanted to enjoy the moment for a change. He had put himself under constant strain often enough. He had seen quite something of the Third World, about the hardship, but also of the brighter moments.

Those people, this colony, they were one of the light moments in this rather gloomy life and this almost hopelessly destroyed world. He knew how it had come this way, sure, but he didn't want to remember. He didn't want to remember the moment he had abandoned Luka and betrayed him in the worst way somehow possible.

The small boy often enough looked at him with a curious expression on his face which almost hurt Stefan. It caused his heart to ache, his chest to tighten in this very definite way telling him that he was drowning in guilt. The raven-head didn't want to feel like this, didn't want to feel like he had done something beyond forgiveness. It somehow disturbed the image he had of himself, this imagination that he was better than the other Immortals. They had turned away from the world, and just tried to survive on their own, tried to accumulate even more power. Nothing he was interested in at the moment.

In some way, he had the feeling that the nega-souls already had won. They just needed to find the Life Seed to confirm they had won their fight against the Immortals. And then, well, then it would be over. All over. The planet would die, the souls would all shatter, and Envy would be the biggest motherfucker in the universe.

"You are a scary mister." The small girl, having grown into a curious little thing with bouncy, light brown curls, had found him sitting on the outside in the shadow. He gave her a indifferent look, then noticed she was chuckling. "But you are also quite nice, mister."

"I'm not nice." A weak protest, really. Stefan thought of himself as tough, maybe even scary. But surely not as nice. Scary was all okay, but not nice. Never.

"Sure you are!" The little girl sat down next to him, and there was nothing he could do at the moment to make her go away again. "You know, you are one of the nicest big ones I know."

"What do you mean?" Stefan had the feeling that she wasn't talking about the adults in general, but rather about something completely different.

"About your soul, silly! It's really bright, and has so many colors!"

"You can see my soul?" Now, Stefan was growing curious. He had often enough tried to find out what abilities the humans gained when they were dipping into the potential of their souls. And here, he would have the opportunity to actually find out more. "Are you sure that it's that what you are seeing?"

"Yes, I'm sure, mister." The girl readjusted her position lightly, her eyes on him and filled with an honest curiosity. "Myria and Revas, they have very colorful souls, too. But they don't have it all for themselves. You have much more for yourself. Like a double rainbow."

Stefan could keep himself from laughing just in time. It just sounded so utterly cute, and at the same time wrong. A double rainbow? That rather gave him the feeling of being something very cute and harmless. Nothing which was describing him in the least.

"And then there is Luka." The girl seemed to be unsure about what to say now. "He is really strange, you know that, mister? He has almost no colors around him. Much less than anyone else. I can even see my own colors, and they are more and brighter than Luka's."

"What does that mean?" Stefan didn't assume that she knew for sure, he just was curious if such a little girl already had a theory about it.

"It means that you are one of the guardians." That had come with such a convinced tone, it didn't allow any doubts. "You are one of the big ones, right, mister? One of those who can move the world!"

"I wouldn't say I can move the world, but yes, I'm one of the big ones, if you like to call it that." What was this even...? Was he really just discussing with a little girl? "And what do you think about the others?"

"Hrm..." The girl looked down at her feet, having an extremely focused look on her face. "It means that the others have really strong powers. But not as much as the big ones. And Luka, he is different from us. He should have many more colors than that, but he just is dull. He's a little like the world." At Stefan's questioning look, the girl smiled. "It means that he lost his powers."

"You think he had some?"

"M-hm. And he did something that made him lose them. Maybe he forgot about it, too."

Stefan merely shrugged, but he had to smile. This girl was much wiser than her age would have suggested. Maybe, or so he pondered, she would become part of one of the Guards's souls. It would have been quite possible, after all. With how much she already observed, she was a valuable addition to the vast knowledge of the Guards.

Revas and Myria, the two acting as godmother and godfather for the four children of the colony, were indeed an interesting case. Stefan had observed them for some time, and had drawn the conclusion that their radiance might was the reason why the colony never had any trouble with the nega-souls. As tempting as they had to be, the nega-souls weren't suicidal. Their numbers were limited, especially after the Second World had cleansed most of the taint away from the souls. It would need quite some time, maybe more than they had, to regain their former strength.

Luka came their way, covered in dust and looking a little tired. The boy still was limping, still was unable to talk. No one seemed to mind, especially the fact that Luka didn't seem to age. Stefan had heard the others talking about that, but they didn't see it as anything threatening. Rather as a blessing and curse at the same time for the young male.

The blond boy sat down next to the girl (Stefan didn't remember what her name was - or had he even heard it yet?), looking somewhat relieved to finally be in the shadow. It had grown warmer ever since Stefan had come to the colony, but he guessed that simply was the influence of the 'burning guardian'. Strange with what names the humans could come up...

"What are you thinking about?" The girl had prodded Luka, and the blond boy began to draw in the dust. Stefan didn't look too closely, though sometimes, his eyes flicked down to the lines Luka drew into the still rather hard soil. Apparently, he had developed some kind of sign language to express whatever was on his mind. Impressive for such a child, which according to the girl didn't seem to have many talents.

Melena, the young girl, soon enough was laughing with Luka, nodding and blabbering about something this fast Stefan had trouble understanding her. But Luka seemed to be used to that, and soon enough, the two children were all occupied with each other and didn't pay much attention at the 'scary uncle' any longer.

Stefan slowly rose, dusting off his pants and getting some distance between him and the kids. He didn't want to bother them too much in their little discussion about whatever they currently were talking about. Aside from that, he was quite convinced that he would be regarded as some kind of creep if he would stick to the children too much.

The thought alone had something terribly wrong about it. Grunting, he shook his head about himself. He needed to occupy his head with something else, or his mind would wander off to subjects he absolutely didn't want to ever consider. He just wanted to know what his place was in all of this. He wanted to find out what he could do to bring the Luka he knew back.

In some way, he felt that it would be unfair towards the small blond boy, who had such a striking similarity with the Immortal Luka. But there was no guarantee, no clue that the two of them were one and the same. Rubbing along his face, Stefan sighed deeply, trying to sort out his thoughts. It was hard to think about anything with how confused he was.

"Still trying to appear somewhat useful?"Myria had caught him when still having been in thoughts, and her sarcastic tone made Stefan sneer lightly.

"I'm not just trying to appear like that, thank you very much."

"Well, you haven't done much in your time with us yet, have you." Myria was giving him a long look, and he couldn't tell what it was supposed to express. Was it the discomfort to be around the stranger, or was it the fact that he was out of place and better was off somewhere else? Wherever those thoughts had come from, Stefan supposed they weren't without reason.

She wordlessly pressed something into his hand, and only as he looked down, he could see that she had given him some kind of pendant. What in all of the worlds...?

"You seem to be looking for someone, right? And you think that you found this someone in Luka."

"If it is this obvoius for you, it doesn't make much sense to object, right? So, yes, I was hoping that I have found the one I'm looking for in this blond boy."

"Then I have to tell you one thing. You are most possibly mistaken."

That now confused Stefan to no end. How could she claim something like that with such certainity? "Are you sure you are not mistaken?"

"I am sure. Luka is a harmless boy, and he most possibly was tortured by a fucking creep like you. So stay away from him."

Stefan was left speechless. First, she had given him this pendant, and now, out of the blue, she wanted him to piss off? What the Hell was up with her?

"Now, just wait a moment. You don't know me. You know nothing about me, or what I am looking for."

"Oh, I think I know it better than you." Myria radiated pure anger, and that only served to confuse Stefan further. "We already had all sorts of creeps in this colony, and you are just one more of them. Just... stay away from us all, or I swear I will do something really horrible to you."

She left him standing there, confused beyond words. She had completely ambushed him with that, and Stefan needed a whole while to sort out the mess in his head. Maybe, or so he pondered, she just had been having a really bad day. Bad enough to make her snap at a complete stranger.

After some time, Stefan found himself a little outside of the colony, close to one of the very rare grass patches outside of the colony, outside of a controlled environment. He stroke along the petals of a flower about to close for the night, wondering what had driven him to come here in the first place.

It couldn't have been the boy. Even after a closer look, there was nothing the boy could have radiate to lure Stefan any closer. At the same time, the Immortal refused to believe in a coincidence. There were no coincidences in such cases. Sure, he hadn't exactly planned to materialize close to the colony, but then again...

Was it possible for his subconscious to lead him here and give him this little riddle as to why he had come here?

Stefan shook his head, still unsatisfied with himself. There was no way that he would let his subconscience take over control. He had to be imagining things. On the other hand, however...

It was just confusing beyond words. On a second thought, it was impossible to find much logic in this world. The Third World still was in the process of forming its own rules, this fabric of reality. There were loopholes in the ways everything flowed, and it was quite possible that it would lead to such strange encounters.

On the whole, Stefan compared the Third World to a very laggy version of the First World. It definitely wasn't like the Second World. He missed the computers of the First World, even more when looking for Luka. Sure, a search on the internet wouldn't have helped him all that much, but it at least would have given him more of a feeling that he had used his possibilities.

For a moment, he froze and slowly blinked up into the skies. Had he just...? No, it couldn't be. But there it was again. A soft, almost unnoticed tugging at his soul. Something was calling for him, trying to attract his attention. Only one soul would have done so voluntarily - but could it really be?

Stefan gathered his thoughts and himself up, narrowing his eyes and focusing on his immediate surroundings. Somewhere, there was a little force prodding him, and his soul reacted to this touch. "Hello? Anyone there?"

He was aware that he must have appeared quite strange, but Stefan couldn't care about that. It never had happened that a soul would approach him like that, would try to wake him from his endless circles of thoughts and occasional self-pity.

A smile came to his face as he followed the tugging sensation, further away from the colony. If Luka had seen him like that, he most possibly would have kicked his immortal ass around the world and then stomped him flat into the ground, until he would have lashed out and countered the assault - most possibly with quite interesting and certainly not innocent results.

Further and further into the tiny wood, ever cautious of not stepping onto any of the bigger flowers. Stefan was patient, at the same time barely able to keep himself under control. What could that tugging have been?

He soon enough found a little raven chicklet, the aura around it hinting that there was more power in this tiny body than necessary to fuel it with life. Cautiously, Stefan crouched down, picking the chicklet up in his hands. Maybe, it was one of Luka's pets. It could well have been, seeing how it seemed to have survived without parents. And that alone was quite impressive.

"Seems like you, too, are searching for him." Stefan sat down on the ground, keeping the tiny bird close and warm against his body. "Odd that he would use you to call me out here."

By now, Stefan was convinced that Luka had been tugging him out here, away from the colony. Most possibly for him to cool down again. Chuckling about that, Stefan stroke along the soft feathers of the raven's plumage. Luka knew him much better than he ever would have assumed, really. And that was somehow unsettling.

He leaned back further, until he was sprawled out on the ground, staring up into the clouded sky. He could see the shadows circling above, how the vanished for moments and reappeared slowly. A strange, surreal sight indeed, even more as he never really had been paying attention to it. Now that he looked up at this clouded sky...

It really more and more felt like he was caught in a simulation, albeit one still swarming with all sorts of bugs. The sky alone was a pretty good example. And, what should those shadows be in the first place? Where they nega-souls? He somehow couldn't imagine that. He could feel some faint power from them, but it wasn't the tainted sort of nega-soul power he would have awaited. Rather a faint echo of something entirely else.

But still... he had the strong suspicion something was wrong about these shadows. Something was indeed terribly wrong about them. What exactly was disturbing him about them? He couldn't tell. Stefan just knew that he wasn't trusting the peace around here. He hadn't trusted it from the very begin he had come here. Peaceful places were bound to end up in the most horrible chaos at some point.

Stefan glanced down at the raven chicklet, which now had tucked its beak beneath the tiny wing and was sleeping. He pondered if he should take it with him, but he wasn't sure if he would anger the parents or the force protecting it if he would do so. It seemed to be trusting him, true, but he still didn't want to risk any quarrel.

All cautiously, Stefan laid the chicklet back down into the nest of grass, smiling to himself. So small, and still valued. Protected in a harsh and unforgiving world, which could fall into chaos and anarchy at any time. And still, this little animal would sleep without trouble, without worries. It was an oddly cute, and at the same time a very satisfying sight.

The raven-head took his time with returning to the colony. It was almost time for their little meal. If he was invited? He definitely hoped so. And yes, indeed, Luka brought him a bowl with fresh vegetables. Seemed like none of the adults had been able to take their time with cooking something up.

Stefan, as before, gave Luka a questioning look, but merely received an encouraging smile. The raven-head sighed, then chuckled and pulled Luka into his lap. So, yes, he liked the boy how he was. Silent, but quite adorable like that. Even when being muted, Luka still had a way to express himself which was far beyond any understanding.

"Did you have a nice day?"

Luka nodded gently, and at the same time, Stefan felt peace and at the same time a soft warmth flooding him. That was exactly what made the boy quite unique in his mind. Even if Melena had said there wasn't much about Luka (and he trusted that he wasn't lied to), Luka definitely had the ability to express himself in this special way. He was convinced that Luka had psychic abilities - however hidden they were.

"I guess that the others don't like me yet, huh?" Stefan chuckled as Luka grimaced and shrugged. "I know, but hey, they seem to have a reason."

The blond boy shook his head, not looking convinced. He seemed to believe that Stefan was quite trustworthy, despite the dark appearance and the somewhat menacing aura. It was quite impressive Luka would look past that and straight into Stefan's soul. Right into the part mattering the most in this world.

"Does your leg still hurt?" Luka looked down at that question, moving his foot lightly. He flinched at the slight motion, nodding with a frown. "That's bothersome. It should stop hurting at some point, shouldn't it?"

Luka gave a shrug, reaching up to ruffle through Stefan's hair. The Immortal squirmed half-heartedly, not really intending to escape Luka's treatment. It was rather nice, really, and he felt like he was valued like he was. Not looked down on for being a 'creep' - in whatever sense that had been meant.

"Eh, stop that." Stefan grasped Luka's hand and pulled it away from his mohawk. "Bad. Don't do that."

A quite broad smirk appeared on Luka's face, and of course, the small boy was all over Stefan in no time. They were laughing and fighting against each other, and quite surprisingly, Stefan had to struggle quite some to get Luka to stop from ruffling him. And all the while, he had the impression that he knew the small boy better than he could have after just a few days.

"Alright, now it's enough." Stefan kept the small boy in his lap, though, while he finished eating the vegetables. Now and then, he was ruffling through the blond mop of hair, making Luka squirm and chuckle idly. "See, told you, it's enough. And if you don't stop bugging me, then I'll tickle you until you die from laughing so hard."

Of course, Luka didn't believe that one second. And he didn't stop bugging the Hell out of Stefan until the raven-head grabbed him and began pulling such horrible grimaces Luka was laughing too hard to even do anything any longer.

Shaking all over still, Luka leaned against the raven-head, sighing softly. He looked quite tired right now, most possibly because he had risen early this morning. Quite out of character for Luka, as he usually was the type to sleep rather long, and sometimes even oversleep mid-day.

"Alright, time for little boys to go to bed." Stefan finished his meal rather quickly, before picking up Luka and carrying him over to his room. Luka wasn't even protesting, just limply hanging in Stefan's arms and generally feeling quite boneless. "This tired already?"

Luka nodded weakly, yawning into Stefan's shoulder and wrapping his arms loosely around the raven-head's neck. Sighing softly, the Regenas stroke along the boy's back, soon enough feeling the gentle breath brushing against his neck. Asleep already... too cute.

"I wonder what you are trying to tell me at times..." Stefan had tucked Luka in, petting over the blond hair, while he focused on the distinctive scar across Luka's throat. "There i more about you than meets the eye, that much I know. But what..."

Stefan sighed, cuddling up against Luka. He was tired, really tired, and didn't want to go away from the boy now. It was just so comfortable with Luka. He felt safe close to the blond boy, for what reason ever. Not that he cared about it overly much. What occupied his mind far more was a possibility to repay the kindness of the colony.

Okay, sure, there were enough regarding him with this mistrustful look, but that was no reason that he would act the exact same way. Sure, he had every right to. But he wouldn't let his damned pride get the better of him. Not this time, and not if he had a chance to make up for the mistakes of the past.

He curled around the smaller form, resting one arm around Luka. He was convinced that this boy and the Immortal having gone missing were connected. Despite his sense telling him the blond boy was weak, he had the feeling that his true strength would show through when time would come.

Stefan nuzzles his nose into the mussed hair, smiling lightly to himself. He had the feeling that he knew this smell, but he wasn't entirely sure. It could be that he was imagining things, that he wanted it to be Luka this desperately he would even make a child some sort of replacement for his dear friend. Even so, he didn't feel bad about it. At least, he had something to anchor himself to now.

Luka stirred slightly, blinking up at him with a sleepy and still quite bright smile. It was cute to see Luka like that, and at the same time, Stefan had to remind himself that the little one needed sleep.

"Hey, you should rest now, silly."

A very soft, complaining sound came from the boy, but he finally hid his face in Stefan's chest. Luka's breath tickled lightly, making Stefan chuckle without control. But he wouldn't wake the other now. It was hard enough for Luka to sleep through a night - at least from what he had heard from the other adults.

Myria and Revas both had been suspicious around him, but they had reluctantly agreed that they needed more time for the crops than for the children at times. Currently, they were growing more than they needed - given that there was no trouble with all sorts of influences from the outside.

There always was the possibility that there were thieves, or simply marauders causing destruction and despair all around them. Not all humans could live in peace with each other, and even with the world constantly at the brink of a catastrophe, they would still try and rob what little the weak had.

Stefan despised those morons for that, but there was only so much he could do. Even when being one of the Immortals, he couldn't simply barge into any situation and intervene however he liked. He had to consider his steps carefully, even if he would grow anxious like that. He had to always keep in mind that the Life Seed was weakened, just as the world was.

That were the worries accompanying him since the begin of the Third World. And all the other Immortals were constantly trying to make the situation more bearable. The longest time he had stayed with the other Immortals, he merely had seen how it had grown worse and worse. They simply weren't cut to rescue the world, it seemed. Not after what they had done to the Second World.

Sighing quietly, Stefan pushed away those thoughts and worries. He could bother with that later on. For now, he needed to calm down and relax. He needed to think. The solution wasn't far away, of that he was convinced. There just was a detail that could rescue them all. Some simple answer, which they never had considered.

He glanced down at the sleeping form, a heavy feeling spreading in his chest. It was such a nice illusion to believe that everything could be solved just like that. There was no easy way, only the long and hard way. They needed to step by step rebuild a world, almost from scratch.

"At least, you are not that worried." Stefan murmured into the blond hair, eyes half-lidded. "You can enjoy life, while I need to think about things which would probably make your head swim."

Luka's hands curled into the front of Stefan's shirt, and a rather happy sound came from the boy. Chuckling, Stefan made no attempt at separating himself from Luka. It was so oddly heart-warming, so utterly adorable to see how peaceful he was.

But there was worry in Stefan's heart. He knew that out there, somewhere, Envy was lurking just to strike and turn everything having seemed like Paradise into an image of Hell. And accompanying him, that accursed witch, Malice. He couldn't stop them on his own. None of the Immortals could have challenged them without help.

But he had to try. He had to try and protect the colony, as they surely would soon sense him. He didn't have any illusions about the outcome, should they ever discover this relatively protected colony. They would make sure that the humans living here would experience just what 'apocalypse' meant. What it meant to drown in despair, without any possible relief at any point.

The mere imagination made Stefan's chest tighten, and he instincitvely curled tighter around Luka. It made the little one flinche lightly, and sleepy as he was, he blinked up at Stefan. There was faint wonder in his eyes, but also a certain pity. Stefan merely smiled, though, and pressed Luka's face into his chest. Not long, and Luka had fallen fast asleep once more.

He didn't have to know yet. There was no need to wake the child from a wonderful world, when there still was so much time to enjoy life without the burden of knowledge. Innocence was such a rare good in this world... it had to be preserved as long as somehow possible.

But then, there were the nega-souls. And the shadows in the skies. What would be the next step of the nega-souls, and what would the shadows do as soon as there would be a strike from the side of the nega-souls? Stefan barely dared to imagine the consequences. He barely dared to imagine the overall loss of any innocence in this world. The loss of the world itself seemed to be nothing compared to that.