After having left the house, I left Yuko and Rosalba behind, preferring to be on my own. I had wandered off aimlessly, only to end up at my father's tomb... well what I had once thought as his tomb.

I walked up to it and raised my right fist over it. I sighed. I... I couldn't do it. I couldn't destroy his tomb. I wasn't sure why, though. Was it because of emotional attachment? Had I become more attached to the figure I had built up than the man who was actually my father? After all, this tomb represented that man, the ideal knight and father. The one I had looked up to all these years.

"Tetsu?" a voice called out. It was Serrano. His eyes were red as if he had also been crying. "What are you doing here by yourself?"

I smiled slightly. "I can ask you the same."

Serra turned his eyes toward one of the other tombs in the distance. This place was our family grave. In it were buried various ancestors, one of whom was my grandmother, Tulia. Another was Serra's little brother, Conrad.

"You came to see him, didn't you?" I asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Serra closed his eyes. "Last night, I had a dream of him. We were kids and he was leading me through into a dark portal. It turned out to lead to the abyss, but I didn't care... at least he was back." He sniffled. "Why wasn't it real? Why couldn't he be alive?"

I stared back at Pa's grave. I used to ask the same thing about him, then when it came true, I didn't want it to be.

I patted his back and remained silent. I glanced up at grandma's tomb which was beside Conrad's and saw dark wisps appear. It was Takeshi. He seemed to fall to his knees in front of the tomb and bow his head down. Seeing him like that reminded me of myself... I would visit Pa's tomb whenever I felt sad, distressed, or simply wanted to get something out of my throat.

I gasped as Takeshi suddenly turned into a black panther, jaguar-like cat and began howling.

"What's that sound?" Serrano asked, looking up. He wiped away his tears and saw the big cat kneeling beside our grandmother's grave. "A panther? No, a jaguar? Uh, what is it?"

"It's my dad," I said, turning around. "Let's get out of here."

"His howling... it sounds so... sad... Is it because he misses grandma?" he asked as he followed behind me.

"Maybe." I gasped. Or maybe something bad happened to Ma.

I spread my wings and took to the air.

"Hey, where are you going?" Serrano yelled as he spread his out as well.

"To check up on my mom. I want to see if she's alright. Something bad might've happened to her if he's here," I yelled.

Serrano stared at his phone. "I think she's fine. Tere sent me a text through Dr. Yuki's phone. She said that he went to check up on her not too long ago, said that she's doing fine. She simply had an alteration. Well, two."

I glanced back at Takeshi. Did she confront him about being a slave owner? Did she ask him for a divorce or to stay away? Is that why he's crying like that?

"I see," I said, sighing with relief.

Serra frowned. "Say, Tetsu, what happened with Eiichi?"

"Huh? You mean that you don't know?" I asked.

"Eiji, and your parents went to calm you down. The rest of us meanwhile were told to stay away. Yuko wanted to rush in but Miyuki held her back. Lady Saya had to quarantine the area with a special barrier. Eiichi came out with some rather severe wounds. It took Dr. Yuki, Ximena, Nori, and even Lady Saya to get him in a stable condition. His mom said that you wanted to kill him. Is that true."

"Yeah, I did." I clenched my hands into fists.

"I know that you don't like him. I mean, I don't either, but to try to kill him?"

"I think that it was Eiichi who tried to take advantage of Rosalba, not Satoru."

He furrowed his brow. "Why do you say that?"

"Eiichi, toward the end of our battle he turned into a demon."

"Yeah, he did... But how does that prove it was him? I mean, while him being a demon is bad in of itself, but it doesn't automatically prove that he attempted raping Rosalba. I mean, Satoru himself was a biological demon."

"True, but there was something about him. About his voice... It reminded me of the attacker from that night."

Serrano sighed. "I would love to say that I doubt Eiichi would do that, but I don't. Years ago, a girl told me that he had chased her. She felt as if he had bad intentions. If not for her running into me, who knows what might've happened."

"You mean that there's a history of it?" I asked, clenching my fists tighter that blood started to come out.

"Eiichi denied it. He claimed that he was only trying to be friendly. Plus, his social status served as an umbrella against such accusations. Though apart from that case and this one, I haven't heard such allegations levied at him."

"Perhaps, he's keeping them silent," I said.

"Maybe, though it could also be that he remained low after that." He closed his eyes. "Though, if it was Eiichi then how would Satoru know what happened that night?"

I gasped. "You don't think that the scumbag is a traitor as well, do you?"

"Now that's something I doubt, but it is a possibility that we should consider. I'll let uncle... I mean King Osamu know what you told me."

I smiled. "Thanks, cuz."

He opened his eyes as we neared my home. "No need to mention it. I owe you, after everything I put you through."

I grumbled. "You're still on about that?"

"I can't let it go. You know me, I have to make amends... I need to get it right."

I punched him on the shoulder. "You know that you're not a god, right? Mistakes are natural. Plus, I suspect that even they make mistakes."

"I know... but... I can't help but feel guilty."

I shrugged. "Okay, okay, feel guilty."

He snickered. "I hope that you're stronger when we see each other next time. I'll like to have a rematch, to determine which of us is stronger."

I hit my chest. "Obviously it's me!"

"Ha, like you overtook me in the span of a few weeks!" he said, punching my left arm.

"I'll miss you, Serra," I said as I firmly gripped his shoulder.

"Likewise, Tetsu," he said as he did the same to me.

***

"Tetsu, Serra. Have ya seen Pa?" Teresa asked as we descended in front of the porch of our house.

"Yeah, we saw him by grandma's grave," Serrano responded.

"Do you know what happened between him and Ma?" I asked.

"Ma won't say, but she seems furious at him. She said that she doesn't want to ever see him again," she responded.

"Can't really blame her," I mumbled.

"Tetsu! Ya shouldn't be so mean to him. We still don't know why he pretended he had died. Until then, ya should reserve judgment."

I crossed my arms over my chest and turned away. If only it was that... If he had a good reason then perhaps, I could forgive him. But he has more skeletons in the closet than simply faking his death.

Tere sighed and jumped down the wooden porch stairs. "I'm going to go get him," she said before taking flight.

Would she react like my ma and I did when she finds out what Takeshi did?

*Takeshi*

"Ma, thanks for listening to me," I said, wiping my tears on my front paws. I rose up from the tomb and was going to head back when suddenly a hand patted my head.

"Hey, there, Pa," Tere said, grinning at me. "So, this is how ya abyssmal form looks. Rather intimidating, but also very fluffy!" She hugged my neck tightly.

"Tere, stop that, ya're going to choke me," I said.

She giggled. "Ya're an abyssmal, choking won't kill you."

"Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt."

She chuckled and slowly let go of me. "Sorry, Pa."

"Uh, so why are you here?" I asked. "Visiting ya grandmother?"

Tere stared at the black stone tombstone and bowed her head. I wasn't sure who had made the grave. When I asked Anis, she said that it appeared one day. She assumed it was my pa who made it. Considering there were strange characters written on the stone, I could only assume it was an abyssmal.

"No, I came here to fetch you. The knights and the others are starting to gather at the house. They're ready to head to their destinations."

"I see," I said, lowering my head. I closed my green cat-like eyes and stepped forward.

"Don't be sad, Pa," Tere said, patting my head. "Ma will come around eventually. I heard that she would often get mad at ya when ya were youngsters."

I smiled. "Yeah, but... this is different. Tere, I'm not the man who ya think I am."

Teresa swung her hands behind her. "Do ya think I don't know?"

"Huh?"

"It's obvious that ya aren't completely like the vision I had of ya. Still, ya're my papa." She raised a hand toward the heavens. "The one who taught me how to walk and fly." She chuckled. "Come to think about it, thanks to ya being alive I completed my promise."

I grinned, baring my sharp teeth. "Yeah. Ya did! Ya fly beautifully, Tere. Just ya old pa!"

"I know, right? Back when we first went to Kaguya, I felt as if ya were familiar. The way ya cheered me up. It was the same as I remembered when I would fall while trying to learn how to walk. Pa, ya really are sorry for the wrongs ya've done then continue on the path of redemption. The others might not forgive ya right away, but ya'll have me cheering ya on."

"Tere," I said with teary eyes.

She turned around and chuckled. "For a big scary looking cat ya're reminding me of a kitten."

I grumbled. "A kitten?"

"Yeah! A kitten who is struggling to find its way around the world. A world it isn't familiar yet. Pa, while ya're gone, I'll talk to Ma to soften her up."

"Ya aren't coming with us?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Nah. The way I am now, I'll only get in the way. Nico though agreed to stay back and continue to train me. Hopefully, I'll get strong enough to help out a little in the future battles."

I reverted back to my human form and patted her head. "Ya've really grown, Tere. I'm so proud of Taku and you!"

Tere's face reddened. "Ya are?"

"Yup. Ya've grown to become a brave and independent woman. Ya know what ya want in life. Though do be careful. Selena was like ya once, but her life took a turn for the worse..."

"Hey, Pa... What did happen to auntie? I was told that she went on vacation, but she hasn't returned in years."

I glanced up at the cloudless blue sky. "I rather not say. Hopefully, she's getting better, after everything that has happened."

"I hope she is," Tere said.

"Say, how about we hit the skies?" I asked as I spread out my wings. Tere smiled and did the same, following behind me. The two of us soared through the sky, zipping around like a pair of jets doing fancy maneuvers like an air show.

Thanks, Sky Father, Earth Mother, for granting me such a wonderful daughter. If anything shall happen to me, please watch over her and the others. My actions have harmed them enough as it is, they deserve a bit of peace.

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed this final chapter :3. Let me know your thoughts for this book and predictions of what's to come!**