Night fell. Hope searched the area frantically, but he still couldn't find Black Mist. Panic swelled in his chest.

What could have happened to him? Why can't I sense him?

Just leave him. He's beyond saving, that deeper voice, the voice of the chaos within him, whispered. It was a sad voice, the chaos, and that's why Hope never listened to it.

So he continued searching even though it was dark. He could have sworn he saw something in the general direction he sensed Black Mist, but he couldn't be sure of its figure. Besides, the figure was long gone. It could have been a Shadow Creature taking its Master into the shadows, which could be safe for a while. For now, his search continued.

~.~.~

Don Thousand stepped back into his under-water cave via portal, carrying a thin black body in his arms. Sighing, he carried Black Mist into one of the tunnels.

"Almost got caught for you, you know?" he told his creation's limp form. "Had Hope found me, I'm sure he would have tattled to the Astral World. He's a snitch like that. I'm sure you don't know that about your own foster father."

Of course, Black Mist didn't respond. He was burning with fever; Don could feel the ooze covering his body melting off, revealing the ugly scars marring his once-perfect body. Don Thousand sighed almost dramatically.

"I design you beautifully and they still ruin you," he lamented.

However, that wasn't his main concern. No, he was more worried about the burning heat. What had those demon children done to make Black Mist burn so? Don silently swore to find out.

~.~.~

"No luck?"

Hope looked up in surprise, shocked to find Anuenue still awake at this hour. "No," he replied. "You should be asleep. Aren't you tired?"

"Well, yeah," she admitted, "but I figured that you'd be even more tired than me since you lost one of your own."

Hope smiled tightly at her. "Get to sleep, Nue. Don't worry so much."

"But-"

"Hush, now. Go to sleep."

Nue was shocked stiff when Hope hugged her and pecked a kiss on her forehead. It reminded her of how her late parents - she was sure they were dead now - would kiss her to sleep each night. She closed her eyes happily and smiled; she could definitely imagine Hope as a loving caregiver.

"Alright," she agreed. "Good night, Hope."

"Good night, Nue." Hope smiled warmly and walked to his study as Anuenue headed to her own room.

Walking briskly, his heels clicking too loudly down the silent halls, he made it to his study and walked right past it to a room with a heavy door sealing it shut. This room was hardly used because most children didn't have uncontrollable chaos. However, it was useful for both Black Mist and himself, and right now, Hope needed it. He could track just fine with his current form, but chaos was better for tracking chaos, and this special room would make sure none of that chaos reached the vulnerable children.

Opening the metal door, he took his more volatile form, Hope Ray, and began the tracking process before he even stepped foot inside. Before the more dangerous part began, he was closing the door behind him.

Hope Ray sat in the middle of the empty, white room and closed his eyes, entering a calm state of mind. After what felt like a few minutes - one's sense of time wasn't very accurate in a room cut off completely from the outside world - he made a small pool of chaos in front of him, dropped a hint of Black Mist's chaotic essence in it, and began to scry. The puddle wavered slightly before a smooth image came to the surface.

"No..." Hope Ray breathed. "He's with him?"

On the surface of the puddle of chaos, he watched as Don Thousand set Black Mist a bed in a room with stalactites and stalagmites scattered around The room. It was a wonder that Don's large form was able to move around in that small room with little walking space. Hope Ray watched as the Barian deity left the room for a bit,

Maybe I can get him now, he reasoned to himself. He won't-

No. That was Don Thousand's domain, and there was no telling what kinds of traps he may have laid out for any intruder, and the chaos in Barian World was dangerous to the Numbers. Many already had a hard time taking their Chaos Forms with a rank-up spell (something not many younger Numbers knew nowadays), and going to the very heart of chaos would be deadly in the worst case scenario.

"Do I really have to leave him there to be at Don Thousand's mercy?" Hope Ray asked himself quietly. His shoulders slumped in defeat.

As if he heard Hope Ray, Don Thousand began looking around for the source of the voice. Then, shockingly, he looked up and locked eyes with the Number.

"Are you done crying?" he asked, his tone bored and somewhat irritated. "Rest easy. He'll be safe."

And then he cut off the connection.

Hope Ray jumped in shock. How did he do that? But there was no use in asking a question without an answer. He carefully collected the chaos he dispersed and dropped his chaos form. Hope then sanitized the space and left the room for now to finally go to sleep.