"Hey Tangy."

"Don't call me that, Az. It sounds... well, it doesn't sound right."

"Eh, suit yourself, Tang."

There's a pause as Tango glares at Azin. Azin backs off, hands in the air in surrender.

"Anyway, you seem down in the dumps."

"It's HIS birthday."

"Ah." Another pause. "You know, he's only presumed dead. They never found a body. For him or his brother."

"But what's the alternative?"

"Point."

"I was supposed to protect him. But, you know, we fought and... Illagé happened."

"You didn't need to protect him. After everything players have done to us, even their children don't deserve our mercy. After all, back when we were kids, we didn't get theirs."

"I know that now. But I still feel bad about what happened to... What happened to... Yanno. Him." Tango sighs, pushing back his hair to briefly reveal the cursed crown bound to his forehead.

"Wasn't he rather rude to you in the end?"

Tango slipped through the portal from the abyss into the overworld. Looking around, he easily spotted 6'!3/8#, and quickly made his way over.

"Hi. Long time no see." Tango greeted as he walked up to the mortal.

"Yeah, considering you're just a figment of my imagination."

"W... What!?"

"My brother says you're not real."

"Ah, he's just jealous."

"No. No, you're not real. Demons, Vex, Watchers. You're all just myths. And I need to grow up."

"Come on-"

"Goodbye, imaginary friend."

And Tango was left alone.

"Hello! Earth to Tango!" Azin waves his hand in front of Tango's vacant expression.

"It wasn't his fault. It was his brother." Tango looks up, eyes glowing red with malign intent. He grasps the back of the chair he had previously rested his elbows on, blood-red claws digging into the wood.

"If you say so."

"If his brother hadn't died with him at Illagé, I'd kill that little Saghlo."

"LANGUAGE!"

"Abyssal."

Short little tidbit, it'll make more sense during Act II.
As for my plans for this book, it will pause at the end of the next arc while I publish another project, and then there will be four more arcs.
After that, there may be some side stories here and there.
But for now, I hope you're looking forward to Bureaucats/Nothing But My Eyes, and the end of Act I.
OdalRune, signing off from the past!