Sabre sat alone in the ruins of the Great Library, hiding in a small makeshift shelter constructed inside a pile of destroyed bookshelves. It was crude and uncomfortable, but it was better than being out in the open.

Better than being found.

He lay curled up on his side, the sharp-edged shelter being too small to sit up. His usually well kept clothes were ragged and tattered, the edges fraying, his hair a tangled mess with small bits of splinters caught in knots. Even with his blindfold, it was clear from his expression that he was tired.

It didn't help that he had an annoyingly chatty shadow of himself that kept bothering him. Since he broke out of the Darkness' control, Shadow Sabre persisted in trying to make Sabre turn back to Void's side. The sword that Sabre found himself holding when he escaped the Darkness was on the opposite side of the shelter, kicked away, as Sabre wanted nothing to do with it much to his shadow's displeasure. Knowing what Shadow had done with it, just the sight of the blade sent anxiety and dread through him, but Shadow wouldn't let him get rid of it. So, it sat there, just as unwanted as he was.

In the days since he ran from the Chromatics, Sabre had mostly stayed inside the shelter, hiding. He barely crawled out into the destroyed Library, except for when he absolutely needed something. Like water. Drinking from the nearby river probably isn't much good, but it was all Sabre had and as far as the last bits of his courage would take him. That, and...

Well, the visits.

He didn't know why, but since his mysterious friend had found him a day after he started hiding, he kept coming back. To talk. To try to coax him out of the shelter. To help him with the healing wound on his neck. Day after day, the cloaked stranger would get him out of his shelter for a while. Sabre took to calling him M, since he never told him his name, and it was shorter than 'Mysterious Stranger'. It's the only good thing that's happened to him for a long time.

Waiting for his next return, Sabre began thinking about some of the previous days M came by...

—————————————————————————————————————

He hid under a fallen bookshelf, shivering from fear. Had he been found? Did the Chromatics discover where he is? Were they going to take him back to that place?

Slowly, the footsteps approached. They stopped right next to him. Sabre shut his eyes and covered his face with arms.

The silence felt like it lasted hours, as Sabre waited for something, anything. Why were they just standing there? Aren't they going to attack him again?

The wood floor creaked as the figure crouched down.

"Hello?"

Sabre didn't recognize the voice, but that didn't mean he wasn't still in danger. It might be a guard, or somebody else from the Chromatics. He kept his eyes squeezed shut, still shivering.

"Hey, are you alright?"

A hand touched his arm. Sabre flinched back, scooting further into the small space between the fallen bookshelf and the wall.

"Oh, sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you. I was just trying to see if you're okay..."

The person in front of him stayed still. Sabre slowly lowered his arms and looked up. Sitting there was a cloaked person holding a softly glowing lantern, the warm light illuminating the destroyed Great Library. Sabre could barely see his face, but could make out a concerned expression. His hand was still raised, not to attack, but slightly reaching towards him.

"Oh, I know who you are..." The figure said, surprised. "You're the Catalyst. What... are you doing all the way out here?"

Sabre stayed silent for a moment.

"Y-You're not going to attack me...?" He asked quietly.

"World Beyond, no! Why would I do that?"

The figure slowly lowered his lantern and sat down, careful not to startle him.

"Did... did someone else attack you?"

Sabre hesitated, then nodded.

"Why?"

"...They think I'm still infected. But I'm not... a-at least, I don't think so..."

Sabre carefully touched a hand to the large gash on the side of his neck. The stranger noticed.

"Oh my- That wound is barely healing over! Are you okay? Don't touch it please, you'll get something in it. Here..."

Sabre watched as the stranger reached into a small bag, and pulled out a few bandages. He holds them out to him carefully.

"You probably don't want me touching you, so..." The figure shrugged.

Hesitantly, Sabre took the bandages. As he carefully placed them over the wound, the stranger continued talking.

"That's probably going to scar, based off how it seems like it hasn't been treated. How'd that even happen? If you don't mind me asking, of course."

Sabre stayed quiet. He didn't know how much he could trust the stranger, even if he was helping. The stranger waited for a bit.

"That's alright. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He said. "Do you have a name, Catalyst?"

"...S-Sabre." He replied hesitantly. "What's yours...?"

The stranger fumbles his words for a bit.

"That's uh- well- I can't really say. It's kind of- I can't really share my identity without risk."

"Oh... That's fair."

Sabre shuffled and turned inside the small space.

"...That wasn't about you, in case that's how you took it. It's a 'in general' thing." The stranger says after a while. "A rule I have to follow while I'm out here."

Sabre turned his head, looking at the stranger again. They stared for a bit.

"...So are you gonna crawl out of the bookshelves, or-"

"No."

"Alright then."

—————————————————————————————————————

"Why do you keep coming back...?" Sabre asked from inside his shelter.

While the stranger was gone, he had moved a few bookshelves and things to make a small space inside a mass of broken wood. It wasn't very safe, given how the pointy edges of the broken wooden furnishings were everywhere, but it was safer than being exposed.

"Simple. I want to check on you. Why'd you hide in a bunch of wrecked furniture?"

"It's safer."

"Safer? That thing is like hiding in a thorn bush."

"And nobody would want to try to get me in here."

He could hear the stranger sigh, and saw him sit down in front of the small opening in the shelter.

"Can you please get out of there?" He asked.

"I'd rather not."

"Come on, it's just me. You know I won't hurt you, right?"

"Not entirely."

"I literally don't have any weapons on me, you know that."

"How do I know you're not with the Chromatics and trying to take me back to them?"

"Do I look like I want them to know where I am? I'm sneaking around in a cloak for a reason."

They both stayed silent for a while. Then, the stranger dug through his bag and held out some bread.

"I brought food. There's nothing around here except for that empty river, and it doesn't really seem like you've left the library since I found you, so..."

A few minutes passed. Sabre slowly crawled out of the shelter. The stranger extended his hand to help him up, and hesitantly, Sabre took it with his shaking hand. The stranger hoisted Sabre to his feet and handed him the bread, as they both sat down on a nearby semi-broken bench.

"Goodness, you look like you were dragged through a briar patch."

"Gee, thanks."

"Not like that, I mean- You look like you're not taking care of yourself."

"I can't really. Not like this, anyway. I'm having trouble getting just basic things I need... this is the first time I've eaten something since escaping the Darkness."

"Seriously...? Why didn't you tell me you were struggling, I can absolutely bring you more stuff that you need-"

"No no no, you don't have to-"

"I will as long as I need to."

"You don't need to!"

"If you haven't eaten in almost a week, yes I do!"

"No you don't."

"Yes I do."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"You're not stopping me."

—————————————————————————————————————

"I'm just gonna start calling you M if you don't tell me your name."

"'M'? Why that?"

"It's shorter than calling you 'Mystery Guy That Visits Me'."

"Pfft, okay. You can call me M then."

Sabre and the newly nicknamed M were sitting on the ground, M being the one making conversation, as usual. Sabre was slowly getting more trusting with him.

"Hey Sabre? You never told me how you got that injury, are you okay with telling me now?" M asked, glancing at what used to be Sabre's wound, now a freshly made scar.

"Oh, well..." Sabre replied, glancing at the sword a little ways away on the ground. "It's... how Void infected me. He slashed at my neck, and I guess I was only immune as long as the Darkness didn't get into my blood."

"Oh... that's awful. It doesn't still hurt, does it?"

"No, it stopped a few days ago."

"Good. Are you having any side effects from the Darkness?"

Sabre quieted, staring forward. He saw as his shadowy copy floated in the air across the room, grinning.

"Sabre?"

"...You'll think I'm crazy." Sabre said quietly.

"Sabre, I live in the same area as someone who blows stuff up on the regular and is obsessed with salmon. I won't think you're crazy."

"You what-?"

"Not the point. The point is, I'm not going to judge you. The Darkness does some weird things, so whatever you say very likely won't be out of the ordinary for it."

Sabre sat there for a moment, before taking a deep breath.

"I... the Darkness that took over me... it has a form. It copied my appearance and calls itself my shadow. It keeps trying to make me go back... it wants me to let it take over again. I-I don't... I don't want to, though. But it's haunting me like a ghost."

"Oh, that's normal for people who were previously infected. It's one of the possible remnants that can be left behind by it."

"Wh-What?"

"Yeah. Where I'm from, there was a study on remnants of Darkness left in those who had been infected, but healed. 'Shadows', as they're called, are one of the rarer and more persistent effects. You're not the only one that's struggled with a shadow."

M looked at the sword on the ground.

"Is that why you keep that sword away from you?"

Sabre nodded.

"Shadow won't let me get rid of it. He'll either bind it to my hand or do something that makes it feel like my veins are on fire if I try. He... wants me to finish what he started."

Sabre glares at Shadow, as his dark counterpart scowls. M draws his focus away from Shadow as he carefully placed a hand on Sabre's shoulder.

"Well, you haven't let him get to you, and that's wonderful. Dealing with a cocky parasite must be pretty annoying, huh?"

Sabre laughed. It was the first time he had laughed in so long, and it felt amazing. M smiled as he pulled himself together.

"Pft- He- Hahahahaha! That sums it up pretty well!" Sabre said, laughing again as he noticed Shadow's insulted expression.

When Sabre stopped, he had tears in his eyes. M became concerned when he saw it, worried he had accidentally caused Shadow to react.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

Sabre wiped away the tears with a smile.

"Yeah, just..." Sabre said, finally calming down.

He looked at M with a grateful expression.

"Thank you."

The two were quiet for a moment.

"Hey, Sabre, I..." He asked, a bit nervous. "I have a friend that could... get rid of the shadow, if you wanted..."

Sabre froze for a second, worried at the thought of another person knowing about him.

"It's okay if you don't want to, though!" M said quickly. "I'm not gonna force you to go. You decide at your own pace, okay?"

Sabre relaxed a little. He went through the possible outcomes in his head for a while.

"...I'll think about it."

—————————————————————————————————————

Sabre's daydreams were suddenly interrupted by loud, roaring thunder.

As he listened, he realized it had started raining. Sounds like a heavy storm had rolled in, drenching the world in cold drops of water. He heard the rain battering against the destroyed Library in a torrent.

As more thunder rolled, rainwater began to drip, then trickle, then pour into his shelter from a small hole. Great.

Sabre sighed, and scooted over a little bit to reach the water. He held out his hands to the falling stream and carefully sipped. At least it was better than river water, and he wouldn't have to leave the shelter. Although the floor's going to be soaked in a little while...

As the minutes passed, Sabre listened to the pouring rain outside. The occasional lightning and thunder made him jump a little, but it only took a few seconds to realize it was just part of the storm.

Until a large number of lightning strikes happened very close to the Library, and seconds later, rushed footsteps.

"Sabre! Sabre, where are you?!"

M was calling out for him, running through the slick-floored ruins, being careful not to slip. He stopped in front of the shelter, knocking on one of the pieces of wood.

"Sabre, are you in there?" He asks.

"I-I'm here, M. I'm here." Sabre replies, confused. "What are you doing out here? It's storming-"

"Get out here, okay?"

"What?"

"Come on, Sabre!"

At the rushed encouragement of his friend, Sabre crawled out of the shelter and stood up. He was soaked to the bone almost immediately. However, he didn't focus on the rain, as he was taken by surprise that M had his hood off, revealing bright rose-colored hair and pastel coral skin.

"M, y-you're a-?!" Sabre exclaims, but M cuts him off.

"Red Steve. Yeah. Big whoop. Whatever!" M says, stepping back a bit. "Come on, let's get you out of the rain!"

"M, what are you doing?!"

M extends his hand to Sabre, a kind expression on his face.

"I promise, you'll be safe. None of the other Chromatics will find you, and- and we can help you."

"M, are you trying to take me somewhere?! What about all the people, a-and the Darkness, and-!"

"Sabre."

M stares at him with his hand still extended, reaching to him. His expression reminds Sabre of when he had first found him hiding in the library; Trusting. Careful. Genuine. Hopeful.

A look that did its best to promise safety.

"You trust me, right?" M asks, smiling.

Sabre saw Shadow floating behind M, shaking his head with a scowl. The Sword hung on Sabre's belt, inside its scabbard, Sabre having grabbed it on his way out.

Sabre stared at Shadow, and then back at M.

He stepped forward, taking M's hand with a nod.

"Perfect." M smiled, showing excitement.

M quickly pulled Sabre into a hug, while lightning began to strike around them. Sabre didn't have time to process what was going on before he was teleported away from the ruins of the Library.

—————————————————————————————————————

When the lightning stopped, they were inside a fancy room.

M hung onto Sabre's sleeve, and Sabre looked around. Standing on an ornate rug, the oak floors and dark oak walls made a rectangular room with a few hallways, one large one behind them and two smaller ones on either side of the opposite wall. Between the two hallways was a painting of an official-looking Red Steve, and a smaller, much younger Red Steve standing together.

Two long tables were on either side of the room, decorated with candles, while the walls behind them had smaller paintings of various things hung. A chandelier hung from the ceiling.  Lanterns illuminated corners of the room where the light of the chandelier and candles didn't reach. The whole area had a warm glow to it.

However, Sabre was focusing on the very surprised-looking Red Steve on front of him and M. The Red Steve just stood there for a moment.

"...AMARIS?"

"Hi dad." M replies with a smile.

"Wha- Who is that?! What is that?! Why did you bring him into the Kingdom?! And why are you soaked?!" The Red Steve asks, exasperated and looking very worried.

"This is my friend Sabre. He's trustworthy, I promise." M says, looking at Sabre, who quickly waves. "He's uh- Well, he's not a Steve at all, but I brought him here because he's kind of on his own. And with the terrible rain-"

"Amaris, you can't just bring somebody into the Kingdom like this! What were you thinking-" The Red Steve continues, but he stops for a second as he gets a good look at Sabre. "...Is that the Catalyst?"

Sabre tenses as he says that. If he knows who he is, will he throw him out too?

"Well yes- but he's literally in hiding too. And he doesn't have anywhere to go." M says, answering the Red Steve. "I just-"

A different Red Steve wearing a lab coat suddenly pops his head into the room.

"Hey Carmine, what's going- WHAT IS THAT?!" The other Red Steve exclaims.

"Professor, don't even think about it!" M says, pointing at the labcoated Steve. "He's my friend!"

"Professor Red, could you please come back later?" The Red Steve says, facepalming.

"But that's a-!"

"Shoo, Professor!" Both M and the Red Steve yell.

The labcoated Red Steve, 'Professor' apparently, starts walking off.

"Sheesh, okay! I'll go!"

As the Professor leaves, the Red Steve turns back to M.

"Amaris. As I was saying, you can't just randomly bring an outsider into the Kingdom. It's a threat to our secrecy." The Red Steve says. "I especially, as Leader, need to address that. Just because you're my son, doesn't mean you can-"

"But he's hiding from the other Chromatics too! They just- left him!" M replies. "He literally doesn't have anywhere to go, either! I found him in the Library ruins!"

Intrigued, the Red Steve looks at Sabre.

"...Did they really?" He asks.

"I-I... yes, sir." Sabre replies nodding. "They... they've abandoned me. I-I've been hiding from them for a while."

"And you were just... in the ruins of the Great Library?" He continues.

"Y-Yes. I-I... I was scared they would find me if I left."

The Red Steve then turned back to M.

"Is this what you were so frantically preparing things for earlier?"

"Maybe." M says.

"I'm guessing you took the Professor's advice of 'Can't do anything about it if it's already here'?"

"Perhaps."

The Red Steve groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose as he shook his head. After a minute, he looked up, his gaze falling on Sabre once again.

"If you ever exit the Kingdom, do you swear not to tell a soul of our existence?" He asks.

"Y-Yes sir." Sabre replies.

"Are you going to cause trouble?"

"O-Of course not, sir."

The Red Steve stares for a minute.

"Amaris?"

"Yeah dad?" M replies.

"Never do this again."

The room is silent as M and the Red Steve look at each other.

"But, fine, he can stay." The Red Steve sighs. "Also, please go change out of those wet clothes. You're soaking the carpet."

M cheers, and leads Sabre down the left hallway. As they walk, Sabre turns to M.

"Did... did he say he's a Leader?" Sabre asks.

"Yep! Leader of the Red Kingdom, although people don't know that because we're in hiding." M replies. "Like you!"

"And- And he's your dad?"

"Yep again! I'm his apprentice, officially. But yeah, that's my dad."

Sabre is quiet for a moment. As they turn into a larger, grander hallway, he asks another question.

"Where are we...?"

"Well, you've probably guessed we're in the Red Kingdom by now, but as for the exact place? You're in the castle, aka where I live. Now, you do too."

"Wait, what?"

M passes a door with his name engraved on a metal plate, and stops in front of a door directly to the right of it. There's a similar metal plate on this door, but it's empty.

M opens the door, and leads Sabre into a large, nicely furnished room. The canopy bed on the back wall is covered with deep red curtains, while blankets of a lighter red make the bed. Next to the bed is a glass door that leads to a balcony, the stormy sky still visible through it, and a town made up of houses with red rooftops is visible below. A circular rug lies in the center of the room.  On the right wall, a large mirror sits in a silver frame, with double doors of a closet next to it. On the left wall that the headboard of the bed is against, a nightstand sits next to the bed with a lamp on it. A painting of a sunset hangs nearby. On the front wall, next to the door, there's a wooden desk with a cushioned chair. A book is placed on the desk, right in front of the chair.

Sabre, dumbfounded, keeps looking around as M lets go of his sleeve and turns back to the door.

"I'll be right back, I think I have some old clothes that'll fit you." He says. "Stay here."

Sabre doesn't have time to reply before he hears M go to the room next door. He stands there for a moment, before he notices the book and curiously goes to look at it.

To his surprise, it's a storybook that he remembered telling M he had liked. Sabre had first read it when he had been left alone at the Hub, and found it in a random bookshelf in the house. He remembered telling M about how it was his favorite thing to read when he had some spare time to.

Sabre looked up when M entered the room again, now changed into some more casual clothing and carrying another set of clothes.

"Here you go. We can figure out more stuff later, but you probably want to change out of those drenched clothes now." M says, handing Sabre the outfit. "Just knock on my door if you need anything else, okay?"

M goes to leave, but Sabre stops him.

"Uh- W-Wait, M?"

M turns around, as Sabre just stutters for a moment.

"...Why are you doing all of this?" Sabre asks.

M just smiles warmly at him.

"You never asked to get roped into the Chromatics' war." M replies. "You shouldn't have to be miserable because they deserted you."

M then walks out of the room, and closes the door behind him.

—————————————————————————————————————

Sabre looked at his new outfit in the mirror, not being able to help but smile a little.

M had given him a nice red t-shirt, a rose-colored sweater with deep red patches on the elbows and white accents, with a little embroidered rose on the front, dark maroon pants, and some cherry red sneakers (which he kept off for now). The new clothes were soft and very comfortable, a welcome change from what he had before.

He still had hair that resembled a bird's nest with splintered wood stuck in it, but he didn't really care that much about it at the moment. He was more tired than anything.

Sabre walks over to canopy bed, pushing past the curtains and flopping down onto the covers. He shuffles his way up to the pillow, laying his head down, and lifts the blankets so he can crawl under them. The warmth and comfort of the soft bed was much better than sleeping on a broken, hard wooden floor back in the ruins of the Great Library. Sabre never guessed in a million years that he would be whisked away to live in a castle, yet here he was, in a room much fancier than any he'd ever seen.

Sabre turned off the lamp beside him, and while being able to ignore the Sword's presence for the first time as it sat propped against the desk, drifted off to sleep.