It was late in the evening when the return trip ended. The night, whose stars bloomed under the pale light of the Moon, had already replaced the heat of the day, embracing this tired world without hesitation.

As a result, the Staraptor redoubled her precautions so as not to disturb the surrounding families, landing with perfectly controlled delicacy.

- { Finally back! How are you feeling, great clumsy oaf?}

- Nervous. Tired. And maybe also a little anxious?

- { I wonder why.}

The redhead chuckled, barely containing his laughter. Now was not the time to burst out laughing like a maniac!

- (Come on, come on! Calm down both of you. Let's already try to see if there's anyone still awake.)

- { That would be good, actually. Keith? Are you in charge of checking if we can come inside?}

- Ok, but I don't guarantee anything!

The teenager approached the front door, and after taking a deep breath, knocked softly. A long moment passed, making the boy think that the family should be sleeping. Logic.

As he was about to give up and offer to his group to spend the night at the Union, the door opened, revealing the tired figure of the mother.

- What can I do for...- Keith?! It's really you?!

The strawberry blonde grabbed the youngest by the shoulders, thus preventing him from fleeing while making sure that she was not dreaming.

- Sorry to have taken so long....But, it's good. I got it. I have the Lunar Wing!

To prove his words, he held out his "treasure" which rested in the palm of his hands. Upon seeing the object, the woman's shoulders dropped as a silent tear rolled down her face.

- Oh thank Arceus...!

She gently wiped away her tear, before giving the redhead a soft smile and moving away.

- Come in, you must all be exhausted.

The group accepted the adult's offer without hesitation, quickly stepping inside. Strangely, the only human of the trio felt his body relax a little.

When was the last time he felt safe inside a house?

-...You must all be hungry, right? Sit down while I make you something to eat, okay?

The teenager weighed the pros and cons, visibly very tempted, however...

- That's very kind of you, ma'am. But, if you don't mind, can you wait a few minutes? I...I'm going to go wake Kellyn up, and he'll most likely be hungry, too. Is that fine with you...?

The mother gave an "Oh" of surprise, before chuckling softly, looking tender.

- Do what you have to do. And don't worry, take your time. A good meal is not done in 5 minutes, haha!

The boy felt his cheeks heat up, but that didn't stop him from smiling.

-...Thank you.

He wanted so much to say something else, yet he knew deep down that his words could never replace his actions. So, he headed upstairs, then Kellyn's room, hugging the Lunar Wing preciously against him.

Ah....Since when was he shaking like this?

Well, it was hardly important. He had a much more important job to do.

- Come on Keith, you can do it. There's no reason it shouldn't work.

The one with the crimson pupils took several deep breaths, then, once he deemed himself ready, cautiously entered the bedroom. The first thing he noticed was that only the faint light of the Moon was illuminating the room ever so slightly...As well as the sleeping face of his boyfriend.

Despite finding him absolutely angelic with that light, Keith had to turn on the bedside lamp to see what he was doing.

- Heya Kell. I'm back. How are you doing?

The Top Ranger sat down at his comrade's bedside, before leaning over and gently tucking a few brown locks back into place.

- Oh that's right. You're still sleeping....Don't worry. I'll get you out of here.

The redhead watched the colorful feather for a moment, then slowly but surely approached it to the younger one. For a few seconds nothing happened, gradually increasing the panic in the awakened one. Until suddenly, the artifact began to glow with a warm glow and enveloped Kellyn's entire body.

Dark filaments began to extricate themselves from the cursed body as the Lunar Wing took effect. Unfortunately, this also had a side effect: the poor boy was overcome with cold sweats and spasms.

Instinctively, Keith took his boyfriend's hand in his and squeezed it gently but firmly.

- It's okay my Angel...I know it hurts, but you can do it. It's almost done.

The oldest tenderly whispered his words to the brunet who, despite his unconsciousness, squeezed back the hand of the scarlet-haired one.

This scene continued for long minutes, during which the sleeping one panted or made small sounds of discomfort and pain, paining the 12th Top Ranger. Until, suddenly, the teal eyes opened in a gasp.

It took a moment for the redhead to register the information, but when it was done, tears of relief cascaded down his cheeks.

- Kell! Oh thank Arceus, you're awake!

The teenager quickly straightened his partner and hugged him tightly, his sobs echoing in the night silence.

- It worked. It worked...! Oh, you don't know how happy I am...!

The older boy was mumbling his words, more to himself than anything else, but that didn't stop him from showering the brunet with affection.

The latter did not move, most certainly in a state of shock. However, after a very long time away, he shyly wrapped his arms around his partner while curling up against the warm body.

....He was shaking so much.

-...K-Keith...Real...? No....D-Dream?

Oh sweet Mew...! How could a voice offer such a sound...? A sound in which Keith found something he didn't like: despair.

- I am real, my Angel. Shh....It's over now, it's over....You're safe. Shh...~

The crimson-eyed one tenderly strengthened his embrace, hoping to make Kellyn understand that he wasn't going to let go. The younger of the two remained silent, slowly registering the world around him, before whispering in a weak voice:

-....No...Monsters?

- Not anymore.

-...Promise?

- I promise.

The redhead felt his partner's body relax against his, visibly reassured, although it made his heart ache. What had he gone through to confuse the dream world and the real world to such an extent?

Never mind. Right now all that mattered to the Top Ranger was comforting the one with teal pupils.

- Shhh....Shhh....~ It's okay, I'm here. You don't have to be afraid anymore...

-...Don't...Go....

- Don't worry, I'm staying.

The Almia Ranger shyly rubbed his head against his boyfriend's heart, asking for some affection. Which Keith gladly offered him. For a long moment, the oldest whispered tender words in the brunet's ear, and watched over the well-being of the latter, until a slight growl was heard.

- Are you hungry?

A more than pitiful little hum answered him, making him chuckle softly.

- Hey....You slept for quite a while, it's normal to be hungry after that....So, how about we go eat? I'm sure your mother will be happy to see you awake!

----

The following days were rich in emotions. Between the tears, the affection and the surplus of visitors, Kellyn did not know which way to turn!

...Not like his head was intact anyway.

Still, a few days had passed and his family, seeing his absent, fearful and paranoid state, had made a particular decision....

- Hello kiddo! My name is Akiko, but you can call me "Aki". I am here to listen to you and help you ease your pain. I hope we can become friends!

...A therapist. His parents wanted him to see a therapist. But why? He was fine though, right...? rightrightrightrightrightrightright-

- Breathe kiddo, breathe! Inhale...And exhale...There you go, gently and surely.

When the brunet opened his eyes, he saw the man crouched in front of him, his hands firmly planted on his shoulders, his auburn pupils glowing with a reassuring, comforting glow.

- It's okay, don't be afraid....Just take a deep breath and focus on my voice, okay?

The therapist repositioned his hands, one behind his patient's back while the other remained suspended in the air horizontally. He waited a moment, making sure he had the younger boy's attention before beginning his maneuver.

- Inhale....Exhale....Inhale...Exhale....

The caramel-haired man spoke softly, at a controlled, soft volume while slowly moving his free arm in time with his words. Because if the teenager could not concentrate on his voice, he could imitate the movement of the arm with his breathing.

Or vice versa. His choice.

- Yosh....You can do it...Here....That's perfect, kiddo.

Soon, the panic attack subsided thanks to the patience and technique of the adult. The young boy then slowly came to his senses, before starting to stare at the one in front of him.

- Feeling better? How are you feeling?

The Top Ranger blinked briefly, his pupils shifting slightly. He didn't even try to open his mouth, except this time it wasn't because of his selective mutism.

- Ah....You don't have to tell me if you don't feel comfortable enough with me, kiddo.

The man sighed softly, then stepped back a little to give his patient some space.

- Hum...From what I was told, you have one of these tablets from Altru, right? Do you communicate with it?

A hesitant nod answered him.

- I see, I see....Do you think you can talk to me with it?

Another nod, although this one semmed a lot more...Shy. The auburn-eyed one hummed thoughtfully, understanding that the younger one wasn't going to confide like that. Looking out of the corner of his eye, he saw a notebook resting on a coffee table. It was true that he always had one available for his younger patients...Ah, but yes!

- A little shy, aren't ya? Well, it doesn't matter. We can't all be the same, the world would be very boring otherwise!

He chuckled at his own stupidity, earning himself a slight arch of confused eyebrow. He stood up then and took the opportunity to discreetly bring the notebook closer to the teenager's field of vision.

- Oh, don't mind my manners, kid! I've always been a little weird. Anyway, I'm going to let you breathe a little and I'm going to take the opportunity to do some paperwork. If you need me, I'm right here at my desk, okay?

The man sat down behind his desk, and pulled out a pile of documents from his drawer before starting to go through them carefully...Or at least that was what he claimed.

Discreetly, he kept an eye on the brunet and observed his reactions and actions. No matter how many papers he finished, the mountain of paperwork will never reach zero, anyway. So....

For 10 minutes, nothing happened, Kellyn remaining as motionless as a doll.

- /...This child is so careful...Sweet Mew, what happened to him?/

The therapist was so lost in thought that he almost jumped when he saw that the Top Ranger had taken the notebook in his hands, inspecting it from all angles. He watched it for a few more seconds before grabbing some crayons and starting to draw on the blank pages.

- / Haha! I knew it! He has the soul of an artist! Okay now, just have to be patient./

Akiko then left the boy to his activities, glancing from time to time. Silence therefore rightly resumed it's rights, only being interrupted by the friction of the crayons and the pen on the paper.

How long has it been? 10 minutes? 40? He didn't know. What he was sure of, however, was that his session was coming to an end. The caramel-haired man decided to stretch loudly, so the teen had time to quickly put everything back in place as if nothing had happened.

- Oh! I hadn't seen the time! It looks like our time together is already up. Time flies so fast...!

The adult stood up then walked over toward the Top Ranger, grinning. Once close enough, he crouched down so he could look at his patient in the eye.

- I guess we have to say goodbye for today, huh? I hope you didn't find me too boring!

The brunet shook his head slowly, indicating that he didn't mind. He even seemed a little less tense than before. Good news at last!

- Oh, perfect! See you in 2 days then?

Kellyn seemed to think for a few seconds before timidly accepting the proposal, which made the therapist smile.

- Good, good! With that, be careful, and have a good day, kiddo!

Akiko waved his hand gently while letting the one with teal pupils left of the room rather hastily. Although he stopped to wave back discreetly.

Once he was sure that the teenager was indeed gone, the adult retrieved the notebook and settled back into his chair.

- Yosh....Now let's see what you have to say, kid.

The auburn pupils thus began to skim through the crayonned pages....And he instantly began to regret.

- W-What the...?

The drawings were clean and easy to understand, no problem there! The content, however...

The first represented a woman...? Yes, a woman. A woman with what appeared to be long brown hair? Caramel? He couldn't really guess. In any case, she was represented dancing, while being surrounded by some kind of black substance. Some parts of the character were also covered by this color.

- Who is this? His mother? No...She doesn't look like Mrs. Gungnir.

Turning the page, he immediately came across a page that was completely black except for 2 large, bright red ovals, which were clearly eyes. Given the fine shape of the irises, he theorized that those eyes must be those of a demon or something similar. By the way...Why was the iris white?

Regardless of his guesses and theories, this...Thing particularly bothered him. He felt like it was watching him.

- By all the Legendaries...! I know kids have wild imaginations, but still!

He quickly moved on to the 3rd drawing, then the 4th, 5th...Until he got to the end. There was many things: some kind of spider woman, a beautiful blue flower, what looked like an origami....He would find it all beautiful if they weren't so creepy and disturbing.

- *sigh*....Well, looks like I have a lot on my plate.

-------------------------

W-W-Warmm

Is tthat light-t?

....Sunrise...!