Where Geno is informed by Echo about some interesting stuff in the future and is about to enter a conversation with the silent cook of the Reapers.

No one's POV:
-

The hermitage had stayed locked from the moment Geno did that accidental revelation. No matter who knocked and banged at the door of the hermitage to ask Alter for explanations, the priest had kept it locked. Dead silence was prevailing in there. The siren was facepalming every few minutes again and again.

"Damnit Geno. Control your mouth!" He sighed. "Now I brought Al in a difficult position. And he told me, he specifically TOLD ME that he didn't want such information go around!" His steps lead him in front of the door of the hermitage.

Honestly he didn't know what he wanted to do. Apologise? What was that even gonna fix? Still, Alter deserved to hear it. He knocked on the door, not sure if the priest was even going to open. So many others had banged and knocked on his door and he had refused to open or even answer.

Was he going to allow the one who had spilled one of his secrets like that in?! Geno opened his mouth ready to start apologizing. But then suddenly the door swung open and Alter's tall frame made its appearance. He leaned forward and looked to his left and right to the corridors of the ship.

Scanning to see if there was anyone else around. Once he made sure only the smol skeleton was here, he stepped back and kept the door open. He wasn't smiling. He didn't seem cheerful at all. Yet his look was as if it was somehow accepting Geno to come in.

"... ₩əłł?" He asked. The siren looked up to the taller surprised.

"Alter... I-."

"Đœn't jυst stænd thərə." The taller cut the shorter. After a few more minutes of hesitation, Geno walked in the hermitage. Yes he could hear him being mad, even if he had allowed the smol to enter. But if anything, Geno could trust that Alter wasn't going to cause any harm.

The taller closed the door of the hermitage quite abruptly and turned to face Geno, who lowered his head and fiddled with his scarf awkward. He heard the taller walking pass him and sitting on the bed. He gained enough courage to face him.

"I..." He exhaled. "A sorry is not gonna fix what I've caused by letting my tongue slip. Yet, I gotta still say it. I owe it to ya. I'm sorry. Yes, you told me that your identity is important to stay hidden. You've trusted me and told me so many things about the Asteras, something so important for ya, but so personal. Ya trusted me to keep it for myself and I simply blew it all cause I forgot. Upon my nerves for seein' that the pirates were just disrespectin' ya-... all this time I'm on this ship and have witnessed their behavior towards ya!" The siren hid his face in his palms. "UGH! OKAY! I JUST GOT MAD! I honestly am questioning how you've managed to tolerate 'em for so darn long! It's not right! I don't think it's right for 'em to treat ya like that!" Geno stopped. He knew he had slightly messed up his words and didn't know in what order to tell them. Even the silence felt deafening. Until the siren heard Alter sighing.

"... Maybe it didn't matter what ya did. Maybe I got upset for nothin'." He said. Geno's eyesocket perked up in interest as the priest stared down on the floor. "I'm no longer in action. I've offered and served for the monsters of Olissipo in the name of Aster, as long as he stayed active and I stayed on land. I got nothin' from what I was originally trained for to serve and protect, except one. Movin' forward, I've only got you to protect." He exhaled from his nose. "Another reason you shall know about why it is preferred my identity to stay hidden and I'm more upset for, is because even today, Asteras are wanted by the government of Olissipo. Raymond offers high prizes for anyone who brings them to him alive, so he can kill 'em himself. He hates whatever and whoever is related to Master Alvino, with the same power perhaps he hates Vincent."

"Oh sh-..." Geno did, preventing himself from completing his sentence.

"Despite most from this crew have a high respect for Asteras, as they know what they've done for the monster kind, I could never be sure that they would all keep their mouth shut. Ramirez has stayed silent, Michael knew too and has hidden it until today, but I'd rather not have had the rest knowing."

"Can't trust 'em?"

"Can't trust that they'll keep silence and whatever they learned today will stay amongst the individuals of this ship." Geno lowered his head. Alter stood up and as he walked passed him he pat his shoulder gently. "I ain't as upset as at first. But still am. I need to think. Please come back on nighttime, when I would have calmed down more." He said. Still with lowered head, Geno walked out of the hermitage.

He prevented to take only 3 steps away from the door when he raised head and realised somebody was standing to the corner with his back leaned against the wall and crossed arms. Aldo. The small Animalistic monster walked away from the wall he was leaned and approached Geno. He stopped in front of him and showed him a paper.

Is he alright?

Geno sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Upset." It was Aldo's turn to sigh. He wrote on paper quickly and presented another message to Geno.

Even if you wanted to defend him, even if you spoke up to make the others stop treating him poorly, you shouldn't have done that
An Astera's identity puts at risk its holder the more it is known

"ALRIGHT, I GET IT!" Geno groaned frustrated. "Ya all give me the same damn lecture! Alter explained to me calmly, ya tell me the same exact thing but shortened, dogface!" He looked at Aldo almost glaring. "Oh, he just likes to rub to my face all my mistakes as if he's himself Señorita perfecta! Ya take after him nicely! How on earth do ya defend that *sshole?!"

Aldo was writting on another paper calmly and chilly, showing apathy to Geno's anger and frustration. Eventually he showed the written to the skeleton.

Now that you mentioned Leandro, you reminded me something I had in mind
Come tomorrow morning
Early

Let's have a coffee or tea and talk

Geno raised brow.

"Talk?" Aldo nodded. "And if I don't wanna?" The siren asked crossing his arms. Aldo just sighed rolling his eyes and wrote another message.

Your loss

And with that he walked away. Geno stared at him leaving, thoughtful.

~

He found himself once again in the darkness. Someone was sitting down opposite him. He recognised her.

"Echo!"

"Hello prince." The girl said smiling brightly.

"What's up?"

"All is fine. I've come to contact you in your dreams to ask first, how is your training going?"

"Fine I guess. I feel improvement. But I ain't considered ready yet."

"In what way improvement?"

"Well, I've been mainly trainin' with weapons and physically." Geno answered. Echo looked down thoughtful for a moment.

"And what about in water?" Geno groaned quietly.

"There ain't anyone on the ship who could help with that."

"Magic?"

"Not much yet." Human and monster fell silent after that.

"Much more need to be done for you prince. But I think you will not have to worry about that for much longer."

"How so?"

"Something in the wind delivered me an interesting message. If I don't assume wrong, expect one of these days for somebody to come train you in combat underwater."

"Cool!" Geno did.

"Also..." Echo said then, smiling lightly. "... you will be expecting me to come too soon. I promised I'll do so. But I'm bringing an ally."

"Who?" Geno asked.

"This will stay as surprise for now." Echo said. "Also, there is something I must inform you about when you reach Gibraltar. You must avoid fighting the sirens there." Geno recalled how the mysterious figure had tried to tell him about that and doubled his attention ready to hear. But suddenly Echo stood up and looked around on guard. She slowly opened her eyes completely, which from amber started getting dark, darker, yet darker.

"Echo-?"

"Prince. You must get out of here." She said calmly. Suddenly in her hands was summoned a large deep red sword and she swung it as a dark figure was attacking her. It fell on the floor and turned its attention to Geno.

It hissed loudly and that sound echoed around as it jumped towards the small skeleton. Geno stepped to the left and summoned a sharp bone in his hand which stabbed the figure. But it didn't show pain. Instead the darkness got off it and revealed a face which Geno was haunted by.

"Not you again, for God's sake!" He groaned. Calisia laughed maniacally and avoided again Echo, who's eyes were now dripping black tears and the sclera of them had turned from white to black. Bloody red irises were staring intensively at the mermaid.

"Prince Geno, if I don't contact you again, you must find a way into the monster afterlife and seek answers on what you must do with the Loner sirens. Wake up!"

"Œh, I cæn həlp sənd thə lıttlə bæstærd ın thərə fæst. ÆND PƏRMÆNƏNTL¥!" Calisia hissed and attacked again Geno laughing. The small skeleton instead of trying to avoid her stood his ground ready to stab her again with his sharp bone. But when Calisia jumped at him, only a breath away she was stopped mid air. Geno looked behind her surprised.

"Alter!" He yelped.

"Trélα." The tall skeleton corrected. He looked at Echo who was ready to attack Calisia. "Nœ Mísœs, s h ə i s m ı n e. I hævə ª wœrd wıth hər fœr hœw shə mædə mə æct wəəks bæck ænd thə prıncə's frıənd gœt hυrt." He said and Echo stepped back. The very next moment Calisia's limbs started going to directions they shouldn't. She screamed and hissed in pain.

The tall guardian threw her on the floor and flames concentrated in his hands. But the moment they were shot towards the mermaid, Calisia prevented to dive in the floor and dissapear. The tall skeleton roared frustrated and started shooting blue flames to all directions, all while fire was coming out if his mouth too.

Geno stared at him with fear and remembered once again the last day in Lisbon. He had started sinking. Echo walked towards the taller and placed a hand on his shoulder blade. The skeleton snapped his head to face Echo, still with anger in his eyesockets but stopped moving.

"Patience Thimé. We will get her another time. And then she will wish she hasn't messed with the prince." She said and pat the other's shoulder blade, who slowly calmed down as he stared at the shorter human.

~

Geno was shaking as he woke up. Except he wasn't traumatized by the enemy but by his friend himself. Or his guardian having Alter's form. He looked up to the taller as they were layed next to each other. Alter had woke up too and staring at the smol soullessly.

The moment Geno was letting go of him, so did the taller. Alter sat up normally and hugged his knees. He looked away from Geno. The siren felt guilty for being afraid of his friend. After many seconds in silence, he crawled a little bit closer to Alter.

"Al..." He called quietly. Slowly the taller turned to face Geno, still with no emotion in his eyesockets.

"I had no control of myself again. The blessing just took over by itself, triggered by that mermaid's presence. I'm sorry-."

He stopped as Geno wrapped his arms around the other's waist. Alter was caught off guard slightly and just wrapped an arm around Geno. A few seconds later he let go of the smol, thinking that any time soon Geno would let go.

Instead Geno tightened the hug and buried his face on the priest's chest. Soon after, Alter had hugged with both arms the siren, who crawled and sat on the taller's lap. Many seconds later the 2 looked at each other.

"I think Echo wanted to tell ya somethin' important."

"Yeah." Geno nodded. He described his conversation with Echo until the moment Calisia interrupted them. "This mermaid truly hates my magical guts with a burning passion."

"Maybe it won't be the first time she busts in like that. Not even when I hold you close the blessing doesn't keep the mermaids away. I felt it faintly. They become stronger and endure the siren blessing." Alter said serious.

"Sleep will get much harder to get, huh?" Geno said bitterly.

"Perhaps." Alter said rubbing his left eyesocket. "And no matter what, I'll be there to defend ya." He looked at Geno and then pat his head, smiling gently. "Even as I interrupted, I saw that ya were truly ready to face her. You've gotten braver and stood your ground even against that mad creature."

"After all the training is payin' off." Geno said.

"I'm proud of ya." Alter said grinning wider. The 2 skele-friends stayed silent for a few seconds before Geno started getting off the priest.

"I have no appetite to sleep after Calisia's appearance. I'll be off to see the sunrise. See ya." Alter nodded and let go of Geno completely. The smol hopped off the bed and walked towards the door.

"Good morning son." Alter said suddenly and Geno grinned lightly.

"Right. Good morning." He said and exited the hermitage. He went up to the deck. The sky was still dark but to the horizon it had started becoming brighter by the sun climbing to the surface.

Geno stayed absolutely motionless to enjoy the spectacle and take the whole picture of the sun appearing. He sighed satisfied feeling its familiar warmth hitting him. Once the sun had emerged completely, Geno stopped smiling. A few seconds later he turned his back and went beneath the deck.

He walked amongst the corridors but didn't go back to the hermitage. His steps lead him to the kitchen. He peeked inside and saw Aldo as he was standing on a stool and stirring a pot placed on the counter. Smell of herbs and coffee were prevailing in the air. Geno inhaled and exhaled quietly.

"Aldo?" He called. The beaver didn't seem surprised hearing Geno's voice. Calmly he turned to look at him and hopped off the stool.

He walked towards the table in the middle of the kitchen and dragged back the one of its chairs. He signed Geno to sit and went back to the stool and the pots. Geno got the hint that the cook wanted him to sit down and did so on the chair he had dragged.

He waited for Aldo to be done with the pots. A minute later Aldo grabbed the pots and walked towards the table. He placed them down and then looked at Geno emotionlessly. The siren felt awkward and looked away rubbing the back of his skull.

"Sooo, uuuh... I came eventually. What are we discussing about?" He asked.

"First, coffee or tea?"

"Coffe-." Geno's eyesockets widened up and turned to look at Aldo shocked. The beaver just took the pot with the coffee and poured in a mug.

"You're talking?!"

2780 words. after this long absence, i must dissapear again, as exams for this semester have come to torture me and steal my liver. hope you enjoyed these chapters. happy new year and tolerable 2024

gotta thank everyone who is still around that story and bless it with their appearance, support and votes. i get that it is difficult to stick around a slowburn story, no wonder so many have given up on it

also i gotta recognise that even though it's fluff material seeing alter and geno being wholesome beans, i gotta stop eventually and proceed to some real afterdeath😂

i shall still be happy that there are faces to stay and enjoy the story, which by the way, i'm informing again, it's getting edited slowly from the beginning

reminder also that the story runs on ao3 too in fell version, for whoever is interested. goodbye and we shall see each other after about a month.

goodbye *pat pat pat*