What? Fatera blinked a few times before she stuck her finger in the ear and started scratching. She maintained the tension all over her body now that the overwhelming pressure from Yan had disappeared, and she tilted her head to take a better look at Yan.

“No.” Fatera shook her head, “No, no, no. You are not him. He was dead. Gone. You…you looked nothing like him.”

“Was it because of the white hair? Does it really look that bad?” Yan sat down on the beach with his leg crossed and flicked his hair back, then, he let out a laugh that echoed through Fatera’s memories, “Well…even if you don’t recognize me, I will always recognize you.”

“Yeah?” Fatera crossed her arms instead, still standing in front of Augen, “Tell me something about me. From back then.”

Yan smiled, before he placed his palm on the ground. A spiraling of Cast Lines grew from his fingertips before it expanded along the surface of the sand. Then, the sand started to move, when water surged from underneath the ground.

As if contained by an invisible jar only slightly bigger than the area that they were both standing in, the column of water supported by nothing but surrounding air continued to rise within the Cast circle as Fatera hurried to pick up Augen’s body.

Then, the rising water floated both Fatera and Yan as they both hovered right over the surface, creating a film of the Wave underneath their legs.

“You really hated the way I taught.” Yan said, his eyes deep as pair of upward curvature formed over his lips, “But you always remembered everything I wanted you to remember.”

“No…” Fatera shook her head, “I…had shown my Wave abilities plenty of times…Plus…Augen, he…he told me that you were dead, that I won’t have to think about you anymore…”

“You know it’s true, deep down.” Yan said, marching closer towards Fatera before he stood mere inches away, “This boy. Augen, he lied to you.”

Fatera’s eyes shot open, and she looked down at the frail boy whose sleeping quietly in her arms. His body felt so light that she was afraid he was going to float away.

“No. You do not get to say that.” Fatera growled back in Yan’s face, “If you are truly my father. Why did you leave me that day? Why did you say those words?! Why now?! Why show yourself to me now!”

“…Let’s talk somewhere else.” Yan said, as the pieces of debris falling down from the sky continued. He swirled his hands around, a circular portal Cast opening up in the air in front of them before he stepped through halfway, “The world is no longer the same, and to save it from turmoil…I cannot do it alone. Not this time.”

The other side of the Portal was far in the middle of a forest, where the tropical weather of the Ethereal Realm was left behind, and a chilled gust blew through the forest.

Situated in the middle of it all, right beside the streaming water and sets of rocks covered in green slime, were a flat rock table and four stone seats. Yan gestured towards one of the empty ones for her to sit when she stood her ground and shook her head.

“I want him here,” Fatera said firmly.

“But this is a conversation between family.” Yan retorted, but Fatera let out a cold chuckle and continued.

“As far as I know, you are nothing but a stranger.” Fatera said, and Yan eventually had to relent. He swirled his fingers around as strands of the Wave latched around Augen’s hands and feet, and his raw powerful Wave was pumped into his body, re-energizing him.

Augen’s face started twitching, and he slowly felt for the environment around him. There was the usual radiance of warmth from Fatera, and… Augen swallowed hard before turning to that monstrosity of a presence in the Wave.

It felt like an abomination, and aberration in the Wave, an impossibility in existence. How could one man possess so much power? How does all these strengths get contained within such a limited…and failing vessel?

“Fatera?” Augen asked, turning back before Fatera lowered him onto the ground.

“Are you okay?” Fatera asked, and Augen nodded before rubbing his head.

“A bit of a headache.”

“That’s a common effect of Dominance Warping.” Yan’s voice came from the side, “So you were the kid that’s been taking care of my daughter.”

“Augen, is it true?” Fatera turned to Augen and her body became stiffened up, tension traveling through her body as he could feel it even through the Wave.

“He knows it is.” Yan said, tapping the side of his forehead, “I can see it.”

“And I can see you are no good for her.” Augen shot back, the words surprising both Yan and Fatera. He felt an ominous strength surging from within Yan’s body as the air around them seemed to have thickened.

“Who are you to say anything?” Yan said, trying to stay calm even as his anger burned inside like wildfire, “You are nothing but a weak, lying, selfish scum.”

“I would never abandon one of my companions, let alone my family. You are worse than scum.” Augen scorned, leaning forward, “You know what I saw? I not only saw you, in the past and in the future, I also saw the reason you are here. You are equally as weak, fake, and selfish as I am.”

“Enough!” Fatera said, grabbing Augen’s wrist and holding it firmly, “Why…Augen? Why did you lie?”

“Sorry, Fatera…But…when Wu told me that the future doesn’t have to be what I saw, I thought if we can change what happened with PORA, we could also change…this.” Augen lowered his head, “I…am in no position to say this, but…I wanted to protect you.”

“With how weak you are, you can’t even protect yourself!” Yan said, when he slammed his fist down onto the table with frustration, “You know what’s worse? Trusting that cursed Cast! The temptations of the future had corrupted way too many!”

“And who are you to say that?!” Augen asked, when Yan smiled coldly before reaching over and revealing a deep scar over his collar bone.

“If there was a Cast that were made, I had used it before.” Yan said.

“Who are you exactly?”

“My name is Yan. Some refer to me as…Yan the Lostless.” Yan leaned forward, his deep crimson eyes looking straight into Augen’s scarred eyes, “You…know who I am. I can feel it.”

“I…do.” Augen smiled nervously before turning to Fatera, “I knew you were incredible…but I never knew your old man was Yan the Lostless…”

Yan the Lostless. The man whose name struck fear into the minds of even the strongest Wave users in this world, and the man who singlehandedly spurred the creation of the Sky Guardian Corp in retaliation.

“If you are so strong,” Fatera asked, “Why did you leave me back then? Was it because you hate me? And what is it that you planned to do, that Augen thought he needed to protect me?”

“I am dying.” “He is dying.”

Yan and Augen said at the exact same time, and Yan let out an intrigued groan before pointing at him, “I am impressed, boy.”

“My name is Augen Zuku.” Augen said.

“Ok, Augen.” Yan smirked, “How did you know? More...future vision of yours?”

“I saw your presence in the Wave.” Augen explained, “Or rather…the nature of your Wave. Of everyone I had ever seen like this, yours…is something I do not understand.”

“Tell me.” Yan continued prodding, his voice sounding curious now that the topics had shifted once again, “Why do you think that is?”

“Because you are both a Caster, and a Channeler…” Fatera said, more and more memories coming back to her. She heard the loud chuckles and giggles of a man and a girl around the rocks, and she heard the sounds of splashing water as they showered in the streams, “Here…where was this place? What is all this…?”

“You grew up here.” Yan said, “This…this table was where we shared many meals as a family.”

“Why…do I not remember any of this, beyond bits and pieces…” Fatera grabbed onto his head, “How…are you both of those things? And why am I remembering this fact now…”

“I didn’t think it was possible to master different kinds of Wave usage at the same time…” Augen said, “You carried the radiance of Channelers, the elegance of Casters, and the volatility of Manifesters all in one…”

“And the regrets of an old man on his deathbed.” Yan said, “Fatera. We have had a…complicated past, even beyond the fact that I had to teleport you away when the first generation of Sky Guardian Corps came after me…”

“You told me you never wanted me!”

“You know that was a lie. You knew it. You always did.” Yan sighed, “I…didn’t know if I could survive their attack…and me back then…”

He didn’t know if he could protect both himself and her.

Yan, the Lostless, in his prime, was the strongest in the world. But back then, he had already started his decline.

“I think…you are due the entirety of the truth.” Yan said, trying to calm himself down again, “I will tell you everything that happened, and everything about me.”