“I want to go home.”
Kairos stood in front of Itaviir’s desk, waiting for a response. It had taken the Time Drake a few hours to actually build the courage to come in here, but now that he’d said it, he had a mixture of both relief and dread running down his armoured spine.
“Oh?” was Itaviir’s rather calm response. The problem wasn’t that Kairos was scared of Decay Lords, not at all. In fact, the other Decay Lords on board the Thantir Two were fine. But Itaviir was a very large, very scary being and an object of authority that Kairos knew not to mess with, with the armour, muscles and crown of horns to match.
“I’m longing to rejoin my family and help them rebuild. I don’t think I serve much of a purpose here.”
“Oh, that is a shame…” Itaviir frowned, but did nothing more. “You have been valuable to our team. But if you wish to leave, then feel free to do so. Do you require assistance in packing away your belongings?”
The Time Drake hesitated, reiterating in his head what Itaviir had just said. “You… are fine with me leaving?”
Itaviir grunted, returning somewhat dismissively to his work. “Of course. You are a Time Drake, you are not bound by Decay Lord rules. If you wish to leave, then that is your choice.”
“I’m also supposed to be part of this crew though.”
This time, Itaviir looked up, tutting sadly. “Kairos, I will be honest with you, this crew was never really going to go anywhere. We had intended to explore this corner of the Periuniversal Spaces, but our adventures so far have put us all in a bad place, to the point that we are considering retirement.”
“What?” Kairos was now very confused. “Has it really been…”
The Decay Lord leaned forward. “Let me put it this way: time loops are not good for one’s spirit. Being trapped inside one is harrowing if you are not used to it. A closed loop in a place where time has no meaning? It scrambles the mind. And we have come to the decision to take a break.”
Kairos took a moment, then sat down opposite Itaviir. “I didn’t realise… I’m sorry that affected you all so badly. For me, it’s just a defensive thing I do. I’m attuned to my own chronological constant, you have none… But what about the others? What about Seimeni, and what about Arkay and the other two?”
“The Decaylings are working to become certified Decay Lords. They will take over our duties out here. Seimeni on the other hand, as a Life Goddess, is as bound to us as you are, and is free to leave. You may take her with you, if you wish.”
The Whenvern shuddered at the thought. “Yeah… I’ll pass on that. Seimeni is nice, but she is too much of a handful, and definitely not someone to bring home to the family.”
“Understandable…” Itaviir grunted in agreement. “There is no need to worry about Seimeni. She is a free spirit. However, now that you have bought it up, Kairos, there is something we would like you to do, when it comes to you leaving.”
“Uh… what do you need?” Kairos was more cautious now. He should have expected that the Decay Lords would want something from him.
Itaviir gave Kairos a rather sad look. “I do not ask for much. But I would appreciate it if you… keep an eye on our little Decayling friends as they grow. We do not expect you to baby them, but just check in on them occasionally, and help them if they ask for it.”
“Is that… all you want from me?” Kairos blinked.
“Yes.”
“Oh. I can do that. I was planning on doing that anyway, since Arkadin’s my little brother.”
The Decay Lord bowed slightly. “I appreciate your care. Are you definitely going to leave?”
“Soon, yeah…”
“Do you need any assistance? Is there anything we can do for you before you leave?”
Kairos thought to himself for a moment. “No, I’m good. Thank you for this… curious experience. It has been mostly enjoyable, working alongside you.”
Itaviir got up and offered a heavy, clawed hand to Kairos. Kairos awkwardly took the hand and shook it with his wing.
“Thank you too, Kairos. Please let us know when you plan to leave, so we can give you a proper goodbye.”
“Will do, thank you…”