[Jaykobell]

It was a day like any other, needing him to carry on with the same tasks as all the previous days. He stood by the graves of the countless ninjas that had since passed away; the ones he was tasked to protect and to take care of. Death was not simply a matter of one leaving the mortal world: it also involved those who remained to take care of their passing, and to make sure that their travel to the afterlife would be a pleasant one. Life and death were two things that were intertwined, and that would forever be connected.

The Archivist family had been entrusted with the care of those who'd passed, and with the task of making sure that life and death were kept in balance. They were reclusive, mysterious ninjas who took it upon themselves to watch and protect the ninjas that lived above, with their clan shrine sitting deep underground. It was a life of loneliness, but one filled with a task that no other could accomplish but those born to this particular bloodline.

He sighed internally as he flipped through the pages of his intricate black book, which was covered in grey and silver marks seemingly carved out of metal. The pages within contained names upon names, all written in different colors. His attention stopped on a name written in black; he voiced a sigh before closing the book.

He pulled out a small scroll and an intricate quill from his belongings as he put the book away, exchanging one for the other. He unrolled the scroll to reveal a few options available to him; with a swipe of his quill, he scratched over the text that read, "Where Death Awaits". After selecting the text, the other options disappeared, leaving the desired choice to pulse with a strange glow. With the other options out of the way, he opened the book again, and this time, he swiped the quill across the name in black before writing down on the scroll, together with the desired location. Once the last curve was written, the scroll enveloped the written text with a light, connecting everything together. Given a few seconds, the text seemingly melted into the scroll; following that, the melted text oozed out of the scroll and circled around him.

[Jaykobell]

It twirled and turned faster and faster, up until the world around him started to change. The colors and the objects around him started to blur, and despite the floor giving way under him, he simply closed his eyes as he waited for the scroll to finish. Gradually, the world started to change color and shape; the temperature became a bit warmer, and even the air around him was fresher. Keeping to the underground world meant that fresh air wasn't as common as one would expect, leaving the air stale over time. He took a slow, deep breath and exhaled equally slowly as he felt the world around him coming back, colors and shapes slowly warping into their intended appearances.

Before long, the swirling text stopped, and it returned to the scroll. It pulsed, and once the text was back, only the given option had returned, leaving the written text to disappear into thin air. The other options returned, the scroll seemingly returning to its original appearance. He rolled the paper back into its compact form, putting it back into his bag before taking a look around him.

He'd been transported to a forest setting: a very typical destination for him. The trees were healthy, and the overall appearance of the forest was that of a quiet, serene background. Some birds chirped in the back, and the leaves rustled when a breeze passed by. It was ironic for such a peaceful place to often be the witness to countless deaths, now sullied with blood that had since been washed away by rain — and time.

He picked up the book again from his bags, opening it back to the page from earlier. The red name stood out against all the other names, the majority of them being written in a light, soothing pastel green color. Some were written in blue, and some were written in black; the former was a sign of recovery, but the latter was a color of no return. Red was much of the same, being only but the middleman as a name passed on from green, to red, and finally to black.

He quietly looked over the page before looking up, walking on as he passively kept his eyes on the book.

[Jaykobell]

The scroll never failed to transport him away from his destination. As bothersome as it sounded, there was a reason for that. Dealing with death, it was likely that those who'd inflicted such a fate were still around. It would do no good for those who were meant to take care of the dead to join their ranks. Being transported close to the body, but not so much as to bring attention to themselves, was the best way for Archivists to travel: they could assess the situation without putting themselves right into the heat of danger.

He did exactly that as he followed the book, keeping his eyes focused on the red name. A faint glow had started pulsing around it, and the more he walked, the stronger the light became. Given a few minutes of his silent walk — he really had no one to talk to but his own conscience — the name started to glow rather powerfully, but he had no need for the glow. Between the trees ahead of him, he caught sight of a body laying on the ground covered in mud and debris, but also caked with blood and the undeniable stench of death. A depressing sight, but seeing dead bodies and dismembered corpses not longer fazed him. Sights such as these no longer terrified or disgusted him: they only saddened him.

He approached the body carefully, keeping a low profile as he paid attention to his surroundings, putting the book away so he could have both hands free. The forest was silent, save for its animal residents. Considering the state of the body, it had probably been a little while since the ninja had died; those who'd assaulted the deceased were long gone, he was certain of that.

He stepped beyond the trees and approached the body, kneeling down next to it. It was that of a young female ninja, face revealed and beaten. Her body was covered in bruises, and the suit was torn in multiple places, giving place to cuts and injuries of all kinds. It had been a merciless battle, from the looks of it; the woman had probably fought until the very end, if her injuries were any indication.

He brought the book back, but this time, he only set it over his lap as he brought a hand to his chest. He stayed as such for about a minute, giving his prayers to the deceased he'd just met. He then brought both of his hands over the body of the woman, and giving a deep sigh, he spread them over her body. As he did so, a light started to envelop her, letting her body glow and pulse with a warm, soothing light. He breathed deeply was the sickening smell of death started to evaporate.

[Jaykobell]

He remained kneeled next to the body for a moment, looking over the deceased. "It's a shame we're meeting under these circumstances," he spoke quietly to the body, even if he knew that she couldn't possibly hear him. "I can tell you were a proud woman. Someone assassinated you, didn't they?" He paused there, putting his attention on the wounds of the woman before him. The light slowly started to diminish, but that was normal. "You fought until the end. I wonder why they were after you?" Those he met always left him with questions that couldn't be answered. Why were those ninjas assassinated? Why had anyone been after them? Why was it that death had been the only option? They were questions that rarely varied from one body to another, but the specific circumstances changed depending on the ninja. Some were killed cleanly with poisons, others were dismembered to send a warning to others. There was always a reason, but what made it unbearable was the fact those reasons were often wrong or misguided.

He was getting ready to reach out for his transporting scroll when something made him freeze in place. He stopped what he was doing to pay attention to his surroundings; he could've sworn that he'd heard a noise coming from nearby. As he quietly listened, he eventually caught wind of some kind of noise. It was faint, but it was definitely there. While his initial thought had been to be careful, giving the sounds a better listen made him realize that there was probably no cause for alarm. It didn't sound like they were screams, nor that of a ninja shuffling through the trees. No, it sounded more like someone crying; someone breathing hard and panting between muffled sobs.

He remained where he was, but as the noise continued, he became certain that someone had to be nearby. If they were crying, then perhaps they were hurt or in danger, and if that were the case, he would go to them to help. "Is anyone here?" he called out, but after doing so, the crying stopped. He waited patiently, wondering if the person crying had been startled by him calling out to them. A few seconds passed by with nothing; maybe his calling out to them had scared them away. If that were the case, he was faced with a dilemma. Leaving the body of a deceased ninja on its own while he was on duty was a terrible thing to do, considering he was delaying their passing; at the same time, there were no threats around him at that time, so there seemed to be very little danger in stepping away from the body for a while. Still, it seemed like whoever had been crying had ran off; with that in mind, he simply sighed before going back to his task.

[Jaykobell]

Just as he did so, he heard the sobs return, and when they sounded again, he felt like they were louder than before. Either the person had moved closer to him, or they'd been close this whole time, simply crying as quietly as possible. The cries being louder, he could tell that whoever was crying was in distress, judging from the gasps and the heavy breathing. Whoever and wherever they were, they sounded like they needed help.

Slowly and quietly, he got up and walked a little ways away from the body, trying to find out where the cries were coming from. With so many trees around, it was possible that someone was simply hiding behind them. While he walked, he opened his book and started flipping through the pages. If the person close to him were a ninja, then the book would be able to tell him. "Are you okay?" he called out as he flipped through the pages, trying to make conversation with whoever was crying. Perhaps if he addressed them directly, they would feel safer. "Do you need help?" he inquired further, eventually looking down at his book. He'd managed to find a name that glowed with a powerful light; whoever was crying and trying to hide from him was definitely a ninja, and not only that, but they were also nearby.

He continued to walk by the trees, looking down and around to try to find the crying ninja. He could only imagine that whoever was sobbing quietly to themselves were afraid, and that it was probably why they weren't answering him or revealing themselves to him. He walked for a bit before he eventually caught sight of someone sitting by a tree; it seemed to be the person he was looking for, as the sobs became louder and the name glowed brighter. He was relieved to have found them, but he felt a lump in his stomach as he noticed how small the ninja seemed to be. Small as they were, the crying ninja was probably just a young child.

He was presented with a problem, now that he'd found the ninja. If they were just a small child, then he had to be careful on how he was going to approach them. Judging by the name in the book, they were probably a little girl. Under normal circumstances, seeing a young ninja in the forest wasn't cause for alarm. However, considering how scared she seemed to be, along with the fact she was hiding and crying, he had a terrible feeling about the whole thing. Pulling the book back to him, he figured that approaching the child himself would most likely scare her away. He would have to find a way to instill trust in her, somehow. He stared at the book for a few seconds before calling out the name that glowed on his chosen page. "Aya?"

[Jaykobell]

When he voiced the name, he saw the small ninja react. She stopped crying, and she seemed to be frozen with shock at hearing her name from a stranger. It was a reaction that he was used to, and one that didn't bother him. Even though he did it to others, if anyone came up to him and spoke his name before he'd introduced himself, he would most likely be taken aback as well. Seeing the child react, however, he was certain that he had the right name. "Your name is Aya, isn't it?" he said to the child, trying to speak as gently as he could to help her calm down.

After calling out to her, he saw the child turn around, hiding behind the tree like a scared animal.

She was a small child, just as he'd predicted, and she was definitely terrified. Her short blond hair was a mess, with leaves and debris sticking out of it, and her emerald-green eyes were red and swollen from crying, no doubt. She wore a small ninja suit, but nothing out of the ordinary; from that angle, it was impossible for him to determine what family she belonged to. The yellow and soft pink accents were definitely those of a young girl, however, confirming her gender. "Who... wh-who are... you?" she asked quietly, withdrawing a little behind the tree as she spoke with her high-pitched, childish voice. "Did... D-did you know my... my mommy?"

His fears were confirmed when the small girl, Aya, asked if he knew about her mother. He felt his heart sank; there was no doubt that this child was the daughter of the female ninja he was supposed to retrieve. Was this girl hiding from whoever had assaulted and killed her mother? Worse yet, had she witnessed her mother's assassination?

As much as it pained him to break the child's heart even more, he had to shake his head at her question. "Your mother was not someone I knew," he told the child, and his heart skipped a beat when he noticed the child's expression change right back to fear. "Please, don't worry," he told the girl as he kneeled down on one knee, hoping that stepping down to her height would invite her to at least listen to him. If she ran away now, there was no telling if he could afford to catch her. "I may not have known your mother, but I will not hurt you."

[Jaykobell]

The words seemed to be enough to inspire Aya to stay, but not enough for her to truly trust him. He extended a hand towards the child, trying to invite her over to him. Perhaps she'd lost her mother, but she had to have a father. He could keep her safe at the shrine for the time being, and after a time, he would be able to seek out her father. Since she was recorded in his book, then her parents had to be in their records, as well. His wife worked in that particular division, and he knew that if he asked her, she would be able to give her the parents and lineage of the child.

For the time being, he had to prove to Aya that she could trust him. "Aya, I will not hurt you," he promised, giving the child a smile. He couldn't step any closer to her for fear that it would make her run away. While there was no guarantee that she was the child of the ninja who'd been killed not far from here, the coincidence was uncanny. Why would the child ask about her mother if she were simply lost?

Aya still seemed unwilling to approach him, but her fear gradually subsided the more he stood his ground. She stared at him in silence, sniffling at times as she still tried to contain her emotions. "Are... are you..." she started asking, but then she paused for a moment. She got scared again when she failed to continue, but when he quietly waited for her to continue, she asked, "Are you... a Chemist?"

The question seemingly came out of the blue, leaving him to blink at the child. He would've expected her to ask which family he hailed from, period: his black, grey and silver robes were far from looking like any of the other family outfits that were out there. The Chemists were especially easy to recognize, bearing a trenchcoat in addition to their ninja suit that was adorned with bright, toxic green patterns. Still, the fact the child was asking probably meant something. "No, don't worry: I'm not a Chemist," he assured the child, and his saying that seemingly made her fear disappear. "My family are called Archivists: we take care of ninjas just like you." He still had his hand extended towards her, and he gave her a brighter smile when he explained which family he came from, and what they did.

[Jaykobell]

That seemed to be enough for the child to trust him, as Aya hesitated but for a heartbeat before making a mad dash for him. She ran as if she were trying to avoid getting caught by something, running quickly towards him as she let herself collide right into him. He felt the wind getting knocked out of him when the child literally crashed into him, but he still instinctively wrapped his arms around her. She'd done much of the same, holding tightly onto him and hanging on as if her life depended on it. Considering what had just happened to her mother, he couldn't blame her.

"You have to help my mommy!" Aya cried out to him as she looked up at him, urgency written all over her young face. "Th-they hurt her! Please... Pl-please, you have to help my m-mommy," she continued to cry out, and as she pleaded, her eyes started to well up with tears again.

His heart sank again when Aya pleaded for him to do something for her mother. The child had probably witnessed her mother's killers attacking her and hurting her, but if she was pleading for him to save her, then it was possible the child hadn't witnessed the death itself. Perhaps she'd ran off to find someone who could help, or maybe her mother had urged her to run away to save herself. In any case, it sounded like Aya had no idea that her mother was already gone; and quite honestly, he didn't quite know how he was supposed to tell her without breaking her heart even more.

For the time being, he tried to piece together what had happened to the two. "Who's 'they', Aya?" he asked the child, putting a hand on her hand and stroking her hair to try to calm her down. "Who hurt your mother?"

She flinched when she felt his hand on her head, but her fear quickly dissipated when he started stroking her hair. It was a soothing feeling, and despite the situation, she felt safe in this stranger's arms. "Ninjas in black and green," Aya replied quietly as she buried herself more against him, enjoying the protection he could give her. "Sh-she said they were coming, a-and she told me to hide," she went on, giving him a better idea of what had happened. As she spoke, however, the child started to cry again as her emotions built up. "I-I heard her s-scream, and... and..." She didn't have the heart to finish her sentence, tightening her grip on him as she wailed in panic. "Pl-please help my m-mom!"

[Jaykobell]

Having the child hide was the most sensible solution, and the one that made the most sense. If those assassins had caught the child, there was no way they would've let her live. Perhaps they would've only been after her mother, but it was a stretch to imagine those assassins letting the child live. It was the mother's decision to hide Aya right away that had saved the child. Still, the problem remained that the girl clearly thought her mother was still alive. The way she pleaded, the way she asked for him to save her mother; he couldn't bring herself to deny the child's request, but at the same time, he couldn't help her. As much as he would give everything he had in order to have the power to resurrect others, it was an ability he did not have. He also hadn't been presented with this kind of situation very often, where he had to announce the death of a parent to their child. What was he supposed to tell this girl?

There was little time for him to anything, when the air around them started to change. He stopped stroking Aya's hair and immediately focused on their surroundings. The feeling of someone watching them, or someone being nearby; and the feeling he got from whoever was watching was a terrible one. "Aya," he whispered to the child, putting the hand that had been petting her hair slowly over her mouth, to motion to the child not to speak, "stay calm," he instructed to the child, using his other hand to bring her closer to him. He could feel the child trembling, but he couldn't afford to speak too terribly much; he would reveal their position if he continued to talk.

As he listened, it felt like time itself had stopped. He held his breath as long as he could, feeling only Aya's nervous breathing and her pounding heart as he held her close. There was something lurking, and considering he had no enemies outside the shrine — or even within his own family — he could only assume that whoever was watching them was after the child.

After a few nerve-wracking minutes of silence, the one lurking in the shadows finally acted. A deafening shriek filled the air, and with a quick reaction, he turned around to the side and blocked a projectile with a kunai. There was a small clicking sound as the two weapons collided, and after sending the weapon flying, he noticed that it had been a ninja star. If he hadn't paid attention, the weapon probably would've either hit him in the arm, or it would've gone for Aya's head directly. He heard the child gasp in fear and tighten her grip on him, but besides holding her a bit more tightly, he remained calm. "Show yourself," he asked of the other, keeping his kunai raised as he continued to focus on the trees around them.

[Jaykobell]

When he asked for the assassin to come out, he was greeted with a black blur that landed on a tree branch just a little above them. Everything clicked when he saw the ninja who'd attacked them; while he was dressed in the usual black suit, with a mask covering the lower part of his face, he also wore a trenchcoat with toxic marks. He had a feeling that Aya had asked if he were a Chemist earlier for a reason, because meeting one here couldn't be a coincidence.

Before he could ask why the Chemist had attacked them, the toxic ninja spoke. "Give me the bastard child," the ninja requested, readying a few more ninja stars, should the need to throw them arise. The request was made with a cold voice, and he shivered internally. Adult ninjas killing each other was one thing, but why did this one want to kill a small child? Considering from her size and the way she spoke, Aya couldn't be much older than about seven or eight. This ninja, or the ones from his family, had presumably killed her mother: wasn't that enough?

"What business do you have with this child?" he asked the Chemist, keeping his voice calm, but also confident. He would be damned if he let anyone lay a hand on this child, no matter their reason. "If you wish to hurt her, I'm afraid I can't comply with your request," he told the other, and his tone made it clear that he wouldn't change his mind.

The Chemist narrowed his eyes at the Archivist dangerously, and judging by his behavior, it was clear that he didn't know about the reclusive family. Those who met Archivists were often surprised to see them, considering the role they played in the ninja culture. Many respected the Archivists' neutrality, and even if they disagreed, very few families or ninjas dared to harm them. They were no one's enemies, and in theory, they were also no one's allies. They helped one and all, and not only select families or a few ninjas.

The fact the Chemist didn't speak of his Archivist title meant he either didn't care, or he simply had no idea about his family. Considering his unusual robes, it was difficult to mistake him for any other family. "Who are you to interfere?" the Chemist asked with a dark voice, and he readied himself to attack the Archivist. "The Chemists won't have a disgusting hybrid child running around. Give her to me."

[Jaykobell]

The term "hybrid" struck a nerve with him, but he did his best not to let his anger show. When it came to bloodline, honestly, the Archivists were no better: a pure bloodline was important. This mentality spread across all ninja families, where Chemists married Chemists, and Archivists married Archivists. It was important to keep the mentality, the culture, the heritage, and the skills of a family within itself. Mingling with other families was a horrible taboo, and those who did it were often exiled from their family as traitors to the bloodline.

It became clear at that point that Aya's mother had probably been silenced because of her child. The female ninja seemed to be from one of the families that were a little bit more low key, and who preferred to focus on healing rather than fighting. If this Chemist was after Aya, then it was safe to assume her father was a Chemist. That logic would explain why this assassin referred to her as a "hybrid" child.

"I am an Archivist," he told the other ninja, and that name was enough to at least make him raise an eyebrow. "I protect and help the ninjas who are in danger, and I see that those who passed away are properly sent off to the afterlife," he continued, never letting the child go, and never taking his eyes off the Chemist. "I will not let you harm this child: whether she is a 'hybrid' or not."

The reveal of his bloodline seemed to make the Chemist hesitate, but that hesitation lasted but for a few seconds. When he categorically refused to let Aya go with him, the Chemist turned to a more forceful method of diplomacy. He threw his arm back over his shoulder before swinging back, hurling a few ninja stars right at the Archivist and the child.

He barely had enough time to tell Aya to hold on that he forced himself up and quickly jumped back. He avoided the stars fairly easily, but like every ninja, he knew that these were often used in order to distract one's enemies. He kept a tight grip on his kunai, since when he looked back up, the Chemist was gone from the tree branch above them.

[Jaykobell]

He dared not let Aya go, since the child wasn't in any state to defend herself. Even then, a child as small as her couldn't be expected to even know how to defend herself. Letting her run and hide wasn't an option; this Chemist had clearly trained to kill more so than anything else. A child's panicked dash for survival wouldn't last a chance against a trained assassin who could move faster than the blink of an eye.

Seconds after having avoided the stars, he felt a presence to his left. Since he was right-handed, it was clear this was an attempt at forcing him to let the child go; he couldn't possibly protect himself properly with his right hand if the enemy came from the left. He quickly turned, nonetheless, aiming to do almost a full turn so that he could block the incoming attack. The Chemist came at him with a kunai of his own, and the Archivist barely managed to block the hit in time. With the Chemist having a free hand, however, he took advantage of that by drawing a second kunai from his arsenal. The Archivist hesitated, trying to weight his options, but that split second had been one too many.

He hissed when the Chemist stabbed his arm with the second kunai, coming only inches away from piercing right through his arm and into Aya as well. He heard the child scream with panic, and despite that, the Chemist stared at him with cold, dark eyes that sent a shiver down his spine. "If you won't give me the kid," he whispered to the Archivist with a grim voice, "I'll just have to kill you both."

"N-no, stop!" Aya screamed, her voice getting even more high-pitched from the panic and the fear. The child was struggling, potentially trying to get away. The kunai was still piercing the Archivist's arm, forcing blood to ooze through his robes and a burning, agonizing pain to course through his arm. "Stop!" she pleaded, screaming at the top of her lungs in the hopes that it would make the assassin stop.

The way things were going, however, the Archivist knew that he couldn't afford to fight this ninja. Not only was this a horrible thing to do to an Archivist, but the Chemist family was especially dangerous. They were known for their tendency to kill others and their unrelenting need to cause problems between families; including creating problems within their own family. Not only would he put the child in danger, but he would also put his own life on the line: and he couldn't afford to do that.

[Jaykobell]

"I'm sorry," the Archivist whispered to the Chemist as he tightened his grip on Aya, trying to prevent the child from wriggling free of his grasp, "but you won't be killing anyone today." The words made the Chemist hesitate for the split second that he needed. He used his kunai to push the other ninja away slightly, as well as to push himself back a few inches. With only a few inches between them, the Archivist used both hands to quickly execute a ninja technique.

The Chemist tried to stop him by lunging forward, but mere seconds before he got to hit his mark, the Chemist stopped dead in his tracks. He turned monochrome in color, sporting only black, white, and shades of grey, as a peculiar ring circled his body. Upon closer inspection, the ring seemed to be the notches of a clock, but with no hands to make it tick and run. Instead, it circled the Chemist and froze him in time, leaving him to hover in mid-air, lunging forward with kunai in hand.

Aya stared, terrified, as the Archivist acted quickly. He left his kunai with the Chemist, having dropped it when pushing the other away. He forced the Chemist's kunai out of his arm, hissing and groaning at the pain he felt. His arm felt numb, and the pain was burning and agonizing, but he had little time. Although the technique he'd used against the Chemist would buy him time, that's all it would do: buy him some time. The clock would eventually dissipate, bringing the Chemist back to flowing time. One of the notches had already disappeared by the time he grabbed Aya and made a run for her mother's body.

"Aya, listen," he told the small child, who was holding tightly onto him — something he was grateful for, since his arm was throbbing with unbearable pain. If the child could hold part of her own weight against him, it helped him tremendously. "Everything will happen very quickly, but I will protect you. Hold on tight, all right?"

With little time to think and little time to argue, Aya simply nodded. It was either going with the Archivist, who'd been nice and gentle to her, or being left alone with the Chemist assassin. Even if both turned out to be miserable choices, at least the former have her hope. "Wh-what about my mommy?" she asked quickly, worried that he'd forgotten about her mother.

[Jaykobell]

He gritted his teeth when Aya turned the conversation back to her mother. There was still the issue of telling her of what had happened, but that would have to wait. He would have to be honest with her, but he couldn't include all the details: both for the sake of time, but also for the sake of the child's sanity. "Your mother will come with us," he told the child, but with little time to translate his thought into words, he wondered if he wasn't giving the child false hope. "But there's no time. I'll explain everything once we're safe, all right?" He had to keep the child's trust, but he also had to make her understand that, under these circumstances, the most important thing was to get to safety.

Fortunately, her mother's body wasn't very far. He stopped mere inches away from her body, which was still glowing with a faint light. He let Aya go, but he made it clear that he needed the child to stay close, and to keep holding on to him. She didn't have to be told twice, as the child gripped his robes tightly, just as if her life depended on it — and considering their circumstances, it very well did depend on it.

He quickly reached out for the transporting scroll and his quill, unrolling the paper fast and swiping the text that read, "Home". Fortunately, besides swiping it with the quill, there was nothing else for him to do. The options melted again, and the selected text melted into the scroll before fluttering around him, Aya, and her mother's body. He held onto the child once the spell was cast, grabbing her with his bloodied arm. It was unfair to sully the child with blood, but considering the way they had to travel, he wanted to keep her safe. The living ninjas who traveled by this method were few, and those who were conscious to see it happen often reacted badly to it.

Aya closed her eyes the entire time, something he was grateful for. Within a few seconds, the forest trees and greens started to blur and twist, sending the three of them traveling through a mishmash of colors and twisted shapes that blended together before finally twisting back into their original shapes. The process of going from one point to another with this spell happened under ten seconds, but it was only when one bothered to observe it that it felt like it lasted for much longer than that.

After the the spell was done, he found himself holding on the small child within the walls of a familiar shrine, corpse in tow.

[Jaykobell]

When an Archivist traveled to pick up a body or an injured ninja, returning to the shrine always brought them back to the same place. Their transportation scrolls were limited in the sense that, while he could go relatively anywhere depending on the location of the ninja he had to find, going back to the Archivist shrine could only bring him back to a joint terminal of sorts. Even though he'd left from the graveyard, he'd been brought back to the joint terminal, where other Archivists were positioned there constantly, every day, in order to assist those who returned. They helped take care of the body, and they helped with those who were brought back injured.

Upon bringing back the child and the body, a few Archivists met up with him in order to help him. They took care of the body right away, something that seemed to confuse Aya. When she asked where her mother was going, the Archivists ignored her as they focused their attention on the one who'd saved her and who'd brought back her mother's body. He gave them a brief rundown of what had happened, and insisted that they take care of the child, since she was wanted. They'd also picked up on his injured arm, especially alarmed at the sight of blood. He smiled weakly and assured them it was nothing, just a minor injury from a fight. He clarified he'd been protecting the child, and so the others didn't press him any further. While they insisted he get medical attention, he assured them that he would look after his wound as soon as possible, so long as they took care of the child.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Aya leaving willingly with the others, recognizing the robes and giving them the benefit of the doubt. They'd taken her mother, so perhaps they were helping her. He felt a pang of sadness and worry for the child, but it was for her sake that he had to leave right away. Although the child's mother was gone, she had to have a father, somewhere.

He applied pressure to his arm as he walked down the halls of the shrine, feeling safe now that he was back into familiar territory. Being attacked or injured wasn't exactly a rare occurrence: there was a reason why the transportation spell worked as it did. Still, even after telling the Chemist of his bloodline and family, the assassin had continued on with his mission, even going as far as trying to kill him together with the child. It was a sad, depressing world outside the shrine walls; and he felt like a failure, being unable to help change that merciless mentality that plagued the ninja families above.