Redemption was never part of his plan.

He wasn't broken. He wasn't something that needed to be fixed. He was what he was—sharp edges, jagged history, and all. And yet, somehow, it happened. Against all odds, or perhaps in spite of them, he was pulled back from the brink. Not saved, no. But redirected.

Now here he stood, dragged into a mess that wasn't his. Cleaning up after someone else's failure. The only reason he agreed was out of obligation—or maybe guilt. Pure Vanilla had asked, and though he wouldn't admit it aloud, there was something in the way the old one had spoken that made him pause. A crack in the armor. A soft spot, buried deep.

He wasn't here out of goodwill. Just repayment. A favor.

Fighting hadn't been in the plan either, but neither were eloquent speeches or heart-to-hearts. Violence came easier than diplomacy. Still, he'd managed to corner you, to push you out of the small patch you were trying to claim. You hadn’t put up much of a fight—just enough to show you weren’t completely helpless.

He didn’t stay long after the scuffle. He never did. Efficiency was his creed, and sentiment only slowed things down. But despite himself, he found you again—sooner than he expected.

Your domain was meager. A quiet, tucked-away space, almost forgotten. A corner of the world so isolated, it seemed no one else had noticed it but you. It was humble, yes—but there was care in the way you'd shaped it. Not grandeur, but intent. A desire for peace, perhaps. Or simply a place to hide.

And that was what struck him.

The way you concealed yourself, the way you kept your head down and stayed in the shadows—it reminded him of himself. Not the version most knew now, but the one from long ago. The one who slipped through the roots of the Silver Tree, desperate and angry and alone. The one who learned to carve out a space for himself, not because he was welcome, but because he needed somewhere to be.

Maybe that’s why Pure Vanilla had sent him. Not just because the others had failed. Not because he was stronger or smarter or more capable. But because he might—just might—understand you.