Once nightfall had hit, Syrus felt well enough to make it downstairs and spend the evening around the others. He just couldn't stay cooped up in his room any longer, and he listened on as they spoke amongst themselves.

Kiara eventually went home some time later, whereas Cai remained, as well as Aaron, and his brother Rei, who was speaking with Taharo.

Looking between the two, the resemblance Rei shared with Aaron was uncanny. The two could almost be mistaken as twins, aside from some minor differences.

While Aaron's hair was a deep, jet black, Rei's was more of a dark gray. His eyes as well, unlike Aaron's, were a lighter blue.

He alone was Aaron's sole guardian and family after the duo lost their parents to the invasion.

"...If neither of you have anywhere to go, you could always stick with us. We have a spare bedroom." Syrus chimed in mindlessly after listening to Rei speak about his concerns on where they would go. The two essentially lost everything to the fire that claimed their home.

"We couldn't possibly-" Rei began, but Syrus interjected.

"It's fine really. It's just the two of us, so I don't really see a problem with it, so long as the old man is alright with that."

Taharo didn't turn down the idea, but he looked...Rather surprised, and for good reason. One might even say he looked at Syrus as though to ascertain that he was really fine with the suggestion...And when that seemed to be the case, he spoke up.

"Syrus is right, considering your predicament. You boys are friends of the family, so I see no problems with that suggestion." He nodded in agreement.

Rei still looked a little unsure, but he eventually caved in, especially since he was more worried about Aaron over himself.

"Well...If you two insist, who am I to refuse??" He finally replied with a small laugh, feeling incredibly grateful for the offer.

"That being the case, allow me to show you to the room-" Taharo began, about to stand up and show them off, before Syrus held up his hand.

"Why don't you two keep talking?? I'll just show Aaron to it and you can come up later." He suggested with a smile, waiting for a confirmation before gesturing for Aaron to follow him up to the second floor.

The room in question was the farthest room from the stairs.

Inside was extremely minimalistic, despite being quite large. There was only an empty nightstand, a shelf, and a single bed along the wall to the right of the door.

Despite being obviously well kept, it was apparent that this room hadn't been in use for quite some time.

"Wow, I had no idea you had a third bedroom in the house." Aaron spoke up, looking around the room.

"...It used to be my parents." Syrus admitted, but quickly gaze Aaron a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it though. I thought it was about time the room was put to use...It'd be sad if it was just kept empty forever." He looked around the room, not having stepped inside since he was very little...And given his limited memories of his early childhood, and the fact that the room had been rearranged since then, not a bit of it seemed familiar to him.

Aaron of course, was a bit hesitant upon hearing this, but Syrus seemed so sure of his decision...So eventually, he caved in...But then, a question surfaced within his mind.

"...Your parents...What were they like??" He questioned, albeit hesitantly, wondering if the question he was asking might have been too personal. If he might have been overstepping his boundaries...He hoped it wasn't insensitive of him.

He hadn't known Syrus back then, having met him after the invasion...And Syrus never spoke of his parents, much less of himself in general.

He supposed he just really wanted to know more about him.

"My parents??" Syrus echoed, his expression void of any particular emotion as he thought it over. "...Truthfully...I don't really remember much about them." He admitted, trying to recall. The memories were so faraway, maybe even nonexistent...Or rather, as though they were shrouded behind a dense fog, but... "...My mom...She was very gentle and kind. I remember her voice was always so soothing..." He closed his eyes, trying to fish around for those memories, despite however faraway they might have seemed. "My dad was always smiling, and..." He reached up absently, lightly brushing his own hand against the top of his head before a soft smile appeared along his lips. "...I remember his hand was warm."

Yes...If he dug deep, he could recall some of them. The warmer, happier moments. Bits and pieces...Precious memories that he could only just barely recall...And alongside these recollections, the vivid memory of their deaths revived within his mind, along with his doubts.

He thought for certain he could push them away earlier, chalking them up as merely nothing but the outcomes of his tired thoughts...But as time ticked by, those doubts continued to resurface.

He couldn't ignore them any longer.

"...Anyhow, why don't you settle in? I should probably go rest. These injuries won't heal themselves, right??" He smiled, turning around to leave the room...And the moment he did, his smiled faded.

He knew better than anyone that when his gut nagged at him like this, it was best to follow that feeling...But how??

The reality was that he knew nothing. He didn't know a damn thing about the Diou. Not their origins, nor their intentions...He could barely even remember his own life before their invasion.

There were too many things he realized he knew nothing about, and somehow, he felt like those missing pieces were the key to unlocking all of it.

The biggest question was...Why this country? Why this city? What had they hoped to gain from it? There hadn't been anything particularly amazing about it. Resources were average, location was average...So what was there?

Or was it something in particular about this city itself? Was there something he didn't know about?? He wasn't aware of the history revolving around it...About anything really. Anything that told of such things were kept under tight lock and key within the castle...

Syrus' thoughts stopped right there.

The castle.

If there was any place to learn more about this country...This city, it would be there, at the heart of it all. He was certain there was a library within it, or so he vaguely recalled hearing such a rumor from somewhere.

But...Even thinking about trying to waltz right into the castle was hard to imagine.

Walking right into the Queen Bee's nest, figuratively speaking.

Getting in would be difficult, but manageable somehow...However, getting out was another story entirely, not to mention navigating throughout it and somehow stumbling upon that very library.

Syrus was never fond of the word, but that seemed like it just might be downright impossible.

Still...With risk, came progress, as the saying went. Syrus had to take risks, or he would get nowhere. He wouldn't get to the bottom of this without taking a leap.

With that thought, his mind was made up.

"What's with that look on your face?"

The sudden voice as he turned around the corner nearly had Syrus jumping right out of his own fur.

Leaning against the wall, closest to the stairs was Cai, casting Syrus a quizzical glance.

"I know that look. What are you up to?"

...Sharp, wasn't he? It took all of Syrus' willpower to not flick his ears back in response. He didn't want to give any further indication that he was brewing something not so savory.

"I was just worrying about some things...A lot has happened recently, huh?" He smiled innocently, maintaining eye contact. "I was just planning on heading to bed in the hopes of getting my mind off of things." He added in. "Do you mind letting my old man know? It's kinda hard walking up and down the stairs right now."

Silence. Syrus found himself unintentionally holding his breath without realizing it, wondering if Cai was going to buy it.

"...Alright then. Get good rest." Cai finally replied as he pushed himself off of the wall and headed downstairs without another word.

And Syrus let out that breath he hadn't known he was holding, relief flooding him. He had to count his blessings this time around, though he did feel a prickle of guilt stab at his chest.

I'm sorry. He apologized mentally, feeling bad about lying, but...He just couldn't involve the others in this. This was for him to figure out. Him, and him alone. He'd already come to his decision, and he didn't want to drag them down with him yet again.

When it was later in the night, he would sneak out of the house.

Then, he would get his answers.