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After a long day of training, Arin heads off to the bedroom to finally sleep. Every part of him is sore, though he’s happy since he’s training under one of the ninja that he looks up to the most. He reached the bedroom after what seemed like several long minutes and closed his eyes the second his head hits the pillow, the tiredness taking over and knocking him out in a matter of seconds.
“Arin!”
The kid hears his mother yelling out to him, desperately. He realized where he was immediately: The beginning of the Merge, where it all started.
“Mom!” Arin screamed, but he was helpless. He was being dragged into the void of multiple realms. He was reliving the moment where he lost his parents, possibly forever. “Arin!” Screamed his father, holding on to Arin’s mother to keep her from getting sucked in with him. “Don’t leave me! Please!” Arin could see his father yell something, but could barely hear him with the almost deafening sound of realms clashing together. Everything went black.
Arin woke up with a loud gasp and a cold sweat. It took a moment for him to realize that he was now safe, he was in the monastery with Sora and Lloyd.
But his parents were still gone.
Arin knew he must have been too loud when he started to hear hurried footsteps. He forgot that Lloyd’s room was right next to his, though he was impressed how Lloyd could still hear a gasp from one room down. Probably a light sleeper.
He sees the door slide open and Lloyd quickly hurries over with a worried face. “Arin? Are you okay?” Arin opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. He also didn’t realize the tears streaming down his face. “Oh, Arin…” Lloyd was quick to sit next to him, wrap his arms around him and let him sob into his shoulder. “Shh. Let it out, you’re okay.” Lloyd strokes his back in attempt to calm the kid down.
A few minutes pass and Arin’s cries have been reduced to sniffles. “So, do you want to talk about it?” Lloyd softly smiles. “It’s just…” Arin hesitates, “my parents. They might be gone forever.” “You should never give up hope, okay?” Lloyd stares at him with determined eyes until Arin nods. They both sit in silence for a couple of moments.
“You know,” Lloyd starts, “whenever I had nightmares, Kai would always calm me down with a special lullaby.” “Really?” Arin’s eyes start to light up a little at the mention of the fire ninja. “Do you want me to sing it to you? Help you sleep?” Arin quickly nods. “Alright then.” Lloyd lays down with him and moves Arin’s head to his chest.
“Hijo del corazón.” Lloyd starts stroking the child’s hair. “Deja ya de llorar.” Arin smiles and closes his while listening to Lloyd’s soft voice. “Junto a ti yo voy a estar y nunca más te han de hacer mal…” Arin was on the verge of being knocked out once more. “Tus ojitos de luz. El llanto no ha de nublar. Ven aquí, mi dulce amor nadie nos ha…” Lloyd hugs Arin tight as he’s finally enveloped in sleep, “de separar.”
When Lloyd sees that Arin was asleep, he plants a kiss on his forehead and closed his eyes.
“I’ll protect these kids no matter what.”