IC Date: 05/25/2026

Bacchus struggled to slap away the itch that burned in the back of his mind, the persistent sense of…what did the humans call it? déjà vu? He wasn’t sure. It was some weird human word like that. Not the language most of the people in the city spoke. At least he didn’t think so, it was impossible to tell with “English” and it’s stupid rules and nonsensical spelling. Whatever. There were far more interesting things to focus on, like the strange empty ruins he and his young companion were exploring. An apparent absence of piles of lacy skeletons scattered across the stone was a decided improvement over the usual ruins he found himself slogging through. The effect it had on Somniorum, however, was less than ideal. Maybe some of that weird bloody dust from outside the creepy bubble the ancient moon people had sneaked in somehow, he didn’t’ feel any ill effects but still. There was no telling what that could do to a person. Distant recovered memories on the other hand, those had the potential to be far far worse than anything they could inhale. Everyone he knew had some pretty nasty ones. They might not be as loud as the ones from this lifetime but that didn’t mean he had to poke at those old wounds. Somniorum’s pallor was more than enough evidence of that.

“You alright?”

“Yeah. Yeah I’m fine.”

The grimace he attempted to pass for a smile creased his face as he spoke. The senshi’s raised eyebrow was proof enough that his efforts were a failure. Not that it was exactly an easy task with the crushing pressure threatening to collapse his narrow chest in on itself. The ache in the depths of his throat, the stinging behind his eyelids, the inexplicable grief that threatened to consume him where he stood. A sudden weight across his shoulders as the alien slung an arm around him caught the page off guard. Under most circumstances the gesture would be startling, maybe even upsetting, but in this moment Somniorum found it strangely reassuring as he accepted the comfort that came with their unconventional friendship. It was easier to fill his lungs enough to soothe his misfiring nerves.

OK.
OK.

Deep breath in.
Hold it.
Out.
Hold it.
In.
Hold it.
Out.
Hold it.

They’d come here with a plan. Or as much of a plan as they could manage with what little information they had. It would be an understatement to claim that he found the size of his wonder overwhelming. The Palatium at least was something he could do. A finite collection of messy but manageable tasks that menaced him quite a lot less than the thought of setting out among the fragmented sculptures and lifeless gardens.

Bacchus made a face at the knight’s strange breathing. It was probably one of those human things he and Rowan kept telling him to do. The alien wasn’t entirely certain how or why they expected it to help, but if the ritual was enough to get Somniorum’s…whatever it was under control he wasn’t going to interfere. Until that worked, at least the page seemed willing to accept something that made sense.

“Yeah. Yeah. Sorry about…all of that.” The boy’s brain was probably itchier than his own right now. He wondered if it was better or worse that the memories of a reincarnated soul were vaguer. Not that his own were entirely intact, but he was grateful for what gaps he had. “This life’ll be less ********. I mean, probably. Couldn’t get much worse than the old ones.”

Somniorum was pretty sure that Bacchus intended to be comforting and he could at least appreciate the sentiment.

“Thanks,” a short, soft laugh escaped him. The strangeness of his situation was hardly lost on him. Wandering the moon with an actual alien. An actual alien who was from a planet that had nothing to with the moon. Or the ancient civilization no one had noticed during the moon landings. Or the flybys. Or through the telescopes.

Something something magic something, right?

Lost in thought, he almost found himself startled by the ruins that rose from the stone before them. In an act of surprising awareness the senshi withdrew his arm, accommodating the shift in his shoulders as they approached the stoae that radiated from the enormous door. Wonder and trepidation rose within him as it drew closer, every cell on edge at each debris strewn reminder that any moment could bring this place down on them.

“This still doesn’t feel safe.” The page’s voice came small and anxious.

“What? Of course it’s not safe! That’s half the fun. Besides, you can always pull us out if the thing gets tired of standing. But it’s stayed up this long, I don’t think the two of us can make enough noise to make it change its mind about that.”

Worst case scenario he knew how to survive. If nothing else, he knew how to survive. And if this soft knight couldn’t manage it on his own, he knew how to keep him more or less intact. At least in the case of architectural failures. True he’d never had anything quite so large decide that he’d lived long enough but today he knew he could be a bit faster than usual, having opted to save his quiet reprieves for later in the evening. A reward for holding off long enough to get this done. Maybe that was why his brain was getting twitchier by the minute.

Despite the relative absurdity of Bacchus’ statement, it was enough to dull the edge of the anxiety as the threshold passed beneath their feet. The relatively intact rotunda within frightened him significantly less than the unstable entryway, though if the entrance collapsed it would certainly take a good chunk of the Palatium with it.

“The stuff I want to get at is upstairs.” Somniorum gestured helpfully upward toward what he knew to be a vast library. Or the remains of one. At least his trips to Tempesti were proof enough that through work and the place’s own power it was possible for them to be restored. Slow going of course, but better than nothing. Picking their way across the fragmented stone of the once gleaming floors, the elegantly arcing staircase rose up at their feet. The only thing to do was put his head down and push through until the job was done.