Ninpocho Chronicles

Ninpocho Chronicles is a fantasy-ish setting storyline, set in an alternate universe World of Ninjas, where the Naruto and Boruto series take place. This means that none of the canon characters exists, or existed here.

Each ninja starts from the bottom and start their training as an Academy Student. From there they develop abilities akin to that of demigods as they grow in age and experience.

Along the way they gain new friends (or enemies), take on jobs and complete contracts and missions for their respective villages where their training and skill will be tested to their limits.

The sky is the limit as the blank page you see before you can be filled with countless of adventures with your character in the game.

This is Ninpocho Chronicles.

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Making a Bad Day Good [Private]

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Today was not a good one. She had slept fitfully, dreaming of Kashiro's memories and the recent events out at the Temple of Mother Suna. She had only been wanting to find Toraono Kuro and ask him if he knew anything about Kashiro. Sure what happened was a good way to know more about him, but good grief she just had to get sucked into something. First being kidnapped, then having to lead a bunch of kids and priests out while two really strong people battled it out. She did hope she could eventually get back down to that tunnel. Some of the history on that wall had been forgotten.

When she finally woke up, she was almost late for her shift at the clinic and had to rush her morning ablutions. Then work had been hectic. She had performed three emergency surgeries on older battle companions, and two on the "Zukas" with them. When the shinobi and companions were out of the woods, she scolded the shinobi for forgetting about themselves again. They looked suitably chastised when she finished and she was able to walk to the break room before she passed out from exhaustion. Sometimes, she really hated her job. One of the vet techs had shaken her awake some time later to alert her to a companion's failing condition. Kimi worked hard to try and save the great cat, but had been unable to do so. How was she to tell the shinobi that his companion was gone? She knew what it could do to a Zuka. She counted a small blessing that it had been one of the trio instead of the duo. On the other hand, it also made it that much harder. What if it had been one of her girls? The mere thought had nearly debilitated her. Only Kashiro's prodding had enabled her to do her duty and inform the man that one of his companions had passed beyond the veil and was now with the Great Mother.

Her shift ended shortly thereafter and she had quickly retreated to her domicile and cuddled with her girls. They trained together for an hour or so and then Kimi went to take a shower. Once dressed, she found herself in pajamas and crawling beneath her covers as though on auto-pilot. She knew logically that Kashiro was helping her, but in her tired state, she just didn't care beyond mentally whispering "Thanks" as she fell asleep.

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MFT; WC: 410
 
Each day began the same. Enzeru awoke in familiar but still unexpected surroundings. He took a moment to remember that he was no longer in Kirigakure, no longer in the paradisiacal resort nor the frozen hell. This was Sunagakure, the land of wind and sand and sun and desert. Quite a far cry from his old home, to put it lightly. Morning exercise, a decent breakfast that would give energy without weighing him down too much, shower, dress, follow Kimi as she went to work without letting her know he was doing so, trying to convince the twins not to tell her he did so and most likely failing. A morning like the past few ever since she invited him to stay at her family’s compound.

Lavish wasn’t quite how Kimi would describe it most likely, but to Enzeru it was certainly so. His former accommodations in Kiri were Spartan at best, and at worst it was a rock he could use as a pillow. Still, there were some perks to the place. The large range made for perfect practice for his archery skills, the dojo allowed him to finish his workout, and then came the part he was not looking forward to but knew was a necessity. Enzeru gathered his money and went shopping. The bounties he’d turned in since arriving weren’t much in number, but the pay was good enough to warrant a change of clothes. His current dress was well and good for the cool breezes and humid atmosphere of Kirigakure, but here in Sunagakure they simply smothered him in their loose fittings. So Enzeru visited the market, a lively place where one could nearly forget the attacks this place was recovering from. From each district he went around, taking his coin with him. In some he was sneered at, in others he had to show people why trying to rob him was foolish.

Finally he arrived at the hospital to follow Kimi home. It wasn’t stalking, he made a vow to keep her safe and so long as he could do so he would see to it that he kept to that vow. Not only because of the aid she’d given him in the past, but because this woman managed to capture his very soul and he wouldn’t even try to imagine what would happen if she were to vanish from his life. She seemed tired, which was normal, but somehow different than the usual. As she trains with the twins, Enzeru takes dinner and gets to work on the plans for his new weapons. While he certainly didn’t let his life revolve around being a shinobi….he also had very few breaks from it.

The nuzzling at his arm shocks him out of his mental pathways and back into the present. Kora was pawing at him now, and walking off then looking back at him expectantly. Enzeru puts the plans away and rises, brushing off his own pajamas. He never wore those before, but her dad insisted on giving him some so…now he did. Enzeru follows the tiger to Kimi’s room and pauses at the door as the tiger stares at him. ”Is Kimi okay?”

Apparently not. He opens the door as silent as possible to see her on her bed, cuddling with one of the tigers. Now that he was closer he could see the exhaustion, the negativity and the plain weariness of life on her beautiful face. Kora leads him to her bed and he takes the hint finally, sliding onto the mattress and bringing an arm around her. Snuggling was something new, and while it was pleasant he wasn’t very good at it. Enzeru simply pulls her to him and holds her close, letting her know by his presence that she was not alone with her troubles. She has him.
 
Kimi had awoken slightly when she felt Kora's weight shift off of her bed, but Katsu chuffed comfortingly and she fell back into her stuttering sleep. She woke slightly again when she felt arms wrapping around her. She turned in the person's arms and smelt Enzeru's comforting scent. Kimi knew well enough that Enzeru followed her at least on her way to work and back. Every now and again she could pick up traces of his scent along her routes. Oddly enough, for one trained in the shinobi arts, she didn't really mind. If that was how he chose to protect her, then so be it. It's not like he's hovering over her shoulder at work after all.

The Nekozuka nuzzled his chest and let out a sigh of contentment. Perhaps she could persuade him to sleep with her every night, but she'd handle that later. As it was, she was tired and more than willing to fall asleep listening to his heart beat. And she did so, for an unbroken four hours.

Once those four hours had passed, she started whimpering in her sleep. On instinct more than anything, her unconscious caused her to roll over and put Enzeru at her back before curling up into a ball. Some time in the night the twins had removed themselves from the bed and were sleeping soundly on their own giant pillows. In her dreams, she was sweltering and cramped. There were hard walls all around her and she started to panic slightly when she realized she was trapped wherever she was. When light finally presented itself, it was torch light from the long forgotten cavern. On the outside, her brows furrowed and her jaw more pronounced, as if she was clenching her teeth. Her hands were fists and she alternated by moving and almost being too still. If he was awake, Enzeru would be able to tell that she was not seeing a pleasant dream.
 
He gives his own sigh as she falls back to sleep against him. He leans his head down to kiss her brow and simply lays there, holding Kimi and wondering what could have affected her so much. Something must have happened at the hospital, something that was too much for her. Kimi was one of the strongest people Enzeru could remember meeting in his life, but everyone has a breaking point. As he thoughts wander to what could be causing this he falls into a shallow sleep himself. A life spent in the wilds hunting and then as an ANBU led to a very light sleeper.

This meant that as she put her back to him and began whimpering, Enzeru would open his eyes and watch her. The motions she made, the way she was all but grinding her teeth and whimpering; this was not a good thing at all. He pulls her back to him, rubbing her sides and kissing her cheek before beginning to whisper into her ear to try and calm her. He didn’t want to wake her, merely replace whatever nightmare she was having with a more pleasant dream. Slowly he begins to turn her back to facing him, gently moving her so at to not disturb her rest. And then he leans down and kisses her gently, holding her against his chest and whispering in her ear how much he loves her.
 
A soothing voice broke through the dream of the quivering temple. It slowly changed from that scene to another. In this dream, she was running as Kashiro, but not running from or to anything. Beside her ran a bright being, one that she couldn't name and could only think of as heavenly. At the end of the scene, she was herself again, and the bright form shifted into a familiar face. That same soothing voice spoke through his facsimile and she smiled.

Her body ceased it's tense activities as he soothed her.

The dreams dimmed and faded as her eyes fluttered open and she yawned into Enzeru's chest. She spoke, her voice thick with sleep, "'Zeru? Mm, love you." She kissed him softly and tried to fall back asleep. After trying for what felt like an hour, she decided that she wouldn't be getting any more sleep at the moment. Instead she laid there, eyes closed, listening to Enzeru breathe and the steady rhythm of his heart.
 
As she stops the whimpering and twitching, Enzeru smiles and rests his head atop her own closing his eyes and preparing to fall back asleep. ”I love you too Kimi.” He returns the kiss and gives a sigh of happiness before sleep overtakes him as well. His heart slows, his breath becoming measured and deep. Enzeru rarely dreamed, but when he did they were typically vivid and powerful things. As the sleep overtakes him, this one proves no different.

It was dark, utter blackness with pinpoints of clear light that seemed to be so far away that he could run forever and never reach them. Voices were talking about him, about his deeds. This was nothing new, this was a dream that he had before. Accusations that he went too far, that he was a bloodthirsty monster who killed for pleasure. Just like as an ANBU, all of the others thinking his high kill count was because he liked it. Not thinking that he went after the true monsters, the people who could not be rehabilitated. The rapists, the murderers, the ones who would blow up an orphanage to make a point. He did not relish the kill of those beasts, he put them down like they deserved. But no one wanted to accept that in this dream.

Enzeru rails against the voices. He screams that he only did what was necessary for the safety of his people. Those same people attack him with their words. They speak of him like he himself was a monster. And they cast him down. The words vanish as they speak of his judgement. Instead he simply feels the deep sense of dread. Unlike Kimi, he would not show any apparent signs of his own dream. Perhaps a tightening of his jaw at most. Even asleep Enzeru is a guarded man.

The darkness fades as he’s sent to his cell. To live with the others, the prisoners that were not his targets. He was one of them now, a prisoner and criminal. He was a monster.

Enzeru’s eyes snap open as the dream ends. After blinking for a moment he tries to guess how long he was asleep this time. He seemed to not need very much sleep, a couple of hours and he was good to go most of the time. This felt even shorter than that, however. He wraps his arms tighter around Kimi and closes his eyes yet again, knowing he would not sleep this night.
 
After a few moments, Kimi opened her eyes and slowly stroked Enzeru's cheek. After half an hour of watching, his scent changed slightly, as if something was stressing him. She gently smoothed his hair and stroked his arm. An unconscious decision had her moving closer and nuzzling his chest. She stayed in that position until he opened his eyes once more. He had only slept through one cycle.

She looked up to his eyes before kissing his lips softly, trying to wipe away the last remnants of the dream. "Hey there," she said after pulling back slightly. "Looks like neither of us will be getting much sleep tonight, eh? Do you want to talk about whatever woke you up so soon?"

Even though she was still exhausted, she didn't mind listening to his voice. And she wouldn't mind talking to him about her dreams if he asked. While she waited for him to speak, she kept stroking his upper arm and shoulder, every now and then traveling up to his cheek or down to his chest.
 
He felt her move closer, but chose to keep his eyes shut a while longer. It wasn’t until he was aware that she was as awake as he that Enzeru opens his eyes once more and smiles softly at her, returning the kiss. ”Good morning.” Enzeru cups her chin and gives another, shorter kiss before she manages to pull back somewhat. He takes a moment to enjoy the sight of her fresh from even a brief rest, to realize that this was real and he wasn’t back in the frozen hell of his home having some sort of fevered dream. Coming to Sunagakure was the best decision he’s ever made.

”Just a bad dream.” Still he was, as ever, a guarded man. Enzeru could open up to Kimi like no one else, but even she has to pull things from him occasionally. It wasn’t a lack of trust but instead a lack of experience on his part. He never had talks like this before getting here, never had to explain his words except to his ANBU leader and even then it was only in terms of strategies. The leadership of Kirigakure understood when they sent him out on a DoA that the D was typically what they would get, and so the interaction there was brief indeed.

At some gentle insistence from Kimi he would finally slide a hand to her side and sigh. ”I am being tried for my sins. It’s a dream I have often, where the people of Kiri accuse me of being the monsters I hunted. They point out all the ways I could have brought back killers and rapists and other demons without killing them. They call me a demon much like the people I was sent to deal with, and deem me guilty without even listening to my words. And then I am locked in a cell with the prisoners of the land who seek to end my life on the inside due to the part I took in many of them being there. This one different though, I wasn't back in Mist. I was somewhere dark, but much louder.”

His blue eyes focus on her purple eyes and he raises an eyebrow. ”And what of you? You seemed to be having a nightmare yourself.”
 
When he told her that it was "Just a bad dream," she gave him a look that easily said "That's bull and you know it." After all, if it had just been a bad dream, he wouldn't have awoken so suddenly. Thankfully, all it took was that look and he explained what he had dreamed. And then he turned the raised eyebrow on her. It wasn't that she didn't want to tell him, but the conglomerate of dreams had been more intense tonight. A slight shiver proceeded her explanation.

"I started off closed off in an incredibly small, dark, and hot box. I started to panic and then the box opened and I was in a tunnel leading out of the temple. This version did not go as well. The twins were there and a portion of the tunnel fell on them. I- I couldn't save them. Then your voice broke through, and the dream changed."

She stopped and smiled. "I was running as Kashiro, and there was a luminescent figure beside me. It's like Kashiro and that being were friends having fun. I shrank back into myself, and the bright being dimmed enough to see more features. It looked like you."

Another pause came before she almost purred, "You made my dream turn around. Thank you."
 
Her dream was definitely more interesting than his own. To him, at least. Enzeru just smiles at her final words and gives her another kiss, his hands sliding down her back and pulling her into it. Their dreams go out the window as he does so, Enzeru deciding to let nothing matter right now except for this. Dreams were just illusion, but this woman in his arms pressed against him was all too real. And she was much more important than him being a shining figure of light or being a criminal of the highest order or even a nightmare about the twins. She was more important than anything his brain could conjure up.

”That’s what I’m for, to protect you. Awake or asleep.” He lifts himself up on one arm to check on the twins and make sure they’re not doing like some would and blatantly staring at the two. If they were watching, they at least had the decency to pretend to be sleeping still. Dropping back down onto the bed, Enzeru rolls onto his back, hoping Kimi follows with her idea of being close to him. If she does he would pull her into another embrace and begin to run his hands along her spine in a soothing manner.

"What else can I do for the woman I love if not keep her safe and happy?"
 
When he kissed her, the world melted away as did her dreams. The weight of them was released and she couldn't help but moan softly within her relief. He spoke again and leaned up to look over at the twins beds. He would find them empty. They had apparently left during the time he was asleep. Kimi looked over at her bedroom door and realized it was closed. That door was usually cracked open if the girls left, but for some reason, they had taken care to shut it completely.

She followed Enzeru as he rolled onto his back, her right leg wrapping over a thigh, and her head on his chest. His hand trailed over her spine and she shivered slightly. Being so close to him was throwing her mind to and fro. For once, Kashiro was completely silent, and didn't even send the barest hint of emotion her direction. A silent rush of gratitude toward him didn't even garner a response. Kimi was incredibly thankful that he was leaving them alone.

His final words made her smile. While they had said the words already, they were always nice to hear. She took a moment to smile into his chest. Kimi turned her head to kiss his shoulder lightly before maneuvering so that she was almost hovering over him.

"'Zeru?" Her voice would betray some nervousness to him, but she would carry on strong and finish her question after a moment. "Would you make love with me?" she asked and bit her lower lip nervously.
 
He could attribute many things to the twins, being able to sneak out and shut the door behind themselves was not outside the realm of possibility for those two. He was fairly certain if he handed them a headset they’d figure out how to order food off of it within an hour. Smart cats, those two. He simply watches Kimi for a moment, letting the peace of this slice of time settle and relax them both. While she seems withdrawn for a bit, he attributes it to her doing the same and lets himself loosen the tension he’s been experiencing the past few weeks.

Her movement was surprising, but he assumes she simply wishes to kiss once more. He begins to move in for one then her words hit him like a wall. Enzeru looks into her eyes, making sure she truly wanted this before he reaches up to pull her down into another kiss, this one giving her all the answer that needs to be given. He rolls again, this time bringing her onto her back and letting his hands wander down as his blue eyes close and they lose themselves in a long, powerful moment of bliss.

(Fade to Black)
 
(The Next Morning)

When Kimi awakened, she was slightly surprised just how long they had stayed in her room. Her stomach growled and she was reminded that they hadn't eaten much in the last day. A soft pawing at the door warned her before it opened, allowing the twins in. They were each carrying a tray of food. The great cats silently moved to the nightstands on either side of her bed and set the trays down before retreating and closing the door once more. Kimi couldn't help but chuckle quietly. They were such good girls, smart ones too.

She turned over and kissed Enzeru's lips. "Hey, 'Zeru. You'd better wake up the rest of the way. The girls brought us breakfast in bed. Not entirely certain how they carried the trays, but they're full of mystery sometimes."

Once his eyes were open, she would smile brightly and say, "I really enjoyed yesterday. I'm not sure how long it's been since I slept so well. You certainly wore me out." She finished off her statement with a slightly saucy wink.
 
The kiss woke him up. For someone who rarely needed much sleep, it spoke of just how tired he was the night before that he was sleeping in so late this morning. If it was even morning. As he returns the kiss and sits up, Enzeru takes stock of the room. Clothes….were here and there and there and there. The bed was….well they had one cover on it still. And a pillow. And then there were trays of food that the twins brought in. He looks at the trays, then at the door. How did they open the door while carrying those, much less how did they carry those?

As Kimi speaks once more, Enzeru pulls her against him and gives her a kiss of his own, this one lasting longer than her good morning kiss. ”I did too. And careful with that winking or I’ll request an encore.” He smiles at her, for the first time in his life all the doors were open, all the walls were down. It felt refreshing to be open, to not have to force himself to let people in. He couldn’t remember ever being like this before. He couldn’t remember even being this way around his parents. He couldn’t remember-

Enzeru goes still as it hits him. He was staring in the mirror at himself, his mind racing through things that should have been as easy to recall as how to shoot a bow and coming up empty. He could recall them, but now they seemed wrong somehow. But that wasn’t what caught his breath still, or locked his heart in a vice. He stares at himself in the mirror. And grows ever more horrified at what he sees.
 
Kimi smiled as he sat up and looked around the room. It was quite messy. And by the amount of clothing on the floor, it was evident that they had at least tried to get dressed a couple times. Obviously they had failed in that endeavor, multiple times. Another shared kiss and a reply to her flirt later found Kimi chuckling happily.

She watched him as an almost confused look washed over his face. He froze as he saw himself in the mirror and her brow furrowed. She moved behind him and hung over his shoulders, her head beside his. Kimi looked into the mirror and saw what had him looking so horrified. His hair color had changed at the root for almost an entire inch. An unconscious thought had her combing his hair with her fingers and smiling.

"You know, I could have sworn that the blue was natural." She kissed his cheek and her eye caught something in the mirror. She gently turned his head to get a better look at his eyes and confirmed what she thought she saw. "I don't want you to freak out, but your irises have a black ring around them as well."

If he was able to focus on her, he would be able to see that she was only calmly curious. After all, stranger things happen all the time when you're a shinobi, Sousuke's Kitchenzilla being a prime example.
 
”It is.” She was right, he could see the circles of black lining each iris now, just barely there if you knew to look for it. Enzeru leans back against her, closing his unfamiliar eyes and clenching his hands into fists. This wasn’t right. He couldn’t tell what happened, but this was wrong. The whole thing felt wrong. He felt wrong. His life, his family, his home in Kiri. None of it felt like it fit anymore within his own mind. And for the first time in his life, Enzeru felt lost.

So he says nothing, merely opening those alien eyes to stare at himself in the mirror yet again. One hand rises to Kimi’s and pulls it from his hair, scared that whatever was happening might somehow affect her also. He shakes his head to clear the assault of his own mind, and squeezes his eyes shut once more, unable to look at himself. A wordless yell rips from him as he tries to stumble out of the room blind.

This was wrong. He was Enzeru. He was from Mizu, the land of water. He was an archer of a mere quarter-century and nothing more. So why did he feel like he was something inhuman in this moment?
 
He leaned back into her and she hugged him with her free arm, the other hand still combing his hair. He seemed okay until he pulled her hand from his hair. She could smell the fear rolling off of him. Kimi was startled when he let out a yell and went to leave the room. Luckily they had both put on bottoms, and Kimi a tank-top, before sleeping, or what happened next might have led to embarrassment later.

In a flash, Kashiro took control of Kimi's body, startling her further. They leaped out and made to tackle Enzeru before he could leave the room. If and when they finally caught him, Kashiro snarled softly. Kimi's eyes were completely blue and a bit of Kashiro's demonic presence started to eek out. Kimi decided to stay silent until she thought it necessary for her to speak.

"Aijihaya, calm thyself. Everything is fine, battle-brother. There is no need to fear," Kashiro almost cooed as he tried to sooth Enzeru's frazzled nerves.
 
Considering his eyes were still closed as tight as he could get them, it was a simple matter for Enzeru to be tackled. Keeping him that way was a different story however. He wouldn’t strike at Kimi, but his brain wasn’t entirely in control of his body at this point and so he proved to be just as difficult to hold onto as a greased pig. After several minutes of them sliding around the floor with Enzeru blindly struggling to free himself and her trying just as hard to hold on, he finally gets into a corner and can’t get himself out of it in time. He spins around and puts his back to the corner, finally opening his eyes to show that the whites are dominant now in his panic.

"Aijihaya, calm thyself. Everything is fine, battle-brother. There is no need to fear,"

Aijihaya? The name struck a chord. A dark, terrible chord deep within him that should never have been struck. Beloved Child of the Arrow’s Edge, condemned to a fate worse than any of his kind before. Forever less than what he was until the day he learned to follow their ways. The Fallen One. And Kimi’s beautiful violet eyes shifted to blue, the growling sound of her voice. It was not Kimi who spoke that name to him, who began to shatter reality. Kashiro, the demon, the youkai, the corrupter. The one responsible for this living nightmare.

Enzeru puts his feet under him and pushes himself up against the wall until he’s standing straight once more. ”Aijihaya. I have not been called that in such a long time that I cannot even fathom it.” The black around his eyes was deepening, growing wider into the blue. The words seemed to have some effect on him. ”He should not know it. He should not remember that name. Cannot. This is his punishment. Do not break the wall.” The voice was his, but not. As if a multitude spoke at once through his mouth. And as the last word clipped off Enzeru swoons.

The black pushes back out, the blue once more beginning to dominate it as he slides back down the wall suddenly, a dumbstruck look on his face.
 
Even though he struggled for a while, they eventually had Enzeru cornered, literally. His reaction to Kashiro's words surprised Kimi and worried Kashiro. He seemed so strong at first, as if he was realizing that he could accept himself, and then there was the Legion-like voice that issued from his throat. Kashiro wanted to growl deeply. He swooned and slid down the wall, further worrying the duo.

"And why shouldn't I? It is your rules that made him this way. You know who he is! From what I know, you were just looking for a reason to expel him. What did you do? Why make him human? I was there when you arrested him, do you realize that? I saw you take him away, charge with being my friend," Kashiro growled to the sky, face upturned and a snarl on Kimi's face.

She took the chance to sooth Kashiro back and allow her to control her own body once more. She felt him retreat and close himself off to calm himself.

Kimi moved to sit on Enzeru's right and leaned to place her head on his shoulder. "Hey, you alright? You know I don't care what's happened in your past, right? Even if that past is longer than you thought it was. I'm guessing the dream the other night was actually a memory, or part of one? It would make sense, it was too clear to be anything but a memory."

She paused for a moment before asking, "What do you want to do, 'Zeru?"
 
He takes a breath and holds it in for a moment before releasing it, then repeats this process a few times as he begins to face whatever this was. One of his greatest assets was his memory, a perfect recall of everything that ever happened to him in his life. It was also a mark of pride for him, that he did not forget anything. So to realize that his memories were tampered with in some way was a blow to the core of his being. Another few breaths follow the first set before he looks at Kimi with eyes that might look familiar. True, there was a band of black around the irises, but that determined look in them was altogether his own.

”I don’t have the slightest idea what’s going on. Kashiro seems to think I’m someone he knows. He’s acting like he’s talking to other people and all I can think of while he does is ‘who am I?’ I know you don’t care about my past, but I do. I cannot go around with my mind in this state. I need to find out what’s going on. And I don’t know how to do that yet, Kimi. But I might know where to start.”

He reaches for her hand and grips it firmly in his own, that determination now painted on his face. ”I need to go back to Mist, and see if I can track down my family.” It was a long shot, he has no clue if they even survived the freeze to move on elsewhere, but if they did he’d know where to begin looking and how to hunt them down if they did so. ”I might be gone for a while.” He couldn’t ask her to come with him. Not to Mist. Not after seeing what it has become.
 

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