Deryck just looked at Jaden and Darrell, and Darrell waved at him slightly.

"Thank you..." he said.

"Don't thank me, kid." Deryck replied.

"...I don't deserve it." he muttered quietly.

"And send someone here to clean this mess up!" he then told Jaden.

"...got it." Jaden responded, before he and Darrell disappeared in a portal that formed in the ground, making them appear at Sydney's front door.

He then knocked on it loudly.

"Mom! Dad! Need some help!" he called in.

'Hope they're home...' he thought, realising he should have called beforehand.

"...yes." Jaden replied.

"Long story short, he was attacked." he told her.

"I'll explain further as his wrists are tended to." he went on.

"...and you're not going to like it." he continued.

"For... a lot of reasons." he sighed.

"But right now, please... before things potentially get worse on his wrists." he finished.

Jaden sighed lightly.

"It's... complicated." he muttered.

He and Darrell then proceeded to explain to her what had happened.

Darrell going to hide, the adults attacking him, the interruption, and how the male was dead, but the female had gotten away.

"...so yeah, the woman was a mage." Darrell told her. "They both said this was to get revenge on... YOU." he continued.

"And Mom seemed to know the one that saved me. Didn't like him very much..." he then said quietly.

"It was Deryck." Jaden revealed.

Darrell flinched and nodded, crying a little, but remained silent as she helped him.

Jaden just sighed.

"I remember Desiree asking him." he said.

"He never gave an answer." he told her.

"...he DID say one thing, though." he then went on.

"He said he didn't like us... but that he acknowledged that we have the right to exist."

"Good." Jaden replied.

"...I hope this was an isolated incident." he said.

"I don't want my family to live in constant fear, and with paranoia." he mumbled.

"It's okay..." Darrell interjected.

"I... I think I understand." he went on.

"I just need to get stronger to be able to protect myself and Jordan, right?" he asked, showing amazing maturity for his age... albeit a bit simplistic.

Jaden nodded and immediately took out his phone.

After some searching and calculating on it, he sent her the coordinates that she had asked for.

"There you go." he said.

"Oh, and because Jordan doesn't have any mana yet, she was able to get the cuffs off of Darrell." he then told her.

"She has them right now, but we'll make sure they get sent to you... or the Triad... or wherever they should go." he continued.

"Admittedly, I'm not sure where they need to be taken to." he added at the end.

Jaden nodded in response, and grabbed Darrell.

"Thank you." he said to her.

"Thanks, grandma." Darrell said as well.

They then said their goodbyes, and then disappeared into a portal, with Sydney hearing Nico's voice as it closed.

"Well." he muttered.

"Looks like McCormick's son is finally coming around." he commented.

"That's one SLIM piece of good that came out of this." he said further.

"I guess he's still fighting with himself." Nico responded.

"It's clear that he's a person with reason and compassion." he went on. "But his mother's teachings, her belittling, her abuse... her everything... that person's been buried and suppressed." he continued.

"Seems with her death, he's finally learning who he is." he sighed.

"But also seems like he's not liking it... but knows he shouldn't..." he continued.

"He's a very conflicted individual." he muttered.

"He could really use some guidance, but I don't think he'd accept it from anyone."

Nico returned the hug and watched her go, before sighing.

"Damn it, Marcus." he cursed.

"If only you could get it through your thick skull." he said, shaking his head.

Meanwhile, Jaden and Darrell appeared back at their home, and Jaden set him down.

He grabbed his cell phone and texted Desiree.

Where you at? We need to talk about those cuffs. he sent to her.

"Thirsty?" he asked Darrell.

The boy nodded in response.

"Because you were so good while grandma bandaged you up, I'll make your favourite; a peanut butter and chocolate milkshake." Jaden told him. This seemed to brighten Darrell's mood instantly, and noticeably.

"Darrell will heal just fine." Jaden responded.

"Will take a bit, but he'll heal." he said.

"Darell didn't even peep while Mom was healing his wrists." he then went on.

"So I'm making him his fave milkshake." he continued.

"Want me to make Jordan's as well?" he asked.

"And the cuffs should be taken to Mom. She'll have them dealt with properly." he finished.