[Blade saying that has him smiling again, though a little more shyly.]

Mm... I know. That's why I'll always be there. [He just wants to remind him that their love isn't a shackle. It would break his heart to be nothing but a cage to this brilliant, wonderful man. Maybe Blade understands that.

Dan Heng sighs softly at the question. It's one he's been dreading to answer, but... he'll tell him the truth. It would be incredibly cruel to give him anything less than that.]

I'm not certain what led up to it, honestly. However... when Mara took over, he.... [He pauses and looks away for a moment before looking back.] He posted to the network killing Cara. Nick was there, too, but... he had already died. Mara was calling me out specifically, and he'd sent me a message to meet him at the duck pond.

If not for your ring, I might have come out of that encounter with more wounds than I got. However, that was when I started guessing his patterns... and found where he dumped the bodies. [He closes his eyes, looking a little pained.] Kanto. Those ruins where we adopted the Ralts pair. That was where we found them... and how I deduced that he made the Labyrinth near your home. He said our karma was entwined, and that he wanted to take everything from you, including me... your 'prized treasure.'

[Dan Heng stops there to open his eyes, reading Blade's expression, and seeing if he's going to ask anything.]