The silence comes and the General momentarily feels panic welling up in his chest, fearful that he had said the wrong thing, had ruined their connection. But a simple glance to behind the boy, and he spots a familiar puff of blonde fur, grinning up to the old Lombax with a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Hey, Azimuth! The hell you been, pal?"

This was... no. It was him, but-- how? He was alive and not wounded in the slightest. He was finally okay again...

"Kaden."

He starts to step forward.

"Whoa, hey, take it easy there, buddy. Don't go and get ahead of yourself. You know what happened last time."

He--

Right. Mustn't do anything that might cause the other to vanish again. After all, that was all his fault, wasn't it?

"I don't think you answered my pal, here."

Robotically, the old Lombax trails his gaze back down to the boy below, making sure to keep eye contact and do whatever he could not to shatter this new reality. Yes... he was going to help, wasn't he? This was proof.

"I will do whatever you ask of me."