Tim waited.

Seconds passed by, but he continued to wait.

When the urge to knock again had built to a seven-point-six, the door opened slightly, revealing Emma's beautiful, blank face.

"Yes?" she said in a near-monotone.

"I think I can…" He stopped. She really went nuts at the idea of something being wrong with her last time. The direct approach isn't going to work, is it. "I need you to come with me for a few minutes," he said instead.

"You've the intent to squander more of my time?" she asked. "Some further mockery to be made of me, is there?"

"No, I need your help with something, actually," he said, affecting a nervous expression. "It's…sort of complicated to explain."

She stared at him for a moment, and the door opened fractionally, revealing more of her frustratingly expressionless countenance. "You've come seeking my aid?" Her eyebrows lowered slightly. "How dare you," she said in a more quiet voice with hints of fury seeping through.

"Look, we tried to solve it without bothering you, but we're all totally at our wits' end," he said with a shrug as he continued to improvise. "Sateus said we have to figure it out soon, but we—"

"You've some manner of puzzle to be solved?" she asked, tilting her head the tiniest bit.

"It's this thing all the deities do, where it's all the champions working together as a team," Tim fabricated, gesturing as though recalling the details. "We didn't want to bother you after last time, but—"

"If it's a matter for our patron, then I suppose I've no choice," she said with resignation as she pulled her door open, revealing the same white dress she'd been wearing previously. "Naturally I'd be the one to manage something like this rather than you cretins," she said, emerging into the hallway. "Don't dawdle, let's be on with it," she said, waving him away.

"Right, okay," he said, starting towards the stairs. She did strike me as prideful. I suppose that much of it wasn't a lie. "Uh, thanks," he called over his shoulder to continue his act.

She offered no reply other than the muted sound of her heeled shoes against the carpet.

They descended along the staircase, and her footfalls grew louder and more pronounced behind him from the absence of carpet, giving the journey an eerie feel from the continued silence.

When they reached the platform, the sound of her steps halted, and he turned to look back.

Emma was stopped in the doorway, looking around with a blank expression.

"They're a little ways down the platform," Tim said, pointing off into the distance as he started walking again.

Abruptly, he walked into a wall and bounced backwards, but there was nothing visible for him to have collided with.

"We've allowed your ruse to carry on for long enough, wouldn't you agree?" Emma called in a calm voice. "I'd already inquired regarding alternative forms of competition, and, when compared to the nobles with whom I've consorted, you've no talent for dissembling, Drake."

"Uh…" Tim spun around, leaning against the invisible wall as he looked back at the expressionless woman. "Well—"

"I've no interest in what you'd planned," she interrupted. Her finger moved slightly, and the wall disappeared, sending him tumbling over backwards. "You've humiliated me," she said as she began to walk forward. "You've not even shown the slightest shred of gratitude after I'd permitted you the privilege of fornicating with me," she said, moving another finger and lifting him off the ground.

"Emma, wait," Tim said, waving his hands frantically as he wobbled in the air. "I can—"

"You've irritated me," she called out more loudly, talking over him. "Goodbye, Drake."

He felt a force push powerfully against him, knocking him upwards through the air and over the edge of the platform in an arc. He shouted as he flailed, trying to grab the side of it, but he was too far away to even come close to touching it.

Then he stopped and floated in place, his body rotating to face the underside of the platform.

"I had said that it would not show gratitude, Drake Storm," Ir'alith called from an upside down sitting position directly under the platform. Her body was a dark shade of crimson, and her red, glowing eyes met his. "I would kill every human for this betrayal," she said with a grin that exposed more razor-like teeth than should have been possible to fit into her mouth.

"What's… What've you done?" Emma called, sounding increasingly panicked. "Release me!"

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"I will kill this human for you, Drake Storm," Ir'alith said. "I do not require thanks for—"

"Don't kill her," Tim said, holding his hands up. "Please." Shit, shit, shit, she's still in crazy murder demon mode isn't she. This was a bad idea.

"It will betray you again if it lives," Ir'alith said. "As all humans do. This is their nature. They take, and what they cannot take they despoil."

"Come on, you must've met one human who wasn't like that!" he called while he scrounged for something more convincing to say. "I brought her here so you could heal her, not kill her."

"I…" Ir'alith's eyes closed, and her whole body twitched. "I…have…" she said slowly. "Yes, there was one. They appear similar, now that I have recalled her. Why do you wish to aid this one?"

"Can't I just want to help someone?" he tried.

"You would have me aid a human in your stead for such a reason, Drake Storm?" she asked, opening her eyes and revealing their blood-red glow once more. "I will not. You are foolish in your whims, so I will spare you the sight of her demise."

A loud crack sounded out from above.

"Who… What's happening?" Emma shouted, sounding panicked but unhurt. "Show yourself if you've—"

Another crack echoed.

"—the desire to kill me!" she continued without pause.

"Ir'alith, please, stop," Tim called. "This isn't like you, is it?"

Ir'alith snarled, her eyes narrowing. "I have always hated humans. I only needed to be reminded. They are a scourge that must be eradicated."

Fuck. What the fuck, I really fucked this up. Suddenly seeming a lot more like the other Ir'alith now. "But you said you'd help?" he tried. "You seem like someone who keeps her word. Would you really break it over a human?"

A low rumble began, changing into a deafening, open-mouthed roar that left Tim's ears ringing. Purple fire shot out of Ir'alith's mouth and into the abyss beneath when the terrible noise ended, its brightness so great that he squeezed his eyes shut as spots began to appear in them.

She's not killing me, which seems like a good sign. Doesn't it?

Some time later, he opened his eyes. Ir'alith had disappeared, and he found no sign of her no matter where he looked.

"My word remains unbroken, Drake Storm," her voice carried over from somewhere unknown. "You have aligned yourself with the humans. Remove yourself from this place and do not return. If I see you again, I may kill you."

A fast clicking of heels sounded out from above, and Tim zoomed back up and onto the platform just in time to see Emma disappear through the doorway and up the stairs. He pushed himself to his feet and started after her at a light jog. "Thanks, Ir'alith!" he called over his shoulder. "I'll make it up to you, I promise!"

There was no reply, and he reached the stairs soon after. "Emma?" he called. Damn, she's fast in those heels. He made his way up the stairs and reached the hallway just in time to see her door slam shut. Well, shit. Did it work or not? He came to a stop in front of the door with "Human" on its placard. No point in even knocking now. Nobody would open their door after that.

He stood there for a short while until his face worked itself into a grimace. Shit. Why is everything here so fucked up? Ir'alith's crazier than I thought now. Emma almost got killed because of it. Vol's not here, but she's probably going to be even weirder next time I see her, and with my luck, Kazuto will pop up behind…

He paused, feeling like there had been some change in his surroundings, and slowly turned his head to look towards the "Hero" door next to the stairs.

Miraculously, however, Kazuto was nowhere to be seen, and Tim breathed a sigh of ten-out-of-ten relief. Fuck, that would've been too much to handle right now. Alright, I need to relax. Not particularly hungry, definitely not going to try sleeping, but I can meditate for a bit and maybe figure out what I'm doing after.

He walked over to his door and pushed it open. Yeah, I really just need to relax. He took a deep breath. No reason to be stressed out. He walked inside and nudged the door shut behind himself, taking another deep breath as he continued few more steps. This seems like a good spot. He sat down in the middle of the floor, then laid back, feeling the firm, carpeted ground beneath himself.

Nothing at all to be stressed about. He took a breath and let it out, rubbing his fingers against the carpet. I'm sure nothing would've happened if she'd died. I would've been fine. The memory of Emma's persistently empty face assaulted his thoughts. His mind zoomed out from there, and she floated in the air with both her legs snapped midway up, continuing to show not even the slightest hint of recognition that she should be in pain. No, I'm sure that's not what happened. I'm sure she's fine now.

He took another breath. Ir'alith snarled and bit into Carl's head, chewing and crunching noisily. No, no, that's not going to happen. I can fix this. I'm a problem solver. It's what I do.

He breathed again, then another time. This is great carpet. Soothing. He ran his fingers through it, focusing on the texture. Kazuto appeared in his thoughts and grabbed Lekthi, throwing her down with a stupid grin on his face. Then Nela ripped his arm off and bashed his skull in with it. Alright, I'd be okay with that. Assuming Sateus doesn't kill me for it. Fuck, but that kid is so annoying.

He took another breath and kept working to clear his thoughts. His wife Colleen's face appeared in his mind, and she began to speak.

"Tim, we need to talk," she said. "It's…" She sighed with a distraught expression on her face. "I'm sorry, I—"

He drove his halberd through the memory and banished it, leaving only the pristine, ten-out-of-ten emptiness that he'd been working towards.

He breathed in.

He breathed out.

He was here.

He existed.

He—

A soft, timid knock sounded at the door.

Tim blinked, and his calm center shattered. He took a deep breath. That was a good one. A small smile curved the corners of his lips up, and he took another breath.

Another series of knocks, sounding even more hesitant, sounded out.

If this is Kazuto, I'm probably just going to kill him. He didn't think it in an agitated way. He was still feeling at least somewhat relaxed after… He glanced at the timer on his HUD, and his eyes widened a little when he saw that around forty minutes had elapsed since he'd gotten back. Damn, that was a great session.

He sat up, then stood up, then strode over to the door and pulled it open.