Suzi sat slumped on the floor, back against her apartment door, wiping at her cheeks as she forced her tears to taper. Her breathing came in stutters, each breath rough against her throat. Ygritte’s cold, damp nose pushed into her arm, drawing her head up. Suzi’s chest clenched at the thought of nearly losing her dog—but here she was, tail swishing, eyes bright and full of trust. A rush of love sparked in Suzi’s chest, and she bent close, planting kisses on Ygritte’s head.
“God, I’m glad you’re okay,” she whispered, voice still thick from crying.
She frowned, brushing aside fur matted with sticky blood. Her pulse skipped in alarm—how was Ygritte not torn up? She could’ve sworn she’d heard that awful, wet sound of the demon’s claw piercing the dog’s neck. Yet, beneath the blood, there were no puncture marks, no torn flesh.
“How the fuck…?” Suzi murmured. Had she imagined that horrific moment?
“Animals are far easier to heal than humans,” said a melodic voice from Suzi’s couch.
Suzi lifted her head so fast she nearly pulled a muscle in her neck. Ellie perched on the arm of her sofa, crossing her legs like she’d been there all day, her white dress catching the sunlight from the window.
“Ellie—?” Suzi scrambled to her feet, knees shaky with adrenaline. “Jesus, you scared me. When did you—?”
Ellie lifted one shoulder in an elegant shrug. “I thought I’d save you the trouble of hunting me down. Also, I wanted to reassure you I’m fine. I know you probably have questions after last night.”
Suzi thought of Ricky, still frantic without his wife. “No shit. Bet Ricky’s relieved you’re—”
Ellie’s expression stilled, lips pressed in a soft line. Suzi’s stomach sank. “You haven’t told him, have you?” she asked, reading the flicker of guilt in Ellie’s eyes. “You’re not really back.”
“I can’t come back,” Ellie said quietly. “I’m here with you—sort of—to answer what I can. And to ask a favor.”
A sense of dread tingled along Suzi’s spine. But curiosity won out, and she stepped closer, lifting a tentative hand to Ellie’s arm. “What do you mean ‘sort of’…?”
Her fingertips grazed skin—alabaster, flawless—and a prickle of awareness ran through her. It felt real, warm, impossibly smooth.
“This is just a construct,” Ellie explained, a tiny smile playing at her lips. “We’re in your mind, Suzi. Physically, you’re still standing in your living room. If someone walked in, they’d see you talking to thin air.”
Suzi’s brows rose at that. “Seriously? Then can I at least shower in real life?”
Ellie gave a slight tilt of her chin. “You could. Or—” She crooked her index finger, as though casting a tiny spell, “—I could do a little prestidigitation. You’re right as rain.”
Blinking down, Suzi nearly gasped. Her hoodie was free of demon sludge, her jeans clean, and her sneakers looked brand-new, like she’d just pulled them from the box. Her gaze darted around the apartment: pristine. No discarded clothes, no splatters of gore, no sign of the recent chaos.
“Holy fuck. That’s… Can you teach me that?”
A small laugh escaped Ellie. “How do you think I could keep that house so clean without a full-time staff? Everything Rick wanted was white as white can be.”
Suzi cracked a half-smile, remembering the spotless interior of their place. “I used to think you were the neat freak, since Ricky’s studio is such a disaster.”
They shared a brief laugh, tension easing. But a pensive sorrow etched lines into Ellie’s perfect features. “I can’t stay,” she said softly. “Not here, not after what happened.”
Suzi’s chest squeezed, empathy mixing with a swirl of confusion. “Why not? Ricky’s—his heart is shredded without you.”
A flicker of misery crossed Ellie’s face. “I know. And I hate how much this hurts him. But the alternatives are worse. For both me and your entire world.”
Suzi sank to the other end of the couch. “Fuck. Explain, please.”
Ellie studied Suzi for a moment. “How long have you been a celestial?”
“Like two weeks,” Suzi said, feeling sheepish. “Still figuring out what that even means.”
Ellie’s tone turned gentle. “Then you probably don’t know: My kind can adopt human form indefinitely, so long as no one suspects we’re Ascendants. We can hide forever on the Prime Plane, blending in. But the minute someone suspects or starts calling us out, the danger grows exponentially. Once our cover’s blown, there are beings who’ll try to harness our power for their own ends. That can end up altering your entire reality. So our only refuge then is to return to the Elevated Plane until all mortals who knew or suspected us are gone.”
Shock raked through Suzi. Her eyes flicked wide. “Are you a…god?”
Ellie shook her head. “No. My great-grandfather is Zeus. I’d be considered more of a Muse, I guess. I inspire people, help them tap into talents they never knew they had. And I can do a few other tricks, but I’m not allowed to use them on Earth.”
Ricky’s sudden burst into the art world took on a whole new light. “So that’s why he’s an artist,” Suzi said, amazed. “You helped him.”
Ellie inclined her head, acknowledging. “And most of my other clients, too. But now, they’ll have to manage without me.”
A chill slid along Suzi’s arms. A hush had settled in her mind. She realized Guillermo was oddly silent—no murmur of her personalities. “Where are my—? Did you do something to them?” she asked, blinking hard at the quiet.
Ellie nodded once. “I put them to sleep for now. More like a suspension. You’re…unique, Suzi. The way your aura spirals and protects you is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”
Suzi exhaled a shaky breath. “You’re not the first to say I’m weird. I still have no idea what it means.”
Ellie’s shoulders lifted in a helpless shrug. “I wish I had answers. I never paid attention to that sort of thing—I stuck to my slice of the Elevated Plane. Then I saw Rick…well, I watched him for years. I didn’t interfere until he lost his team in Fallujah. He was broken, mind and body. I had to step in. I couldn’t let him suffer.”
Suzi’s throat tightened, recalling Ricky’s nightmares. “He might not remember the details, but apparently part of him did,” she said softly. “Hence that painting. He sees you as an angel.”
Ellie offered a melancholy half-smile. “Yes. And that painting was my undoing. Once the world saw it, my cover was officially blown.”
“Jesus.” Suzi raked a hand through her hair, mind cycling. ““So, you know Zeus? That’s kinda cool. Not gonna lie.”
Ellie’s lips twitched. “He’s alright. Zeus still sleeps with anything that breathes, but at least he’s confining it to the Elevated Plane nowadays.” Her eyes glittered with amusement.
A million questions crammed into Suzi’s brain at once. “Do you know the other gods?”
“Basically. I can’t say that I know them ALL, but the big ones are all aunts or uncles.”
“No, I mean, like the gods of other realms. Odin, I guess? Is he real? ‘God’ god? Christian god, I mean.” Her voice trailed off.
“Elohim.” Ellie stated.
“Huh?” Suzi screwed her face into a look of misunderstanding.
“Elohim. That’s the name of the Christian God,” Ellie said, arching a brow. “Also called Yahweh, Jehovah. All the same entity. Youngest of the major gods. Yeah, I know him. And Odin. And Ra. Like I said, all my aunts and uncles. Well, great-great-aunts and great-great-uncles, really. All the leading gods are brothers and sisters, and have their own realms. Elohim is the youngest and supposedly learned from his older sibling's mistakes, but a lot of us Ascendants think otherwise.”
“What did he do differently?” Suzi asked.
“All other realms have multiple gods, goddesses, or other representatives, splitting duties and such. But to do so, had to fracture their own Will and Energy, relinquishing parts of their power and dominion. Elohim was greedy and made the angels so he didn’t have to split his own will and he remained the single ruler. He essentially split his consciousness and gave each piece independence. He retained the bulk of his Will and his power, but eventually, even his angels rebelled and took parts of his will with them to the Outer.”
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“So, the Outer is like Hell?”
“Not entirely. Hell is a realm Elohim created to punish his fallen angels, then, ultimately, the descendants of his created race of humans who did not worship him.”
Suzi tried to keep track of all these pantheons. “He was the youngest, but he created humanity? That’s contradictory.”
Ellie’s expression clouded with carefully controlled patience. “He created a human race. Adam and Chava—Eve—were his first, but not the first humans on Earth. Trust me, it was a darker time back then. He learned from watching how other gods split their powers and turned them into multiple deities. He refused to fracture his own will—he made angels instead. Eventually, even they rebelled. That’s how Hell came about.”
Suzi’s head pounded, as if someone had taken a jackhammer to her skull. “This is…goddamn. No wonder my head hurts. You’re inside it, pumping me full of this cosmic-level bullshit.”
Ellie lifted a hand, vaguely apologetic. “Too much. I know.”
Sighing, Suzi massaged her temples. “So you’re an Ascendant who’s been living here for at least fifteen years, in love with Ricky. Now, because he accidentally outed you, you have to vanish, for your sake and for ours? Did I get that right?”
A cloud of grief darkened Ellie’s face. “Yes. It will crush him, but I don’t see another way.”
“Tell him,” Suzi said, almost pleading. “He can handle it—he’s helped me fight demons.”
Ellie’s mouth flattened. “He doesn’t remember that. Not truly. One demon messed with his mind, tore open the trauma of his lost team. I did what I could to patch him up, but the memories of me as an Ascendant are gone, or at least dulled.”
Suzi’s stomach felt hollow. She stared at Ellie’s calm, unearthly grace, wondering if there was any chance Ricky would get closure. But Ellie’s eyes told her all she needed to know: Ellie was certain. She had to go.
Suzi couldn’t hold back a raw sigh. The tension of Ellie’s words still buzzed in her mind like static, making her feel unsteady in her own skin. “Yeah, I get it,” she said softly, “but you’re immortal, right? You can give him another fifty years of love. That’s huge to someone with a finite lifespan.”
Ellie’s eyes shimmered with tears. “Suzi, I—”
“I know,” Suzi said, voice cracking at the surge of memory flooding her—the regret she’d carried since leaving Aiden. “Three years ago, I made the call to walk away from Aiden, thinking I was doing the right thing. Now? I’d do anything to change that. So I’m telling you—whatever the risk, Ricky wants you. He’d fight to have you rather than lose you for safety’s sake.” She mimed air quotes around safety. “Otherwise, you’ll regret it too.”
Ellie’s lips curved in a wry, sad little smile. “You know, it’s kinda ironic you say that.”
“Why?”
She took a small breath. “Because the favor I wanted to ask was for you to keep Rick safe. If anyone tries to use him to get to me…”
Suzi grimaced. “Ellie, honey, look at me.” She glanced at her own hand, verifying that damned ring was truly gone before she grasped Ellie’s wrist. “You’re best equipped to protect him. You’re an Ascendant, for Christ’s sake. I’m just—someone. Hell, you healed his mind, you healed my dog—” Her words faltered when it clicked.
She squinted hard, practically feeling the gears in her head locking. “Wait, could you…heal Aiden?” Her voice nearly cracked with sudden, wild hope.
Ellie froze, eyes flicking away. “Suzi, no. You don’t want that.”
“Yes, I do!” Suzi pressed. “Why the fuck not? Like with Ricky—”
Ellie shook her head, firmly. “It creates a bond. He’d become…fixated on me. It makes a connection. And he wouldn’t be yours. There might be others, though, who could heal him without leaving that imprint.”
Suzi felt her chest collapse. “Oh.” She thought of all the angels she’d tried bargaining with, how each wanted something in exchange. “But I’d still owe them, right?”
“Owe them? Like payment?” Ellie’s brow creased. “We Ascendants don’t usually do that. If someone can help, it’s often out of kindness.”
Suzi’s mouth curled in disbelief. “Is that so? I would owe them something. Even the angels take something for their favors.”
Ellie shrugged. “Not in my circle, anyway. Some gods toyed with humans ages ago—gave them these so-called gifted curses. But that hasn’t happened in centuries.”
“Gifted curses?”
Ellie’s lashes lowered. “Dionysus’s gift of the Golden Touch to King Midas comes to mind.”
Suzi exhaled, half-laugh, half-exasperation. “I figured that was just a morality fable. Like don’t be greedy, kids.”
“Real enough,” Ellie said, a faint grin. “Though there’s hardly anyone left worshipping old gods these days, so their powers have waned. Elohim’s the youngest, but ironically the strongest.”
Suzi’s mind skipped back to that conversation about the pantheon. She almost asked who was first, who made the universe, but Ellie was already reading the barrage of questions in Suzi’s eyes.
“You sure you can handle this?” she said gently. “It’s a lot. Different dimensions, the real origin story—your brain’s not wired for it.”
“Try me.” But the moment the words left Suzi’s mouth, she could feel the twinge of a headache ramping up. “Though yeah, you might be right, my head’s about to explode.”
Ellie layered her hands in illustration. “This plane—what the humans call the Prime Plane—has five dimensions—three for space, one for time, and one for self-awareness. The Ether, bridging Prime and Elevated, has twenty, which you’ve glimpsed with limbo, aura reading, teleportation. The Elevated Plane? It has eighty dimensions and a whole new existence beyond what you can grasp. Time within time. Matter and energy in forms that you cannot conceive. When one can master all dimensions of the Elevated Plane, another level of existence awaits—one where we find the Creators and true omniscience.”
Suzi tipped her head. “So…nobody really knows?”
Ellie’s soft laugh was tinged with embarrassment. “Even Zeus doesn’t know it all. And he killed his father, who killed his father, all the way back to some primordial entity named Kaos. We suspect Kaos had the knowledge of all dimensions, but no one can confirm.”
Suzi swallowed, mind spinning at the cosmic scale. “What did Ascendents call the planes if humans named them the Prime, Ether, and Elevated planes?”
Ellie’s gaze flicked away, guilt creeping over her features. “That’s…not relevant.”
Suzi’s mouth twitched into a bitter smile. “It’s bad, isn’t it? Because you used to see humans as ants or toys, right?”
“No!” Ellie leaned forward, voice earnest. “Not all of us. I don’t look at humans that way. In fact, almost no Ascendants from recent generations feel that way towards the Prime Plane. We’ve grown to appreciate your ingenuity. As we’ve gotten to know you and have seen you evolve, especially some of the great things you accomplish with your limited perception of the resources and capabilities—” .”
“Right,” Suzi said, voice dripping sarcasm. “Like a mentally-challenged ant colony.”
“Stop it.” Ellie’s eyes flashed. “I don’t want this to break our friendship. We are literally different species. I don’t know if I can explain this in a way you will understand, but it would still make sense to you. You are awesome. The human race is amazing. But you aren’t on the same level as the Ascendants. Imagine YOU drawing a stick figure on a piece of paper, then that stick figure becoming sentient of itself and the page it is drawn upon. You would think it’s a miracle, yes? Pretty remarkable, right? But you wouldn’t expect it to be able to communicate with you or even exist off of its paper and live or even survive or thrive in your world, would you?”
Suzi nodded slowly.
“Now, let’s say you WERE able to communicate with it. If it could conceive of self, could it perceive you as its creator? Would it not think of you as a god? What would it think of others—gods as well? Could you create other stick figures for it or give it other pieces of paper to explore? What are the parameters of its survival? Everything IT perceives is two-dimensional and a flat piece of paper, no matter how large that paper is. Now, if you crumple that piece of paper into a ball, you just made a 2-dimensional sheet into a 3-dimensional object, adding a whole new dimension to what it knows; what happens to your creation? Does he adapt?”
Suzi blinked and finally said, “I don’t know.”
Ellie held out her hands. “Would you say that your stick figure creation has a limited understanding of the physics of your existence?”
“But I can’t enter a piece of paper and torture, tease, revive, or otherwise visit a stick figure. You can enter my world.”
“Can’t you? You entered the world of a piece of paper with a pencil. You can cut him in half with an eraser. You can give him a mate, a pet, a house, a car, even his own thoughts. But no matter how great of an artist you were, you could never expect him to understand a world you did not give him.”
Suzi rubbed her temples, exhausted. “I think I am beginning to understand, but my head’s still screaming, though.”
“I can feel it—your mind’s trying to push me out.” Ellie leaned in, offering a gentle embrace. “I should not stay much longer. No hard feelings, then?”
“How could anyone not love you, Ellie?” Suzi sighed, hugging her friend’s shimmering form. “But you should talk to Ricky.”
“I’ll consider it,” Ellie whispered, returning the hug. “Thank you, Suzi.”
At once, Ellie’s presence vanished in a rush of air, like a balloon deflating—and Suzi’s mental fortress flickered alive with the chaotic noise of her personas reawakening. She breathed in, blinking rapidly.
Suddenly, Darcy popped into existence in the middle of Suzi’s living room, voice sharp with annoyance. “Where the fuck have you been?”
Suzi spun, adrenaline spiking again. “Jesus, Darcy, nice to see you too.”
Darcy lunged, shoving Suzi onto the couch before Ygritte could so much as bark. The dog growled, hackles raised. Darcy merely touched Ygritte, and in a blink, the dog vanished. Suzi’s stomach flipped with alarm.
“What the fuck, Darcy?” Suzi shouted, eyes wild.
Darcy’s gaze was grim. “Where is Jo?”
Blood tickled at Suzi’s nose; the entire fiasco with the demon flared in her memory, making her tremble with residual rage. “You wouldn’t understand.”
Darcy’s expression hardened. “Try me. Tell me where Jo is.” She stood over Suzi, finger jabbing aggressively toward her face.
“Bring my dog back first,” Suzi said, voice thick with fury.
“Fuck you,” Darcy hissed. “Where. Is. Jo?”
Suzi tried to knock Darcy’s hand aside, but Darcy was ready. She blocked Suzi’s arm and lashed out with a sharp elbow to Suzi’s face. Pain sparked through Suzi’s cheekbone. With her free hand, Darcy pinned Suzi down, leaning in close. “Give me Jo, or you’ll never see that dog again, you psychotic—”
But that was the final straw for Judas. Suzi felt the shift deep in her mind as Judas ripped free, taking over the body. Darcy’s eyes went wide, but not fast enough. A feral roar tore from Suzi’s throat as her teeth sank into Darcy’s pointed finger. Bone snapped. Blood rushed. Then Judas followed with an uppercut under Darcy’s jaw, strong enough to rattle teeth and lift her from the floor.
Within a heartbeat, Judas was on top of Darcy, fists swinging. The two women grappled across the floor, a savage tangle of limbs, blood, and curses. Finally, after minutes that felt like hours, they collapsed apart, panting and bruised, the fight draining from them both.
Judas stood first, wiping blood from her nose and mouth with the sleeve of Suzi’s hoodie. Then she surrendered control back to Suzi. Weak-kneed and dazed, Suzi extended a shaky hand to Darcy, who was lying on her back, tears silently tracking down her cheeks.