“Alright, Sable. I’m going to need you to pay close attention to what I’m going to say.” Verlsa knelt down in front of the dog and dug her fingers into the fur of Sable’s cheeks. “You’re dead now. You’re not a normal dog. That’s just something you’re going to have to get used to.”

Duke was staying at least five steps back from the pair. “There isn’t a need to speak to her in such a harsh manner.”

Verlsa shot him a quick glare. “Shh!” She scratched behind Sable’s ears. “There is something different about you, and you’re trying to ignore it because it’s scary. I understand what it’s like to go through weird changes, but it’s okay. You chose to come here because you’ve been looking for your master. You’ve been protecting Adi because you don’t want your master to be a bad person.

That’s why I’m asking you to help us find your master. The one who raised you. We’ve got to stop him from hurting Adi, and we need your special self to help us. That’s what you are now, Sable. You’re special, and you’re the only one that can help us save Adi.”

Sable tilted her head from left to right as she absorbed what Verlsa was telling her. She let out a woof. It was a confident woof muttered to boost her self-esteem. Spinning about her hind legs, she leaped through a wall, phasing through it completely.

Duke stared at the wall, specifically at the dust bunnies swirling about. “You should have specified that she was supposed to bring us with her.” The both of them looked towards the door as a car horn honked outside.

Without another word to each other, they went outside and saw Janice’s car shudder. The lights were flickering on and off, and after a moment of effort, the engine started up. There was no sign of a driver or Sable anywhere.

“Please inform me that my hypothesis about this is wrong,” muttered Duke. He took a step back as Verlsa walked up to the car. “You will back away from Christine this instant!”

“What?” Verlsa rolled her eyes. “It’s fine, Duck-young. Quit being a baby.”

“Please, Verlsa. You have much to live for. I will go in your place.” Verlsa rolled her eyes again, with more emphasis this time. “This is a dog possessed vehicle. She has little understanding of the rules of the road, and even if she did, she is colorblind. Every stoplight will be a hazard, and I shudder to think for when she attempts to wag her tail.”

Verlsa sat in the driver’s seat, much to Duke’s horror. “It’s not my car,” she stated. “And we’ve got to get to your little apprentice before he drops dead, right? Just get in.”

Duke hesitantly got into the passenger side and began to say every prayer that came to mind. The car took off in a serving pattern. Occasionally, it would stop, and the front end would bounce as Sable sniffed at the air. It did nothing to appease Duke, who had somehow turned even more so a deathly pale.

“What do we do when we get there?” Verlsa kept her hands on the steering wheel.

“I would assume we evaluate the situation as it presents itself to us. If the summoner is there, we may have to kill him. However, in the event that it is only Atticus, we will disable him and bring him back by force.”

Verlsa frowned. “Aren’t you worried that it’s going to possess you?”

"It has possessed a dead body before, however, I am a dead body already possessed by… Well, myself. It may have some difficulties if it attempted to do so.”

“That’s good?” Verlsa shook her head. “Shit, how the hell did we end up doing this? We’ve always been shit at coming up with plans.” She glanced over as Duke’s body tensed up. “You alright?”

“... Moving body of water,” he muttered.

Verlsa looked ahead and noticed that they were pulling up to a bridge. “What is with you and having the dumbest of weaknesses?”

“I cannot help what phobias I have developed since my passing!” He shouted back.

The car came to a stop, and Sable appeared in front of it as it shut down. There were two figures on the bridge, and both were standing by the edge with a different car nearby. One had a bag over their head, and a rope tied about their neck.

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“Adi!” Verlsa cried out in an attempt to make him come to his senses, but the man didn’t budge.

“That’s the harmonizer.” Duke narrowed his eyes at the sight. It was indeed the mage that he had seen within the graveyard. “You’re certainly out late tonight!” He called out to the man.

The man looked down as Sable trotted up to him. “... Midnight.” He knelt down and began to examine her face. “You’ve got your head again.”

Duke ignored Verlsa as she pulled out a pistol. He continued to walk towards the pair. “I will have you know that you have taken possession of my prey! It would be wise for you to hand him over and allow me the pleasure of finishing him off!”

“Jiangshi…” The mage reached into his pocket and tossed out a handful of rice in front of him. It made Duke freeze up and take a step back. “I’ve been hunting this one longer. And tell Kenelm that I wouldn’t be interested in making a new deal.”

Verlsa looked between Duke and the mage. “We need to leave. I know you want to save the kid, but he knows your weaknesses.” Sable began to whine even as her former master stroked her head. “We can’t handle this.”

Duke held his ground. “I understand that Wenzel Wulfert hurt you, however, Atticus Wulfert took no part in his crimes. He is simply a naive man who only recently found out the truth behind his uncle’s actions. I ask that you let him be and know that your thirst for vengeance has been satisfied.” Sable pulled away from the mage and trotted back to the pair. She had her tail between her legs and was continuing to whine.

“They didn’t stop,” announced the mage. “How many times did the Wulfert victims beg for mercy? They were tortured, cut apart, and sold off piece by a madman. The dead are more than capable of suffering, jiangshi, and I am giving him that lesson personally.” He laughed to himself. “He was sent to kill us because they feared us, and instead they awakened a monster who had no idea what it was capable of before.”

Verlsa took a step back. “Duck-young… Y-you need to go...”

“I have it under control,” he whispered back. His eyes widened as the mage flicked his hand, and the man in the hood jumped off the side of the bridge. “Atticus!”

Duke took a step forward, then fell to his knees as Verlsa shot him to the back. He turned around to get a look at her. Verlsa’s eyes had glazed over, and she held the gun firmly with both hands. As he opened his mouth to say something to her, she shot him again in the chest.

“All of us are nothing but cattle! We are ignorant to the world around us until the day we are brought to slaughter!” The mage called out.

Duke felt the strings on his back tugging at him. Something was happening at this moment, and Ur was attempting to warn him. He clutched at his stomach in an effort to keep the ichor from leaking out. “Let h-her go,” he managed to gasp out.

“This is my resolve!” Cried out the mage. His hands began to puppet about the air, further strengthening his hold on Verlsa.

Duke attempted to lunge towards Verlsa if only to wrestle the gun away, but Sable pounced at him. She dragged him back to the ground as Verlsa shot him again, this time in the shoulder. He felt his senses abandon him at that moment. His hand gripped at Sable’s ear as he yanked her off of him, and she bounced along the road with a pained yelp.

“Heel, Midnight!” Sable trotted over, looking defeated as she did so. “Apologies that you were caught up in this, jiangshi. I appreciate that you have returned my dog to me!”

His thanks fell upon deaf ears. Duke charged at Verlsa again, pulling off his glove with his teeth as he did so. He succeeded in placing his hand against the back of her neck. The gesture left her paralyzed, and he wrapped her up within his arms. Their lips met, and he began to feed directly from her soul.

It was bliss.

Her magic flowed within him. His wounds began to heal as the color from Verlsa faded. Even as she became a dead weight within his arms, he relished in the meal which she provided for him. As he let go, his hand gently grazed her cheek, and his eyes began to focus on her face.

“No… N-no, Verlsa...” He shook her, but she remained limp. His eyes flitted to where the rope was tied to the bridge. It was too late to save Adi now. “I-I didn’t…”

Was she cold? He wasn’t able to tell. Her breath was so shallow, leaving faint puffs of mists in the night air. He pulled off his scarf and wrapped it about her neck. Lifting her up, he took care to put her in the back of the car and placed his jacket on top of her like a blanket.

Duke started the car and sped off into the night. “Windi!” He shouted into his phone. “I am driving away from the 27th bridge in Tacoma. I am in desperate need of a healer.”

“I thought you had one already.”

“Verlsa is the one injured.” Duke’s voice was wavering as he spoke. “There… There was an incident, and I fear that I am the one who has put her in this position.”

He could hear Windi talking in the background. She was relaying the information to someone else, and they were speaking back to her. “I am texting you an address.”

“It is imperative that you send a team out to the 27th bridge. Atticus… A-Atticus is there.” Duke’s hand tightened on the steering wheel. “I was not able to retrieve his body. I-I prioritized Verlsa’s care.”

“And there isn’t a problem with that,” replied Windi. “Our base is located in Renton. You will need to take the-”

“Text me the address and I will be there within thirty minutes,” replied Duke.

He hung up the phone and watched for the text to come in as he got onto the freeway. The bullet holes had already sealed, thanks to Verlsa’s magic. Even the bones that Sable had fractured when she tackled his arm had mended themselves. What a horrible feeling it was though. The more whole he became, the emptier he was beginning to feel.