They say you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. This wasn’t some drab grumbling over my lack of hand, but an acceptance of the odd company that I kept. How blood and horror had stuck us together like an overtly realistic Halloween decoration, and how empty things began to feel when we were apart. Even knowing that nothing lasts forever, I wanted to believe it was true. That we would all succeed. That we would always be close. That we would all live. Future Eric was a boiling pot of emotion, and I could already feel the heat radiating back through time.

“It’s getting pretty late, Eric.” Rodney looked at his watch. “Gotta prepare for, you know…”

“Of course.” I nodded solemnly and stood. “I’m sure Pearl won’t eradicate me for seeing you out.”

He smiled and packed away his things into his backpack. “Hope not; otherwise, I'll be even lonelier tomorrow.” The Blank paused and cringed at his own words. “Sorry, been repressing some stuff.”

“I know. Trust me, it’s different for everyone, but never easy.” A lump stuck in my throat, my disgust at trying to give advice when I had done everything wrong in his situation… but I wanted him to learn from my mistakes, even if my time had passed.

A nod, and we began to ascend the stairs. Wight stayed in the basement to work on his drawings. The house was beginning to darken now; another day somehow passed. Another survived with only slight injury. Slight. I raised my hand to see part of it had regrown, almost back to the fingers. What was slightly worrying was that it just reminded me I was hungry.

“Uh.” The Blank stopped at the door. “Meet at mine about nine? We’ll get picked up from there and get dropped off back here, if that’s okay?”

“Of course, you’re always welcome here, Rodney.” He came in for a brief hug. It was nice to have a human friend amongst all the madness. Kept me grounded. I only hoped we had a positive effect on him. “If the house was bigger, we’d offer you to move in.”

“It’s fine.” He moved away and smiled. “You and Pearl definitely need some space. My ears may not be innocent, but there are certain things I do not want to hear-“

“Yeah, yeah.” I rolled my eyes. “I just feel bad about you being alone now.”

“I know.” He nodded and glanced at the floor. “The peace is nice though… I’ve taken up meditating. It, uh, makes me feel closer to the power within me?” There was an awkward grimace at the revelation.

“No judgments here. If anything, I approve of you taking control and getting closer to your abilities - maybe you can grow too?” Certainly, I had done and said things a lot worse than sitting and having peace of mind. Literally, this morning I took over a demon gang and blew up a recreational building. Hell had no high roads.

“Maybe. Part of me believes the Heavens aren’t cut off completely but just weakened. If there was nothing, then I wouldn’t have my powers?”

I nodded. Nor would I. Hmm, although I am not sure why I thought that - a voice had dangled that flashing carrot in front of me, but I wasn’t even looking in that direction. I was fueled by demons.

“I’ll see you then, Eric.” He turned to leave, and we waved as he headed out into normal reality.

The door closed, and my life got a little more morose and gray. Mostly because Pearl wouldn’t appreciate me sneaking into bed right now with my hand still half gone. At least the recliner was in the right location; a night in the basement was a favorable alternative to many other places I had been lately. Still, I sighed as I began down the basement stairs once more.

I found Wight on the floor, lying on his front. His little feathered legs kicked up in the air as he continued to draw on pages spread across the ground. It was something that tugged at my heartstrings already pulled taut with Rodney’s anguish, and now the bittersweet tune played a song that reminded me of Cody. Of what could have been.

Despite the brief anguish, I shot the demon a smile as he looked up at me. “You wanted different colors, Wight?”

[Is that possible?]

“Sure, I’ll see what we can find tomorrow.” My mind was so frazzled I briefly considered his question was asking if color was possible, rather than if he could have more markers. It slumped from the top of my brain to my mouth like a snowman in the sun. “Do you see colors normally, or?”

Stolen novel; please report.

[I believe so; how would I know differently?]

A fair point, and not something I felt qualified or energized enough to truly delve into. His drawings didn’t seem to have any more rhyme or reason that I could eke out of them since earlier, so I retired to the recliner. We had chosen the light blue paint for the basement as it was a palette cleanser from the ambers of Hell. And in a way, it was relaxing.

[There was something else I found out from ]

My eyes opened - I hadn’t realized I was so close to drifting off. “Hmm?”

[I didn’t want to worry the Rodney. There will be an attempt on your life.]

Tell me something I didn’t know. My sluggish brain was constantly between life-altering perils. It stood to reason that the next visit from Death would be just a stone’s throw away. “Any hints?”

[No. There is something unusual about it, though.]

Of course.

My eyes opened again, and the basement was dark. I had been asleep for a few hours, by my rough estimation. A blanket was covering me. Glancing over to the other chair, a second blanket covered a sleeping Wight, curled up on his side. For a few moments, I just observed him to ensure this wasn’t part of a dream. But no, it wasn’t.

I raised my hand and found it to be whole again. The skin was red and sore and pained me when I flexed my new fingers. It’s not like I could really complain, however; having the ability to slowly repair the damage wrought on my body was perhaps even greater than some of the other abilities I had under my control. Certainly lowered my downtime.

[Is it morning yet, Eric?]

Wight’s voice came over quietly, and his crimson eyes barely peeked open.

“No, I don’t think so.” I stood, removed the blanket, and stretched out. The recliner was comfortable but not enough for an all-nighter.

[I will return to the Org for a time.]

He mimicked my stretches and began to fade into mist.

Bizarre. My head shook as I embarked on the staircase. I wondered when the limit was for how wild and believable this ride would get before I was ejected unceremoniously into the great beyond. In heading to the bedroom, I removed my shirt, slowly pushed the door open, and removed my slacks. As much as it was a constant uniform, I might have to look into comfier clothes when lounging around the house.

I slipped into my side of the bed, the thick duvet a welcome comfort - without waking Pearl. The perfect crime. Almost immediately, I was enveloped by her warmth as she wrapped herself around me.

“How’s the hand?”

With a smile, I rolled onto my back. “Tender, but functional.”

“Just how I like you.” She bit my shoulder playfully, and then, with a sigh, she turned to her back.

We both stared at the blank ceiling before I broke the silence. “Tough day at the office?”

She snorted, and her hand snaked beneath the covers and held mine. It was actually quite agonizing with the fresh skin, but I endured.

“Been asking some pointed questions in the Mids, trying to get portal information. Nobody is talking, and you know how persuasive I am.”

“I don’t know. I’ve never been swayed.”

“We should repaint the bedroom.”

“Right now? Sure, what color?” I turned my head to her with a smile. She responded in kind, and we shared a kiss.

“You’re hopeless, Eric Redd.” She squished her nose against mine, and then we returned to staring at the shaded ceiling above us.

“I know. You’re pretty eager to sort these portals… not that I’m complaining, of course. I just didn’t expect that to be your goal right now.” Honestly I wasn’t sure what her goals would be - she was relying on me to either kill demons to gain her Mask and wings back, or get powerful enough to murder the one that put her in this position.

“There should be balance. You can’t have only good or only evil. That’s what the mortal plane is supposed to be - a little bit of everything.”

I gave her hand a squeeze and winced from the pain. “Why is it you’re so… human?”

“Your kind has a story about a fish girl that is besotted with humanity and ends up enduring agony to get what she craves.”

“Am… am I the agony? That brings up a lot of questions.” I frowned at the ceiling.

“No, you are not. Sometimes you are frustrating, but in some ways, you’re my little pocket of sanity, too.” She turned and put her arm across me, nuzzling into my shoulder. “And you can have three questions.”

“Should I be worried about your father?”

“Most people should be.”

“Are you a princess?”

“Not in the traditional sense.”

“Were you stalking me?”

“Not in the traditional sense.” She exhaled through her nose, warming my skin. “I don’t want to tell you, because you won’t like it.”

There were many things I didn’t like in this existence, but generally speaking, I had made my peace with events that occurred in the past. If it was a road that led to my current position, then the travel had been worth it. “Go on, I can take it.”

She writhed against me as if the answer fought to be expelled and spoken into reality. “It was fate. Foretold.”

I groaned. She had been right. If there was one thing that threw a cold shower on Eric Redd’s blazing trail through insanity, it was the allusion to destiny stinking up the room. Just let me be without any of the mystical necessities.

“Told you, ass. I sought someone who would help me seek revenge, and after a little demon magic, I found my way to you. I had hoped that I would just manipulate you into doing my bidding. It was never my intention for… this.”

“Pancakes and violence?”

She smiled and held her hand to my cheek, and our eyes gazed into each other’s. “Eric, I… I’m glad about how things are.”

“Me too, Pearl.” I wrapped her up tight, the warmth and contentment quickly lulling me back into the waiting maw of sleep.

No dreams had passed through my inert brow before my eyes shot open. Daylight.

The smell of burning assaulted my senses, and panic shuddered down my body. I blinked away the blur of the short sleep, and I looked up to see Wight in bird-form, standing over me with beak open wide.

[Do not be alarmed.]