It turned out that she hadn’t. I wasn’t sure she even got the reference; a reflection of the line espoused to the Mantid Queen all that time ago, before I blew her away. Explaining it would have ruined the mood, and I was shortly preoccupied, anyway.

I awoke to the dim light of an overcast day and pushed myself up to sit against the headboard. Beside me, Pearl did the same, and we pulled the ripped duvet up across us as if we were in some family-friendly sitcom.

“Well, that was…” she began, before the thought faded away.

“Yeah,” I agreed.

We sat and stared around the room in silence. The bedroom was coated in a thin layer of condensation; the light coming in through the window highlighting portions that had been wiped away by hand prints… or where other body parts had pressed against the damp surface. Our furniture was a sorry state, the mirror of the vanity cracked, and the wardrobe and dresser wooden panels scratched and dented in various spots. Even the ceiling had odd lines.

I shuffled awkwardly, causing some of the duvet padding to fall from the torn sections and onto the floor with the rest of the debris.

“Are we… are you alright?” I turned to her.

She nodded slowly, before gently resting her head against my shoulder. I closed my eyes and tried to arrange the delicate portions of my brain into a more functional state. Wasn’t sure if I’d fully processed the night before, or wanted to. Eventually, she drummed her fingertips on my chest.

“Let’s shower.”

And we did, although most of the time spent in there was just holding each other close. Long, drawn-out kisses as the hot water covered us. Both fragile and exposed, something now different… but better.

We were out and dried, back into the war-zone to get dressed. She did it the manual way, and she smiled toward me as she clocked I was noticing. Slacks and shirt on, despite hoping we could have a day of rest. Pearl wore a comfortable gray hoody with black leggings. Now dressed and proper, she brought me in for another hug.

“You know, Eric,” she said softly in my ear. “Although I am the far stronger one, when I’m with you, I feel… powerless.”

Not in the literal sense. She could probably still snap me in half if she wanted, but I understood it. Her desire was to live like a mortal, and my acceptance of her had felt like a safe haven. But now it was more than just comfortable convenience. We had a legitimacy that had grown from a foolish man and a flirtatious demon.

“Maybe one day I’ll be strong enough to be the one who rescues you.” I smiled.

Another soft kiss. “You are already, asshole. Go rally the troops. I’ll do a quick tidy around before we celebrate your Promotion.”

Although I could have spent all day with her in this emotionally raw state, we did have a world to save. With little more than a nod, we relinquished the hug, and I made my way out. Even the walkway air felt cooler compared to the bedroom.

My body complained all the way down the stairs. Now that the warmth of the shower had faded, my muscles burned from overexertion. Something my regeneration didn’t care to fix up - perhaps to teach me a lesson. I shuffled down and was partially surprised to see the rest of our odd family already in the living room.

Stepping up to the doorway, Rodney was sprawled out on the couch with a bag of ice covering his head. Wight was in his solo chair with his arms crossed and a scowl leveled at the unfocused horizon.

The Blank lifted up the corner of his ice bag to glare at me with one eye. “Thank fuck your birthday is only once a year.”

Aside from the property damage and changing the climate of that side of the house, I didn’t really consider the ruckus we might have made. Standing here, feeling like I had been put through a meat tenderizer, I wasn’t even sure how to address the current awkwardness. At least, not without putting a bullet through them or myself. I decided to play it cool.

“Not sure what you mean.” I managed to maintain a poker face as I went to sit on the couch opposite the Blank, all the while he mouthed further swear words at me. I raised an eyebrow at my patron. His room was a lot closer to the… carnage that occurred.

[That was an inappropriate use of your given powers, Eric.]

He didn’t seem interested in making eye contact, content enough to try burning a hole through the wall. As much as he had a point, it was unlikely to become something of a regular occurrence. It was a struggle to really contextualize the activity, so perhaps their view that we had just boned really hard was a good enough point to try to draw a line under.

“When is David coming?” I asked, only slightly enjoying how Rodney squirmed uncomfortably at the terrible phrasing.

“Ah, somewhere between too soon and not soon enough.” He raised his wrist and shuffled the icepack back to get a good look at his watch. “About an hour or so.”

“Perfect.” I clapped my hands together, causing them both to wince. “Enough time to celebrate.”

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[Yes. Let us focus on the Mids and your Promotion.]

Wight seemed to relax at this change of focus. It seemed safer to drag him toward what the Org requested of us, and what I would be allowed.

“Got that new ability for me? They didn’t turn the screws on you too hard?”

[I have grown… beyond their capacity to neuter me.]

I nodded. That stood to reason. We were both becoming greater than what the Org could see us as. Icebergs in an ocean of cold blood. “You’re slowly breaking away from whatever magic spell keeps you bound, right?”

[In a manner of speaking.]

He unfurled his arms and held out a clawed hand. After a brief pause, a sphere of darkness appeared over his palm, swirling in place. A turbulent ball of power. With the brief flex of his fingers, it vanished into nothing. I narrowed my eyes at him.

“That is new. It also didn’t feel demonic.”

[Correct on both accounts, Eric.]

Perhaps his vagueness was punishment for interrupting their sleep so proficiently during the night. “Give me the details, then.”

[Do you remember when I said that I hoped that the Promotion process would tip in impurities into the cup my power occupied?]

I did. “So in allowing you to grow in power to offer me something new, you’ve just received a dollop of… what, something different? Something not you?”

[On the contrary, Eric. This is something that is actually me.]

There was a silence that followed. Rodney looked way too undead and worried about the Church visit to get involved with the conversation. I felt something in my chest. Not really panic, but a glimpse of the greater picture. An unraveled thread that gave a hint that things were about to fall apart. A real part of the actual Wight… what did that truly mean?

He wasn’t eager to elaborate, but I could paint in some of the gaps with a color close enough to pass. Entropy was part of the real him, I was sure, and that small orb had the same odd taste to it. Not demonic.

Not demonic.

I wanted to ask him what he was. He probably didn’t know. Even if he did, he wouldn’t tell me. He was comprised of demon energy, that couldn’t be denied. Org had fashioned enough of it into being a patron… but the iceberg analogy came back to haunt me. Maybe instead, he was a mountain, and all we were seeing was the snow on top - not the stone beneath.

[You seemed worried, Eric. Would you like to know your newly granted ability?]

“Please,” I said, just to keep the ball rolling. From behind me, the sound of Pearl coming down the stairs caused everyone to remain silent. I noted that she could have teleported around to avoid any potential embarrassment. She came into the living room and leaned over the couch beside me to give me a kiss on the side of the face.

“I’m making coffee and breakfast. Everyone in?” She stood up straight and crossed her arms.

I could see their intent was to give her the same glares as they had shown me, but after the promise of food and absence of acknowledgment of any wrongdoing, they had averted their eyes.

“One hundred percent,” I said, smiling more than I should. “I have quite the appetite this morning for some reason.”

“Must be that passion… to go the Mids,” she agreed.

Rodney groaned and covered his face again. “Strong coffee. Really strong. Food too, please.”

[I will have the same as Eric, the Pearl. Before you go, perhaps I may borrow you for a demonstration?]

“Of course. Is this for Eric’s new ability?”

[Indeed. If you could retrieve a melee weapon, we will begin.]

She left to go dig something out as I raised my eyebrow at my patron. “This isn’t some way of getting revenge on me, is it?”

[That is not my intention. The Org wanted to give you a simple shield or parrying ability. We both know you are better than that.]

I certainly was, so I nodded my head in agreement. “But you want me to do it innately, rather than explain the process exactly?”

[Correct.]

He gestured with his clawed hand for me to stand, as Pearl returned to the room holding a broom.

“I was going to get a knife, but figured it would be a bad idea to make a mess of the place before our guest arrives.” She grinned.

It would be nicer to assume she didn’t want to stab me either - or that I would be able to avoid being stabbed. Still, if Wight wanted me to play this by ear, it’d be better for it to be something more recoverable. I walked around the couch and stood opposite her.

She raised an eyebrow toward Wight. “How… am I just going to strike him? I’ll go easy.”

[Start at a level that feels comfortable and we’ll go from there.]

If I didn’t know any better, I would have assumed that the pair still seated were going to enjoy this. Rodney was certainly paying attention and had his eyes open wide to proceedings.

“Alright,” I sighed and worked out my shoulders. “Try not to kill me, okay?”

She raised an eyebrow and brought up the handle end of the broom like a spear. “No promises.” A wide smile crossed her face before she lashed out.

Almost a playful jab in the grand scheme of her powers. Still enough of an attack that would knock me to the floor. At least, if I hadn’t seen where and how it was going to strike me. I twisted to the side, and it passed along me, jabbing at the air.

“A dodge, huh?” She stepped back and tilted her head. “What’s the cooldown or limitation?”

I shrugged. Not that I knew yet. I had just moved out of the way because I didn’t want to get jabbed.

Pearl ran her tongue over her lips. “Let’s find out then.”

Before I could offer any of my other thoughts, she had moved. Now I could feel what the ability was doing. I hopped back away from the protruding piece of wood, and she immediately went into a follow up. It was coming up for my shoulder, so I leaned back away from it. A third strike loomed as she went to twist it in a sweeping motion into the side of my head. I ducked and rolled to the side, back up to my feet.

She stood there with her eyes narrowed before relaxing her posture and bringing the broom back into a resting position. “Better reflexes than usual.”

I adjusted my shirt as thin wisps of steam filtered from my skin. Warm and a little tired. With a smile, I started to hum to myself. Full of confidence, I gestured towards the open space of the lobby.

“You get one more try. Hit me and I’ll tell you how it works.”

“Idiot.” She shook her head. “I can go all out and it would be simple.”

“Nah.” I shook my head. “Alright then. How about this? One attack, go all out. Just aim for part of me I can regenerate back.”

[May I assist?]

I raised an eyebrow. “Me or Pearl?”

[You, Eric.]

Even going Last Lantern didn’t get me quite equal to her power level, although at that stage it was a different kind of strength we were comparing. A little bit of overconfidence to assume I could take one of her full power strikes when I had never seen her in full force, but with Wight’s energy, perhaps I might have a chance.

I stretched out and gave her the nod that I was ready. Rodney was grimacing, probably expecting my imminent death, or worse.

Pearl smiled, her sharp teeth growing longer as amber energy began to wrap and twist around her. The broom started to glow a radiant light that was uncomfortable to my eyes. She adjusted her position and clenched her teeth.

I took one last breath.