"String!" Alexander hissed, activating his Condition Rune to ensure Symbiosis was turned OFF. It was, and his Health was fine, meaning his Physique was fine too. However, his Magick was halved, indicating his Magick Ions were also halved. His Psyche, though, was down to a third.
"What was It?" Alexander's head throbbed with stabbing pain the moment he attempted to recall. It felt like his mind was imprinted with a fraction of Its appearance, and that alone was enough to scare him shitless.
'I'm bleeding,' he noticed, seeing blood running down from his nose and mouth. He quickly used toilet paper to clean it up, and luckily, it stopped there.
'It hurt me despite the Grace Period! The Grace Period didn't even faze it, otherwise, String wouldn't have needed to respond. Or… what if Its aim was String? Did It recognize It? Is String not protected by the Grace Period? Did It spare String, get scared by It, or the Premier Demonic Title that owned It?'
Too many questions flooded his brain, with not the "A" of "Answer," let alone plural, in sight.
Staring at his reflection in the restroom mirror, he could spot traces of fright in his eyes and forehead.
'Calm down! Take it one step at a time!' He washed himself a couple of times. 'Fuck! What's the time?!' He hurriedly checked his phone. It was 20:05.
'A long dump, but not unreasonable,' he assured himself, and it helped. He washed his face once more, until he was sure he looked fine.
'Get Grace and run for it? Send a message to the Bureau and wait for further instructions? Or act as if nothing happened?' he deliberated.
Option number one would blow their cover, giving no time for the Bureau to respond if the Cult accelerated their plans, but it would preserve their lives. Option number two didn't guarantee timely instructions. If he was eventually told to do nothing, he might as well not waste time and pick option number three. Otherwise, if he was told to wait for reinforcement from the Australian Branch, he couldn't do it without alerting Vivi to the imminent onslaught – a potential outcome something in his heart, perhaps due to exposure to It, warned him was very likely to occur.
Option number three meant staying oblivious to everything, even though it was possible Harold and the rest of the Cult were already aware of his trespassing.
'In that scenario, I can promptly escape with Grace. We'll be on our own, but other than… It, there's nobody with greater Magick that can stop us, unless we missed someone…'
He didn't think about his evaluation for the next mission. He didn't forget it, but he considered his priorities. The fear instilled in him made him dread the possibility of his partner facing that calamity because he put his wants first or the Bureau's willingness to risk it for a preemptive strike against the Cult.
'Three,' he made his choice, aware that it still had cons, but there were no perfect solutions.
In the minutes it took him to walk from the restroom to Harold's office, Alexander showed no expression other than relief. He knocked and opened the office door.
"Feeling better?" Harold greeted him, lowering the screen of his laptop and standing up from behind his desk. "Have you decided on what to say?"
"Her parents are Maximilian and Isabella Ashford. They are nice in the sense that they accept me dating their daughter, despite the difference in status, and they don't blame me for her choices, like living like a 'commoner.'"
"I get the picture," Harold said, patting his shoulder.
"I'm not too close to them to know more than that, and Vivi doesn't like to talk about them, so..."
"It's only for pretense. You can tell her the real reason we left in private," Harold guided both the small conundrum and the way back to the courtyard like an experienced mentor.
Soon, they returned to the garden.
"Ready to go?" Alexander smiled at Vivi.
"Yeah," she replied, a bit reluctant but not giving him a hard time.
"Thank you for entertaining my girlfriend," Alexander said, glancing around at the seven.
"Thank you for giving me a hand," Harold offered his hand, and they shook.
"Call me," Hanna pulled Vivi's sleeve.
"You bet," Vivi said, taking advantage of their close proximity to hug her. "Good night, everyone."
"Good night."
"Pleasant evening."
Some replied, others nodded.
"Don't forget the 23rd," Harold waved as they left.
"See you then," Vivi promised.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
…
20:45
Harbor View Apartments.
The two returned after Alexander and Vivi had an extended romantic walk home, while Michael and Grace verified that they didn’t have a tail.
"Here," Michael said, handing Grace his phone to show her the drawings of the Magickal shapes in the estate's underground floor.
After a few minutes, during which he explained everything that had happened, Grace sent the drawings to her device. "The Bureau keeps information on such cases to the bare minimum until a Risk Assessment Level is determined, to avoid Agents taking liberties in handling complicated situations."
In other words, Michael understood, she wasn’t familiar with the Magickal shapes.
"Done," she said, finishing sending the drawings to HQ, along with his account of the infiltration and what they found under their cover.
"How long before they get back to us?"
"The Bureau likes to explore every avenue. Since the Cult gave us until the 23rd, expect a reply sometime tomorrow evening for a low Risk Assessment Level. Earlier for a high one."
"So, until then…"
"Yes… since we engaged, we must step up our cover. I'll contact the Australian Branch and see what they can do for us."
"And for tonight, that's it?"
"Not for you, is it?" Grace sensed that something was amiss with Michael.
"I... need to work out what happened," Michael replied. He didn't want to lie, but he also refrained from providing the full account that included String's involvement with It.
"I won't push." Matters of his Demonic Contract were still kept from their friendship and Partnership, and Grace accepted it, since she, too, had her own taboo subjects.
In his bedroom, Michael lay on his back.
'Would've been nice to know how to use Runes like David right now…' He thought that some for privacy would be useful, not that he didn't trust Grace, but he couldn't stop her from sensing changes in his Magick should it become erratic.
He closed his eyes and forced himself to recall Its appearance. His head started to throb, yet he kept going.
'One... Two...' He slowly counted Its eyes. Meanwhile, the pain spread, more severe with each passing second. 'Eight!' The pain reached his chest. His thoughts moved to Its silhouette, Its shape.
Without him noticing, Symbiosis turned ON. Only the sudden burst of overall power made Michael aware. Additionally, the exact double boost to all his stats indicated that String was equally weakened.
'I know... it's hurting us both, but... I can't allow a shadow to plant a seed in my head. I don't need to read fictional stories to know how trauma is made. I'm going to deal with it using the mindset Matteo wants me to have, the mindset David needs me to have, the mindset I must have to grow strong enough, fast enough, to keep my family safe, and more, by facing It!'
String transmitted Its dissatisfaction, more from Michael deciding for both of them than from Its own apprehension of It. That's what Michael gathered.
'I am determined! If you don't like it, cancel the Symbiosis and find yourself a place to hide in my little toe,' he responded sarcastically, knowing String reacts to his emotions more than his words.
String maintained the Symbiosis, and Michael stopped paying attention to It, resuming his focus on facing It.
By the time he had traced two-tenths of Its silhouette, the pain had made several rounds throughout his body, worsening with each passing moment.
Michael couldn't sit still as he persevered. At first, he simply paced from side to side, but soon he was thrashing on his bed, if only to avoid making too much noise. The mattress and the bedframe were already worn, and it took a major effort to contain his destructive impulses; he feared the walls might start to crumble if he let loose. All of this slowed down the task he had set himself to accomplish, but as long as he had an ounce of strength, one more stat point above "1," he refused to back down.
It, whatever It was, was gradually becoming as clear as when he first saw It. Along the way, what It left in him was being unearthed. It was a feeling he could not articulate once he had overcome the most crippling of his fears.
"I'm fine. Don't interrupt me!" Michael repeated strenuously as Grace kept checking up on him from outside his bedroom.
She didn't say anything, but he knew she remained standing on the opposite side of the bedroom door, just in case.
By dawn, Michael finally called it quits. He hadn't finished, not even halfway through. He simply couldn't continue. Utterly exhausted and still on an active mission, he needed to recover.
He found his luggage buried under his torn duvet. Inside was a small box with several Vitality Capsules.
"I'm coming in," Grace's voice sounded as she entered without waiting for approval. "I heard the zipper and figured you're taking a break," she promptly explained, not commenting on the state of his bedroom or his wretched appearance.
Grace kicked aside debris from the bedframe and sat on a dusty spot on the floor.
"I can vaguely guess what you went through. Seizing opportunities to break through mental blockades is essential for reaching Metamorphosis. You probably know this already, thanks to Matteo. That being said, you acted selfishly when you chose to focus on whatever you had to deal with, when the mission is not yet over. This will reflect on my evaluation. It might not matter if the mission is successfully completed. It's important and crucial for the Bureau to start benefiting from your Grace Period, after all. But if you someday find yourself on your own, my points of criticism... never mind. I shouldn't say aloud what we both think."
Michael stood up. One of his seven Vitality Capsules was in his mouth, and three were in his hands.
"Thank you," he said. "I'm going to shower."
...
'This feels... good,' Michael lamented as cold water washed over his body. He popped another Vitality Capsule into his mouth, one remaining in his hand. 'Call me a coward,' he said to String. 'But facing a lion on the other side of its cage also has its effect on building courage.'
Michael was well aware that It could have possibly ruined him with the small glimpse he had. 'If It is anything like a Great Old One, which I don't intend to discount before knowing the truth, then It definitely spared me. Was it because of you?'
String didn't respond.
'I suppose you're tired, too. Do the Vitality Capsules even help you?'
String maintained Its right to remain silent.
'Of course...'
...
22nd October 2023
08:10
Michael got dressed after Grace did him the favor of using Clean on his clothes.
"Your constitution amazes me. Vitality Capsules aren't meant to be eaten like candy or work so fast…"
"Says the one who got me addicted," Michael replied with half a smile. "What do we do?"
Grace showed him her phone, specifically the message from the Australian Branch.
"HQ still hasn't clarified the Risk Assessment Level, but based on the Kinta-Lath-Macbur Cult's record, there's a high chance it will be Level 4. The Australian Branch insists on neutralizing the Cult while it's at full strength until the 23rd. They've mobilized a Strike Team for tonight."
"And HQ allowed this?"
"Don't try to decipher the bureaucracy that either permitted it or failed to order us to stand down."
Michael clenched his fists in excitement.
"You have until 22:00 to recover as much as possible. The Strike Team will meet us for briefing. Then, show me the results of enduring the last month. Go. Eliminate. Kill every member of Kinta-Lath-Macbur."