Tyra had run miles away from the town without even realizing it. She stopped in her tracks and stood silently. She dropped Syren and the unconscious civilian.

Ira looked at the silver monster and admired it. And Tyra looked back at him for only a moment. It was just enough to know that Tyra could see him - or at least a blurry image of a snake.

Syren stood up slowly with a headache. It was so fast that he didn't even know what happened. And then he looked up at Tyra who was completely frozen. The space around her bent out of focus.

He still had no idea what Tyra had turned herself into, but he knew that she was still in there.

"Tyra, are you alright? Tyra, answer me," Syren said.

"She can't hear you," Ira replied, "Her mind is being ripped apart into so many pieces. Everything i expanding and collapsing inside of that armor."

"I don't want to hear anything from you, Ira."

"I can help her. I can see a piece of silver inside of her. It's a like a seed with so many roots digging into her. I can take it out, but I need your body."

"Enough of your lies, Ira," Syren said, "Tyra, can you hear me?"

There was no response. She was just completely frozen.

"She's fading away. If you want to save her, you'd have to do it quickly. Fortunately, I can help. I want to help. She has become quite interesting," Ira said as he continued to watch Tyra as though she was a light show.

"No. I won't let you take over my body. I can't risk that."

"So, you rather let her die," Ira said as Syren bit his lip in frustration.

Syren had no intention of letting Tyra die after all that's happened.

Ira continued, "Don't give me permission to use your body. Instead, allow me into only one arm and one eye. I had been keeping it a secret as I'd rather have full control, but I really do want to help her now that I know she can be helpful."

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

Syren didn't know if he could trust Ira, but he was given no choice. He just had to hope that it wouldn't backfire. "Damn it. Fine. I'm giving you permission only to use my right arm and right eye."

And in that instant, Ira melded with Syren. His right eye had started to become that of a snake's. His right arm began to grow in power. But the rest of his body was the same. And Syren was completely in control. He looked at Tyra and saw the universe. It was so vast. There were so many stars, but each star was fading away.

And he saw it. He saw the small scraping of silver that branched out from within. It was in the center of her chest.

"How do I take it out?" Syren asked.

"Simple. Reach in and grab it."

"What? I don't want to kill her."

"Trust me this one time. It won't kill her. But we need to do this fast. Now or never. Do it or the weapon is gone."

After hearing Ira call Tyra a weapon, he began to believe that he really was telling the truth. Syren didn't believe that Ira would help Tyra as a human, but he did believe that Ira would help if she was useful like a tool or a weapon.

Syren took his right hand and slid it right into her chest. Electricity surged right through the arm. The arm didn't feel anything, but the pain circulated throughout the rest of the body. Syren screamed in agony, but he couldn't give up. He reached in and grabbed the small piece of silver. The skin on his right arm had begun to peel away revealing scales. But before any more damage could be done, he yanked the piece of silver straight out of her as he writhed in agony.

Tyra fell to the muddy ground as the silver surrounding her body had peeled away. All that was left was her bare body. It was full of old scars, but there didn't seem to be any actual damage.

Syren dropped the silver scraping onto the mud. It was barely visible in one eye, but in the other snake-like eye, it was vast and beautiful. But Syren didn't care about the piece of silver. He cared more for Tyra. She was still breathing, but her body was cold even though the weather felt very humid. He took out a cloak and wrapped her around in it. He was glad that she was safe.

Ira left Syren's body without any trouble. Ira was more interested in the silver scraping. As Syren made sure that Tyra was alright, the demon grabbed the small piece of silver in his hand. It was difficult for him to carry, but not impossible. It shocked his hand, but he continued to carry it. The piece resisted him as he thought it would. It was something with a mind of its own, he thought. Instead, Ira wrapped the silver in some of his own skin and ate it. He knew that he couldn't use it, but he would definitely keep it safe.

Syren wondered whether she would open her eyes. Her breath was slow but steady. Her body temperate gradually returned to normal.

And within a minute, Tyra slowly opened her eyes to see Syren's childlike and smiling face. Tyra thought that she wouldn't have been alive. She knew her body, mind, and soul were being torn apart by using that insane power. She smiled weakly and asked, "Are we both dead?"