I woke up in the middle of the night, I had set a mental alarm for myself. I snuck out of the house, letting Haley and Lory sleep. Carefully, I skulked over to the training ground. It looked a bit more cleaned up and more dummies and weapons were available. “Good morning people in my mind, are the barracks finished yet? Thanos?”

“No, that is still a work in progress, why are you waking us up boss?”

Eris yawned, “Yeah, I was enjoying a nap on the kitchen counter.”

I sighed, “Seriously?”

“What?”

“I fell asleep while designing.”

“Captain?”

“Yeah, I am awake.”

“Good, tonight we are going to do a trust exercise. If we want to get enough power to stop the void, and just relax after that, we need to be able to trust each other. It all started with letting you out and making it our house.”

“Angel?”

“Yes?”

“You are up first, come to the command center as we have started calling it.”

“Alright boss.”

“Good, I am going to give you control Angel.”

“What, why?”

“It is a trust exercise, I trust you to hand the control back to me when I ask you too.”

Angel seemed to be hesitating, “Alright.”

Angel looked at the outside world as we switched places, “Damn, it has been long since I was in control.” He spawned a huge dual blade.

I spoke up from inside the command center, “Why are you even wearing a toga?”

Angel chuckled, “Because I am an angel.” He started shooting light beams and swinging his dual blade around.

I sat back on a chair in the command center and looked at Captain. “You have to admit, this machinery in here, the giant screen, it looks much better.”

He nodded, “I can properly see what Angel is doing out there. No need for energy anymore.”

Eris walked over, “Hello me and Captain.”

I chuckled as I put both my hands on my head and relaxed, “Just call me Steve, I like your durable skin, and having two arms is much better.”

Eris smiled and looked at the screen, “It seems Angel is enjoying some of his free time.”

Angel looked at a shadow watching him, “Boss?”

“Yes?”

“Someone is over there, what do I do?”

“Follow your gut instinct.”

Angel nodded and walked over, Funk came out of the shadows. “What are you doing Steve, training and wearing a toga?”

Angel stretched his hand, “Sorry, we haven’t met yet.”

Funk took his hand slowly, “It is me, Funk.”

Angel smiled, “Nice to meet you, the name is Angel, I am in control at this moment.” Funk immediately drew his dark blades. And slashed at him. Angel jumped back and used his wings gracefully.

Angel laughed, “That is usually not how you greet people.”

Funk grunted, “What did you do to Steve?”

Angel scratched the back of his head, “He is just, chilling in the command center, probably wondering why you are losing your cool.”

Funk ran at him and slashed his blade down, Angel blocked the incoming blow and they started trading blows. I sighed from within the command center.

“I am getting some coffee, would anyone else like some coffee?” Eris and Captain nodded. I walked into the construction site. Agent S, Thanos and J are just playing a card game. They all waved at me. I made some coffee and brought the coffee to the command center. “How are they doing?”

Captain chuckled, “Angel is just having fun, stretching his limbs. Funk, on the other hand, seems stressed, he is holding back a lot of energy though.”

I looked at Eris, “Should I intervene?”

She shrugged, “Finish your coffee first.”

“Alright, did you hear that Angel?” I saw him nod on the screen.

After finishing my coffee, I waved, “I am ready Angel.” He jumped back with a backflip and as he landed, we switched places. I blocked an incoming blow from Funk. “Are you done Funk?”

He looked at me, “Steve?”

“Yeah man, can’t a fucking guy drink a cup of coffee without you stirring up trouble?”

“But, that Angel dude, he took over.”

“No, I gave him control.”

“I was just chilling man.”

Funk stammered, “But, but.”

I noticed, I am in Eris’s body, it seems my mind is noticing I am starting to favor this form. “If you are done Funk, can I go on with my training session?” He just stood there stammering, I ignored him and sighed, “Eris, do you want some free time?”

She shrieked with joy, “Really?”

“Yeah, but ask Captain to get some of the others. Are you ready to switch?”

Eris nodded and we swapped places. Funk poked Eris, she looked at him and stretched her hand, “Hello, my name is Strife, uhm, Eris.”

Funk took her hand, “I think you know who I am.”

Eris grinned, “I saw it in the command center.”

Eris spawned a bow, she made some energy arrows. “It has been a long time since I used my favorite bow.” She aimed and fired, a bullseye.

Funk looked at her, “I cannot believe Steve let you out.”

Eris stretched, “It feels good to be out. We are learning to trust each other, Funk.”

He sighed, “I am going back to bed.” Eris nodded and continued firing arrows. In the command center, I looked at her form, it is perfect.

Captain looked at me, “Why are you trying to unify us?”

I shrugged, “It seems like you had a point, no one here agrees on something, if that devil gets out, and we work together, we might be able to put him back in place. It is time to change our tactics.”

Angel sat down with a cup of coffee. “I am glad about the changes around here.”

Eris spoke up, “Do you want to switch back Steve?”

“Sure, I am going in my normal form.” We switched, and I found myself back on the training ground. “Captain, do you mind getting one of the people that has not been out yet?”

“No worries Steve.” I felt a breeze behind me, a snow portal opened up and Khione came out.

She smiled, “I have another deal for you.” I totally zoned out and went to my command center.

Eris stared at me, “Are you not going to listen to her?”

I sighed, “The last time I did she got me in big trouble. Melin was truly defending herself, she has a sick way of doing that, but it was Khione’s fault. Who knows what she wants this time, she must have an ulterior motive.”

Captain came back with everyone. I crossed my arms, “I have an idea people, we need to get rid of Khione.”

Eris chuckled, “Good luck with that, she is a goddess, killing her is going to be near impossible, she probably has lived through all kinds of assassination attempts.”

I smiled at Eris. She gasped, “No way, you want to try to do that special thing to her?”

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Captain shook his head, “She is too strong, unless she lets her complete guard down, she is just going to overpower us.”

I looked at Angel, “Have you been listening to what she is offering?”

He nodded, “She wants to go to bootytown and get sired with a child.”

I frowned an eyebrow, “What the actual fuck did you just say?”

Thanos grabbed my shoulder, “There is your opening.”

“Now you need to decide, swallow or portal.”

Captain looked at me, “Once you do this Steve, there is no way back.”

I sighed, “Can someone please tell her we are thinking?”

Angel pushed a mic button and spoke up, “I am thinking about your proposal, you want me to cheat on Lory, and you will stop the void, and close the shadow world. Give me a couple of moments.”

We all looked at the screen, Khione nodded and seemed to be hopeful. We all talked about it, I looked at Eris, “I think everyone is on board.”

I put my hand in front of me with my palm facing downwards. Eris put her hand on top of it, everyone followed, all me’s agreed on our plan. “Alright, I am taking the lead, everyone needs to focus.”

J looked at me, “I believe in you Steve, we all believe in you, get us a new friend.”

I went out there and looked at Khione. “I have thought about it, and I agree with your plan.”

Khione looked at me, “What the actual fuck?”

I shook my head, “Is something wrong?”

“No, I just did not think you would say yes at the first try. Follow me, there is a small pond nearby.”

We walked over to the pond, Khione smiled, “Are we really going to do this?”

“Yes, undress yourself and lay down in the shallow water.” Khione started undressing herself and laid down.

She looked at me, “Like this?”

“No turn around.”

Khione smiled, “Oh, you like it that way?”

She turned around, and my heart started pounding. My hand started to shake, I could hear Eris speak inside me. “You can still decide to run Steve, you are crossing a boundary, whatever you are, this is a part of you that you can ignore, or accept. No matter what you decide, we are all going to back you up, and we can make Khione feel at home.”

I nodded and slowly stepped towards Khione, I kneeled beside her and rubbed my hand over her back. “Hello Steve, I am ready when you are.”

I whispered in her ear, “Do you mind if I start with a complimentary foot massage to warm you up?”

She looked at me with a seductive smile, “I can live with that.”

I started rubbing her feet and Khione seemed to be completely relaxed, all her tension disappeared and energy that she had ready to counter vanished in thin air. Thanos spoke up, “This is the perfect moment to strike Steve.”

Agent S spoke up, “It is now, or you need to run.”

Eris let out a deep sigh, “My tentacles are ready.”

Before Khione realized what was going on, I spawned over fifty tentacles from all over my crevices and wrapped her up and launched her into my enlarged mouth and swallowed her up. It went so quick, she didn’t even dare to struggle. I fell on my back and let out a happy sigh, “That felt astonishing. Oh my god, the thrill, do you feel it guys, the power?”

I noticed the moon was shining upon the lake, I got up and looked down, my eyes flickered to an ebony color for a moment. A strange surge of energy went through my entire being, it felt, amazing and perfect. As I looked at my hand, it shifted a bit, it became, like a demonic claw. After a deep sigh, it all went back to normal, it must be part of the process.

I closed my eyes and went into the command center. Eris looked at me, “That is going to help boost our power.”

“I let the tension out and assumed Eris’s form. We actually did it.”

Thanos smiled, “I am proud of you, we all are.” They all nodded. “Shall I go visit our new part?”

Captain nodded, “I liked that more than I want to admit, the hunt, the thrill, the victory!”

I formed a victorious smile on my face, “We actually did it!”

I walked over to a new mirror that had spawned, it had an ice layer over it. As I looked through it, I saw her, “hello Khione.”

She grumbled as she got up, “Steve, that is you, right?”

“Yes, it is me, I am sorry for what I did to you.”

She walked over, “You are sorry?” “What even happened, I thought all those powers were dormant, with your devil sleeping and all. But you, our ominous energy, it felt even worse. One moment, I am thinking, I am going to get lucky, the next moment I feel myself getting swallowed up with slime all over me. Landing in a black pit filled with flesh that wrapped around me as if I were being cocooned. Only to land in here.”

“Yeah, I kind of ate you. You were annoying the fuck out of me with your deals. I cannot kill you, but technically, I just did.”

She gasped, “You did what?”

“Yeah, you are now, one of us! One of us! One of us!”

Eris walked over, “That is not very encouraging Steve. What he is trying to say, you are one of Steve now. Your body is gone. You are now a new personality of Steve.”

Khione grumbled, “You fucking assimilated me! What even are you, you are not the same as the devil, you are worse!”

“Khione?”

“Yes?”

“Can you work with us? We can be friends, you can get some coffee, chill in the house we are building, and if you earn our trust then maybe you can even see the outside world again.”

Khione started pacing back and forth, “Can I make an ice area?”

I lifted my right hand and made a snowflake appear. “Your ice power is now my ice power, and vice versa. We are going to let you out, but there are many of me. Cause trouble, and boy, do we have a problem.”

I slid the mirror aside and Khione walked over. “Fuck you Steve.”

I smiled, “That is not going to happen, you kind of dug your own grave.”

She sighed, “You crossed a line Steve, you have assimilated a goddess.”

She looked at Eris, “You have killed a god, just like the devil inside of you, all of these people are a part of him, except for Captain and you.”

“Eris seems to be fine.”

She shrugged, “Steve is nice. The others are also nice, I had a temper tantrum, but they forgave me. Look, there are many others.”

Khione looked at Thanos, J and Angel playing a card game, Captain and Agent S seemed to be booting up a console. Khione looked at me, “You have a lot of personalities Steve.”

I put my hand on Khione’s shoulder, “You are Steve too. We all are Steve.”

Khione hung her head, “So, I am dead?”

I assumed Khione’s form. Eris chuckled, “That is strange.”

Khione shook her head, “Please don’t do that.”

I changed back to Eris, “Alright Khione, you can help with rebuilding the house, and the next night we are going to continue with our trust exercise mission.”

She looked at me, “Trust?”

“I trusted you to hump me, and you ate me!”

Someone fell over, it was Captain, he laughed very hard. He looked at me, “Come on that was a perfect sexual innuendo.”

Khione turned red, “I meant, he literally ate me!”

Angel started snickering, “You are not helping to make it better Khione.”

She hung her head, “At least I am still kind of me.”

Eris smiled, “it is good to have another woman in this mind space!”