Chapter 26

Henry woke Damien the following morning with what was evidently becoming his favorite alarm—an explosion.

Damien leapt upright, the last vestiges of his sleep vanishing as he jerked his head around the room, searching for what had caused the noise before his mind caught up with his body.

Damien pursed his lips and rubbed his eyes with a groan.

Henry, you're a dick. Can't you wake me up in a way that doesn't make me think death is eminent?

"I have little in the form of amusement right now," Henry replied. "I have to take what I can get."

That gives me another question.

Henry sighed. "What is it?"

Do you feel any less inclined to destroy the world now that you're becoming human?

"Becoming human?" the eldritch creature asked. He burst into laughter. "I'm not becoming human, Damien. I said your spark was changing me, but I'm not getting closer to mortality. Something within me is…new. Fresh. I want to dissect every part of this world and examine it. My previous goals have not changed. They have simply evolved."

Well, at least you're honest. Maybe our next target can be to make you only want to destroy most of the world instead of all of it.

Henry scoffed and grew silent. Damien shook his head and yawned, swinging his legs over the edge of his bed to start the day. The sun still wasn't out, but the faint light coming from the runes in the bathroom illuminated the room just enough for him to see where he was going—and to see Sylph, who stared right at him.

"Sylph?" Damien asked carefully, keeping his tone low.

"You okay?"

Sylph didn't respond immediately. She sat up, running a hand along the dried blood covering her face. Damien hoped the trauma had somehow made her forget what happened the last night.

"You know," Sylph said, her tone flat.

Damien winced. So much for that.

"Know what?" he hedged.

"My companion."

"Ah. Yes, I might have noticed," Damien admitted. "It's not that big of a deal, though, is it?"

Sylph faded into the background for a moment before reappearing, a frown on her face.

"How did you save me?" Sylph asked, brushing the question aside. "I mistakenly drew too much Ether, and my core cracked. I should be dead or crippled, yet I'm still able to use magic."

"Uh…I didn't really do much," Damien said.

The dull light made it hard to read Sylph's expression, but Damien got the feeling she wasn't buying it. She rose from her bed and walked to the bathroom. A few moments later, she walked out, her shirt in her hand.

Tight black cloth wrappings covered her upper body, stopping just below her midriff and before her arms. She grabbed Damien by the hand and dragged him with her to the bathroom. Her grip was surprisingly strong, and Damien stumbled along after her, trying to keep up.

She stopped in front of the dim light of the glowing rune circle and turned around, thrusting a finger at the drawings Henry had carved into her chest. They glowed with dull pulsating grayish black energy.

"This is armor," Sylph said, her voice still flat as she tapped the wrappings covering her. "It can stop a sword thrust. So how did you slice through it so perfectly that I can't even see the seams?"

Henry stirred. Damien's shadow twitched as his companion watched Sylph like a hawk, waiting to see if she would make a move.

"Well, I—" "You're about to lie again," Sylph said, her eyes narrowing. "You've been doing a lot of that. What magic did you use? It certainly wasn't dark. It feels…wrong."

"Does it really matter?" Damien asked. "We've both got our secrets, don't we?"

"Not anymore," Sylph said. "You know mine."

"And I don't see how it's that big of a deal," Damien said, shrugging. "I've never heard of having a magical item as a comp—" Sylph blurred forward, clapping her hand over Damien's mouth. Damien's shadow twitched, but Henry controlled himself when Damien pushed him back. They were so close Damien could smell the dried blood on her. Her gaze burned into his.

"Don't say it out loud," Sylph hissed. "You never know who's listening."

Could there be someone listening to us?

"It's possible," Henry said. "Don't worry. I've got a solution for this. She's already suspicious, so it can't hurt anymore."

It better not involve killing her.

"It doesn't. Let me out."

Fine. Go.

Henry let out a dark chuckle. Damien's shadow split from his feet. It slipped around his feet and rose several feet behind Sylph, forming into Henry's body. The eldritch creature raised his hands stepped back, blending in almost seamlessly with the wall's shadow as a thrum of energy rippled out from him.

It passed over Damien and Sylph, moving clean through them and bouncing off the walls like it was a wave in a small pool. Sylph spun, taking her hand off Damien's mouth as she searched for what had caused the energy. She looked straight at where Henry was, but then continued searching, unable to see him.

"What was that?" Sylph asked, a shadowy blade forming in her hand.

"Don't worry," Damien said, although he didn't sound particularly confident about it. "My companion is doing something so we can't be heard…I think."

"I'm destroying the sound waves leaving the room," Henry reported. "High-level Space magic. Nobody can hear what you say."

Damien repeated his words to Sylph. She shook her head in disbelief but allowed her magic to fade away.

"Your companion is casting spells without you?"

"You've got a rock giving you your magic," Damien pointed out. "If anything, that's even stranger."

Sylph's eye twitched when he mentioned it, but she didn't cover his mouth again. Progress!

"That's beside the point. Are you certain no sound can leave this room?"

Damien nodded.

"Fine. You know my secret, but I still don't know yours.

I'm pretty sure your companion isn't from the Plane of Darkness, though. I know every school of magic, and this isn't any of them, not even the really obscure ones. What is your companion, Damien?"

"I'm not answering that. Can't we just pretend this didn't happen? I won't tell anyone what I saw," Damien said. "You're alive, so that's all that matters, right?"

Even Henry scoffed at that one. Sylph narrowed her eyes and pointed to the circle on her chest.

"Damien, don't get me wrong. I'm well aware I owe you my life. I should be dead. But I won't let myself become a slave. Unknown magic is incredibly dangerous, and I don't know anything about your companion. I would prefer to die than to have my life stolen from me," Sylph said, raising her blade. "If you can't prove to me without a doubt this rune circle will not give you control over me, please, remove it, even if it kills me. I will not be a tool."

"Hey, she's asked for it now," Henry said. "Shall I kill her?"

No!

"You're actually going to tell her who I am?" Henry asked. "Are you stupid?"

I'm not doing that either. Besides, I can't just go around killing people! Can we remove the rune circle safely?

"That's why I'd kill her for you," Henry said. "And, no.

That circle is the only thing keeping her core intact right now. We could probably remove it in a year or two, but not before then."

Sylph watched Damien's eyes flickering back and forth in the dim light. Damien let out a harrumph and turned to Sylph.

"No," he said, crossing his arms. "You're right. I did save your life, and it was against the advice of my companion. I understand you're probably scared, and I would be, too.

But you don't get to make demands, Sylph. I've put myself at a lot of risk already. Killing you would paint a massive target on my back, not to mention I'd have to live with that.

Why should I stretch my neck out further?"

Sylph blinked.

"I—" "In fact," Damien said, stepping forward so they were nose to nose. "I've done nothing but help you. Why do you suddenly think I'll turn into some evil monster? What about my actions have made you think I want to control you?"

Sylph opened her mouth to respond, but Damien didn't let her.

"By the Planes, and then you ask me to kill you!" Damien snapped, his voice raising. "I just went through all the effort of saving you, and you thank me by calling me a monster and asking me to kill you. What is your problem?"

Sylph swallowed. She blinked heavily, her determined expression crumbling.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I know I should be thanking you, and I have no right to ask anything. I just can't lose control of my body. I won't let it happen again."

"Again?" Damien asked, his brow furrowed. "Actually, don't answer that. We've established we don't like sharing secrets. So, just to summarize, I saved your life. I'm not taking the circle off. It would kill you, and I'm not killing you. We've got our secrets, and I found one of yours by accident. I promise not to tell anyone, even if I don't understand why it matters. Are you going to extend me the same courtesy?"

Sylph bit her lip. Then she gave Damien a small nod.

"My emotions got the better of me. I've treated you very badly. I swear on my magic not to reveal anything I know about you or your companion, nor will I ever ask for further information on it. Thank you for saving my life."

"It's what any good person would have done," Damien said, letting out a heavy breath. "And, for what it's worth, I promise the rune circle is only there to keep your core intact. I think I can remove it in a year or two once your core has healed."

"You can?" Sylph asked, shocked.

"Yeah," Damien said. "And, yes, I'll do it."

Sylph lowered her head.

"I'm sorry for being so ungrateful," she said, her hands tightening at her sides in shame.

"It's fine," Damien said wearily. "I don't know your situation, but it sounded like you've been somehow controlled before. I can relate to that, and I won't hold your emotions against you so long as you don't act on them."

Can we trust Sylph to follow her word?

"Ha. Good to see you aren't taking it at face value," Henry said, sounding pleased. "I'm not an expert in human facial expressions. I was more interested in your magic, but I believe she was being honest. You should yell at people more. It's a much better look than cowering and doing what they say. And since she's promised to stay silent, I'll give her a little warning about what she's dealing with."

Henry cackled. Damien's shadow peeled away from the wall, the eyes all snapping open. Sylph spun as he swept past her, only giving the girl an instant to see him before he rejoined Damien's body.

Sylph drew in a sharp breath. Then, to Damien's surprise, she inclined her head in a small bow.

"Thank you for saving me," she said, clearly addressing where Henry had been. She gave Damien a small smile. "If I'm not mistaken, it was your companion that rescued me at your behest, so I believe I owe them a thank you as well."

"Hmm. She's not wrong," Henry muttered. "And I shouldn't have done that. Why did I do that? And why was it so fun?"

Better watch those human emotions. You might have to think a bit more before you do things.

Henry grunted in annoyance and receded into the back of Damien's mind. As he left, the energy rippling around the room faded as well.

"Spell's down," Damien warned Sylph. "No more talking about specifics."

"Understood," Sylph said, her expression slowly returning to normal. She gave Damien a small smile. "I'm going to take a shower. I need to wash this blood off. And I will find a way to repay you, both for what you did and for my actions."

Damien nodded. He started out of the room, then paused by the curtain as Henry reminded him of something.

"Oh, one more thing," Damien said. "You might want to check how much Ether you can channel again. Intense training sessions have a way of getting new results."

"That's not funny, Damien," Sylph said.

"I know. It wasn't a joke," he replied.

Sylph held off on responding as she gathered Ether and drew it into herself. She inhaled sharply.

"How is this possible? The process should have been stopped, but my core is larger than it was before," Sylph said in a mixture of wonder and shock.

"I honestly don't know," Damien said. "I don't think you should try for a repeat of last night, though. I don't know if things will go as well the next time."

"Understood. I won't make the same mistake again," Sylph said. "And…thank you for everything. Again."

"That's what friends are for," Damien replied. Henry let out a grumble, but it sounded like he was more intrigued than annoyed.

Sylph stepped up behind Damien and gave him a quick hug before pulling the curtain shut.

Damien fought the urge to glance back and cleared his throat, suddenly vividly aware of Henry observing his thoughts.

"I think I can see the benefit of friends," Henry said slowly, thinking over every word. "We've done a relatively simple task, and now she sees you in high regard. I can't be certain what actions she'll take, but she evidently feels indebted to you. If we can get more people to feel like that, we would have no trouble purging my fellow Void denizens."

You've completely misunderstood what friendship is. It's not meant to take advantage of people.

"Then what's the point?" Henry asked, baffled. "Why go through that effort?"

Because having people you can trust is nice.

"What if they betray you? Or if they don't do as you say?"

They're friends, Henry. Not slaves. If your friend betrays you, they were never your friend.

Damien wandered over to his bed as Henry mused over his words. He started to sit, but a brown triangle at the corner of his pillow caught his attention. Damien frowned and reached over, pulling out a tiny piece of paper.

He turned it over. Several lines of text were scrawled across it in plain but clear handwriting. It said, in no uncertain terms, that Delph would not be doing any training today, and that Damien was not to report to the Arena.

When did Delph get in here?

"It must have been while I was blocking the sound waves," Henry said, sounding troubled. "I did feel someone pass by the room, but I'm almost certain they didn't enter."

And why put it under my pillow? There's a good chance I wouldn't have checked there until tonight.

"It did stick out a bit, and you hadn't made your bed yet," Henry pointed out. "It was fair to assume you'd find it."

I suppose so.

Damien shook his head and stood up, immediately stepping on something crinkly. His face went blank, and he peered down, already knowing what he'd find. About a dozen other slips of paper had been laid out on the ground between his and Sylph's beds.

"Those weren't there a few moments ago. Delph really wanted you to read that letter," There's no way he got in here in between when I sat and got up, right?

"None," Henry confirmed. "He's got time magic."

"That's disturbing. He's got time magic, some strange magic you don't recognize, and used some magic to transform as well. What can't he do?"

"All the more reason to learn from him. Luckily, he seems to tolerate your presence," Henry said. "I almost want to take a glance at the arena, just to see if he's actually there."

Don't say that. Now I want to do the same. He's probably training someone else, though. I don't want to interrupt them and start wearing out my welcome.

Damien collected the slips of paper, splitting them into two stacks and placing one on top of Sylph's bed with a smirk. He couldn't shake off the unease from the knowledge Delph had managed to slip in and out of their room so easily, but there was nothing to be done about it.

Wait, there's no way he overheard our conversation, right?

"None. He had no idea," Henry confirmed. "I'm absolutely confident of that."

Good. That's the last thing we need to deal with.

A few minutes later, the shower shut off, and Sylph emerged, wringing the last of the water from her hair. Her eyes flicked to the pile of papers on the bed, and she raised an eyebrow.

"A gift from Professor Delph," Damien said, shrugging.

"And I have it on good word we have nothing to worry about."

Sylph inclined her head, showing that she understood what Damien was talking about before picking up one of the letters and reading it herself.

"You've been getting more private training from Delph?"

She guessed. "But what's the point of leaving so many letters?"

"Honestly, I don't know if it's possible to understand Delph," Damien said. "I'm pretty sure he just does what he wants. At least this means I don't have to run for two hours today."

"That's it!" Sylph said, her eyes lighting up.

"What is?"

"That's how I'll pay you back. Your physique and magical control are terrible. I can help you get them to a manageable level."

Damien paused. Extra training wasn't exactly how he wanted to spare his rapidly shrinking spare time, but even Henry had praised Sylph's control. In addition, Delph had already hammered home the point he needed to get physically stronger.

"That would be fantastic, actually," Damien said. "Thank you! Do you have a regimen you do?"

"Anyone who's serious about staying in shape does," Sylph replied, "but I don't think you can even look at mine yet. I need to figure out where you really stand so we can focus on what you're weakest at."

"Okay," Damien said, his heart sinking. "How do we do that?"

"Well, I've never taught someone before, but I suspect a good start will be to see how long and fast you can run," Sylph said, hiding her grin perfectly as Damien let out a groan.