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Souls of the Night Vol 3

29.

"I think... I reacted in such a... unclassy way mainly because I was horrified that you came back from Avalon and suddenly had mates. People you really love I ... never got along very well with my fey side - with the, well - cheating by your grandmother. And the fear that Oberon would snatch you away from us, or even that the world of the third race would absorb you in such a way that we would miss out on important parts of your life, scared I could lose you to something or someone that scares me so much because there's a part of them in me too."

"Have you ever been afraid of me?"

She looked at him and he could read the answer in her eyes. "I love you," she said. "I was terribly at odds with my father for years because he couldn't accept that I thought very differently from him. That I loved who I wanted. I don't want to be someone like that. I don't want you to loathe me."

"I could never loathe you. You're fucking the coolest mom on the planet," Alexander said, and he meant it. He hadn't expected his mother to speak plainly about her true feelings - especially not in public - but it was probably easier for her to talk about inhuman things when she was surrounded by lots of people. It felt more normal and - although of course it wasn't - a little less significant. He knew all this. He knew about her discomfort with the magic and her worry about losing him. That was why it was so wonderful that she and his father were making a real effort to get to know Flora and Ares.

But she would always be a mother lion. He remembered many little things, but especially how Justin Bieber's house was plagued by rats in 2010 shortly after he had refused to invite the slightly younger Alexander Xanatos to his birthday party. Xanatos Media could have easily bought out the record company that had signed the rising child star at the time and sabotaged his career - but that wouldn't have been appropriate. Childish behavior needed a punishment that hurt a child (at 16, Justin was still a child, though no longer innocent). So rats. From one night to the next, everywhere. In the kitchen cupboards, in the pool, in his drawers, allegedly even in his toilet. Where did all the rats come from? Not from him or Puck. His father was above such petty nastiness, but not his mother. She would even today have people torment anyone who didn't make Alexander feel like he belonged. As if he couldn't fight his own battles by now. Rabies, tuberculosis, hepatitis, typhus, amoebic dysentery - the inhabitants of the then new estate had to be vaccinated against everything. Big needles. Otherwise, this memory filled him with warmth. But he had been freezing cold for days, his fingers and toes almost stiff, but the rest of his body was sweating. He had been able to hide it well at first. But he was finding this increasingly difficult.

"You look tired."

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"Didn't we agree that mothers are always allowed to worry?"

Alex smirked into his capucchino cup. A necessity after the light meal because he knew that Owen still had to work for at least three hours and only then he would be able to let go of the burden he had imposed on himself and which was becoming increasingly difficult to carry. He could then let it go for four hours. After that, Owen had to get the minimum of Zs his highly tuned body needed and Alex would play prison guard - their bodies and magical cores being the prisons. Then he would sleep again himself- far too briefly though. Damn, he wished Owen and his daily schedules were exactly diametrically. When Alex or Owen slept, however, their barriers were naturally the weakest - but the entity could only be held with 100%. So it only worked when one of them was awake. awake, always alert, always focused - and that on top of the "side effects" ... like having to solve math problems on a tightrope strung across a seething volcano. But there was a lot at stake.

Pushing the entity back and forth and keeping it in check only worked because they were both relatively powerful and because their energy signatures vibrated almost in sync due to their close proximity and tight relationship. In addition, both Alex (by Titania's decree) and Puck (by Oberon's punishment) were disconnected from Avalon and Oberon's influence, which made it possible to get the whole thing past the Big Boss and his spies. And others. They had to hold out as long as possible. Well - after more than a week he suspected that they wouldn't be able to keep it up for long. He was even a little ashamed that he had made Owen/Puck his co-conspirator, forcing half the strain on his body as if it were nothing. Yet it was everything. Owen was working hard on the side without his father's knowledge on ... whatever and Alex hoped they would live to see next year. He might ... but the clan? The people in this town? Maybe half of America if the National Guard got involved? Even the nervous fake casual smirk - that little movement on his face hurt Alexander and tugged at his now permanently thin nerve fibers.

Everything tugged at his nerves from the soft music, over the muffled conversations, to the subliminal clinking of dishes in this best restaurant in town where his mom had invited him (and one of his mates) for lunch. She would have invited Ares, too, but the time of day made that difficult (a gargoyle prevented from petrifying by magic raised questions, Alex refused to hide Ares in human disguise, and Ares wasn't ready for such large crowds). AND Ares wasn't good company at the moment anyway, although his father was learning to appreciate Ares' unyielding, fierce nature as an opponent during his evening karate lessons.

Flora next to him (so cleverly camouflaged that you really had to look very closely to see that her current brown hair was in fact the thinnest of blades of grass), breathed softly and gave him a worried but very fleeting look. They had talked about it. Extensively. Lecturing Alexander was useless. He was a Xanatos and it was in his nature to do his thing and test his limits and then work with the results. They would inevitably have to work with it, because NO, no one would kill Nathaniel, no one would inflict such pain on his foster father-Gargoyle Lexington and his clan. Would there be a war? Was Nathaniel worth it? He was, for Lexington. And therefore also for Alexander. Oberon knew nothing yet. The fey prince perceived this despite his detachment from Avalon. And even if ... other beings had noticed something, they might now lose focus again where Nathaniel's powers and the more destructive of the entities were currently sealed.

That was Alexander's hope. He had to cling to it as long as he could. But the fact that he was suffering so much from his decisions really pissed his gargoyle-mate off. Ares had been much more implacable than Flora during the discussions and wanted to tear the alien entity, which Alexander had pulled out of Nate at the same time as he performed his supposed re-transformation, away from Alex because it was hurting his master and lover. Well, it wasn't hurting in the true sense of the word. It was hard to describe what such a powerful ancient force, trapped in an alien prison (again), did to the body and mind when it crashed again and again and again against the magical mental bars or sent firestorm after firestorm thundering against the mental barriers. Even a child prodigy quickly reached his limits.

"I can take it," Alex said tiredly and closed his eyes only to open them immediately afterwards, realizing that not only had he said that out loud and his mother was now looking at him open-mouthed, but also because he wasn't allowed to sleep. Yet he was SO tired. Just the few seconds of darkness had done him so much good. But he knew that was exactly what the entity wanted. It wanted to wear him down, physically and mentally.

Alexander smiled and hoped it didn't look too tortured.

"I think I might be coming down with something. I'll be better company in a week or two."

His mother sighed and looked out of the beautiful mullioned window that flooded the interior with evening light and which hurt Alex's eyes so much.

"You've never been truly ill. I shouldn't have invited you. You should lie in bed and let Flora and Ares look after you." She smiled at Flora and the latter returned Fox's smile sadly. Flora and Ares were pleased that their mate's parents were trying to include them after the first dinner had gone a bit awkwardly. They had even been given own rooms near Alex and cell phones (from which Alexander had Lexington immediately removed monitoring bugs and tracking devices).

Alex blinked lethargically slowly. Not now. Don't fall asleep. They were the best this city had to offer before others, who were far less equipped to deal with the situation, took over. Like his clan and his parents.

Alex coughed and rubbed his throbbing temple. It hadn't been so bad at first. But the assessment that the creature would calm down had been benevolent, to say the least. It raged incessantly, consuming the human and magical bodies of its current hosts like a fire scorching a steppe landscape.

Ares had raised the question of what would happen when Alexander's or Puck's reserves of power were exhausted. Or what would happen if Nathaniel Sharif - the only vessel capable of holding this monster naturally - was exposed to such triggers that he would actively reclaim his Gargoiyle body and, automatically, his freed powers along with this power-bearing entity. A rather unlikely scenario, as Nate was not exposed to any threatening situations where he would have the presence of mind to reclaim his power.

His mother had placed her hand on his forehead, her brow furrowed in worry. Alexander tried to look past the uncharacteristic softness that his mother was displaying in public. He felt most comfortable around his parents when everyone else around them felt uncomfortable. He liked David and Fox Xanatos pragmatic, callous and sublime best. Because then he could be sure that everything was "normal" and going according to plan. Even if his mother had no idea what was going on, she suspected that he wasn't just "sick". She was too clever to suspect her of ignorance.

"I think you're right, mom. I'm going to go to the restroom and then Cyril will drive me back." He stood up more sluggishly than he had intended and had to hold on to the table to keep from toppling over. Something was stressing Nathaniel out, he could tell by the way he was sweating like Nate did when he was under pressure. He and Nathaniel were connected right now - not so much that he could feel it as a human, but enough to catch flashes of his emotions and know what the creature was picking up on. Of Nathaniel's stressors which were certainly trivially human but which made the creature that had been a part of him and was now raging inside Alex laugh maliciously because it showed that an " lingering" had remained in Nathaniel after all, that the mighty Fey Prince and the most cunning of the Tricksters had not quite been able to "cleanse" him. Flora had stood up at the same time as him, her arm gently on his as a wordless reminder that he could always lean on her if necessary. As if a Xanatos would allow himself such vulnerability in public. Rather ... not.

Alex patted her hand on his arm, causing her to slowly settle back down with a questioning look.

"Honey, you and mom are welcome to chat some more. Be a sweetheart and text Cyril. I'll be right back," he said, straightened up, smoothed his shirt and walked through the salon with the practiced composure and the confident, unhurried attitude of a lion in his kingdom. As he did so, he attracted the glances of other (lesser) highborns, who had been watching him and his table company out of the corner of their eyes since they had entered, all wondering who the beautiful young woman was, whom he looked at as if she was more than the flirt of the month.

When he was out of sight and earshot, Fox picked up her teacup again while Flora took out her new generation cell phone (a case with flower motifs like Ares had orange bat wings on his because well - it was a bit funny). Before she turned to the device, which was still quite foreign to her, she looked questioningly at her counterpart, whereupon Fox mildly twisted one corner of her mouth into a smile.

"Thanks - but David and I don't give a damn about the social etiquette of normal people. So go ahead." Flora smiled as well, opened the messaging app and then pretended to type. She kind of did - just not with her thumbs. No one saw that tiny tendrils were pushing out of her finger pads and that she had written a message to Cyril within three seconds with these appendages flitting across the touchscreen. Then she sighed and put the cell phone away again.

"Okay," Fox muttered, putting the cup down and looking at Flora. Not reprimanding, not even staring, just neutral and with the resigned serenity of many years. "I've learned with difficulty over time that there are matters concerning my son that I can't help with and that I'd better wait until the dust has settled to pick up the pieces. I just want to know three things, Flora. Would you answer them honestly?"

The nymph looked up - just as seriously. If she were a trickster, she would remark that this question was one of the two allowed things, but she wasn't a trickster. A little playful at times, but not a trickster.

"If I can, yes."

"Is Alex putting himself in danger right now and do you think he can handle it?"

Flora looked in the direction where her mate had disappeared, but her gaze seemed to go further than the door and her cautious answer underlined this far-sightedness.

"I think Alexander is one of the most powerful men beyond Avalon. But because of his humanity, for which we love him, he does not recognize all the dangers that the supernatural world has to offer. Puck can let him know - but that's different than actually KNOWING what he's dealing with. But I can assure you, Fox, Ares and I will stand by his side. We will do everything in our power to ensure that nothing happens to him that will permanently damage his body and mind - that is more than it seems or than Alexander is aware of. We will protect him. Even if he disapproves. And if we have to go to extremes," she added disconcertingly coldly.

Fox stared now though and noticed how her respect for this seemingly lowly fey grew exponentially as Flora stoically held her gaze and simply waited for the third question her mother-in-law wanted to ask.

"How big is this thing? As big as when Oberon tried to kidnap him?"

Flora bit her lower lip, visibly pondering the answer.

"Bigger?" breathed Fox. "...We have an iron bunker under the Eyriebuilding and a much larger one under Xanadu. We can-"

- She broke off as Flora slowly shook her head. Then she leaned forward and placed her hand in an odd gesture over Fox's teacup.

"No amount of steel will help. No concealment. Wherever there is matter, it will no longer be safe. And above all ... don't talk about it near reflective surfaces or standing water. Never." Fox closed her mouth and looked down at her teacup, from which Flora had just taken her hand. She saw her own distorted reflection in the remaining liquid. She couldn't drink it anymore and turned her head. But then she saw her image reflected in the window and had to look the other way.

Flora leaned back in her chair and smiled, but it looked like the smile of an insecure child talking about the power of adults, although this child already suspected that adults couldn't manage everything.

"Alex is powerful. Puck is powerful. They will certainly find ways."

Ways for what? Fox wanted to scream. Ways that no one would get hurt? That no one had to die? That this damn world the humans were so sure of wouldn't end? She still felt guilty from the night Oberon had put all of human New York to sleep that those pesky mosquitoes didn't bother him when he wanted to steal his "grandson". Hundreds of people had died that night because she was what she was and Alex was what he was and because just because there was a vague rule not to interfere in the lives of mortals that didn't mean they weren't left to die in car crashes, house fires, drowned falling off boats, simply falling to the ground and cracking their skulls. These "gods" didn't give a shit about anything but themselves. If no iron helped, no running away (and as disgusting as the thought was to a Xanatos, Fox wasn't too above herself to consider that option for her growing family and her clan) - then what were they supposed to do?

Fox took a deep breath and nodded hesitantly. Yes - she knew what she could do. Trust her son. That he was human, Fey and above all Xanatos enough to deal with everything.

.

In the lavatory, he sealed the room with a charm to make sure that no human and nothing supernatural could follow or spy on him. In the mirror, he was displeased to see that the spell he had used to make himself presentable was crumbling and rubbed his sweaty face. It was quite an achievement, even as a redhead whose father actually had a healthy Mediterranean tint, to have such a pasty complexion. He had barely managed it before his mother or Flora had noticed. It was a good thing Ares hadn't been there - he would have smelled it. Alexander wiped across his nose with the back of his hand and wrinkled his nose at the blood. Then he spat more blood into the sink. He bared his teeth like a gargoyle and saw that it had been just his gums that were bleeding.

"Fuck," Alex muttered, wiping away more blood that was slowly oozing from his nose. Nathaniel was at his new job this week. Maybe something (or someone there) was stressing him out and that's why it was a little worse right now. Worse than it always was anyway. Or maybe it was another display of the Entity's still simmering power.

Alexander sighed and rubbed his aching neck. He was no longer quite as arrogant and self-assured as he had been a week ago. Puck had told him not to do that. But well ... what kind of trickster would he be if he didn't expect his pupil to break the rules? Time to talk it into "conscience". He took a deep breath and leaned closer to the mirror, staring into it. He blinked hard a few times, dropping one gossamer magical barrier after another, each one no obstacle but hundreds of them stronger than any armored door. After the sixth or seventh layer, he was quite proud of himself for not flinching when, after another blink, an almost disembodied black, billowing figure suddenly appeared, thundering its "fists" against the "other side". A creature that had always been present but had only become visible now that Alex had deliberately allowed a hint of weakness. The thing lashed out again with both fists and once more hammered so hard against the "inside" of the mirror that the glass rattled. The soundless, furious roaring from a mouth that emitted glowing flakes of ash gave Alexander goose bumps.

Taking another breath, he smelled and tasted ashes in the air. They were only illusions. The creature was trapped deep inside him and they both knew it.

"Listen," Alexander said, grabbed some soap and casually turned on the tap, causing the creature on the other side of the mirror to recoil and red glowing agitated veins to appear on his solid body, concealed beneath the billowing black soot and smoke. Alex stifled his Xanatosian smirk and stopped looking at the creature as he spoke, washing his hands slowly and thoroughly, pretending not to demonstrate that he still had the upper hand but also that he seemed unaware of the thing's initial reaction. It was a reaction that would have been very revealing and could have been called innate if the thing had something physical about it. Instead, Alex stored it away as "natural" because it was pure nature and yet so much more.

"I know you're unhappy with the current situation. We are too. But you have to realize that your extermination by Oberon is a worse option than this."

A ´palm´ was struck so hard against the glass that ash flew off in all directions on the other side of the mirror, revealing a slender hand made of crusty, hardened gray chunks on the surface but glowing orange-red pulsating mass underneath. Alex glanced up only fleetingly to register the creature's malicious grin, indicating that Oberon was not really seen as a danger to be avoided. Add to that its crescent moon mouth with the trickling, dripping lava in it, exhaling smoke like a fierce dragon. And its pupil-less, ice-blue glowing eyeballs, which of course weren't real eyeballs but only energy that had been transformed into blue fire, but which were so similar to those of the gargoyle Nathaniel that Alex lowered his gaze again so as not to reveal that he was swallowing uncomfortably. His voice - trained to deal with threatening negotiating partners of both human and supernatural nature - was calm, almost bored.

"I correct myself: Oberon and therefore the others - does that sound more convincing to you? Your intimidation tactics are rather wasted on me, but thanks for the effort. I am not in your element and am beyond your and the others' influence. I am outside of your power just like Oberon and Titania - you should have noticed that. I am human and fey at the same time. So don't waste both our time with these little sleight of hand tricks."

Alexander rolled his eyes in his aching skull as the creature laughed tonelessly. Time. Yes. funny.

"I may be 'young' but I'm not stupid. We both know I can't tie you down forever, and neither can Puck, but you can't be interested in reviving a war you lost thousands of years ago." At the mention of this name, the broad grin disappeared. Instead, something twitched in the creature's ashy, misshapen countenance that made it look like a frown.

"Yes, I know. He belongs to the other one. Another reason why we only pulled you out of Nathaniel. And I know that bothers you the most. You are attached to each other - elemental and emotional ... if I may call it that, sorry, even after thousands of years, humanity still lacks words to describe you and your nature," Alexander said intelligently, turned off the water again and took one of the soft little towels. Even as he carefully dried his hands, he avoided looking at the entity for a longer period of time. Yes, he was not attached to them. Still, the sheer energy made his legs weak even through 99% of his barrier. He was a Xanatos! He didn't buckle even under pressure.

"What did the last war bring you? Banishment. Oblivion. Humanness for all eternity. When mine and Puck's barriers break and you return to your current host. And yes, it's probably an "when" and not an "if". Then you have to block yourself. Even if Nathaniel's magical gargoyle body can withstand you and that's tempting. You must restrain yourself."

The creature seemed to think about it for a moment, then leaned closer to the glass and breathed a thin layer of ash onto it from the other side. A finger scribbled clumsy words.

I'm not afraid of them.

"The first conflict cost you status, power, and your queen. Moreover, your powers were banned and misused into a nefarious tool, your names were forgotten and your new name was nothing but a mocking. What else is to come? How bad do you want it to get this time?"

The finger again and Alex grimaced because the digit squeaked on the glass and it hurt his sensitive ears.

I have nothing more to lose, the creature wrote.

"What about your breath? What is fire without air?" Alexander asked quietly and after a moment's hesitation, the next message in a fresh layer of ash.

We are one. It and I. For all eternity.

"Does it see it the same way? Or would it not choose one of the others? Because if you go through with this -"

The thing narrowed its "eyes", but the ice-blue fire blazed brighter and beyond the slits.

Alex held his gaze, making it look intentional as he leaned on the sink with both hands.

"All the power you want to have, to reclaim, it means nothing to it, doesn't it? Puck told me about all this. It meant nothing to it thousands of years ago. I know that because it gave Nathaniel Sharif a chance with that bet where you wanted to petrify him out of anger at my spell even though the spell gave you more freedom of action. You are merciless. But it's not. It wants peace. It wants clan. It wants love where before you slowly drove body after body to their deaths out of sheer boredom and frustration. Let this cycle end with Nathaniel Sharif. Or ... At least take a break."

Although it was getting hotter in the small room, and although Alexander was still sure that this was just an illusion the creature was forcing on his weakened body and mind, he gritted his teeth as the creature began to growl. It was a gargoyle rumble accompanied by the aggressive rapid screeching of the finger across the glass. There was too much text but the top words disappeared as the bottom ones were written so that the thing could start again at the top of the mirror. It obviously had more to say the more opportunity it had to say something.

Pause. Princeling. A pause means it will continue afterwards. That nothing will change. But something MUST change. I will see to it. My breath will support me. It misses me. I can feel it. It wants me back. It is working on my repatriation. The vessel senses it with every breath. It sends - what did you call it in your deceitful way? Echoes! The human being will not be able to repress what he was, what he had, what he could have again. He is weak - even more so as a human - it's just a question of time and the right impulses.

"Just because it wants to be reunited with you doesn't mean it approves of war. It means it wants a peaceful existence (human or gargoyle) with you by its side. I don't know how Puck and I are going to do that yet, but we're looking for ways to make it happen without war breaking out. Until then ... I ask you ... to hold back. Stop resisting, stop fighting. When we realize that you are reasonable, we can let you return to your breath and the vessel Sharif."

I do not negotiate with half-human spawn. The very fact that you are trying to do so proves that this is overdue. Humans and fey will bow before me again - willingly or in their own spilled blood and energy. The thought seemed to please the entity. Its quivering body bore witness to its laughter even without sound. Alexander's legs trembled as a surge of energy - hot, almost searing his skin - seemed to come from the mirror. Illusion? Alexander began to doubt. But he was not allowed to doubt. Doubt blocked his abilities as much as fear. He tried to keep his voice firm and emphatic, even though his negotiating partner clearly wanted to put the issue to bed.

"You can continue to exist in Nathaniel and share his life and his love. You know the other would like that. We don't have to be enemies. You don't have to be pure hate and pure destruction. Fire can also give warmth and comfort, light up the darkness and ... "

Alexander lost his train of thought and focus, not only because the heat made his body and thoughts sluggish, but also because the entity had raised its hand and pressed it against the glass. A seemingly non-confrontational, thoughtful gesture. If it didn't right now cause the glass to steam.

Alex froze as a voice sounded in his head. Not loud, not roaring, not even male or female. It was as if an insect was crawling in his ear and buzzing in his head.

"I am tired of your desperate attempts at appeasement, little prince. I understand that you want to sweep up the pieces before anyone sees what you've done. But thank you for taking his human body. In the human shells we could not grow, could not act. In return, you will live to see me destroy all those who have wronged us. The Fey prince who instigated all this will look so wonderful at our feet," the thing promised with a smile as the mirror crackled and the top layers began to ripple.

"My vessel will accept me again. He will welcome our growing power. He has been a slave to his human environment and his fears for too long not to reclaim me. If all history teaches us one thing, it is that powerless beings always strive for power and powerful beings always want to maintain or increase their power. Hunger for power, hunger for control, is stronger than your promises and stronger than love and clan."

"That is not true! You won't use Nathaniel for that. He is good and-"

"He is me. He is us. Who says we would use him? We are one - he and we. He will learn to love what I can offer him. I will make him powerful and he will take with us our place that we held and that was stolen from us. Our clan will not be able to stop us and I will make them our first servants when the battle is over."

Alexander shuddered as the creature referred to his clan as his own. The beast smiled with malicious anticipation as the mirror slowly blackened from the inside out, cracks forming on it and steam billowing out. "Your gargoyle foster father still thinks Nathaniel is delicate and weak and would willingly continue to moan beneath him like a bitch? As entertaining as he is ... when I have molded our vessel to my liking he will fuck the web-wing on a pile of our enemies' bones in celebration of our supremacy. You and the Puck will grovel or be destroyed."

"I will not kneel to a Bodysnatcher," Alex hissed, feeling his control and will to appease this thing slowly slipping away. The creature in the mirror shattered into a dozen small variations of itself as the mirror cracked further and rays of the holder dripped onto the sink, melted by the heat. "Ignorant upstart. I will warp the Trickster and you until I get my way. Low fey have forgotten to fear us. With you I begin, with Oberon I end."

"My human-led Fey magic has revived you, it can banish you again!" Alexander groaned, shaking because he had just burned his hands on the sink. The water pipes underneath the wall began to groan, the tiles splintered around him and he could feel the heat warming the soles of his shoes. Alexander tried to raise his barriers again but it was hard, so hard.

"Let Oberon unleash the others on us. As soon as our followers know we can act again, they will follow us in droves. It's in their nature and their instinct for self-preservation. This island will be our battleground. This is just the beginning."

Alex felt the edges of his consciousness clouding over. He tapped into the energy link he shared with Owen and Puck. It was all he could send him as a warning. His mentor had been right. That had been a bad idea. He had thought Nathaniel was a positive influence on the entity because it had resided in his body. That Nathaniel's being was a part of him and that he would be able to reason with this part. But it was the other way around! It had made him act with it for longer than he had intended. It had used the time to let its energy reach beyond that tender crack he had created by lowering some barriers. Another sin Alexander had to book on his score sheet. But he was a Xanatos and a prodigy. He fucked up but he made the best of it and dealt with the situation.

"Me and Puck will find a way to banish you!" he threatened, his fey magic shining in his own eyes. Now he flashed a mischievous grin and maintained it even though the room was about to blow up around him. "We just need to find a new suitable vessel. Maybe a flower-decorated decanter. How does that sound - to be filled with liquid every day? Or a chamber pot!" Alex threw himself to the floor as the mirror exploded and tiny shards of glass rained down on him. He managed to use the creature's sudden burst of rage against itself, yanking up his barriers and hurling the thing far away, across the island and towards his mentor.

.

Without Alexander's warning, Owen would have had quite a bit of explaining to do to his employer - which he couldn't - this was Oberon's law. But he had managed to excuse himself just in time.

Owen crashed to the floor not three seconds after the elevator doors closed behind him as the Entity plummeted into his core, raging and sending firestorms against his barriers. His human body - overwhelmed by the sudden thousandfold stimulus transmissions between his brain cells to process the suddenly changed situation and the strain - went into convulsions like during an epileptic seizure. But he managed to stay conscious.

Then the usually so composed, well-groomed man lay on the floor and stared at the ceiling, panting.

After a few seconds, a pling sounded and he pulled out his cell phone, which had remained undamaged despite the fall.

Owen adjusted his glasses, which now had a crack in the right lens. Then he groaned in annoyance at Alexander's laconic Pleading Face emoji with the folded hands immediately after.

"Shit," he muttered, and Puck in him, who was currently stomping out the numerous small fires in their shared consciousness, would have loved to send a one finger salute emoji back.

Thanks for reading, Q.T.