A swirl of ash appeared within Julia’s room, and both she and Trill appeared. She had asked to learn the trick herself, but he had stated that he transported himself using his own blood. Unlike demons, humans tended to die when all of their blood burst out of their body at once and teleported them to a new area.

Everything in the room was the same as when Julia had passed out, including the pile of vomit and blood. Julia knelt down and picked up Kara’s egg. It seemed fine, even if it felt cold. When she looked through it, Kara was in the corner of the room, curled up in a ball. That also seemed normal for her ghost self, so Julia felt no need to be worried.

She went downstairs to see how her father would react. Her time with Trill had made her somewhat nocturnal. Trill didn’t appreciate being out in sunlight, and most of his rituals occurred during the night. Either way, her father should be home from work by now.

Instead, what she found was an empty house. Bread on the counter had begun to mold, the fruit was rotting, and no new leftovers had appeared in the fridge. Maggots were crawling over the trash, which meant that no one had bothered to take it out for at least a week.

Julia turned around to face Trill, who had followed her. “Where’s my dad?”

“He doesn’t remember you,” he replied calmly.

“But this is his house. This is where he lives. He should still be here.”

“Those who are afflicted by this curse will actively seek to avoid places that would make them remember. As far as your father is concerned, your sister and you were never born. He and his wife were never able to have children, and she, unsatisfied with their relationship, moved out shortly after the new year.”

That was when her mother had moved out. Only a few days after Kara’s death. “That doesn’t explain why he isn’t here.”

“He thought himself justified with your mother’s selfish abandonment and sought to begin a new relationship. Over the past few days, he has been living over at her house.”

“Then take me there!”

Trill took Julia’s hand into her own, and they were at Britney’s house. Britney’s mother and her father were having dinner together, with Britney and Tyler. He was being stern, since Britney had brought over her boyfriend, while Britney’s mom was being happy for her daughter.

“... The fuck?”

“None of them remember you,” he replied. “Or the pain left by your sister’s death. Life is normal. Life is bliss.”

Julia felt herself stumbling back. Trill braced himself behind her, and they were quickly back in her living room. She had to sit on the couch in order to recover from the shock. Her face quickly became buried by her hands as she started to sob.

Trill stared at her blankly. “... What are you doing?”

“I’m crying, okay?” Julia began to wipe at her arms, but she couldn’t stop the tears from falling.

“... I know what crying is,” he muttered. He then held out his arm. “Are you hungry?”

“No! Just go away! I-I don’t need you gawking at me like you’re some idiot or something, I just need to be left alone for now!”

Trill stared at her for a moment longer before he sat down on the couch. He dragged her into his chest and held her gently while she continued to cry. She hesitated for a moment before burying herself into his shoulder. The soft cloth of his hoodie as comprised of thousands of small feathers, which at least made it a comfortable experience.

Though it took some time, she eventually devolved to a series of hiccups and rubs to her face as she attempted to dry it. Honestly. Crying in front of a sociopathic demon. How stupid could she be?

“Are you done?”

“... No,” she whispered.”

“I do not understand what the problem is.”

Julia let out a long and annoyed sigh. “... I thought I was doing something good,” she muttered. “I thought that I could take down Eli and people would remember Mackenzie and me and Kara, and everything would be okay… But they’re happy. My dad, Britney, her mom, they’re all happy and lacking in secret wishes or desires. My mom probably believes she left a bad relationship and is doing fine as well.

If I kill Eli, then all of them would be suffering again. Lost friends, lost children… It’s nothing but a terrible cycle where people keep hurting each other because they’ve lost someone or can’t attain what they truly want. I should just let them be happy and ignorant forever. It’s not right for me to take that away from them.”

Trill let her rant and weep against him, but he didn’t understand her problem. “You exist.” He pushed her away and gently cupped her cheek. “You still exist. Would you end yourself now simply to keep them happy?” She shook her head. “Then what?”

“I d-don’t know,” she said as looked away from him.

“You would have the option of traveling with me.”

And all she would have to look forward to is an existence of watching people destroy themselves. “I don’t want that.” She pulled her arm away as he went to grab it. “I didn’t give you permission to drink my blood whenever you wanted it.”

“It will make you feel better.”

Though it was initially revolting, there was something oddly addictive to the dust in his veins. “You’re only doing it to change me.”

“Because you’ll need that strength.” He frowned as Julia pushed him away from her. “You cannot make a life for yourself without taking out your foe. The only choice is to stay by my side, and for that to happen, you will need my powers.”

“Why do you even continue down this path? You said before it was your religion, but I’ve never heard of anything like it.” She pulled her knees up to her chest and moved to the far end of the couch.

Trill smirked to himself. “The god I worshiped fell out of favor thousands of years ago. We fell into a torpor, and it was not until someone uncovered my ritual that I was allowed to thrive again. As long as I continue to do my ritual, my god may yet reward me.”

“That’s not a very good explanation,” she replied. That was all information she could have easily come up with herself.

“Magic only appears to be magic as long as it remains mysterious,” he retorted in a hateful tone. She replied with a frown. “My god was once a human girl. I do not know how she came about her abilities but became a god of greed. She would help humans achieve their desires, and they would often die miserable deaths once they stepped outside of what was respectable.

Seeing those suffer did not please my god, thus she chose me to take her place at rituals. I, who was not born human, was given this form. I do not take sympathy on those who perform the ritual. I give them what they desire most without caring about what is best for them. If they were to fall, that is the laws of either nature or society running their course.

However, the cities were burned to the ground, and the gods were cast out. Without their worship, they faded to the underworld, where all is destined to rot until they are dust before becoming nothing at all. Yet I, a non-human in a human underworld, persisted. I waited until it was time for my ritual to be cast again, and I will continue to perform my duties for my god until she rises again.” His jaw tensed up. There was anger in his voice as he spoke, which was unusual since he rarely showed any emotion other than amusement. “I exist. I will continue to exist, and there is no reason for me to abandon my duty.”

Julia watched as he huffed and puffed in an attempt to calm himself. “... You continue, despite your god being dead?”

“There are traces of her still in this world. She may still be out there,” he spat back. “What matters is that you and I exist. We should not be forced to choose to return to nothingness when we have done nothing wrong.”

Trill pounced on her, and she would have let out a yelp had he not clamped his hand over her mouth. Ash overtook them, and suddenly they were balancing precariously on a tree branch nearby a window. He leaned towards her ear and whispered quietly in it.

“Take heed to how loud you are. He has performed the ritual, thus we cannot remain invisible to him.”

Julia glanced over to the window and saw Eli sitting at a desk. He was working at a computer, occasionally rubbing at his face in order to keep himself awake. The house he lived in was outdated. Part of it sagged, the curtains were faded, and Eli’s room was covered in faded wallpaper.

“Why are we here?” She whispered the moment Trill moved his hand.

His reply was to put his hand over her mouth again. “Look at him.”

She pushed his hand away and looked at Eli. He was still glowing brightly. Despite thinking he was safe from Julia, and getting Mackenzie’s scholarship, he wasn’t happy. Eli wanted more. There was a spot in Stanford that he wanted, and from there he wanted to be a doctor.

It didn’t matter to him if people got in his way. Whatever field he chose, he would never have to worry about competition. Everyone would simply forget about those who were better than him. Eli would be able to afford to fix up the house for his parents. Better yet, he could have his dad return.

So many ambitions were floating about his head that Julia began to gag. She felt sick looking at him. Before Eli could notice their presence, Trill whisked them back to Julia’s room. Julia sat on the floor this time, shaking her head back and forth while covering her mouth with her hand.

“He’s not going to stop… He’s going to keep going until someone figures it out, and even that’s not enough to be able to stop him.”

“You are being given the choice,” said Trill. He knelt down on the floor next to her. “You can either let those alive live in bliss, or you can avenge those who are dead. By doing so, you will also save his future victims. Countless others who would suffer at his hands.”

Julia wrapped her arms about herself. She wouldn’t be better than the others that Trill had helped. The man who murdered with thread, the woman who brainwashed a lover, or the two who were no doubt now fighting for the affections of their professor. All of them were terrible people, Eli included, but… She didn’t want to be like them.

“I don’t…”

“Mackenzie,” said Trill in a cold tone. “How many more will you allow to become like Mackenzie?”

“Ah…” The girl she loved, but could no longer remember… What would Mackenzie say if she saw her now? Julia honestly had no idea, and a part of her was terrified by that fact. “... Alright… Alright, fine. I-I’ll stop him. I think I know how to do it, but I am going to need your help.”

“I am limited in what I can or cannot do. You should know this. You are the same.”

“It will be fine,” she said with a nod. “I know exactly what to do.”