It was in the quiet moments that the mind would seek deeper meaning to life. Freed from the concerns relevant to simple daily existence, the true mind sought an even higher truth. What was the reason for existence? What was the purpose of the life that was currently led? Was there more to everything, or was everything experienced so far, the exact and only truth with no hidden subtext?

In the depths of Scott’s mind, a chaotic maelstrom of thoughts and sounds assaulted his senses. His current life, his ancient past, and the effects of the ambrosia all whirled together to create an aberrant dream state. He saw things that may never be, might already have been, or may even currently happen to be. He witnessed worlds untold, a kaleidoscope of variations of himself scattered across not just the cosmos he had known, but a seeming infinity of unrelated realities. Only one thing remained as a standard. There was the ‘Scott’.

Sometimes the Scott had blue hair. Sometimes it was black, or red. It almost seemed that his hair color matched his purpose in a given existence. Blue of some hue or another was most common, but there were a small number of variations. There were even a few instances of a normal hair color, but in those kaleidoscopic images those Scotts seemed almost to be asleep despite living their lives normally.

His eyes, unlike his hair, seemed almost invariably to be green, gold, or red. The Scott’s who slept might have brown eyes, or perhaps even blue, but once the part of the story that was their reality began things began to change for them. In a few of the darker endings they might become black, but that seemed an aberration.

His face changed from reality to reality. His body shifted and changed even more. The eyes and hair were constants almost like they existed along something of a spectrum.

It was too much. He began to lose himself in that sea of never-ending Scotts. Which one was he again? Was he any of them at all?

A gentle pressure began to exert itself. The tender warmth that accompanied that pressure became something of a beacon to him in that chaotic mental ocean.

Sweet pink lips pressed softly against the scorched flesh of a young man's shoulder. Eyes, blue as the azure sky and shining like the most vibrant and alluring sapphire, closed gently. Cerene released a gentle sigh, one of contentment and peace. For the first time in days uncounted she found a quiet moment to reflect.

Her savior, a man she had never met before, began to stir. Many of his dire wounds were healed by her tender mercies, but it was not enough. The damage was too extensive. His eyes alone were beyond her gentle salvation. His eyebrows had burned away, and the flesh of his face had melted into a macabre caricature of a man. The eyes that had seen her in danger and led him to her were sealed behind eyelids seared by magical flame. Without proper treatment, he would never see again.

Delicate fingers, long and slender well-tapered digits, slipped between her savior's calloused fingers. She held his hand softly and continued her long vigil. Cerene could have gone, could have run as she had been forced to do so many times in recent days. It seemed she had been born running away, she had done it so often.

She refused to abandon him. That was the simple truth of it.

A pained gasp escaped Scott's cracked lips; his body shuddered once then he sniffed at the air. A groan, an inarticulate pronouncement was the only thing that he could speak. He had yet to regain coherence.

"Don't hurt yourself further," whispered Cerene, before she kissed him gently between the eyes. Scott slowly settled down as her sweet blessing radiated through his head. The melted ruination of his face regained a slight bit more of its former nature. Her power was rapidly reaching the limits of what she could do for him, but with each sweet kiss he was healed a little more.

The morning wore on, Scott began to move once more. This time, he spoke as well. "What—What happened?"

Cerene smiled softly. "You saved me."

"Who? Where...?" he asked, his voice came as a croaking crackling sound that was as painful to hear as it was to utilize.

"My name is Cerene. We are in the Ancient Forest near the town of Olde, not far from the city of Autumn," she said in a gentle tone before she stroked his hair in a tender way.

Scott was quiet for a moment. Words were hard to form, and he was incredibly tired. When he spoke again it was with a slightly cleared tone of voice. "What's wrong with me? My body feels numb. I can't open my eyes."

Tears welled up in Cerene's eyes. "You took many severe injuries during your rescue attempt. They are beyond my ability to heal fully."

The quiet returned for a moment. Scott's chest rose and fell as he tried to comprehend her words. The silence was broken when he asked, "Are you alright?"

Her body spasmed once as a sob rose up within her. "You're concerned for me knowing that you have taken such terrible wounds?"

A single labored breath was taken before he asked, "Are you...?"

"I'm fine—" She squeezed his hand gently. "Thanks to you I was not claimed by that man."

The sound of labored breathing echoed softly through the clearing for a moment before Scott said, "Claimed? Who—was he?"

"Yes, he was a demon tamer. He caught sight of me and tried to force his claim on me," said Cerene, anger rising in her voice.

Scott would have blinked had his eyelids worked properly. "Demon—Tamer?"

She granted him a strange and curious look. "Yes, of course. You might know of us as demi-humans instead?"

Scott tried to sit up, but he found that he could not. His body did not respond well to his mental demands.

"Do not strain yourself!" she admonished him gently. "You'll make your injuries worse!"

Quieted by her tender command, Scott stopped struggling to rise. Instead, he chose to talk to her further. "What happened? Why was he after you?"

"How did I come to be in the woods alone, you mean?" she asked him curiously.

Silent breathing was his only response for a moment. When he did speak it was merely to say, "Yes," as though it were through an act of defiant will alone that he could manage that much energy.

Cerene closed her eyes and took a gentle breath to steady her nerve. "I was in my last year of high school when the awakening began. Everyone thought that it would subside, as it had begun late. As you know, it usually happens during puberty if it happens at all."

Scott remained silent. He had known no such thing. He did not have the energy to argue the point, however.

"My body began to change, to rapidly develop in the way that unfortunate girls must deal with when they become demons." She pressed one hand to her chest, and she sighed. "I went from a normal and scrawny girl of common appearance, to the sort of girl that made the boys of my school drool like idiots."

She removed her hand from her breast then shook her head. "I was taken out of school and put under medical surveillance for about a month. The changes stopped after a few days. They thought that I had gone into remission; that I would not change further."

A pained chuckle escaped her lips. "I was allowed to return to school. My body had undergone shocking changes. I was incredibly popular with the boys overnight. After a few days, I even found myself with my first boyfriend like, ever."

She laughed a little, a sad lonely little laugh. The self-deprecation was obvious in her tone and movements. "Scrawny little Cerene was dating the captain of the wrestling team. I had gone from just some goofy little flake of a girl who ate too much ice cream and loved boy bands so much that I believed them to be my secret boyfriends, to a creature that even the most popular boys in school wanted to spend time with almost overnight."

Her tone of voice caused Scott to instinctively squeeze her hand. Her eyes widened slightly, and a more genuine smile arose upon her lips for a brief moment. Slowly, her demeanor returned to one of self-flagellation before she spoke again. "I was an idiot, convinced myself into thinking that he liked me for more than just my ridiculous curves." She laughed once; a painful spiteful laugh aimed at herself. "He made me think that I was somehow special to him."

"Of course, it was not long before I found out that he was speaking all manner of lies about our relationship. I became known as the sort of girl who any boy could get for a burger and a few cheap lines." Her voice trailed off. Eyes cast down to Scott's chest, she briefly felt guilty. Here she was unloading her burdens on a man who was terribly injured on her behalf. Just one more reason she was worthless.

She waited for his recriminations. Cerene thought he would say or do something to show that she was wrong to continue. Instead, he merely squeezed her hand once more.

Once again, her eyes began to shimmer with unspent emotions. He didn't mind? Really?

"N-never mind that we had done nothing more than kiss and cuddle, and even those instances had been quite brief," she said in a slightly tremulous voice. He did not stop her, nor did he squeeze her hand. He seemed only to be waiting patiently for her to continue.

"I was the school slut. No one would believe otherwise except for my closest friends." Her eyes shimmered once more as those threatened tears began to fall. "It was not long after that when my remission suddenly ended, and I began to awaken once more."

Cerene sniffled a little as her tears fell. They splashed delicately against her savior's shoulder as she remembered her final days as a human being. "After I awakened completely, I was taken out of school. A few days later I overhead my parents speaking about what had to be done about me."

Scott's fingers squeezed hers once more. He was not even certain whether he was awake or dreaming. Such a story was fantastic beyond anything he had ever experienced in real life.

Her lips quivered gently, and a soft smile appeared once more. "You want to comfort me, even in your condition?"

It took incredible effort on his part, but Scott slightly inclined his head. The effort was not wasted. Her eyes widened slightly, and she sniffled once again. "It has been a while since someone cared enough to do that. I never expected to see that day come again."

"I know—" He gasped a little before he could continue. "I know what it is to be alone and unwanted," said Scott with much effort.

Her eyes closed upon hearing it. Her eyebrows trembled slightly, and she bit her lip a little. "Why..." Her voice cracked slightly as she finished her question. "Why did you save me?"

"You needed help," said Scott with little effort. Wasn't that enough of a reason?

She laughed a little, both surprised and a little confused. "I'm a demon. Who helps a demon?"

Scott was quiet for a time; he had his own confusion to deal with regarding the situation. He spoke softly when he answered her. "What kind of person –" He had to take a breath before he could continue. "—wouldn't help someone who was being attacked like that?"

"Most people," she answered, her words came a little too quickly and with far greater ease than Scott wanted to hear.

"Most people are assholes then," he said roughly.

A warm laugh rose up within her and she could not contain it. The light danced in her eyes once more and a sense of genuine joy filled the entirety of her being. "They are, aren't they?"

Scott's body bucked and heaved a little as he tried to laugh. The action made Cerene become frantic with worry for him. She chided him continuously for well over a minute and fussed over him.