Rai gazed into the pool as his lone follower strode through the forest dodging, attacking, and wounding monsters that the Deity couldn't sense. In fact, Rai wouldn't have been able to see Damien either if he didn't know where the boy was. Gods couldn't see those they weren't contracted to unless they were utilizing their element, after all. They had to search with their own power and stay focused on them, lest the mortal get away from their field of view. It was easier when one knew the name or home of the mortal, but for the little one sprinting through the mountain passes, it took all of Rai's concentration alone not to lose him.

"My, look at him run, what a coward. He's perfect for you," a feminine voice sneered from across the table.

Rai glared at Senra but didn't respond. He wasn't in the mood to mince words with her. His idiot follower had pushed their schedule months, years too early. Rai had been prepared to go down at any moment, sure, but still. They'd made the plan scant moments ago, why hadn't the boy waited a few hundred years to de-rail his life?

Still, it was impressive how he moved. Even that pet of his was... quick. Deadly when it needed to be. It even seemed to sense a few of the Shades on its own, without Rai's little follower feeding it information. Perhaps that beast had more use than they'd all originally thought...

"Oh! There it is! He's reached the point of no return. A bit reckless today, if I may add," Aery called out, multicolored eyes flashing in delight. "He really is a marvel to watch. So intelligent and powerful, even without your gift. I wonder how much you'd have to give him without planning to attach yourself?" she wondered aloud.

That was an excellent question, actually. How much would he have to give? The boy was talented beyond measure and clearly... well, unique. He knew things. A measly 10% would allow them to attach themselves to their follower at will during the enhanced state, but... would he be able to give only that percentage with the boy? He'd planned on that much, but now that he wondered...

Glancing across the pond, Rai stared at the woman who he hated most in this life, but grudgingly respected. She'd given more of herself to her follower than she let on, but now he began to wonder if that was because she was rebelling, or if she'd been forced to... Eventually, he decided there was no harm in asking.

"Senra," Rai spoke up, choosing to speed up the flow in this room so they could speak before the boy decided to commune.

He'd just sliced open his leg on a rock; maybe he'd heal it first.

"What?" she asked in an irritated tone, clearly having been waiting for him to continue while he watched the boy's struggles below.

After clearing his throat, Rai once again focused back on her.

"Truly, how much did you give the girl when she communed?"

Senra glared at him, having answered this question many times over from the others. She was about to lay into him it seemed, but after staring at him for a while, and perhaps noticing his sincerity at the question, she hesitated for only the briefest of moments. Then, she scoffed and gave him the answer she always gave.

"Five percent, on the dot as we are told to never go above. Do you think my answer would change after being asked so many times?" she asked with an eyeroll.

Rai sighed a bit. It was... troubling to him that her answer didn't ease his mind. If she had answered quickly... but...

He coughed and nodded, breaking eye contact as she harrumphed and looked away. He looked back at the pool, watching, waiting. And waiting. And-

"Rai, speed it back up please. This is dragging on," Geril asked.

"Right, sorry forgot," he replied, still a bit absent-minded as he flicked his hand.

"Are you excited? You get to slaughter Hellials on your first foray into the world. I bet you've been waiting for this for centuries," Adara inquired, grinning widely as her flame-red eyes shone with a bright intensity.

Rai nodded, a similar grin spreading across his face. It was an honest nod as he felt a surging expectation in his blood. He couldn't wait to rip through a host of them. He felt... Ecstatic. For the first time in years.

They all watched the reflection, waiting for the words they'd been so accustomed to hearing. None of them were sure who'd given the peons their code phrase this rotation, but everyone agreed it was too lengthy and more than a bit self-serving.

"Oi, what is he doing?" Drevil asked, eyes brightening and dimming their green according to his emotions. "Is he going to let them kill him?"

"It looks like they're... speaking," Ceris added.

"Yeah but he's pissing them off," Adara scoffed. "Really, that's not- oh hells, it looks like they're going to attack!"

"What is he doing," Geril mused, irritated. "If this boy screws up-"

His words cut short when everyone in the room gasped a bit and leaned back away from the pool as the young man's eyes seemed to look straight up at them suddenly, as if he could see each and every one of them there. Then, he spoke.

"Hey, you. Let's make a deal."

Silence filled the room as everyone stared down, mouths agape, as Rai felt nostalgia unexpectedly seep through his mind. Never in the history of this world's rotations had a Mortal ignored the chosen words so abruptly. And certainly, never in situations this incredibly dangerous. All the gods present were in such shock, they almost didn't realize what he'd been asking. And then, the specters they could barely make out, as if darkness had come alive, began to charge inward as a few garbled something out in a language none of them could understand. That was another oddity, further deepening their state of shock. They could understand the language of every corner of this world, so why hadn't they been able to understand that?

The pool slowed down as Ceria pointed at it.

"Rai, you best be going unless you're trying to let the young fellow die."

Snapping him back to reality with her wonderful voice, Rai cursed himself and slowed the pool further. The specters were a mere couple feet away from the boy's throat. If he delayed any longer, the boy would be ripped to pieces.

"And be careful not to injure the Fae," Geril added as Rai lept up, sprinting for one of the rooms many walls. "Though I'm sure no one would mind those abominations being given a few injuries..."

As Geril trailed off, Rai slipped through a wall out in the hallway. Sondra greeted him with a wave and a surprised face, having just rounded her desk to go collect him from the room. He ignored what she was saying while racing past her and into a wall nearest the desk, diving through it and ever downward. Sure, they weren't supposed to exactly kill anything intentionally through the summon, but if he struck the boy with enough force, it would blast everything back more than a few feet. He'd just have to be careful not to vaporize the boy, and the promising beast he had with him, lest the Fae become less than cooperative...

Like heaven's fury incarnate, Rai swam downward and slammed into the top of Damien's head, turning all of the specters in the immediate vicinity to ash. Those further than ten feet away were killed outright as well by the heat and shockwave that rippled outward, where those a bit further lived, though heavily injured. All in the area were blinded and even more deafened. It was a loophole, a technicality that allowed him to intervene like this due to the communion, especially considering the specters were not a race that their parent cared for. It allowed him to pretend he was simply testing his follower greatly in case it was scrutinized by those not at the pool, though to the others he'd just been speaking with, it was quite obvious what he'd done.

At least there wouldn't be anything alive nearby to witness it once this was finished.

The flash of white never dimmed from Damien's eyes and he thought for a moment that he might have gone blind. He wasn't so sure though... would everything be white or black? If a flash of lightning was bright enough to burn out his retinas...

Eventually, he realized he could still see his nose and if he looked around, the rest of his body. Still, he was confused about where he was, turning around multiple times before vertigo set in and he fell. Only, when he fell, he landed on his feet somehow which only made the vertigo worse, causing him to lose balance again. Every time he fell thereafter he landed securely on his feet, perpetually tipping over again and again.

He threw up twice, or at least he thought he did as the moment he threw up the vomit disappeared into nothing, before he eventually closed his eyes and hugged his head between his knees. Eventually the feeling of moving subsided and the ground settled itself, allowing him to take normal deep and anxious breaths while regaining his sense of balance. When he'd finally stopped wretching, a figure popped into place in front of him, standing at a right angle to Damien's sense of gravity. Only, it didn't surprise him this figure was there, it felt like he'd been there all along and Damien just hadn't noticed him.

"You play a dirty game," Damien sighed out, resting on his hands and knees as he stared at the non-existent ground.

The God, if that's what he was, standing before Damien said nothing, simply observing. Seconds passed, followed by minutes as Damien observed the man back. Pure silver skin, dark, grey and white crackling eyes, hair colored the same, and a white robe billowing behind him that also, once he'd seen Damien's eyes on it, quickly changed to grey. It almost made Damien laugh, how cliche'd the God of lightning and storms, Damien guessed, looked before him.

Almost.

"And you're damn lucky it was almost," the figure grunted. "I'd have sent you back dead in your flesh bag if you had laughed. Insulting my appearance... the heritage of lightning? Harnessing it?? Or as you like to call it, electricity?"

Damien's eyes widened as he looked at the man anew, stressed, wondering just how much the God knew about his life. If he could watch whenever he pleased, read minds, did he know Damien was fro-

'No, stop it,' Damien hissed at himself, causing the God before him to smirk as Damien played a plethora of random, inane sounds and noises across his mind to occupy it.

Under no circumstances could he let the from another world card slip. That was-

"Ah fuck," Damien grumbled, sitting back on his haunches as the man before him tilted his head in wonder.

Damien wasn't exactly adept at this sort of thing anyway, trying to hide his thoughts. It was bound to slip eventually. Maybe he could roll with it, maybe this guy-

"Shut up for a second," the God demanded, pointing a finger at Damien and quieting his brain with just a nudge, as if his mind had been shut off. "You, boy... you seem to genuinely believe that," he said, scratching at his grey beard as he assessed Damien. "I wonder if it is true, or if you are just insane. But how would you have arrived here, there are no means for a soul to be transported... unless incorrectly, but that..." the God muttered as Damien watched on, unthinkingly.

Quietly. As a mouse. Not a squea-

"God, you don't shut up, do you?" the man asked before him, shaking his head.

Apparently, Damien's mind had been freed to wander once again. It felt nice to be able to think again.

"I'm told the expression is Gods," Damien remarked sarcastically. "And you could stop listening in. Bit rude to intrude inside of me when I don't even know your name yet."

The man before him nodded, chuckling slightly. Whatever Damien had said seemed to amuse him. Perhaps another snide remark and he'd actually get a n-

"Don't get ahead of yourself. It was merely nostalgic. You reminded me of some of my former subjects on their second or third communes," the God explained, interrupting Damien's thoughts. "The first was always so reverential it was disgusting. But the second... the third... I was more active with them than the others were with their children. They were more accustomed to me. Also, because of you, I've been constantly reminded the expression is Gods myself. I seem to watch you too often, as you're the only follower worth my time of late."

Damien's head shot up in surprise. He'd had the full attention of this God for years and he was worried he might not pass his commune? He should have done it much earli-

"Don't get cocky, boy. I still haven't decided if I'm going to keep-"

"Would you stop interrupting me like that?" Damien asked, exasperated. "Do you know how hard it is to form a string of thoughts that aren't related to my own secrets?? Every time you interrupt a good string, it's like a giant spiderweb emerges in my mind that either leads to a rare good, helpful to me in this situation thought, or back to what I don't want to think or talk about. Let me form a single, coherent, useful thought, for God's sake."

"Its God," the God before him snidely commented, rolling his eyes as if he'd just won a huge argument.

Damien decided to ignore the comment, not bothering to touch upon how that correction was technically wrong in this world.

Ignoring the huff of discontent from the man before him, Damien continued wondering what to do. What he was supposed to do. He'd asked to strike a deal, but that... what could you give a God that they wanted in exchange for power? How did communing normally go, anyway? He didn't really want to make a deal, it just felt like those were the words that would resonate best at the time for some reason. Ultimately, Damien would rather have a normal, no-nonsense commune. No surprises, besides the statement he'd used.

"Yes, yes. Quite unique of you, coming up with your own little saying, by the way. I did quite enjoy the surprise on all of their faces. But anyway, enough dithering about. It's clear you lack respect, but I am willing to tolerate that because unfortunately for you I do, indeed, need something from you. We will either be making a deal here, or you will be leaving dead."

Damien stared up at... well, he still didn't have a name for the thing before him, but still stared upward in surprise. It was unfortunate that it wasn't going to end with a standard commune, but if the God needed something, Damien could use that. He'd have expected a God to be more secretive, keep his cards close to his chest and such. But now that... nameless entity-

Damien sighed. He decided he was going to designate the thing Sparky until he received a proper introduction. But, now that Sparky had admitted to needing-

Space distorted slightly as the floor slipped out from beneath him and Damien felt his body hit a new ground. Splayed on his back now, he looked upward and met the swirling, irritated eyes of the God above him. Swirling because his head had hit the ground quite hard.

"How DARE you?! I am a God, you will address me by my title and name or suffer the-"

"What is your name then?!" Damien practically yelled, head pounding. "You're reading my thoughts! Not what I end up saying. I'm sorry if my brain isn't subservient enough for you, but as we recently just divulged, I'm not exactly from here. Call me skeptical!"

The being before him seemed to waver, confused, while Damien felt a bit satisfied at his indecision. A Human had just yelled at him AND interrupted him, but even a God had to see the flawed logic in yelling at Damien to call him a name he'd yet to give. It made sense at least, but it still seemed to irk the God before him.

"Rai, God of Lightning and Storms," the God grumbled out after more than twenty seconds of silence. "Does that satisfy you, Mortal?"

Damien nodded, causing a dull throbbing to wrack his injured head. Gathering himself, he refocused his spinning eyes on the God before him.

"And I'm Damien. It's nice to meet you, Rai, God of Lightning and Storms," Damien said, nodding his head slightly to the elder being before him.

'A little flattery may not hurt.'

"What exactly is it you need from me? I'm guessing you understand what I need."

"Power, obviously. All mortals ask for it," Rai stated, rolling his eyes as he spat those words out. "I'd been done with that but, due to certain circumstances, there's been a... complication of sorts. Whereas this normally ends with me giving you some of my power and sending you on your way, I believe another arrangement is in order. One that would benefit both of our interests."

'So that's why he's acting so affable,' Damien thought, receiving an eye roll from the God in exchange. "What do you need?"

Rai stared expressionlessly across the gap between the two for a moment before shrugging and beginning to explain, to Damien's surprise.

"One of our brothers has left. I intend to track him down and bring him back. He is wreaking havoc on the world and must be stopped. He is the one in charge of those specters that were chasing you earlier, in fact."

"The Shades?" Damien asked, eyebrows raising. "That's a God?"

"No, that's not a God you-" Rai started, pausing himself briefly before doing what Damien believed to be a sigh. "That's not a god. It's... complicated. A combination of his workings along with one of our older, dead brother's followers, hidden in this world."

Damien stared at him blankly for a few moments before deciding to take the words at face value.

"So why do you need me?"

"I can't track down those 'Shades', as you call them. I can't see them as I do you. But for whatever reason, they are attracted to you. I would have you guide me to them and thereby, guide me to Ventis, our brother."

Damien nodded to that. They were having family drama and wanted to use him to get a rebellious sibling back home. It seemed reasonable, maybe even almost practical due to his specific skill set. But to guide...

"Do you mean you'd-"

"I'd be traveling inside of you on the rare occasion, until the need to bring my body to the physical realm surfaced," Rai clarified before he'd finished asking.

Damien had questions about what traveling inside him meant, but otherwise... it didn't sound like too much to ask. Perhaps a bit underplayed by the entity, but not exactly unreasonable. Unless he had a ridiculous timeframe like spending the next one hundred years on this alone, though even in that event it would be worth it if he could save-

Damien bit his cheek hard enough to draw blood in an attempt to interrupt his thoughts. He'd given away too many details of how far he'd be willing to go for this trade already without even opening his mouth very often. Controlling his wandering thoughts was not something he'd ever practiced, and it was ruining his bargaining position at the moment.

"Don't fret, mortal," Rai said with a small wave of his arm, "I have my own interests as well, which is the reason I am the one who chose to descend. I'd like to sightsee and... massacre as many of those infernal winged creatures as I can get my hands on due to a personal vendetta. The ones you were fighting earlier, that is, along with those 'Shades' of yours. Our interests align."

A bit of relief flooded through Damien at that.

"However, I can only do something like that when you are, as you Mortals say, 'communed' and I'm in control of your body."

Damien's brows knit.

"When you're in control? What exactly does that mean, would I be unable to control myself or regain control?"

Rai shook his head lightly, floating around Damien in a circle slowly as he continued the conversation.

"I could only take control if you allowed it or lost consciousness in a way that left your body, brain included, largely able to function. As a God, I'm only allowed to interfere with the world at large if you let me... have a little fun now and then, in the coachman's seat, if you will. My form when descended will look like this and can apprehend Ventis, but for interfering with your Mortal related conflicts, I must be utilizing a Mortal body with a Mortals restrictions. It goes against our rules to interfere with the planet as Ventis and Charna did. Does that make sense to you?"

Damien... nodded reluctantly, but continued following the God in his trip around him, unsure if he should take the man's words at face value. If he really allowed that to transpire, how would he even know whether or not he could maintain control of his own bod-

"It is accustomed to your soul. If you will it, I would lose control, free to send my mind to my other form but no longer able to manipulate yours," Rai added, interrupting Damien again.

'Free to send his mind to his other form...'

"And how do I know you're not lying? Do you have anything that-"

"You accuse me of lying outright?" Rai asked, standing tall behind Damien as he took a few gravity-defying yet dangerous and confident strides forward, applying an invisible pressure to Damien's chest. "Humans lie. We Gods always keep our word."

"You are right, Humans lie all the time," Damien responded with a nod. "Which, I might add, is why I'm fairly nervous that the gods, who created us, might do the same. Is there anything you'd swear on?" Damien asked.

The God stared at Damien for a long while, seemingly battling his desire to lash out at Damien for the slight while considering his logic. Damien agreed he was being a bit inflammatory all things considered, but he couldn't let Rai bulldoze his way through the discussion. It seemed like if he allowed it, the timeless man would list his demands, tell Damien he had no choice and that he should be blessed for this opportunity, and take over his body before he had any say. Which might work on a normal habitant of Eleria that believed it all, but Damien at least wanted confirmation that he'd be somewhat protected if he could.

Eventually, Rai sighed and nodded his head.

"I would swear on my brother Verita. Or as you know him, the God of Truth. Would that suffice?" Rai grumbled out, appearing unhappy, though his eyes told another story.

Damien sat still for a moment deliberating before nodding. It was something everyone he'd met trusted when making pacts; if the man before him was willing to go that far...

"So, for your aide, I'm supposed to allow you to... parade around in my body every-so-often and assist you in tracking down another God, is that the gist of what you want?" Damien asked.

The God nodded.

"That sums up my needs, yes."

"With no discernable time frame on this?" Damien added.

"Within the next couple hundred years is preferable, up to one thousand years," Rai said after a moment of deliberation.

"And in return, you would help me find Alexa?" Damien confirmed.

This was the main reason he was communing at the moment, anyway. If the God couldn't help him here, what was the point?

"I would slaughter each of the beings that was responsible for the abduction," Rai stated with an intensity that wasn't lost on Damien.

Damien bobbed his head in response, opening his mouth to ask another question.

"Her living takes priority but... details for later, how long would your goals take to achieve?"

"However long it need take, Mortal. A month... a year. Twenty. Though, I see it taking no longer than a few months were we to truly focus on the task."

Damien nodded his head back and then sat down on the floor beneath him, wondering idly when the stone was conjured. He hadn't even noticed the surroundings had changed but when glancing around, he found they were sitting inside a warmly lit log cabin. Damien, on the floor, and Rai on a violet chair near a crackling fireplace.

"Do I gain any other benefits out of all of this?" Damien finally asked, before clarifying. "Like the strength of a normal commune, or?"

The God before him let slip a slight twitch of his left eye, betraying a bit of irritation before smiling wide and gesturing outward with his arms.

"But of course, you'd get more power than a regular commune would grant you. If saving your lover wasn't enough, I will add more to my side of the bargain. Yes... how about this. The most glorious blessing of all! You get to remember, boy. This, the Gods, my name, my reason... you get to remember it all while we are together. You get my help in training, you get my help in this tricky situation you've found yourself and your family in, and though I will not allow you to share your findings with the world, you alone will be allowed to understand the true nature of those who rule this planet, in addition to much more power as any normal being would be granted from a commune!"

Damien stared at the man before him, seemingly glowing with self-righteousness, then brought his eyes downward to think again. The God had proclaimed it all as if it were the most prestigious thing he could have offered Damien and true, if he were some devout follower or believer in his Element, or perhaps if he'd been born on this planet, ignorant of the few things he knew through his unique circumstances, that alone would be tempting. Moving forward with a deity deigning to teach him....

Damien lifted his eyes to meet the God's confident stare before opening his mouth to respond.

Rai watched the Human before him, irritated, impressed, and feeling oddly nostalgic. He'd expected the boy to panic more, or at least be thrown off by the situation he'd found himself in, yet he here sat before him, defiant, rude, short, calculating, intelligent, and even a bit demanding. If it were any of his old followers, the chance to have Rai travel alongside them for months and even save their family would have been an honor only they would be worthy of, yet this ant before him...

Rai took a deep breath, careful not to let it show on his body. Conversations like this required tact; he could not let the boy know he was irritated. He wasn't just any usual follower either, Rai told himself. For all he had been rude, the boy claimed to be from another world. If that were true, it meant his plans needed to be adjusted. He'd originally thought he would get what he wanted straight away - the boy being in a bit of a rough place. Rai thought he could use that as a backup to get him to agree almost instantly, but that hadn't been the case either. Reverance and panic had both failed and now, Rai was a bit worried. When a Mortal came calling, the Gods could intervene in their life at that point, kill or let go, give strength or send back empty-handed, but only if the follower agreed. More than once, rare sure, but it had still happened where they'd denied the gift of communing. Those Mortals were killed for the offense, but Rai couldn't do that here. He needed to make sure this didn't go sour. He needed this one.

So, he put a smile on his face while he awaited the boy's response. Saving her' favorite follower as part of their deal put a horrible taste in his mouth, but at least he'd be able to use that to get his wishes from-

"No."

"Excellent, then shall we-"

Rai paused as his smile froze on his face. Taking another deep, deep breath to stabilize his mood, he met the boy's face.

"My boy, I'm certain I heard wrong. Did you just tell me no?"

The mortal radiated confidence for a moment before anxiousness tore through his mind almost immediately, mind going from uncharacteristically blank to a whirlwind of thoughts.

"Well, yes, but I meant not yet, not no entirely. I just... don't trust how vague you're being. You could potentially leave yourself in me for the rest of my life, a little vacation body for you to pop into whenever you wanted, gaining information. I don't like that. And you said I'd only remember for the time we're together? What does it mean when you leave? Will I die when our contract ends? Will you erase my memories? Will I be free, a slave? Will there be another clause added on in case I don't want these things to happen?"

Rai scowled internally at how thoroughly the boy had thought through this within the limited amount of time they'd had together. It happened on occasion with other followers from time to time, he remembered Geril complaining about this just the other year from a promising one he'd had to kill. It was like he'd been prepared for a deal, not a-

"Let's make a deal indeed," Rai muttered to himself.

"What?"

Everything the Mortal had said were things he should definitely be concerned about, but he couldn't very well explain to him that they planned to claim his mind after the arrangement. If he did, he doubted the boy would agree, lover be dammed. Perhaps he should resort to threats here, then. It would make cooperating with the boy a pain in the future, but if he was going to be difficult...

'People like you are the reason we leave these contracts so open-ended in the first place, boy.'

"As of now, I am keeping our time here sped up so only a few moments will have passed between the moment you came here and the moment I send you back, boy," Rai scowled out. "Keep trying my patience and see how that changes. It hasn't been unheard of, a conversation between peasant and God taking months. Would you have me explain every detail of-"

"No, no, that's not what I want. I doubt I'd agree if I... listened to the specifics of this arrangement, and I have half a mind to agree to your terms as is to save Alexa," the Mortal interrupted again.

Rai felt a headache coming on.

"Then what do you want?" he asked through a clenched jaw, irritated that he'd been impressed for a second only for the mortal to be willing to the arrangement as is.

"Easy. I want a couple of extras. I wish this were a normal instance, and you simply offered me your power and let me go about my business like it happens with everyone else who communes, but then again, maybe we never hear about special circumstances because... well, anyway," the Mortal prattled on as Rai became increasingly more annoyed. "I just want a few bonus things to make the most use of our time together."

"And if I refuse?" Rai asked.

The Mortal shrugged.

"You're using my body as a vessel. I could say no outright, and I'm sure that would put your plans on hold. After all, I haven't met a single other Lightning user in all my years of living. If you let me go back without any power, I'd probably fail to save Alexa and die, but you wouldn't be letting me ask questions and humoring me if you didn't need me. But don't worry, I won't say no here unless you outright refuse to let me retrieve her. Just, if you're not at least willing to listen to my proposal, I feel like we'd have a bad relationship for the amount of time you'll be inside me. What does it really cost you, giving me a few extra reassurances?" he finally finished.

Rai agreed, again, with his reasoning, despite not wanting to, another wave of nostalgia assaulting his mind. It would be... difficult to retrieve Ventis without this Mortal's help, and even more so if he were actively trying to inhibit the process. He was smart enough to realize Rai specifically needed him, regardless of the other God's intents. Not to mention, if the boy didn't allow it, Rai wouldn't be allowed to interfere with the world how he pleased.

Eventually, Rai audibly sighed and nodded, making eye contact with the Mortal again.

"I will listen, then. But I will make no guarantees to your wishes at the present moment."

The Mortal smiled.

"Awesome. I just... ok. Promise me a few things on the God of Truth or Vertia or... whatever.

"Verita."

"Verita. One, that you can't take over my body or otherwise control me without my consent or my being incapacitated yet still able to physically function. Two, that you can't incapacitate me, or won't, in the manner spoken above. Three, that you'll not leave yourself attached to me for longer than a year no, two years to do your task. If it takes longer for some reason or another, we can... I don't know, re-negotiate the terms of our deal, but no staying around after this is dealt with. And last, promise me that I won't lose my memory or life after you part," he finished, holding up a hand with four fingers while smiling at Rai.

Rai chuckled lightly before shaking his head.

"The first three I can promise, but not the last," Rai stated, shrugging.

The Mortal deflated while his mind speculated all the reasons why he'd been denied, though Rai wasn't planning on cutting in or explaining it. He hadn't been expecting the conversation to go this way and definitely hadn't wanted it to. If times weren't desperate, Rai might even be worried that the boy would say no, though he'd receive a death threat for it. But now, he basically knew that Rai would clean his thoughts after the contract ended, yet he was still trying to work around details, desperate to find a way through the situation at hand while on his back foot. Though, at this point, Rai didn't exactly want to take everything from this boy for the Mother yet. Keeping him as a follower would be int-

"Then, three more things, and I can't accept without the first. I'd like you to promise me I'll live at the end of this for as long as my life would go on had you not interfered, that my personality or mentality won't be altered in any way by you or those related to you during the duration of our contract, and... how about, since I get mind-wiped at the end of it, you satisfy my curiosity once a week until then? Answer any question I have truthfully."

Rai lifted an eyebrow, poking holes in the statement. Just live meant he could leave him paralyzed, incapacitated, mostly broken with a shred of his former self inside... not that he exactly planned to right now, but the boy was extending too much trust to Rai's interpretation, likely as a show of good faith. The second condition was already a guarantee, put in place as a balance by his brothers and sisters to limit one another's power on Eleria. You either killed the follower, let them go, or gave them a small amount of power; you were not allowed to tweak them into a walking version of you, fulfilling your needs.

The third condition, however, any question asked once weekly to a God... That was dangerous, but also an easy olive branch to extend to the child for his utmost cooperation. Give him this and manipulate the answers however Rai needed to in the future, as a perceived show of goodwill... What with him restricting the boy's ability to talk to anyone of this and being effectively wiped at the end of their arrangement, it wasn't too dangerous all said and done. Geril would probably, no, definitely, be outraged if he knew Rai was planning to agree, but he needed the Mortal to be amicable while they worked together to get what he personally wanted. Just giving into the conditions as is irked him in a way he couldn't quite explain, though.

"The first I can guarantee," Rai eventually nodded, noticing how the boy seemed overtly relieved to the words, likely no longer caring about the second condition. "The second is already a guarantee put in place by the... powers that be. The third, however, is quite the request you are tacking on. Any question truthfully answered of a God... Interesting. You have intrigued me today, boy, by thinking and questioning me in a way that has me equal parts impressed and irritated. I'll change that question to a monthly occurrence, with topics outside of this realm forbidden unless I decide to answer the question myself. Let me remind you, I will not permit you to speak of our contract or anything we have discussed here with any Elerian other than the Fae you keep with you. No written records, no spoken word, no spelled words or messages left behind, no communication of any kind detailing this to any other than the Fae. It will result in discomfort if you try, and extreme pain should you continue trying. Is that acceptable?"

The Mortal was a bundle of thoughts, mainly focused around distrust and wariness, but Rai was already grinning as he'd finished his statement. He knew the boy would agree, having already heard it from his mind. He was wary, as he should be. Distrusting, but ultimately resigned to his fate, willing to give up all in exchange for his lover. Once Rai had promised he'd live afterward, all resistance had entirely disappeared in fact. Something of a pact with the Fae he lived with... the details weren't important.

Rai met the boy's eyes as he nodded and held out a hand.

"Then we have a deal, M-" he started, deigning to accept touching the young man's hand.

"Is there any way I can get you to promise I at least retain my memories and personality from before this agreement at the end?" the boy asked, hand moving backward slightly. "They'd kill me if I didn't at least try."

Rai took a deep breath, hanging his head lightly while complaining about mortals in his mind. After a full ten seconds had passed, he lifted his head once again to meet the dark grey eyes before him.

'A good color.'

"I will promise you not be returned to a husk of a man, but how much I take is entirely up to me. Do we have a deal, Mortal?" Rai responded, heavily implying with his words and overall pressure that this was his last chance to accept.

The young man smiled lightly and nodded, holding his hand out at length once again.

"My name is Damien, and I believe we do," he responded.

"Very well, Damien."

Rai grabbed the boy's hand as their soul's linked up temporarily. It began to travel through their hands slowly at first, increasing in speed as more and more of the God continued into the other body.

Shaking his head internally, he discarded the boy's name in an attempt not to become attached. This conversation had already reminded him of the days when he played with his own followers, and that was a dangerous road to go down. The name would have no meaning a few years from now, anyway. He was simply a Mortal; a tool for the Gods to use when convenient, to be disposed of when no longer necessary.

Kastra's world went white for a few moments before her eyes refocused on the world around her. Looking down, she was hovering a few feet above Damien who was sitting cross-legged on the floor. To their right, Emra sat, unharmed and attentively staring at him. Around them, desolation. The rocks had become magma everywhere around a five-foot circle of normal stone, centered on Damien. The surrounding air was heating up like they were standing next to a raging inferno, inciting Kastra to cast a barrier around them quickly before cooling the inside of it down with a bit of ice manipulation. Feeling outward, she noted that none of the closer Shades had survived the bolt that somehow left her completely unharmed.

"Why did... How... much more than... what are you-" Damien said from below, attracting Kastra's attention and concern.

His voice sounded disjointed and awkward, warbling, as if he were speaking underwater and as himself at the same time. Kastra's chest tightened instantly as she swooped low and hovered in front of his face, reaching out to touch his cheeks as she met his eyes and she inhaled sharply. Emra began to growl deeply, hackles rising on her white fur as she became suddenly alert to Damien's presence.

"You're back?" she asked, unsure of what, or who she was asking.

No longer the grey, red, and silver they usually were, now his eyes were clouded over. Like the center of a storm, his pupils were surrounded by a vortex of different shades of grey, as if the sky above them was reflected in and circling the center of his eyes. Lightning bolts flickered across the black center and around the outside of them as they swirled angrily.

His eyes flicked upward as she met his gaze, but they didn't return to normal. For a moment, she feared what was before her, for it felt nothing like Damien. But then his eyes lit up in a smile, regaining their usual appearance, and his hands caught her feet playfully. She sighed in relief, knowing he was there.

Emra snarled angrily at his quick movement of touching her, causing both of them to look at the slyphen with surprise. She was crouched low and growling in their direction, eyes locked on Damien.

"Sorry about that," he said, slowly setting her on his shoulder and chuckling lightly. "Apparently, God needed to be reminded who was in charge."

Making eye contact with an enraged Emra, Damien slowly extended his hand forward until she snapped at him, lightning dancing around her form in a threatening manner. Kastra stood up abruptly, confused.

"Hey baby, its ok, come here honey daddy's fine," Damien began, using the voice that usually comforted her, but instead of plowing into his chest like she normally did, the lightning stopped and she began pawing at the ground with uncertainty.

Alternating between whimpering and growling, the slyphen began pacing around the two of them, moving forward and sniffing his hand before leaping back and snarling once again. Once far enough away, her hackles dropped and rose over and over again, crying and baring her teeth whenever he moved closer.

"I don't..." Damien started, confused.

He stood up, which caused her to leap to the edge of their safe circle, lightning flaring up again and extinguishing just as fast while looking over her shoulder, then up at Kastra, back over her shoulder, and again at Kastra. Flying over and landing in between the slyphen's laid back ears, Kastra felt some of her muscles immediately unclench more than they were before, growling less but still equal parts wary of and wanting to go over to Damien.

"Because you communed?" Kastra suggested keeping an eye on the Shades that had lived, congregating fifty feet away.

"She's not afraid of Alexa though," Damien responded accusingly, hurt from Emra's rejection and only growing more so when he mentioned Alexa's name. "Maybe-"

"Brother, it's been so long. What brings you here?" a single voice hissed out from the Shades, entirely different from anything Kastra had heard from them before.

All three of their bodies went rigid as Kastra turned to view the new presence she sensed, Emra seeming to forget about Damien for the moment, growling at this new presence with increased vigor.

"It has been. You have made this far easier than it should have been, Ventis."

Emra yelped underneath Kastra as she lept out of the barrier, bounding to the area near the forest they'd initially emerged from. She suddenly stopped, as if forgetting something, whirling around and taking a step toward what Kastra hoped was still Damien while growling and whimpering, refusing to move closer than twenty feet and further than thirty from the man.

Floating away from Emra to get a better look, the slyphen followed underneath her warily as she confirmed his left eye was swirling like a thunderstorm once again, while his right remained as it had been when they'd woken up that morning.

His right eye met her two and he smiled lightly, shrugging while gesturing to his body with his hands.

"The deal didn't go too well."