Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Cosmic Revelations Over Tea

“I’m all ears.” Louise took off her yellow helmet and stretched her back before holding it under one arm. Her other helmet, the red spare she’d used as an impromptu mace, dangled from her hand.

“Did you figure something out?” asked Enid.

“I guess you can say that.” Valen looked at the burning wreckage that used to be Louise’s motorcycle, the pig monstrosity disintegrating in the flames alongside the chances of anyone believing what happened there. “But first off.”

Valen approached Enid and cupped her face in his hands.

“Valen?” Enid stared up at him with her one visible eye wide with incredulity. “What are you…?”

Her voice trailed off when Valen brushed off the deep scarlet hair that hid her left eye from him. The eyepatch bangs always made her look kind of cool and mysterious, but it was a shame how they hid just how beautiful she really was.

Her dainty face was like finely crafted porcelain without so much as a pimple to tarnish its almost uncanny perfection. Her supple lips frowned slightly agape at him in confusion, revealing glimpses of the pristine white pearls she had for teeth. Both her usually half-closed eyes stared wide open at his own black-reds, their icy blue hue suddenly taking on an air of bewildered innocence he’d never seen from her before. Unexpected to be sure, but Valen was just glad they weren’t ruptured.

“Umm…” Louise looked back and forth between Valen and Enid. “Do you two need a room?”

“You don’t seem to have any injuries.” Valen turned Enid’s head to the left, then right to examine if her ears were bleeding. “But you might still have a concussion or haemorrhaging. Are you feeling okay? Any nausea, sharp pains, or general feeling of tiredness?”

“Huh? What?” Two seconds after the words left her mouth she realised what Valen was doing and her frown deepened along with the half-closing of her eyelids. “Oh. I’m fine.”

She sounded almost disappointed to not have any life threatening injuries.

“Oi!” cried Louise. “Aren’t ya worried about me too?”

Valen was pretty sure she was fine. Any injuries she did get would’ve been covered by her innate healing factor anyways.

Still, he made a show of examining her face in his pale hands as well, having to bend his knees a good deal to make up for the height difference. Aside from her snow white hair being a bit matted from its time in a sweaty helmet and the annoyingly smug grin on her face, she didn’t look any worse for wear.

“You’re fit as a fiddle, Lou.” Valen stopped examining her face and tousled her white hair, an offence punishable by dismemberment for anyone else.

“Ahem.” Enid cleared her throat with a hand on her hips. “What was that you said about knowing what the hell is going on?”

“Not here,” said Valen, his voice turning grim. “Too many ears out here in the open. We need to go somewhere private.”

Enid furrowed her brow and brushed her scarlet bangs back to cover her left eye. “You’re not going to call the police?”

“Not this time.” Valen was fairly certain they wouldn’t believe what he had to say and him getting thrown into the loony bin wasn’t going to help any of them. “There’s nothing they can do to help us.”

Louise scoffed. “About time you realised the bobbies can’t be trusted.”

“Valen, what brought this on?” Enid asked.

“I’ll explain later,” said Valen. “But first we have to get out of here.”

“What, flee the crime scene?”

“Trust me,” said Louise. “Nobody’s going to care about what happens here. They’ll just chalk it up to an accident and maybe clean this shit up because they can’t be arsed to care. Honestly, it’s almost as bad as the Nocturnal District.”

“Are you sure about this?” asked Enid, her one visible eye fixed on Valen.

“Yes,” said Valen. “And we don’t have time to lose.”

There was a pause before Enid nodded. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m going to trust you.”

She walked over to the beeping wreckage of her car. She put her hands on her hips and looked at it up and down, from front to back. Aside from the crushed up front, it seemed to be in more or less working condition. She could reasonably drive it down the road, though not without gaining some much unneeded attention.

“What’s she doing?” Louise asked.

“She’s an alchemist,” said Valen. “You’ll see.”

After a few seconds, Enid seemed satisfied with her cursory examination.

“Alright.” She nodded to herself. “I can work with this.”

She got into the driver’s seat and pulled down the glove compartment. After rummaging through the random knick knacks inside it, she pulled out a long stick of silver chalk that had only ever been lightly used.

Enid backed the car out in the middle of the road before coming out again with the chalk in hand. In one continuous stride, she drew a perfect silver circle on the ground around her car. When it was finished, she got to work drawing the proper symbols needed for her spell.

“Steel, aluminium, magnesium, cuprum, polythene…” she continued muttering the periodic elements under her breath as she drew their corresponding symbols around the inner line of her alchemical circle.

When it was finished she clapped her hands together, causing sparks of bright blue electricity to light up around them. She pressed her electrified hands against the chalk and the entire circle and all the symbols within it lit up with crackling blue light like a neon sign in the dark.

The smashed up car at the circle’s centre morphed within the maelstrom of magical energy. Metal creaked and groaned as dents shifted back into place. Cracks on the windshield seamlessly faded back into the glass. The sputtering engine calmed down to a steady hum.

But the transmutation didn’t just fix the car. Even after the damages had been repaired, Enid kept her hands on the transmutation circle. Her alchemical magic slowly converted the ultra luxury car that was a status symbol by the one percent into an aggressively plain sedan that would be rendered invisible in any traffic congestion or parking lot.

Once the transformation was finished, Enid lifted her hand from the circle and the chalk used to draw it disintegrated into fine silver smoke.

“Neat trick,” said Louise, trying her best to not sound impressed.

“It’s just basic alchemy.” Enid got into the driver’s seat and strapped on her seatbelt. “Changed the exterior too so we’ll be harder to detect. Now get in. I know somewhere private for us to discuss whatever it is we need to discuss.”

Valen went straight for the shotgun seat. Louise offered no protest and settled in the backseat. She never said it aloud, but she hated sitting in the front of cars. The seatbelts tended to choke her being as short as she was.

Enid drove into the first alleyway out of Hope Street, entering a busy main road where the plain chassis of their car blended seamlessly into the busy background of speeding cars and flashing lights.

“Hey, Valen,” said Enid at a red light. “Can I borrow your phone for a sec?”

“Sure.” Valen handed her his phone. It was scratched up, red, and already outdated by a few years, but it still worked and that was all that mattered.

“Couldn’t you have just used alchemy to fix your phone?” Louise asked.

“I can only repair physical things,” said Enid as she dialled in a number on Valen’s phone. “Not abstract stuff like computer software. Even if I did repair it, it’d only have the shape of a phone with none of its functions.”

Enid pressed call and put the phone to her ear. When someone answered, she spoke to the person on the other side in her usual curt manner but dropped her full name to make sure they took her seriously. There was something about a penthouse suite and a car lift. Valen didn’t bother to listen to it very well, too busy watching out for anyone else who could be following them.

Once the short conversation was over, Enid handed Valen back his phone and turned the car into a dark tunnel where the bright streetlights were replaced by a dim red glow all around them.

Valen came face to face with his own reflection against the dark window, its irises and pupils a milky white as if cataracted.

“YOU CANNOT HIDE FOREVER, VALEN.” The reflection spoke in the Unborn God’s voice booming directly into his skull and causing the blood inside him to squirm in response. “MY FOLLOWERS WILL NOT STOP HUNTING YOU. JUST OFFER YOURSELF TO ME AND I SHALL HAVE YOU LEAD THEM INSTEAD.”

“Bugger off,” Valen muttered under his breath.

“What was that?” asked Louise from the back.

“It’s nothing.” Valen turned away from the window to look straight ahead. “I’ll tell you later.”

Enid continued to drive them into view of a fancy hotel that towered over almost every other building in the financial district. It was a giant monolith of glass and steel where affluent traders from every nation stayed while conducting their business, an unwavering idol to the ruthless capitalism that propelled the ancient age of the gods into the modern world.

Large white letters above the entrance were arranged to spell ‘The Grand Skystone’. Beside the name, much taller than any of the letters, was the logo of the hotel’s parent company: A large ‘F’ inside a half circle that was supposed to be a C. Together they created the initials of Flamel Corp, one of the largest megacorporations in the world and certainly within the top three of Dragon Rest’s.

Enid rolled up to the entrance, her now plain sedan an odd sight in a place that was used to having supercars and limousines pass by it.

A high elf in a slim-fitting charcoal suit pinned with a golden concierge badge walked up to the driver’s side window to greet the out-of-place vehicle. Her friendly but somewhat patronising fake smile suggested that she thought some average Joe had gotten lost and needed directions to a hotel they could actually afford. It melted from her face the moment Enid rolled down her window and he saw who she was.

“Miss Flamel?” she asked in disbelief. “Is that you?”

“I told you I was coming, didn’t I?” said Enid dryly.

“Oh, yes, of course!” said the concierge. “I just wasn’t expecting you to arrive like this…”

Her voice trailed off when she spotted Valen in the shotgun seat, who offered a polite wave, then Louise, who laid on the backseats like a bed as she casually combed through her own fur for fleas. Valen could tell from the flustered blush on her face that her mind went straight to the gutter.

Enid cleared her throat. “Do you have the key to my room?”

“It’s right here, Miss Flamel.” The concierge handed Enid a keycard which she pocketed in her trench coat. “Do you require someone to escort you to the private lift?”

“No, I’m good.” Enid pulled out five hundred dracos bills from her wallet and handed it to the bewildered concierge. “Here. And remember: we were never here. Got it?”

“Understood, Miss Fla-” she stopped herself before saying her surname. “-I mean, have a good day, Miss.”

The concierge pocketed what was a disgustingly enormous tip for just keeping her mouth shut and sent them on their way.

Enid drove into the underground parking lot and rounded a corner to a car lift which opened up for her to enter upon sensing her keycard.

Louise furrowed her brow at the display. She sat up straight and leaned forward in between the two front seats to watch as Enid drove straight into the lift and turned off the engine, allowing the rails beneath to lock onto the car for the ride up.

“A lift for a car? Up to a penthouse?” Louise seemed perplexed at the unbelievable poshness on display. “But…why?”

“Some guys like to have their fancy cars on display in their hotel room,” said Enid.

“What, are they compensating for something?” Louise’s eyes drifted to Enid’s chest. “Unless that shirt is stuffed I really don’t think you need to compensate for anything, Thunder Tits.”

“That’s not the only reason, Snowball.” Enid sounded annoyed, but not as annoyed as when they first met. “A lot of people use this to avoid them or their car being spotted by business rivals. You’d be surprised how cutthroat corporate life is.”

“Riiight.” Louise watched the car lift’s floor display number go higher and higher in their ascent to the top floor. “Is there a reason why you brought us here instead of your house?”

“We’re clearly still being followed by the Primordial Church and their freaks,” said Enid. “If we go to my house then there’s a good chance they’ll try to break in and try to kill us. The security here’s much tighter and I doubt they’ll risk an assassination in a high profile place like this, but at the same time we’ll have enough privacy to discuss…whatever it is we need to discuss.”

“Uh-huh.” Louise turned to Valen. “That makes sense to you, Valen? You’ve been quiet.”

“Huh?” Valen broke from his paranoid stupor for a moment, just now realising that they were the only people around and there was no need to watch out for strangers anymore. “Oh. Yes. It makes sense. Good thinking, Enid.”

Enid and Louise looked at each other with mutual concern for their best friend.

When the lift ride was over, the rails beneath the car eased them out into an indoor garage bigger than some peoples’ flats.

Valen was the first to get out of the car. Something jogged his memory and he recognised the penthouse as the same place Enid once brought them to stay while her mansion was under repair.

They’d only lived together for a few months by then, and Valen had not yet learned to fear the sight of Enid in the kitchen. He thought someone as smart as her would’ve known better than to try to use alchemy to bake a cake, but he still appreciated the gesture she made for his birthday. In the end they ordered cake from a fancy bakery and spent the next few days eating it in the penthouse while the mansion got repaired.

The fond memory made him feel a little better, though not by much.

Valen headed straight into the penthouse, guided by the hazy memory of his last stay there. Enid and Louise trailed behind with worried looks on their faces.

They entered an enormous living room with plush purple velvet sofas and a mahogany coffee table overlooking an enormous bird’s eye view of the city, where neon lights from countless electric billboards advertising stuff few people needed but everyone wanted bathed the sleepless night in every imaginable colour.

“Whoa.” Louise stopped to enjoy the view. “I’ve never seen Dragon’s Rest from this high up before. It makes me feel…tall.”

“Better get a good eyeful.” Enid grabbed a small white remote lying on the coffee table. “If you can see the city, then the city can see you.”

Enid pressed a button on the remote for the electric privacy shades to come down. Thick sheets of nylon fabric descended upon the window walls, obscuring them from the world and ensuring Valen didn’t burn up should the sun rise during their stay.

“Now what was it that you wanted to talk to us about?” Enid looked at Valen, who was already on his way to the kitchen.

“Let me go make some tea first,” he said. “We’re going to need a lot of it.”

“You need help?”

“No, I’m good,” echoed Valen’s voice from the kitchen alongside the sound of clinking mugs and metal spoons. “You two just make yourselves comfortable.”

Enid and Louise’s eyes met again. Both seemed a bit confused but neither were going to object to having some tea after what they’d just been through. Louise shrugged and plopped down on one of the velvet sofas. Enid sat down cross legged on an armchair while waiting for Valen to bring her tea.

He’d always been eager to please. Like a puppy that can make a five course meal, clean an entire mansion by himself, and apply first aid to a man after beating him half to death. Sometimes she wondered why he didn't just quit university and become a chef or bodyguard. Hell, she was half inclined to start paying him for all he did around the house. He was already her butler in all but name anyways.

“Remind me again how you met Valen?” asked Louise to pass the time.

“Cloverhill Academy for the Gifted.” There was a whole lot more to it but Enid wasn’t about to spill her guts to Snowball of all bloody people. “How about you?”

“A trash bin behind a KFP.”

“Is that supposed to be an insult?” Enid scowled, unamused. “I thought you were his friend.”

“I am and I’m not kidding,” said Louise. “You really don’t know much about his life in the Nocturnal District, do you?”

“He doesn’t talk about it so I don’t pry,” said Enid. “He always respected my privacy so I do the same.”

“He doesn’t talk about it because you never asked.” A fond smile found its way to Louise’s face. “I was dumpster diving for chicken bones to chew on. Valen came to catch rats to feed on. Scared the shit out of him when I popped from the bin and we just hit it off from there.”

Enid furrowed her brow. “Valen doesn’t drink real blood. He hardly even eats meat.”

“Not if he can help it,” said Louise, “but artificial blood is expensive and sometimes you have to make due with what you have.”

“I never knew. He always seemed so...normal, I suppose? Maybe a bit too mature for his age.”

“By Nocturnal District standards he’s a bloody weirdo. Way too polite for his own good. Makes him an easy target.”

“There’s a busted up punching bag in my old place that might disagree with you on that.”

Enid never quite understood why Valen kept up with his martial arts training after moving in with her. Aside from the occasional rowdy frat boy he didn’t exactly have to face a lot of dangers anymore. The last time she asked he answered her with some zen rubbish about focus and discipline that she didn’t pay much attention to.

Not that she minded. If she woke up really early she’d sometimes sneak a glance of him shirtless after a workout, which was always nice.

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“There’s a reason why he even has to train that hard in the first place,” said Louise. “You can only be so strong when you’re always starving.”

Enid was about to ask Louise what she meant by that when Valen returned to the living room holding a tray decked out with a full porcelain tea set.

“Sorry for taking so long.” Valen placed the tray on the coffee table and set down a tea cup for Enid and Louise each. “I took the liberty of flavouring your first cups already.”

“Thank you,” said Enid and Louise in unison before sipping from their respective cups at the exact same time.

For Louise, it was a hearty builder’s brew with lots of milk and next to no sugar. For Enid, the same black tea but served with a lemon instead of milk and plenty of sugar.

Valen sat down on an armchair and took a long sip from his own cup. He let out a contented sigh upon tasting the glorious Dragonite brew sourced from one of the bajillion nations they tried to colonise. He needed that after today.

“Alright,” he started, “you might think I’ve gone mad but hear me out…”

Usually when one tells someone else about their dreams the retelling devolves into an incoherent mess that only sounds interesting to the speaker about five seconds in.

But Valen wasn’t talking about a dream. Not any normal one at least. His memories of it were vivid enough and recent enough that he never once stuttered or had to pause to think about what to say as he was telling it.

Enid and Louise listened in rapt attention only ever broken by long swigs of tea. The look on their faces went from concern, to confusion, to horror, and right back to concern again as he ragailed them of his unwanted trip to another dimension. Of how the Unborn God that the Primordial church worships is actually real and wants him dead now that he rejected it.

By the time he finished, both his best friends were staring wide-eyed at him with teacups raised in the air halfway to their lips. They downed their remaining tea at the same time before putting the teacups back on its saucer.

Louise stood up from her seat and walked up to Valen. Before he could say anything else, she leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his in a gentle headbutt. Even with Valen sitting, she barely needed to bend her knees to be level with his head.

“You don’t seem to have a fever,” said Louise. “Did you hit your head back there?”

“Louise, we’ve fought a giant scorpion made of human flesh and a hog roast from hell,” said Valen dryly. “Is what I told you really that far out?”

“He does have a point,” said Enid. “The world’s a weird place and we know for a fact that the gods are real.”

Louise sat back down and crossed her legs. “I guess. But it’s still a bit far-fetched, innit? The gods have been gone for thousands of years.”

Valen couldn’t tell if Louise genuinely didn’t believe him or was in some sort of denial. The whole ordeal was definitely weird by modern day standards, but considering all the other insane shit that has gone down throughout history because of gods and magic, it really didn’t seem all that outlandish now that he thought about it.

 

“You said the Unborn God picked you because of royal blood?” Enid poured herself another cup of tea before continuing. “Should I be calling you your highness now?”

“I’d rather you not,” said Valen. “Honestly, I find it hard to believe myself but then I’d be doubting the literal word of a god.”

Louise scratched her chin. “Your mother was a noble, right? Maybe that has something to do with it?”

“His mother?” said Enid. She didn’t know much about his mother aside from that she’d died and Valen didn’t like to talk about how.

“Yeah.” Louise looked at Valen. “Nobles are supposed to be close to the royal family, yeah? One of your ancestors probably got busy with a horny prince on the side or something.”

Valen cringed at the thought. “Please don’t put that image in my head.”

Most royals either abdicated or were overthrown by their people after the Age of Gods ended and their divine right became worthless. Only the Necropolis Empire was still ruled by a monarchy, and it was an isolationist nation rife with political intrigue that saw many nobles fleeing its borders for the megacities. Valen’s mother was among them, though she rarely ever spoke of her time there.

“Your mother probably had some royal blood in her,” said Enid.

“Yeah,” Louise agreed, warming up to the idea that Valen wasn’t insane. “Aren’t red eyes supposed to be a symbol of royalty too?”

“It is?” Enid asked.

“Not exactly,” said Valen. “The imperial royal family all have red eyes but other vampires can have it too. It’s just a bit rare outside of it. Like red hair.”

“Do you think your mother could have been royalty?”

“I doubt it. Or at least, not in any official sense.” Valen cleared his throat. “The vampire royal family practises inbreeding between siblings and close cousins. It’s the reason why they all have red eyes and blonde hair.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Louise muttered under her breath.

Enid blinked at him. “Is it possible that your parents-”

“No.” Valen didn’t even want to entertain the notion. “Absolutely not.”

“Yeah, he doesn’t look nearly as inbred enough,” said Louise. “Also, it’s pretty clear from all that pitch black hair that he has at least some eastern ancestry in there.”

“Now that you mentioned it.” Enid narrowed her eyes at Valen stroking her chin. “He does kinda look like one of those pop idols from Port Jade.”

“But buffer,” Louise added.

Valen looked down at his own black ponytail draped over his left shoulder. His mother and older sister both had very blonde hair which made him stick between them whenever they went out together. He would’ve dyed it blonde to match them a long time ago had his sister not stopped him.

“I always assumed it came from my father. Never met him before but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was from one of the eastern cities.”

“Maybe your mum ran away with your dad,” Louise suggested. “A royal who didn’t want to get caught in the family tumbleweed and eloped here with your eastern dad. And that’s why you have the divine right that lets the Unborn God into your head.”

“Sounds like a bad soap opera,” said Valen. “But not impossible, I suppose.”

“So we got the why out of the way.” Louise scratched her head. “Now what do we do?”

“We can’t just go to the police,” said Enid. “They’ll just put Valen in the loony.”

The way Enid avoided his gaze told Valen that she was still considering doing just that as well but decided not to comment on it. Afterall, even he wasn’t sure of his own sanity anymore.

“We’ll have to confront the Primordial Church ourselves,” said Valen.

“What, like we walk in there and beat the shit out of them?” asked Louise. “I mean, I’m all for it but I’m pretty sure we’d lose.”

“First things first is we need to get ourselves some bloody answers to what exactly this cult’s goals are.” Valen poured himself another cup of tea. “Once we know more about them we can better figure out how to proceed.”

“How do you suggest we do that?” asked Enid.

Valen shot Louise a hopeful look. “You said you knew Brother Byron, right? Any idea where he lives?”

“Yeah,” said Louise. “He’s actually pretty well-off by Nocturnal District standards and joined the gang for fun. He sometimes brought us to his bigass house to relax after a long night tearing up the streets.”

“We’ll start by paying him a visit then. Maybe we can find out how to deal with my…condition too.” Valen leaned back on the armchair and massaged the bridge of his nose. “Gods, I hope this all blows over before the next semester starts. I need to think of a new dissertation topic now.”

“You’re still worried about that?”

“Just because I might die tomorrow doesn’t mean I can stop thinking about my future.”

Enid cleared her throat.

“You know I can just give you a job at one of my family’s companies, right? Like, at any time.” Enid snapped her fingers. “Boom. Life coach. Counsellor. Mortician. Anything you can get with that dual degree you already have.”

Louise raised an eyebrow. “You have a dual degree?”

“Biology and psychology,” said Valen. “I appreciate the offer, Enid, I really do. But I would prefer to earn my job instead of having it handed to me. It’s only fair for everyone else.”

“As long as you’re fine with that.” Enid’s expression grew grim. “But back to the matter at hand. What happens when you go to sleep now?”

“Probably get killed in my dream again.” Valen had been putting the thought off since he woke up, but it was inevitable. Vampires may not need much sleep, but they still need it to retain their strength. “Honestly I’m not sure if I’ll even be able to sleep until we deal with all this.”

“I’ll have the concierge bring up some sleeping pills,” said Enid. “That should help a bit.”

“Thanks, Enid. I appreciate it.”

“Speaking of sleep.” Enid let out a stifled yawn. “We should probably rest now.”

“Yeah, it’s been a long night.” Louise looked at her phone. “The sun will be rising soon too.”

“We should lay low for the rest of the day tomorrow and go to the Nocturnal District at sundown,” said Enid. “This suite has three bedrooms with its own bathroom and complimentary pyjamas in the drawers so help yourself to those.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Louise. “I’ll just text my boss that I’ll be taking the night off tomorrow.”

Enid called the concierge and had a packet of over-the-counter sleeping pills delivered at the penthouse door before they finished their tea.

All throughout his life Valen had made a point to avoid drugs, alcohol, and anything else that could affect his awareness or self-control. The main reason why vampires were so maligned was because people didn’t trust them to control their own bloodlust. Valen didn’t want to add fuel for that hatred by doing something that’ll paint vampires in a bad light while under the influence.

But right here, right now, he decided that he could make an exception and swallowed the sleeping pills.

By the time the first rays of sunlight hit the living room shades, Valen and his friends had retreated to their respective rooms.

And in the early hours of the morning, the middle of the slumbering hours for nocturnal folk, Louise woke from her sleep staring at the ceiling. She laid in the softest, most luxurious bed she’d ever touched in her life and she couldn’t sleep. Too many thoughts ran through her head. Most of them were about Valen. Some of them were about food.

She decided to focus on the latter and rolled off the bed wearing the white robe she found in the bathroom cabinet. It was a stupid bloody thing, really. The belt it came with kept coming loose so often that she gave up trying to tie it and it was so oversized that it was practically a cape.

Whatever. It’s not like there’d be anyone to see her anyways. She walked out of her and tried to remember the way to the kitchen for a quick snack. What kind of posh bloody wanker needed a place this big for a hotel stay?

She was sure that the snacks in the fridge would be overpriced-just everything else in the financial district, but if Thunder Tits could afford paying for this place for them then a couple hundred more dracos wouldn’t hurt her wallet.

Louise turned the corner into the kitchen just as the first rays of sunlight were hitting the privacy shades and immediately bumped into a faceful of boobs.

“Shit!” She jumped backwards and looked up to see Enid’s unamused face. There was a bag of cheese-flavoured crisps in her hand and the tired look in her eye told Louise that she couldn’t sleep either.

“Oh,” muttered Enid. “It’s you.”

“Well yeah, of course it’s me.” Louise looked Enid up and down. She wore baby blue silk pyjamas with buttons that looked one deep breath away from popping into someone’s eye. “Bloody hell, did your tits just get bigger?”

“I usually wear a sports bra,” Enid said bluntly. “And you’re not exactly flat either, Snowball. Why are you walking around in an untied bathrobe?”

Louise blinked at her. “Bathrobe?”

“Yes. Bathrobe. For after a bath. Pyjamas are in the nightstands.”

“Oh.” Louise looked away to hide her embarrassment.

“It’s not that weird to sleep in a bathrobe but you might want to tie it.” Enid set down the bag of crisps. “Here.”

Enid couched down and threaded the belt of Louise’s bathrobe through the loops on the side and tied it tight in front of her.

Normally Louise would complain and probably also sock her in the face for getting so close, but even she had enough manners to not hurt the one paying for her bed. Besides, posh bitch or not, she was still Valen’s friend.

“Thanks,” said Louise once Enid was done.

“Don’t mention it,” said Enid. “Couldn’t sleep because you were worried about Valen too?”

“Oh no, I just came to piss on the front door to mark my territory.”

Enid raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“No, of course I’m worried about him!” Louise spoke a little louder than she’d intended but quickly quieted herself less Valen heard them. “I mean, how can I not be?”

“That’s one thing we have in common, at least.” Enid picked her bag of overpriced crisps back up. “I can’t imagine what he must be going through right now.”

“Do you really believe what he said?” Louise asked, her voice a lot quieter than usual. “All that Unborn God stuff?”

“Would Valen lie about something like that?”

“No, but he’s been under a lot of stress lately.” Her voice turned into a barely audible whisper so soft it wasn’t clear if she was speaking to herself or not. “Could he have gone mad?”

Enid tried to respond but couldn’t find the words. Louise was right. This was all kind of far-fetched. The only proof they had of the Unborn God’s existence aside from Valen’s visions were the monsters that attacked them, and they could easily be something magical but not divine.

Like an alchemical experiment gone wrong. Or some forbidden necromancy they couldn’t understand. Hell, maybe they’d just hallucinated all of it. Anything other than the return of a god that they weren’t even sure exists or not.

Before she could come up with an answer, an inhuman scream bellowed through the penthouse.

Enid and Louise looked at each other with wide eyes for a split second before both realised where the sound had come from.

They rushed up a flight of stairs to Valen’s bedroom. The crisps bag Enid held dropped onto the hallway, forgotten.

“Valen?!” Enid cried when they reached his bedroom. She tried the door and upon finding it locked started banging at the door. “Are you okay?!”

“Of course he’s not bloody okay!” Louise pushed past Enid and kicked at the door near the door knob with all her werewolf strength. When the first kick failed to break it open, she kept kicking it until splinters started flying from it.

When the door finally burst open, they scrambled into the room to find Valen standing beside his bed.

Except, it wasn’t Valen.

His limbs were twisted every which way as he stood on tilted legs like a puppet controlled by an inexperienced puppeteer. An unnatural grin that was far too wide for his face showed every single one of his fully extended fangs; the look of someone who’s never smiled trying to do so with little success. And his eyes, once red like gleaming rubies, were now pure white with cloudy pupils slowly turning grey.

Valen, or the thing wearing his body, opened his mouth and spoke in a guttural voice, both man and beast yet utterly alien.

“THINE GOD HAS COMETH.”

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