Chapter 83: Chapter 81: A Ghastly Glow Up

Evelyn was a very passionate woman.

She dreamed big, but was painfully aware of her weaknesses.

She was scared of going too far to reach her goals, but was determined enough to take the first step.

She refused to admit she had feelings for Jered, but her kisses couldn't lie.

She was more a human than a Magician, and maybe that was what Jered found comfort in. She wasn't the type to suddenly pull a wild move on him like the others.

Except that she did.

Evelyn wanted to be possessed by a Shadow. And that was a roll of the dice kind of ritual. You could get anything. Jasmine happened to get possessed by the Shadow of cannibalism, and now normal food wasn't enough to satiate her appetite. It was too risky of a move, even for Jered. He would be willing to do anything for power, but not to potentially let someone or something dictate his actions and thoughts. Which was why he didn't use the System's absorb feature from the get-go.

"Please, Jered. I'll need your help with this," she said, so sweetly and connivingly, "I can't wait anymore," and then she straddled him.

"Are you sure you want to go down that path, Evelyn?"

There was no expression on his face.

She kissed his jawline, her eyes pleading and burning with something that could have been mistaken as desire. But it was not. Still, her hand slipped down his chest and found the hotspot between his legs.

Jered laughed briefly and pushed her away, "You have absolutely no idea what it means to be possessed by a Shadow. But if that's what you desperately want, I'll respect your decision. Actually, I understand where you're coming from. Someone you deeply care for is out there, under someone's clutches, forced to dance like a puppet and do who knows what else. I respect you, Evelyn. You're trying hard. You're willing to sell your humanity away for a bit more power," he looked deep into her eyes, "And you're willing to seduce me to have me play along and help you. Because you know how much I want you. And what is even funnier is that I was actually about to listen to your sweet nothings."

"Wait... Jered..." Evelyn paddled forward on the couch, "That's not what I was doing!"

"That was not? Evelyn, I thought that the hardships we went through together had brought us closer. And I think it did, kinda. I know for a fact that you want me, but another side of you wants to use me to further your goals. And that's... amazing. I admire that, really. But a relationship is a give and take. If one side depends too much on the other, the weight of that burden would snap the strings binding us together."

She wanted to say something, but he didn't give her time.

"Now, that's not the problem I have. Seriously. I don't mind helping you finding your daughter, annihilating an entire Cult, or summoning a Shadow," Jered gave her a pointed look, "My problem is you trying to manipulate me into doing something with sex. Ever since I stepped foot here, for the first time, we never went farther than a kiss or some light petting. But as soon as you mentioned your grandiose plan of doing something incredibly foolish, your hands are all over me. And for some reason, you can't stop yourself. Evelyn, do you really think I'm that horny?"

"You got it wrong! Jered! Believe me! I... I... just couldn't control myself for a moment... I was not trying to manipulate you!" she burst out, panicked, "I always try to hold back because of your age, but sometimes I can't. And it... it just so happened to be at that moment. Ugh! Pleeaaase!"

He gave her a thoughtful nod. Though whether he believed her or not, it was unknown, "Alright," he chuckled, a cheerful gleam in his eyes, "I have to go now."

That sounded like an excuse, and Evelyn knew it.

"Don't you want to stay a bit longer?"

He shook his head, "No. And you should ponder more about this ritual thing."

"..."

---

Jered was the only one that could see her. At lunch, dinner, and throughout the rest of the day. She was there, slightly blended in the background, but noticeable enough for him to catch her stare. The demonic entity had, for some reason, stepped out of his closet and decided to follow him around the house. And from time to time, she would stop and marvel at just how much technology had progressed during the decades she had wandered the abandoned asylum for. Like the television; his smartphone—that he had caught her peeking at on multiple occasions; and the various electronic appliances.

She was eerily cute. Of course, that oxymoron might not have been the best way to describe her. But that was all Jered could come up with.

Even her 'I... was not... crazy' was nowhere to be heard. And contrary to her actions in the asylum, she was surprisingly tame in his house. Was that because she felt threatened by him? It was a question he honestly didn't care about finding the answer for. As long as she behaved, he didn't mind her presence. The only inconvenience was that he wouldn't leave him alone even when he was in the bathroom. Especially the bathroom.

The demonic entity was either a pervert or had not enough knowledge about intimate acts that she found his nudity more entertaining than the television. Naturally, with her ruined, gaunt face, that intense look at his manhood was rather disconcerting, but he learned to put up with it.

Another issue he desperately attempted to fix was that she reeked of rotten flesh, unwashed balls, and something sour in-between. 'Cleanse' didn't work on her. Probably because she wasn't a human, to begin with. Therefore, Jered went about it the 'human' way.

"Come on, get in the tub."

"..."

"Don't make me repeat myself. It's your fault. Now get in."

"..."

"Oh no. Don't look at me like that. Your ugly face doesn't work well with that pout."

"..."

The demonic entity walked past him and stepped inside the tub filled with warm water—her loose, filthy straitjacket still on. She sat down, knees curled up, her pitch-black eyes looking up at him. Jered tapped his foot impatiently, "Well, what are you waiting for? Wash up. I'll wait for you outside."

And just as he was about to head out, the demonic entity let the bottle of body wash drop to the floor.

He turned around and stared at her.

She stared back.

"I hope that is not some sort of challenge..." he warned, eyes narrowed for emphasis.

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She tilted her head sideways, considering his words for a brief moment before shaking her head.

"Your hair is greasier than oil, and you smell. You need to wash up," he continued in a more hardened tone, "It's either that or you're going back in that pearl."

"... Beautiful..." she mumbled with a cracked voice.

"Yes, if you listen to me, you'll become beautiful again."

The demonic entity stared at her reflection in the water, at her chipped, wrinkled skin and thinning hair. A faint memory of what she looked like in the past crossed her head, and her eyes drooped in sadness. She brought a hand up, watching as the small puddle of water in her palm trickled down between the gaps of her fingers. Jered saw the haunted frown on her face and the loneliness in her eyes. With a sigh, he sat on the rim of the tub, "Come on... let me show you," he submerged both of his hands in the water, and brought them up over her head.

The warm water flowed down her hair.

She flinched a bit, but relaxed soon after.

Jered grabbed a bottle of shampoo and poured a generous lump of it in his hands. Then he slowly ran his fingers across her head, treating each strand of hair with the utmost care. But even with that, some of it came out of her decayed scalp and fell on the water.

She watched it float by, but the head massage distracted her from it.

He rubbed until her hair was all nice and foamy. He couldn't believe he was doing that, to a demonic entity of all people. Then again, if he couldn't get rid of her, he might as well make sure she smelled good, right? Jered was a victim of circumstances. There was nothing he couldn't claim to be in control of. Certainly not the women around him. He turned the shower head on and began to rinse her hair.

"..."

The demonic entity released a soft breath as she tilted her head up to look at him.

Jered frowned. Even after washing her hair, it was still dirty. The water had literally gone black from the filth that had caked her body, yet no amount of scrubbing made her clean. His hands fell to the side in surrender as he got up and took a few steps back. The problem was not the dirt itself, but her. She, as a demonic entity, was made up of the vilest things in the world. She couldn't be cleaned.

That was not dirt from the body, but from the soul.

And after watching his reaction, she seemed to have come to the same conclusion as well.

She tore her gaze away from him and sunk a bit deeper in the water.

Jered wrinkled his nose. The stench permeating the air was becoming unbearable even for him. But he couldn't simply leave her like that. A depressed demonic entity, if left unchecked, could cause grave repercussions. And since Rainey wanted her in the organization, he couldn't kill her either. He did wonder many times how much mana he could absorb from her. And unless she gave him a reason to, Jered would probably never find out.

"I'll figure out something else," he said with a frustrated groan, "You can't stay like that if you wish to live here."

"...Beautiful..." she muttered, this time softer, with melancholy.

"Not yet, but one day you'll be," he reassured, "You've been living here for quite a while, yet I don't know your name."

She allowed herself a few seconds to think about it, then she frowned and shook her head.

"You don't remember? Hmm..." Jered tapped his chin, "Demi. From now on, you'll be Demi."

"...Demi...."

She huddled her shoulders, closing her eyes.

---

—"Fine, fine. I'm sorry. It might have been my fault," Rainey whined over the phone, —"She was stronger than I thought. It was a blip in my plans. No biggie. I know this situation is rather annoying to you, and I'll make it up to you. Just don't get rid of her. She's full of hatred. And that hatred can be harnessed for our cause."

Jered leaned his back against a flickering street lamp, —"I don't know what to do with her anymore. She's following me everywhere. Every-fucking-where," he craned his head sideways, catching sight of a dark, walking silhouette in the distance. It was Demi, —"It wouldn't have mattered if she kept living in my closet. My mother won't probably be able to see her, but Jasmine is not normal anymore. I don't know what would happen if those two were to meet each other. Probably nothing. But I'd rather not take chances."

—"So, what do you want me to do? Lock her up inside another pearl?"

—"Is there any way... we could make her more human? I'm not saying we should bring her back to life, but at least make her look... less like a zombie, and more like a human? She stands out like a sore thumb, and I'm tired of having her around. Maybe, just maybe, if we do that, she'll be able to reintegrate back into society and find a purpose or something."

Rainey made a humming sound, —"Well, technically, there is a way. She just has to get stronger as a demonic entity. If she does that, at some point, she'll blur the line between dead and alive. And no one would be able to tell the difference. Of course, that's going to take quite a bit of time. Alternatively..."

He prompted her to go on, —"Alternatively?"

—"She can possess someone, devour their soul, and take their place. Basically, she'd be living in someone else's skin. Replace their existence. Not quite the best idea, but definitely the fastest one. If you want to go with this option, I'd recommend you to find someone who's a Magician. They'd make a way better vessel."

Jered stroked his mouth, —"What about the former option? What does she have to do to get stronger?"

—"By now you should be quite acquainted with the spell 'Soul Eater'. Well, the demonic entity has to feed on souls to get stronger. Not unlike what you did on Little Spirit Forest. It doesn't matter if they're corrupt or innocent, from a human or a magical creature. That's what she needs to evolve. But evolution for a spirit like her takes time. That's why 'Soul Eater' is such a game-breaking spell."

Jered was silent for a minute, then he voiced out what he had in mind, —"Would a graveyard be a suitable place for her?" it could be a good hunting spot for him too.

—"Yes and no. First of all, souls don't linger for too long in the human realm, Jered. Which means you might find nothing there. And even in the off-chance that you find a few strays there, it would take years, if not decades, for the demonic entity to advance even a little bit in the path of evolution. She needs the soul of powerful people, of Magicians, Swordmasters, and anything else that is capable of using mana."

He sighed, and Rainey heard that through the phone.

—"But fear not, my little muffin. I might have a good place in mind for the both of you."

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