Thor showed a crooked grin while he regarded the body on the floor with little interest. Power provided a level of freedom that divorced one from such petty concerns as compassion. Everyone had a purpose in life. Unfortunately for the girl at his feet, her purpose was to be used and discarded like so much trash. 

He felt Sia’s eyes on him but he paid it no mind. Instead, he looked at his outstretched arms and smiled. When he first woke up circumstances hadn't allowed him to inspect himself closely but he instinctively knew his prolonged illness had left his body in an unhealthy state.  

Sia took this all in from her afar. She hovered at the far end of the room and felt as though she were staring at a complete stranger. A stranger that by allowing himself to revel in his atrocious baser instincts in front of her forced her to acknowledge an emotion she couldn't yet name but was certain it was deeper than fear for the first time. That unknown emotion was encapsulated and given form moments before he violated the woman at his feet. It was given form when she heard three simple words. Those words resounded again and again in her thoughts. Call me Thor. 

Call me Thor. Those three words filled him with dark joy. When he said those words something deep within finally felt free. That something’s eyes met Sia’s and licked its lips at her obvious distress. Through their shared link it felt her disquiet, her fear and it lapped up those emotions like babies milk. 

Dark energy seethed around Thor's body. It made skin that, only minutes prior, been covered in a sickly pallor. Now it looked as fresh as a newborn. Especially if that newborn happened to be the child of a dark god. It thrummed with a terrifying power that refused to be contained. 

Sia’s face visibly paled and her chest felt heavier the longer she looked into those eyes. Those eyes told her louder than any words could, that if she didn't do something quickly to reach what little was left of the Theo she knew, he would be gone forever. 

Her mind ran through a myriad of simultaneous but in the end, the part of her that was most influenced by human emotions settled on the simplest solution given the current time restraints imposed on her. *Theo.* She called his name, filling the single world with as much emotion as she could muster.

When it heard the name rage filled his psychic scent. Without a true personality, it was unable to express anything more complex than the most base emotions. 

Sia both saw and felt the change in Thor but she wouldn't let that deter her. *Theo?* This time when she said his name, despite her intentions, it came out as more of a question instead of a statement of fact.

This time when it heard the cursed name confusion rolled through its psychic scent and a look of turmoil appeared on its face. The once rigid stance began to falter somewhat and it suddenly looked tired.

The subtle light of hope shone in her eyes. It was now or never. She had to succeed in this final push before it was too late. *Theo, wake the fuck up! Whoever was that girl's master,* she pointed at the body at his feet. *Will be looking for whoever broke his bond. And my guess is he won't be happy if and when he finds out who did it. So you really need to wake up now!*

Theo’s instinct for self-preservation kicked in and his consciousness finally began to wake up. 

Thor blinked once and his stomach started to cramp. He blinked again and the taste of bile choked the back of his throat. He closed his eyes a third time. When he opened them again Thor’s presence was mostly gone. Unfortunately, the headache that it had been suppressing also came roaring back.

Sia saw the immediate difference and completely forgetting herself flung herself into Theo’s arms. *You scared the shit out of me. Don’t ever do that to me ever again.*

He caught the usually mellow girl and through gritted teeth asked, ”Now can an ethereal projection weigh so much?”

That brought her back to her senses. She released her grip and pushed him away. *Ass-hole,* she snarled at him before she managed to compose herself.

He wanted to give his own quippy reply but he suddenly doubled over and fell to his knees, the sudden urge to throw up robbing him of his ability to speak. *What’s happening to me?* He had to use his mind to ask Sia because he was afraid if he opened his mouth he’d lose it.

*It’s your Jewels,* Sia replied, with a worried look. She knelt down, her irritation forgotten and touched his cheek lightly. His face felt clammy to her touch. *They're putting too much strain on your mind and body.*

Is that what happened? He couldn't remember much of anything after he saw what happened to his sister at the hands of that Ranger. All his memories after that point are covered in a thick layer of haze. And the pain thundering through his skull made piercing that haze impossible.

The sound of light coughing caught his attention. He looked over Sia’s shoulder and saw the form of an unconscious woman.  As soon as he laid eyes on her his stomach turned violently. He pushed Sia away, turned, and emptied what little stomach contents he had on the floor. Once he was done he looked up and grabbed the towel Sia offered him. ”Thanks.”

*Consider it recompense for not throwing up on me.*

He laughed weakly then said, ”Who the hell uses words like recompense?”

*You know what Theo?* She gave him a beatific smile and drew him into her warm bosom. *The only things keeping me from slapping you in the back of your head is my desire to continue existing and my slight fondness for your continued wellbeing.* She pulled him in even closer, almost smothering him as she stroked his hair. *Please don't make me regret feeling this way.*

He swallowed in a dry throat. ”Yes, mam.”

Their brief embrace was interrupted by the sound of the doorknob turning. Theo tried to stand up quickly in preparation for any potential attacks but a sudden jolt of pain originating just behind his eyes countermanded that intention and superseded it with an order to fall on his ass instead.

Alarmed by the force of his fall Sia placed a translucent hand on his chest and spoke quickly before he could attempt that again. *As much as I enjoy watching you make an ass of yourself just stay down. There's no need to worry, it's just your mother probably trying to figure out what all the noise was. And besides,* She paused to look intently at the door. *That door has an Ability Lock on it. And unless your mother plans on doing something very unbecoming and unbefitting a woman of her station—*

*Like using brute force to blow the door off its hinges.* he interjected with a slight grin. 

She clicked her tongue and narrowed her eyes. *Yes something like that exactly.  Anyway, it will take her time to gather retainers powerful enough to safely gain entry.*

He’d need to find out what that Ability Lock was later. Right now something more important occupied his attention. *Did you ever consider the possibility that she might have been the one who wanted me dead in the first place.*

*Actually, I did consider that but immediately dismissed the possibility for two reasons. One, I’m absolutely certain it wasn't your mother that tried to kill you.*

*And two,* he prompted, the sound of the doorknob being manipulated more aggressively making him a tad nervous.

She gave Theo a troubled look. *I just do. I don't know how I know. I just do.* Then she gave him a challenging look. *What’s the matter, don't you trust me yet?*

She’d pinned his ass to the floor with that question. In the short time, he’d known Sia she’d given him no reason not to trust her implicitly. On the contrary, she'd done the exact opposite. So instead of fighting that losing battle, he chose to watch the door vibrate on its hinges. ”Weren't you the one that said something about the likelihood of a certain woman doing very unwoman like activities?”

*Shut up,* she spat.

”Yes, Mam,” he replied contritely. 

Theo’s senses felt muted but he could still feel the pressure building behind the door. Moments later the door flew off its hinges, propelled by a blast of Jade energy. He just barely fought the urge to look at Sia. It helped that the impulse was met by the feeling of two fiery eyes boring into the side of his head.

Once the dust settled a beautiful middle-aged woman stepped over the wreckage of the door with more grace than should have been possible in high heels. 

She looked around and breathed in the air. She took in the entire room, her lingered on her son before finally settling on the crumpled form of the maid. ”I see,” she remarked in an even tone. ”But I must question why you had to break the maid once you were done using her?”

Theo looked at the woman Sia told him was his mother as if she were speaking a foreign language. He couldn't believe anyone could be so callous about someone's life. And why would she assume he was the cause of that girl's injuries. And why did that thought cause the throbbing in his head to increase?

Sia clicked her tongue and sighed. She drifted to his side and said, *And this surprises you why? She is a product of thousands of years of noble society. She was bred, born, and raised to think of commoners as little more than chattel.* She put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. *If you plan on surviving in this world you have to change the way you think, and fast.*

*Your right Sia, thanks.* He still had no idea how to deal with, what to him, was a complete stranger. But that was a fight for another day. If he didn't survive past today none of this would matter.

This meant among other things he needed to confront the elephant currently in a crumpled heap in the room. He briefly eyed the disheveled maid's body before looking at his mother. But before he tried to address her he sent a quick thought at Sia. *What kind of relationship did she have with her son?*

*Cold. She loves and is fiercely protective of all her children but isn't especially close to any of them. Though her relationship with your sister is somewhat more cordial since they have similar personalities.* 

The woman's smooth features creased with irritation. ”I am unaccustomed to being ignored by anyone let alone one if my children.”

Theo’s eyes flashed with sudden heat for a split second before they cleared. ”Sorry. It's just—” He grabbed his head abruptly, the pain suddenly overtaking him. It took him a moment to recover. ”Sorry I wasn't ignoring you on purpose. I'm just finding it hard to focus on anything right now because my head feels like crap.” 

Her face cleared and she gave him an appraising look. ”What exactly do you remember?”

”Not much,” he answered weakly, rubbing his temples. ”I remember sensing a powerful blast of energy. Then I remember feeling a cry of pain coming from...”

*Lisa.* Sia offered helpfully. *And your mother's name is Lisey.*

*Thanks.*

”Coming from Lisa when she hit the wall,” he finished lamely, hoping his mother didn't notice the odd pause when he got to his sister's name. ”Everything after that looks like I'm trying to watch a movie through a thick fog.”

His mother was perhaps ten feet away from him. She closed half that distance quicker than his eyes could follow. His body moved before his mind realized there was an issue. Dark Talent pulsed through him and a predator's instincts came roaring back to the fore. Ebony shields snapped around him as he lowered into a fighter crouch. But the attack his senses told him was coming never came.

When she saw the level of defense her son presented Lisey stopped and reevaluated the situation anew. A brief smile crept across her lips before it was immediately suppressed. She replaced the smile with a look of fierce calculation. ”Well aren't you just full of surprises,” she said finally, tapping a manicured nail on her chin.

Theo saw all of this through a fog of pain. He took an unsteady step towards the blurry image in front of him before what little control he had left evaporated. His shields shattered and he fell to the ground, barely able to move. He used what little strength he had left to grip his throbbing head. ”What's happening to me?” he asked in a strained voice. 

He felt warm hands touch his hair and forehead. Warm energy flowed through his head then throughout his body. 

”Hmm, it all makes sense now.” She spoke the words softly as she pulled the hair away from his damp face. ”Is your stomach giving you issues too?” she asked calmly.

”Yeah, I've never had stomach cramps this bad before.”

She nodded her head as if confirming a fact she already knew. ”Your headaches and stomach cramps are underlying symptoms of a much larger issue. The problem is, your mind and body are breaking down. Your mind isn't strong enough to handle regulating the amount of dark Talent it's being tasked with.”

”And my body,” he managed to ask through gritted teeth.

She gave a slight nod of approval at his determination before she answered. ”The length of time you forced your body to wield its dark energies have caused it to begin to break down.” 

Theo tried the get-up but his body just wouldn't let him. He tried to move his head but it felt too heavy. In the end, he only managed to open his eyes a crack. ”How…how do I fix it?” It took all the energy he had left to say those few words.

”It’s a simple thing. All you need to do is ascend. This will pull your psyche out of its current depth within the Mists. If you don't do it now you’ll do irreparable damage to yourself.”

Lisey was obviously surprised that her son didn't understand such a simple concept as ascending. Her son was many things but stupid wasn't one of them. She looked closely at her son then breathed in his psychic scent. Only once she was certain that this was her son did she relax somewhat. 

She leaned close and whispered in his ear. ”Imagine yourself in a misty place. Now imagine that every layer of the mist is a different color and that those colors correspond with the Spectrum.

Theo followed his mother's instructions to the letter. As he rose up through the imaginary mists he started to feel a little better. Once he reached the level of the Ruby he stopped. He opened his eyes, looked at his mother then looked at the crumpled body in the distance.

Thor may have been gone but in his wake, he left nothing but destruction. Theo was in charge of his own body again which unfortunately meant he had full access to all his memories. All those memories came flooding back all at once.

”What the fuck did I do?!” he screamed. He pushed his mother away and tried to slide as far away from anyone as possible. He didn't stop until his ass hit the wall.  

Sia looked on helplessly. She could have told Theo exactly what happened but she couldn't bring herself to tell him what he’d done to that girl. 

Before anguish fully overtook him God’s Peace kicked in and his mind cleared. He took a deep breath, sighed, got up, and went to the maid's side. ”I remember what happened now,” he explained sadly, brushing some hair away from her face. ”You were mostly right. I used her then broke her. But I didn't break her on purpose.”

Lisey raised a skeptical eyebrow at that but didn't press. Instead, she asked him to tell her what happened. She listened patiently to his words and nodded with satisfaction once he was done.

”I understand now,” she claimed after she took a few moments to fully digest what her son had told her. 

”Then please mother enlighten me,” he replied, a note of irritation whispered in his voice.

Their eyes flashed at each other but no one made a move. 

Lisey turned away from Theo, clasped her hands behind her back, and strode to a large icy patch of flooring. She knelt down and touched the surface with a long nail. ”Do you see this?” she asked over her shoulder.

He shifted his position a little until he could. Sia followed suit. ”Yes.”

”All Talent has a price,” she explained, once again giving her son an appraising eye.

Theo’s guard immediately came up. He knew his mother still held some suspicions concerning him and rightfully so. Who knew what her reaction would be if she found out that the son she knew was no more. What would she feel if she knew that in his place was a commoner from another world?

Grateful she could see him, he put his hand over his mouth and coughed. He gathered what little he knew of this world’s powers then picked up her thread. ”I know, Talent is both power and fuel. Using it for Talent for the former is more potent but can damage your body from overuse. Using it for the latter dilutes its potency but in turn, increases the power of skills and abilities.”

”Spoken like the textbook I'm certain you never read.” She stood up and looked at him intently. ”You look and sound like my son. And if your psychic scent hadn't matched him I would have had you killed the moment I laid eyes on you. But your words and actions don't match his.” Lightning pulsed through her eyes. ”Who are you and where is my son?”

*Be careful how you answer,* Sia cautioned. *If she believes you are a threat she will try to kill you. And in your current weakened state, she may succeed.*

*Got it,* he answered Sia and thought about how he’d answer his mother and live to tell the tale.