The Next Day…

‘It‘s official, this entire weekend is a fucking wash.’

To say that Ezraphel took the news of her instinctive use of magic that inevitably ended with the corruption of someone well would be a bold faced lie. To be honest he didn’t expect the reaction, Ezraphel seemed genuinely disturbed by the fact that her magic acted without her conscious input something that has apparently never happened before.

Why didn’t she notice the tampering before?

Because she wasn’t necessarily interested in finding out the reason behind the ‘how’ so much as she was more concerned with damage control. He also imagined she was just plain excited to welcome someone else into the fold especially someone open and like-minded like Amelia who was also in a relationship. Ezraphel may not have intended for Amelia to be corrupted but since the damage was done she wanted to approach the woman with the offer.

It still annoyed him that her first instinct was to keep it a secret from him, a fact that caused him to give her the side eye even as he comforted her. It stirred up a lot of condemnation for her on his part but with how emotional she was in that moment verbally admonishing her was the last thing he wanted.

Following that revelation they spent at least another hour together at which point Ezraphel surprised him by demanding space to think. He hadn’t gotten the affirmation out before she up and disappeared. There wasn’t even a flash of light or ay other indication of a teleport. One moment she was there and the next she was gone.

As for him there wasn’t much he could do. Far be it for him to shoot down a request for some space especially after literally advocating it all this time. As there was nothing to do about it and being mentally exhausted after the fact he took a nap. Just because he can stay up multiple nights in a row with minimal rest didn’t mean it was a comfortable experience.

Hours later he woke up to the familiar smell of her cooking. Checking up on her turned out to be a lesson in futility as she warded off the kitchen which was as concerning as it was annoying. The situation has turned into a be careful what you wish for scenario and the irony was not lost on him.

‘Jesus H. Christ it’s only been a day and that decision’s already biting me in the ass.’

It almost feels like a sign brought on by some entity to show that it was ultimately a stupid ass decision. He didn’t think so but now he’s on the cusp of walking it back because Ezraphel was definitely the kind of person who needed emotional support.

“Another long night?”

Stanley came out of his thoughts to find Liam once again standing before him. This time the weather outside eased up of its own volition allowing him to get in an actual decent workout. He was covered in a light sheen of sweat but otherwise looked fine. Once upon a time Stanley felt a twinge of jealousy at his friend’s physique and ability to commit to keeping it defined but that time has long since passed.

“Not this time.”

Liam eyed him for a while before getting a chair and sitting down “something happened?”

“You could say that” he said vaguely not really wanting to rehash the conversation he and Ezraphel had hours earlier.

“Well you’ve been sitting in that same spot in that same position of contemplation since I woke up and for the entire duration of my run so…” he trailed off meaningfully.

Stanley cringed before letting out an aggravated sigh “me and Ezraphel had a talk last night-uh earlier this morning and we kinda stumbled into a problem she had but never noticed before. Ezraphel didn’t take it very well and now she’s still processing.”

“Okay” Liam nodded “can you say what that problem is?”

Should Stanley tell him that the reason why his fiancée is currently lined up to become a Mamono was because of how ingrained Ezraphel’s subconscious need to corrupt things are?

“…I’d rather not.”

“I understand.”

‘Good man.’

Liam didn’t leave then as he had other news to report “by the way Amelia and I decided to leave the thing for until after we get married.”

Stanley made a face though not for the usual reasons because even if he didn’t acknowledge it he and Ezraphel were basically married in all the ways that counted. No the reason for his reaction was due to another issue.

“Right, so when is that again?”

“Soon.”

“No specific date?”

“That’s the time frame Amelia is set on.”

Liam and Amelia have been engaged for a while now, almost two years in fact and the only reason why they haven’t officially tied the knot yet was because marriage turned out to be a more involved and complicated process than any of them thought it would. He’s not even talking about the wedding itself either but other things like applying for a marriage license. Then there was the wedding ceremony itself which, after hearing both Liam and Amelia complain about it, can only say one thing in response.

“Godspeed Callaghan.”

“You said it” was the muttered response as he walked away.

Afterwards the others trickled in and as it has become routine Amelia joined Ezraphel in the kitchen while the others settled in the lounge. Later on breakfast was an awkward affair at least for Stanley but thankfully they managed to get through it and afterwards they parted ways on a positive note with Stanley driving them to the airport and seeing them off. Throughout it all Stanley never got a chance to be alone with Ezraphel and it became pretty clear to him that she’s been avoiding him.

He was half expecting her to opt out of the drive and teleport straight home under some pretense or half baked excuse. He was only mildly surprise that she stuck around for the long drive home. Despite wanting to Stanley opted not to say anything and instead focused on the road. It took a lot more willpower than he’d like to admit not to initiate a conversation. Luckily between the two of them it was clear who had the better experience dealing with awkward silences.

“I spoke to Amelia about what happened.”

Stanley was really glad she decided to break the silence while they were at a traffic stop otherwise he’s pretty sure he might have caused an accident.

Ezraphel continued to speak while leaning her forehead against the window away from Stanley’s gaze.

“I told her how my magic acted based on my desire to corrupt everything and planted the compulsion within her mind to drink the tainted milk.”

Stanley cringed but asked anyway “how did she take the news?”

“She hugged me” the Lilim began slowly “she told me she didn’t care, that it didn’t matter and I should not ‘beat myself up’ over it” she finished and Staley can just imagine the air quotes.

Stanley blinked glancing at her feeling both confusion and relief “that’s good though…right?”

Ezraphel fidgeted “I suppose…”

“You don’t think so?”

“No I am relieved Amelia is okay with me despite my discrepancy…” she trailed off.

“But?”

This time Ezraphel turned to look him in the eye “it bothers me Stanley. I’ve never had my magic act without my input in such a way.”

‘Oh boy I think I know where this is going.’

“Don’t dwell on it” he advised.

“How can I not?” she half snapped.

At that moment the light turned green forcing him to focus on the road.

“Look I can make an educated guess as to what you think the implications of this are. You’re probably thinking ‘how long will it be until this happens again?’ right?”

She gave a hesitant “yes” in reply.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a minute now and I think I know what’s going with you.”

“You have?” she blinked sitting a bit straighter “you do?”

“It’s just a theory but I’m pretty sure you’re just going stir-crazy.”

Ezraphel tilted her head in confusion “stir…crazy…?”

“Look it up” he ordered to which Ezraphel teleported his phone to her hand.

Stir-crazy is a phenomenon where someone becomes psychologically disturbed due to being confined to a place over a long period of time. With how serious the implications of what happened to her were you’d think the reason behind it would be a lot more profound but most times the issue tends to come from a place of simplicity.

“I don’t understand.”

That didn’t mean it was easily explained and really this was just a theory on Stanley’s part but one that made sense to him. He used stir-crazy as an example but it was more the principle of the meaning behind the word that correlates to what’s going with Ezraphel. Humans are social beings by instinct which is why they always form groups with others even when they don’t necessarily care for each other.

It’s the reason why putting them in solitude over a protracted period negatively affects them psychologically. Stanley himself wasn’t exempt from this as he is on occasion prone to having conversations with himself. The only reason why he hasn’t gone full schizo a while ago was because despite being mostly alone in the real world he has built an online community which he frequently engages with. It meant that despite living the life of a modern hermit Stanley is never truly without social interactions.

Now how does this relate to Ezraphel?

The fact of the matter is that Ezraphel has more or less been restrained and/or confined in one way or another ever since she came to earth. First it was in a literal sense as she was confined to his house for months then when they got into a relationship and when she finally got back her magic she had to restrain herself to settle at his pace. Now granted most of those were in the name of moderation and rightfully so but just as well not all of her requests had been ludicrous and indulgent.

He is of course referring to all the times he shot down her requests for them to do regular couple things outside. It all came back to his stubbornness in clinging onto the life he cultivated for himself. In his defense he didn’t think his refusal to play ball in this relationship would have such a profound effect on her and he didn’t think it did. At least not by itself but when combined with her not being able to travel despite having a severe case f wanderlust, not able to reveal her true form, not having any friends, always keeping a lid on her personality in public and generally not being able to express herself he could imagine her simmering under the surface.

Stanley was sure of this theory having some weight because it was eerily reminiscent of how he felt in his late teens and early twenties. It’s easy for him to look back on his life and pick it apart to see all the issues he had but back then you wouldn’t be able to convince him he had problems or at least convince of how severe they were. Back then Stanley recognized some of the blatant problems in his life but ignored them as little things and in the end those ‘little things’ added up.

One day he finally snapped, quit school, fell out with his parents, took some cash, got a crappy job and gambled on making his popular YouTube channel profitable. Everything worked out for him in the end but dumb luck played a major part in his success. The point is that just like him back then all the little bouts of dissatisfaction and notes of frustration with their current relationship was adding up. Throw in magic as a wild card and you have a situation where her frustration could manifest in esoteric ad dangerous ways.

As much as he hated to admit it sex and affection was no longer a viable means of sustaining Ezraphel long term not that it ever seemed to be. Stanley was too delusional and Ezraphel too naïve and optimistic to see that it wouldn’t have worked out long term. In a way it’s a good thing they recognized this problem now otherwise who knows when, where and how Ezraphel’s breaking point would manifest.

He explained an abridged version of his theory as it were and by the end Ezraphel had the expression of someone who didn’t quite agree with what someone was saying but was too polite to admonish them. Her reaction was a predictable one after all his theory was just that, a theory, and it involved a lot of assumptions and guess work on his part.

He understood that but at the same time “do you have an explanation for that bit of accidental magic then?”

In response Ezraphel bit her lip and looked away with an expression of discomfort. If it wasn’t already obvious Ezraphel did not feel comfortable with this discussion. Magic has always been an inherent part of her life to the point where she wouldn’t know what to do with herself if she ever lost access to it. The only thing that prevented her from wallowing in despair during her first month on earth was the novelty of being in another world and the challenge presented with winning Stanley over.

This was different though as Ezraphel prided herself on her sorcery. Even among her siblings she stood out as a cut above most and was lauded as having exceptional talent. According to her older sister the only thing stopping Ezraphel from attaining the same heights as the most prolific magical practitioners in their world was her own personal drive and mindset. Ezraphel simply didn’t have the ambition to attain total mastery of magic but while that didn’t matter to her she took personal pride in what she could do with magic regardless.

To insinuate that she somehow lost control of her magic was an insult but to have it confirmed and the result to have such repercussions did more than wound her pride as a sorceress. Ezraphel was born with this power, she spent her entire life utilizing it for mostly frivolous things but refused to adequately master it for reasons born of disinterest and laziness. Her mother supported her regardless and so did her sister but there was disappointment where the latter was concerned.

Morgana always hated wasted potential and she made no effort to hide what she thought of Ezraphel’s decision to not pursue the arcane arts further. In fact she said it directly to her face.

“You have the potential to become one of the most talented Dark Sorceresses of your generation and it pains me to see you waste that talent on such frivolities Ezraphel.”

At the time Ezraphel felt insulted if only because her older sister implied her pursuit of a husband was somehow ‘frivolous’ to her. So insulted she was at the insinuation that she ended up saying some harsh words back to her.

“I don’t want to sacrifice my best years alone in a tower studying dusty tomes and becoming a thousand year old spinster like you Morgana!”

Ezraphel regretted those words and the momentary look of hurt that crossed her older sisters face before she dismissed her. Oh how Ezraphel wished she could speak to her sisters at the moment.

‘I wonder what Morgana would make of Stanley’s theories.’

She couldn’t say for certain but as for what she thought of his theory Ezraphel felt mildly insulted with how it put into question her mental health. It rubbed her the wrong way that he thought a few months of constant restraint and dissatisfaction with their relationship would be enough to deteriorate her mental fortitude.

Utterly preposterous!

Ezraphel refused to entertain that idea and she told her Stanley as such.

“Again I ask, do you have a better explanation?”

“…” Ezraphel bit her lip in silence.

“You know what?” Stanley gritted his teeth as he glared at the road “don’t answer that. I have a plan and I actually want to go through with this plan because it’s for the best and I don’t want you to give me an excuse to pussy out.”

Ezraphel can see that the frustration he displayed wasn’t at all directed at her but rather internally.

It piqued her curiosity terribly and so she could not help but ask “what is your plan?”

In response he sighed and as traffic slowed down he turned to Ezraphel with a grave expression.

“Quite possibly the hardest thing I’ve ever done in recent memory.”