“That damn, elven bitch!” Phisola fumed as she and Eric pushed the full cauldron back to their lair.

“That wasn’t my fault!” Eric defended himself.

“That wasn’t about you, imbecile! She only did it to … she knew I couldn’t retaliate, so she did it to spite me!”

“Who cares then? It was just a stupid, impulsive kiss. And if neither of us were really into it, then it doesn’t really count.”

“So, when we go back to my home, and I start fucking a guy but I’m not really into it, that won’t count, huh?” She asked with a poisonous edge in her voice.

“That’s a completely different thing! But if some fool kisses you without your consent, then I have nothing to blame you for.”

“I’m not blaming you, you fucking idiot! I just wish I could tear her jaw off!”

“Relax. Don’t give her exactly what she wanted. She wanted to piss you off, and you’re falling for it.”

Phisola chose to keep quiet. A part of her wanted to explain it to Eric and let him know why she couldn’t help but react, but her pride got in the way.

“I hope this won’t change anything between us, right?” He asked.

“No. You’re going through the portal with me. I’m not leaving you here.”

“I was thinking about more than that.”

“Then you’ll have to be more specific.”

“I hope this won’t affect our relationship.”

“And what is our relationship?” Phisola asked.

Eric considered his following words carefully, “I care about you, and you care about me. Enough to bring me back to life. Am I right, or am I wrong?”

Such a response caught Phisola off guard, and now it was time for her to choose her words, “That is true. You are a very costly investment of mine, and I have no intention of squandering it.”

“That is good enough.”

“By the way, I have a request,” Phisola said.

“Go ahead.”

“Once we reach our lair, I will need you to leave me alone. I will need to put all of my focus on the spell, so don’t get in my way.”

“… alright. I promise I won’t bother you. You are mature enough to manage yourself.”

“That’s right. I don’t need anyone to take care of me, so don’t interrupt my concentration, no matter what.”

Eric obliged. Once they’ve reached their lair, Phisola started purifying the blood right away. Knowing they both wanted to escape the dungeon as soon as possible, Eric kept his distance, only observing her from the sidelines. Days passed as she kept working on the blood, and Eric started noticing something strange after a while. Something out of character for Phisola. He would catch her from time to time just staring at an empty space, doing nothing. Or just sitting idly by the cauldron. At first, he thought she might be recovering her magic, but as time passed, it occurred to him that she wasn’t resting or relaxing. She was lost in thought, deeply. Every day, she would spend hours contemplating something.

He wanted to approach her but was determined to keep his word. Besides, he knew there was a decent chance that he was the reason for such uncharacteristic behavior. With their little adventure coming to an end, choices had to be made. And while he didn’t have much of a choice, he now realized that there were some very tough choices to be made on Phisola’s part.

He just hoped that his own blood wasn’t one of those choices.

The whole process of purifying the blood and summoning the portal took some two weeks. During that time, Phisola and Eric didn’t talk once. But finally … it was time.

Looking very tired, she walked up to Eric and let out a long sigh, “It’s time, Eric. Let’s pack up and go.”

“Oh! Don’t worry, I’ve already packed most of our stuff. Let me bring the bags.”

He didn’t take long to bring several neatly packed bags and place them near the portal. The portal itself looked different than the one he saw when he came into this world. It looked like a black, shifting mirror with purple edges.

Phisola smiled tiredly as she saw him all animated, “Eric, there is one thing I want to say.”

“Oh?” He looked at her with seriousness on his face.

“Look, I’m … I’m not so good at these things, so … sorry if I’ll be crude. I just want to let you know that you really came through. You are weak and pathetic, you are ignorant about the most basic of things, but I have to admit to myself that I’d never be able to pull this off without you. I don’t recognize you as my equal, but I do recognize that, besides my mother, you are the only person who really made a difference in my life.”

“I …” his expression showed that he clearly didn’t expect that, “I’m … honored.”

She smiled sincerely at him, “You should be. You have no idea just how much of a privilege this is. You have no idea just how much of my pride I have to suppress to say this to a worm like you.”

“Do I get to have some special privileges because of that?” He asked.

She gave him a stern look for a moment but couldn’t help but smile even wider, “You’re learning fast, huh? Good … that’s how it should be. Be a good boy, and you’ll get all kinds of special privileges. But if you dare to go against me …”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. You should know by now that I know better than to overestimate myself.”

“You did get yourself killed once for letting your emotions get in the way, so it needs to be said.”

“That …” he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, “that was a very stupid mistake on my part. But hey, I never expected you’d feed me another person. You have to admit those were some very special circumstances.”

“I do understand that. Which is why I will let you live as a free person once we’re through the portal. Originally, I intended to make you my slave and my bitch once we escape but … but now I owe you freedom. You gave me mine, so it’s only fair that I give you yours. Devils aren’t good people, but we are fair.”

“That’s …” he looked at her with wariness in his eyes, “that’s good to hear.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you fend for yourself. You will be my servant but not my slave. I know you’d die if left on your own, and I have no intention of letting that happen.”

“Thank you,” he nodded with a smile, “I really appreciate it.”

“I bet you do. However, I don’t want you saying a single thing about what we went through down here,” she pointed a finger at him threateningly, “Do you understand that? As far as everyone else is concerned, I took you with me from the goodness of my heart and have made you my bitch for my amusement! And it’s only thanks to me that we managed to get out. Do you understand that!”

“Ok, ok, I get it. I’m not stupid. Just take good care of me, and I promise I won’t say a thing to anyone.”

“I’m not being mean, Eric. Reputation is everything among my people. Many would see me taking you in as a sign of weakness and think I’ve become soft. My own mother would be against that. We can’t have that. Not if you want us both to be safe.”

“It’s ok, I understand. I’d rather have a bruised ego than a bruised head.”

“Good,” she nodded in satisfaction, “You can be very dumb, Eric, but I’ve also seen you be brilliant in the most unexpected circumstances. Just follow my guidance as you did so far, and you have nothing to worry about.”

She took his hand gently into hers, “Now, shall we?”

They approached the portal, and Phisola grabbed the necklace that hung around her throat all this time, bringing it closer to the portal. The portal changed instantly, and the black, shifting background disappeared entirely before being replaced with the visage of their destination.

THE END