Jered didn't sleep.

After watching Kenny slice his manhood off, he decided that he might as well stay up and think. About what? Life in general, and how much fucked up his was. Which, technically speaking, was not a bad thing. Wasn't that what he always wanted? To go off the rails and break free from the shackles of a humdrum life. Well, Jered got that and way more.

A creaking wafted out of his closet, and he sighed.

"I know you're there. No need to make noise."

The demonic entity he sweet-talked into following him out of the asylum, and then, somehow, managed to flee from Rainey's clutches. Only to follow him back home like some sort of lost puppy. She never left his room. Instead, she turned his closet into her living quarters. In fact, he had to relocate his clothes somewhere else because of the stench of decayed flesh. She was a pain in the ass, but at least she didn't cause trouble by dropping vases, randomly moving furniture, or jump-scaring the crap out of his mother.

"..."

Jered briefly looked back, and as if on cue, the closet door slammed shut. She was being unnecessarily shy.

After that episode at the asylum, the demonic entity didn't try to speak to him again, and nor did she seek revenge. She seemed content to be there, to watch him, to hear him, to feel his mana.

He stared out of the window, at the sun washing the sky in a rosy tint. His gaze drifted down, where a cluster of embers coalesced into a familiar silhouette. Rainey. Her face stretched into a smirk as she stepped out of the fire portal and stared at him. Wasn't she worried someone might see her? The front yard of his house wasn't some abandoned, damp alleyway.

Well, if she wanted to throw caution to the wind, then so would he.

He met her eyes and decided to show off a bit.

'Shadowport.'

Jered disappeared within a plume of thick, black smog and reappeared in front of Rainey.

"Hoh."

She tilted her head to the side, her eyes twinkling with approval and a touch of pride.

"I wasn't wrong about you. Actually, I was. You're exceeding my expectations, and spitting on the face of common sense."

He chuckled, "Yes, go ahead and praise me more."

"I could go down on my knees and show you how much you mean to me. I might be old, but this tongue of mine still knows how to hit the right spots."

And as if to emphasize that point, she stuck her tongue out and twirled it around sensually.

"..."

That was so unnecessary.

Rainey burst out laughing, slung an arm over his shoulder, and pulled him closer, as if he was some old friend she hadn't seen in years instead of her underling. It was a clear demonstration that she was treating him as someone of equal standing as hers. He wondered if what Jerry said was really true. He couldn't read her, but there was no way she was faking everything. If she did, then she was more of a monster than he could ever hope to be.

Not that he minded.

But he didn't want to be wary of his ally.

"I missed your naughty, and completely random, streak," Jered smiled with a roll of his eyes, "So, what did you teleport all the way here for?"

She shrugged, her smirk still in place, and shoved her phone into his face.

On the screen was the Arcane Underground Combat website, and to be more specific, an article.

About him.

'Newcomer Displays Elder-Tier Power!'

There was a picture of him in the middle, and underneath it, a whole wall of text dedicated to how glorious his display of power was. He didn't know why, but the article smelled of Del. The man was rather docile at first, but at the end of the day he turned into Jered's most avid fan. And the flowery choice of words in the article was solid proof of that.

"Ah, yes. I and Evelyn wound up appearing in Pennsylvania and were in need of money. That was the fastest solution."

Rainey cupped his chin and tilted it up, "Oh, I saw the video. Although your opponents were bottom tiers, you still handled them smoothly," her eyes were ablaze with mana, "Didn't you say you wanted more experience? Why don't you make it your goal that of absolutely thrashing those arrogant, cock-sucking fools in the leaderboard and showing them what a true talent is capable of?"

"Yes, well, I could use the money."

She wagged her finger reproachingly, "It's not only about the money. It's about fame. And fame is a very important thing, Jered, both here and on the Other Side. Powerful people would be more willing to join us if we have top names on our roster. This is why I'm happy that you're making a name for yourself. Go out there, wreak chaos or be a hero, I don't care, just let them know your name, boy! Make them remember you!"

"You're getting a little heated again, Rainey."

It was not the first time she lost herself in her speech and talked with such fervent devotion to her cause.

"Ahem," she pulled back slightly, "Anyway. Great job so far! Has Ashy Petals contacted you?"

"Evelyn did tell me that the big bosses of the organization wanted to see me. But no. They have yet to contact me."

"Hmm..." Rainey tapped her chin in thought, "And here I thought they'd be lining up to suck your cock. After all the shit you've accomplished lately, the leader itself should have greeted you personally."

"Yeah, I don't think he could handle my awesomeness."

She cackled, "Damn right!"

"I'm sort of in cahoots with Evelyn. If everything goes right, she'll be replacing the leader very soon. Well, very soon is an overstatement. It's a plan that could take up to a few years, depending on how fast I become a Royal Tier," he tucked a hand in his pocket, "Of course. If you or Jerry decide to intervene, it would barely take a day. Then again, I doubt either of you will. At this point, I'm led to believe that you're testing me, again."

That last bit was delivered in a bitter tone.

Rainey whistled innocently, "I don't agree with what you said, but I won't elaborate further on this topic," she cleared her throat, "If Evelyn wants to get ahold of the reins of the organization, she has to become a Royal-Tier, minimum. Otherwise, the members would quit. Especially if you're hellbent on eradicating the most powerful members. If that happens, the pillars holding up Ashy Petals will crumble, and so would the rest of the structure."

"Does it really matter? I'll be there to support her for as long as I have to. As per your request, I'm going to sweep through the rankings of the Arcane Underground Combat. And by the time I become a full-fledged Royal-Tier, Evelyn won't have to do anything but sit up there and claim the crown. I'll make sure the organization won't fall apart."

A stretch of silence ensued. Then she narrowed her eyes, "Hmm... did something happen between you and that woman? You've become... oddly committed."

He waved her off, "No, nothing happened. I just respect her ambition and talent. As a matter of fact, I'd like to suggest her as a potential candidate for our organization."

"Yes, something definitely happened."

"..."

"You're 16, and Evelyn is twice your age. She's hot, and a teacher too. Don't you young fellas call someone like her a milf? She's practically a kinky fantasy. I wouldn't be surprised if you wanted to flex your talent just for an off-chance of banging her."

Except that Jered already had banged her. But Rainey didn't need to know that.

"Believe what you want. In due time, you'll realize her worth. And when that happens, I'll be there to rub it in your face."

She grinned, "Ohhh, you're defending her. Alright, alright. I'll be keeping an eye on her then."

"Thank you."

They had been through quite a lot together, and he genuinely thought she had all the right cards to achieve greatness.

"By the way..." Jered looked up at his sister's window, a sigh rolling out along with his next words, "... I'm grateful for what you did for Jasmine, really. She's still adapting to the changes, and without me there, I fear that a tragedy would have happened."

"Of course! Jasmine has an untapped well of potential now that she has a Shadow inside her. And you know what that means, right? You can't keep her hidden forever. One day she'll be well-known. Probably hunted, or worshipped. Thanks to her, your enemies might become your friends."

Jered chuckled at that, "Yes, I can already imagine us having a tea party with the Sems Lunar Cult."

"Yeah, as soon as they find out who their lovely Shadow ended up possessing, they'll make Jasmine their queen. And trust me, it's not a bad thing at all."

"Hah... it's not like my life can get any more fucked than it already is. I guess this is where you suggest we recruit Jasmine, so that she can be safe."

Rainey's smile widened, "And she will be safe indeed. I may be losing my powers, but I can still squash a few bugs if needed."

It was not like she was wrong.

"Anyway... let's sideline this discussion for a later date, I have something else to ask you."

She motioned him to go on.

"Is there any magical way for a guy to turn into a girl, potentially without any side effects?"

She blinked, then a tender smile broke out on her face, "I'm glad you're finally embracing your feminine side."

"No, no, no..." Jered glared at her, "It's not for me."

"Hahaha, I knoooow! It's for that femboy friend of yours, right?"

"Yes," he sighed, "Kenny knows about the magic stuff, and he asked me if I had any spell to change his gender.... before he proceeded to cut off his penis."

Rainey clutched his shoulders and began to shake him, "Wait! Really? He really did that?" and then she burst out laughing, "Holy fuck, hahaha! And he did that for you, am I right?"

"Well... yes..." Jered admitted begrudgingly, pulling away from her excessive enthusiasm, "I didn't think he'd go that far for me. He's at the hospital right now, but I don't know whether he's fine or not."

She nodded thoughtfully, "I'll look into it. I'm pretty sure there is a ritual capable of messing around with your chromosomes, but it's high-level stuff. And it requires offerings. I'm afraid your friend will stay like that for quite some time still. On the bright side, you can relay to him that we do have a method to turn him into a girl. However, Jered, I won't do this for free."

He didn't expect her to anyway.

"That's fair. I'll go visit him as soon as I can. Maybe we can arrange a meeting between you two so you can de—"

Rainey raised a hand, interrupting him, "No, you don't understand, sweetheart. I don't want anything from him."

"Then..."

"Let's say you owe me a favor."

"I'm not sure I want to owe you anything."

"Rude. It's the least you could do since I'm willing to help your friend magically transition into a woman."

He shook his head, "I never agreed to it."

"You don't want to help your friend?"

"Not if I have to turn into your little slave."

Rainey pouted, crossing her arms, "You don't even know what I would ask of you."

"And I don't need to," Jered scoffed, "Knowing you, it would be something humiliating like clipping your toenails or cleaning your dentures."

"That's very rude. I don't have dentures, thank you very much. And my toenails are perfectly trimmed and clean."

He shrugged with an annoyed roll of his eyes, "As I said, I'll talk to Kenny first, and then we can go from there. We don't have to decide now, do we?"

"No, we don't. Tch. Just so you know, I wouldn't have forced you to do anything humiliating."

"We have very different definitions of what is humiliating, and to you, it means making me do anything that amuses you. I'm sorry, but I'm out. Do you have anything else to tell me?"

Rainey stared deep into his eyes, "No. I guess I'll be seeing you soon then. Don't be a stranger and text me more," with that, she grabbed his face and kissed him on the forehead, "I'm looking forward to what you'll achieve next. Surprise me, Jered."

He stared back at her, at the wave of heat rolling around them, and at the sudden swirl of embers that carried Rainey away.

That woman was a fucking storm.