It was quite some time before Raziel emerged from the shower, and she was clearly upset and getting it out of her system as best she could before Albaer came back. Lialah closed the browser window, her wings twitched with impotent frustration.

“That’s what I’ve been telling you all these years.” Raziel pointed to the computer screen where the window had disappeared. “What you never believed. You were never treated that way, so you couldn’t imagine I was, but that’s how it is back there.” She bit off the words like hardtack and then flopped herself down on Albaer’s bed. It didn’t help her that it smelled like him, but the whole place was filled with the smell of human. ‘At least it’s ‘clean’ human.’ She thought and folded her wings around her body so that she was hugged in black.

“I’m sorry.” Lialah said, “I’m sorry, I’m really sorry I didn’t believe you. Or… I mean, thought you were exaggerating. You’re so strong… I just couldn’t imagine it.”

Raziel snorted, “Sure, but no strength changes what people ‘think’ or what they believe. And since I ‘can’ draw power from sex and desire, strength just made my reputation worse. Nobody ever believed it was really me, just what I took from others for myself.”

“I’m sorry.” Lialah offered again, “I shouldn’t have doubted you. Seeing what people say about succubi when you don’t even exist here…” Lialah shook her head and lowered her eyes to her sister. “I just thought you were being dramatic, exaggerating, or boasting about the attention you got, since I’m the delicate one people want to protect.”

“That actually makes some sense, but now we have another problem, what to do next? We’ve got nowhere to go and nobody is likely trying to find us. Unless someone else tries to summon Kami, we’re alone, and if they do and show up here? That just adds another problem to the mix. I doubt Albaer can hide us all.”

She casually picked up one of the books Albaer brought back, this one about electronics.

Lialah went to the search bar and looked up ‘wild lands’ and ‘wilderness’. She pointed to the results. “This world has wildlands too, we have wings, since Albaer turned on the light to go down into the basement, that means he probably can’t see well in the dark. If we fly at night we can go into the wilderness and hide there. Nobody will ever find us, we can live off of what we catch.”

Raziel looked away from the page she was reading and over at Lialah, anxiety was etched on the angel’s face, her eyes and wings both twitched with her words. “You never took a single class in outdoor living, it’s not as easy as you think. And we don’t know anything about the monsters here. Plus if we go, we’re saying there really is no hope of going home.”

“Do you really want to go back?” Lialah asked, and Raziel shut her ruby eyes.

“It’s still home, and while I didn’t have a lot of people there I liked, I still want to help our world… if we go back, we can try another summoning, pick another hero from another world, and the sacrifice can go on… and more won’t have to die…” Raziel stopped talking when she had to swallow the lump in her throat.

“Raz,” Lialah whispered, “there’s no guarantee it devolved to war, they had other Potentials…”

“None of which made it through half the ceremony.” Raziel pointed out, “Li-Li, I love you, but by the heroes you are a hopeless optimist, it took long enough to get us ready. Do you really think there was time for another try?”

Lialah was silent, but now Raziel could no longer focus on the book in hand, she went over to the television and resumed playing her video game. They fell to silence for a while, before Lialah asked, “Have you been trying out any more of your Body Magic?”

Raziel paused the game, “Not really, we manifested the measuring orbs and you managed to heal Albaer, but that’s it. Why?”

“We can’t access World Magic since this world doesn’t have any, but what if we can still strengthen our own reserves? Mine was replenished this morning, that means we’re not going to run out permanently. Maybe we can practice Raw Magic.”

Raziel let out a thick laugh, “Raw Magic… without incantations…?”

“What’s so funny?” Lialah looked away from the computer screen to where her sister sat on the floor leaning back with her hands on the carpet.

“Look, it’s not that it’s impossible, it’s just that anything useful, item creation, copy, invisibility, things like that, requires a team effort in the best case, not to mention… we put everything into summoning, if we give that up, we’ll have to start all over. We’ll be weak.” Raziel gave her sister a long look, “You saw what this world thinks of me, do you think I want to be weak living dependent on somebody who sees me that way?”

“I can’t do this alone.” Lialah whispered with a weak, frustrated voice.

“And I can’t do it at all. At least as I am I can fight, if we make ourselves weak in a world like this one, how can we hope to survive?” Raziel looked up at her sister with shimmering ruby eyes, “I can’t. I’m sorry.”

Lialah took a deep breath, “Forget it, I’m sorry, you’re right. I shouldn’t have asked that of you.”

“It’s fine. Just- just forget it.” Raziel replied with regret and picked up the controller to resume the game. Lialah got up only to clean the table and kitchen, but otherwise seemed content to remain at the computer exploring the knowledge of her new world.

It was hours before they noticed that Albaer had still not come back.

It was another three hours before they began to worry about that.

When they heard the door open, they froze, Raziel paused the game. ‘His mother, or him?’ They wondered, and waited, their breath sharp, hesitant, anxious. The door knob jiggled, and then opened.

Albaer stepped inside, emptied his pockets, threw the contents on the bed, and walked past them both without a word. His ‘walk’ was more of a stagger, and the bathroom slammed shut without a word passing between any of the three.

“What th-?” Raziel whispered to her sister.

There had been blood on Albaer’s face, and now the sound of the shower was on full blast. The noise of a curtain drawn, and nothing more.

...Earlier that day…

Albaer approached his supervisor. “I’d really appreciate it if you could let me work today, I know I’m not on the schedule, but something has come up and I need a little extra.”

An older man past his middle years, Jonathan Foxworthy had silver hair cut close to his head, a bulging physique that was only slowly losing the battle to time, making him appear stronger than he should have been at his age. His sharp brown eyes were not long on pity, but even so, he heard the catch in the young man’s voice and softened a little. He clenched his jaw and sighed from behind his desk.

“Look kid, you’re not scheduled to work today, you’re still a minor, you can’t pull any more hours on the books or I’ll get in trouble with the labor department. I don’t want my face or my store on the news as going hand in hand with child labor law violations.” Jonathan quipped.

Albaer clenched his fists and sat down opposite his boss when the old man nodded. The young boy put his clenched hands into his lap. “So let me work off the books then! Pay me in cash! You know you’re short handed!”

“You’re why I’m short handed, did you forget that detail?” Jonathan asked.

Albaer winced, but the tears that formed in his eyes might as well have been in front of steel. “That was my father’s doing, not mine.”

Jonathan did not let up, “I know that, boy, and that’s why you get to work here, why I didn’t fire your ass after he got busted, and why other parents won’t let their kids work here, and why some won’t even shop here. Did you forget that?”

“Nobody will let me forget.” Albaer hissed back. “Nobody… not you, not teachers, not students, nobody will let me forget. I’m sorry. Okay? I’m sorry. I’m sorry about what he did, I’m sorry you lost business keeping me, I’m sorry you lost employees keeping me, I’m sorry you lost contracts keeping me, I’m sorry alright?! The bad seed is sorry, now… may I please work today?”

Jonathan felt a stab in his heart as the boy in front of him begged for forgiveness for things he’d never done. ‘Poor kid.’ Jonathan thought. Albaer was a steady worker, but the taint of his father and the man’s exit from the world would not leave him alone, ever.

“Fine, but I’m turning off all the cameras, you get cash in this office when you’re done, and if you ever tell anyone I let you work more than the allowable time, you’re fired.” Jonathan said with icy calm.

Albaer heard him, and heard what he didn’t say. ‘And who would believe you anyway?’

Whatever sympathy he suspected Mr. Foxworthy might have for the situation Albaer found himself in, the old man had a business that came first.

“I understand, Sir. Thank you.” Albaer stood up and went to the grocery store’s employee rest area. He put on a blue apron with the silver fox logo on the center and tied it behind his back.

He then went out and got to work, “Get the deliveries in, you’ve got seven hours.” Jonathan said when he emerged from the office and saw Albaer descending the stairs.

“Yessir.” Albaer mumbled and went out into the back area. That was something of a kindness, he could work alone then, and nobody was there to bother him.

The big white truck lowered the boxes, they were stacked higher than Albaer’s head, and there had to be a thousand of them, or so it appeared. ‘It’s not really that many, but this will take all day.’

He grabbed a small aluminum ladder and set it by the front column of cold white cardboard, stepped on top of his short ladder, picked up the box overhead, and hopped down.

He then headed inside to the large walk-in freezer and set the box down on the cracked, dirty old wooden pallet in the corner.

Again. And again. And again. Albaer went out, long after the truck vanished, he carried the boxes of produce in and set them down.

Working alone at one of the dirtiest jobs, he was content with the quiet, a quiet that was interrupted when a feminine voice spoke up at his back.

“So granddad’s got you working today, huh?” She asked.

Albaer turned around with the next box in hand, “Hi Lisa.” Albaer said with a dull, unenthusiastic voice, “Look I’m working now so… do you mind?”

She was fairly pretty as girls went, with flaming red hair that hung straight down her back just below the shoulder, a youthful body forming into womanhood, and bright emerald green eyes. She wore a smile on her face that exposed her pearly white teeth, and Albaer didn’t really care if she was there or not.

“Oh come on, I’m working today too.” she said, “At least let me help you.”

“No thanks, just… go do whatever you do.” Albaer replied.

“Okay.” She said with a cheery face, walked past him, and picked up a box before following after him.

Albaer rolled his eyes, and said nothing.

With twice the hands at the task, it went twice as fast, the steady walk back and forth from the boxes to the freezer saw the produce and dry goods put away in not quite half the time it otherwise would have taken.

And with the job done, Albaer settled into the next step. He went past the plastic flyguards that hung down, opened up a supply closet, and unwound a hose.

“I got the pushbroom.” Lisa said and when Albaer hooked up the hose and powered it on, he began to spray the ground to push away the debris. Lisa with her broad broom began to push over the pavement, catching anything she could and keeping it in the path of the flowing water so that little by little, it was carried into the sewer grate where it fell with a wet splash down out of sight.

Albaer said nothing in response to Lisa’s steady smile, but the cleanup was done in short order thanks in part to her help.

“Thanks.” He finally said after curling the hose back up and putting it away. A handspan from where he stood, she glanced up at him, smiled again, and said the same.

“You’re welcome.” Her smile was genuine and pretty when she said it.

“Do you think you can take some time to help me study… Grandad is paying you under the table today, right? He won’t mind if we use some time for that.” Lisa brushed her hand through her hair, and Albaer nodded.

“Yeah, if he doesn’t mind using the time for that, check with him, and bring your books to the break area.” Albaer said with a shrug.

“My books are actually at my apartment, come over there instead.” Lisa offered, “My parents won’t be home for hours, and I’m just having trouble with this one assignment. I’m no good at history.”

“Sure, but still, just check with him first.” Albaer replied.

“Sure thing. I’ll grab the cash for you too.” Lisa said, and Albaer nodded along.

They went inside, he threw the apron in the bin, and left the store to cross the street to the duplex where Lisa and her family lived. A simple gray painted building, the double apartment held the grandfather on the first floor, and then Lisa and her parents on the upper floor. Together they ran the family business, a grocery store which had been a fixture in the neighborhood for decades.

Lisa, he’d known since they were young, going from neighbors to friends, which held for some time until Albaer’s life went to hell, and she distanced herself. But when it came down to it, he still counted her as a friend. More than once he told himself, ‘I can’t blame her for not wanting to get involved in my problems. They’re not hers, why should they be?’

So he barely spoke to her at school.

And was now barely more than friendly to her at work.

Getting her grandfather to pay was easy enough, she knew the old man had a soft spot for Albaer, and for good measure, she put the cash onto two disposable gift cards. She put her money, and half of his, on her card, and the other half on his, and was putting them into her pockets when she saw some friends of hers.

“Lisa! The old man making you work today?” A high pitched voice asked.

Lisa waved to her frenemy. Sarah. A year older and the ‘it girl’ of the school, the popular one, the one who dated the football captain and was rumored to have modeling agencies lining up to sign her. She had an exotic blend of European and Asian features with long straight black hair and a slender, even small frame which belied her wild nature and clever, witty mind.

Lisa approached and nodded, they gave each other a gentle hug while the rest of the little group came close, a blend of boys and girls alike, it was clear they were on a little ‘supply run’ for a good time.

“Yeah, you know how it is.” Lisa shrugged, “My grandpa won’t let my parents fire the Bad Seed, and won’t do it himself, so now I’ve got to pick up the slack. On the upside though, I’ve got money.” She showed off the gift cards loaded with cash, and gave a big smile to them all. “Why don’t I finish up what I’ve got to do at home, then you swing by in about two hours and I’ll snag some supplies and come hang out with you, huh?”

She pocketed the cards again, and Sarah smirked a little, “Sure thing, Lisa, see you in about two hours.”

Lisa made her escape from the eight, walking with haste out of the door, across the street, and then to the side alley where the door opened to a set of stairs that would carry her up to her home.

Albaer was waiting at the side door when she got there, and she was quick to unlock the door and hurry in, not bothering with another word. “I’ve only got about an hour today, so… let’s hurry, okay?” Lisa said with a weak smile.

“Yeah… Okay, sure. But I thought your parents weren’t coming home for some time?” Albaer asked.

“Yeah, but I’ve got plans with some friends.” Lisa said without looking back at him.

“Oh, nice.” He said neutrally.

As she opened up the door leading to her flat, she said, “They’re my friends.”

“Okay.” Albaer replied, noncommittal.

“They can be really nice. And a lot of fun to hang out with.” Lisa added on the way to her bedroom.

“I wouldn’t know.” Albaer answered witheringly, she didn’t say anything more.

Her room was what one would expect, A desk, a TV, a little bit disorderly, with her bed still not made up, but the pink and white covering still more or less in place.

“This is the part I don’t get.” She hastened to the subject, “I just can’t explain how…” She then went into the subject of the Revolutionary War and some of the victories that were won.

And Albaer launched into a passionate lecture on military tactics and strategy, his hands made wild gesticulations and his smile lit up the room as he went on with vigor about the power of disciplined ranks, supply line importance and how that made it hard for the British to maintain the fighting, while the revolutionaries had stuff close at hand and so had an easier time of it.

He was thoroughly lost in the subject, explaining the fine points of how social and political factors made war go from possible to inevitable, and brought the British Empire to the negotiating table with the other Great Powers and finally forced them to surrender control of the Thirteen Colonies.

Albaer went on almost faster than Lisa could take notes, until she finally stopped typing and said, “This wasn’t in the history book!”

“No, those are brief, but you know how I love history, so… I read a lot of it.” Albaer answered with a grin, “Now, if you put this stuff in this order…” He took the mouse when she removed her hand from it, and highlighted various parts, “and just construct a good narrative, you’ll have your paper finished and I can basically guarantee a near perfect score.”

“Th-Thanks Albaer.” Lisa said, looking down, guilt hit her over the gift cards in her pockets.

Albaer shrugged. “No problem.”

“Listen… Albaer…” She started to say, a slight stammer to her voice, and then he interrupted her.

He checked the clock, “Wow, look at the time, I hope I haven’t kept you.”

“No, it’s fine.” She said, they’d gone over forty-five minutes over. “Let me see you out.”

“Sure thing.” He grinned boyishly, his brown eyes lustrous as if all was right with the world, and briefly forgot that there was money involved.

She froze for a moment, and then led him out, ‘I’ll give him mine…’ Lisa said to herself as guilt gnawed at her guts and she opened the side door in time to see Sarah and her friends coming around the corner.

Lisa’s first fear was, ‘No! If they see him leaving here my reputation will be ruined!’

The fear proved well founded, as Sarah revealed when she said, “Hey, what’s he doing coming by here? Are you two going out?! Oh that’s…”

Albaer stiffened, looking at Lisa with a panicked plea on his face and silence on his lips.

“Oh… oh god no! I have better taste than that, Sarah!” Lisa laughed, “The Bad Seed ah…” Her mind raced and clung to what it found first, Sarah’s accusation, “came to tell me he liked me. As if.” She laughed, and watched Albaer’s face twist, too frozen to move, too frozen to run, too shocked to even speak.

He was so caught up in what he heard from her lips that he never saw the punch coming. Though he felt the paralyzing agony in his kidneys and his body began to spasm as he was folded sideways, the next hit connected to his ear, and all he heard was ringing when his eyes shut.

He couldn’t quite make out what Lisa was saying, or what any of them were saying under the torrent of abuse, the only blessing Albaer had was that when his head scraped the wall and blood ran down the side of his face, they decided they’d done enough to him and let him collapse. At least whatever they’d said was nothing but noise to his ears.

He lay hacking on his side, unable to hear whatever Lisa was saying to her nice friends, but whatever it was, it got them to leave.

Lisa crouched down and brushed her hand over his face, “I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” She said, “Let me help you up… I’ll call your mom to come get you…”

“No!” Albaer spat blood out of his mouth, it landed on her white shoes, his body was spasming, heaving and coughing, but his eyes at least had cleared up, and he stared up at Lisa accusingly.

“Ah… alright… I’m sorry but they were…” She began to try to apologize again while Albaer rolled over to all fours in the shadow strewn alleyway between buildings.

“Save it, Lisa.” He spat blood into the moist and dirty space, his knees were scraped bloody and covered with muck.

“I was trying to get rid of you before they got here!” She snapped, “You ruined it! You overstayed, you wouldn’t have been here if you’d just gone home! It’s your fault!” She wept with rage as he got to his feet clutching his gut and fell back to rest against the building opposite her home.

“Is that what you tell yourself every time?” Albaer grunted out, his hurt and betrayal replaced by the same look of loathing he gave to everyone else.

Lisa didn’t answer him, she reached back into her pockets and took out both of the cards she’d loaded money onto, the bright silver reflective design of presents on the cardboard covers caught the light from within her open door, and he looked at them with the same loathing he now held for her.

Albaer snatched them into his hands, “Why are there two?”

“I… I made a mistake!” Lisa yelped out, “I made a mistake and I fixed it!”

“Too bad that it doesn't work every time.” Albaer grunted and after he shoved the cards into his back pocket, he turned to the side and pushed himself away from the wall. He felt her eyes as he began to half limp and half walk away.

He’d gone not ten steps when he looked back at her. “Do one thing for me.”

“Y-Yeah?” Lisa asked. She wiped her eyes, “You’re going to let me call your mom for you…?”

“No. She’s busy, she can’t come… som-something else.” Albaer hissed through the pain.

“Tell your grandfather… I quit. I don’t want to be anywhere near a family that created something like you.”

He turned away and rounded the corner, but he definitely heard the door slam when she went back inside.

‘Gah… at least it’s only a mile or two.” Albaer thought, and put on the best show of painlessness as he walked the rest of the way home.