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Higher Realm 5

"Adonis is here."

As I processed his words, I watched the glowing words: "Soul transfer 59% complete." fade away. Once they disappeared, I felt a surge in the strange dark power with me. I looked down at my hands, seeing a barely visible power coiling around them.

Finally, I broke past 49%! And I can sense this power better than before. It's definitely growing, whatever it is... even if I can't use it still. Hopefully this become something useful!

"Bel? Are you okay?" Liam's questions broke me from my thoughts, and I looked back at him, the brief flash of dark power fading back into nothingness.

"I'm okay. So Adonis is here? Already?" At the grim news, I rubbed my hands together in excitement. "FINALLY! It's time to unleash my super secret trap!"

"Your trap?" Liam rubbed his shoulder, likely still feeling the pain from his gunshot wound from the lower realm. "Is this what you've been sneaking off lately to set up?"

"Yep!" I grabbed Liam's hand and pulled him over to a carefully marked cleared area just far enough away from the cave to protect it. It may not be much, but it's Liam's home... my home. I'd rather Adonis stay far, far away from it.

Liam was staring down at our clasped hands with an absentminded smile, and didn't seem to pay attention to our direction. Looking around once we stopped, he was clearly confused. "Why are we stopping here?"

"This is where we want him to find us." I said with a confident grin.

At my words, Liam gripped my hand tightly, as if afraid that I would be taken away. His anxiety was almost palpable.

I tried to reassure him. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Nothing good can ever stay here, Bel." His eyes were filled with a sadness close to despair. "No matter how much I've tried to prevent it, everything here eventually withers and dies."

"So do you want me to go back with Fart Sniffer McGee?"

He let out an involuntary snort at the silly, insulting name. "No I didn't say that! I just..."

"Well, perhaps you should..."

A new voice spoke out as Adonis walked out from between the trees, standing in the small clearing in front of us. Seeing me, he smiled, a cocky expression. "Hello, Bel! Looks like your tamed monster recognizes reality better than you. Isn't it time you admit it too?"

"There's only one monster here," I said with a polite, distant smile. " And it's not Liam."

Adonis frowned. "Don't deflect, Bel. The truth remains."

"Truth?"

"What this villain said is correct: Nothing good can survive here. You don't... you can't belong here... you belong in the Higher Real. Even this beast knows it. You belong with me!"

"So you knew we were talking about you?" I turned to Liam, chuckling, "Look at him, so readily accepting of the new name Fart Sniffer McGee."

"Very self-aware." Liam nodded solemnly.

"Personal growth." We both applauded politely.

He didn't seem amused at our antics. "SHUT UP!"

"Ooh, I don't think he likes it."

Liam shrugged. "We can think of others."

"Ooh! A new one every day!" We threw out a few, each one more childish and ridiculous than the last. Once we reached "Captain Bum Nugget" however, Adonis finally snapped.