What Lies In Me

Epilogue

"Really? You guys couldn't think to mention my name, not even once?" I ask. The five of us are sitting around a table, eating hamburgers. Malah had never eaten a hamburger, so we brought her to the nearest burger joint. Tony has mostly returned to acting normal around me, despite his earlier feelings.

"We, uh, we didn't?" Jackson scratches his head. "We don't refer to people by name a lot, but I'm surprised you never heard it. Did you not introduce yourself to Sadie?"

I pause. I am at fault here too. But why?

"There was a lot going on at the time, but I don't know why I never asked for your name." Sadie muses.

"I do." Malah says. We all stop talking, waiting for her to explain. She smiles. "This burger is really good! I'm glad I got to try one!"

"Malah, come on, don't leave us hanging!" Sadie says, sitting on the edge of her seat.

"Oh, alright." Malah puts down the burger. "If anything, the fact that you never said Brian's name is proof that he is still alive. You see, there is a fundamental law in this world: The Law of Separation of Realms. Until the full knowledge of that realm enters a person's mind, and the realm is revealed to them, they are subconsciously separated from it."

"And?" asks Tony. I can't blame him; I don't see what Malah is getting at either.

"So, since none of you had full knowledge of the demon realm, you were subconsciously discouraged from speaking the names of demons you hadn't encountered. Brian is now the name of one of the demons. He is linked to Namtillaku's old body, which none of you humans have seen. Therefore..."

"We didn't think about it." Sadie finishes. "That's crazy. So that means that Brian is alive, in Namtillaku's old body?"

"That's a strong indication, yes. Names are linked to people, not the body they reside in." Malah confirms, gesturing at me. "So you're still Namtillaku, but you are a human, so your name is unaffected. I suggest going with a different name though, while here working on earth. Namtillaku might draw some attention."

"Hm, maybe. How about Bob?"

"Ugh." Tony and Sadie both groan at once. "It's too generic. Way too generic."

"Hm... then how about Nathan?" I ask. Tony shrugs, and Sadie nods.

"It fits you," she replies. "I could get used to calling you that."

"Ditto," Jackson remarks, sipping his milkshake.

"Alright, so that clears a lot up, but I have one more question for you all." Tony says. Everyone turns towards him as he pauses for dramatic effect. He looks up, and points at me.

"Why were you sleeping on that bench outside the library?"