~~~Caffeine~~~

  Caffeine was having the best time playing chase with both Dearest Humans! He ran and ran, and they rubbed his belly whenever they caught him! Then they had so many snacks! So many that he couldn't decide which to eat first! He opened his mouth for a taste... and it all faded...

  He had been in the sleeping place again.

  Dearest Human had stopped rubbing his belly. Now he was doing the sitting very still and thinking thing. He did that a lot now. It was good because it made Dearest Human less upset, even if it meant less playing and belly rubs. So Caffeine had a nice stretch and then gave Dearest Human a lick before he took himself on a walk. He did that whenever Dearest Human was busy thinking, and it was okay. It wasn't as good as playing with Dearest Human, but he could smell some other Friends to play with!

  Caffeine ran to the smell and found the big dogs all standing around eating plants when he got there. They were strange dogs... but then they got in a big circle and pointed their wide hats at him.

  "Chase?" Caffeine barked and dropped into a play bow, only to sprint away when they all chased him. It was the best kind of chasing because they made the ground shake! That, and they always tried to catch him with their hard, pointy paws! Or their teeth! Sometimes they even tried to hit him with their big hats that looked very good for chewing!

  Caffeine had tried chewing on their hats before, but it made the dogs upset, so he didn't do that anymore. Instead, he only ran very fast!

  It was the best chasing back and forth until the big dogs ran into the dangerous wetness. They did that sometimes too. Caffeine had thought it was by accident the first time he played with them, and he'd tried to rescue them, but now he knew it wasn't an accident. They ran into it on purpose! They were very strange dogs... but very strong, since the wetness didn't kill them. Too strong for any more chasing.

  "I'll play later!" Caffeine barked his farewell and went looking for his other friends.

  He found one when Striped Dog tried to sneaky jump on him from a bush! "Die, Beast Lord!"

  That was Striped Dog's favorite game, though it wasn't nearly as fun as chasing.

  He was another strange dog that didn't like to run. He only liked to jump or sit still and hit things with his paws. He also liked to wrestle but wasn't very good at it. He tried to bite too much and always tried to scratch too much with his sharp claws. That was probably why no one else ever played with him... so Caffeine stopped to wrestle. He didn't want Striped Dog to be too lonely.

  It was a good wrestle, and Caffeine tried his best to show Striped Dog how to bite someone's neck without hurting them. He showed him over and over until Striped Dog didn't want to play anymore and only wanted to make hissing noises at him.

  "You're a Good Boy," Caffeine barked to make him feel better. "You've gotten a lot better at playing! I'm sure you'll have lots of Friends to play with soon!"

  Striped Dog only hissed at him again before crawling back into the bushes, and Caffeine sighed. He had only said that to make him feel better, but he wasn't sure if Striped Dog would ever make more Friends. He was too grouchy and didn't want to learn to play better. He was almost as grouchy as Dearest Human! But Dearest Human had a lot of Friends now! So maybe Striped Dog would too! Until then, Caffeine would be his Friend so he wouldn't be too sad!

  Caffeine suddenly felt Dearest Human stop thinking very hard and start moving, so he howled his goodbye before running back as fast as he could. Especially since he hadn't seen Dearest Human in so long!

  Dearest Human smiled when Caffeine jumped into his lap, but only for a little. Then he went back to being angry at the Not Dogs in the dark hole.

  A lot of them came out and tried to eat Dearest Human, but he made them all stop being alive before Caffeine had to do anything. Which meant it was a good time for a nap, and he was sleepy after all that chasing...

  Caffeine's nose twitched, and he opened his eyes when he smelled another Friend. Fire Dog! He took off... and slid to a stop on his belly when he saw she was resting on her own Dearest Human's lap. She must have already done a lot of chasing since she was panting like that. Only the best and longest chasing made Caffeine pant so much!

  "Did you have a good chase, Fire Dog?" he woofed quietly while creeping closer on his belly.

  She must have been even more tired than he thought because she didn't even try to play bite him like she always did and only huffed instead. Or maybe she was too hungry to play... because she didn't look away from the meat that Flapping Fire Dog's Dearest Human was burning with his warm fire. It smelled good...

  "Any luck finding the invaders?" Dearest Human said something, and a lot of the Not Dearest Humans shook their heads.

  "No sign of them yet," Fire Human said something else. "You hungry?"

  "You don't have to share, Adrian," Dearest Human said something. "You're obviously tired, and you have a lot of mouths to feed..."

  "It's nothing," Fire Human said something, and then he put another big pile of stinky meat into his fire. His fire was the best fire because it made stinky meat smell like the best meat! "You can have some, too. I'm sure you need it, and it's actually easier to cook a little more than to heal your hunger."

  Caffeine scooted closer to the fire and did his very best sitting beside Flapping Fire Dog, who looked at him but didn't say anything. He was another strange dog who didn't like to run—well, not on the ground. He liked to run in the air with his big flapping legs, and he was really fast when he did that! Plus, he made the best fire just like his Dearest Human did, not like the sparkly fire that Fire Dog made... though her fire was more fun to eat because it turned into sparkles when he bit it!

  There were a lot of other Not Dearest Humans around, and Caffeine didn't know all of them, but they smelled like nervous. He thought about going to comfort them too, and he would, but after snacks!

  "Am I tripping, or is Cheesesteak still getting bigger?" Dearest Human said something while staring at Flapping Fire Dog. "I thought it was just the evolution..."

  "He is." Best Fire Human said something else. "I think Caffeine put some ideas in his head." He looked at Sparkly Human with a friendly growl. "That, or someone's been telling him stories about dragons and dragon riders."

  Caffeine sat harder when he heard his name. Then he licked his lips and stared at the meat while Dearest Human laughed. "You think he'll get big enough to ride!?"

  "I think he wants to be."

  "Don't knock it," Dearest Human said something else. "Flying is pretty great."

  "Oh, I'm not against it, but I am going to miss him riding around on my shoulder..."

  "What!?" Flapping Fire Dog squawked, then did a big flap into the air and then landed on his Dearest Human. "See?" he chirped down at Best Fire Human's head between his grabby paws. "I can still ride!"

  Best Fire Human made some laughing noises and reached up to give Flapping Fire Dog belly scratches. "You can now, but you're gonna squish me if you get much bigger. If you really want to ride on my shoulder, then you might need to learn Caffeine's shrinking trick."

  Caffeine was already sitting his very best, but he still tried to sit better, even as he somehow ended up closer to the meat.

  Then Flapping Fire Dog did another big flap and landed back beside him. There, he did a very big head tilt and chirped, "Can you teach me how you change your size?"

  Caffeine tilted his own head, but he couldn't quite get it all the way leaned over like Flapping Fire Dog did, and he almost fell over from trying! He stopped trying and instead woofed at Flapping Fire Dog in confusion. "What do you mean?"

  "You know," Flapping Fire Dog whistled. "How you get bigger or smaller?"

  It was very confusing, and this time Caffeine tilted his head without realizing it as he tried to figure out what his Friend was talking about. Then he realized! "Oh! You're talking about how everything suddenly gets tiny sometimes! Do you know why!? I really don't like it when my chicken gets so small..."

  The idea was alarming, and Caffeine stared intently at the delicious meat in front of him while desperately hoping it wouldn't suddenly shrink! He was so busy watching that he missed whatever Flapping Fire Dog said next, but he did notice when Best Fire Human made the laughing noises again.

  "Of course he doesn't! Ha! This is Caffeine we're talking about, so for all we know, he's probably making the entire universe smaller rather than making himself bigger!"

  Dearest Human smelled like laughing too, but only for a little; then he smelled like sad. "I wish he was that powerful... then he never would have gotten hurt..." Dearest Human held his hands up at the other Humans. "I know, I know. He's happy..."

  "He's..." Best Fire Human stopped making noises when Dearest Human got angry and went back to thinking very hard.

  Caffeine left the meat and went to comfort Dearest Human, because some things were more important than shrinking snacks. Plus, Dearest Human always said the magic words when he stopped being angry and opened his eyes again.

  "Good boy, Caff." He said them this time too! Then he made meat fly to Caffeine! Dearest Human was the best! "Sorry, guys. I'm not mad at you. I'm just on edge because of how fucking useless I..."

  Dearest Human when back to thinking, and this time Caffeine could feel Other Dearest Human with him too! He was so happy! But also sad, because Dearest Human was not happy... So he stayed on his lap even when his Friends started having snacks too and saying strange things while their Humans only stared at each other.

  "How fucked are we?" Fire Dog asked Flapping Fire Dog. "I mean, I'm D-grade already, and he's still fucking terrifying!"

  "We'll be fine," Flapping Fire Dog chirped. "He's got Caffeine."

  They were the Best Humans though. Because even when they were quiet, they still tossed pieces of meat to Caffeine so he could stay with Dearest Human and have snacks too!

  "I know you felt the tower shaking last night," Fire Dog said. "Walter won't tell me anything, but I know him! It's taking a toll to have Stanley in there every..." She stopped talking when Dearest Human stopped thinking and started making noises.

  "Stupid positive thinking. Stupid anger triggers!" Dearest Human said some things very softly but very angry, then went back to thinking very hard, and Caffeine smelled his Friends relaxing from being afraid. That was good. They shouldn't be afraid of Dearest Human. He was their Friend too!

  Best Fire Human tossed him a piece of meat, and Caffeine snatched it out of the air while wagging his tail. They were good Friends! The Best Friends!

  "Walter's stronger than you give him credit for," Flapping Fire Dog said after tilting his head up to swallow his own snack. "And on the bright side, at least Stanley can't get to D-grade?"

  "Not yet," Fire Dog said while taking tiny bites of her snack. She always did that, and Caffeine couldn't understand how she ate so slow... "But what if he turns into... whatever that thing is? You had to see that just now! He was literally changing before our eyes!"

  "He's got it under control, and besides, Caffeine won't let it happen. You should know that."

  "I am a good boy," Caffeine woofed at them, and they all turned to stare at him.

  "Can he understand us?" Fire Dog's Human said something while smelling like nervous.

  "Relax. I'm sure he knows we're only trying to help."

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  "It's not him I'm worried about! It's..."

  They all got quiet and still when Dearest Human opened his eyes. But then Best Fire Human stood up and cut a big chunk of meat free for Dearest Human. "Eat up, man. We got plenty."

  ~~~Stanley~~~

  Stanley ate some of whatever it was Adrian was cooking. It tasted... fine, but he only ate enough to remove his hunger debuff. The rest went into Caffeine's bottomless stomach. Though not too much. He didn't want to take food away from the hungry people who were doing the right thing by coming out here and trying to get stronger.

  He tried not to feel bitter that they were all D-grade already... especially since they were all acting particularly nervous ever since he'd arrived.

  "Sorry for dropping in like this," Stanley finally said. "I knew Caffeine would be happy to see you, but I should go."

  "It's always great to see you!" Adrian lied. "You don't have to..."

  Stanley rolled his eyes. "It's fine. I'm probably late for my anger management therapy anyway. How the hell I'm supposed to know what time it..."

  "Therapy!?" Daryl blurted before catching himself. "I mean, what? I didn't say anything!"

  "Yeah, yeah," Stanley muttered. "Turns out I need therapy to cope." He frowned at them. "I figured Walter would have mentioned something... considering how long he's been badgering me about it."

  "Not to me," Adrian said, while shooting a questioning glance toward Daryl.

  "He wouldn't," Daryl answered both of them. "Walter's always discreet, Stanley. It's kind of in his job description... well, it was. But trust me, the only times he's ever spilled someone's secrets was when something was going to come back and bite me in the ass. Even then, he only said anything if he couldn't handle the problem himself. He's the best in the business... well, he was."

  "Good to know..." Stanley said, and going by how his soul felt, Daryl was leaving a lot unsaid. Not about Walter's trustworthiness, but... emotional stuff. He wasn't the only one having emotions in Stanley's face. "Yeah, you heard me!" Stanley shouted at the hunters gathered around their own cookfires behind the duo, all of whom were studiously not looking his way. "I need anger management so I don't murder everyone!"

  Evolution Progress... 29%... 33%...

  Okay, so that probably wasn't helping. But he hated the feelings coming his way... except his pronouncement had a different effect than he'd envisioned. The fuckers felt better!

  Evolution Progress... 33%... 38%...

  Stanley went back to meditating before Caffeine could pounce and before Lee would have to intervene. He hated dumping on his brother so much, and he knew Lee couldn't be enjoying it. Or Lee’s friends.

  Evolution Progress... 15%...

  He let Caffeine stay behind but didn't linger himself. The pug would catch up, and maybe he'd help them with their pointless hunt for the invaders. Though he wondered if they knew Nate was lurking around nearby... The guy was probably trying to make sure he didn't lose his last best healer.

  That thought didn't help his mood, and he didn't bother to check in with Nate. He knew what the man would say. Because the idiot still thought they could handle this shitshow without him.

  Stanley was glowering when he flew into the tower. He hovered in the atrium and tried not to glare at anyone in particular. The people in here were also doing the right thing by trying to get stronger, but it all felt a little pointless. If they were so weak as to need a safe hunting ground like this, then they were essentially useless in the greater fight.

  Seeing the children among them cooled some of his ire.

  It wasn't their fault they were behind, merely the bad luck of being born later than everyone else, and there were more of them in here now. A lot more, and he couldn't help but notice the two who had pet bats—Ken and... Lisa? At least they were still alive, and they seemed happy enough.

  The real problem was the kid sitting at the center of it all.

  Zeke had replaced Daryl and Adrian as the resident healer while he worked on his corruption, but Stanley didn't need his Soul Sight to know it wasn't going well. The black streaks in his aura were a dead giveaway, and even from across the room, Stanley's eyes were good enough to see a single trail of rot running out from under his collar and halfway up his neck.

  Evolution Progress... 35%... 41%...

  Despite the obvious hopelessness of the situation, Zeke still had hope. He was losing and still thought he could win... It was the right attitude. Any other time and with any other person, Stanley would be right there beside them, telling them it was never too late to win. It wasn't over until you were dead. He was living proof of that himself.

  So why was it so much harder to believe the same for Zeke now?

  Instead of running away, and as if to spite his own bitterness about the situation, Stanley settled down beside Zeke to meditate. He held onto the idea that nothing was impossible as he did so, mostly for Zeke's sake but also for everyone about to get bombarded by his soul.

  He felt the moment Zeke realized he was there, and of all the ridiculous things to give the kid hope, his presence did just that.

  Stanley observed the adjacent soul easily enough while meditating, and he could tell that Zeke was not only holding back the corruption but also making progress in removing it. The problem was that all of his progress vanished when he slept, which explained why he felt so tired. Fuck... No, you can do it, Zeke.

  It was difficult, and he kept slipping, but Stanley forced his stupid brain back each time. This wasn't hopeless. Zeke would figure it out, and if nothing else, Stanley would fix his own issues in time to help Zeke. He would, damn it!

  Eve wasn't helping things from where she worked frenetically nearby. She was even more exhausted than her brother and was still searching for a way to help him, even though she kept coming up empty, just as he was.

  Caffeine arrived while he was meditating, and Stanley didn't feel too bad about drawing him back when the pug went around greeting everyone like he hadn't seen them in days instead of a few hours. He was especially happy to reunite with the old gang...

  They were still technically on Zeke guard duty, but they'd also taken over the newbie training while they were here, and all of them were D-grade.

  It turned out that all the effort of stealing the invader's magically souped-up lair hadn't mattered in the end. The rest of the lairs were only a few days behind. Well, some of them. Enough that Stanley had a D-grade core in his pocket right now. All he needed to do was get rid of the Eidolon evolution.

  Simple.

  On that note, he headed upstairs. Not through the building, but around the outside. The last thing he needed now was to mingle with the miserable masses inside, and there were a lot of those in here now.

  He stopped outside Marie's balcony and hesitated when he realized there was already someone in there with the woman. He'd probably missed his appointment... and she'd gotten upset the last time he interrupted someone else's session by flying in off the porch.

  With a sigh, he flew around to a different door. The people inside didn't appreciate his entrance, but that was their problem, and besides, he didn't linger in the crowded apartment. Fuckers complaining about cramped quarters during the day... Hell, they should be grateful he didn't chuck them all outside! Plenty of space out there!

  The worst part of roaming the halls in here was seeing the other people in suits like him, most of them the original residents of this building. They weren't wearing Walter's suits, but they were similar enough that Stanley had more than once considered murdering all of them rather than be compared to the worthless fucks.

  That, and they loved to complain about having to share their fancy condos with other people. Though they had learned not to complain to him in particular after he threw one of them out a window. The dick had thought Stanley would sympathize... he was lucky Stanley had let him down gently enough to only break his legs, and even that was his own fault for still being in F-grade. F-grade!

  On the upside of that event, word had spread, and Stanley smiled when one such figure saw him in the hall and immediately turned to go the other way. Perfect reaction.

  He didn't meditate in Marie's waiting room, since she'd asked him not to. Instead, he kept his soul shield up against the other souls in here and practiced the techniques she'd taught him. Lots of recognizing his anger triggers, looking at things logically instead of emotionally, and steering his thoughts back when he started spiraling. A lot of bull...

  No, he shouldn't complain; the damn woman was helping. Just not fast enough! He didn't have time to sit around unpacking his traumas or whatever! He needed...

  The door into Marie's office opened, and two women emerged. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sara," Marie said to the other woman. "Walter will let you know what time, okay?"

  "Yes," the weakling woman said. "Thank you." She didn't look at anyone else in the room as she left, and Stanley tried unsuccessfully not to feel her soul. She was acting like someone had died... which maybe they had. Still, that was no reason to mope! She should get... mad.

  Stanley felt it when Marie looked at him, and he finally opened his eyes to meet her gaze. "Did I miss my appointment?"

  "You did. Walter said you weren't..."

  "It's fine." Stanley stood up. "I'll come back to..."

  "You can have my spot!" an older man said while lurching out of a chair across the room. "I don't mind!"

  Stanley closed his eyes rather than look at the man. He didn't want to throw him out a... wait, what had he said? Stanley opened his eyes and studied the man in confusion. Obviously, he'd been recognized, but the guy wasn't giving his spot up out of fear. He was scared but also extremely grateful, and he wanted to... help? Desperately so.

  "Please, Mister. I insist!"

  "That's very kind of you, Sebastien," Marie said, before looking at Stanley expectantly.

  "Fine," Stanley ground out, then softened his tone and added, "Thanks." Maybe he'd been at Nate's base when the undead attacked?

  There was another person waiting in the room where Marie took him—a young woman—and Marie made introductions. "Miss Rawley, this is Stanley. Stanley, this is Emily Rawley, my apprentice. Miss Rawley, it appears we may have some new patients waiting. Why don't you see if you can find them some open time slots?"

  An apprentice. That was new. He hadn't seen Emily before, but she recognized him and didn't hesitate at the chance to escape.

  "Stanley," Marie said once they were alone. "How are you?"

  He glared at her and dropped his soul shield. It was easier than trying to explain himself. "How do you think!?"

  She didn't even flinch. "I see. What would you say bothered you about Sebastien giving you his spot?"

  "Who says it bothered me?"

  Marie only waited and watched, calm as a damn cucumber.

  "Okay! It bothered me! But... I don't really know why. I don't know him, but he was... grateful to me. He wanted to help..."

  "Do you feel you don't need his help? Or that you don't deserve his gratitude?"

  "He should be grateful!" Stanley snapped. "They should all be fucking grateful! The things I've endured! The pain I..." He shut his mouth with a click. This wasn't helping. She was just trying to get him riled up, so he'd say... something?

  "So he did the right thing?" Marie finally asked when he didn't keep talking, and she was still unflinching in the face of his anger. "Was he not quick enough?"

  "That's not it, and you know it!"

  Marie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "There are no wrong answers here, Stanley. I'm not trying to trick you. All I wish to do is help you understand yourself." Her soul felt honest... and calm. It always did.

  Was she really that way, or did her class have something to do with it? And which was worse, that she was hiding all of her insecurities or that she was simply that stable of a person?

  Stanley clenched his fists and looked away. "I know why it bothered me... I think." She waited patiently and expectantly, and Stanley continued. "I hated it... because he cared. He might even be a good person... but I don't want to know. I don't want to know him, and I don't want to care about him, because... because he's probably going to die! Because everyone's going to die, and it will be my fucking fault when they do!"

  Evolution Progress... 33%... 45%...

  Just like with everything else, the damn woman stayed calm. She remained calm the whole time he meditated the progress back down, and she was still relaxed when he next opened his eyes. It was almost infuriating, but the shaking building heralded the arrival of something better, and Stanley opened the door ahead of Caffeine's charge.

  "Why would it be your fault if everyone here dies?" Marie asked once Caffeine had stopped crying and settled down in his lap.

  "Because I'm the only one who can stop... them." It sounded a little stupid when he said it out loud... but that didn't mean it wasn't true. Right?

  Stanley closed his eyes. "No. That's not the real reason. I should have been there for Zeke. He needed me... and now I don't know what to do. I'm scared, and I'm angry, and I just don't know..."

  Debuff Removed: [Minor Soul Wound]

  Trait Updated: [Ruthless Unbreakable Soul]

  Stanley stopped and stared in disbelief. He checked his status twice, and sure enough, the debuff was gone.

  After all this time...

  Before he could do anything else, he felt something echoing back from his brother, and he instantly knew what the sensation meant. Lee was grading up. Strangely, it felt like he was trying to fortify his willpower—something he'd never done before. Of course, Stanley was all too willing to drive his own will against the forces assailing his twin. Fuck that weak shit, Lee!

  And like that, it was over.

  Ha! That was the willpower test for D-grades!? The system didn't know shit about real tests of willpower if that was the best it could throw at him! Not that he wanted his brother to suffer...

  You do not hold full dominion over your Twin-Soul. All involved parties must agree.

  That notification caught him off guard, but it also reminded him that the soul wound was no more. An outcome he suspected Lee's new rune thing had played a part in. Not that he needed an excuse to agree with whatever Lee was trying to do.

  -1 Twin-Soul

  Trait Acquired: [We Are Three]

  Okay, he hadn't expected that, especially since it didn't hurt... Checking his new trait did absolutely nothing to clear things up.

  [We Are Three]

  What was Once Only a Part of Two has been given a chance to Become Three.

  You have sacrificed and gifted your Creation with a Spark of your Twin-Soul, and, with it, True Life, Freedom, Choice, and Will.

  Your Creation, built from Your Twin-Soul, has Awakened. Nurture It and help It grow. Protect It and watch It thrive. Give It more Sparks of your Twin-Soul and see It Understand.

  Twin-Soul Losses Variable and Dependent on Growth Rate of [Three].

  What the hell is a Three!?