After the events of last week, Syn's new life was starting on cloud nine. The city was back to its rather quiet and mundane air, and he was relaxing in his new apartment supplied by Nikusa.

Syn was lazing the night away on the couch in his studio apartment, playing video games with nothing better to do.

It was complete bliss for someone who had been at center stage of violence for an entire week, so this change of pace was welcomed with open arms.

Like all good things, that came to an end.

Not because Alexa suddenly appeared in front of his tv...

But because Pico had kicked in his door too.

Syn stared in silence as the two stood over him menacingly. He wasn't sure how to approach the two, so he paused the game he was playing, and set down his controller.

"Can I help you guys?" Syn asked with a blank stare.

"It's been a week and you ain't done shit. It's ominous." Pico said with his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, you've been laying low here for the entire week. Something's gotta be up." Alexa crossed her arms.

"You were over here everyday of the week! You'd know if I was up to something..." Syn countered Alexa's suspicions.

"Besides. I never wanted any of what happened last week. This used to be my normal life aside from gigs at her bar." Syn shooed them aside from the tv, but they didn't budge.

"Oh, that reminds me. Wanna play this Friday?" Alexa asked, placing her hands on his knees.

"Eh... I'm good." Syn declined.

"Ugh... you brought in so much money. My allowance isn't gonna cut it for the move." Alexa sighed as she plopped down on to him.

"The move? What mo—... don't fucking tell me—"

~•~

Syn was watching in a t-shirt and underwear as movers continued to stack boxes and belongings down into his apparently, Pico and Alexa beside him.

The two stayed the night after they talked down his incoming rage.

Syn signed papers to authorize the move, but Alexa payed for their service. Syn wasn't necessarily bothered with her moving in, since he often slept on the couch. His concern was with what her parents would think of her moving out.

Syn went into his kitchen and grabbed a bagel, quickly got strawberry icing he bought, slathered it on the bread, and took a bite.

"Help yourself, I guess." Syn motioned to his fridge.

Pico immediately began drinking from the milk carton, making Syn stare blankly— Alexa snagging the other half of his bagel.

"Do you want to get your ass kicked again?" Syn asked with a glare.

"It was a draw—"

"You shot me in the fucking liver!" Syn countered in annoyance.

"That's kind of my thing." Pico shrugged, making Syn shake his head as he took another bite of his bagel.

"You moving in too or what? That's a territorial move you just pulled." Syn asked with scowl.

"Eh. I'll pop in and out. You don't got the room." Pico shook his head as he went to put away the milk, but Syn stopped him and nudged it back to his chest.

"Don't even think about it." Syn walked away, finishing the rest of his bagel.

•

Syn was stretching his back as he dressed in a different outfit from the norm, smirking at the attire in bliss.

"Alright. Time to repent..." Syn's happiness left as he thought of today's task.

•

Syn stood outside the ruined chapel from days ago, a solemn look on his face. The regret he held from the misunderstanding that day weighed on his head after fight Sonic.

Syn appeared inside with a small kick of dust at his feet.

The nearly bare ruins of the holy grounds make him sigh in defeat at the hands of his heavy guilt. He could easily spot the nun he'd wronged, sitting down on a pillar.

Syn slowly walked over, and with little to no interaction from Sarvente, he took a seat beside her.

It was a long silence.

Syn didn't know what to say, and Sarvente had nothing to say. Syn cleared his throat, and decided he'd just do as he intended without being overbearing.

He took out an envelope from his jacket and sat it between them, before standing up.

"This should be enough to get this place back on its feet. I'm sorry, again..." Syn apologized once more, giving the recent bonus from Nikusa to help pay for the damages.

"...the last thing I want is your charity." Sarvente responded, standing up in anger.

Syn glanced back with a frown, understanding her decline. Syn went to take the envelop back, but Sarvente snatched it before he could with a huff.

"However, who am I to deny such a gracious act. We are in need." Sarvente turned away, and Syn smiled as we walked away.

However, he didn't make it far before a rip in reality appeared near the entrance of the ruined church. Syn could feel things wouldn't go well, and Sarvente merely walked beside him in confusion.

As the tear reached a decent size, whatever was on the other side wasted no time in arriving.

Syn was shocked that he had to dodge a straight punch with speed he nearly wasn't ready for, seeing a similar being to Sarvente and Ruv at his side from the lunge.

Dashing back with Sarvente in his arms, Syn put her down and threw his hands up, facing the threat with a glare.

"You finally came back to the leyline... I can finally destroy you." A rather mischievous voice mused, before cackling loudly.

The very sound of it made the two shiver, and Sarvente's confusion only grew. She felt some demonic energy from them, but it was much more familiar.

"Ma'am, I want you to hold on to that money real tight..." Syn warned with a sigh.

"You... who are you?" Sarvente asked in irritation.

"Don't worry. I would never lay a finger on my mother. Short story is, I'm your kid from another timeline— but I don't have the patience too explain," The man adjusted his sweater, before pointing at Syn.

"I just want the head of the man that ruined my parents future." The man declared, slick black wings sprouting from his back.

Meanwhile, another individual left the portal, staring intently at Syn and the man.

"Oh man. He's already at it..." a girl muttered, holding resemblance to the man across from Syn.

"...Did he just say he's your kid from another timeline?" Syn asked Sarvente, who was just as confused, but growing more annoyed than anything.

"Wait... a kid with who?!" Sarvente was pressed about the wrong topic.

"Do you like that Ruv guy?" Syn asked nonchalantly, giving the malicious man across from him a tick mark.

"W-Well... tha—"

"Yes, it's Ruv! But that's not important, mom! Step aside so I can kill this vermin!" The man shouted, taking a step forward, but Syn held up his hand.

"Can we at the very least get your name? Gotta know what to tell people when I say it wasn't my fault again." Syn asked.

"Selever." The man smirked, before appearing in Syn's face, hand aligned to pierce his throat.

Syn leaned back enough to feel it graze just hair, before rolling away and disappearing from sight.

"Oh, I know your game. That speed..." Selever looked around, following what seemed to be nothing, but he could just barely catch the small ripples of when Syn's feet touched the floor.

Selever threw his hand back, just barely whiffing Syn's jacket, meaning he was just too slow to stop him. Because of this failure, Syn kneed him in the jaw, before reappearing behind him with his fist reeled back.

Selever spun irregularly and evaded the uppercut sent towards him, kicking Syn away and flying after him in a blitz.

Syn felt a lot of things from that one kick.

He realized he was fighting the same being as Ruv and Sarvente. Who were very obviously not human. Or at least didn't hit like one.

'I cannot survive another one of those—'

Selever suddenly grabbed his foot, spinning him around before hurling him right back to the ground, kicking up dirt and stone.

Selever watched the blood leak slowly from Syn's shattered spine and broken leg, and smiled.

"Yeah, that's just about how I thought it'd go..." The girl to the side sighed.

However, Syn wouldn't be Syn if he croaked just yet.

Syn's blood flushed back into him with a growl, and Selever saw as a single black horn came out of his head, much like his own. Syn slowly staggered to his feet, and began to tremble and shiver.

"Ugh... this is such a nasty feeling. So you're a demon or something?" Syn asked, his voice a bit distorted, and his irises red.

"You...! What the hell have you done?!" Selever asked in shock.

"He... turned himself into a half demon! No... he's copied you!" The girl announced, making her presence known.

"Rasazy! I told you to wait in the void!" Selever shouted in anger.

'She can tell it's a replica?' Syn wondered, feeling his wounds heal and his leg realign. He shuddered as it finished and hummed to himself.

"I think this should make things more even. You wanna keep going?" Syn asked with a smile.

Selever was contemplating whether to send Rasazy back, or continue his assault. Syn's docile approach made his resolve waver, so he grit his teeth and huffed.

"Damnit, Rasazy... you've gone and saved the prick." Selever scoffed, before appearing above Syn with his arm raised.

"NOT!"

Syn leaned away and dodged the slash, but the force from it threw him back. He slid to a stand and whistled as Selever's hand flew past his titled head.

"Ha! Can't ya keep up?" Syn taunted, disappearing again and reappearing above Selever's head.

Syn feinted a kick, appearing behind Selever as he turned to block. Tapping on his shoulder, Selever thrust his elbow back, only to miss, Syn standing in his peripheral with a smirk.

"Hey, now, you'll get me next time." Syn feigned sympathy.

Selever's eye twitched as Syn began walking away.

"Don't look down on me! You ruined their lives!" Selever yelled, finally catching Syn by the throat. Spinning around with a violent twist, Selever slammed Syn down into the floor, making Syn's body recoil upward.

With a high kick, Selever sent him crashing to the ceiling, before he plummeted down and landed on his face.

"Hey, asshole, don't ignore the fact that I just gave her my entire contract bonus! That was like three months of DoorDash wasted!" Syn shouted, now more pissed off than ever.

"That doesn't rid of the misery they felt after the chapel was destroyed!" Selever shouted back.

"Dude, it's been a week! I bet five dollars the choir isn't supposed to meet for another two days!" Syn yelled with a stomp.

The two, including Rasazy, looked over to Sarvente.

"...he's right." She said with a nervous smile, tapping her fingers together.

"Ugh! You won't weasel your way out of this like everything else, you bastard!" Selever yelled, balling his fists in ignorance.

"While I don't necessarily like my parents— I'll have you know I was born after marriage, you piece of shit!" Syn pointed at himself with smugly closed eyes.

"What exactly is going on anymore?" Rasazy asked herself, slapping her forehead with her palm.

"Like I know! I came to help, and now I'm half demon, fighting another half demon! I hate to say this is just like last week!" Syn groaned.

"Listen, man, if that's not enough, how's monthly payments? The least I can do since the construction itself will cost what I gave her." Syn shrugged, returning to his normal state, hornless and blue-eyed.

"Heh. I suppose that's not up to me." Selever shook his head with glare.

"Well, I've less than forgiven him. But if he acts as a sponsor, that's sure to bring members in!" Sarvente cheered.

"See?! I'm just trying to help. It was accident last time. I didn't think she'd hear us..."

"I've more or less resigned from my... overbearing ways. I believe it's best to allow those to be naturally attracted rather than to convert the weak-minded or vulnerable." Sarvente said with a smile.

"Really?! That's great! I'm sure when this place is running again that attitude will attract more people. It's best to just welcome them as they are." Syn smiled, appearing beside her.

"Sel, they're getting along. At this rate, it's a hate crime." Rasazy smirked at Selever.

"Ugh. You've gotta be kidding me. Now I look like the bad guy." Selever groaned.

"You technically beat me up for giving money to a church. Pretty sinful if you ask me—" Syn was cut off by a chop to his head from Sarvente.

"You have no room." She scolded.

"Fair enough." Syn replied with a smile.