Svi's hand was warm. We walked along the stone pathways, looking for an eatery. Svi was trying to keep the boy calm. He was, but he looked lifeless.

"Did the two of you cause this calamity?"

"Yes, but it's for a good reason. This intimidating guy and I are going to fix everything," Svi declared, using her fingers to hold my face into a smile.

"Demons are going to do that?"

"I'm not a demon. Only Cri."

"You're like a demon," I mumbled under my breath, snickering.

Svi heard, nudging my side hard with her elbow. She had a warm smile on her face, trying to create a friendly atmosphere.

"At least someone sees the problem. This place keeps deteriorating. There's too much greed." The boy proclaimed, talking dully.

"You're smart for a kid. Isn't he, Svi?"

She nudged me again.

"I'm a victim of the problem. It's common sense to me."

While talking, I found a restaurant, and I pointed it out to Svi. We walked in, blood on the ground. Svi grabbed some water and soap, looking at the kid's hands. She sat down next to the boy at one of the wooden tables, wiping his hands clean.

"I'll be here," Svi told, scrubbing between the child's fingers. The dirt seemed to come off, though his hands were stained for the time being.

"Yeah. I'll go cook."

I traveled to the kitchen, gore on the floor here, too. Bloodied knives were on the ground. I looked around for a cooler, finding one and taking out venison. The ice in it had melted, probably created with magic.

I looked around the kitchen, grabbing whatever spice or vegetable I could find. I found some wine, so I decided to use it.

I took wood that had been stacked in the kitchen and shoved it below the stovetop. I set fire to it, the stovetop heating up. I grabbed two pans, one for the venison, and one for broccoli. I poured the wine with the venison, cooking out the alcohol. Next, I put garlic and basil with it as well. For the broccoli, I added ginger and a little salt. I plated the food, then walked out to Svi and the boy. I set the plates on the table.

"I'm getting us some wine. I'll get some water for him, as well."

"Sounds good."

I traveled back to the kitchen, filling two glasses with wine and one with water, and walked back to the eating area, setting down the drinks. They were waiting for me to return before eating.

"You guys can dig in. Hope you enjoy."

The boy dug in eagerly, looking amazed. Svi looked satisfied as well.

"You're an amazing cook, Nocri."

"Thanks," I replied, grinning.

The boy looked extremely hungry and thirsty, eating and drinking quickly. He couldn't eat too much, though.

"Are you full? You've barely eaten," Svi asked the boy. She was concerned for him, as she has some motherly instincts, though she wasn't one.

"I'm not used to eating much. I'll throw up if I eat any more."

"Make sure you're okay. We'll get more water if you need it," Svi offered, ready to stand on a moment's notice.

"I'm good."

The boy was silent. Svi had a genuine concern for the boy. He even worried me.

"Can you think of a name for me? I don't want to keep my old one." He said, looking at us. It was sudden, so I wasn't sure.

"I'm don't know. Do you have anything, Nocri?"

"You know I'm not good with names..."

"I'll take your name, Nocri. You saved me in a way," he told, looking at me. I was astounded by his name choice. It was weird. Two Nocris? I wasn't going to deny him, though.

"You can have my name if you want, kid."

"What's going to happen to me after this?"

"Can we adopt him, Cri?" Svi questioned, holding onto my arm. She looked completely sure, a serious yet excited look on her face. I wasn't sure how to respond to her request. We just met the boy, he took my name, then she wanted him to be our child? I was dumbfounded. Especially since I'd just gotten Svi back.

"We aren't married yet. Do you want a child? We should ask his opinion too."

"We've lived together for more than a year, and you don't know I want a child? I've been waiting for you to ask about children for a while so we could actually try for some."

"I'm not very observant," I admitted, slightly ashamed. I guess she did try to bring it up a few times... I should've realized when she kept trying to get me in bed with her one week... Or when she was trying to ask what I liked for baby names... I'm an idiot. I'm surprised she hasn't had one yet, though. Even if I wasn't deliberately trying to have children.

"Can we, Cri?" Svi reiterated. She was pouting, causing my mind to race. I didn't want to deny her, especially since she had that face.

"Well, I know I'm going to be with you the rest of my life, as you are the only woman I've actually had feelings for. I'm okay with it. I like children, anyway."

"Thanks, Cri," Svi said, turning to face the child. What do you say? You can be Nocri the Second."

Svi was surprisingly excited. I didn't expect this from my bloodthirsty girlfriend... I wasn't sure how to handle the situation, so I went along. It wasn't the worst choice I've made. Or closely a bad choice. It was good. Great even. The boy wasn't sure how to respond, similar to me. He appeared interested, as he hadn't known a good family.

"Will we be a functioning family?"

Svi took it upon herself to answer his questions.

"Yes. Well, we're killers, so you'll need to be able to handle that."

"Will you care for me? I can't handle any more pain," he asked, slightly shaking from the thought.

"Yes. Nocri doesn't look like it, but he has a huge soft spot for children. He couldn't harm you if he wanted, though he would never want to," Svi revealed. It made me feel bad. I had been killing children, though indirect. Except for that horrific last time. It's a regret I can't lose, likely, ever.

Tears ran down the boy's face. He clearly has dealt with a lot. It seemed like he had a slight bit of happiness in his eyes. He smiled, the salty water running down his teeth.

"I accept."

"You're a father now, Cri," Svi said, kissing my cheek after.

"Yeah."

I was still trying to comprehend what had happened. I am still trying to comprehend. It's a good thing, but I imagined us settling down first. I'm twenty-five, and my son is thirteen. Svi's even younger at twenty-two.

"Let's go. We don't need to clean up the plates. This town is gone, anyways."

"Okay, Cri."

We left the restaurant, Svi holding our son's hand. It feels weird to say that.

"Where are we going?" Svi asked, her voice back to normal.

"We should meet back up with Meralf. This town looks defeated, and we need to show him Noc."

"Noc?" The boy asked, looking up at me with curiosity.

"Are you okay with the nickname? It's a little weird to call you Nocri."

"I like how it sounds."

"Good. Are you okay with that, Svi?" I questioned, turning to face her.

"If he likes it."

Noc looked content, though he was severely bruised and scared. His clothes were a mess too. I couldn't stand to see a child like that.

"We'll go get some clothes after we find Meralf." I decided, looking to Svi and Noc to see if it was okay. They appeared as if they were fine with it.

"I haven't gone shopping for clothes before."

"Svi and I can help."

While walking, I stumbled upon one of Meralf's vampires. They could speak, unlike many of the demons. It seemed like the stronger demons could keep their voices in this world.

"Hey, vampire. Where's Meralf?"

"Master is back at the inn. Master grew bored, so he traveled back. He's sleeping."

"Did he send back his demons?"

"Yes. Us vampires and the vile zombies are all that are left," the vampire explained, annoyed when he said "zombie."

"Why do you guys say "Master" when referring to Meralf?"

"Master is much more powerful than us. It'd be rude to refer to him differently."

"You can leave now." I told, not needing any more help.

"Understood."

We started walking back to the inn, as I wanted to check up on Meralf.

"What's this man like?" Noc asked, looking curiously at me.

"He's insane. He's a friend, though. You'll be fine."

"Is he a demon?"

"Yes. An undead," I spoke, saying it carelessly so he wouldn't be nerved. I didn't want him thinking it was a big deal.

"Oh."

I opened the inn's door, holding it for Svi and Noc to enter. After, we walked into Meralf's room.

Meralf was sleeping on the ground, inches from the bed. Blood covered his body, and the source was close. A brunette lay on the floor beside him, her innards leaking onto the wooden planks. Chunks of flesh were missing from the arms, legs, and stomach. She appeared to have been screaming before death. The meat was pulpy.

Noc looked sickened, so Svi told him to look away. He hid his face in Svi's clothes. I was ashamed of Meralf.

I walked up to his body, kicking his side with some force. Meralf twitched, opening his golden eyes. Black blood flowed out of them, a group of zombies spawning. He stood up, dusting off his pants. Blood covered every part of his body, a chunk of flesh sticking on his face.

"What are you doing?" I huffed at Meralf.

"Sleeping. What's it look like?"

"Why's a copse in the room?"

"I was hungry," Meralf answered, shrugging.

"Why's it here, though?"

"I wanted to eat it at my leisure."

I was getting sick of his smiling, especially since flesh was stuck in his teeth. He saw the annoyance on my face.

"What's up, Nocri?"

"Can you wash up? I want to introduce you to someone."

"Even more people? It was strange when we turned to three bodies, but now four? That's a total of five personalities. Seems excessive," Meralf babbled, chuckling.

"If I want to bring more people into my life, it's my decision. I didn't tell you to be a loner."

"No one peaks my interest. If they did, they'd be here."

"Hurry and wash up," I snapped, annoyed with his behavior.

"Fine."

Meralf traveled to the bathroom, rinsing the blood from his body. The shower head was on, so I knew it would take a good amount of time.

"This will take a while. Come here, Noc," I said. He walked over to me but had a confused look on his face. "I'm cutting your hair. How long do you want it?"

"Not too long. I'm not sure."

"I'll figure it out. Don't move too much."

"Okay."

Noc was extremely still and calm. I gently cut through his hair with my dagger. I agreed with his idea of making it short. I chopped it so it would be above his neck. Each lock of hair was about two inches long.

"I'm finished. How do you think it looks, Svi?"

"Hmm. It looks really good," Svi replied, smiling.

"Good."

I placed my dagger back to my side, brushing the hair off Noc's back with my other hand.

"Can I see what it looks like?"

"There's a mirror in the bathroom. We'll have to wait until Meralf's out," I explained, rubbing his head.

"Okay."

Soon after, Meralf came out of the bathroom. He was completely nude... I was filled with panic while Meralf stood proud, like usual. He doesn't have common sense.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"I needed to wash up my clothes, too. They're wet," Meralf enlightened, not giving me a reason not to whack him upside his head.

"Don't look, Noc."

I blocked my son's eyes, glaring at Meralf. Svi looked distressed too.

"Can you cover yourself with something?! Get a sheet!"

"Why do you think I was sleeping on the floor? Flarem hurled on the blankets."

"Get a towel!" I boomed, annoyed by his idiocy, especially when it should've been obvious I had a child with me.

"I forgot those existed."

I gave an audible sigh, making sure Meralf could hear. He strolled into the bathroom, coming back out with a white towel around his waist. He was still standing confidently, his back straight. It's strange to see his good posture when Flarem's always slouching.

"Is it all good now?"

"Yeah..."

"So, who's the kid?"

I turned Noc to face Meralf. Meralf had his grin on, which I hope didn't scare him.

"He's the son of Svi and I. His name is Nocri. Call him Noc, though."

"You had a son?"

"We adopted."

"His name happened to be Nocri?" Meralf asked, knowing how unlikely it'd be. I've never met anyone with my name. Well, I guess Noc has it now.

"No. He wanted the name."

"I see."

Meralf started to examine Noc, which gave me a little anxiety. Svi walked up to me, holding onto my arm. She seemed to be worried about Meralf, as she'd just met him. Noc appeared emotionless, observing Meralf back. It was weird to see the two stare at each other, both looking at one another curiously. Meralf stopped examining, satisfied.

"Where'd you find him?"

"In town. Where else?"

"Why's he covered in wounds?"

"He comes from a bad background. Can we drop it?" I asked, trying to avoid conflict. Noc cried enough that day.

"Fine. Do you want to show him to Flarem?"

"Sure. I doubt you want to shop. We're looking for clothes after this."

"You'd be correct in that assumption."

Meralf blinked, eyes turning blue. The zombies turned to black blood, traveling back into his eyes. It happened again. Meralf had creatures out when he switched. I was getting suspicious of the switching between them. It seemed as if Meralf could switch whenever he wished.

I chose to ignore Meralf. Flarem was staring at me, then to Noc. I had to go though the explanation all over again...

"Why are you with a child?"

"Why is he asking this again?" Noc asked. He looked at me with daze. Flarem had equal daze in his eyes.

"Flarem has split personalities. This is the main one."

I saw understanding in Noc's eyes this time.

"I'm just going to tell you everything at once. I already had to explain everything to Meralf."

"Okay."

"He's my son. Svi and I adopted him. His name is Nocri, after me, but we call him Noc. Don't ask about the wounds," I rattled, sighing at the end.

"Why would you adopt? We're on an important job. It's dangerous."

"It's my business, not your's."

"Am I like an uncle? Usually, friends do that kind of thing," Flarem questioned, changing from his worry.

"I guess. I can see you like a younger brother."

Flarem's eyes lit up. A lot of strange things happened... I didn't expect any of this to happen... First Svi, then I gained a son. Lastly, Flarem was suddenly perfectly fine with everything...

"You can call me Uncle, Noc."

Flarem had an innocent smile on his face. Svi and I had utter confusion. Noc looked a little weirded out, too.

"O-Okay, Uncle."

Svi looked jealous that Flarem was called Uncle.

"If you're calling him Uncle, call me Mom. That would mean you'd call Cri Dad."

I had a discombobulated look on my face. Noc looked embarrassed.

"O-Okay."

"Let's go shopping for clothes. Noc needs them."

"Okay," Svi answered to me.

Flarem traveled to the bathroom, fetching his clothes. He came out with them on. Somehow he didn't notice the corpse in the room... It was sort of off to the side.

Svi grabbed onto my hand, as well as Noc's. Flarem walked behind us. The streets were blood covered, but it was nice.