The door swings open under my palm, wood warm and familiar against my skin. I can't quite place why this modest entryway feels so right, so mine.
"Daddy's home!" A high-pitched squeal cuts through my confusion as a little blonde girl rockets toward me from the living room, her face alight with joy.
"Daddy, daddy! Mom was bullying us again!" A small boy follows close behind, his matching blonde hair bouncing as he runs.
My knees hit the floor before I even realize I've moved, arms opening instinctively to catch these children… My children, as they crash into me with the reckless abandon that only comes from absolute trust. Their small arms wrap around my neck, their bodies warm against mine.
I clutch them close, and without warning, tears spring to my eyes, hot and unstoppable. These perfect little beings with Ellie's hair, with my eyes, with smiles that somehow blend the best of both of us, they're mine. Ours.
"Hey, what's all this?" The boy pulls back slightly, his tiny hand reaching up to touch the wetness on my cheek.
"Nothing, buddy," I manage, my voice thick with emotion. "Just really happy to see you two."
"You saw us this morning," the little girl says matter-of-factly, her head tilting in a gesture so reminiscent of Ellie that my heart clenches.
"Yeah, but I missed you anyway," I tell her, running a gentle hand over her soft blonde hair.
Movement in the doorway catches my eye, and I look up to see Ellie leaning against the frame, arms crossed over her chest. She's older, laugh lines crinkling at the corners of her eyes, but somehow even more beautiful than I remember. Her short blonde hair frames her face perfectly, and she's still powerfully built, muscles defined beneath the simple t-shirt she's wearing.
"Hey baby," she says, her voice carrying that familiar warmth that always makes my insides melt. "How was work?"
I stare at her, drinking in every detail. The wedding band on her finger catches the light. The soft curve of her mouth as she smiles at me. The way she stands, confident, strong, but completely at ease in a way I've never seen before.
Fresh tears spill down my cheeks as I rise to my feet, drawn to Ellie like a magnet. I cross the room in three long strides and wrap my arms around her waist, burying my face against her shoulder. She responds immediately, pulling me even closer, her strong arms encircling me with a protective fierceness that feels both familiar and strange.
"Why are you crying?" she asks, concern threading through her voice as she strokes my back.
I pull away just enough to look into her eyes, my voice breaking as I ask, "Ellie, when did we get married? When did we have kids?"
She goes still, her blue eyes studying my face with sudden intensity. Slowly, she cups my cheeks between her palms, thumbs gently wiping away my tears.
"I see," she whispers, her expression softening with understanding. "You're not really here right now, are you?"
"What?" I stammer, confusion washing over me. "What do you mean I'm not…"
A familiar figure materializes beside her, towering and terrible. Lileth stands there in all his demonic glory, his ashen skin cracked with glowing fissures, venomous green eyes gleaming with amusement.
"She's right, you know," he says, his deep voice reverberating through the room.
I glance frantically between them, but it's as if Lileth isn't even there. The kids are now playing with toy blocks on the floor, and Ellie's focus remains entirely on me.
"Is this my future?" I demand, gripping Lileth's arm, desperation clawing at my insides. "Is this guaranteed? I need to make this happen. I need to know how!"
Ellie gently takes my chin, turning my face back toward hers. The children continue playing, oblivious to my distress.
"It's not guaranteed, baby," she says softly. "That's what you always told me."
Lileth's lips curl into that infuriating smile. "Wow, she's right again," he remarks, folding his massive arms across his chest. "This is just one of an infinite number of possibilities."
I clutch Ellie tighter, tears flowing freely now. The weight of what I might lose, what I might never have, crashes over me like a tidal wave.
"What happened?" I choke out. "How do I make this the one? How do I ensure this future?"
Lileth claps his hands with sudden, jarring force. "Enough!"
The sound echoes like thunder, and everything freezes. The children, Ellie, the warm light filtering through the windows, all of it stops, suspended in perfect stillness. Colors drain away, the scene dissolving around me like sugar in water.
I blink, and I'm sitting in a chair in an empty white room. No walls, no ceiling, just endless blank space.
I exhale slowly, my shoulders slumping as I look around the vast emptiness surrounding us. The crushing disappointment of having that perfect future ripped away leaves me hollow inside.
"That wasn't very nice," I say, trying to keep my voice steady despite the ache in my chest. "Showing me everything I want just to snatch it away."
Lileth's venomous green eyes narrow, his massive form towering over my chair as he leans forward. "Don't give me that shit, Shane. Because of me, you just saved her life." He gestures emphatically with one clawed hand. "Do you think you would have managed that transformation without my gift? Without me showing you how to channel that energy?"
I open my mouth to argue but pause, considering his words. The memory of Ellie lying unconscious, of Carnage-Goblin's foot poised above her head, flashes through my mind. The raw power that had erupted from me when I needed it most.
"Ah... that's true. Thank you," I admit reluctantly, the fight draining out of me.
I glance down at my hands, startling when I see crimson skin and elongated fingers ending in deadly claws. My demonic form is still intact, even here in this strange white void. I run my tongue over my teeth, feeling their unnatural sharpness. The weight of my horns and wings pulls at muscles I never knew I had before today.
Lileth waves a dismissive hand, his massive form circling my chair like a predator. "You're welcome, I suppose." He pauses, studying me with those venomous green eyes. "Though I must say, I'm finding myself rather perplexed by your choices."
"What do you mean?" I ask, watching as he completes another circuit around me.
"Well, I'm a bit befuddled really," he says, stopping directly in front of me.
"What?"
He sighs, an amused smile playing at the corners of his mouth despite his words. "I'm annoyed."
"You don't look annoyed," I point out, noticing the gleam of entertainment in his eyes.
"That's because watching you is just so... weird." He shakes his head, those glowing fissures in his skin pulsing with each movement. "Listen, when I found you, I understood you were from a world with much hornier men than the one you live in now."
Lileth begins pacing again, his massive wings folded tightly against his back. "I assumed," he mutters under his breath, "rather stupidly, that you would be like a dog with a bone and go around fucking every woman you could. Absorbing enough energy to become the most powerful Incubus ever."
Lileth throws his hands up dramatically, his massive wings unfurling slightly with the motion. "But NOOO! You committed yourself to the first woman who bedded you! Like some kind of... loyal puppy!"
His words hit me with unexpected force. I straighten up in my chair, my demonic tail flicking with irritation behind me.
"Wait, can I absorb people's life force when I have sex with them?" I ask, suddenly curious about powers I never knew I might possess.
Lileth rolls his eyes so dramatically I can practically hear them scrape against his skull. "You're nowhere near the level of using that kind of magic," he says with exasperation. "And not only that, but you've completely rejected giving up your humanity! It's maddening!"
I glance down at my transformed body, crimson skin, claws, horns and wings, then back up at him in confusion. "What do you mean? I'm literally a demon right now."
"That's temporary," he says, waving a dismissive claw. "In your heart, you refuse to let go. I can feel it. The transformation is just a shell, a borrowed form. Inside..." He taps his chest with one long talon. "Inside, you're still clinging to everything human."
I consider his words, feeling the weight of truth in them. Despite my monstrous appearance, I don't feel different inside. My love for Ellie, my desire to protect her, my need for connection, none of that has changed.
"I don't want to be a demon," I admit quietly, watching his reaction.
Lileth scoffs, shaking his head as those venomous green eyes narrow with frustration. "Well..." he says after a moment, "we're at an impasse then."
"Are we really?" I ask, surprised by how unbothered I feel by his disappointment.
He studies me for a long moment, then sighs heavily. "I guess not," he admits, dropping into a chair that materializes from nowhere. His massive form seems to deflate as he slumps forward, looking oddly exhausted for an immortal being. "I fucked up, if I'm being honest. Since we didn't make a contract, I can't even force you to do anything."
"Is that really so bad?" I ask, leaning forward.
A strange smile crosses his face, almost wistful. "Well, it's a bit embarrassing honestly," he admits, "but it's fun to watch you live your life. You're quite entertaining, in your own chaotic way."
I raise my eyebrow at Lileth, a strange boldness filling me that I've never felt before. Maybe it's the demonic form, maybe it's surviving Norma, or maybe it's just that I'm tired of being pushed around.
"So what happens now? Are you going to get in my way?"
Lileth's lips curl into an amused smile, his venomous green eyes glittering with interest. "What do you think? That you can take me if I did?"
I don't respond immediately. Instead, I simply stare at him, letting my thoughts drift to something I've been considering for a long time in this world. A possibility so wild that even thinking it feels dangerous. I know he can sense it in my thoughts.
His expression shifts suddenly, amusement giving way to genuine alarm.
"Is that real?" he asks, his voice losing its usual mocking tone. "What you're thinking about?"
"Yes," I answer simply.
"You're fucking kidding me," he says, those glowing fissures in his skin pulsing erratically.
"It's real," I confirm, watching him closely. "I haven't found them yet, but if I do, and you make me your enemy, I won't hesitate to ask him or her for help."
The threat hangs between us, neither fully formed nor entirely empty.
He raises his hands in a placating gesture. "Alright, alright, relax," he says, his voice smoothing back into its usual confident drawl. "We're good. Let's just keep whatever this is going and see what happens, alright?"
A smile spreads across my face, strange on my demonic features but genuine nonetheless. "Sounds good to me."