The door shut behind Eirwyn with a soft click. The calm aura he normally carried was still there, elegant and composed.
But something about his face was different this time. Strained. Tired.
"I heard everything," Eirwyn said quietly. "I was standing just outside."
Hermes looked at the water he turned to ice on the floor, not wanting to meet Eirwyn’s eyes. "Great."
Magni waved. "We were just discussing sacred essence rituals! Want me to catch you up?"
"No." Eirwyn sighed. "I heard that part too."
Ymir groaned and pulled the blanket over his face. "Someone just kill me already..."
But Eirwyn didn’t look at him. His focus remained on Hermes.
"That day in the hallway," Eirwyn said, stepping forward. "When my cursed ankle was acting up and it healed for a few minutes... That was Rewind, wasn’t it?"
Hermes nodded, avoiding eye contact. "Yeah. I didn’t know that I stole it at first. Not until my system told me that I gained it through massaging you. It was only then that I learned I can also steal abilities through skin."
"So even long-term skin contact is enough." Eirwyn said softly. "You didn’t need to eat anything."
Hermes shifted on his feet. "If I knew I could do that, I wouldn’t have. I swear."
"And yet you did." Ymir muttered from the bed. "I knew you were doing something suspicious in his office."
Hermes glared at him. "I was just trying to help. And it worked—at least temporarily."
Eirwyn nodded slowly, deep in thought. "I’d always assumed nobody could heal me until the day I breathed my last... But here you are. You can literally do anything."
Hermes looked at him seriously. "I want to fix it. Properly. Not just delay the pain. I want to help."
"But to do that," Eirwyn said. "The one who cursed me has to remove it or... perish."
Hermes froze. "...Yeah."
Magni, still nibbling on the edge of a clipboard, broke the silence. "Well, the only way to cure a lava snake’s bite is to cut off its head until it spews out your blood, then you drink it as an antidote. So why not just do the same to the one who hexed you?"
Ymir rolled his eyes. "Of course you’d agree with murder."
Magni smiled sweetly. "Of course I do! In the Void, we resolve most things through combat. Very effective."
Hermes exhaled. "I didn’t want to keep this from you, Eirwyn. I just wasn’t sure how you’d react. Especially since... Well, you know what I am. What I might be."
Eirwyn was quiet for a long time. Then he said, "You held back against Victorina."
Hermes blinked. "What?"
"You could’ve killed her. In that crater, when your monster side came out. I saw the footage. You were laughing, but you never struck to kill. Your attacks were precise. Intimidating, but not fatal."
Hermes shook his head profusely. "I would never hurt her."
"I know." Eirwyn stepped closer. "And that’s why I believe you. Void-blood or not, you’re not a Threat. You’re someone who’s afraid of what he’s becoming—and that means you’re still human."
Hermes’s eyes widened. "You... really believe that?"
Eirwyn gave him a small, tired smile. "I’ve seen real monsters, Hermes. You’re not one of them."
"Not yet." Ymir muttered.
Hermes turned to him. "Why do you even care? Why not just report me or something?"
"Because I want you to accept what you are first." Ymir poked his chest with his finger. "A wolf is still a wolf even if it wears sheep’s clothing. Even if it’s raised by sheep. Even if it had lived its whole life thinking its a sheep—
"I know that already!" Hermes interjected. "I don’t care what I am. Human, Voidling, or some freak in between. You want me to admit that I’m a monster!? Fine! I am one!"
Magni patted Ymir’s shoulder. "You Iceness, I think that you’re projecting a little here. You can’t even admit that you’re—"
Ymir gave him a death glare, and Magni closed his mouth.
Hermes found this strange, but he cared more about Eirwyn than Ymir right now.
He turned to the kind man who believed in him. Who even upon knowing the truth, still continued to believe that he was good.
He took EIrwyn’s hands. "I can help you. And I will."
Eirwyn stared at him for a moment longer. Then nodded once. "Then I’ll hold you to it. I believe in you, Hermes."
Magni clapped happily. "Brother Modi, you have found a diamond in the rough! A person who would put their faith in you wholeheartedly is very rare! If I were you, I would have not let go of that person until we have performed the mating rituals—"
"Stop talking." Ymir kicked him in the gut.
Hermes reddened at what Magni said, and cleared his throat. "Ahem... So... I’m heading back to my hometown this weekend. There’s a rift there— where I might have come from. I’ll find her."
"And then?" Eirwyn asked with concern in his eyes. "Hermes, I am very grateful that you want to cure me but... Please do not get your hands dirty just for it. I’m not naive, I know that some Threats must die. I know that heroes need to kill for the greater good. But..."
He gripped Hermes’ hands tighter. "Promise me it will be your last resort."
"Then I’ll talk to her first." Hermes said. "I’ll try to convince her to undo the curse. But if it doesn’t work..."
Eirwyn nodded. "Then do what must be done."
Hermes nodded. "Mm. I will."
Ymir scoffed. "I hope you get a rude awakening. The villainess who put a curse on Mr. Curacio is not an ordinary witch— She is called Trivia. She was a human Threat, who escaped imprisonment and gathered strength from the Void."
Magni rubbed his chin. "I have not heard of that name before. But I can also consult my connections to help you in your search, Brother Modi. After all, Brother Eirwyn here tended to my pr— my archnemesis."
"Thank you, Magni." Hermes bowed his head. "I think.... I think I’ll take your offer to be my guide."
Magni’s eyes widened, his pupils turning into flames from excitement. "Really, Brother!? Praise the gods!"
Hermes knew he needed this. Ymir has a point. He had to face what he truly was, to accept both his human and monster sides so that they will be in harmony.
"Teach me how to survive in the Void... And how to win a duel there."
And so, Hermes trained for the remainder of that week until his day off came... Preparing for his first real battle with a villain.