Destiny

"Godhood?" you ask, incredulously. "What are you going on about?" The way Luna snuggles against you makes it clear that she, too, is confused.

"The destiny of whoever bonds with the Master Ring," Naamah replies, still perfectly calm. "The ring grants you dominion in both the magical world and the mundane. You've already used some of its gifts, of course. Mostly only in your world, though. You've only seen the slightest glimpse of what hides behind the veil shrouding the supernatural from those without the ability to comprehend its existence."

"Stop talking in riddles and tell us straight, Naamah," Luna says, a hint of irritation in her voice.

"I've been figuring out how to tell you about this for two years," Naamah shoots back. "Not like I've had anything else to do in here while Nick wasn't putting on the ring again."

"I don't have the patience for this either," you say. "Forget the speech and just tell us."

"Fine, fine. Can't appreciate an air of grand mystery, I suppose." Two years of captivity had clearly changed Naamah--for the better, you weren't sure. "There's the mundane world. Humans, houses, cats and dogs, cars and airplanes, that stuff. Then there's the magical world, demons, of course, but also angels, elves, centaurs, lamias, dragons, fairies, all of that stuff that you probably thought was just mythological. It's pretty much all real and you're probably going to run into most of it sooner or later."

"And how much of it is going to try to kill me?" you ask.

"Depends. Demons, probably. Dragons, maybe. The rest, probably not, unless you go about trying to kill them or otherwise mess with their existences."

"I guess I'll stick to the mundane world, then. I can fuck with that without consequence, seems like."

"Doesn't matter," Naamah says. "Magical beings will find you whether you want them to or not. Maanah and I were the first, but there'll be more. Whether it'll be the demons and the dragons, or the elves and the angels, who are first, well, that's for time to tell."

"I thought you said it was my destiny to ascend to Godhood. So what does it matter what I do?"

"Destiny's a funny thing. Sometimes you attain it, even if you don't want it, simply by thwarting the efforts of others to derail it."

"You're being cryptic again," Luna says warningly.

"You're not powerful enough, as you are, to take on some of the really heavy hitters out there in the underworld. Hell, an old black dragon could fry you to a crisp without much problem. You're going to need allies who will lend their powers to you if you want to survive, and that may be enough on its own."

"Magical allies, you mean," you say.

"You could try to capture some more demons," Naamah says, "but you probably don't have the time it would take to properly break them and use their powers for your own. Dragons would much rather just send a gout of flame your way. And most other magical beings wouldn't have much to offer you, well, unless you've been wanting to emulate all that monstergirl hentai you two watch together." Naamah smirks ever so slightly.

Luna glares daggers at Naamah.

"The elves and the angels may prove proper, powerful allies," the demoness says. "But finding them is likely to prove quite the challenge. Nobody has heard from the elves in centuries, and the angels long ago abandoned the dual realms such as this."

"So what can I do in the meantime?" you ask, and then another problem hits you. "And how am I supposed to protect Luna? Even if a demon isn't strong enough to kill me, they could certainly kill her!"

"There..." Naamah hesitates. "There is a way you can protect her, as much as you can protect yourself. But it is not one that I would personally advise."

"What is it?" you press.

"You can give her your powers."

Both you and Luna are silent for a moment, then Luna says, "I thought that would mean that Nick would be giving them up."

"Not necessarily," Naamah says. "He could, of course. But he could also share them with you, as a gift. Be warned, however: once gifted, it cannot be undone unless she wills it. You will be unable to stop her, nor she you. You must trust her absolutely."

Something clicked in your head. "Demons don't trust, do they, Naamah?"

"If you'd lived my life, you'd know why," she says, and now her voice has a hint of bitterness.

"Demons don't love, either," you say, quietly. That makes Naamah's head perk up.

"I love Luna," you say as your girlfriend cuddles into you, this time out of affection rather than fear. "It is the most precious thing I can give her, the most valuable thing I can entrust her with. Next to that, these powers are, well..." You trail off and wave a hand casually, miming tossing something in a trash can. "I trust her. Absolutely. That's part of what it means to love someone unconditionally."

"You sound like you're in a sappy, badly-written romance novel," Luna murmurs quietly.

"If you say so," Naamah concedes. "But if you share your powers with her, she will share your destiny."

"I wouldn't want it any other way," you say. "I can't imagine my life, wherever it takes me, without Luna."

Luna's cuddle becomes a full-on appreciative snuggle.

"Then perhaps..." Naamah muses.

"Perhaps?" you prompt.

"There is... a prophecy," Naamah says. "It's not much spoken of among demons; I only know what all magical beings know of it, that it talks of 'the twelve' and the Lords of Creation." She shrugs. "They can't be the same; after all, everyone knows that there are thirteen Lords of Creation."

"What else do you know about it?" Luna asks.

"No more than what I've said. An elf or an angel might know more, if you can find one. The gift of prophecy was always strongest among them."

"Who are the Lords of Creation?" you continue.

"Thirteen powerful beings who, so the stories say, created all that is, was, and will be. But they have not been heard of or from in, well, ever. All anyone knows, if they know even this, is that there are thirteen of them."

"And that they're powerful enough to create the universe," you add. "I suppose you might say that they're gods."

"You think your destiny might be to challenge the Lords of Creation?" Naamah laughs lightly. "Perhaps so. They could probably do to give an explanation of why they abandoned us."

Silence reigns in the otherworldly room for a short time. "I still want to punish you for trying to kill me, you know," you say.

"I thought you might," Naamah says. "Unfortunately for you, that is a pleasure you will be denied. No punishment you could inflict would be worse than being trapped here." She holds up a finger to forestall what you're about to suggest. "I'm a creature of sensation, Nick. While I walked the world, I could experience it. In here? I am not truly real any more. This body is just a shell that I can maintain around my consciousness; it torments me with how it so closely approximates my own and yet feels wholly unlike it." Her shirt opens of its own accord and she brings up a hand to play with her nipple. Her face does not change in the slightest. "You see? This is not real. I can taste these"--her tail waves her plate of cookies around--"but they do not give me pleasure. I can detect the movement of the clothes against my skin, but it is only that, movement. It is better than nothing--I imagine you were wondering why I am not naked as I was before--but it is a ghost, a shadow, nothing more." She shakes her head. "For one such as me, no torment could be worse than this."

"Helping Nick isn't a torment? Being unable to lie to him?" Luna says.

"I told you, if I must serve, I would far sooner serve the one who faced me and overcame me."

"I can think of a worse torment," you muse. Naamah's head snaps around.

You glare at Maanah's cage, ensure that it is fully soundproofed and proof against whatever else might allow her to detect what you're about to say. "I want you to make up with your sister, Naamah. I want you to spend this eternity you will have in here to form the sort of bond with her that even the closest of human twins can only dream of sharing. It will be worthwhile in the end, I assure you. You will have a friend you can trust absolutely. But to get there, from where you will be starting?" You smile. "Will you do it, or will I have to **** you?" you ask, holding up the ring.

Naamah blinks incredulously. "Demons are meant to kill their siblings to inherit the full powers of their bloodline," she says. "Not be their friends."

"Then you'll be the first," you say, smiling. "After all, the killing option's off the table here."

This time it's Naamah's turn to glare daggers. "I'll do it..." Her next word comes through gritted teeth. "Master."

The room whites out as you depart with Luna.

--

"Why do you want her to be friends with her sister?" Luna asks as your dorm room reappears around you, your sisters still asleep on the bed.

"I dunno," you admit. "A passing fancy. Forcing them to live together will certainly be interesting. I let Maanah out a few seconds after we left." You think for a moment, then start peeping in on the room. "They've already broken the table and set the furniture on fire."

Luna laughs, then sobers. "Did you mean what you said, Nick? About sharing your powers with me?"

"Of course I meant it," you say. "It's the only way to keep you safe."

"But there's others who might be threatened," Luna points out. "Are you going to share your powers with all of them, too?"

"I'll decide what to do if it comes to that," you say. "Though there are a few others with whom I want to share this."

"Who?" Luna asks.