Will and Cynthia.

‘We’ve never been to this part of town, right?’

‘It’s practically at the opposite side of the city, so yeah, we haven’t. We don’t have many reasons to be here, either.’

It was the expensive side of town, the area of the higher class who could afford to build big, luxurious houses at the side of the mountains or live in fancy apartments.

Will took a cab to go to Cynthia’s place. The building in front of him was one of, if not the tallest around. Cynthia supposedly lived on the top floor. He had to talk to a receptionist to be allowed in. Cynthia had already told them she was expecting him.

He was alone in the elevator for all 30 floors. The pressure seemed to push him down as the elevator went up, threatening to crush him. He’d come here without a plan, without knowing what to say to her. Should he apologize? Should he convince her to stay with him? Should he let her speak her mind without talking back?

During their time together, Will was always the one dominating her. He had her when he wanted, how he wanted, and she loved it. She was a lot older than him, cool, collected, focused… This was the first time he felt so small when thinking of himself in relation to her. He became more frightened with every floor.

‘Tsk. I won’t tell you to relax, because I know you won’t, but you have to at least look the part. Cynthia isn’t the type to find a man who begs for forgiveness attractive. Regardless of what she says, stand firmly on your two feet.’

He knew that, at least, but it helped to hear it.

He knocked on the door to her home, and the door opened not five seconds later. Seeing her almost took his breath away. Beautiful as ever, she was wearing a long, turquoise cardigan over a loose white shirt and tight blue jeans. He almost smiled, but he held it in. In his mind he kept thinking of her in the white suit she used at work. Well… either that or naked. Seeing her in casual clothes was a simple but amazing treat.

“William…” She spoke his name with the hint of some apprehension. She looked down to his feet, avoiding his eyes for a short moment before she met them again firmly. “Come in.”

“Excuse me,” he said as he stepped in, his gaze following Cynthia as she walked holding her arms below her chest.

‘Guilt. She feels guilty that she didn’t contact you sooner after she said she would.’

‘Ishtar… Please, don’t read her mind now. I’ll only feel worse if I keep intruding in her mind.’

‘...Fine. Tell me if you change your mind. I’m always here.’

‘Thanks.’

Will followed her over to the living room and sat on the couch across from Cynthia with the coffee table between them. The outstanding view or the luxury of her house were of no concern to him at that moment. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.

He waited. He waited for her to speak first, for her to finally tell him what it was she wanted from him.

“What…” she started, but hesitated like she didn’t know how to phrase her questions. “What’s the worst thing you’ve done using your powers?”

“...”

Will’s jaw dropped. He didn’t expect that question, and certainly not as the first thing she would ask. Still, it was a question with a clear answer. Clear, but not easy.

“Back when I was learning about Ishtar, that is the spirit in me, and the powers she was granting me, I was also suffering from side effects. My mind felt hazy, my emotions were a mess.” He took a deep breath, held his hands together and kept his gaze on the coffee table. “I was on a bus. A girl about my age falsely accused me of molesting her. I got mad. Unreasonably mad. I used my powers to seduce her, to make her want me over anything else. I took her to a hotel and had sex with her, making her beg for it, denying her pleasure until she did. After we were done and my mind was clear, she told me she had a boyfriend. To this day I still can’t believe I **** myself on her like that.”

He looked up at Cynthia, and was shocked to see her raising a single eyebrow. He was further confused by what she said next. “...That’s it?”

“Hah? What do you mean that’s it?”

“You have the power to make anyone your thrall, to take advantage of their lust and make them do whatever you tell them, and yet the ‘worst’ you’ve done is seduce a girl because she was falsely accusing you of molesting her?”

“I basically **** her! I used my powers on her until she couldn’t say no! I made her cheat on her boyfriend! How is that not awful?”

Cynthia let out a drawout, frustrated sigh as she held her forehead. “I’m such an idiot. I got so paranoid after finding out that Jack was controlling me that I forgot you’re… well, YOU!”

Will frowned, and though he wasn’t, he thought he should’ve felt offended. “And what does that mean?”

“I don’t know.” Cynthia rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I’ve stayed in contact with Belphegor. I’ve had him teach me what magic is all about, what it’s capable of… You have so much power, yet the worst thing you’ve used it for is defending yourself of false accusations?”

“It was overkill,” Will said.

“True, but if what you say is true, then I’m surprised your reaction wasn’t more drastic.”

“You’re dismissing this way too easily.”

“I’ve… done bad things in the past, even before I met Jack.” Cynthia admitted. She looked out the window, towards decisions long made. “I’ve lied to get good deals in my career, I’ve tricked competitors into making bad choices, I’ve underpaid employees. I’m not proud, but those were choices I made believing they would let me rise, and they did. Let’s not forget I was ready to use you and unsavory means to make my models stand out more in their photos.” She chuckled humorlessly. “Really, who am I to judge? No, what I was afraid of was that you’d use me like Jack did, that I’d be stripped of my free will. Would you do that, William?”

“I don’t have it in me,” he admitted. “Nor is it something I want. I don’t care about mindless sex dolls. I want to have many girls, that’s true. It started as a dumb way to rebel against the betrayals I’d suffered, but it ended up becoming something I genuinely desired. Amelia, Reina, Ruth, Anna, Nanami… They’re all women I care about. If Ishtar’s power can help me make them happy, then I’ll use it. I’ve made my peace with that already.”

Cynthia smiled wryly. “And… what about me?”

Will’s heart skipped a beat. “That’s up to you. Always had been.”

Whatever Cynthia decided to do, Will was ready. It was one thing to fight for what he wanted and another entirely to **** others to accept his wishes. If Cynthia didn’t want to be with him, then he didn’t want her, either.

At least, he kept trying to convince himself of that.