I stared at Andrei for a moment. “Me? You really think, out of everyone, I’ll be the one who can handle it?”

“Yes. You’re the perfect fit.” He said it without a laugh or even a chuckle as I rubbed my eyes and looked up at him before realizing my mistake and turning away.

“O-Okay, is it because I’m bland and forgettable? A good vessel or whatever the fuck?”

“No, of course not. Well, a little bit of it is.” He gave a little grin as I rolled my eyes at him.

“It’s because I’ve literally been inside of your head for the past three days.” He then pointed to his temple.

“Yeah, I noticed, everyone noticed.” I replied as bitterly as dark coffee. “You and the rest are all up in my head, always talking and arguing. It seeps out, and I hope you saw how well the others took it.”

“I know, I thought I was helping, giving them a little reminder that I was here-”

“Well, you’re not. You… And everyone else here is dead. Died all around me.” I covered my face with my hands, frustration seeping into every pore of my being.”

“I still am, through you.”

“Yeah… Cause playing the telephone is all I’m good for.”

Andrei chuckled again. “Where was this fire when you were talking to the other two?”

“They were right about me. Gods… I thought I could really help, I thought I could really be useful. The one time I actually helped…” My mind went to Matthias and how I nearly killed him.

“I fucked up, and now he’s paying for it while I’m here talking to the dead when I could be out there… Fucking up even more.”

I raised my hands up in defeat as I leaned on the chair’s back.

“At least we tried to do something…” Another familiar voice came out of the woodwork. This time, it was Robert, who at least had the capabilities of hiding the massive hole in his abdomen behind the table when he appeared.

“Yeah… Thanks for the help with the Bes… Couldn’t really have done it without your walls… and Andrei’s fighting skills.”

“Listen… Kid, you’re going to mess up once in a while-”

“Did your mess-ups ever get someone nearly killed?”

“Actually… It killed people.”

Instantly, my head was filled with visions of a construction site in the back end of a small city. The scaffolding was built, and the operating cranes were moving large metal beams around.

“When I was a younger man, maybe your age. I was starting out in construction. One of the tasks was to check the rope, see if there was anything wrong with it… One day, I was tired, didn’t really think much, just passed the inspection, and went on with my day.”

Suddenly, the rope holding the crane hook twisted, snapping out of place before dropping onto the ground with a thud and a splat, as blood began to flow through the ground they worked on.

“That was on me… I knew it. I was fired from that job soon after, but the fact that I got someone killed. That someone’s death was in my hands… Worse than any boot out of the office. Luckily, I wasn’t directly charged; they swept it under the rug, didn’t want the accident to be on their hands. Ever since then, I’ve been going from job to job, trying my best to do what I can, make ends meet, and see another day.”

He laughed for a bit. “I ran, wanted to forget all about it. Wanted to start again, thought this place was going to be enough for me…”

Robert then pointed to his pierced abdomen. “I guess I got what was coming to me. Tried to run away and bam… Hah, I got what was deserved at the end.”

I was speechless, I didn’t know what to say that could really rebut that, if there was any at all. Or if I even should. It felt wrong to say anything about that.

“As I was saying. You’re going to mess up, maybe even big time. Everyone does. It’s life, and yes, some people fail more than others, and some people don’t mess up as much as they can.”

“And sometimes.” Andrei added. “Things are out of your control, and even if you do your best to try to control them. You might just slip and fall again.”

“You’re a smart kid. I saw your resumes, nearly every single version you put into them. You’re studious, and you tried your best. I’m not gonna sit and argue that you tried.”

“Every time there was a fight, I froze up. That’s not me trying at all, that’s me failing miserably.”

I pointed at Andrei. “The only reason we even get a fighting chance is because of you.”

“It wasn’t wholly me the whole time doing it.”

I narrowed my eyes curiously at that. “What do you mean?”

“There was someone else who actually suggested to fight, more than me. But, if I say who it is, then he might appear, and I know you don’t want that.”

I stayed quiet for a bit and slowly began to nod as I realized who he was referring to. “He’s the last person I want in this fucking conversation. Does he want me dead or something?”

“No, he wants you alive, more than any one of us, but enough about him. I believe out of everyone here, out of those left in the group heading up the mountain. You would be the perfect vessel. The circumstances have aligned, you were the one who gained the power, and you were the one handling it. It could have been anyone else, maybe, but it was you. Maybe it was just a chance, maybe it’s because you’re ‘boring’. It still chose you, and I think that’s enough for you to be its wielder.”

“That’s… That’s so dumb.” I laughed a little and shook my head.

“Well, I tried.” Andrei raised his arms up and laughed as well, and even Robert got in on it.

“Listen, I don’t really know if you’re the perfect fit or not. I tried to get anything, a speech, or anything remotely inspiring, but I’m not that kind of guy. Are you?” He turned to Robert and shook his head.

“My wife says I suck at motivational speeches.”

“Yeah, no one here is Peter. But I don’t think anyone else should have a power like this. I think you can handle it, with enough time, effort, and patience.”

“What if I hurt someone? What if they push me away?”

“It happens. It always does. But, I don’t think the alternative is going to be that good as well. By giving yourself up, someone else will carry that burden, someone else will have to think of the consequences and bear all the responsibility of that great power.”

“And you think I should?”

“Yes. I think you should, as painful as that sounds, I think you should be able to bear it. You want to live right? This is the best way to keep on living, not just for yourself, but for others. The spirit of the Bes, he said that you needed a purpose, correct? Something beyond just living.”

I nodded along. “Yeah, which I still think is stupid-”

Andrei raised his hand. “That’s not exactly the point, but the reason I ask is because I think, in my opinion, that the best way to live is for others. To protect them, to hold them tight, to save them. Like you did with Matthias.”

“I didn’t save him-”

“You did, at the end. Remember, the person we can’t Name, he’s not really good at Magick. There was only one person who knew how to complete that formula, and it was you. You saved Matthias, all by yourself, not us, you.”

I stared down at the table as I slowly realized that he was right. It was me. That, that was me at the end. I did that. I was the only one who could.

“And I think you should do more of that. I think it would suit you, helping others with their burdens. The first step is taking on the burden by yourself. “

Robert shook his head. “Well, not by himself, we’re here with him after all.”

“Hah, you’re right, we are. And I guess… I’m sorry.”

I looked up at Andrei, eyes squinted so I wouldn’t get absolutely grossed out. “For what?”

“I tried too hard, with trying to connect with my old friends, and trying to be all inspirational for you. I didn’t know that it would end up like this. I’m sorry for overstepping.”

“And I’m sorry… For always telling you to run away a lot. That’s not exactly something healthy to do, isn’t it?” Robert chuckled to himself as he rubbed his hair.

I laughed with him, leaning back as I smiled. “I guess… I’m sorry for being a shit vessel, for not being able to properly handle everything here.”

“You don’t have to apologize for that.”

“Yeah, and you both didn’t need to apologize either, but… It felt right.”

I looked down at my hands, taking a deep breath before I stood up, curling my hand as I summoned the fox once more onto the table, where she rolled around like a cat, before I picked her up by the collar.

“Alright then, you tiny furball. I made my decision. And I’m making sure that I’ll be the one bearing this power. I have to admit, your little mind games worked for a little bit, but I see through your game, I know what you want… And I’ll give it to you. I’m a great vessel, and you know it!”

I then gently placed the fox down before growing red in the cheeks. “Uh… Did I do that right?”

Andrei and Rober both gave a thumbs up to me and nodded along, mouthing words I couldn’t exactly hear.

“Hah~ Look who got himself a new personality makeover. Feeling confident in yourself now, are we?” The fox purred and rolled around on the table with a grin.

“W-Well. yes! Is there something wrong with that?”

“No, it’s quite adorable actually, like a little puppy trying to bare their fangs~ ahahah-” I grabbed them by their stomach and tickled them mercilessly. “Silence!

The fox made adorable little whining noises as it purred happily before scampering away. “Fufu~ alright then~ But, having so much bravado won’t be enough.”

I scoffed and rolled my eyes at that. “What do you mean?”

“There’s one more task you’re going to have to face if you want to wake back up with control over your body.”

Suddenly, back on the opposite end of the table, standing up and staring straight at Peter, was the one-armed warrior he spoke to earlier, the spirit of the Bes.

“You’ll have to take him on and win.”