Page 25 of Demonic Affliction

I lean back, spreading my arms wide as I float lazily. “Lay it on me.”

She purses her lips, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m sick and tired of everyone leaving me in the dark. I want you to explain everything you know about me and the thing inside me, and I want you to do it now.”

I shake my head, a low laugh blowing past my lips. Brave little human. “You think I know something the others don’t?”

“I know you do. What I don’t know is why you won’t share it.”

I sigh, straightening up as the water sloshes around me. “No one wants to know the truth. Not really.”

“Well, I do. And I know you’re the only one who can explain it to me. You’re the only one who’s like me—the only other being who is connected to those weird red roots.”

I just laugh. “We are not the same, serafyn.”

Her eyes narrow in a glare. “You saying stuff like that just confirms my theory that you know something.”

“Stuff like what?”

“We’ll start with serafyn. You called me that the first time we met, and it’s the same word Spoon keeps saying when I ask it about what’s happening to me.”

My spine snaps straight. “Spoon? Who is Spoon?”

“The name of the voice in my head. Well, it’s technically ‘Pshoone,’ but Pshoone is a bit of an asshole, so I’ve been calling it Spoon.”

I blink slowly. “You’ve been calling it Spoon…”

“Yes.”

“And it just… told you that you’re a serafyn.”

“Yep.”

“What else did it say?”

She shrugs. “That I was going to destroy the world, or something. Oh, and it claims to hate the nickname Spoon, but I don’t believe it for a second. Spoons are awesome. Nobody hates spoons.”

I stare at her for a long moment, then rub a hand over my face, my shoulders slumping. “So you don’t actually need answers from me. Your Spoon has already explained it.”

“No, it hasn’t! All it said was that I’m a serafyn and that I’m going to destroy the world.”

I blink, unmoving. “Yes.”

“That can’t be all!”

I shrug. “You’re missing a few details, but that’s pretty accurate.”

The blood drains from her face. “But I… that can’t be true. And if it is, then we need to do something!” Her voice cracks on the last word, sending a dagger straight through my heart.

“What do you propose?” I ask gently.

“I don’t know!” She throws her hands in the air. “How about trying to stop it from destroying the world? That might be a good place to start.”

I let out a deep breath, shaking my head. “There is no way to stop it.”

“I don’t believe it. There has to be something⁠—”

“No. There is not.” I fix her with a hard look. “The entity inside you—your Spoon—is a creature more powerful than all of the beings in this world combined. Calling it a god would be insulting.” He spreads his arms wide. “This world is sick, Willow. You can feel it in the air, and you can see it by the pulsing red light of the Welwig roots. It’s dying. And if it dies, it will infect the thousands of other worlds that surround this one.”

She brings a shaking hand to her mouth. “Are you telling me… you’re trying to say there are more worlds like The Far Place?”