It was the same routine all over again as the roadies set up for Gnayryn's final show in the Gund Arena in downtown Cleveland, two months later. Only this time, everyone was somewhat lackluster and tired. Their traveling schedule had been insane. It was a wonder they'd made it to Cleveland in two months at all, what with all the places they'd stopped.

Gnayryn heaved a sigh, both sad and glad this was his last concert. He needed the rest, but it was a shame to give up playing live concerts. Ah, well, he decided. It had to happen some time. As does this. With less than two hours to show time, he knocked on the door Andy was using as an office, Jeremy right behind him. A grunt from beyond the wooden panel beckoned the musician and his lover into the manager's office. Gnayryn was nonplused to find him on the phone with a record executive.

The conversation lasted a scant five minutes more, then Andy hung up the phone with only a mild slam. "Sheesh, you'd think after having that woman on for the past six years, they'd've worked out her contract, by now." He shook his head. "So, what can I do for ya, Gnayryn?"

Gnayryn shut the door, giving Jeremy a serious look. "We've got something to tell you, that needs to get out now before some nosey reporter or paparazzi gets into business that's not his." Andy nodded wordlessly. "For the past two months, Jeremy and I have been lovers."

Andy blinked at Gnayryn's bluntness. He came out from behind his little metal desk and propped himself up against it. "You do realize this could ruin your career, don't you?"

"Well, so could having someone snooping around my house and peeping in on things they don't need to be seeing," the redhead pointed out. "Besides, if we tell them at the concert tonight, it's likely no one will believe it, and they'll brush it off as some publicity stunt. Which, I suppose, could also ruin my career, but that's why I've been making sure all my debts are paid off over the pas two months."

Andy nodded. "And you've both agreed to do this?" He gave Jeremy a pointed look. The roadie nodded, once, which was all Andy needed. "Very well. I can't-and won't-stop you." He extended his hand. "And, might I say, it has been a pleasure working for you."

Gnayryn took the proffered hand and gripped Andy's forearm, a gesture the manager clearly wasn't expecting. He understood what Gnayryn meant after a second and returned the embrace, such as it was.

The pair turned and left the office to head back down the hall. "So," Gnayryn said, heaving a heavy sigh, "you're sure you want to do this?"

Jeremy nodded. "Like you said. It's better we get it out in the open, now, rather than have some nosey bastard find out by looking in our windows."

A small smile spread across the rock star's face. "Not that anyone will necessarily see Gnayryn ever again, except when they need to, but that's beside the point. That is, after all, what glamour is for--public appearances, that is." Jeremy just walked along in silence. Apparently, he was still getting used to the idea of his lover being more than just a simple rock star.

They parted at the entrance to the arena with a fond glance, Jeremy to go help set up the stage, Gnayryn to go get ready for his last show. And as he did so, Gnayryn couldn't help but hope that everyone in the audience would believe him.

* * *

The lights beat down on him, causing his hair to frizz and a stream of sweat to course down his back. But he hardly noticed. Adrenaline was still pumping through his veins, moreso now that the show was finally over and he was about to make his announcement.

Gnayryn put his guitar down on its stand and stepped back up to the mic, his hands shaking like leaves in the wind. Despite the lights, be broke out into a cold sweat, and his mouth went dry. "Thank you all for coming tonight," he began, just to get things started. "As all of you know, this is my last concert for a while." The crowed booed. "Yeah, I know you'll miss me, and I'm grateful for that, but I'm afraid that these bones need a rest." He tried to smile wryly but was pretty sure it looked forced. "Well, I hope you enjoyed the show, and I'll leave you with an announcement." Something moved out of the corner of his eye and he saw it was Jeremy making his way to the stage. "I'd like to introduce someone to you all, someone who means more to me than words could possibly say." The roadie came up onto the stage, and Gnayryn could tell he was as nervous, if not moreso than he was. Jeremy passed into the ring of light and walked boldly over to stand beside Gnayryn, who put his arm around the brunette's waist. "I figure that we better do this now, so you all know, rather than risk scandal and embarrassment at someone else's hands later. If you like it, good for you. If not, I understand. Everyone, I'd like you to meet my friend and partner, Jeremy McGee." He didn't wait for the crowd's reaction to his words. He just bent his head down slightly and gave Jeremy a kiss that wasn't too short or too passionate, just to let everyone know he was telling the truth.

When the kiss ended, Gnayryn was surprised to hear the crowd still cheering for him. He heaved a relieved sigh and smiled tremulously, waving his hand at the crowd. "Thank you for everything, Cleveland," he said into the mic, and was rewarded with a surge in the noise level.

He took Jeremy and left the stage, gladly passing into the darkness outside of the sphere of light. It was a welcome relief to slip into anonymity after having been gawked at for what felt like forever.

"Whew," Jeremy said when they were in the hall. He smiled nervously and leaned his head on Gnayryn's shoulder. "That was more then enough excitement for one night."

Gnayryn nodded, but his lips pursed in a frown. "Unfortunately, that's not all. Yin and I have got a job to do."

Jeremy looked up at his face from where his cheek lay on the musician's shoulder. "To Severance Hall?"

He nodded again. "To Severance Hall."

* * *

They stepped out of The Void as one, accustomed after so many years to traveling its strangeness. The Sisters used it to get places in a hurry; one step could equal one step, in The Void, or it could equal a thousand or more. Gnayryn banished his air-shield, a bubble necessary for Void-Walking, as that plane of existence had no air. Jeremy looked slightly ill, but other than that, he appeared to be handling the experience well.

They were in the basement of Severance Hall again. This time, they had to turn the light on, as the Hall was closed up for the night and everyone but a few security guards had gone home. Yin set to work at the base of the stairwell, weaving an illusion that would make it appear that the lights were still off, and all was well.

Gnayryn regarded the tiled floor dubiously, noting there was still just the tiniest spot of brown where Yin's head had smacked into the wall ten years ago. He stood, hands in his coat pockets, until Yin was done working her magics. "We do know where these entities are hiding, right?" he asked. Yin walked over to where her Sister stood, just in front of the indentation in the tile. "Well," she replied hesitantly, "not exactly, but they were trapped in there before. By opening the Gate, we'll probably call them back, and then all we have to do is trap them again." She shrugged when all Gnayryn did for a few moments was look at her.

Finally, he just nodded tersely. "Great. Well, I guess we hope there's nothing worse in there that might come out." He Felt for the trigger of the Gate and tripped it. It opened as it had ten years ago, flaring briefly and then quieting down. This time, however, everyone in the room was prepared for the snap, and therefor didn't go flying into the walls. Gnayryn relinquished his hold around Jeremy's waist, giving his lover a smile.

"What is that?" the brunette asked.

"That is an interdimensional porthole, commonly referred to, by people who know about such things, as a Gate." Gnayryn backed up a pace from it and stood, his hands in his coat pockets again, waiting.

The Gate swirled silently, completely visible to eyes not sensitive to magical energies rather than appearing as just a ball of light as a weaker one would have on this planet. Whoever had built it was powerful, but their shields had completely dissolved over time. Gnayryn probed the Gate for its age and discovered, much to his surprise, it was almost as old as Christianity was reported to be.

Yin saw her Sister's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "What?" she asked curiously.

"That Gate is very old," he said. "Whoever erected it was probably one of the old gods. Though why they put the embodiments of Remembrance and Forgetfulness into it is beyond me."

"Maybe they needed to--" Yin stopped dead. Gnayryn followed her gaze to where a man suddenly stood outside of the Gate.

He was gorgeous. His cheeks were overshadowed by high cheekbones. Full lips parted slightly as a glow from the overhead lights reflected in chocolate brown eyes that beckoned all who looked in them to get lost in their depths. His face was framed by wavy, honey-brown hair that fell just short of his shoulders.

He lifted his pointed chin, regarding the three of them with obvious contempt.

Gnayryn blinked, stunned by the man's beauty. He felt his jaw about to drop and stopped it with a stubborn shake of his head. No. It's just a spell. His shields snapped up and the magic fell off him like dust from an old rug.

A frown appeared on the face of the pretty man.

He spent a few more seconds perusing them, and then his lips curved in a sultry smile.

Somehow, the smile was worse than the frown.

"So," he said, his voice as smooth as velvet, "mages still exist in this pathetic race of mortals." An elegant eyebrow arched, his smile melting away. "But I notice that you are not mortals." His eyes flicked briefly, pointedly over to Jeremy.

Gnayryn felt fear spread through his gut, a disconcerting, cold feeling that he couldn't coax away. This was a new kind of evil they were dealing with. Something much stronger than the petty, self-serving kinds that they had destroyed in previous years.

The man ghosted across the floor before them, examining them once more. Gnayryn felt slight taps on his shields and sent them reeling back with a sharp mental jolt. His brows knitted in a glare.

The pretty man smiled again.

Yin shifted uncomfortably in her place. Gnayryn could tell something was about to happen.

"What do you want?" she demanded.

Across from them, the pretty man leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. His smile had gone from sultry to sadistic. "What does every force of evil want?" He arched an eyebrow again. "Power, pain, suffering." His expression smoothed, suggesting he was bored with these ideas. "But I can get all of that in Hell."

Gnayryn Felt a wave of shock from Jeremy.

"You're--"

"No." The man cut him off. "That's my father."

"Then what is your name?" asked Gnayryn.

The man smiled again. He waggled a finger at the redhead. "That would be telling. You may address me as simply Velotan." His eyes gleamed.

Nobody spoke for several moments, during which Gnayryn felt more probes along his shields. He brushed them all away again, darkening the gaze he held firmly on Velotan. "That won't get you anywhere," he said simply.

Velotan's smile grew wider. "But it already has." His eyes narrowed slightly, but his smile never lessened. "It was you two who opened the porthole ten years ago." He nodded towards them, sending his hair bouncing. "I thank you. It has given me time to plan."

"Why was it here in the first place?" Yin wanted to know. Gnayryn could tell she was getting antsy. Her fingertips curved slightly, displaying her devote wish for a blade in her hand.

"Ah. Yes. Curiosity. I suppose I should expect it from someone who has been around mortals for so long. That was a trap placed there by-some god or other. I'm not sure whom, exactly. Probably Loki. He never did like competition, and my father was enough as it was. So he locked me and my pregnant mother in that pocket dimension....I'll have to go reap my revenge after I've dispatched of this place."

Gnayryn resisted the urge to take the bait. He could feel his hands grow warm with anger, tingling with magic and the desire to throw a gout of fire at this young, impudent demon. But fire would not likely have any effect on him.

An enchanted blade, might, however.

He looked sideways at his Sister, sent a carefully guarded thought tendril out to her. She looked back at him out of the corner of her eye and nodded once, imperceptibly.

With one, swift motion, Gnayryn pulled his Sword of Light out of The Void. Immediately, the blade glowed brighter than the florescent lights above and began to hum, loud and high pitched. Yin pulled her Sword of Darkness out and stood with it in a defensive pose, clearly feeling safer now that she was armed with something certain to do some damage.

Velotan didn't seem impressed.

They stood at am impassé before Gnayryn noticed more probes on his shields, ones that only seconds before had been cloaked and carefully hidden. His glare deepened. I don't know what it is he finds so interesting about me, but whatever it is, I don't like it.

"You really are an interesting creature," Velotan said, shaking his head slightly. "An embodiment of Chaos, and yet so orderly."

"That's the idea," he said with a smirk.

Velotan's probes lingered a moment more, and then he sucked them back on his own before Gnayryn had a chance to fend them off.

The demon grinned, showing off slightly elongated canines. "But not always, I see."

He suddenly stepped away from the wall and walked towards Gnayryn, crossing the room in five or six ground-devouring lopes.

Gnayryn's skin began to itch as Velotan got near, burning as thought it was on fire. He felt a presence stirring in the back of his mind, one that was usually kept under tight seals, and knew that Velotan's mere presence had awoken something dangerous and wild.

The demon stepped right up to Gnayryn and nuzzled his jaw with his nose. Gnayryn went rigid, unable to use his blade due to the fear coursing through him.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," Velotan murmured in Gnayryn's ear.

His mind burned and his ears filled with a scream only he could hear. The sword in his hand dropped to the floor, now blazing white and so loud and high that glass shattered somewhere. A presence rushed out of the shadows of his mind, exploding in anger and flame as she had done a hundred years before on her birth.

His height decreased; his weight increased, added to by the breasts that formed on his chest. Embers burned in his eye sockets. His hair lifted and swirled, igniting into a gout of flame that rose and stood straight up. Shadows crept over his skin and his clothing burned away.

Morygryn stood where Gnayryn had stood, letting out a final scream before she was silent. She pulled her head back from the one beside hers and looked its owner in the face. His beauty struck her to her core. She smiled, sultry and alluring as she always did, deciding she would thank her deliverer later. But first--

Mory turned and looked at Yin, whose eyes were now wide and fear-filled.

"Hello, Sister dearest," she said, her voice echoing.

Someone behind her gasped.

She turned to see a human staring at her, as fearful as Yin-perhaps moreso. She Sent out tendrils and drank in his fear, new food after a long sleep.

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "And who might you be?" She looked him up and down, frowning. "Ah, yes. The bitch's new play-thing."

A hand caressed her waist.

Morygryn turned back to the gorgeous man in front of her, who was smiling at her as sexily as if she were looking in a mirror.

"I knew there was a reason I was interested in you," he purred.

Morygryn smiled wryly. "I believe you mean interested in her. Or was it a him, this time? I am a completely different entity."

The man's face contorted in confusion. "How interesting."

A black blade suddenly appeared in front of her, separating her from Velotan.

She turned her head sideways to look at Yin again, and rolled her eyes towards the ceiling. "Oh, please, Yin. Don't you ever get tired of that?."

Yin gritted her teeth. "You get back in your cage, bitch."

Mory smiled poisoned-honey sweet. "Dear, sweet, Yin. I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, Velotan's presence woke me up. And as long as he's here, I'm not going anywhere." Her eyes hardened to a fiery glare and her mouth turned to a thin line. "Now, I suggest you take that pissant mortal and get the hell out of my way."

Velotan's hand landed softly on her shoulder. "No. I have a better idea." He turned to smirk haughtily at Jeremy, whose eyes burned with an anger that matched Morygryn's "Why don't you kill him, instead. I'm sure that would totally ruin your other half." Jer's expression didn't change as Mory slunk over to him, the smirk back on her face.

"With pleasure, dearheart." She grabbed the front of Jeremy's shirt, ripping holes in it with her talons as she dragged him across the floor. His eyes widened, his feet slipped, and he careened into Mory. The demon brought him back onto his feet by pulling on the front of his jeans.

Beside them, the Gate hung and swirled silently, waiting to be closed. Morygryn looked at it, the nastiest smile on her face, yet. "Have you heard of The Void, mortal?" she asked him. Jeremy shook his head, eyes wide with fear. Mory ran a talon down his face. "It's a place with no air. With no light, yet it blinds you. No sound, yet it is deafening. It's all colour, though you'd swear you were swimming in black and white. And it is endless." She looked to the Gate once more, Sending out her mind and changing the destination of the Gate. It fluctuated slightly and changed colour, but otherwise its appearance did not change. Mory moved Jeremy so he was standing right in front of it.

"No!" Yin called out. She leapt forward, as if to restrain the demon, but Velotan stepped in the way.

He glared down at her with storm-fury in his eyes. "You just don't learn, do you." His mind sprang out and wrapped Yin in a blanket as tight as steel bands. They spread from her neck to her ankles, causing her to topple onto the ground, dropping her sword. Velotan stepped back to his previous position to watch as Morygryn verbally tortured her prey.

She smiled at him over Jeremy's shoulder. "Guess where you get to spend the rest of your existence?" Her voice was soft, almost like the purr of a kitten.

Jeremy's eyes grew wider yet; he clutched Morygryn's wrist, trying to grind the bones together to make her let him go. When that appeared to have no effect, he just clung on for dear life. "Gnayryn!" he called out, desperately. "I know you're in there somewhere, Gnayryn!"

Morygryn glared at him; he could see the fight within her eyes. "Shut up," she said, shaking him slightly.

"Gnayryn!" he called again. Morygryn lifted him up off the floor and held him in the Gate, not letting any part of him actually slip through to The Void. Her grip tightened, talons digging into her flesh and causing blood to ooze forth. The demon's mouth contorted in an angry frown; her arms began to shake. She dropped Jeremy, still clenching her hands into fists that drew blood.

"Do it!" Velotan ordered. "Do it!"

Morygryn squeezed her eyes tight, jamming her fists against her ears. Her mouth opened as though in a grimace of agony, which quickly turned into a moan. The demon's eyes snapped open, displaying humanoid irises of fiery green. In that one, small instant, she jabbed her hand forward, the talons embedding themselves in Velotan's gut. Then her eyes turned back to balls of fire, her brows knitting in horror. "No!" she wailed in anguish. She pulled her bloodied hand out of Velotan's gut.

The young demon staggered, clutching his wound with eyes that displayed disbelief and horror. He looked down at where his own blood coloured his hands, and stumbled back into the Gate, falling through before Mory could get a good grip on his tunic.

The Gate snapped shut at a mental command from Yin, still bound on the floor. The restraints left her as soon as Velotan was out of sight.

Morygryn fell to her knees in the process of trying to follow Velotan through the Gate. She wailed in despair, her fingers curling to meet her palms. Her hair wavered, suddenly, and became a copper mane that fell down her back. The shadows on her skin turned back into jeans, a shirt, and boots. Gnayryn was kneeling on the floor before anyone else could do so much as blink.

The redhead turned to look at his lover, his eyes slightly widened. He started to get up slowly, his knees shaking. Tears came into his eyes before he could stop them. "Gods, Jeremy," he said, bringing the brunette in for a tight hug. "She almost killed you."

But love is stronger than any wrath that bitch can deal out, and she knows, deep in her black heart, that she loves everyone I love. The curse of having a splinter of my soul as her own.

Jeremy held him just as tightly. "Yes, but you stopped her."

Gnayryn smiled, holding his lover tighter. "You helped."

They pulled away, seemingly simultaneously, to look each other in the eye. Gnayryn caressed Jeremy's cheek with a finger, the same way Mory had done with a talon. "You have no idea how good a thing it was you called me. I--Felt you--along our Bond. I'd would have gone to sleep if you hadn't done that." The two embraced again, glad the other was there to do such with.

"Well, no one help me up," Yin said sardonically from where she stood. They turned to see she had a smile on her face as straight as a paperclip, and joined in her mirth. She half-turned, signifying it was time to leave Severance Hall. "So," she began, when Gnayryn and Jeremy caught up with her, the former with his arm around the waist of the latter, "back to the music biz, then?"

Gnayryn couldn't resist a wry smile. "Well, it certainly would be preferable to that, though I could use a rest." Yin held the door open for them, allowing them to walk out into the night air. They turned right, towards the parking garage. Gnayryn looked down at Jeremy, all the fear finally draining out of his system. "What do you think?"

He shrugged. "It's up to you, love."

Gnayryn's smile grew larger as he put his free arm around Yin's waist. "Well, in that case, I think I'd like to spend the next couple of years in the company of my lover and playing with my niece and nephew."

The three of them stepped into The Void, heading for Yin's house, where the mundane world awaited them as a wonderful relief.