Their conversation ended when Irwin heard her last words.
If he was being perfectly honest, he was not anyone's savior, not even himself's. Besides gagging at the thought of being a white savior, not that he was fully white, he was pretty amazed by the efficacy at which the Will Domination spell worked.
Changing not only her allegiance, but also her mind regarding related matters that involved her sudden sense of loyalty to him.
After her capture, the only thing that kept her alive was her vow to take revenge against him. It was through sheer force of willful vengeance that she stood tall even against him and his ilk's humiliation.
But, as with all things, such a magnificent spell had a cost that was too much to bear.
Excluding the angel's Grace and the weakness he had felt in the aftermath of the spell, he also had to intrude upon the target's consciousness and defeat their will in a simulated fight.
He forced himself to settle his thoughts, no longer won't to be that introspective when his head felt like splitting in half. Sleep came before him, gently cradling his head at a bid to soothe its pain.
It had felt like an eternity before he came to existence once more.
Once he did, though, it felt like he had slept for an eternity, too, as his body felt like it came from a resort. It no longer ached his mind whenever he had a thought, nor did it hurt his eyes when the ceiling fixtures glared at him.
As the sense of relief flooded his senses, so too did a sense of emptiness. He invigorated his magical power, sending a weak pulse to figure out how much magical reserves exist in his body and found himself dry as a speakeasy in the height of prohibition.
He gazed at the window; the curtains were drawn open for him to see a moonlit night. With the moon at its highest, he figured a lot of werewolves would be feasting tonight.
"Look at me, thinking like a hunter." He chuckled before standing up from the bed. It was then that he noticed Charlotte sleeping on a sofa couch, most probably carried upstairs from the parlor room.
"What am I gonna do with you?" The question was more to himself than to Charlotte. He had done what he promised and did so as thoroughly and expensively as possible, but there was an ember burning in his heart that was telling him the contrary. "Buyer's remorse, I suppose."
Still, the extent to which he had trusted the system ran deeper than he would have thought as he had decided to place his trust in the Natural Order spell. Whatever hidden agenda she had, or some misplaced thought about any revenge would be dealt with swift action and heavy judgment; meaning that he would trust her as long as she proved herself trustworthy.
As if responding to his hidden thoughts, he felt the flickering flames of doubt welling up within his heart before being blown to nothingness. Smoke remained as a constant remainder of his vow.
He smiled, gently placing his hands below her neck and knees before carrying her out of the room. She was under his command and no one, not even her, would suffer that terrible bed under his employ.
He left the third floor and had her stay in her own room on the second floor. Temporary shelter, at least for the duration of her non-aggressive personality with the members of the manor.
Since Annalize was relocated to her mother's room, he set Charlotte up in her former sister's room. It had much more natural lighting and had a view of the underground prison room, a subtle threat to whatever was left inside of her that wanted blood.
It might seem like overkill, at least to Irwin, but he figured that it would be best to be sure of something. At least when it pertains to his home and haven.
After settling her in the room, Irwin left for the kitchen, aiming to abate his rumbling stomach.
There he found Ella surrounded by a slew of ingredients bedecked on the granite countertop, her lone figure a stunning sight to a starving man such as he. He sneaked inside, watching her dance along to the tunes of the flames and the beat of her knife beating against the wooden chopping board.
"Need something, Dick?" She asked as she took out a tray of roasted potatoes out of the oven, speaking as if she had eyes on her back. "Or just satisfied with the curves on my body."
Irwin nearly choked at her words. "Jesus, Ella."
"What? Too much?" She gazed back, a mischievous smile on her face. She went back to her cooking, paying no attention to him as he took a seat on the other side of the counter. "So, gonna tell me about the Stepford witch?"
"Spell. Big one that costs a pretty penny. Thankfully, the materials did most of the damage, so I got myself a little bit of spending power." He chuckled before further explaining. "It changed her mind on a… fundamental level. Though I don't know if it'll last."
"Why?"
"The receipt was pretty vague." He replied, shrugging his shoulders helplessly. "Understandable. The spell's origin was nature itself. Couldn't even begin to understand why it works."
"But you know how it works?" She emphasized the how.
"Memory manipulation." He ventured a guess.
She whistled as she heard his response. "Damn. I guess you're moving up in this world?"
"I guess I am." He replied.
"I sure do hope you're taking me along for the ride?" A knowing smile was on her face as she made the suggestion.
"I wouldn't have it any other way." He said, pouring himself a glass of water. "Speaking of rides, any changes on the solo riders?"
She hummed, turning one stove to low heat before pouring chicken broth. "Garth's still hiding, but so far, no sign of another demonic omen near the city."
"I guess that Devil's Trap still had some use." He remarked.
"Oh, good news! Gordon found your target." She turned to him, a stern expression on her face. "I didn't know you like redheads?"
He smirked. "I love 'em."
She snapped her fingers as if remembering something before leaving her cooking station and the room. Just when Irwin thought he'd have a kitchen fire in his home, she returned with a small yellow notepad and slid it against the granite countertop.
Craning his neck to check what the note said, he hummed in delight.
Gordon had found Anna Milton. She still believes that she was but a young normal girl, studying at college close enough for her to visit her parents within an hour's ride.
"God, journalism." He murmured in disgust.
Ella scoffed at his words. "Hey! I studied journalism."
"You minored in it." He corrected her, thinking it was a good defense. "It's not like she's gonna use it in the real world."
Even if he did save her from her fate of being a pawn between two supreme factions, he would doubt Anna would return to being just a normal girl after she was subjected to the delights of outstanding power.
At least that's what Irwin thought, because he, too, was feeling the joys of his supernatural abilities. If given the choice to return to his world and be as normal as he was before his reincarnation had even happened, then he would choose not to.
He believed that his choice was not uncommon and was the most logical and optimal decision that occurs to anyone, even the most humble of people.
"What do you need her for, anyway? She a special child?" Ella's words brought him out of his musings.
"She's a fallen angel." His reply caused Ella to nearly drop the wooden ladle into the big pot of stew. "Relax. She has no powers, not anymore."
"Oh, phew. What a fucking relief!" She said sarcastically. "Don't tell me you're going to fight against heaven, Dick? Didn't your daddy tell you not to do that?"
"First of all, I don't call him 'daddy' and you don't get to do that too," He raised a finger, jokingly gagging at the word 'daddy'. "Second, she's going to be our insurance policy. Our… nuclear deterrent. God knows we need it."
"What's she gonna do with no powers? Tell some angels' pretty little secret?" She remarked with a scoff on her throat.
"We can make do with just a vessel. Even a temporary, full-powered angel would be enough to protect our backs for a while." He replied, waving away her worries.
While Anna would never be complete without her original Grace, even the fragmented angel's Grace he bought yesterday would be enough to deter any demons and other angels from ever attacking his home base. That was, of course, on the occasion that both factions knew of another player with as big of an ambition as he does.
He didn't actually expect her to fight them off for just her mere presence and, once he had saved enough credits, the enochian and demonic warding around the estate would tell both armies the folly of their plans.
'But that's all far in the future. I don't even know where to get the credits for her Grace. You know what, I should let Garth check if the big wigs got her grace back. If I'm lucky and they're lazy, I could exchange that shit for free credits.' The thought sprung up in his mind.
"Did he say where to meet?" He asked.
"Called a second time. He'll meet you in Portland." She replied.
"Those were his exact words?" He asked, to which she nodded as an answer. He furrowed his eyebrows in silent contemplation.
It made no sense to Irwin as to why Gordon would do that. If he were in any trouble, Gordon would either drive to the Roadhouse or fly to the manor and disregard any current mission. If he did either, then he would leave a coded message in any way possible, but he didn't.
He had given Gordon a Monster Banishing Card before they parted ways. With his skills and modified ammunition, Irwin reckoned that very few monsters could defeat Gordon without leaving any trace.
Worry began to seep through the cracks of uncertainty.
"Is he in trouble?" Asked Ella, as he had not said anything for a while.
"Maybe. If he calls again, tell him that I'll meet him in Portland." He said, "I better bring Charlotte with me. If it doesn't pan out, then at least she'll get fresh air."