Jenneca slept leaning against the headboard of their bed, with Derek's head in her lap since she didn't want to disturb him. The doctor had concluded that he was physically in perfect condition and, given what Jenneca had told him about him acting differently that day, suggested she consult an exorcist. He hypothesized that some evil spirits might be plaguing him.
Derek stirred, waking once sunlight filled the room. "What…?" He murmured sleepily. As he stretched, he accidentally punched his wife in the stomach. The horror at his mistake woke him up the rest of the way and he sat upright, apologizing profusely.
Jenneca forgave him. "More importantly," she said with a serious face, "What happened last night? Everything was fine, and then you suddenly started screaming bloody murder. That really scared me, Derek."
He hesitated, thinking back. Someone else's memories had flooded into him, and not very clearly either. The only thing that had been clear about them was the mental and emotional pain they brought. Usually, he would be disinclined to tell his wife anything; he certainly wouldn't get her involved in anything to do with the Red Fox Coalition, for example.
But what if he was going insane?
What if the contract with Deer Doctor Hyde had affected his mind somehow? If anyone deserved to know, it was Jenneca, who was always there to support him and unless it really mattered, accepted without question when he wouldn't share details. He didn't have to share everything, he could just share a part.
He didn't know why he suddenly felt deeper trust and connection with Jenneca since his revival. Maybe it was because she'd given him a reason to come back in the first place. Whatever the case, he wanted to tell her something.
"This… is going to sound strange," he started to say, "But something happened while I was out the other night and I've felt off ever since. I know exactly what happened and why, and for the most part it's a very good thing, but there are some unexpected side effects. I think last night, I experienced fragments of someone else's memories. I just want you to know, it wasn't you. You did nothing wrong."
Jenneca looked both a lot more worried and somewhat more relaxed. "Side effects? More than just what happened last night?"
He hesitated. "A little, yeah. Nothing I can't handle, though. Are you satisfied?"
Jenneca gave him a look that seemed to say, "What kind of woman would be satisfied by that kind of explanation?" but didn't press for details.
"Thank you for trusting me," he said.
Jenneca patted his thigh and got off the bed. "I do my best," she said with a weak smile.
Derek felt guilty. He felt like his half-explanation had been somehow worse than no explanation at all, but at the same time, it was either that or tell the full truth. While he did want to share more with his wife than he would have a few days ago, there was still no way he'd confess that he'd already died, and was about to use paranormal means to slaughter thousands of people just to stay resurrected. She was definitely better off not knowing that side of him.
Along those lines, he'd lost a lot of time because of that ridiculous display of weakness the night before. He had planned to design and create his first Paranormal Event after spending time with his wife, but instead, he'd ended up screaming like a madman, crying like a baby and sleeping like a log until morning came.
As such, he was in a sour mood all morning until he had some time off.
"Alright, let's get down to business," he said, interlacing his fingers and stretching his arms as he sat down at his desk. "Time to brainstorm."
To design a Paranormal Event, he had several things to keep in mind. First, he could only create Paranormal Events using the "domains" of his Savior; in his case, this meant he could make Events relating to wildlife, medicine, and being overtaken by one's dark side. Recalling the few names of other Saviors that he could, Derek felt quite pleased with his Savior's domains. He could get creative with these. Perhaps they weren't the most powerful, but they could be widespread and diverse, and in his estimation, Paranormal Events required more of those than brute force.
Part of why he came to that conclusion was Paranormal Points, another thing to keep in mind while designing his Events. He needed to make his Events either have a great societal impact, be tricky to uncover, or last a long time. Great societal impact could be done with brute force, but the other two required finesse.
The most important thing was that his first Event had to be very efficient in harvesting souls. If he counted from the time he was revived, it had already been a day and a half since then, leaving him with a little less than five and a half days for whatever Event he made to harvest 1,000 souls.
He got up and retrieved a blank notebook from a shelf, then returned to his desk. As he got out a pen and began to write a few points to get his ideas down, the translucent screen with words written in blood appeared:
{{Would you like to register [unnamed blank notebook] as your [Brainstorming Log]? This action will allow you to dismiss and summon your [Brainstorming Log] at will.}}
"Oh that's handy, yes!"
Several streams of red liquid coalesced around the notebook on his desk, then seeped into its covers. The notebook's pages noticeably changed, turning from bleach-white, crisp paper to dull light yellow, soft sheets. Picking it up and closing the cover, he saw that it had changed as well. Instead of a generic, brown hardcover, it was now finely crafted, with smooth, red leather and painted black, sewn-on wooden embellishments. The title was embossed in cursive golden letters: "Paranormal Events ~ Brainstorming Log, by Apostle Derek E. Remington."
Derek quite liked how it had turned out. Had it detected his tastes and designed it accordingly? That was unlikely, but he had fun coming up with the possibility.
He set the book down on the desk, opened it up, and began to record his ideas. Even if he had to take a longer break than usual today to do it, he was determined to set his first Paranormal Event in motion.