"Bullying?" Shady recoiled like she'd been slapped. "What?! I would never bully my Ashy—"

  "You literally held him against a wall by his wrists hard enough to bruise him," Nexxali stated flatly. "After he tried to document evidence of your existence for the sake of his sanity. Then you deleted everything and threatened him with being chopped into cubes."

  "I was protecting us both!" Shady protested. “From my family! It wasn't a threat!”

  "By terrifying him?" Nexxali asked. "Shady, he thought he was going insane. He thought you were a hallucination. And instead of helping him process that, you did the opposite! You know what I see when I watch this? I see someone using their power to get what they want without caring about how the other person feels."

  "But I did care!" Shady's voice rose desperately. "I cared so much! That's why I came back! That's why I—"

  "Then why didn't you show it?" Nexxali demanded. "Why didn't you give him space? Why didn't you explain things BETTER?"

  "Wait," I interjected. "Nexy, I get what you're saying, but—"

  "No buts, Ashy," Nexxali cut me off gently. "You need to hear this too. You need to understand that what happened wasn't okay, even if you've made peace with it."

  The memory shifted to the grocery store scene. Past-Shady running out of "juice," running off and leaving Past-Ash alone and confused.

  "You just left him there," Nexxali observed. "Didn't explain. Just 'gotta go' and vanished. Left him to deal with more possible manager drama, the checkout, everything."

  "I was running out of mana—"

  "So tell him that beforehand! Warn him! Don't just freaking run off!" Nexxali's voice carried the sharp edge of a prosecutor making her final argument.

  "Yeah," I said. "For a bit I didn't know if you'd just ditched me or what."

  Shady looked at me, eyes wide with guilt.

  The memory moved to North at the checkout counter.

  Then to the car, Past-Ash making the vampire joke, trying to deflect his unease with humor.

  "And then," Nexxali continued relentlessly, "when he connects with another person in Cascade, by simply getting a freaking phone number—you get possessive. Jealous. Start making threats about poking out his eyes."

  "I was joking about the eye poking!" Shady protested weakly. “Also, North turned out to be a real vampire! I was… being protective! Vamps are bad!”

  "Were you?" Nexxali's eyes bored into the Wendigo. "Because from where I'm standing, you were already thinking of him as your property. 'You're already mine. Permanently. Fo-re-vah.' Thems your words, Shady."

  "The blood pact—"

  "Was made by two kids!" Nexxali growled. "You can't possibly think that's a valid basis for claiming ownership over another person if you… genuinely care for them!"

  "She has a point," I admitted. "I mean, I barely remembered you existed until you crawled out from under my bed. And the whole “I own you now” was kind of super unexpected."

  Shady opened her mouth, then closed it, looking between me and Nexxali.

  "Let me ask you something," Nexxali said. "If I had done any of this to you... invaded your bath, deleted your attempts at gathering evidence, left bruises on your wrists, claimed you as my property, what would you call it?"

  "That's... that's different—"

  "How?" Nexxali demanded. "How is it different? Because you're bigger? Stronger? Because you convinced yourself it was romantic?"

  The memory shifted again. The couch scene. Past-Shady taking up the entire space, making past-Ash sit on her, wrapping her tail around him like a restraint, keeping his tablet hostage under her butt.

  "This," Nexxali gestured at the scene. "This is what predators do, Shady. They invade space. They don't accept 'no.' They use physical intimidation. They isolate their victims from other relationships. They claim ownership."

  "Stop," Shady whisper-hissed. "Come on... We were supposed to look for clues about keys… not… shame me over my… over this… dumb stuff I did.”

  "Why?" Nexxali asked. "Because it hurts to hear? Imagine how it felt to live through it. To be Ash that day, confused and scared, thinking he was going insane, and having his only 'friend' treat him like a toy! Oh wait, we don't have to imagine shit. We're in his head, reading his past thoughts!"

  I swallowed hard, the memories washing over me.

  Yeah. That had been rough.

  "I wasn't—I didn't—" Shady's voice broke completely.

  "You did," Nexxali said firmly. "You absolutely did. And the worst part? You did it all while calling it friendship. While calling it a blood pact. While making him feel like he owed you something."

  The memory played on. Past-Shady keeping my tablet hostage.

  I watched myself trying to be accommodating while also struggling with the unexpected Wendigo house invader.

  "Nexy," Shady tried going on the offensive. "You… you know... You... almost killed Ash! You tried to execute him as a witness when you first met! How is that any better?"

  Nexxali's ears flattened, and for a second, genuine pain crossed her features. "You're right. I did. And that was wrong. Completely, utterly wrong."

  "Then why are you shaming me so hard over this—"

  "Because there's a difference, Shady," Nexxali stated. "I didn't know Ash. I was following blood-bound orders from High Command. I was literally compelled to protect Frontenachii Legate interests and to remove witnesses of any of their planetfall murder and sex crimes. I had no choice! My contract forced me to be a cleaner, a weapon that eliminates problems! When I signed up with a Frontenachii Agent in Desolada I had no idea what the fuck I was even signing up for! I thought that I was getting saved from a dying world instead... instead I became a fucking blood bound monster myself! For years I've been messing with my mind, rewriting my thoughts, forcing myself to think that what I was doing was fine, that I had no fucking choice! I literally drank myself stupid after I had to eliminate another witness! Until the day I met Ash, I was trapped in an ever-tightening noose, hating myself, hating what I had to do!"

  Shady blinked. I nodded, recalling Nexxali chugging something alcoholic from her flask after the murder of her subordinates.

  The serval stepped closer to Shady, gold eyes blazing. "But you? You had every choice. You knew Ash. You obviously loved him. You came here specifically for him. And you still chose to hurt him. Not because you were magically compelled. Not because you didn't know better. But because you wanted what you wanted, and his comfort didn't matter as much as your needs!"

  Shady flinched.

  "I was a tool being wielded by others," Nexxali added. "You were a free person making choices. Selfish choices. Choices that hurt someone you claimed to care about."

  "I..." Shady seemed very small, eyes sparkling with tears. "I didn't think about it like that."

  Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

  "Exactly," Nexxali said. "You didn't think. You... acted. Took what you wanted. Pushed until you got your way."

  The memory shifted to the brain spiders conversation.

  "This," Nexxali pointed at the garden scene. "This is good. The first time you actually opened up to him. Actually treated him like a person whose feelings mattered. Alas, you also dumped a mountain of trauma on him... The harvesting, the torture, the running away, without giving him much choice about whether he wanted to be involved."

  "He said yes," Shady whispered, sliding to her knees.

  "After you'd already spent a whole day breaking down his ability to say no," Nexxali countered. "After you'd isolated him, confused him, made him doubt his own sanity. After you'd claimed him as property and made him feel responsible for your wellbeing."

  "I didn't... I wasn't trying to..." Shady's shoulders shook.

  "I know," Nexxali said more gently. "I don't think you woke up and thought 'today I'm going to emotionally manipulate my childhood friend.'"

  "I was confused and scared, but I still chose to help her,” I rubbed the back of my head, feeling bad for Shady who was sniffing and clinging to my side now. “I could have called the cops, or my therapist, or—"

  "Could you though?" Nexxali raised an eyebrow. "She took your tablet. She'd made you doubt what was real. She'd claimed you as property and told you that terrible things would happen if anyone found out about her. What real choice did you have?"

  I paused.

  Put like that...

  The memory reached the moment where Past-Shady explained the imprinting, asking Past-Ash to be the first thing she saw when she woke up.

  "Even this," Nexxali gestured at the scene. "Even this final moment. You're asking him to let you imprint on him like he's your parent. To take responsibility for you while you're vulnerable. But you never asked if he wanted that responsibility. You just... assumed. Because you needed it, because you’ve boxed yourself and Ash into a corner."

  Shady blinked, silver tears streaming down her dark cheeks. "What else was I supposed to do? I had nowhere else to go! I was scared!"

  "You could have been honest from the start," Nexxali said. "You could have treated him like a genuine partner instead of property!"

  "But I didn't know how!" Shady sobbed. "Everyone I knew treated their kobolds like property in Omnithornia! That's how it bloody works in my family! I thought I was being nice by not compelling him directly!"

  "And that's exactly the problem," Nexxali said softly. "You thought 'not magically mind-controlling him' was the bar for good behavior. But Shady, that's not the bar. That's below the ocean floor. And even then, you still found ways to control him—through physical intimidation, isolation, etcetera."

  Shady slid even closer to me, her whole body shaking with sobs. "I just wanted my best friend back. I just wanted someone who looked at me like I mattered. Like I was more than a harvester!"

  I felt my heart clench. I reached out to pet her.

  "I know," Nexxali said, sitting down beside the crying Wendigo and wrapping her tail around Shady's shaking body. "I know you were hurting. I know you were running. I know you were scared. But Shady... hurt people hurt people. And you hurt Ashy."

  "I... l-love him," Shady whispered.

  "I know you do," Nexxali said. "But love without respect is just possession. And possession isn't love—it's ownership. You treated him like he was yours to claim from the start, not someone to build a functional relationship with. I witness a lack of balance here."

  The past-Ash and past-Shady went to bed in the memory-river.

  "You know... If I had been in Ash's position," Nexxali said, "I would have kicked you out."

  “When?” Shady asked.

  The memory flashed back to past-me sitting atop of Shady.

  "The moment you said 'most people would consider this behavior toxic' and then dismissed it because you're 'not people.' That's when I would have said 'get the fuck out of my house and don't come back.'" Nexxali stated.

  Shady looked up at us, wet eyes wide. "Really?"

  "Yes, really," Nexxali confirmed. "Because that moment? That was you acknowledging that your behavior was wrong and then dismissing it because you didn't think normal rules applied to you. That's... that's general Omnid-dragon logic, Shady. 'I know this is bad, but I'm special, so it doesn't count.'"

  I'd been silent, watching Nexxali systematically dismantle Shady's self-justifications. Part of me wanted to defend Shady, but...

  I'd been so caught up in the crisis of preventing Earth's destruction, that I hadn't really processed how thoroughly Shady had bulldozed through everything that day.

  "Shady," I said.

  She looked up at me, face streaked with tears, looking vulnerable and sad.

  "Nexxali's right," I said. "About everything."

  She flinched like I'd struck her.

  "You hurt me," I continued. "You invaded my space. My privacy. You made assumptions about what I wanted without asking. You acted like I owed you something because of our childhood promises, when I didn't even remember you properly for most of my life."

  "Ash, I—"

  "Shush. I'm not done," I said gently. "You also saved Earth. You killed your aunt to protect me and this planet. You gave up everything—your family, your position, your entire life—to keep me safe. You risked death and worse to stay here."

  "Slayer," Shady whispered, more fresh tears spilling over. "Damn it all… I'm exactly what I was running from. I'm an effin’ monster."

  "No," I said firmly, leaning down and pulling Shady into a tight embrace. "No, you're not. You know how I know?"

  "How?" Shady's voice was muffled against my shoulder.

  "Because you're crying right now. Because you care that you hurt me. Because you're capable of seeing what you did wrong and are feeling remorse." I said.

  “Mmhmm.” Nexxali stroked Shady's feathery mane from the other side. "Your family? They don't cry about hurting people. They don't question their actions. They don't see their victims as people."

  "But I still did it," Shady sobbed. "I still hurt Ashy. I feel sooo bad…"

  "Yes," Nexxali agreed. "You did. However, he's still here. He's still with us. He chose to stay. Chose to help you. Chose to love you regardless the first few rough days."

  "Why?" Shady looked at me now. "Why would you do that, Ash? After everything bad I did to you?"

  I took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. "Because... because underneath all the bullshit, underneath the bossy Wendigo, I saw someone who was genuinely scared and alone. Someone who made terrible choices out of desperation, not malice… And it gives me hope that you want to... No, that you are already changing. You did ask for my permission to review these memories.”

  "Yes," Shady whispered. "I want to be better. For you. For us… Nexy? What should I have done differently?

  "Asked," Nexxali said simply. "The first night under the bed? You should have crawled out, revealed yourself, and ASKED. Something along the lines of... 'Ash, I'm in terrible danger. My family does horrible things. I need help. I understand this is a huge ask, but will you help me?' Give him agency. Give him choice. Give him the truth upfront so he could make an informed decision."

  "Ah. He would have said yes," Shady said, glancing at me. “Right?”

  I nodded.

  "Yes," Nexxali agreed. "Ashy is sweet and kind. But it should have been HIS choice. Not something you guilt-tripped him into. A real choice, made with full knowledge of the stakes. Do you understand?”

  Shady nodded.

  “Good Wendigo,” Nexxali started to purr, hugging both of us tightly.

  We sat together in the dreamscape space for a long while.

  "Nexy?" Shady mewled.

  "Yeah?"

  "Thanks. For... For making me see what I missed. For explaining."

  "That's what partners do," Nexxali said softly. "We call each other on our bullshit. Even when it hurts. Especially when it hurts."

  "I'm sorry, Ashy," Shady said, hugging me tight. "I'm so sorry. For the shower. For the bruises. For taking your phone hostage. For making you doubt your sanity. For treating you like property. For all of it. I wish that I could go back in time and change it all. I was just so happy to see you again. I missed you so much and fumbled things so freaking bad."

  I looked at her tear-stained face, at the genuine remorse there, at the desperate need for forgiveness.

  "I forgive you," I said. "Just try to be better than this, yeah?”

  "Yes!" she promised. "I swear. I'll ask. I'll listen. I'll—"

  "Relax, Princess,” Nexxali purred harder, petting Shady. “The reason I'm being so harsh about this? It's because I see myself in your mistakes."

  Shady looked at the serval.

  "I've spent decades using my voice to manipulate and control," Nexxali stated. "Taking away people's choices. Because I told myself I knew what was best, because I forced myself with incepted music to believe the Frontenachii propaganda about helping doomed worlds, about freeing other prads from the ever-blooming dungeons. It took meeting Ash, the catnip and your circle bond to finally free me... It allowed me to see myself from the side, to finally have agency. So yeah, I'm harsh on you about this because I know how easy it is to rationalize bullying others when you're desperate."

  "I don't want to be that person," Shady said.

  "Then don't be," Nexxali nodded. "Acknowledge what you did. Take responsibility. And do better going forward! Right? Right! Anyways, we’re done with the dream-review. No clues about any keys there. So let’s wake up… and proceed to the consequences.”

  "What kind of consequences?" Shady swallowed nervously.

  Nexxali's grin resembled Emperor Palpatine’s. "The… educational fun kind. Mrrr. For being a bossy butt to Ashy and for throwing me into a lake.”

  "What?" Shady blinked, wiping her tears.

  "You've clearly been a bad girl," Nexxali purred. "A very bad girl. And bad girls need to be taught a lesson!"