After what felt like an eternity, he emerged out of the trees and was greeted by the most magnificent sight—a house bathed in moonlight—a small house, in comparison to the one he'd come from, and judging by the looks of it, abandoned. No light peeked through boarded-up windows, and the paint was peeling in long layers off the eroded siding. The front door was locked though.

Without the shelter of the trees, the howling wind gave him no mercy, chilling him so much, his teeth chattered. He put out his smoldering stick, closed his eyes, and deliberately thought of the act of unlocking a door. No rune appeared in his mind, but as his thoughts trailed to imagining the lock mechanism turn, a combination of kinetic runes came to him. He drew them on the door one by one without breaking contact and heard a satisfying click. It worked. He could get used to that!

He slipped inside and found that the indoor darkness was even worse than in-the-woods darkness, so he left the door ajar. He considered going back out to get another stick to turn into a torch, but his chilled body rejected the idea.

With the moonlight coming through the door being the only source of light, it was difficult to get a bearing of the room, but he could tell that it was wider than long and had a tall sloped ceiling. If his eyes didn't deceive him, a staircase stood in the middle, right next to an entrance to a pitch-dark hallway. Mustiness tingled in his nostrils like the windows hadn't been opened in a long time, but overall, it didn't smell too bad. It was good enough for tonight. He cautiously moved forward and his knees hit something soft. He felt his way around what he figured was a rectangular pouf and continued shuffling, encouraged by finding furniture inside. If that large object was a couch, he'd have all he needed right now.

Floorboards creaked overhead, and he wondered if he'd have to share this cozy asylum with rats, but he didn't mind. He remembered the spoiled lab rat he'd met earlier and realized that the thought of more rodents didn't bother him at all.

Then the wind slammed the door after him, turning the room pitch-black, and after another overhead creak, someone said, "Did you change your mind, auntie?" 

He froze on the spot and gritted out to himself, "Why couldn't it have been rats?"

If only he could see.

A whooshing sound reached him, and then something knocked him down onto his back.

"How did you find me?" a young male voice demanded, pinning him down.

"I wasn't trying to find anyone," he answered, struggling to breathe, too tired to fight back. "I didn't know anyone crashes here. I was looking for a place to spend the night and thought this house was abandoned."

"Who are you?"

He was about to answer that he didn't know but stopped himself, remembering how well that went the first time around.

“I'm Ruby,” he said, cringing on the inside. It was like calling a fluffy cat Fluffy, though still better than Cat.

"How did you get in here?"

"I cast a few runes to open the lock."

"You're a cambion?"

"Yes."

After a moment of hesitation, his attacker released him and helped him up.

"Me too," he said in a much lighter tone. "I'm Seri."

Ruby—he might as well get used to that name for now—stretched out his hand but couldn't see if Seri was going to shake it and held it in the air for a while. He cleared his throat, putting it in his pocket. "Could we light a lamp or something? I can't see a thing."

"Sure. Come." 

Seri left the room and Ruby tried to follow but tripped over another pouf and had to feel his way around. “Wait for me,” he said, hating his helplessness.

A warm hand grasped his and pulled him deep into the belly of the house. Once inside a room, Seri released his hand and a glow of a candle illuminated his face. He was a teenager like him, though much shorter, and he had wings, huge leathery limbs that stuck out above his shoulders even when folded and ended below his knees.

"Whoah," Ruby mouthed, a little jealous and a little intimidated.

"You have a tail," Seri said.

"And you have wings."

"I'm sorry for tackling you earlier. I… I panicked." 

"No problem." Ruby's stomach growled and a wave of fatigue washed over him. He put his weight on the ankle that didn't hurt. "Can I crash in this house too?"

Seri started biting his nails. "I'm sorry. You can't stay here. I shouldn't even be talking to you."

"Please. I have nowhere else to go, my ankle hurts, and I'm too exhausted to keep going."

Seri shook his head. “No way. If my aunt found out, she'd freak out.”

“Is she here? I'll ask her.” When Seri kept shaking his head, Ruby put his hands together and begged, "Please, I'll do anything. I'll help you with whatever you need. I only need a night or two and then I'll be out of your way and you can have the whole house to yourself."

Seri looked at his folded hands, frowning, then captured them both, turned them around, and lifted Ruby's sleeves as if looking for something.

“What?”

Seri's eyes slowly met his and his face broke into a wide smile. “You're like me!”

“Yeah, I thought we established that already.”

Seri flung himself at him, hugging him tight around his torso. “When did you get here?”

Ruby staggered back. For such a small guy, Seri sure was strong. He also wasn't wearing a shirt and this hug felt a little too friendly. “So does it mean I can stay?”

“Of course! Netherspawn stick together, right?”

“A what?”

“But my aunt can't find out you're here—not until I get to ask her for permission. She's a worry-bee sometimes.”

“Uh, sure. I'll be your secret guest.”

“My secret Nether guest!”

Ruby released himself from the hug and took a good look at his enthusiastic host. “The Nether? Why do you think I'm from The Nether?”

Seri pointed out his wrists and showed off his own. “If you were born on Earth, they'd have branded you with a wrist seal.” His smile faltered. “You're not from the Nether?”

Ruby looked closely at his ordinary wrists. “I realm-traveled?” He did awake in a strange sphere today. Was his lack of a wrist seal the reason why Tristine had called the cops? This explained some things. “Does realm traveling come with amnesia?”

Seri gasped. “Me too!!! My memory's so bad, it's a wonder I can function, but don't worry, it will get better. When did you get here?”

“Today.”

“Welcome to Earth! I'll show you around... at least where it's safe. Don't let anyone see you don't have a wrist seal. Only Earth-born cambions are allowed to live on Earth and if your wrists are unmarked, that's a clear sign you're here illegally. Better yet, don't let anyone see you at all. I'll show you how to be sneaky. I'm a pro at flying under the radar.”

“I'm sure you are.”

Ruby eyed his wings. The fragile membrane was framed in muscular limbs and ended in sharp claws that looked capable of inflicting serious damage. Meanwhile, Ruby's tail flicked forcefully, begging for attention after having been bruised when Seri had knocked him down. It was a gift and a curse, he realized. Having a tail, being a cambion, was why Seri let him stay, but having a tail also proved to be a reason to remain hidden.

Seri smiled broadly at him. “Isn't it funny that out of the city full of humans you picked my house? You're so lucky!”

“Yeah, lucky.”

He tried to smile too but wasn't in the mood to celebrate. He wasn't safe from cops yet, and he might be further away from home than expected.