That night in Ophelia Hall, the room was quiet, both beds occupied, Enid asleep without a problem while Wednesday lay still in her usual position, the kind of stillness that made it hard to tell whether she was fully asleep or just resting.
A figure slipped in from the darkness near the window, moving carefully enough not to disturb anything, the presence controlled and deliberate rather than clumsy.
"Thing, don't make a sound," Ethan whispered, keeping his voice low. "You don't want to wake Wednesday and deal with that, do you?"
Thing, perched on his shoulder, gave a quick sign in agreement, clearly understanding the risk involved.
Ethan stepped further into the room, pausing briefly as he looked around, making sure everything was as expected before moving closer.
From the outside, it would definitely look wrong.
Sneaking into a girls' dorm at night wasn't something that could be justified easily. He had a reason, and it wasn't trivial. He wasn't here for anything pointless—both of them had problems that would only get worse if ignored, and leaving them alone was no longer an option.
Wednesday first.
Her psychic ability was getting unstable, not because it was weak, but because she was using it too much without limits, and anything tied to the mind always had a breaking point. Overuse didn't just exhaust it, it distorted it, and people who relied on it too much didn't stay stable for long.
And on Wednesday-
She liked control.
Which made it worse.
Her visions weren't something she could predict, so she forced them, used tools, pushed herself to make them useful, and that constant pressure wasn't sustainable. Black tears weren't just a side effect, they were the starting sign of something going wrong.
If it continues,
It wouldn't stop cleanly.
Then Enid.
She wasn't just a normal werewolf, and that part was the real problem.
She was an alpha.
And Alpha transformation under a blood moon wasn't something you just walked away from, because once it triggered fully, there was no guarantee of coming back, and in the worst case, no coming back at all.
That was how it went.
That was what would happen.
Which was why he was here now instead of later.
He had already prepared for this.
Two things.
The first was for Wednesday—[Spiritual Power of a Great Witch], meant to stabilize her mind and keep her ability in control without weakening her. It cost him 2.5k blood points.
The second was for Enid—[Alpha Werewolf Blood], not for strength but to anchor her transformation so she wouldn't get stuck in that state. It cost him 3.5k blood points.
He moved to Enid first, stepping closer to her bed and placing his hand lightly over hers, careful not to wake her.
She reacted slightly, a small shift, then a faint smile forming like whatever she was dreaming had changed.
Ethan watched it for a second.
"Have you ever wondered what kind of dream makes someone smile like that," Ethan muttered, watching the faint smile on Enid's face as she slept.
Something passed from his hand into her, settling without waking her, and along with it he set a backup, a healing trigger that would activate if she was ever in danger.
Enid didn't stir.
Ethan pulled his hand back.
"Now to deal with the dangerous one," he said, turning toward Wednesday, who lay completely still, more like a corpse than someone asleep.
Thing signaled quickly, warning him that touching her would wake her.
"Yeah, I know."
"That's why we're not touching her,"
There was no need for direct contact this time, because what he was using didn't require it, it was only a partial transfer, something that could settle into her without waking her if done right.
A faint blue glow formed in his hand, small but steady, the energy controlled rather than overflowing, and he guided it forward.
It drifted through the air and sank into Wednesday without resistance.
Thing signed quickly, asking if that was enough.
"Yeah," Ethan said quietly. "It'll stabilize her visions."
He stood there for a moment, watching for any reaction, making sure nothing went wrong.
Instead, Wednesday's eyes opened at once, stiff and sudden, like a corpse snapping awake, no confusion, no adjustment—just immediate awareness, and her eyes rolled toward them.
Which made Ethan flinch. Why did she move her eyes like a creepy doll?
"You're trespassing," she said as she sat up, looking at Ethan and Thing on his shoulder.
"I prefer 'preventive intervention,'" Ethan replied.
"And Thing," Wednesday said, sitting up on her bed with controlled precision, her gaze shifting to the hand on his shoulder, "I distinctly remember instructing you not to disclose my condition. It appears your sense of discipline is… negotiable."
Thing didn't respond, his posture stiff, clearly aware he had overstepped.
"Cut him some slack," Ethan said, his tone steady as he looked at her. "He's worried about you. And you didn't tell me your visions were getting worse."
"There is nothing to worry about," Wednesday said. "I have it under control."
"You always say that," Ethan replied, stepping closer.
He leaned down, stopping just an inch from her face, the space deliberate, neither of them breaking eye contact.
"Yeah, it's the same as you—your bad habit of fooling around with women," Wednesday said, her tone flat, her expression unchanged, as if she were stating an observation rather than provoking him.
***
A/N: It's decided—the next world will be .
And on Patreon, the Wednesday arc is about to end, with The Boys arc starting next.
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