"You will." Ryker responded.

"And I know it's not going to be easy." he said.

"But damn it all to hell, we've worked too hard and gotten too far for it to end like this." he told him.

"I refuse to go down without a fight." he went on.

"We can do this." he continued.

"Just believe, Eke." he finished, as Aly came back with what he'd requested.

Ryker just sighed.

"Oh?" he asked.

"And why is that?" he asked further.

"You referring to the woman that's been helping us?" he asked him.

"Or something else." he wondered.

"Because when I go out there, she tells me that I should be in here. And when I'm in here, you tell me I should be outside." he went on.

"Gettin' kinda old to keep goin' back and forth."

Ryker just pinched the bridge of his nose.

"...all right, all right." he said.

"Yet, I get it." he growled.

"You don't need to be an ASS about it." he said further, before pausing.

"Not you!" he quickly told Eke.

"My... other self... is saying I'm a doormat at times, especially for her." he mumbled.

Ryker just laughed.

"He didn't like that." he said.

"Anyway, ciao." he finished, before leaving and heading back outdoors.

"Right then." he muttered, before allowing his other self to form demonic wings on his back, which slowly elevated him towards the roof of the house.

"Eke popped a shoulder out of joint." Ryker replied.

"So I popped it back in." he said.

"Needless to say, it hurt him." he mumbled further.

"And yeah, back already." he continued.

"I got shooed out, saying I needed to spend more time with you." he told her, before pausing.

"...can't say I disagree."

Ryker just sighed.

"You've done more than enough." he told her.

"This has already given us time to think and plan and such." he went on.

He then cracked his knuckles, and sighed once more, this time more heavily.

"After this fight... no matter the result... I will be different." he said.

"I think the two that I am, may become more of one." he continued.

"...probably due to the expenditure of power I'll probably use." he reasoned.

Ryker shook his head.

"It's not that." he said.

"I'm just warning you." he told her.

"My two consciousnesses might meld together a bit." he explained.

"I mean, the plan was for that to kinda happen anyway, but... just... hm." he then mumbled, thinking about it.

"It's... weird to explain." he said.

"Housing another entity in your mind and body is... awkward." he chuckled.

"......" Ryker was silent, before sighing and smiling.

"Hey, no worries." he said.

He then laid back, himself, and looked at the ceiling.

"Heh." he chuckled.

"The sky is really pretty." he said.

Ryker looked at her and smirked.

"I've always liked stormy nights." he said.

"Dunno why." he admitted, taking her hand.

"Just have. Always found them oddly relaxing." he went on.

"But the fact that you created them IS a factor." he then admitted, his smirk growing slightly.

Ryker could see that she wasn't going to be one for conversation right now.

And that was fine with him.

He just held her hand in response, and sighed happily.

He stared at the sky above them, and nodded to himself.

'For her.' he thought.

'I have to survive this. Not just for Eke, or Aly, or myself... but for her as well.'