So, most recently, I've had more luck with tweaking earlier parts of the story than moving it forward, but here's a bit more progress.

( Parasites,' Rin answered. 'Creep loves putting bugs in people and taking control of them. )

Naturally, after the last bit went smoothly, this confrontation had to fight me.

( Teeth - too many and too white and moving - glinted in the dark figure’s face. “I want to finish what I started. )

I thought Chapter 6 was going to hold this entire fight sequence. But, I don't think that's going to work out. Ah well. Outlines are made to be tweaked.

( Shiro leapt clear of the shifting, crumbling earth, drawing his gun from the concealing drape of his cassock as he did so. )

It's still slow going, but I'm chipping away at it.

( Wordlessly, Shiro let go of the last, thin connection, and the seal released. )

Finally, finally I've gotten chapter 6 to agree to move again.

( All with that sword - his heart - thumping away in a bag slung over the Old Man’s shoulder. It was slow torture. )

Sorry for the absence here. After a brief, brutal fight with cancer, I've lost my oldest supporter, proofreader, and constant source of encouragement. Getting back in the groove of... anything hasn't been easy.

But, here's a brief snippet proposing a re-write of a scene from chapter 2 from Mephisto's PoV.

( Mephisto smirked to himself at the open hunger in the boy’s face. )

Still moving slowly, but moving!

( He slid the key into a lock on the top drawer, and Rin felt… something. )

Yes! Finally knocked out this scene and, I think, this chapter. I had wanted Shiro and Yukio to have a heart to heart because Rin seemed to be getting all the father-son talks. But, instead, they wanted to have this wordless, companionable understanding going on.

( Is that any way to talk to your father? / Only when it's true. )

Grah, an ongoing illness in the family has my writing schedule all off. But, this scene is moving, if slowly.

( There were so many other things he wanted to be doing. )

Words are coming slowly due to various IRL issues, but I keep plugging away.

( But, he would not accept losing Rin while he was still alive. )