[He was quiet, organizing his thoughts, then, repeating what Hades had said:] My scepter, sign of office, and weapon, he said. [A faint purple cast glowed behind Alex's normally green eyes and the ring seemed to flow into something like black tar for a moment before reforming in his hand as a dagger. It wasn't fancy or pretty; the only ornamentation was a small amethyst capping the pommel behind an ebony-and-onyx hilt. It glowed, pulsing on a slow cycle that matched what was going on behind Alex's eyes. The metal itself seemed to drink in the light, and the whole thing was a couple inches longer than Alex's small hands.] I hold this and it's hard not to believe. He said it can cut a person's soul away and send it there. To the underworld. [A pause, and a heavy sigh.] Which...'cause you asked, is what comes with it. I mean, that's the inheritance. [He was tempted to offer it again, to let Mal kick him out. He couldn't want this living there.
Nyx, meanwhile, looked up at the display for a moment before kneading Mal's thighs once with his paws and then settling down comfortably in his lap. Alex, in a far-away kind of way, was admittedly envious.]