A one-shot story written for the Secret Shop Fire Emblem Fates Gift Exchange.
A side story that takes place during Revelations.
The distant rumbling of thunderclouds echoed ominously through the night, but the oncoming rainstorm did not deter the brave company of fledgeling heroes. The last of twilight was waning, and soon they would have to rest from their long march. The ongoing campaign had brought them to a thick, dying forest; a hostile and unpleasant environment, but one they had to trudge through. Stalwart trees reached towards the heavens, their trunks scarred and pockmarked, hardened after centuries of abuse by weather and wildlife. Gnarled roots and fallen logs littered their path, requiring them to tread carefully. The shrieking cries of strange birds that came out only when the sun went down pierced the night. A light fog obscured their sight, making each step a step into the unknown. Once in a while, the broad leaves rustled from the movement of some animal scurrying about. The last daylight barely filtered through the tangled, twisted canopies of the towering trees, as the company advanced.
The bushes ahead suddenly rustled, causing the timid Velouria to let out a scream. Ever alert, Nina drew her bow and pointed it at the brambles ahead, one eye closed to help her focus, a mischievous grin on her face, a drop of sweat on her brow. Others followed, drawing their weapons.
A figure burst from out of the bushes. "Whoa, guys, no need to get all freaked out! It's just me!" announced Kiragi, as he jumped into sight. He had gone ahead earlier to scout out their course, and to look for a place to stay the night.
"You'll never guess what I found. There's an abandoned old villa up ahead. I've never seen anything like it before. It'll be perfect!" he proudly proclaimed, a smirk on his face, hands on his hips. "C'mon, let's go!" He motioned eagerly, pointing deeper into the forest, eager to show off his find.
"Did you have to jump out like that? You've scared poor Velouria witless," scolded an angry Prince Siegbert. Velouria was still clinging to him, trembling slightly from fear.
"Oh come on, this is how I always do things. They're just bushes," retorted Kiragi. "Now let's go, before it gets REALLY dark!" he beckoned, gesturing for the group to follow as he dashed off into the shrubbery. Velouria's grip only tightened, as he hugged closer to her Prince, terrified at the prospect of having to navigate these forlorn woods in the darkness.
Not long after, the company arrived at a small clearing. An ancient villa stood before them. Its classical architecture was of a style rarely seen anymore, beckoning back to a different era, to the golden era of Nohr, when it was an empire that prospered in the radiant light, before it descended into the abysmal darkness that now pervaded the kingdom. A pair of proud pillars marked the arched entrance, with ornate decorative flourishes at the top and bottom. It was a two-storied building, its once white walls now faded to an ugly beige. Cracks formed in the walls, and holes could be seen in the gently angled roof; its red tiles now turned brown. A thin, winding tree penetrated through the roof on the far side; evidence of decades, perhaps centuries of disuse. The structure might once have served as the retreat of a wealthy and powerful nobleman, providing an isolated reprieve from the convoluted politics of the capital. Now, its carefully placed stones had fallen out of place, the once opulent palace now beginning to crumble. Such a fortification might now be of little use against an army, but it would provide a welcome respite from the terrors of the fallen forest. At the very least, it would serve as shelter from the oncoming storm.
The villa formed a square around an open courtyard. The centrepiece of the courtyard garden was a small fountain, featuring an embracing couple, its marble now worn and chipped, water no longer flowing through it. The pathways around the edges of the courtyard were overgrown; the once carefully maintained gardens now contained only the wilted remains of exotic and fragile plants of various kinds. The walls were unusually cold, an almost foreboding aura emanating from them. Buildings from such an ancient era usually would lay in ruins now, but this villa, although starting to crumble, was remarkably well preserved. The fog that crawled across the forest floor seemed to move in unusual patterns around the building, as if caught in a whirlpool, and the clearing was strangely tranquil, the sounds of the nocturnal wildlife having gone quiet. Yet after an exhausting day, the group paid little heed to what was likely a figment of their imagination, the dark forest playing tricks with their minds. In the courtyard, they lit a small bonfire for light and warmth.
Kiragi and some of the others scoured the building for any supplies. The architecture was of an era long gone, the walls a beige stone, the doors massive and arched, strange patterns engraved into the walls near the ceilings. In places, vines had penetrated the mosaic floors and grew along the walls. Some of the hallways featured faded frescoes, paint peeling, cracks and fractures in the walls marring their intricate designs. This place had not been inhabited in ages, yet the intricate details of the fine architecture had been preserved remarkably well. One lavishly decorated room featured a massive bath, now empty, its floor cracked and covered in mud. The rooms were strangely empty, the lack of furnishings leaving a feeling of incompleteness. A few rooms contained large, decorated storage urns; but they were either empty, or their contents had turned to dust and ash over the ages. The search confirmed that the structure has been abandoned for decades at the least, with nothing useful to be found; though such a discovery would no doubt fascinate those who studied the remnants of ancient history.
The group decided to camp out along the portico lining the courtyard. The roof and low wall separating the portico from the open yard would protect them from the elements, while still allowing them to be near the warmth of the fire. It would do little good if the wind and rain were to manifest their fury, but the eerie woods, with the watching trees and their constantly moving branches, were disturbing enough that the company would rather remain by light, if it were possible. They drew lots for the night's first watch. "Not again..." complained Mitama, clearly upset she would not get a full nights rest. Shigure was more accepting of having drawn watch duty; perhaps it would give him a chance to think in the tranquil silence of the night. The lucky ones whom fortune spared this duty bundled up in their sleeping blankets and slowly fell into slumber, one by one.
"Rhajat..."
The faint whisper of Kamui's voice resonated in Rhajat's ears. It was a stern yet smooth voice, one she would recognize anywhere, a melody which filled her heart with a burning passion.
She could see Kamui standing before her. She couldn't see much else, but that didn't matter, when her whole world revolved around him. Yet he seemed distant, almost faded, blurry...
"Rhajat... I need your help... I need... you."
Kamui raised his hand toward her, beckoning her to come, almost pleading.
"Y-yes, Lord Kamui! Of course I'll help you!" she exclaimed with glee. This was perfect. Lord Kamui had once saved her life, now she could repay the favor... and show Lord Kamui just how dedicated she was... just how much she loved him. Yes, this would be the perfect opportunity. The chance she had been awaiting for years. A sly grin began to appear on her face. She began to giggle. Her giggling turned into an almost maniacal cackle. There was nothing but her, Kamui, and the darkness. She reached out her hands, ran to embrace him...
But the dark abyss separating them widened. The faster she ran, the wider the chasm grew, the darker the black surrounding them became.
"No... no... NOOOO!" she screamed, as Kamui faded from her view, as if he were but a ghost. She clenched her teeth, and fell to her knees in exasperation. The one opportunity she had to make their love complete... and it was disappearing before her eyes.
Yet before he was completely gone, the dragon prince uttered another plea...
"Save me, Rhajat..."
Then he was gone, into the black.
Rhajat opened her eyes. She was lying in a courtyard... Her friends were nearby. This was just a dream. No, a nightmare. Another wretched, agonizing nightmare. Not even in her dreams could her love be made whole...
No, it wasn't a dream. It was something more. She could feel the presence of Prince Kamui in this very castle! Yes, he was here, and he needed help! The dream was his cry for aid, and only she was so in tune with his draconic aura that she could receive it and respond to it. Yes, this was her great chance! She would rescue Prince Kamui, just as he saved her, and would make her feelings known to him! This time, he would understand!
A smile appeared on Rhajat's face. She silently got up, and keeping to the shadows, unnaturally blending into the darkness, as she tended to do, she heeded Lord Kamui's call, echoing from somewhere from the depths of this castle.
After Rhajat had turned around the corner, the seld-proclaimed chosen one, Ophelia, who was only pretending to be asleep, opened her other eye and grinned mischievously.
"Ah, so she felt it too..."
A restless Caeldori walked into the open courtyard. Soft beams of delicate moonlight illuminated her path. The campfire's flame flickered frantically in the middle of the yard. She heard a faint humming.
The graceful Shigure sat on the ground, his back leaning against his slumbering pegasus. Caeldori's pegasus lay beside him, the two covering each other with their wings, as if embracing each other to share warmth. Shigure stopped humming his melodious tune as the redheaded beauty sat down beside him.
"Can't sleep, right?" he asked, his voice soft and quiet, almost a whisper.
"Yes. There's something bothering me about this place, but I don't know what," she replied, sighing. "Hey, isn't there supposed to be someone else up on watch as well?"
Shigure pointed to a sleeping Mitama, snoring loudly, lying on the ground on the other side of the campfire.
"Don't even bother to try and wake her up. I've tried, she's sleeping like a stone," he lamented.
"It probably wasn't a good idea having her on night watch duty, was it..." chided Caeldori. "That's what happens when you leave it to luck."
A lone cloud began to creep in front of the moon, obscuring its dim, gentle light even further.
Caeldori shivered. The nighttime winds were chilly, harbingers of the storm to come.
Just then, they heard a sound, as if a door creaked open.
"What was that?" asked Shigure, immediately straightening up, senses on alert.
Caeldori looked at him uneasily, clearly on edge. "You heard it too?"
"I suppose we should go check it out. If someone's out there..." suggested Caeldori, after a brief pause.
"Maybe it was just a tree branch. You saw how these woods are," answered Shigure.
"Oh come on, scaredy cat, let's go take a look," blinked Caeldori, and got up to grab her naginata. She returned, weapon in hand, determined expression on her face. She said with confidence, "Whoever, or whatever, is out there; we can take it. We've been through worse things before than whatever bandits or wild animals or Faceless are out there."
"Well... shouldn't we wake the others?" cautioned Shigure.
"Nah, it's probably nothing. They'll be mad at us for disrupting their sleep over what's probably just a wild animal," replied the confident redhead.
"Alright... but I don't feel good about this... there's something wrong with this place," sighed Shigure, as he reluctantly took up his lance, lit a torch from the campfire, and followed Caeldori out of the courtyard.
Rhajat clutched her tome to her chest, as she heeded the calling that beckoned to her from somewhere within the depths of the manse. She could sense Prince Kamui's draconic aura somewhere within. It was a presence she could recognize anywhere, the blood of the divine dragon that spoke to her so distinctly.
She wandered down a hallway, turned, then walked down another. The way ahead was lit by torch she improvised, lit with a simple fire spell. The walls around her seemed to blur, as she followed the calling that spoke so strongly to her. Her prince was in trouble, and she would be the one to save him! What started as a whisper grew louder and louder, calling her name, until it was like someone speaking into her ear.
Finally, she arrived at a doorway, no different than any other in the mansion; old, worn, paint peeling. The voice of her prince grew excited, speaking faster, until she could barely tell what he was saying, begging her to open the door, to let him out.
And so she did. She opened the portal which led to a narrow stone staircase, descending down, down, into a damp, almost oppressively cold, basement. At the end of the stairs was a short hallway, the walls composed of massive ancient stone. There were a few doors, but the one that interested her was straight ahead. Strangely, the torches lining this hall were lit with an eerie pinkish flame, but Rhajat paid that no heed, no, the only thing that mattered was Prince Kamui! She walked down the hall, her gait light and airy, almost as if she were in a trance. She took a deep breath; the air was cold and crisp but with an unpleasant tinge to it. She grasped the door handle, weathered bronze, chilling her hand; and with a sickened smile on her face, she turned it, and pushed the door open.
Inside was a massive chamber, seemingly too big to fit within the foundations of the building. There was a pinkish purple mist in the room, the walls of which were lined with shelves filled to the brim with assorted tomes and potions, labelled with the strange letters of a long lost language. Up against the far wall of the room, was a large canopy bed, red upholstery with gold fringes on dark, shining wood.
On the mattress lay Prince Kamui, his arms and legs chained to the posts of his bed, his dragonstone tied around his neck, glowing pink, with darker magenta swirls coiling around themselves inside.
"Help me... my love..." he whispered, his tone no longer desperate, but gentle, even seductive.
"Of course, my Prince..." answered Rhajat, enamoured. For years she had waited for this moment, when she could be alone with Prince Kamui. The logic of why he would be imprisoned in an abandoned mansion in the middle of the fell forest did not interest her; she was far past the point of rational thought; she was obsessed, fanatically so. She felt only desire... all these feelings welling up inside of her she could finally unleash, she could finally prove her love for her prince!
She approached the bed, the room around her growing colder, darker, but she paid no heed. The pinkish mist clinging to the floor turned purple, a couple of the anomalously glowing torches blew out.
Lord Kamui mouthed something seductively; Rhajat could not hear what she said; the whispers of temptation had already taken her. She crawled onto the bed, smiled like she had never smiled before, leaned over Kamui, and extended her hand towards his dragonstone, the mists within swirling ever more furiously as Rhajat's long, slender fingers neared it, her claw-like black nails almost curling around the orb. She knew what she had to do to truly set her prince free. She wrapped her hands around the dragonstone, and he was hers... all hers...
No... she was his. She felt a warm sensation in her hand, growing hotter, until it was almost burning. Rhajat let out a muted shriek, as the mists exploded from within the orb, the false dragonstone, the object of her temptation. The mists turned into smoky tendrils, they veiled themselves around Rhajat, embracing her, hugging her, kissing her skin, then lashing out, with a sudden force that startled her, caused her to recoil, but it was too late. Far too late. She could not even scream as the tendrils forced their way inside her eyes and mouth, entering inside her mind. She tried to fight them off, She was no stranger to the dark arts, but her guard was lowered by the temptation she had fallen for, the forbidden presence quickly shattering the boundaries of her mind, penetrating into the very depths of her consciousness, digging in, seeding itself, taking root, spreading branches within her mind, entangling her thoughts with a vice grip that Rhajat could not fend off, until she stopped struggling, exasperated, pacified, defeated.
Her vision went purple, then a deathly black...
When she awoke, who knows how long later, her eyes were a bright glowing pink, not quite herself anymore, but something else... She had an insatiable craving, a painful hunger within herself... She needed to eat, no, feast... Slowly, she rose, getting used to her new body, such a fine, beautiful body. She turned her arms over, inspecting them, feeling a little woozy, a bit dizzy. She rose from the bed, slowly, carefully. As she stepped onto the cold stone tile below, she felt something she had not felt for many centuries... life.
Through a crack in the basement door, Ophelia had witnessed the macabre events unfolding with an eerie fascination. She did not intervene to help her friend, but she didn't quite understand what was happening until it was too late. Or perhaps she was scared, even though she would not admit to herself. No, fear was not something befitting of a dark heroine like herself.
She pulled away from the door, and pulled up her tome to her chest. Fear be damned, she would save the day! After all, she was Ophelia Dusk, chosen daughter of Odin Dark, child of the twilight and heir of the shadows. Yet suddenly, Rhajat, or what became of her, disappeared in a cloud of mystical magenta mist. The strange torches in the room had gone out, just like that, leaving the large chamber pitch black. Then, she felt the hairs on the back of the neck stand up.
She slowly whirled around, only to see Rhajat at the top of the basement staircase, surrounded by the pinkish miasma, dark purple tentacles coiling around her.
"Aha!" exclaimed Ophelia. "Foul fiend, you will not have me, and you will let my friend go. Back into the eternal void with you!" she shouted, as she began an incantation, yellowish-gold arcane circles gathering around her on the floor and around her wrists, as she prepared to unleash a burst of magical energy at the beast before her.
Yet before she could unleash her spell, the fiend whipped its tentacles forward, which darted toward Ophelia at an inhuman speed, latching on to her her wrists and ankles. They began to coil around her appendages, tighter and tighter. Another shadowy tendril wrapped around her neck and began to crush the breath out of her. Rhajat's possessed pink eyes leered at her intently as a burst of thicker miasma rushed out from them, into Ophelia's eyes. The tendrils strangled the life out of her; she could not even scream. Her tome dropped onto the cold stone floor a thud.
The tentacles relaxed for a moment, allowing her to catch a breath. Then, they tore backward, no longer truly physical, but rather a shadowy spiritual manifestation, tearing Ophelia's soul out of her body, absorbing it into the fell form the fiend had taken. It sucked in Ophelia's essence through its eyes and ears, feasting on her life force, taking in her very soul.
Ophelia awoke, dazed and confused. Dead? She could not tell. Purple skies surrounded her, though the sky itself seemed to be in motion, rotating, rushing, unceasing. Pinkish clouds floated around in circular movements. As she got up, she realized she was standing on a flat plane the colour of pale skin, rough and cracked. Before her sat a shrouded figure, weeping.
Taking stock of her situation, she realized she felt more or less fine. She carefully approached the figure ahead of her. Its head was buried in its hands, sobbing softly. She realized it was Rhajat... but she was wearing an unusual dark robe, lined with a combination of unusually large, pitch black and purple feathers.
"Rhajat...?" she asked, quietly.
The weeping girl in front of her raised her head from her hands. It was indeed Rhajat, her eyes looking hollow, black tears streaming down from her face, thick, almost oily, leaving dark trails on her pale skin. Her hands were chained together, her strange shadowy robe most definitely of foreign design. Ophelia could not quite place it, but she swore she saw such a garment somewhere.
"I-I'm sorry... This is all my fault, isn't it?" sobbed Rhajat, still on her knees.
Ophelia looked around. The swirling clouds appeared to move faster, encapsulating the plane in a sort of dome.
"It's okay. This is just the latest challenge we have to overcome!" answered Ophelia, trying to stay cheerful, though their circumstances seemed bleak.
"W-where are we?" asked Rhajat, looking up at Ophelia for the first time, her tears ceasing.
Ophelia pondered for a moment, scratching her chin. Her face strained as she immersed herself in thought, digging through the archives of her mind, flipping through the pages of her memory.
"Aha!" she exclaimed excitedly, her face lighting up excitedly in a eureka moment. "The Ancient Archive of Apparitions and Demonology, Volume 3, Chapter V. The Abyssal Incubus / Succubus."
Rhajat looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"Oh, don't tell me you haven't studied up on succubi?" she commented, incredulously. "Succubi and incubi are demonic creatures which appear to their victims at night in dreams, beckoning to them with temptations, showing them what their heart desires most. The abyssal variety can be anchored to physical places or artifacts that contain a connection to the great void itself; they call their victims to touch the objects imprisoning them, at which point they take over their form." Of course, up until this very point, she doubted that such things even existed, but as she has learned many times over, truth is stranger than fiction, so she may as well believe.
Rhajat continued to look at her blankly.
"Didn't your daddy teach you all about demonology and all things occult?" asked Ophelia.
"Well... no. He's not interested in that kind of thing," answered Rhajat.
"Some mage he is! My daddy taught me all about the darkest demons and the deepest secrets of the most eternal and maybe infinite universe, and beyond!" she chided. "I'll have to teach you all about it when we get out of here."
"Anyway, do you know what this means?" she asked with a glimmer in her eye.
"W-what?" stammered Rhajat, weakly.
"We're inside your head!" proclaimed Ophelia, triumphantly.
"Alright... but how do we get out?" asked Rhajat, the only question that mattered, the life finally returning to her eyes.
Caeldori and Shigure walked down the halls of the palace, side by side. The torch Shigure carried provided an unsteady source of light, the flickering of the fire making the shadows seem as if they were moving.
Somewhere within, they heard footsteps, quiet, muffled. It was clear they were not alone.
An unnatural chill filled the air. Puffs of pink mist start to appear near the floor. A terrible sound echoed from somewhere unknown, as if something monstrous had just emerged from slumber.
"There's definitely something out there..." whispered Shigure.
"No... it's inside," answered Caeldori.
For a moment, they fell into a nervous hush.
"I think we should go back and wake the others," suggested Shigure.
"Fine," Caeldori reluctantly agreed.
They turned around, and walked down the corridor, back where they came from. They walked, and walked and somehow they did not reach the door that they came from, that would lead them out into the courtyard where the rest of the group was. The hallway was impossibly long. As they kept going they could see no end in sight. The pink mist re-appeared. They then knew for sure that something was horribly, horribly wrong.
"Great... now what?" asked an angered Caeldori. "What bloody trickery is this?"
The pair of pegasus knights turned around. As they did so, the corridor seemed to grow larger and larger, its walls elongating, rising to impossible dimensions. They felt a chilling presence, and once again the pinkish miasma grew thicker and started to rise towards the ceiling. From the ceiling, a thick purplish-black slime oozed down the walls as if the walls themselves were crying.
A door creaked. They whirled around. Caeldori let out a gasp. Sure enough, a door had opened behind them... and fear itself had entered their hearts.
Ophelia paced about excitedly. She kept tilting her head in different directions, looking around in wonderment. The plane entrapping the two sorceresses was roughly spherical in shape, dark purple clouds swirling around the edges of the dome, an ominous pink light pulsing from somewhere beyond its boundaries. Ophelia had tried walking to the edge of the surface they stood on, but no matter how far she paced in any direction, she seemed to get no closer to edge, and no landmarks or disturbances appeared in the strangely flat terrain.
"Think of the possibilities! We're inside your head, but that also means we're inside its head as well! Imagine what we could learn! The discoveries that could be made! The forbidden secrets we could uncover!" exclaimed Ophelia. It was as if she was treating this entire encounter as if it was some wild field trip, or just another episode in a heroic adventure series.
"Yeah... whatever." Rhajat rolled her eyes. "I just want to get out of here." She was clearly not as enthusiastic as her more cheerful friend was.
"Don't be such a spoilsport. This is an amazing opportunity! Trapped inside a succubus! I've never read about anything like this!" Ophelia continued, Rhajat's comments not dampening her brightness in the least.
"You mind helping me here?" muttered Rhajat, gesturing to her hands, still chained together.
"Oh, but of course!" yelled out Ophelia, as she first gently poked the chains, as if checking that they were not some sort of trap, then carefully undoing the binding.
"Finally..."
"Hey, so, uh, I wonder if this thing can hear us or anything?" wondered Ophelia. "HELLOOOOOO? HEEEEEYYYYY THERE! CAN YOU HEAR US? HELLOOO!" she shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth to magnify her voice.
"Ughhh..." Rhajat was not amused by her antics, though she was clueless as how to proceed.
"Weeeell, it's not like we could use magic here. But imagine if we could talk to it!" suggested Ophelia.
"It does feel so... dead... here. Just don't mess up my head or anything, or I'll cast a curse on you far worse than you can imagine when we get out of here." threatened Rhajat, her eyes, previously dropping, opening wide in a moment of ferocity.
"There we go, that's the spirit!" applauded Ophelia. "Yoohoo, mister demon, are you there? I'd like to ask you a few questions," she continued calling. "Hello? My name is Ophelia of the Dusk, chosen daughter of Odin of the Dark, sorceress of shadows, seeker of the forbidden mysteries of the universe, adventurer of astral planes, delver of the deepest reams. HELLOOOOOO!"
"Silence!" hissed a vile, echoing voice. It sounded vaguely like Rhajat, but deeper, lower, a certain demonic echo to it, as if two entities were speaking at once.
"Aha, I knew it!" exclaimed Ophelia in triumph. "Mister demon, or misses, I'd like to ask you a few questions while we're here, before, you know, we get out of here and trap you back in your prison. Is it okay to ask? Here goes!"
"No!" boomed the voice. But such a stern refusal would not dampen Ophelia's spirit.
"Okay! So, what's it like to be trapped in a magic orb for a thousand years? Speaking of, how long were you trapped in there? Are we really inside Rhajat's head, or are we trapped in that orb now? How do we get out? Even if you knew, you wouldn't tell us, would you?" After the barrage of questions, she paused briefly, before chuckling at herself. "Oh, where are my manners, I forgot to ask for your name!"
"SILENCE!" screamed the disembodied voice, its roar coming from all directions, even from below.
"Uhh... I don't think this is a good idea. You're bothering it," pointed out Rhajat.
"It's fine. It's not like it can hurt us here or anything. Trust me, I know my demonology!" answered Ophelia. "Soooooo... where were we? Ah yes! Mister Demon! So, how do you communicate with your victims? How do you know what to tempt them with? Can you read people's thoughts? Or just their dreams? Is that why succubi only appear at night? Do you not like daylight? Can you die of old age? What if another succubus entraps you, what then? Oh, what if we fall asleep here? Can we have dreams while we're here?" she continued, rambling off question after question. The demon they were encapsulated within clearly wasn't interested in answering, but Ophelia didn't mind. Her curiosity and inquisitiveness was a force to be reckoned with in itself.
After a brief moment without an answer, Ophelia called out, "Hellooooo? If you're going to imprison us inside yourself, can you at least do the courtesy of giving us some answers? It's the least you could do!"
No response. Then a moment later, the ground shook, and the mists swirling in what was the sky of the dome-like prison turned black, as the demon roared, "NO, NO, NO! STOP IT! SILENCE!"
"Well that's not very nice!" grunted Ophelia. "Now listen here, mister or misses demon..." She then ventured into a long lecture on politeness and proper possession protocol. Even the longest tenured professors of the Windmire mage's guild could envy her ability to deliver long-winded speeches on the most mundane of topics. On and on and on and on she went, detailing the finer points of demonic possession etiquette and manners in general with the occasional tangent about the dimensions of the demonic Deeprealms, forbidden summoning rituals, or conventions for naming legendary weapons.
"ARGHHHHH! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! QUIET! SHUT UP!" roared the demon, causing the entire realm to tremble violently, as if it was about to tear apart. "I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE, YOU INSUFFERABLE WENCH!" it roared again. Flashes of white filled the swirling sky, almost like lightning.
"Well, I never!" pouted Ophelia.
Unwittingly, Ophelia had stumbled upon the one way they could affect the demon from the inside. While the succubus may have devoured their life force and imprisoned their souls within the magical prison which it had itself once been entrapped in, Rhajat and Ophelia's souls remained more or less intact inside it, and so, in a way, they could "speak" to the demon inhabiting Rhajat's body from within... and the demon inhabiting Rhajat's body was powerless to stop them.
The demon hissed, its disembodied voice letting out what seemed to be a sigh. "Better a millennium imprisoned but sane than a single lifetime with you inside my head..." it whispered, as the sky cracked, the purple clouds rushing out through the fracture, losing their colour, turning a pitch black as they escaped.
Triumphantly, Ophelia turned to Rhajat. "If you know the enemy, you will win fifty million battles and lose fifty million battles. If you know the enemy and you know yourself, you will win a hundred billion battles! Or something like that. I read that in some book about painting sunsets... or was it about fighting wars with paintbrushes?" Ophelia then noticed that Rhajat had dozed off sometime during her lecture. "Hopefully not during the part about naming conventions," she thought, as she shook her head. "If she can't pay attention to this stuff, no wonder she keeps getting into trouble like this."
The last of the cloudy miasma escaped from the fissure, and the pink glow from the skies disappeared. The ground below Ophelia and Rhajat began to fracture, then fell away, sending the two sorceresses tumbling down, down into the abyss falling for what seemed like forever...
Caeldori grasped her lance tighter, expecting someone, or something to emerge from the opened door. After a moment, Shigure collected himself, and he too adopted a battle stance. They waited... and nothing came. For a second, Shigure eased up. They had anticipated something to come from out the door, so they sighed in relief when nothing did. Yet they could not deny the presence of the strange pink fog, or the black stains that had appeared on the walls. The air had taken on an oppressive chill, almost as if there was some unholy presence within the walls themselves.
"I-I think it's definitely time to go b-back and get the others," stammered Shigure, obviously spooked by the whole incident.
"Yes, let's go!" answered Caeldori. Yet for some reason she did not want to turn around and start to make her way back, as if something was stopping her from turning around. She knew it. She knew it was there, behind them, and dreaded to find out what it was. Every fibre in her body had froze, as if screaming at her not to turn around, but she knew she must face whatever was there. After a moment's struggle within herself, she summoned up the courage and spun around.
There it was. A human-like figure, but not quite. Glowing pink eyes lighting up an otherwise featureless face. Pale skin, unnaturally so. A mass of the pink miasma gathered at its feet, so thick that its appendages could not be seen behind it. Its hair was a tangle of moving, motioning vines, slithering as if they were alive. Most horrible of all, several dark, shadowy tendrils protruded from its back, their form fluid, almost shapeless, like black tentacles outlined in a purplish glow. Their movement was smooth yet erratic, appearing purposeless yet considered at the same time.
Shigure was momentarily absorbed in investigating the black liquid dripping from the walls, when Caeldori's yelp prompted him to turn around.
"Gods..." he gasped. He was too shocked to summon up any more words.
After a second's stunned silence, Caeldori bent her knees and adjusted the grip on her spear, as a fierce expression appeared on her face.
"Whatever that thing is, I'll take it down," she announced, her lips turning to a grim smile. "Cover me," she motioned to Shigure, as she dashed toward to creature. Her steps were swift and her strike was fierce as she brought down her naginata diagonally down across the monster's chest.
The demonic presence appeared to split apart along the line of her blow, evaporated into a black and pink puff of mist, then re-materialized a few feet further down the hallway.
"Hyaaaaaah!" screamed Caeldori, running at the demon again, bringing down another fierce blow. Again, she hit, and again, it tore apart, this time materializing behind her. She charged again, only to receive the same result.
"Arghhh! Damn you back to whatever hell you came from!" she yelled in frustration. "What kind of twisted Invisible is this thing?!" She struck again, but this time she struck something solid. For a moment, she thought she finally crushed her foe, but the tentacle, instead of tearing apart, resisted, then wrapped itself around the weapon's blade, yanked it out of Caeldori's hands with great force, and tossed the naginata behind it, leaving Caeldori weaponless.
"Haaaah!" Shigure jumped in and slashed with his naginata, hoping to catch the adversary off guard. But another tentacle responded, this time grabbing the weapon's pole and proceeded to snap the spear in two like a tree branch.
"Now, we run!" commanded Caeldori, fleet of foot, taking off in the other direction, Shigure soon to follow. The young pegagus knights ran and ran as fast as their feet could take them. With a warping foe, they knew it might very well be hopeless to try and outrun it, but perhaps they could warn the rest of their company and fight it off with their help. The corridors seemed unnaturally long. The courtyard they came from was but a short walk from where they encountered the demonic creature, yet it seemed like they ran for much longer. Down one corridor, turning into another hall, they sprinted until their feet began to ache, their muscles beginning to cramp.
Shigure reached for a door and swung it open. A wall appeared to mysteriously materialize right in front of him, blocking off the exit. Onwards they ran, until they encountered a dead end. No more turns, no more doors, no more hope. There was only an ominous painting of the sun setting over a stormy sea at the end of the hall.
All the while the forbidden entity trailed behind them, as if it were taking its time, as if it had all the time in the world, as if it knew they could not escape. It hissed quietly in a foul manner, like a snake about to lunge at its soon to be lunch. With nowhere left to run, no place left to hide, and no weapons to fight with; their last thoughts of salvation had perished. The entity had but one singular desire; to consume their very essence, and no more obstacles stood between the young warriors turned prey, and their lustful predator.
Caeldori readied her fists. "If this is it... it's been nice knowing you, Shigure."
"W-wait, you're going to try and fight it with your fists? You saw how it made short work of our weapons!" stammered Shigure.
"I'd rather gown down fighting... what else do we have?" answer Caeldori, determined as ever.
A dark cloud materialized, and there it was again, in all its horror, tendrils writhing, stepping slowly, taking its time, relishing its reward.
"No, wait..." Shigure stepped forward, barring Caeldori's path with an extended hand. "I have another idea." He clutched at the pendant around his neck, a watery blue gem embedded in a winged gold casing. His dear mother had given it to him, telling him that he'd know when he needs it. The azure gem was solid, yet when the pendant moved, the gem rippled, as if there was water inside. He clenched his fist around the ornament, thinking of his mother. He didn't think it could work. He had every reason to doubt it. But he didn't see any other way out but to try. "Don't let me down now, mother..." he whispered solemnly, as he stepped forward... and sang.
"You are the ocean's grey waves, destined to seek
Life beyond the shore, just out of reach"
Caeldori looked on with wonderment, as Shigure advanced, arms spread open, continuing the song.
"Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time
The path is yours to climb"
The demon began to recoil. Its tendrils thrashed about wildly. It covered its ears with its hands. Its pink eyes pulsed, the shadowy mist at its feet swirled furiously.
"SILENCE!" it screamed, in an inhuman roar.
"In the white light, a hand reaches through
A double-edged blade cuts your heart in two"
"NO, NO, NO! STOP IT! SILENCE!"
"Waking dreams fade away,
Embrace the brand new day!"
"ARGHHHHH! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! QUIET! SHUT UP!" screamed the demon, falling to its knees, the mist floating upwards, and disappointing. It was holding its hands on its heads, the tentacles flailing about wildly, aimlessly.
The demon let out one more horrid, blood chilling scream, a black cloud stormed out of its eyes and mouth like a swarm of locusts, scattering in all directions, and the pink glow in its eyes, so fierce and prominent moments before, faded to black. A final cloud of the miasma swirled about, converging at a point, and then exploded in a flash of blinding light.
When their vision came to, the pegasus knights spotted a body curled up on the floor, motionless, raven dark hair clothed in dark robes.
Shigure stared ahead in a stunned silence. "Thanks, mother..." he whispered, clutching at his pendant.
His silent moment of reflection did not last long. Caeldori excitedly embraced him from the side.
"My hero..." she whispered into his ear, then brought her lips to his cheek in a delightful kiss. Shigure blushed madly. He had always had a crush on the magnificently beautiful Caeldori, but never had the courage to tell her. A slight smile came to his face...
A high-pitched voice interrupted their moment. "Ohohohoho... my, I never knew you two were such lovebirds!" Ophelia stood at the other end of the hall, a teasing grin on her face, giggling uncontrollably.
"Oh, don't be silly, your little song couldn't do anything to an abyssal succubus like that! It wasn't your song, no, 'twas I, Ophelia Dusk, daughter of Odin Dark, sagely sorceress and designated deftly demonologist, that saved the day! Only I have the knowledge and dark powers to defeat such a demon from the deepest, darkest depths of the furthest, most hellish void!"
Ophelia bowed like a magician finishing his act, then held out her arm, showing off her prize. She was holding a shiny glass orb, glowing pink, dark swirls in motion inside, lines lashing out frantically, as if trying to escape.
"Taa-daa!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Now, I'll leave you two lovers alone. Have fun!" she proclaimed, gave the the pair a friendly wink, then darted off. A second after she rounded the corner, she poked her head back around, and pointed at the body lying on the floor. "Oh, and she'll be fine," she mentioned, almost in passing, before disappearing around the corner again.
Shigure blushed an even deeper red, embarrassed at not having earned his hero's kiss.
Caeldori stepped back for a moment, but then embraced him again. "I don't care if it was your song or her magic, that was really brave!" she said, pulling him closer, this time pecking him gently on the lips.
Meanwhile, Rhajat lay on the floor. "Kamui... Oh, Kamui..." she muttered in her sleep. The next day, she'd think it all was just a terrible nightmare, and be none the wiser as to the danger she had almost unleashed, her obsession as strong as ever. Ophelia thought it would be for the better to let Rhajat think it was just a dream, and Caeldori and Shigure hardly knew how to explain it all to her; it's not like she would believe the truth about that night anyway.
This story contained fragments of the song "Lost in Thought All Alone" featured in Fire Emblem Fates.
Thanks for reading.