Note: (!) MAJOR SPOILER ALERT (!) FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T PLAYED THE BOOKS! Trust me, you would want to beat the game first. (Also, you might want to check out my related give-away on my AO3 (MariekoWest). You could win free PREMIUM VERSION access to all 6 BOOKS of "Wizard's Choice"!)
Warnings: Canon Compliant, Demonic Possession, Vampires, Medieval Gothic Romance
Disclaimer: Wizard's Choice and its characters belong to Sam Landstrom and Delight Games. I own nothing except this derivative fanwork which I do not profit from.
Story #12:
The One Thing
'…It is said that as you merge with the demon, if your soul holds onto something important, something you hold dear, the demon cannot corrupt that part of you, even once transformed.'
-x-
You are suddenly hyper aware of your soul.
Of its essence being sucked out from your veins…
Heavy; weighted down by the thick, black fog that invades you… anchoring and dragging you down, pushing you deeper and surer into its murky depths.
The feeling was akin to drowning—recollections of your childhood that echoed from what seemed like lifetimes ago told you so- only much worse than that. It is the sensation of tens of thousands pounds of pressure per square inch crushing you from all sides…
Except that there is no water all around you this time…
Only infinite nothingness.
Everything is cold and dark… meaningless; memories, emotions… life. All you knew now was an empty feeling of hopelessness… like death. But no, death would be a mercy. Somehow you knew you were about to be condemned to something far worse than death.
Is this what it feels like?
Am I dying?
The questions are spoken by a voice somewhere faraway within the endless void you are trapped in. It is a very familiar voice. Something in you is certain you know who it belongs to… But you do not remember who it is.
Am I… dead? the voice asked again.
You try to answer… But you cannot seem to string together coherent thought or piece back the scattered fragments floating idly in your flitting awareness…
There was only one thing you were certain of.
A foreign presence.
Yes. You know by now what it is. That cold blackness spreading inside you, violating and tearing apart your mind—
An evil presence… you think. A demon!
The sound of someone chanting swims in and out of focus with your consciousness. You do not recognize the words spoken but you realize it is a summoning.
From the Abyss, a demon is being summoned to overtake someone's body-
Your body! It was all starting to make sense. Your body was being offered as a vessel to a demon! Panic and fear kicked in and you use it to seize back what little control you can from the creature trying to subdue you.
I must… Must not allow it to… fully merge… with my soul!
It takes a mighty amount of exertion but you manage to pull together and channel what little strength of will you have left. You struggle against the grimy tendrils wrapping itself around your soul, soiling it; shrouding your mind…
I must… Must- hang on…
…to something! you scream to yourself.
A human surviving a union with a demon spirit is unheard of; if it had indeed been done before, few lived to tell the tale, for eventually, the demon would win over the human soul and consume it completely, and for good. You know this, and yet-
'…if your soul holds onto something important, something you hold dear, the demon cannot corrupt that part of you.'
Something I hold dear…
It is foolishness to cling to such a desperate hope… the demon taunts you with your own words. It is no use! You cannot stop the inevitable!
In order to keep the demon within you from claiming ownership of your soul utterly…
You need to remember…
What you hold dear…
While it is true that you do not adhere to this belief, you find yourself clinging to that one last desperate hope anyway. You refuse to give up without a fight even if fighting the demon causes your mind and body tremendous pain; you feel your energy draining away even faster… The demon inside you laughs at your pathetic efforts.
Something that you hold dear…
For as long as you can remember, that has only been one thing:
Your patron, Alathia. The Goddess of Protection.
It is to her whom you have devoted your whole life to; mind, body, and soul. She and all that she represents is what you hold dearest of all…
And so you call out her name, reach out to her as you always have- and pray. You pray for her mercy and protection, for the strength to overcome this evil. You pray hard, harder than you ever have before.
As you do so, a flicker of light begins to grow into a blinding white glow inside your mind. And for a moment, you feel safe and warm again, in the comfort of her embrace.
You start to relax into that healing light as it cradles your exhausted body and soothes your weakening soul. You are slowly lulled into that state of peace and tranquility. Eventually, you give in and allow yourself rest…
Then in an instant, the light of Alathia that had been embracing you is gone!
You gasp, as you feel submerged once again in that icy darkness, but there is no air; no relief. Soon you are too far from the surface where the last slivers of Alathia's light shimmers and fades, and you could do nothing but sink deeper into unfathomable darkness…
Down, down you go…
Deeper and deeper.
My goddess has abandoned me, you think, an ache blossoming in your chest at the thought. The demon inside you only jeers in triumph, driving and twisting the knife of betrayal even deeper into your broken heart…
I cannot…
Fight it anymore… There is nothing left for me to live for… you think bitterly.
The demon rejoices at this surrender; her malice, a blanket of smog engulfing what is left of you…
The pain, the heartache, you are only too willing to let it all go now… Your eyes begin to droop and you let the last vestiges of your essence slip away from you.
Yes! That's it! The demon within you howls gleefully. You are mine! We are one entity, now and for all eternity!
I have failed.
All is lost.
…
…
…
"…ri—ssa…!"
…
…
"Narissa…!"
…
Who is… calling my name…? faintly you wonder. Then you think twice if 'Narissa' is indeed your name.
…
"Narissa! Listen to me!"
…
Narissa… you think. Yes. That is my name…
No! I am Tartaras! There is only me now! You are nothing!
…
"Narissa!"
…
That voice… you think. I know him…
I know his name!
But another voice takes hold of you. You are bound to this voice, she is your summoner; and when she utters a command, you are compelled to obey.
Detached and through a distant haze, you feel your body lift itself off the table and stand up. A newfound power is coursing through you, it is very strong-you feel invincible! However, you no longer feel your own heart's beating. You wonder again if this is death- you hope it is for you know it is much worse.
Everything is excruciatingly crisp and vivid. You can hear every breath in the enclosed chamber; every scuffle of movement; every shift of every single strand of your long blonde hair as someone strokes it with mock affection.
…
"Narissa! Fight it!"
…
That voice… I know him…
As this thought crosses your mind, a spark seems to ignite in your chest. It is warm and pleasant, and comforting.
The demon in you does not like this. It squirms in displeasure and violent rage…
"NARISSA!"
But the spark has now turned into a flame.
"KILL HER, NARISSA! KILL THE ABOMINATION!"
All of a sudden you can hear your heartbeat again, feel it pounding in your chest, loud and clear and powerful- like a beacon to your soul.
…
"Inuxius," you whisper.
Too soft for even the vampire standing beside you to hear but the name echoes loudly within you. And it is powerful enough to silence Tartaras.
You blink as though awakening from a deathly slumber; the fog in your mind has cleared. You are in your body again.
And then you are staring into brilliant green eyes. Eyes that are so familiar to you… Eyes that even now, transformed as you may be, look at you with the same tender emotion.
Those eyes look pained for a moment as scarlet tears bleed down your cheeks. But that worry is quickly replaced by determination- and unwavering trust. He gives you the subtlest nod and you understand.
This time when your body moves, you are no longer a mere spectator.
You hold his gaze as you move closer to him, as you clasp your fingers around his neck.
And somehow, as long as you behold those eyes; hang on to the sound of his breathing- his voice; the more you hold on to his name and the memories that surface along with it, his fearlessness, his compassion, and his love for you- the more furious your demon becomes— and the lesser control she has over you.
Tartarus recoils and claws and hisses, shrieking savagely, but no longer can she push you back under completely.
When you sink your fangs into Inuxius and drink of his soul, you are more certain than ever of one thing.
And it is that one thing that gives you power over Tartaras. That which you can hold on to; the one thing you truly hold dearest of all.
The demon's wrath crashes down upon you in blizzards, searing you like a frost-bitten branding iron but those feelings you have for him continue to wash over you—
And they are powerless to stop it.
The End.
(Go here: archiveofourown.org(slash)works(slash)11593818 to see my very first fanart of Inuxius & Narissa! :P)
Notes:
I tried to keep it easy and simple for my first attempt in this fandom (which was by no means easy). I'm still trying to get the hang of the somewhat new age medieval theme. If you are a fan of this pairing, thanks so much for reading! I (really) hope you liked it.
(08/08 - 09/2017)