The day of Claudette's second date, and return to the Legion realm, had finally come. The Entity went about its own business in anticipation of when the sun went down. After all, not only would Amanda be accompanying Claudette, but tonight, Jake would be attending as well.
It was, in a way, using them, and it did not exactly like the feeling. It was a God. It settled its own affairs. They had been willing to help, even eager, but as Jake had said during that initial conversation, part of that eagerness was because they felt they owed it. He was right, they did owe it, but it was unsure whether it liked the debt being paid in this way. Still, it had allowed itself to let them remain volunteers, because it decided it needed to have Morrison goaded into an action that would allow it to fairly remove him from its realm. Both Jake and Amanda had believed the Entity when it told them why Morrison's removal from the realm was not as easy as simply banishing him. They'd believed it when it told them that Morrison had to physically violate the rules of the realm, not just think of doing so.
It was a part of the reason, to be clear. If the survivors knew some of the thoughts that took place in the heads of the killers they faced, it would chill them to the bone and they would attempt to avoid participation in a trial again. They were all evil, and they indeed were allowed to dream. They simply were not allowed to do. The Entity's ire of Morrison was indeed due to his plans, which overstepped both his abilities, and his boundaries. But the other fact that drew the Entity's ire was WHAT he was.
It was well aware of Earth history. It could bring anyone it wished to its realm, from any time or place, and make them into one of its killers. But it was a very selective God. Serving it required not only a being that possessed evil, but could be controlled to behave in the trials a particular way. The type of person they had been before they even entered the realm was also a major portion of whether or not they were chosen by the God to serve it.
In the Entity's examination of that Earth history, it had examined many of the most evil of men on Earth. Among the human killers it considered were people that Amanda and Jake would have much knowledge of. Hitler had been examined, but rejected. The Entity had also examined and rejected the serial killers such as Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and John Wayne Gacy. None of them were appropriate for this realm.
It also examined those evil killers that had murdered many, though not by their own hands. They were the leaders of cults. Charles Manson, Jim Jones, David Koresh, Marshall Applewhite, and Joseph Di Mambro. All of them were evil, even though most had not lifted a finger to do their killings themselves. But after examination, in the end, it had not selected any of them, as it found their methods, particularly their twisting of their followers free wills to suit their own needs, completely distasteful. The Entity was very particular on the allowance of free will in its realm.
No, it had decided. There would be no former cult leaders sullying the grounds of its realm. And until merely a week ago, it had believed it had accomplished its objective. But now, it knew that it had allowed someone of that nature to serve it, and it was displeased. The oversight had been simple. It had called Morrison to the realm when he had entered the woods outside of Ormond alone. The decision to call him had been impulsive. Morrison had merely walked to a place in the woods that summoned the Entity's fog. When the fog had touched him, it had sensed Morrison possessed the proper capabilities of killing, but also that Morrison would follow the realm's rules.
It did not examine Morrison as thoroughly as those other, more famous and deadly murderers who had lived and died on Earth. When it the remaining three members of Legion had summoned the fog by following Morrison's footsteps, quick examination showed they possessed the same capabilities of killing as Morrison, and thus it had summoned them as well.
It had not realized they were Morrison's followers, it assumed them all to be equals. Had it examined Morrison more closely, and seen that he possessed the same qualities of those cult leaders the Entity had considered and rejected, It would have rejected Morrison as well. But the impulsive selection, and the fact that the number of his followers was so small, allowed Morrison to bypass the criteria that the Entity used to reject those other, more obvious, cult leaders. After all, Jones had taken 900 followers with him. The Entity could not be blamed for having no inkling an earth cult's followers could number as little as three.
And now that the man was sullying its realm, it knew it needed to remove Morrison as quickly as possible, as his ideology had slipped under the Entity's radar for years. It may never have guessed his true nature at all if Amanda's presence, and her connection with the Entity, hadn't allowed it to see it, and if Morrison hadn't attempted to move in on her.
It was a God. If it wished it could immediately remove Morrison from the realm, but it had told Amanda and Jake that certain very specific criteria were required before it did so. The criteria adequately explained why Morrison still existed here, and why the God simply didn't cease Morrison's existence in the blink of their human eyes.
Amanda possessed a curious nature. It had only grown since the Entity had chosen her to listen to it, and speak for it. Naturally, Amanda had grown comfortable enough with the being that she would have been comfortable asking it further questions. If Amanda had been aware of the Entity's new feelings about Morrison, and if it had told them to her on that night, the Entity knew she would have asked why, if the Entity felt Morrison was there due to certain oversight, it didn't easily remove him, a move well within it's powers.
The answer would be simple, had the Entity chosen to let her hear it. Pride, and ego. Removing Morrison now would be admission of a mistake. The Entity did not make mistakes. It was a God. Therefore, allowing Morrison to make the action that the Entity knew he eventually would, he could be removed from the realm for attempting the abuse of a power that was not in his possession, and the oversight would be resolved to the Entity's satisfaction. None of the survivors or killers would ever know that Morrison should not have been accepted there.
It was not lost on the Entity that Krueger's abuse of his power, and Morrison's attempted abuse of it, had both involved Amanda. In the first case, it had been extremely unfortunate. The Entity's voice, a mute shell. In this case, it felt fortunate. The Entity found itself in a much better situation than it would have if it had been Claudette or another female. Amanda not only knew what he was attempting, but possessed the abilities herself, and was able to counteract him. Also, she was fiercely respectful and loyal. If it had been any other female, Morrison would have likely been successful. He may not have recruited them, but he most certainly would have attempted physical relations. Then word would have spread around the survivor camp that one of the killers had brainwashed a survivor into psychical relations, and even if the Entity had given swift punishment, the damage would have already been done.
It was being overly cautions, and it knew it. But it HAD to be. The Entity had already seen how the survivors had lost their respect for it after Krueger had put Amanda into a state of catatonia. It had taken effort to restore her. It had been another...Oversight, allowing and trusting Krueger to retain his powers, believing he would not be tempted to use them, instead of removing them as it did when Amanda had recovered. It had quickly rectified that oversight, and after giving the survivors additional benefits in the trials and allowing them to see that what happened to Amanda would not happen again, they'd regained their trust that when they were in a trial, they would simply escape, be sacrificed, or be Moried. They got over their fear that a killer would overstep his restrictions as Krueger did, and put another of them in a state of catatonia, or worse.
Yes, time. It had taken time, but now, all was back to normal.
Until now.
Frank didn't possess any of the abilities Kruger had. But he was a manipulator. He had spent the better part of an evening trying to manipulate Amanda not only into physical relations, but manipulating into her the groundwork to once again step into the role of a killer. While this was not taking place in a trial, it was still a situation out of the norm. The other female survivors in the camp would be fearful to do a trial with Morrison, if they knew of his efforts to manipulate and seduce Amanda. If he did so to her, how could they be sure he would not try to do so again. And based on what the Entity knew of the young man, The Entity couldn't deny it would be an appropriate question for them to ask.
The Entity contained no doubt at all that if the female survivors were allowed to parade into Morrison's realm, he would attempt to manipulate each and every one of them. Once again, as was the case of Freddy, if the survivors discovered this new oversight, they would once again question, and be well within their rights to do so, how much control the Entity truly had of this realm. They would question his selection process. First the Entity had selected, and failed to keep under control, a killer that could put a survivor into a near-coma through her nightmares. it had taken close to two Earth months for that dust to completely settle.
Now, if the information became known, they would discover that in addition to that killer, through the Entity's oversight, he had also welcomed in a sexual predator, who used mind games and manipulation to coerce and assault any female he decided he wanted to have physical relations with. Another strike against the Entity's apparent control of the realm, and questionable taste when selecting the types of killers the Entity chose to sacrifice them. It could not make Morrison simply disappear without explanation. Having Amanda reveal that Morrison attempted to abuse the power of the realm, and was immediately thwarted, and removed, by the Entity, would demonstrate that the Entity was watching its killers closely, and would not allow the situation that occurred with Krueger to occur with Morrison.
It could dispose of him and simply have Amanda tell them that anyway...But it simply could not. Morrison had to verbally and physically do it. His pride would not recover from his simple removal and a lie. It could not, and would not, accept it had made a mistake. It had to be over the unconscionable act of abusing power. It had to be because he'd crossed a line. Attempting to transform Amanda to a killer without the consent of the Entity would be a line that was clearly crossed.
The removal would be a cumbersome process, but it would be fair.
But in order to make Morrison attempt to abuse that power, the Entity was required to include the participation of the only two beings in this realm who actually had grown to love being in it, and who called it home. The two beings that had never once shown it disrespect, never asked for anything that required more than minimal effort on its part, and, while neither of them were in any way looking forward to it, putting the human who was the Entity's voice into a position where she was forced to behave as though she were mentally deficient in an effort to allow Morrison to believe he was manipulating her into physical relations with him, then later, slaughtering with him.
That would be cruel. Still, it needed to be done, as Morrison did indeed need to be removed from the realm entirely. It was an important reason. But not the only reason.
The other reason was because if what the Entity had witnessed a day after Amanda's departure from the Legion's realm. It had been curious the following day, and had massed itself undetected in the camp. After an hour of nothing, the Entity witnessed something.
Reading Morrison's thoughts, the Entity had discovered that Frank was looking for an excuse to vent the anger he felt for Joey's unintentional interruption of his kiss with Amanda. Morrison had decided to chastise Joey on his decision to let Amanda accompany Claudette into the Legion realm, even though, in Morrison's mind, he'd been thrilled now that Joey had done so. The Entity had watched, unseen, as Morrison had given Joey his chastisement.
"Joey, I thought we agreed on you meeting Claudette last night," Frank had said.
"We did. And she came, and it was...Really nice. We talked a lot."
Frank shook his head. "You're missing my FUCKING point, as USUAL. We agreed on CLAUDETTE. And then you come back to the camp, and you've got your chick, but then you've also got the other chick, Amanda with you. What's the FUCK is up with that? WHAT DID WE AGREE ON?!"
Joey had been about to reply when Frank interrupted him. "This is OUR camp. I'M the one that leads it. And it's a good thing I DO, with these kinds of fuckups. Before you hauled her sweet little ass back here, You didn't think maybe you should, I dunno, FUCKING CHECK WITH ME FIRST before you brought her right into the FUCKING CAMP?"
Joey butted in, "But, Frank..."
"And what kind of a fucking example does that set? I mean THINK about it, Joey," Frank said. "First it's these two, then they go back and tell the others what a swell time they had here. WE'RE KILLERS. We're not supposed to be nice to EVERY FUCKING SURVIVOR Claudette decides to bring. How many other fucking survivors are going to feel like it's perfectly cool now to come over with her and tour our fucking camp? Why will they bother running in fear of us in the trials if they think they can just come and go here without ANY consequences WHATSOEVER? I'm trying to make Legion the most powerful of the killers in the realm, and who knows what kind of a setback this will be, now that the survivors know that they can just pop over here like it's some fucking resort."
Joey tried to speak again but Frank cut him off. "I'm going to forgive you for it though, because the chick was pretty cool. I found out she was a killer herself for a few years here before she became a survivor. But...What if she hadn't been? You gotta start thinkin' with your BRAIN instead of your DICK, bub."
Finally Joey got out what he'd been trying to say. "She told me at the border that she was there because the Entity sent her. As like, a representative or something."
"Entity," Frank replied. "Oh, you mean the doorman? The thing that let us into this place? Whatever. Maybe I should let it patrol the border and decide who comes and goes, it's obviously a better doorman than you. After all, it let me in here. Anyway, all is forgiven. In fact, I even told Amanda to come back, she was that cool to hang out with. But next time, man...Use your fucking head. This is MY realm, and I decide who comes and goes in it. Got it?"
Joey had nodded, and the Entity had massed itself to another location quickly before its rage had pushed it to do what it had considered in that moment, and simply ending him.
Doorman. Morrison had referred to the creator of this realm...The creator of worlds...THE BEING IT SERVED...As a DOOOOOOORMAN. And even though, as it let its rage dissipate, it hadn't been enough to warrant Morrison's destruction, it had made the Entity decide as the week had gone on that no matter if the involvement of Jake and Amanda was cruel, it would nevertheless urge them to continue to do its bidding and attempt to let Amanda out manipulate him so Morrison would meet the criteria for his expulsion without the Entity having to admit it had made a mistake, and also so the Entity could seek its personal revenge on this being that, even though it was simple stupidity, had insulted the God to its very core.
Doorman. The realm doorman. In the entire existence of this realm, the Entity had never been so completely insulted by any other being as it had by Morrison in that moment. And the Entity could not simply ignore the slight and simply declare it stupidity. It had spoken to Morrison when it first brought him to the realm. It had not spoken to the other three upon their arrival, but it had introduced itself and made it clear what it expected of him. Morrison should have been clear through even the simplest use of the common sense the beings possessed that the Entity was the realm's creator, and thus should be respectful of it.
Prior to recent events, it had occasional contact with Morrison, and contact with Joey. It had never spoken directly to the two girls, but contact had been made by it to the two males. It had never been a conversation such as the ones it currently had with Amanda, but it spoke into their minds, which was a clear demonstration of the power it possessed, as neither humans, nor killers, had the ability to speak through telepathy as the Entity could do.
Joey, on that night when Amanda had spoken its name, had behaved in the manner it had expected. He had been surprised when Amanda had told him she communicated with it, but nevertheless had immediately stood aside and let the Entity's representative enter the realm unhindered. It recalled now that later, when Amanda had told Morrison by the fire that she was there because the Entity bade her to be, that Morrison had paid little attention, already beginning to formulate the plans in his head for Amanda's brainwashing, seduction, and initiation into the Legion cult.
And, the Entity considered, why should Morrison have reacted when Amanda spoke its name. After all...It was just the doorman.
No, as much as the Entity had grown to be pleased with the two human creatures that were so grateful and respectful of it, it would continue to guide them to continue the game Amanda had started so it could rid itself of Morrison's presence fairly. The damage that had been done to its pride and its ego at the lack of respect that had been shown to it in that moment unleashed its cruelty and Morrison had to pay for the aggrievance, fairly. In a way that would not require the Entity to admit that for all the intelligence and power it possessed, it had made a mistake and now had a killer in its realm that not only had no respect for it, but should not have been brought here in the first place.
Besides, the Entity reasoned, swelling with cruel rage, it had not coerced them. They were eager to keep their game going not merely because the Entity had requested it, and because they felt they owed it to the Entity to do so. They were also eager because in the little contact she'd had with Morrison she'd grown to completely despise him. When she'd told Jake of what had happened, even the story itself had been enough to make Jake despise Morrison as much as Amanda did.
Because they did not possess the power of the Entity, and could not remove Morrison, Amanda had decided to punish him with the skills she possessed, and in the only way she could, by humiliating him. By allowing Morrison to believe she was stupid and impressionable like the others who followed him, and let his confidence in his abilities of manipulation swell to bursting, before eventually revealing to him that she'd been manipulating the whole time, and deflating his ego entirely. She would prove her skills of manipulation and intelligence were superior to Morrison's own, and reveal to the man that in their mental battle, it was he who had been stupid, not her.
The Entity had hinted at, and truly now believed after hearing his thoughts and seeing his attitude, that Amanda's humiliation would hurt him far more than anything the Entity had the power to do itself. Morrison, before he had come here and after, truly believed that he was smarter than everyone, and had control of every situation. When he'd believed last night that his skills of manipulation were effectively duping a woman older than he, and who should know better, he'd been practically exhilarated.
Yes, Amanda's revelation that it was actually she that had duped him would damage him quite sufficiently before the Entity delivered the final blow of his removal. Finding out he was duped would be bad enough, but when it finally became apparent that he'd been duped by a WOMAN, a gender that he considered vastly inferior and entirely stupid, it would make the blow to his arrogance and ego as painful as if she had stabbed him through the heart with her blade.
And as long as she and Jake were savoring the anticipation of that moment, then the Entity's continuance of their involvement was not as cruel as appearances would indicate. They were remaining involved as much for their own satisfaction as they were because they felt it their duty to repay the Entity for the "gifts" they felt it had provided for them.
However, even as it reasoned that it was keeping them involved was to allow them their own revenge against it, and not because it had performed coercion in order to secure their participation, there was one thing more that left it...Displeased.
Amanda and Jake would have to be aware as the game continued, the stakes would escalate. She had allowed Morrison to do certain things outside of her comfort zone in order to keep up the game and convince him that he was truly manipulating her on that night, but Morrison was a taker. He would continue to seek more and more from her as his manipulations continued, and the actions required would require Amanda to do things for him that would grow increasingly out of her comfort zone.
Jake, who loved her, would have to find a way to not only comprehend that she had to do so in order to keep her game going, but knowing Amanda's mental state, he would have to find a way to help her cope with the guilt that the Entity knew Amanda would feel over allowing Morrison to to things to her that were increasingly outside the bounds of two humans that were married, such as they were. And even though the Entity knew Jake had the capability, he would also have to find a way to cope with the fact that he would be allowing her to do those things that were increasing her guilt. But the hardest task of all, he would have to convince Amanda that it was acceptable for her to do them.
The Entity had been able to see that Amanda's mental state had vastly improved and healed during the time that she had to be a survivor and to work on herself, and Jake had also worked hard to support her and assist her through it. Being married to Jake, who treated her with such care, and gave her so much love and affection was a joy that she constantly debated with herself over whether she deserved. What the Entity suspected Amanda would have to do to keep the game going would potentially overwhelm her with guilt, and it would be a challenge for both her and Jake to get through, no matter how much he did to help her cope.
It was guilt she would have to suffer through because the Entity had existed with its powers longer than either of them could comprehend, and in that time its ego and pride had grown, deservedly so, based on its powers and abilities, to a level that it could not bring itself to admit that it had made a mistake and banish Morrison from its realm immediately, even thought it would have saved its favorite survivors from the dark days it knew were lying ahead.
That was cruel.
What was more cruel was the one other thing it suspected would have to take place before Amanda and Jake achieved the objective they knew and understood was required for the Entity to remove Morrison from its realm: Morrison's verbal invitation and likely attempt to retrain Amanda in the art of killing, and thus the official breach of the rules of the realm.
Of all of the survivors, Amanda was the most manipulative and cunning, and if anyone had the capability of managing to secure that invitation quickly, it was her. But after seeing what it had in Morrison's mind not only that night, but in the days leading up to Claudette's second date, it had become convinced that Amanda's feigned lack of intelligence and allowance of Morrison to believe he had her completely beguiled would not be enough to secure that final, key act.
It now strongly believed that the only way Morrison would train her and invite her to join Legion is if she gave him her body and allowed him to have physical relations with her. It felt more and more strongly over the past week that until Morrison was convinced he had manipulated the married woman into his bed, and believed his charms had seduced her...Until he had experienced her in the way she shared herself with Jake in her complete love for him, he would not invite her to join his cult. But if she went to that extreme, the Entity would be able to punish him before his expulsion. And it would be crueler than anything it had done to Krueger. If she did that physical act with Morrison, Amanda would deserve for Morrison to be punished for that in the harshest possible way. After all, she had submitted, but Frank would not know, and believe it was because of his...charm.
Even the knowledge that Amanda might have to break her marital vows, something it knew was very important to the two humans, in the deepest possible way, merely because the Entity was a God and could not admit it had made a mistake was not enough to sway it to simply swallow its pride and expel Morrison. The Entity had never made a mistake, and as long as it existed, it never would.
And that of course, was cruel. But it had always been cruel, and they both already knew that.
But the game had not progressed to that level yet. They had not yet had that conversation. Once the game's stakes had reached that level, it would of course allow them to have a discussion on whether Amanda felt she could give her body to him, and whether Jake could allow himself to let her do so. It absolutely believed in free will in its realm, and it would not influence them. the choice would be theirs.
Because they were its favorite humans. Because while it was absolutely cruel, it was not THAT cruel. If the stakes raised to the point that conversation was necessary, and if either, or both of them, decided that those stakes were too high, and that allowing her to go through with that was impossible...Then the Entity would attempt to find another alternative to rectify the...Oversight. It was not sure what the alternative would be, but it was a God. Eventually, it would be able to find an alternative that protected its vast pride.
So far, that conversation had not been necessary, and it was possible that it may never be. But...The Entity's doubts of that were increasing by the day.
But the Entity had seen their relationship strengthen and grow over these past 23 years. The Entity had played a part in it, and it pleased him. Their love was strong before their marriage, and had only grown stronger since. Amanda had become an entirely different person since bringing her to the realm. Stronger and healthier than she had ever been in her life. Jake had been the drug she had been searching for, and she was addicted to him. The Entity suspected he was just as addicted to her. She'd found it in herself to save her life when he had returned her to her time, and had patiently waited and successfully reunited with Jake. When she'd been dying, Jake had brought her here to save her, even though he'd known full well that doing so may have committed them to the realm forever. Jake, and later, Amanda, had not been terrified of that knowledge. In fact, they hoped they would have forever. Despite the doubts that Amanda was sometimes unable to suppress, they were indeed perfect for each other, and deserved each other.
If it became necessary, and if they decided between them that Amanda would give her body to Morrison to further their game, the Entity was convinced that they would persevere through it. There would be struggles, and tears, and pain, but it believed their relationship, love, and marriage were strong enough that if it hurt them, they would heal. But if doing so threatened their marriage, the Entity would not allow it to proceed.
Again, it was cruel, but not THAT cruel.
It was asking much of its favorite humans. It knew that. And in that instant, the Entity thought beyond the situation at hand, and it came to a conclusion. If they did what it may need them to do, The Entity's pride and ego would reap the benefits of their efforts. It would demonstrate how much they respected the Entity, and how appreciative of the gifts, no matter how minimal the Entity believed them to be, they were.
Such an act, such a display, simply could not go unrewarded. If they were able to do what it asked, they would deserve far more than what the Entity had given them thus far. The Entity could make worlds, and they would be deserving of one.
Of course, they would never ask for one. But still, they deserved more than fairness for the actions they may be required to take. They deserved...Generosity. THAT, was fair. They may not ask for worlds, but there must be something that it could give them to express it's generosity.
Well, one thing it knew for sure...Now that they were here, they both wanted forever in this new realm that was their home. The Entity had hinted, but never confirmed, that forever was possible. Surely if Amanda's game ended successfully, it would demonstrate that no two beings in this realm deserved to to have the security of knowing they would have forever here, if that was what they wanted.
It was generous. It was fair, and it was a start. And it would compensate for some of the potential cruelty.
Pleased with itself, the Entity began and observed another trial as it waited for the sun to go down.