Masahiro O'Bannon was from one of the richest and most respected families in one of the richest and most respected cities in all Ivalice: Warjilis. His father, Peter O'Bannon, was a lawyer, and seemed to have the Midas touch when it came to his cases. He never lost a one. Of course, this made his brother Vernon, very unhappy, because they had a joint firm with a few of their friends. For every case that Vernon won, Pete won two or three. Pretty soon, the other four employees of O'Bannon and O'Bannon were no more than secretaries, and Pete O'Bannon was revered not only throughout Warjilis, but throughout the whole country. Which was amazing because lawyers weren't generally used because most people settled their disputes by decapitating anyone who didn't agree with their values. His success, of course, made many people jealous, and because he had put many powerful, dangerous men and women behind bars, he had made many enemies. Among them was his jealous brother Vernon. And he got to his brother before all those powerful, dangerous criminals. He killed his brother and his brother's wife. Masahiro's parents. And then, even worse, he pinned it on Masahiro.

"I should have seen it coming," Masahiro mused. "I knew my uncle better than anyone. And my father, I wanted to warn my father, but I didn't. And then I ran."

"Which does not necessarily make you a coward my son." Masahiro froze. He saw in front of him a raven-haired woman with emerald eyes exactly like his. The simple clothes she wore couldn't hide her graceful elegance, or the fact that she came from serious money. Her smile was beautiful and kind, and she was gentle. It was his mother.

"Mommy?" Masahiro said, very childlike, his eyes glowing. He ran up to her to give her a hug, but he fell right through her wispy body. She turned back to him with a sad look on her face.

"I'm sorry Hiro," his mother apologized, using his childhood nickname. "But I'm what they call incorporeal. I can't touch, be touched, or affect anything in anyway, physically at least. But I can give you some advice. And some insight on my death."

"Yeah, I knew you had died," Masahiro said quickly. "So why are you here and not in Heaven?"

"Well, um, see, the thing about that is…" his mother started. "Your uncle sold my soul to a Lucavi to cover up our deaths. It didn't work, Lucavi double crossed him. Your brother, Jack, got his prints off the gun used to kill us, and put him in jail. Then, two years later, Ophelia found you in Barius Valley and convinced you to join her. All that time, I've been sitting in Hell, until a higher power plucked me out, and sent me after you.

"You see," she continued. "After you defeated Altima, her death created a rip in the space-time continuum, and you and your friends fell into it. I'm here to pull you out, so to speak."

Masahiro paused for a moment. "Wow, this is a lot to take in," Masahiro said thoughtfully. "Wait, what about the people waiting for us back at home?"

"Pamela is okay," his mother assured him. "Don't worry about her. She's much stronger than you think. She may be small, but she's quite tough."

"Don't I know it," Masahiro laughed, and then he raised his eyebrow. "So, why are you here? How did you get here? I didn't think you were a sorcerer."

"No, I was brought here by a higher power to save you from limbo," his mother replied. "I know it's a lot to take in, but it is my duty. And also, I get to go to Heaven because of it!"

"No no, I think I understand," Masahiro said. "But why? All I have is the enormous family fortune, and they can just get that from Jack. Why am I needed anymore? I can't even fight! I usually just get in the way!"

"What about your companionship Masahiro?" His mother tried to reason with him. "I promise you are useful. Just because you couldn't save your father and I doesn't make you useless. Your skills as an archer are unparalleled by anyone in Ivalice. And your money is negligible compared to the balance you provide to the group. Without you and Meliadoul, the entire group would be far too happy. You two help put the angst back in a whole team of goody two shoes. Without you, there'd be no one to point out the darker side of the moon, the evil side of Ivalice." Her kind eyes glowed red. "Come on Hiro, show me your dark side."

"You," Masahiro said simply, narrowing his eyes and giving this mysterious specter the evil eye. "What have you done with my mother?"

"Fool, I have done nothing with your mother," the specter imitating his mother said. Subtle changes began to occur in her body. "She's safe in Heaven with your father. But the real question is, why this perverted version of her? Do you really distrust your parents this much?"

"Well, no. I loved my parents," Masahiro said as his mother's tan skin turned slate white and her eyes blood red. Her clothes turned pitch black and tightened to fit her lithe form. She extended a ghostly hand into the darkness, and the vast expanse of shadow and it turned into the vast expanse of space. Or at least what Masahiro thought space would be like. "But I do distrust my uncle." And the spirit disappeared.

"Well," it said, appearing behind him, now in the form of his father. He was a little taller than Masahiro's mother, and his dark brown hair was slightly balding, but only slightly. He was very driven, and very good at what he did. He usually wore dark suits, and this was amplified by the spirit's dark essence. Since it was not trying to conceal it's identity this time, it started to pervert the image of his father as it did to his mother. His hair turned black, his eyes turned red, and his skin turned white. "It appears that you should distrust your uncle. After all, he did kill your parents. But were they really that innocent?"

"What?" Masahiro asked furiously. "My parents were good people, and my father was a good businessman. I will not stand here and let you soil their good name!"

"Well, then what's this?" the malevolent spirit croaked, and the stars changed to Pete O'Bannon's office. He had in his office the leader of Bart Co. himself, Bart Rudvich. "Watch this."

"So, if I give you this money," Pete said, holding a briefcase up to Rudvich's face. "You'll leave my wife and sons alone?"

"We'll see Peter," Rudvich said, smiling evilly. "We'll see. You know Peter, if you hadn't taken Vance vs. Bart Co., then none of this would have happened."

"Maybe," Pete said, pulling a gun out of his pocket. "And maybe you'll die right here and none of that will matter." He fired three rounds out of his gun, and hit Rudvich twice in the chest and once in the stomach. Rudvich just looked down at his wounds and smiled.

"Let's make sure this is just our little secret," Rudvich condescended. "Especially since your children were just released from my custody. I trust that you will not take anymore cases against my company? Good. I'm truly glad we see eye to eye, because I sincerely hate violence. Have a good life Peter." And then Rudvich left the rather terrified Pete O'Bannon in his office, and the scene froze.

"There," the spirit now imitating his old friend, Agrias' female knight Alicia, cried triumphantly, shaking her shining blonde locks. Apparently, now the spirit was trying not to distort the image of Alicia for some reason. "You see? Your parents were just like the rest of us. Evil. Demented. Willing to do anything-"

"To save his family," Masahiro finished for her. "And don't take Ali's form like that. It's insulting to her memory. Her honorable death delayed Rofel and Vormav long enough for us to find them."

The spirit frowned playfully, and then the blonde hair turned fiery red, and the facial features got more defined, and slightly less feminine. She still had her traditional Hokuten Knight armor on, and the image of Ali's friend Lavian was already being distorted by the spirit's evil. The hair turned black, the skin turned white, and the eyes turned red.

"Fine," Lavian roared, her voice deepening to demonic depths. "If you won't break, then maybe I'll break you!" It unhinged it's jaws and began to swallow Masahiro whole. He put his arms in front of his face to try and block it's attack, although he knew it was useless.

"No!"

The spirit receded, screaming. It still had taken the distorted form of Lavian. It's dark form began to growl at a white light forming behind Masahiro. A female voice was the recipient of the strange, guttural, unearthly sound.

"Stay away from my son, you ridiculously low-level specter," the voice of Masahiro's mother came from the white light. Out of the light walked a raven-haired woman with emerald eyes, dressed in pure white robes. She had a hood over her head so that her raven hair barely showed. "If you come near him again, I will completely destroy you."

"Get out of my realm, angel," the spirit spat, circling Masahiro's mother animal-like in a circle.

"This is neutral ground, demon," Masahiro's mother spat. "You have no business here. Be gone! I banish you back to the pits of Hell!" The specter screamed and glowed white. Then it vanished. "It's gone now my son. You are safe."

"So, will you take me back to Ramza?" Masahiro asked, still a little unwary because the spirit had taken the form of his mother the first time he saw it.

"I assure you, I am not a malevolent spirit taking the form of your mother," she said. "I am the genuine article. It is alright, I understand your suspicion. But it's time for you to go home. Good luck."

His mother raised her hand, and the whole scene glowed white.

A/N: Well, um, this was a little weird, but be assured that's not the last you'll see of The First- I mean the Malevolent Spirit. It's also similar to the demon from tenshi no ai's (I think) story Penitentes. Good story. And Masahiro, I think, will react better when placed with the other characters, especially his girlfriend Pamela. He's cool. Anyway, next is my hopefully good portrayal of one of my favorite Tactics villains ever: Kletian Drowa.