A/N: I was on a WoD kick. Here's a Mage: The Awakening cross.

The Devil and Jean Paul-Vasil

The king stared at me.

Well, more accurately the dragons on the shoulders of the king stared at him. The king stared at nothing, while drooling idiotically.

"...speak," said a dragon.

I bowed. Best not to piss off the three-headed god. "Oh great and mighty Dahak, a mage who hardly deserves the title seeks your briefest attention for a few moments as he is-"

"Get to the point," said another.

I already didn't like him. I didn't like him before I came here, but now I negative-liked him. "I desire tutelage in the arts of the Mind, your Excellency."

The dragon heads cocked simultaneously. A scorpion came up to dip its tail in the king's "sweat."

"I was under the impression you were a master of controlling the mind, Jean. Or are you so paranoid you prefer Alec?"

The voice changing between dragons had a dark bemusement to it. It knew it hit a sore spot with me. I didn't feel fear all that often, but I felt a motion of brief paranoia before reminding myself that Dahak didn't share secrets he found out. He was too proud of finding other ways to torment his supplicants.

"I...use the name Regent, your Excellency."

"Hm. Is Heartbreaker the Second taken? Or is Duke of the Icebound Heart too complex to put on a card?"

...Asshole Aeon.

Just on cue, a living flame popped up and let an image appear in it.

A memory.

"The Ba'al must continue, Jean."

I blinked, tears in my eyes.

"B-But it hurts-"

"I don't care, Jean."

The fear hit me like a wave. I learned to ignore that a long time ago, but I still felt my eyes widen.

"They may think it hurts now, but without us, they couldn't live. Think of all the wars that could have started, think of all the governments that couldn't get off the ground. And then think about how our Order relies on our lineage to provide a steady stream of Warlocks."

I nodded, licking my lips in what I hoped he read as anticipation.

"Good. Now, you be the wingman for that brunette over there..."

"I sense surprise, Alec. But you knew full well that my servants can see into the passions of your past."

I was surprised, but not for the way he thought. Rather, it was more for the fact that I felt guilty for yielding to my father, all over again.

Huh. Dorks were rubbing off. As was that therapist. And they thought I couldn't change...

"A foolish sentiment."

Oh, shut up, you dick.

"You claim to have left your family's sordid past behind you when you left the Throne, but you never left your blood, did you? You revel in the emotions sent over the link when you dominate them, you are in ecstasy when memories shift under your fingers, you salivate at the prospect of breaking open a tough mind...you are not so different from I in my days as King of-"

"Seriously? That's your angle?" I wasn't pissed, not really. More amused by this awkward attempt at bullying. "Dahak, I know people who have done worse than your excuse for playing with emotions for fun."

"Your sister-"

"Is utterly broken," I finished. "Broken and completely delusional. Shitheads, I've seen worse."

The dragons growled, then spoke as one. "You DARE to impinge upon the Self-Twinned Syzygy of Pandaemonium!? Your own-"

"Here's the thing, though - that's a lie." Please work, for the love of god. "You aren't the only Aeon."

The dragons looked speechless.

The king's eyes twitched in surprise. Thank whatever unenslaved God there was up there in the Supernal.

"I've seen that expression on your human body before, halved-brain. When I was learning how to dominate people from dear old dad." I drew myself up to my full height. Not impressive, but it got Dahak's attention even more. "That's the expression of someone whose nervous system is being controlled. Badly."

"Thing is, you've had that expression since Day Fucking One of being the Aeon of the Iron Gauntlet, so it can't be that whoever is doing that is inexperienced, since I doubt the best fucking body robber on the planet could control an Aeon unless he trained for, I don't know, a thousand years, and by that point, it would be like wearing a suit once he got in. So either you naturally look like that..."

I leaned closer for dramatic effect.

"Or the someone controlling it had no physical form to begin with. A goetic demon, in other words. Or perhaps they wish to disguise the true power in your body from yourself...?"

The dragon heads turned livid with rage, and began to draw breath...

And fell unconscious immediately. The king blinked as a grey glow, the color of metal, came from his eyes.

In a few seconds, the other Aeon of Pandaemonium was fully awake, looking through Dahak's human body with an intense alertness.

"You know, I'm always a little amazed when people catch on to that. But no matter."

The king's body stood up and bowed, a gesture I was sure was as meant to be as patronizing as it seemed.

"Belphegor, True Aeon of Mind and power behind Dahak, at your attention. As recognition of your perception, I am willing to offer a discount on the caliber of service I request before I grant you your wish..."

A/N: From a post on the old White Wolf boards, I got the idea of Dahak being only the Aeon of Space while his goetic demon - his Persona 4 Shadow, for those unversed in Mage lore - is the hidden Aeon of Mind, quietly using him without his knowledge from inside the human head of the three-headed god, and erasing memories of him directly possessing Dahak to keep the secret.

Regent's going to be geased against revealing Belphegor's existence directly to keep the riddle for those who wish to speak to the true king of demons alive, in case you were wondering. Mastigos often need to learn to spot weaknesses and true holders of power to become the Righteous Demon Kings the path of Wisdom guides them too, after all.