DISSOLVE INTO THE NIGHT ♦ job

Fingers traced the edges of a soul as she walked along, happy with the latest contract that she had just secured only days ago. It had gone further, however, and now she had stolen half of that one poor person’s soul. What had he wanted? Simply put, he had desired power, which was beyond common. In the end, that wish was usually one’s downfall. Nevertheless, she had not forced the fate on them, like any average Daemon would in one of their harsh contracts. Instead, she gave those she met a choice, and watching them juggle the options under the pressure of time was always amusing.

The soul in her hand was only half of one, really. She had broken it from its other half, the instant Taige had gone too far, and had provoked her already stifled anger to a violent outburst. The spirit had been happy to torture the young one, and by the end of it, make off with half of his soul. What did a soul look like? Simple- it was like an orb of light, with a blaze of a specific color ebbing off of it, almost as if it were a flame. Each color and the shame of the blaze could be unique to a certain soul or creature in general. Humans, specific demons, gods, angels, yokai, specific monsters… it all varied. Their souls each were different, and for a being who had consumed and collected souls into her own essence for so long, she knew the structure and their signatures quite well.

The one she held onto was very weak, and not even worth consuming or crushing. Preferably, she would dispose of it and allow it to wander as a lost soul. If that were done, it would perhaps have potential to be more entertaining in the future, possibly. Right now, the young blonde-haired human-shaped spirit had other ideas. She would give the half-soul away to someone as a gift. There were multiple choices of who to deliver the special little ‘present’ to, including her ‘children’. However, she could only pick one out of the three, but who really was worth giving the gift to? Who would entertain the Daemon mother the most?

For now, she would hold onto the soul. There was no more time to think of what use or potential that it might have, not with another thing calling to her mind. Her own soul was lucky enough to be split into many fragments, scattered about and ready for her to use at a moment’s notice. One of them she had embedded within the spirit of another- a young tanuki yokai who seemed to have enough potential to possibly entertain. So why not? However, that person was about to wander into dangerous territory; a plane which would prove to be the last place she should go. It was beneficial for the blonde girl, however, who now had a general idea of who she would give her minuscule gift of half a soul to. Better yet, entertainment and amusement would surely come, or so her precognition told her. All she had to do was push her consciousness back into the soul she had housed inside the simple tanuki, and from there, she could begin her little endeavor.

~~~

There had always been rules regarding who could take jobs and who could not. Every single guild had them, and as much as Izayuki wanted to take on a ten or one hundred year job, she could not due to her rank and the strict laws binding all mages, even guildmasters, to only take on jobs they were capable of taking in regards to power. Thus, the Bakedanuki had to settle only on an S rank job. Though she was A-rank, it was somewhat acceptable, and the youthful wizard was certain that it would be easy for her to handle.

Despite knowing the risks of being in Pergrande Kingdom, the Black Rose mage had briskly made her way to the community. Upon arriving, Izayuki had hidden her tanuki features and tried to ensure that she appeared to be just another average human. With her skills, she hid her magic presence entirely from those around, and quietly prayed that the authorities of Pergrande had no other ways of detecting mages.

After a very long day of travel, she safely arrived in the area of their client- an entire neighborhood living in fear of a certain building. For them to go out of their way to hire magic users to take care of their problems in a nation that hated and rejected magic altogether... they certainly were serious about this. The Guild Master of Black Rose had no reason to even ask the client of the whereabouts of their 'problem'. The Decrepit Mansion stood out like a sore thumb at the end of the street, with a giant yard shrouded in pale mists. The trees out in front of the structure seemed dead and withered, but somehow still had dry leaves rattling and sending out chilling sounds as the haunted breeze passed through them. Izayuki had no need to approach anyone to ask or to tell them they were here. The few people who dared be outside of their dwellings had already caught sight of the pink-haired mage.

As Izayuki entered the main yard and radius of the Decrepit Mansion, she instantly noticed the sky was not the same as before. It was white, like paper, and empty, with mists surrounding most of what could be seen that was not close by. Something was compelling about the place, but what could it be? It was almost as if the giant house was familiar, even if Izayuki had never seen it or anything like it before in her life. Just what was the mystery behind the peculiar place?

Junier of GS + Adox

It was not difficult for the numerous trespassers to be sensed the instant they entered the plane of the Decrepit Mansion. The paper white sky was quick to show that they were not exactly in the real world any longer. This place was a pocket dimension in the physical realm, and one could easily pass into it without realizing it. However, the intention of those who had entered was not the same as those idle strangers, who had no business or purpose here. The ones who had entered undoubtedly meant trouble for the residents of the Decrepit Mansion. Why else would they be here, other than to reclaim what was not rightfully theirs? Anyone who entered the mansion was already forfeiting their life, and eventually would join the others. Yet they sent more and more, as if there was any sort of hope of helping the others to escape. It was pathetic, and the quiet being could somewhat pity them.

Overall, however, it was childishly amusing. They would begin to wander the halls, and upon finding no success, or from getting spooked too much, they would try to find a way out. This was the best part. They would squirm and suffer as they tried to leave, finding all of the doors locked, the windows sealed, and the walls and glass unable to be broken. They would truly be trapped, and finally begin worrying about their own wretched lives. Should they not have considered all of that before they entered? Well, no matter.

As they wandered through the maze of the endless old structure, they would slowly be driven deep into insanity. They would do what they could to survive the treacherous attacks and appearances of the resident spirits, only to be driven mad even more. If finally captured, they would be painfully dealt a screaming death, and either be consumed or accepted into the ranks of the souls of the Decrepit Mansion. It was always good and fun entertainment… and she was the ruler of them all. The Queen, Abeo. Well, one of them. The other would be Silica, a somewhat distant relative through some weird means. Abeo typically kept her distance from the other mansion ruler, and as a result, things were ‘peaceful’ between them, and the Spirits knew to obey both and not go against the other. Nevertheless, that mattered little.

Abeo chuckled lightly as she clairvoyantly watched the approachers. There were a lot of them… more than any other adventurous and brave party who dared to go near the mansion. Not only that, but it was easy to tell that there were more than just the four bodies who stood in the front yard. How interesting this would be. ”Allow them entry!” the Queen murmured, knowing that her voice would be heard by all of the local spirits. Her purple eyes were shaded over, yet a cruel grin was revealed as her lips widened to reveal it. She perched happily on her throne in the hidden ‘Parlor’ of the building. It would be awhile before they reached her, if they even made it that far. Or better yet, they could run into Silica first… how pleasant would that be!

The childlike Half-Daemon continued to observe the four with her clairvoyance, monitoring their every move in her dimension. One of them particularly caught her interest… a soul hiding within a soul…
Were one to give it a form, it would be that of a nineteen year old with golden blonde hair and eyes as blue as the azure sky. She knew this presence all too well, and her grin began to subside the more she sensed it. Purple eyes briefly closing, Abeo focused all of her perception to that source. She was not wrong, or too disappointed, as much as she would have preferred that. The golden-blaze soul of the Daemon of Envy stuck out like a sore thumb, despite being housed inside the pink-hued soul of the strange Bakedanuki… not that her spirit correctly matched her soul, yet that failed to pique her interest. ”Listen up! That Bakedanuki is mine, you got it? Harass it all you want, but don’t kill it. Anyone who does gets to suffer my wrath,” the Half-Daemon ordered, beginning to stand up from the throne. To think that she had to deal with this now, of all things. How fun was this really going to be? Only time would tell.

~~~

”How interesting… she knows I’m here, it seems…” the Daemon mused quietly to herself. She could sense that they were being watched, mainly because she already recognized and knew of the other presence who appeared to govern this strange place. It would be one heck of a weird reunion, but worth it in the end, hopefully. Whether or not the meeting would end on good or bad terms had yet to be seen, but hopefully the small gift that the golden-blonde had to give would be worth it, as a token of a small peace offering.

It was hard to say. Alice knew that Abeo had become increasingly unstable lately, at least mentally. But what more could one expect from the spirit of a barely-developed soul and being. She was no more than a child, after all, yet the Daemon would at least try to remain civil with the other spirits.

The entire dimension was completely amusing to Alice, really. Abeo and Silica had tried so hard to replicate that one place, to make a neverending world out of it. After all, at least the former would have been real royalty had those unfortunate events of the past not taken place. Only now was she getting a pathetic taste of what she could have been from within her play pretend realm. And the spirits that aided her? Not real Daemons, only ghosts of the dead who had been killed by the real residents of the first mansion, now long gone and disbanded on that other world. And who was to blame for that? None other than Alice herself.
Did Abeo know? Of course not, and like hell would she tell her just yet. There was no point, and it would not even be entertaining. And just who was Silica? A fake carbon copy, settled snugly in the imagination of Abeo, even if she was ignorant as to what it really was. The co-Queen was a fake and poorly designed replica of Vasillica, who had come long before Abeo’s ‘time’.

It was sad and pathetic to watch. She could almost pity the child, who really knew nothing. Vasillica had been Alice’s aunt, after all, and the Silica created now was likely just an image copied from her memories somehow. It was weird how such beings like Abeo were created… it really was. Again, who was to blame? Alice, of course, and this time, begrudgingly.

”What was that, Alice?” a dark and hostile tone asked, breaking down and stopping the Daemon’s train of thought. Had her own words within her thoughts really been loud enough for Izayuki to hear? That was annoying.
Though Izayuki was the current keeper of Wonderland, a power given to her by both unknowingly and willing contracting with the Daemon, Alice typically preferred to have little to do with the Bakedanuki. The youthful Youkai was getting stronger, true, though was not yet strong enough to be of any real use to Alice. Until she grew in power, their contract was only barely there, a fact that only the Daemon knew. Nevertheless, Izayuki was intriguing, and in time, would hopefully be a tool worth using.

”It was nothing. Just thinking aloud… do pardon,” Alice replied in her typical formal manner, being polite to the ‘lesser’ being for once, thanks to having her thoughts preoccupied and definitely elsewhere. In any normal circumstance, she might have remained silent and not responded to the Bakedanuki, or have simply replied in a very short and blunt manner. Not this time. They had more pressing matters, and that was just what Izayuki would soon find out.

~~~

Izayuki could only breath out a sigh as Alice responded to her. It was rare for her to even hear the frightening Daemon’s voice, and when she did, it typically meant trouble, and she questioned it with suspicion. For once, however, that was not the case, and after a few seconds of worrying, the Bakedanuki could turn her attention back to the present.

The strange raven-haired lady had a strange air about her, and pink eyes could only carefully observe as she narrowed her eyes at Izayuki and finally made her way towards the door without so much as a word. Curious, but not enough for Izayuki to bother with questioning it. The lady was likely just another mage who had been asked to deal with that neighborhood in Pergrande Kingdom’s problem. Most likely, the other mage preferred working alone or at least not halting in her work to begin social chatter with strangers.

The human-formed Youkai would stare further as she watched the door knob suddenly dissolve and decay from afar… followed by the door itself. That was definitely something interesting and possibly important to note. A sudden thick accent broke her hard gaze and thought process as she snapped back to the present, and turned her pink-haired head to see the light blonde-haired woman. ”Strange would be a good word to use,” the Black Rose mage responded with a small chuckle, finally focusing all of her attention on the lady and turning her body slightly towards her. ”Nice to meet you, Anastasia and Taliya! My name’s Izayuki; it’s nice to know I won’t be working alone. Shall we follow our other ‘friend’?” she continued with a wide, perky smile that was always characteristic for her.

Without much time wasted, Izayuki would begin to walk across the yard and towards the now-opened entry of the Decrepit Mansion. The heaviness in the air did not seem so bad with the knowledge of company fresh in the Bakedanuki’s mind. She was a true extrovert, and loved being around others. Feeling a bit more at ease, the Youkai allowed her more preferred form to take shape. Seconds ago, she had appeared to be just another human. Now? She had magically dawned silver-furred tanuki ears, a large fluffy tail, elongated canine teeth, and claws to replace human fingernails. It was much more comfortable for the tanuki to stay in this form over that of an average human. She had needed the earlier form for travelling through Pergrande Kingdom, which was strictly anti-magic, and likely anti-nonhumans.

After finishing her brief and subtle transformation, Izayuki would cast a toothy grin back towards Anastasia and Taliya before entering the rotted building. On the interior, there were lavishly decorated walls with fine wallpaper, fancy wall and shelf decorations, rich furniture, and a beautiful interior design. Really, it was not decrepit or worn at all… everything looked fairly new, and rather lovely, at that. The candles mounted on walls and in lamps were lit, illuminating the parlor with a dim light. The fireplace was going, with a happy fire as if it had been recently stoked. Somehow, though, the air felt very still, and the space vacant. There were no scents nor signs of life to be seen, other than the newness of the room itself. The interior was massive, and there was a set of stairs a few yards in front of them that split after the first flight. Large marble columns held the second and third stories up. Directly hanging overhead was a giant crystal chandelier with blazing candles mounted securely on it.

The place seemed so nice… nevertheless, an ominous feeling still loomed over the space. There were no sounds other than the ever so slight crackle of nearby fireplaces or candles, or various creaks of the tall and evidently not decrepit structure that only keen ears could detect. Just what could go wrong?

Junier of GS + Adox

The voice to call out was undoubtedly from the woman they had seen go into the house. The word ‘strange’ had been used as a casual adjective, not so much an insult. Nevertheless, the raven-haired woman seemed to have something to say about it. Izayuki noted that she did have a point to her words, but had nothing to say in response to it. Death was strange… but also natural, at the same time, at least for mortals. Was a Youkai among those? Typically not, she liked to think. At  the very least, she was not. The other ramblings of the woman, however, made little to no sense. What did ‘strange’ have to do with grievance, heartache, or pain? Sure, they were natural, but they were not talking about death. They were talking about the woman herself. Was she delusional?

More ramble. As Izayuki listened, however, the logical part of her mind began putting the pieces together and drawing connections. Was this woman implying that she was a Shinigami or Grim Reaper of some sort, to come when others died? She was wrong in assuming that the Bakedanuki and the Russian girl were unable to sense them, at least in the case of the Ayakashi. Izayuki very much could see and sense spirits and souls, though simply refused to acknowledge and activate her power to do so. Using such abilities required her to access her Wonderland magic, a side of her which she loathed and hated. The more she used it, the further she fell into madness, and the more control Alice would gain. Completely going insane or submitting to Alice were two things that she could simply not allow, and if it meant putting herself at the ‘disadvantage’ of not being able to see the dead or even the ghosts of the living, so be it.

The sadness that suddenly crept into her voice as she spoke as if to the spirits was perplexing, to say the least. The woman began uncrossing her arms and walked away from them, back towards the Decrepit Mansion. Her words were certainly condescending, at least as perceived by the Bakedanuki. Pinky? The insulting name-calling instantly lowered any respect that Izayuki had for the mysterious woman. The tanuki opened her mouth to reply as the silver fur on her ears and tail began to bristle, though decided it was best to go ahead and keep her mouth shut. What good would arguing do right before a job, other than cause division? She knew nothing about the woman, after all, and decided that it was best to not give her a reason to be put on yet another person’s hitlist, despite how tempting it was to argue.

Finally, the mysterious person would introduce herself by name. The name definitely was lengthy, yet really no longer than Izayuki’s own long, foreign name. Luckily, they were given a nickname to call the woman, which was a fortunate two syllables. Breathing out a sigh as she let out the air that was meant for arguing, the young mage decided to relax and pleasantly introduce herself as well. “My name’s Izayuki Hyoujin. But call me Iza,” she would say as she continued walking towards the Decrepit Mansion herself. Marceline continued with talking as she did so, which made Izayuki perk her ears up in mild surprise and interest.

Suddenly the name of Marceline Anicetus began to ring the slightest of bells. So that was it; she was a Sinner of Fiore, as dubbed by the Magic Council. Despite being the Guild Master of a legal guild, Izayuki really had no intention of respecting the wishes of those magical dictators. While she would comply with basic rules and guidelines, and try to do her best for the good of people, rather than go against them, the Council still was an irksome topic for her. At the very least, this person would definitely understand, though might not be as willing to trust the leader of a legal guild. As for Anastasia, it seemed like the Russian girl was not a fan of the council either… interesting.

”No need to worry. I don’t care if you’re a Sinner or not; I don’t attack unless provoked. It’s as simple as that,” the tanuki girl responded honestly, choosing her words carefully while keeping any solid information on her guild and where her allegiances lied out of her response. The next lines Marceline said were in a foreign language of some sort, though Izayuki could pick out a few words and try to figure out what she meant through the context. ”The Sandman is here… what?” she muttered, more to herself than anything. In her mind, she had already labeled Marceline as an odd one, so what more could be expected from her than ‘strange’ statements. Yes, she would use that adjective again.

They finally entered and began to take in the amazing sight that was the interior of the mansion. The reaction of Marceline was definitely… different. First, she had been seemingly trying to intimidate them, and now she was behaving like a child. Strange was most certainly the right word to use to describe the Sinner. Izayuki continued to move inward, quietly listening to the babble of the now childlike woman. She cast a glance at Anastasia that was both hesitant and amused, yet decided to begin walking towards the stairs. ”Seems normal so far… I guess we should head up there…”

Izayuki walked steadily towards the staircase, chuckling slightly as she watched Marceline run up the stairs like a child. Instead of bothering to slowly walk or ungracefully run up the staircase, the Bakedanuki simply used her agility and speed to graciously leap from the floor to the stairwell of the first flight, before taking another leap to complete her fabulous journey to the second floor. She shot an innocent and casual toothy grin at Anastasia, to make sure the other girl was following.

The sudden question made Izayuki’s smile fade slightly as she thought about it. Daring to no longer entertain her blissful ignorance, the Bakedanuki opened up her senses and did indeed feel the eerie presences, yet only because her magic and keen perception allowed her to. She said nothing yet, however, as Anastasia claimed to not feel anything, and Marceline seemed to degenerate slightly.

Before anything else could happen, however, the chandelier extinguished itself, only for the candles to suddenly be relit. The sudden scream of Anastasia put Izayuki on edge, making her fur bristle and her flex her clawed fingers, as if awaiting a fight. She instantly noticed the lost souls that were roaming the upper floors, as if they were special effects out of a horror movie. Only, this was reality, not a nightmare.

She noticed a few beings who were not spirits however, but humans who were perfectly alive, though extremely malnourished and now driven insane by the haunts of the mansion. A few of them began to make their way towards the trio, walking and staring as if they were in a zombie-like state. One held a knife, and suddenly rushed at the Bakedanuki with a crazed look in his eyes. Her ability to sense souls suddenly activating out of instinct, and not to her willingness, Izayuki recognized the human’s soul, but also another’s directly near it. Spirit possession? This would be a pain to deal with.

The human was quick, but not quick enough as she moved out of the way of the knife and whipped around to knock the human out of the way with her claws. She did not apply enough force to kill him, but enough to knock him over and out as his head hit the marble guardrail of the second floor. More came, three, exactly, only for Izayuki to take a heavy hit to their neck or head to throw them down. Many would come back up, only to be weaker than before. The other six would try to attack Marceline and Anastasia.

As flexed claws prepared to try to land another hit on a zombie-like lost soul who had risen from the red carpet, Izayuki felt a sudden throbbing and rush of minor pain through her head and body. Instantly, she would back away from the lost soul, cringing slightly. Miraculously, however, the lost soul began to back away as well, turning away to aim an attack for the others- a weak attack that likely would barely deal any damage. The sight was confusing, as the Bakedanuki was unable to understand what had caused it to retreat, at least away from her.

~~~

Her success at slipping into the Ayakashi’s body and mind with her own spirit and soul were successful. With use of her own abilities, Abeo made it so that she would not be sensed deep within the Youkai by the strange death lady or the valkyrie. This was a dangerous trio that she was dealing with, and she would have to tread carefully. If she made the wrong move, she could be discovered and they could attack or try to kill her vessel… at least that would be one off of her hitlist, seeing as removing her spirit from the Bakedanuki would be impossible unless she allowed it.

Because of her presence within the pink-haired mage, the local Spirits were not so keen on attacking. She would need to hide herself better, as even though she had ordered her Mansion residents not to kill Izayuki, it would draw too much attention to her if they completely avoided the girl. The next step in making progress against the trespassers would be slowly corrupting and consuming the Bakedanuki’s mind, and eventually, her soul. The Black Rose mage was already cringing and cowering in pain periodically, though putting up a shield so the others would not notice. Not only that, but Abeo skillfully applied an illusion to anyone who saw the triggers of pain… it would appear as though nothing was wrong with Izayuki. She was fighting, just as they were, and being attacked.

This was working perfectly… and once Abeo had consumed Izayuki’s body and mind, the soul would be hers, and she could finally deal with that one person who she had known all her life, yet never known at all. Her own mother - Alice.

Junier of GS + Adox

More pain shot through Izayuki’s head and chest as she was eventually brought to her knees. Though not attacked, she found herself unable to fight, and not capable of pinpointing what was causing this. Eventually, the tanuki’s vision began to grow blurry, and right from where she kneeled, she further collapsed on the ground, going unconscious. The spirits around her did not bother with her any longer, and the weaker lost souls would simply assume that she was dead, having fallen in battle.

She was unable to see the internal conversation between the two Daemons within her soul, though she could certainly sense them. Unfortunately, she was unable to do anything about it, and unable to assist her job companions. Powerless and helpless… yet barely even able to notice that.
The other ‘queen’ of the mansion was beginning to take notice of the action, namely the three who were still standing and somewhat fighting. The effects of the mansion seemed to be influencing at least one of them, while Abeo possessed the fallen Bakedanuki.

♦ ♦ ♦

“And what brings a little intruder like you all the way here?” the voice asked, unheard by those around. They were still safely inside Izayuki’s mind, though the Bakedanuki herself was not quite aware of the new foreign being who they were confronting, at least yet.
The darkness of the mind was a strange place overall. In this case, it was not quite dark, but all edges of that strange world were paper white now, no longer the pitch black that the golden-blonde haired spirit had become accustomed to. Despite the darkness, or the vast white, there was no real light coming from anywhere in that mysterious place. Nevertheless, any beings there were seen perfectly, as if they were in full sunlight with no shadows or shading to be cast. Within that space, a white mist seemed to cover the ground and shroud specific beings.

This was unlike the darkness that the spirits of Wonderland were used to. The space in the mind that the souls had grown to know was dark and still, with no noise and no light. Time never seemed to pass, but if they absolutely wanted, they could see what Izayuki saw, and sense everything that she did. The seven were trapped away inside of her soul, after all, and though each spirit wanted full control of their host, the new queen of Wonderland, they had been unable to take a hold of the chance while it had been within their reach. They were naught but tools after all, only to be used to give their vessel power when she so desired. They were one side of the contract that the youkai had made, though they had no say in it, nor the ability to do anything about it.

The Daemon had taken each of them, one by one, and had offered them the power of ‘Wonderland’ in exchange for their soul. In the end, none of the spirits could handle it, and eventually fell to the madness of the insanity-based power. Upon doing so, they became a part of it, and the power of Wonderland was passed onto somebody else. It was a cruel fate, and a despairing one as well. There was no way to escape it once they had already taken the power and agreed to allow the Daemon claim to their soul. Before long, they would be consumed by Wonderland, making it stronger, as it passed around to infect the souls of new people with its madness.

In time, all seven knew that Izayuki would eventually succumb to the madness too. There was no hope, and no salvation. She had made the contract with the Daemon, Alice, who had thrust the souls and power of Wonderland into Izayuki’s soul and spirit, to become the new vessel. Some of the spirits would try to take control of their new host and reclaim the power of Wonderland for themselves, while others simply wanted to be free of it. A few had given up, and allowed their power to be used, no longer seeing any hope or reason to continue trying. It was futile, and it was their own fault. They were caught in the web of Wonderland, and there was no escape from the darkness of it all.

In the end, Alice controlled it. She decided who would be the next host, and would make a contract with the person, surprisingly with full consent. While she withheld the specific details of what happened after one fell into the madness, she was at no fault there. She was very upfront about what receiving the power would entail. They were giving up their very soul to her, after all, and would no longer even have real ownership of it. They would allow themselves to be puppets to her will, and all of them had agreed to it willingly, blinded by the promise of power. Izayuki was no exception, though she had been somewhat specific about why she wanted power, and how she would not have been content unless the power went far enough to do as she desired. Her goal was to kill the goddess of ice, the north, and the cold, Yukionna.

To do so, Izayuki was slowly unlocking and furthering her control over the powers of Wonderland, having recently discovered her ability to now use not only the Cheshire Cat, Bandersnatch, and Queen of Hearts, but now the Mad Hatter as well. She had yet to achieve a few of the soul powers, though her speed in growing in strength had been impressive to at least some of the spirits. It would not be long before her descent into madness was complete. She was getting closer.

The seven spirits quickly noticed the sudden presence of Alice and the other foreign half-of-a-soul that she carried with her. All were eager to find the space where Alice was, all for their own intentions. However, none of them could locate the Daemon. Before long, another presence could also be sensed. It was Daemonic in nature, though not quite the same as Alice, despite being similar. Out of instinct, the spirits would trace through the spaces and pockets of the inner world of Izayuki, looking for the trespasser. Was it a foreign thing to destroy or cast out, or perhaps a means to an end in their goals?

Bandersnatch was the keenest of the seven, and quickly tracked down the presence that was new and obviously unwelcome. She had long and wavy, raven-colored hair with almost a violet tint, and bright crimson eyes. Out from her dark hair protruded two tiny crystalline horns that were light cyan in color. However, her stature was small, and her frame was delicate, as if she were a child. She wore a dress that was black over the chest, and lavender past that. Nothing covered her shoulders, though she wore long and intricate fingerless gloves that appeared to be made of a thick black lace. She was barefoot, and kept her childlike demeanor, smiling softly with two tiny fangs protruding from the top of her mouth.

The Wonderland spirit narrowed his hazel eyes at the stranger, approaching her with both hands in his pocket. He was a decent hand to hand fighter, though his primary ability likely would not come in handy this time around, if the girl proved to be hostile. “State your name and business,” he demanded, his voice rough and firm. He was in no mood to play around, and because he was one of the weaker spirits, all he had going for him was his wit- he had found this newcomer first, after all, before any of the others.

“Interesting… so I was right; this Bakedanuki has a legion of others inside of it,” the girl commented, chuckling softly. “Yet you all reek of ‘her’ aura. Why is that?”

In no mood for games, Bandersnatch ignored her question and continued on. “I am not telling you anything until I know who you are and why you’re here,” he said, narrowing his hazel gaze further.
“Right, right,” the Queen of the Mansion said, huffing slightly in a childish manner. “No need to be so hostile. My name is Abeo, and I’m looking for a specific spirit here- her name is Ecclesia, or Invidia. Though you might know her by another name, I’m sure.”

Bandersnatch sighed, relieved that things did not have to get ugly, at least so far. “I’m sorry to inform you, but here is nobody here that goes by that name,” he said calmly. “I’m going to have to ask you to leav--”

“Wait,” another voice said, sounding from behind. Turning his head, hazel eyes widened as he recognized the form of the Daemon who had ensnared him and the others in her web. She had golden-blonde hair, and cold, azure-blue eyes, and appeared to be wearing a short white skirt with a black top, which was rather casual, though expected.

“Alice…?” Bandersnatch asked, staring at the blonde in surprise. It was rare that she ever showed herself to the other spirits. Was it for fear of their anger against her, or was she just annoyed by the pettiness? He knew firsthand of what she was capable of, and avoided the mobs of madness, for fear of what she could do.

“Leave us, and don’t you dare linger around to watch,” Alice replied, not bothering to respond to her name being said, nor would she make any threats after her command. He of all spirits knew better than to disobey her; she was serious, and could make his existence be even more of a living hell than it already was. Without another word, the brown-haired boy simply nodded and began to walk away, only to hear a final demand as he began to make his exit. “And tell the others to stay away, or else.”

He heard her words as he vanished from sight, leaving both Alice and Abeo alone. The Wonderland spirits knew the consequences, or at least some of them did. A few of the others had yet to learn, but that was besides the point. Placing her focus on Abeo, Alice’s blue gaze softened as a tiny grin grew on her lips. “I’ve been expecting you, but don’t you know it’s rude to possess another Daemon’s prey?” she questioned, blinking at the smaller girl.

“You’re in my territory now, so I can do as I like,” Abeo responded in an innocent manner, letting off a small genuine smile. “Which one are you right now, anyway? Invidia, or Ecclesia?”

Alice’s smile subsided as Abeo asked the question. The answer to her own had been understandable, but the rest… was the Half-Daemon really that keen? How did she know that she was once two separate entities, suddenly merged into one? She operated as a fully functioning single entity, though her personality tended to takes swings. Was it becoming that obvious? “It is not one or the other… we both are one being now. Just call me Alice.”

“It isn’t that simple,” Abeo responded, her smile growing to a cheekier one. “My real mother wouldn’t act as you are now… so... passive. So you have to be Ecclesia, right?”

The Daemon clenched her teeth as the child saw right through her. Invidia was the one who was Abeo’s real mother, in a way. While Ecclesia, a mortal, had been cast to the void, Invidia, the Daemon of Envy, possessed her physical body to assume leadership of the group she had once been in charge of. While pretending to be Ecclesia, Invidia had hooked up with a trusted Advisor, Theo… though the children they conceived never were born. Ecclesia had found her way out of the void where Invidia had imprisoned her, and in a freak accident, had accidentally merged her own soul and spirit with Invidia’s.

Later on, the mortal body’s mind went insane, unable to handle the influence of the two merged spirits. Driven by insanity, she had started a war from her rash actions, and was killed in it; thus, the children in her womb had died as well. They were triplets- Abeo, Jackie, and Lucie. Unlike the others, however, Abeo had become a conscious spirit, and had managed to absorb some of the parent’s power. Yet here she was, striving for attention from the mother she never really had, and all those blue eyes before her saw was an unwanted nuisance.

“So what if I’m Ecclesia?” the Daemon began to respond, picking her words carefully. “If I am, doesn’t that just prove the fact that I’m stronger than my other half?”
“Maybe your personality is… but without her, you would be nothing,” Abeo replied with a lighthearted shrug. “Anyways, why are you here in my domain, I should ask.”

It was tempting for the blonde to lash out her full Daemonic force on the child as the words were beyond agitating. Despite her anger, however, Alice forced herself to keep calm, and ignore the irritating taunts and jabs. “The Bakedanuki was requested by local humans to check up on this disturbing mansion… which is no more than just a dreamy playground for you, is it not? You’re sitting here pretending to be the leader of the Decrepit Mansion, a territory that I used to govern, and you would have been the heir of if we had lived. But no, we both were killed, and now you make a fake one to play ‘queen of the castle’... what a cute, pathetic fantasy,” Alice said, with little expression on her face. She only spoke the truth… but how would the child react? Now she was curious.

“You… you know nothing,” Abeo said, her smile having faded and her eyes now shaded over as she clenched her fists. “It’s your fault I died! If you would have just stayed in that void then things wouldn’t be like this! Mother wouldn’t have gone insane and we could have lived a real life!”

“Hell if I care,” Alice replied abruptly. “Invidia stole what was mine, and used my body for her own desires. And in the end, she destroyed it; I was only trying to take it back, and that was when our souls collided.”
“You were the one who allowed Invidia to take your body. She already warned you what would happen if you…” Abeo fired back, all of the previous smiles and teasing gone, and replaced by fiery anger in her crimson eyes.

“Again, I don’t give a damn. What happened in the past doesn’t matter anymore, but it seems like you can’t move on past that,” Alice said, breathing out an agitated sigh, before thinking about her statements more and smirking slightly. “Look at me now… I have more power than I know what to do with because of what happened. I gave up on having regrets- they were a waste of time. Invidia is a part of me now, and I’m a part of her, and because of that, I have all the power I could ever want. Now what makes you think I care about a kid I never had? You’re not my child.”

The words stung as they were thrown at Abeo without remorse. The small Half-Daemon had visible tears forming in her bright red eyes. She had no idea what had triggered her, as she had few developed emotions. Was it simply the fact that the soul of her mother had denied her? “I hate you…” she murmured, an icy venom laced in her youthful voice.

“Good. I never really cared about you in the first place,” Alice said apathetically, shrugging. “Let’s leave it at that. You leave this soul, and I’ll leave your fantasy.”
“Fine” Abeo replied, her voice still cold and her eyes once again shaded over as she backed away. “But I’m not leaving completely. I’m staying with this Youkai you’ve contracted with until I see Invidia again… I’m done playing with this dollhouse.”

♦ ♦ ♦

A mysterious crimson amulet would appear around the Bakedanuki’s neck on a silver string as she lied there, unconscious to the physical world, and panicking within the depths of her own mind. Abeo knew that she would never be able to remain inside of Izayuki’s soul, with the threat of Alice, and the stronger spirits of Wonderland, such as Jabberwocky and the White Rabbit. The amulet would act as armor in a way, but would house the Half-Daemon’s soul. With luck, Izayuki would leave the mansion alive, taking Abeo with her, as the amulet would be unable to be removed unless the spirit wished for it to be.

Slowly, Izayuki reopened her pink eyes, confused and dazed, and not yet noticing the new object around her neck. Beginning to try to push herself up, suddenly confused as to where she was and why she was there, before quickly recalling what had happened. Pushing herself to her feet, still drowsy, the tanuki poised herself to fight again, having the effects of the possession slowly wear off.

Junier of GS + Adox