The Fight Within

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Act 2, Chapter 4 "The Fight Within"

It was a lively night within the Lavanitir port city as a festival was being held at night. After the prior endeavor with the panty thief in a mall, the rest of the evening went without a hitch. He and Zander managed to get some quality bonding time with step bros, though this might be the last time they’ll see each other until Michael has to leave for another mission. It might mean nothing to Michael but it meant a lot to see his younger step sibling hale and hearty, despite the memory loss. Nothing that a good story can’t fix, he’d usually say, which pretty much applies to indulging in his gossip. It was getting late though the festival was still on, lasting up to late in the morning. They decided to head home, and fortunately, they still have time for chit chat when they walk towards their destinations, which Michael is going in the same direction as them. They went their separate ways when they reached the hotel he was staying in.

He went up the antique looking elevator towards the floor where his room was. Before he could get to his room, he wanted to check up on his partner, Giselle, who should be okay at this time. He also wanted to drop off some goods Zander picked up for her while they were shopping for clothes. He knocked on the door, and a familiar voice called out, “Come in!”. He opened the door to reveal a dark room dimly lit by the light on the television as a healthy Giselle laid down watching some more telenovelas in her recovery. “Feeling better?” She nodded, though it should be obvious with the lack of sneezing. The medicine worked, fortunately. He can’t have her sick for a couple of days, afterall. “Yeah,” She glanced at Michael and noticed something, and it took her a second to find tons of shopping bags. “Wait, where were you? Were you shopping without me?!” She asked, though rhetorically. “Yeah. I met up with Zander and he got you these. I needed new clothes anyway.” He said as he dumped it all beside her bed. It was a lot. She noticed the bags to belong to her, and none was for Michael, “Wait, what about yours?” “In cyberspace. I’ll unpack them in my room.” He said, yawning mid sentence. It never occurred to her that Michael was thoughtful. She never had a chance to know him better, though with the circumstances as is, she’d be hard pressed to know the man who was before he lost his memories.

“I bet you’re tired.” “I am. I’ll be heading off to bed now.” He said. Michael got out of the room and closed it, but not before hearing Giselle wishing him sweet dreams. Well, he should have sweet dreams, considering the nightmares he had. Some were mild and forgettable while the rest was… bloody and fear striking. Before he went to bed, he went out to the balcony and surveyed his surroundings. It was pale and desaturated. He closed his eyes and let the wind brush his skin, and he found a moment’s respite from his troubles. He wished he didn’t have a demon inside of him, as much as he appreciated it not acting up. He felt like he could connect with people, and he might have owed it to his psionic awakening. Whatever it was, he’s determined to recover his memories. He opened his eyes, expecting his vision to go back to normal.

It did not.

He sighed disappointed. He knew just closing his eyes and opening them won’t work, but he still wanted to try not out of desperation, but of curiosity. It was pointless to linger around much later so he decided to get some good night’s rest. He got himself changed and headed straight towards the bed. The mattress was inviting, and the pillows looked soft just like the first day he was here. As he laid down, he felt that familiar feeling of drowsiness on his first night in the port city. In just a minute or two, he was fast asleep, tired from his recent ordeals.

Meanwhile, something stirs within him...

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Act 2, Chapter 4 "The Fight Within"

In the past, Halcyon was an oni who hailed from an oriental town in the far east. Just like Michael, he was born with red eyes. It is rumoured that people born with red eyes are gifted not with magical prowess, but with psionic abilities which gave them the name ‘espers’. Halcyon was one such esper who had excellent control and proficiency in his psionic power - Telekinesis, allowing him to move as much as 10 blades with his mind, controlling and manipulating them to an extent that allowed him to fend off more enemies than one could normally handle. It is through his red eyed heritage and psionic prowess which led him to become the leader of his people in a war against the empire of the rakshasa demon, Aslan, who ruled his empire that boasted not only magical prowess, but also the art of glassmaking. The war was fought for 5 years and reached a stalemate. Casualties were high, and both sides wanted an end to this bloodshed. Well, except for the leaders, of course. The both of them agreed to settle and end this war with a duel for their own peoples, and both sought power to overpower the other.

It was through his meeting with Cthulhu that allowed him to unlock more of his own potential as an esper. A pact was made just as Halcyon proved his mettle against the elder god, and Cthulhu only lent his strength to use him as catalyst for his return. It eludes him still, how Halcyon was able to siphon power from him. A new psionic ability, perhaps, which feeds off of other psionic energies? Or he might have inherited one of his own psionic abilities, which is exactly that, except Cthulhu’s leeching is at a much grander scale. Halcyon’s was more focused, allowing him to drain a large portion of the eldritch being’s might. The elder god was feeding from the psionic energies of people from the Lavanitir Port City until Michael came, bringing with him what he believes to be a manifestation of Halcyon. And they fought. And now, his pact has extended towards the boy.

What happened after all these years Cthulhu slumbered? His perspective of time isn’t the same as humans, just like the rest of the elder gods. For one thing, the population has grown immensely after a couple of millenia. Perhaps it is through this abrupt growth in population that has allowed him to awaken in his deep slumber, with the help of the dense psionic energies he could feed off of.

With his pact extended to Michael, he can’t help but feel like something’s off about him. His psionic wavelengths are uncomfortably erratic, as if there was something wrong with their mind. Animosity? Anger? It’s like the wavelength is something akin to those two, however, these were unnatural, as if another entity is manipulating his very own psyche; their perspective on people, including those he held dear. Something sinister was already in him prior, he figured, and he’ll have to change that… He already knew the one behind this change - Loki, the demon responsible for the fall of an alliance and the small nation of Ru’in. He knew as much from the hushed whispers voiced from the psyche he leeched off from the fallen. He remembers and never forgets, such is the great extent of his abilities as a great old one.

You’d think him to leave it all behind and focus on acquiring a suitable catalyst for his own return. But no, he knew that Loki was sealed. He knew that no matter where Loki is, his dominion over Earthland will, and always will be, contested so long as the monstrosity existed. He used his own followers to spy on the seal, though lately, groups of mages old and new managed to slay his acolytes. It wasn’t a big deal for him as he could always get new followers. Lately however, his lack of followers have prevented him from spying on his enemy, and has lost track of the demon. That is, until he met Michael, who had the demon sealed inside of him. He thought it best to eliminate the competition now, and with Michael being a perfect catalyst for his return, his endeavor would be like hitting two birds with one stone.

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Act 2, Chapter 4 "The Fight Within"

Cthulhu was decisive in his efforts to eradicate the opposing benefactor, or rather invasive entity, from the recesses of Michael’s mind. Ironic that he was also going to do the same thing to Michael as Loki. He needed a veritable amount of psionic energy to materialize himself to the material plane from R’lyeh, afterall. Gathering psionic energy from the masses of Lavanitir was slow enough as it is because he had to tear a rift from his domain in the city of R’lyeh to the material plane. At least, through Michael, he is able to lay ruin on Earthland indirectly from his own domain.

Through his pact with Halcyon which was extended to Michael, he is able to traverse to the mindscape of his own psyche. It is there where memories are found, and it is also there where Loki’s domain exists. He entered the mindscape as an eldritch cloud, formless with the exception of a pair of yellow eyes peering through. The cloud coalesces to create a form in Cthulhu’s own image, and then, Cthulhu himself materializes. He was surprised to see Michael’s mindscape, as it was very different from the rest of his own followers. While a mindscape would have little to no fractures seen from the inside, Michael’s was too fractured. A fractured mindscape symbolizes a loss of memory, and in his case, he lost a lot of memories. It was different from someone who had multiple personalities, as each had a mindscape of their own. And while fractures heal overtime, Michael’s was almost beyond repair. As an elder god, he can’t be concerned with this issue. All that mattered to him was his purpose.

Beyond the horizon of the mindscape was a red flash of malevolent light. Good, he thought. This spared him from finding Loki. He stretched his wings and started flying towards the light. While on his way, he encountered several of Michael’s memory fragments scattered about. Some of them contained childhood memories while others were from when he was in high school, before he drafted himself to the Arch Vorbrundt order. In this infinite darkness, the fragments sparkled like stars in a night sky. It was a beautiful sight, and he’d care if he was human. Alas, he is unappreciative of this sight, though with context it made a morbid scenery.

He reached the entrance to Loki’s domain, flying down towards what looked like a broken bridge resembling a familiar architecture he has seen before. In front of him was a wall with a hole at the center, revealing a red portal, and the walls were littered with white chalk marks. Around it were stacks of books cluttered all around, a table, candlelight, and a floating wardrobe held together by ethereal chains to hold it in place, probably to avoid having it fly off into the abyss. There’s also a king sized bed. Cthulhu wondered, is it possible for someone to live inside someone else’s mindscape? Normally, they can’t, but this isn’t to say it’s impossible. No, this is entirely possible. He remembered how Loki was sealed, and consequently, it also sealed the rest of the warriors from the battle against Loki. Does this mean one of them got out? From the looks on the markings, the escapee didn’t last long.

No matter. Such irrelevant pursuits of curiosity would only lead Loki closer to his resurgence. Cthulhu stepped into the portal and entered Loki’s domain.

Far from the entrance, a lone figure stood, dressed in a trench coat, vest, ascot, and a tophat. They adorned a plague doctor’s mask, and several books hovered closely to the figure. Strange, because the figure was unaffected by the presence of the eldritch entity. They also never showed any signs of madness. “So, an Elder God is about to face off Loki, huh?” They mumbled to themselves, “This changes everything.” They were lost in thought while poring over one of their books.

“Hm… yes. Cthulhu, the Great Dreamer. He’ll lose, definitely, but his loss shall help Michael in his future endeavors.”

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Act 2, Chapter 4 "The Fight Within"

Cthulhu entered the domain and was greeted with the stench of blood and death. A broken bridge leading to the domain’s center stood in the middle of a sea of blood. The bridge was broken in a way that there are only gaps at the sides, and doesn’t hinder anyone from their leisurely walk towards the center. Bloodied corpses of Ru’in soldiers littered around the bridges. The sky was a bright red, and dark clouds lingered on the horizon. Within the sea of blood, unfamiliar buildings stood tall yet broken. These details could only be interpreted as casualties caused by the devil. This was definitely Loki’s domain - chaotic and bloody, a reflection of his nature, in contrast to his domain in the city of R’lyeh - blue, dark, and is deep within the boundless sea. And while Loki’s domain sparks fear, Cthulhu’s domain instills madness.

Beyond the tattered bridge, Cthulhu felt the same malicious aura from after the time Halcyon bested him in their duel. It was Loki, and he never made any effort to conceal his aura. While it did spare him the effort to locate the devil god, he knows that he’s cunning. He always has a reason behind his actions, either for the intention of instilling chaos or for his own personal gain. Cthulhu also knows he himself is weakened because of his fight against Michael and Halcyon. Loki’s also weak from being sealed but it didn’t stop his influence from seeping towards the material plane. It’s best for him to be careful when dealing with the cunning god.

Beyond the bridge was an island of salted earth. A magic circle of divine power exists above the island which contrasts the red sky. He concluded that these were sigils that helped keep Loki locked up within the seal, and it served to weaken him considerably within this domain. As opposed to the holy circle in the sky, several sigils of unknown origin were carved on salted earth, glowing a malefic red. At some parts of the sigils stood several familiar faces, one of which he knew - Halcyon. All of them were chained up with a dark chain of energy. While they did look familiar, it was only because their form reminded him of their former selves in the perspective of one of the followers. However, as he saw them, they were twisted and malformed. These were caused because of presence and influence on their psyche. He surmised that there was another factor at play here.

At the center of it all was a throne of bones and flesh, with Loki sitting comfortable in it. “A visitor?” He said as the elder god stepped off the bridge and onto the salted earth, “I didn't expect to get visitors considering that my place is inaccessible.” Loki bared his fangs and claws as he prepared himself to engage Cthulhu in a melee. Cthulhu was also prepared to erase Loki’s existence within Michael’s mindscape. He also wasn’t surprised he was unaffected by his presence. After all, Loki is a creature of chaos, and a powerful one at that. “I’m not here to visit, though you should already know why I am here.” He said as he swung his arm. Pillars of rough stone and eldritch script rose from the crimson seas behind him, and in turn turned them into regular sea water. The bridge contorted and reformed with hints of tendrils decorating it. Dark clouds loomed in and turned the sky into a dark blue behind him. Bizarre structures started to rise from the sea. You could say Cthulhu brought a little bit of R’lyeh with him. The domain was now split between Loki and Cthulhu’s domains - his being the blue and eldritch, while Loki’s was red and chaotic.

“You know, this is the first time I’ve fought someone from the outer realm.” Loki said as he stood up from his throne, “Please be gentle.”

Without skipping a beat, the two of them lunged towards each other and engaged in a duel, a fight that will probably last a few days where the one victorious shall be the one fated to mold Michael into a fine catalyst of their resurgence.

Meanwhile, within Michael’s mindscape, the figure in coat and tophat was accompanied by another creature. This creature was a humanoid lion, with white soft mane and fur, and black whiskers. He had purple eyes and dark blue brows. He was wearing a typical attire like the rest of the nobles - expensive looking, and was made of silk and crafted by the finest of tailors and weavers. He adorned a white shirt with golden trims and intricate decals, a purple pair of pants, and a red silk sash was wrapped around his waist like a belt. Black leather boots help him from treading around the mindscape without any injury to his bare feet. The outfit overall was incomplete, and from the looks of it, the wearer looked comfortable. The lion man was also huge. He was taller than the creature with the top hat, and was, for the lack of better description, ‘beefy’.

“He is distracted,” The lion said, “,and you’re slacking off from your job again; our job.” He was mad, but was calm in telling them, as if this wasn’t the first time they’ve been scolded for their laziness. They stroke their chin in deep thought, and they might have not heard the lion’s voice call out to them. “You know we can’t afford anymore collateral damage. You told that, Sepulchre.” “True, but I didn’t say we have to repair the mindscape at a hundred percent.” They said as they closed their book, “With an unknown variable inserting itself to my equation, it is only a matter of time before my plan takes into full effect.” The lion was confused and asked, “What plan? You only told us to repair the mindscape.” Sepulchre turned to face the lion and responded to his query.

“The Holy Sigil I conjured within the seal, or rather, his domain, drains and/or burns out his own strength. In turn, this would weaken him considerably. With Cthulhu in play, Loki will have to spend more of his strength to fight off the eldritch beings and rise victorious in their little melee.” They turn their back on the lion once more, facing the entrance towards Loki’s domain, “At that point, Loki will have been weakened enough.” “Then we’re going out of our way to kill that bastard?” “No, the difference in our strength is immense, even when weakening him considerably. I didn’t say we are capable of killing him. No, someone else is destined to slay him.”

“Are you referring to Michael then?” The lion said with a hint of irritation in his tone. As Sepulchre answered his question, another question followed. They nodded. “How? He can’t even handle that bastard djinn in Desierto without causing structural damage, let alone kill off the sea monsters around Lavanitir with ease.” “I know he can. Well… not right now. I’ve been doing some researching with the books I brought with me, and I’ve found a solution to our problems.” They said as they slowly walked away from the lion and towards the edge of the cliff. The lionman was starting to get more irritated, and yet kept his composure. “What exactly are you trying to do?”

“Aslan,” they said and turned to face them once more, “I’ve uncovered the secrets of Requiem.”