Pandemonia Chronicles: DAWN

CHAPTER FOUR: RAID!!

Onboard the airship Wanderlust, Rebel rounded up Gestalt, Zaria and Jofur and took them to the captain's cabin.

I'm sure you have a lot of questions," said Rebel. "So, let's hear them."

"What is happening!" said Zaria. "Gestalt like, totally turned into a crazy monster and destroyed the castle, and I don't understand how!"

"Yeah, that'd be a good place to start," said Jofur. "I'm sure Gestalt would like to know and even I'm a little fuzzy when it comes to demon stuff."

Rebel glared his good eye at the teddy bear.

"I don't think this is the time for jokes," whispered Gestalt to Jofur.

"A long time ago," said Rebel. "Our king, Anu Malsumis, the God of Death, governed half of our world, Terra, while his sister, Deus Gluskab the Goddess of Life, governed the other half. The world was split between them equally, and neither would interfere with the affairs of the other. However, one day the followers of Deus, the humans, invaded the lands of Anu and sought to colonize it for their own purposes. Anu tried to repel the humans but was defeated by Deus' champion, a man by the name of Rolf Beulf. He was a Paladin whom Deus had infused a large portion of her own power into."

"So, basically," said Jofur. "What we just saw was a case of celestial sibling rivalry?"

"That's one way to look at it," said Rebel. "At any result, Anu Malsumis, as a god, cannot be killed. Even if his physical body is destroyed he just becomes reborn into a new one. Deus sought to disrupt that cycle. She had his soul sealed inside the Medallion of Id—the one Gestalt has around his neck—so he could not flee into another body on his own. Then he was banished to a world where magic did not exist, intended to forever exist as a trinket."

"Until, I guess, I found it in my world?" said Gestalt.

"Seems so," said Rebel. "We demons have a prophecy that says Anu would return to confront Deus again—and kill all the humans. We've had spies in the castle for centuries, waiting for the day of his return. So, when my spies saw the medallion around your neck, my personal fleet was contacted and we came here to support you in battle. However, things haven't turned out like we thought they would..."

"What do you mean?" said Zaria. "How haven't they? He's back, right?"

"Anu cannot properly use his magic inside a human body," said Rebel. "If his reincarnation cycle had not been disrupted, he would have reincarnated into the body of an Aswang, a race of magically powerful creatures... but, Deus' Paladins have made them extinct. Even if he was freed from the medallion that option is now closed to him."

"So what, he's just going to stay inside me?" said Gestalt.

"He's not inside you—he is you," said Rebel. "That he was able to take control of your body is proof of that. Your souls have started merging, although the dominant personality seems to be you, for now. Deus must have strengthened the seal on the medallion and buried him deeply within your subconscious."

"What kinda seal is on the medallion?" asked Zaria.

"The Medallion of Id was designed to be an artificial vessel for Anu's soul," said Rebel. "Our historians say it is also a kind of control device for his power and greatly amplifies his magic so he can use his spells outside of his own domain. It bonds with whoever wears it and once put on cannot be taken off until the wearer's soul has been absorbed by Anu. We know little else about it."

"Well that sucks!" said Jofur.

"So, it's going to swallow my soul?!" said Gestalt.

"Not so much 'swallow' as 'integrate'," corrected Rebel. "You'll become the same entity, although like I said the dominant personality will win out."