‘Stories, legends,’ murmured Kleos.

‘I know more than most, but less than few,’ said Maric.

‘I have a story to tell you both,’ said Nicolai. ‘Of something I have seen. Of something within me. I wish you to advise me on this matter.’ His gaze settled on Maric. ‘You may consider this your first test. If you can help me here, I will be more amenable to doing as you ask.’

The two disembodied heads looked unusually serious, staring up at him.

Nicolai spoke, and told them of his problems. The darkness inside of him and how it had effected him in his youth. Then, of coming to this world, and how it had begun to change when he gained Cultivation. He spoke at length of the Dark, and the Cage, and the Thrill, and even the Mask.

In time, he settled on the subject of the Hole, and what he had seen when he pushed through that Hole.

‘Legends… fairytales…’ murmured Kleos, ‘but they say there is truth in every tale. These are dangerous beings that have taken an interest in you. You are like the Beast, in a way. How you could avoid the descend into madness he suffered… who can say? Perhaps you could find the help of an Angel, too?’

‘Psh,’ Maric chuffed. ‘This is a matter central to Cultivation at the higher realms. It is clear you know little, Traitor, so allow me to explain.’

‘You dare,’ snarled Kleos, ‘when I—‘

Nicolai sighed, shushing the head. ‘I want to hear this. But be polite, Maric.’ He eyed the skull.

‘Ah… yes,’ said Maric. ‘I apologise, Kleos. No one can know everything. I am merely a humble scholar, and I have some pitiful shreds of learning to offer. No doubt you know of many subjects which I am unfamiliar with, too.’

‘Indeed,’ said Kleos, nodding, mollified.

‘So?’ asked Nicolai of the skull.

‘This is all tied to what is known as the Gift. It is a connection to the Outside, a natural grasp of certain Daos and Concepts, an earlier attunement to higher grade spiritual matters and the Spiritual Realm itself. There are numerous types of Gift. The Red Gift, Purple Gift, Golden Gift, and so on. In this case, it sounds to me like you have the Black Gift. The Black Gift ties one to the more Demonic elements of the Outside and the Interior, as they are termed.’

Nicolai settled back into the chair. ‘Explain what all of these words mean.’

‘The Spiritual Realm is one that is near and yet far. It exists behind and above this world, surrounding it and fused with it. It is the realm of Spiritual Beings. The power of the Spiritual Realm is found in all Spirits and Souls and Symbiotes. It is the realm of Heaven, and its energy is also called the energy of Heaven.

‘One may consider there to be three kinds of energies. Heaven and Earth are those most often spoken of. Earth energy is Oma. Heaven energy is Spirit. A Cultivator in the lower stages needs both. But going higher, there is also Warp energy, from the Outside and the Interior. Warp energy is a multiplier; in small amounts it will significantly empower Heaven and Earth energy.

‘As one Cultivates, they take in Oma to reinforce their Body. Later, they take in Spirit energy to grow and reinforce their Soul.

‘Does all this match up with your knowledge, Kleos?’ Nicolai asked the head.

‘Yes,’ said Kleos, a little grudgingly. ‘Except the stuff about Warp, all of this is basic information.’

‘You never spoke of it,’ noted Nicolai.

Kleos looked oddly shifty. ‘You never asked.’

‘He probably forget,’ said Maric. ‘Those torturous rituals they put Traitors through aren’t easy on the mind and Soul—‘

‘Shut up,’ snarled Kleos, scowling and staring at nothing.

Nicolai eyed the head. He felt Maric might’ve hit the mark there. He shrugged, then looked to Maric.

‘Tell me about this Interior and Outside. You say they are both places of Warp energy? Why are there two?’

‘The Outside is a realm I know little of. It is a place of Chaos, where one finds True Demons, and Gods, and Entities of such power they could swallow our reality. The Interior is like a small reflection of the Outside. This all comes down to the work of Heaven; Heaven formed a barrier, a Bubble, which protects our reality from the Outside. It cut us off from the true Outside and the Warp energy within it. But, some Warp energy is required for the natural functioning of all things. So, Heaven allows some in. This Warp energy forms into a third dimension, alongside the Material and the Spiritual. This is called the Interior. All three coexist together, in our reality. The Interior could be considered a fetal version of the Outside. Like the Outside, it is full of strange beings, but they are all far weaker than those in the Outside.’

‘As to the third kind of energy, Warp, which suffuses the Interior, it mostly comes into play in the higher realms of Cultivation. But, there are some who are blessed, or perhaps cursed, by having the Black Gift. An aptitude for the Warp energy. This can be considered a great boon, if they can reach the higher stages. However, in the earlier stages, it is far from a boon. It leaves one open and exceedingly vulnerable to the beings of the Interior; Demons, Dark Spirits, strange and dangerous Entities. All of these beings take significant interest in the matters of the Material, and they seek always a way to materialise here, to do as they wish. It is difficult for them to do so, as Heaven controls the Interior strictly. Only those with significant power, perhaps beings that have slipped in from the Outside, are able to easily move between the Realms; and even they are limited as the more time they spent in the Material in their natural form, the weaker they become, and ultimately will be forced to return to the Outside. Beyond that, there is also supposedly some element of Heaven which plays a guarding role, reacting and striking if such beings are detected going against the Rules, in some way.’

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

‘But, if any of these beings can possess a Material being, like yourself, then they might gain a solid foothold in the Material. Your body would provide them with protection from the Aura of the world, and a cloak from Heaven’s eyes. Supposedly they can possess just about anything, but a Demon will quickly mutate most Material beings until they are entirely Demonic, making them useless as a cloak. Individuals with the Black Gift are very attractive to Demons because these individuals will mutate far more slowly. The stronger the Gift, the longer the body will last.’

Nicolai’s frown had grown to the extent his face felt tight. ‘So that’s what I saw? Beings which were trying to possess me?’

‘Yes,’ confirmed Maric. ‘Not only were they trying to possess you, at that moment, but even right now, this very instant, they are watching you from the Interior. If you have a strong Black Gift they will be clustered around you like flies around meat. Watching, and waiting for a chance to seize control. Do you often find yourself afflicted by mad rages, strange and unnatural desires, bloodlust?’

Nicolai swallowed. ‘Yes,’ he said.

‘I thought as much. In truth, this is not all their work. Those with one of the Gifts are always a little… eccentric. It is natural. But these beings will always seek to magnify such drives, for they feed on negative energy, and each release, each time you lose control and sate their desires, they will be able to claw a little deeper into your mind. They use the Gift like a ladder. Luckily, most such beings will be quite weak. So long as you don’t run into something more powerful, like a True Demon, they will have to gradually work their way into you.’

Nicolai was hearing a strange buzzing noise as all of this sunk in, as he stared at the chatty skull. He was beset by strange and dark beings from another dimension? He had been all of his life? ‘So what can I do? How can I maintain control?’ he asked.

‘Uh…’ Maric blue light flickered, looking at Nicolai then at Kleos. ‘Well. There isn’t so much written about that. Mostly the writings say to just find individuals with the Black Gift and kill them before they can be possessed and cause problems. As it is… try your best not to lose yourself in these negative drives. That will slow the change, buying you time.’

Kleos snorted. ‘It’s not that complex. Remember the story of the Beast. All you need is the blood of an Angel.’

‘”All you need,”’ quoted Maric, and it laughed. ‘That might be simple, but not easy. Where have you seen any Angels, or their blood?’

‘He needs a Heavenly Artifact,’ argued Kleos. ‘It should serve the same purpose.’ Maric fell silent in response to that.

Nicolai looked back and forth between them. ‘As in, an Artifact which is tied in some way to Heaven?’

‘Exactly,’ said Kleos.

‘That could work,’ murmured Maric. ‘The energy of Heaven is opposed to and yet in balance with Warp energy. If you can find such an Artifact, or even Symbiotes of the Heaven path, they could help you stabilise yourself by balancing out your Dark Aptitude.’

‘Psh,’ muttered Kleos. ‘The same as I said. Heavenly energy, whether it comes from an Angel or an Artifact; that is the solution.’

‘What’s all this about a beast, anyway?’ asked Maric.

‘A story of my people,’ said Kleos. ‘In it, there is an individual who is infected with black blood that fell from a great Outsider, slain long ago. He becomes a Demonic being. But later on, he is in a pool of water, and an Angel dies beside him, its blood soaking the water, while there is a Symbiote of Change present. A reaction occurs, and he turns from a Demon, into an Angel.’

‘Ahhh,’ hummed Maric. ‘An energy flip.’

‘Energy flip?’ asked Nicolai.

‘It is a rare phenomenon, little known. Supposedly, in certain circumstances, a Demonic being can transform into an Angelic; and vice versa. I suppose these circumstances were fulfilled in the story. It is something to do with the concept of opposites; that in a way, things which are opposite are also the same, and need only make a small step to transform into their opposing form.’

‘So that’s what would happen to me?’

Maric scoffed. ‘No, we are talking about using Heavenly energy to reduce the influence of Warp energy within you. I don’t think an Angel’s blood would cause such a change within you. Unlike this “Beast,” you are not truly a Demonic being. If you were to transform into such a being, only then would the Angel’s blood be able to cause an energy flip—maybe.

‘But by that point you would be something else, no longer yourself. The matter of an energy flip would not matter, as you would have already lost; most likely transformed into a Demonic entity. In such a state you wouldn’t willingly undergo an energy flip. Any plans or goals would be dismissed by this new being, which would be a fusion of you and the entities that are feeding from you. A being that would care only for blood and carnage. Not to mention, as in Kleos’ story, it is not a simple matter. You would need some kind of catalyst like this Symbiote of Change. I doubt you will find such a thing; they are very rare and valuable. Even so, just keeping an Angel’s blood near to you, providing you Heavenly energy, would likely help keep you balanced. At least until it dried up.’

Nicolai shook his head and returned to the matter at hand. ‘So my best chance is some kind of Heavenly Artifact or Symbiote. Where could I find such?’

Kleos hummed noncommittally.

‘Difficult,’ murmured Maric.

Nicolai waited, but no more words were forthcoming. ‘That’s it?’ he hissed at the two.

They peered up at him worriedly. ‘Careful. Remember you must maintain control of yourself and not give in to negative emotion,’ said Kleos.

‘As the Traitor says. There’s not a lot you can do for now, but at least you can do that. Heavenly Artifacts and Symbiotes aren’t common. It’s one of the rarest paths.’

They are right, chimed Threat Analysis. You must control yourself.

I agree, began the Mask, but it fell silent when Nicolai let out a frustrated breath.

‘Annoying,’ he muttered. He had too many tiny beings with their own little views. All of them needling him. Regardless, they were right. He sat back and relaxed his body. Cool and calm.

He’d learned much just now, and this was good. But the way forward was far from clear. Even so, he must maintain control, that was the only route currently open to him. Good and bad come and go, he reminded himself. It is important to maintain composure in face of all obstacles. He knew these words were true for they had been with him through many challenges. He was still here, after centuries of battle and struggle. I am alive and I will be here tomorrow, and the day after. Day after day, he would continue to fight and to strive, and he would find a way. He knew that his words for himself were no different than those of the little being around him, but even so it felt better to think them himself. At least now he knew what to look out for; some kind of Heavenly Artifact or Symbiote.

This led his gaze to the stone that rested on the table. He picked it up and considered it. There could be any Symbiote inside, perhaps even what he needed.