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Preface (to Offworlders)
If you are reading this, that means you are from Earth. Not sure which Earth you’re from, but I’m from the Earth where Marvel has finished the Infinity War Series. If you’re not sure what that is, then you’re not from my earth. Either way, it wouldn’t matter now.What matters is that you’re an offworlder. Like you, my life had turned into an ‘isekai’ trope. What is that? Well, isekai is a genre-type of fiction where the main character is either transported, reborn, or trapped in a parallel universe. Also, there’s a particular sub-genre for this and that is Modern Character in Thedas. Ultimately, I have fallen into that trope, and it’s been… a very long time now.I’ve decided to document my life to the best of my ability. I’ve never finished a book before let alone start one, but thankfully, I have a certain dwarf (Varric Tethras) employed as my editor, and he’s been very supportive.What you are about to read is the truth, and the truth can be extremely hard to understand, but bear with me.This is the story of how I became the Inquisitor.

*

I died.There was no real way for me to describe how my death came to be. To make it simple, there was a man carrying a gun, who waltzed right in the Mall, or this large indoor shopping district. This gun is a mass-murdering weapon. I can’t recall how many people fell from the loud, popping sounds of that thing, but I was among them.I recalled dying as lonely and sad. I saw only the bright window ceiling before everything around me started to get brighter. Instead of the cold darkness, warm light embraced me and the world faded away into nothing as it felt like I was being carried away.Then, this ethereal transportation started to feel like a dream. It wasn’t long until I arrived in this eerie, rocky wasteland covered in green mist with lots of shallow black pools. I didn’t know it at the time, but this place was called the fade.“Hello! Anyone here?” I called out.No response.With nothing else to do, I wandered the land until I reached a place of ruins, and there, I spotted a mirror. I caught sight of my reflection, and sought the truth myself. I was the embodiment of pure white flames. At first, I didn’t believe it, but as I kept moving my arms up and down, and jumping from my spot, that corporeal silhouette was undeniably me.Now, I should be panicking, but instead I felt calm. Maybe I was still in denial of what had happened to me, or I accepted rather quickly that I am now dead and am stuck in a purgatory world.Although, maybe this wasn’t purgatory. Perhaps I was stuck in the ‘in between’. The crossroads between life and dead. Maybe this is where I either get reincarnated, brought back to life, or the imaginary jury of Heaven and Hell were still deciding on passing judgment on my soul.While I was pondering, a curious guest decided to check on me.“What are you?” It bellowed deeply.Glancing up, there was this giant, brown badger—bigger than a horse. It had red glowing eyes and its fur was a bit scraggly due to the spiky thorns protruding as if it were its spots. I gaped at the creature that was talking to me via thought communication.“…Umm… I’m human—No… wait, I don’t think I am… What am I?” I decided to ask him. He seemed like a fellow resident here. “…And what are you?”“I find it unnerving that you do not know, white creature. I am Sloth. A most powerful one, and you are trespassing in my domain.” It said.“Sorry. I’m just passing through. You see, I just got here, so I don’t really know where I am.” Honesty was the best policy.It tilted its head at me before it soon slowly got up and leaped off the rock, landing on the ground just four meters away from me. It didn’t make a sound when it landed, nor did I feel the tremor. Now that he was closer, I could already tell he carried a powerful presence, and not just because of his sheer size. It’s like I could sense his aura, and it was making me feel just slight queasy, though not enough to make me run for the hills.In fact, it’s strange that I’m not too scared of it. It’s like when I’m dreaming and I see things, but never really grasp how fearful this creature is before me. Either way, this being called Sloth was intellectual, and the only one around that could answer some of my questions.“You are in the fade, white creature.” It answered.“Okay… how do I get out?”“Ha…Hahahaha…GAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Its laughter went from a snicker to a forte marcato.“How amusing!” It said. “No. There is no way out…unless you possess a mortal.”“Possess a mortal? …Geez, I really am dead.” I noted aloud and that piqued the sloth’s interest.“Dead? You were once alive? How interesting…” It mused, and then his question threw me off. “Were you a mage?”My brows—if I had brows—would have furrowed in confusion.“Mage? Why would I be a mage? …You mean like that Dungeons and Dragons stuff?”The sloth didn’t have brows for the badger but one could tell his expression mirrored mine. I had confused him as well.In that moment, the sloth decided to educate me since I knew absolutely nothing about this place called the Fade and the world that was tied to it. That world had many names, but the most common, popular name was now Thedas. This world was filled with mages and templars and dragons and all shit of high fantasy.And excuse my vulgar language but fuck me.Sloth and I longue around, continuing to educate me about this world called Thedas, giving me all that I needed to know of what he knew. Of course, that information wasn’t for free. It started asking me about my world too.“It’s a world called Earth. Only humans exist. Magic there is just an illusion. A trick of the mind.” I told him.His red eyes widened at the revelation. “Only humans? No elves, dwarves or qunari?”“Nope… What’s a qunari?”It sighed at me before it turned to the cracked mirror. On the reflective piece, I started to see the image of two creatures. Male and female. Gray skin stones and they had horns on them. Orcs?“Oh… are those orcs? Orcs are qunari there?”“I am unsure what is an orc, but this race is more akin to a dragon.”“Ah! So then dragonborn! Their horns do look similar with dragons.”The sloth then raised its brow. “It is odd that you know what most of these terms mean, and yet you claim they don’t exist.”“They’re fiction to me.” I told him. “That’s why they don’t exist. They came from the imagination, or old folklore and legends, fairy tales—things like that. Just stories…”Then the sloth stated something quite illuminative. “Then, perhaps those stories were more real than you could ever know.”Frowning, I responded, “Well…when you put it that way, I suppose you may be right.”There were so many things I needed to learn, and at the moment, the sloth was the only being around that could help me. Though by now, I knew he was a demon. Spirits. Demons. Ugh. The revelation of all that being real was too overwhelming. The truth was just too much to bear. My world didn’t have demons or spirits---or maybe it has, but they’re not commonly seen. In fact, most of the world would believe that ghosts aren’t real. I can’t even grasp the idea of a physical sword able to cut down a spirit and hurt it. It doesn’t make sense.However, I was in another world now, so most of everything I know of, I would have to leave behind. I would need to keep an open mind if I want to survive in this world. God only knows my mental state would be going haywire.“If not the mortal world, where else can I go? I don’t really want to possess anyone.”“There are only two ways out: the waking realm or the endless void.” It said. “You’re more than welcome to traverse the fade, but you will only die when you encounter more hostile beings.”A slight chill ran down my spine. “…Huh? What? Hostile?”It cackled. The badger bore a sinister grin. “You are fortunate that I found you interesting, or else, I would have eaten you by now.”In that moment, I felt fear engulfing me as I began to understood what the badger was saying. He could eat me. This place was the survival of the fittest. Supposedly, its nature. They were to prey either on the mortal mages’ souls or other spiritual beings that reside in the fade, including myself.Then, its following words calmed me down a bit. “However, it seems you are simply way too big for me to consume.” It sighed sadly.I was relieved, but it sounded disappointed that it didn’t get to eat me.“…Can you explain a little bit more, please?”I was correct to assume that this world was survival of the fittest. Spirits get stronger by basically consuming energy. Either its mortals’ souls or other spirits in the realm of the Fade. Undoubtedly, I was lucky that Sloth was too lazy to fight, or to eat something as big as me, but then we went back to the question I first asked.What exactly am I?Spirits were formed and based off of from deceased people that left a mark upon Thedas, or a concept of either virtue or sin. Sloth was sinful, but he seemed to be such an easy-going guy. I can imagine him lounging around on a couch and watching Netflix all day.Realizing that I was stuck in Sloth’s realm for the meanwhile, I sprawled out on the ground. I was now less enthusiastic to go out and explore this vast realm of the fade.“Ugh… Then what am I supposed to do?”It snorted. “Simple. I will teach you.”By now, I already knew he was a demon, and knowing demons from my Earth, I had already grasped an understanding that he wanted something in return. Demons would never do anything for free, and that included spirits too. For a moment, I was wary but there was no harm in discussing this academically.“Okay… Why would you do that and how will you teach me?”“I will teach you how to use magic.”I would have blinked if I had eyes. “Okay… Wow. I didn’t know I could use magic.”“You are not a mage, but because you are spirit, us beings are capable of making magic. For one, I am capable of making this my domain. I had sensed you long ago when you arrived and heard you calling out into the distance.”Ah… so Sloth had been watching me this entire time, like some territorial cat in hiding.“Huh… Okay, but what’s the catch?”It chuckled again. “Good that you know that nothing is for free… You’ll be an investment though. I will teach you first, and then, you will give me a name.”Well… that stunned me. “…A name…? That’s it?”“It has to be a very good name, but you cannot give it to me now, only after you learn how to harness the use of magic.” It said. “At least enough to defend yourself from other hostile spirits. Not many of them are willing to die after all.”“Huh…Okay! I’ll accept!” Honestly, it felt like I was getting the better part of the deal. I supposed it wouldn’t like being called Sloth all the time. Perhaps, I should absolutely take advantage of this. I couldn’t wait to learn magic!…However, little did I know, I was actually the one who got the short end of the stick. His scale of profit weighed heavier than mine, though I did appreciate him giving me some pointers on how to use magic.

*

Learning magic was easier than I had ever thought. At first, it was difficult, but once I understood the concepts a little better, that’s when things started to get simple for me. The work was practically so trivial to me that Sloth was angry at me for being too good. Can you believe that guy?However, let it be known that controlling magic—even for spirits—is extremely difficult, and yet somehow, I ended up being the exception for it. It took me a long time to realize how overpowered I was in the later time of my life—but for now, let’s focus here.Sloth started with Lesson 1: Making Fire.His explanations were confusing. He said I had to feel it and will it to take shape. I had given him that ‘look filled with uncertainty’ before I attempted to do what he told me to do. Of course, nothing happened. Then he told me I lacked talent for magic. How rude!I had to fire back saying, “Talent is just 10%! The majority is doing the hard work!”“Uh-huh.” It responded nonchalantly. “Then you better start working hard now instead of staring and yapping.”
How ruuuuude!!
And I wasn’t staring! I was focusing! The lazy badger produced me some dry sticks for me to burn up. Really, the material just randomly appeared and he wanted me to start fire with it, using only magic. To spite him, I had knelt down and rubbed two sticks together. He wasn’t that amused by my defiance, and so I was back to square one.“This is starting to bore me… I’ll be taking a nap.” It said.Now I’m even more offended, and do spirits need to sleep? Apparently, he does, or maybe he was just pretending to sleep. It became more apparent that he should have been a cat rather than a badger. A rag doll cat, perhaps, or maybe a black one.Back to lesson 1: making fire, I’ll need to try a different approach then just staring at it and telling the wood to make fire. What did he mean by to will it? At that moment, a silly cartoon voice that came from a yellow sponge echoed in my head: imagination. This was beyond nonsensical now; however, I realized that the fade made much less sense than some nickelodeon cartoon.Fire. Fire is hot. It burns. Holding my hand out, I imagined it, dancing and gobbling up the wood.“Ah! I did it!”Finally! I made progress as flames sparked and rose from the wood. I had done it! This was a success! I had produced fire from nothing—well not from nothing. When I made the fire, the air around me shifted. It was when I discovered that perhaps some of the concepts of my Earth were retained here, like molecules. Molecules is the smallest chemical unit that has all the properties of a certain substance. It has been proven in my world that many living and non-living things are made up of these molecules. These tiny, unseen specs are the building blocks of life.If magic was like bending molecules to my will, like I was some mutant from the X-men series, then I could basically split atoms, which I won’t. That would be ending the world, wouldn’t it? Still, I kept using the imagination technique, thinking about the scorching heat of the blazing sun. Ah. I think that was too much, because soon the kindling all turned into ashes in the matter of seconds.The sloth was awake already (I don’t think he ever went to sleep), and he was giving me this shocked, uneasy expression.“You’re not some ordinary creature, aren’t you?” It asked me. “Perhaps you’ve been fooling me all this time.”Its tone wasn’t so friendly anymore, and his accusation only baffled me.“What? What are you going on about now?” I asked it. “I made fire. You told me to make fire. Where I go wrong?”He stared at me a while longer before his whole posture seemed to relax again. It then said, “Or perhaps you are a dunce, who doesn’t realize the magnitude of their own power.”Did he just insult me? Maybe I had spooked him; however, he soon explained why he became quite suspicious of me not knowing magic.“I had only expected you to start a spark. I did not expect you to make fire---flames that could burn things into ashes in an instant. To make that much fire and make it devastating is unheard of, unless you are of divinity.”“…Divinity?” I questioned.“A God-class being.” It said. “A potentially, powerful spirit. For making that much flames, you should have exhausted your mana and be powerless for a while, but there, you still stand as if you merely just walked.”“…Uh-huh… Maybe I got lucky?” I asked it. I had to deny whatever it was telling me. That much power? No, it sounded ridiculous. I cannot believe that this was happening at all. Not only was I transported here in another realm, but I am almost God-like? HA! There’s only so much I can take, let me just sweep this under the rug, and forget what the Sloth was telling me.It should be okay.After the fire lesson, I asked it to continue teaching me. Thus, we continued our lessons of the elements. I had learned how to bend ice, storm, wind, and to the demon’s surprise, summon water from the air. This is reference to the molecules. There’s always moisture in the air, so it wasn’t a problem for me to pull water out from it—especially if I could make ice. It just made sense.Scientifically, if the place had no air then I wouldn’t be able to make a fire, right? The concept intrigued the sloth when I told him that to make fire there has to be air. If I had enclosed a lit candle in a glass jar, the fire on the wick would burn out soon as it would have already consumed all the air within the jar. Thus, it goes away. Sloth then taught me about veilfire. This type of magic was a lot harder to replicate. It is like the shadow or the remnants of a fire. It would still feel hot and it would light up a place, and although the fire will burn, you won’t be physically harm. The pain would only be in the mind. This one to me was more of an illusory type of magic.This time, I had taken the sloth’s earlier concept lessons: Will it. Now that I had a basic understanding of magic, the veilfire came to the palm of my hands easily. Dancing around magnificently and it felt like I could hold on to this flame forever. This was extremely handy, like that game with Terraria where you would have a lantern following you and floating above your head.I thought about it for a while before I tossed it up, willing it to stay above my head, continuing to burn and give light.It stayed.The sloth was more than impressed.“Your focus of magic is ridiculous.” He told me.“…Ridiculous in a good way or a bad way?”“I am still unsure.”Ah.“…Are you saying that I am potentially, extremely dangerous? But you’re not sure if I’m a threat or not?” I tried clarifying him with a question, but he didn’t answer, though I think the answer was obvious enough to me.Several moments of tense silence passed between us while once again I was being reminded that maybe I was too powerful?“Well then,” Sloth began to say. “I had held up my end of the bargain. I have taught you all that you needed to know. Now you must name me, but you must use a naming ritual.”“Naming ritual?”Perhaps I should have questioned him earlier about me naming him. I had thought I was getting the better end of the bargain, but I was taken advantage of here. Little did I know the devastating effects that I had in using this ritual and what I had wrought from this. (Please understand that I'm never going to put this naming ritual on paper. If you are not me, then this ritual would definitely kill you.)I started the ritual, holding my hand out to the sloth. There was only one name that came to my thoughts. A name of which reminded me of that evil black cat from my Earth, the Disney version of Cinderella. Yes. Nothing was more fitting for that sloth than that name.“From this forward on, your name shall be Lucifer!”And with that, a large amount of my mana was transferred right into the sloth. Befuddled and confused, the sloth went into this deep sleep as a purplish-aura wrapped around the beast like a cocoon. What did I do? I asked myself, but really, I should have been asking something else…What have I done?Still young and rather naïve of my new life as a Spirit, I had decided it was time to venture out of Sloth’s—I mean, Lucifer’s place, and go explore the fade realm some more.It didn’t take long for me to meet him.

Author and Editor Dialogue
Varric: Your death is too vague. I mean, why did the fellow come walking into this mall and started killing everyone?Inq: …My world has a lot of evil people. Then, there are those who aren’t mentally sound. They just come inside public places and start a killing spree. Most often than not, they infiltrate academic institutions, killing students and teachers.Varric: Maker. Why?Inq: I’d rather not try to understand the reasoning behind that, but… I’ll never know why. Can’t really ask him.Varric: Ah… You know, the first part of this chapter is believable enough, but really? This is how you and Lucifer met?Inq: Why?Varric: I was expecting more drama, but then again this was only the first chapter. So then, this is where you meet the others?Inq: Yes. I’ll follow up on the next chapter of how I met four other, helpful spirits.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

It seemed to be a ritual of some sort, and it was a painful one to watch. The young man was chained down on the ground with magic circle. There were these knights that had a sword emblem on their shields, and there were mages performing this ritual. Not sure what it is, but they didn’t want to do this either. The man was pleading and begging, yelling that it wasn’t him who did it. I wonder what his crimes were, but he sounded innocent enough. He had tears already going down his cheeks as he began to cry out.What was happening…?“Doesn’t matter if you are or not!” This knight who seemed to be in command of this orchestra silenced him. “You are a mage. An abomination. One less insignificant being to worry about.”If it were possible, my blood boiled at his response. The young lad in chains had ceased his crying. His eyes were wide as he seemed to have realized death was coming. He looked on, the light in his eyes disappearing.“Begin the tranquility process!”The circle lit up as the mages with reluctant, saddened expressions, began their ritual, and the young man cried out in pain. Then I watched his very being—the culmination of his soul—being ripped apart from the host.What led to me seeing this?Well…

*

After leaving Lucifer’s realm, I traversed the fade. Some places weren’t so desolate, and I managed to get a sneak peek into people’s dreams. That’s right. I managed to walk into people’s dreams. I mean, they were there, posing like mannequins.For example, there was a man at his desk, writing paper on quill. I tried to talk to him, but he seemed like a statue. However, when I touched him, I delved right into his dream. He was shocked. I was stunned. And then, I was forced out of it. He must have woken up, I surmised.After a couple of tries, I managed to learn how to sneak into their dreams. Most were modest, some were happy ones, and others were nightmares that I couldn’t help but interrupt.The last one I messed with was this disturbing scene of a mother and a daughter. At least, I thought it was. The mother had horns and the child was caving in to her promises of sweets, bedtime snacks, cake, and cookies. Yikes. That little girl was going to have cavities.The mother paused, seeing me. Then she looked enraged. “Who are you? Get away! She is my prey!”Both the child and I were stunned. For me, I didn’t realize at the time, but the ‘motherly figure’ was a Lust demon in disguise. The little girl gasped, moving immediately away from the mother, perhaps now seeing the devil’s true face. She screamed and disappeared, awoken now and away from the fade.The ‘mother’ was livid. “You! You made me lose my prey!”“Prey? So, you’re a demon then? What kind of demon are you?” I asked her. I still had little knowledge about demons and what they are, but I do know they had to represent something.She chuckled as her disguise faded away forming into voluptuous female creature with her tits out, goat legs, and horns. “I am Lust.”
Was it wrong of me to look her over up and down? Definitely. However, at the same time, I felt a bit desensitized.
I used to work at a retail store where they sell clothing articles, so naked people don’t bother me anymore. (Yes. There were times when I’ve seen people just strip in the store. Ugh, animals.) Plus, there was pornography, the selling material of sex. Smutty picture ‘books’, or ‘videos’ if you’re an offworlder.Furthermore, Lust are considered to be powerful demons due to desires. Many people are selfish creatures and have desires, even I do. Her lone presence should be enough to fool and trick those into succumbing to her wishes. However, I was unaffected. Instead, it felt more like she was a prey to me.At that moment, when I decided I should just literally eat her. She panicked as if sensing me as a dangerous threat.She then attacked me, shooting lightning at me. I didn’t move, mostly stunned that she could summon that strong of a storm. And then, it hit me! My shoulder looked obliterated, and I should have been keeling over in agony. My form was disintegrating for a moment as the pain reverberated through me. Then in seconds, my form returned and the pain went away instantly. It just felt like someone slapped my arm.
Yikes. That really scared me.And she looked just as spooked.“What… what are you?”“I don’t really have to tell you anything.” I told it defiantly and I even flashed a grin at the creature. She looked livid, which satisfied me. Perhaps her attack being meaningless to me had made me quite bold.During my training with Lucifer, I was only able to make a little bit of electricity and it was charging through my fingertips. However, after watching the desire demon, I copied what she did. I let the electrical power surge and flow throughout my body, containing it just within as it started to charge immensely. The lightning was colored ominously black with a purple sheen to it.I released it, directing its shot through my hand as it fired unto the lust demon. It hit creature. She screeched in agony before disintegrating into dust.Holy shit, I thought. It was a one shot kill.
I should keep this ability under wraps, shouldn’t I? That was way too powerful!
Gathering my composure, the dust where the lust demon was obliterated started to gather and glow, trying to form, but nothing was forming. Lucifer had said that when a spirit or demon dies, it would then try to reform but into something else, like reincarnation. Instead of lust, it could either be vengeance or hope, things like that.Or I could eat it before it would form.Without thinking of what it could potentially be, I was focused on what could be mine. So I went towards it and devoured all the particles in the air. It knew my will—my desire to take it, thus it came to me, joining. For a moment, I was feeling a little powerful especially when I suddenly gained new skills.It seemed like in an instant I just knew I had coercion and persuasion, and these weren’t just ordinary skills. It seemed that I could entice anyone to do my bidding with simple words by somehow knowing their wants and desires on the surface thought. Never really tested it out here in the fade realm, but I did use coercion a lot. Many small-time spirits and demons avoided me, like lesser wraiths and shrouds.However, big shot demons would come after me, mostly afraid of me. There was another variant of sloth, then this huge horned pride, some creepy-looking nightmare, and some faceless demon called envy. Geez, what was their problem? Never did I go after them unless I found them toying with more people. They had this strange desire to enter the waking world as if they were longing for it.By the way, I also found some elves and the qunari race—though I’ve yet to encounter any dwarves. Lucifer did mention once that there weren’t any dwarven mages and thus they don’t dream. Awfully strange that they don’t. Aren’t dreams just the revised visualization of all happiness and problems you have? Like say for example, if a person had a dream of their teeth falling out, it would usually mean their self-confidence is pretty low. Or, if you’re falling from the sky, it would mean that there are things happening around you that’s out of your control.Then again, this was a different world. If you dream here, there’s a likely chance a demon or spirit is taunting you.Speaking of spirits…“That’s enough, demon!”Some deep toned, heroic voice shouted out, and I turned around to see two spirit figures: one male spirit armed to the teeth wielding a sword and a shield, and the other was an elven robed female, floating in midair with butterfly, translucent wings.“Your evil deeds end here.” The elf said to me with piercing glowing eyes.Glancing around, it was obvious they were referring to me.“…Are you two referring to me?” I asked a stupid question and they weren’t too amused. “Hey, come on, you’re after the wrong guy!”“It speaks strange.” The she-elf mused.The armored spirit nodded. “It doesn’t seem normal either. Beware of any tricks.”“Tricks—Hey! Why don’t you try listening to someone first before you start accusing them of something they didn’t do!” I scolded them, and again they were unimpressed. “What did I even do? I haven’t done much!”“Lies!” The warrior sneered. “We know that you killed all those demons! I, Valor, have come to end your reign!”And… those were considered evil deeds?The she-elf then explained, “You’ve been killing spirits and taking away their essence, absorbing the power as yours you glutton! Are you planning on becoming a Dominion? You cannot fool me, I am Wisdom!”What did a Dominion mean? At the time, I didn’t know, but spirits seemed to have a hierarchy or titles/ranks that differentiate between the strong and the weak. The variants of Valor and Wisdom before me were nothing to sniff at either, so perhaps they were high-class 3rd tier spirits. Something that I didn’t know until later. Moreover, they were mostly guardians that took care of anything that could be a dire threat in the fade realm, and at that moment, I was that dire threat: a creature that devoured other spirits, and growing stronger by the minute.However, I knew nothing about it at that time.Once more, I tried to make a case for myself. “Look. You got it all wrong. They were coming after me—”“Enough! I will slay you here now!” Without giving me a chance, the spirit of Valor charged at me.Alas, my protests fell on deaf ears. Wisdom and Valor were both working together to destroy me, and I, for one, didn’t want to kill them.Once I dodged his blade that left a mark on the earth itself, I was about to shoot some lightning at him—half of the attack power. I didn’t really want to kill him, but then again, they never gave me that chance as something else was coming for me. I leaped back, avoiding what could have been a fatal attack: a ray of condensed energy light that scorched the ground. Yikes!Maybe I could have handled Valor alone, but with Wisdom working as support, I was in a bind. Valor came after me again, and in the corner of my eye, Wisdom produced a bow and arrow out of nowhere. What? They can materialize weapons? Why can’t I do that? Perhaps I need to will it?Sidestepping to the left, I dodged the flaming arrow that narrowly missed my cheek. However, Valor’s mighty blade was high up ready to slice me in half. Think of Cap! Think of Cap!Holding my hand out, the round shield materialized on my left arm. Valor’s blade clanged right on my shield, and the sword shattered into light fragments, fading away.That was way too close!Valor looked shock and he immediately moved back. He took off his shield and it changed form, reconstructing into a great sword.“How…? My sword
cannot break that easily!” He said in disbelief. He looked really rattled, and even Wisdom was troubled by my defense.She glanced a leery look at me. “Perhaps it is already a dominion.”“Hey! You need to listen to what other people are trying to tell you! I'm telling you, I'm not a dominion! I am a person!” I tried again to use the voice of reason. I mean, they seemed like spirits that would actually be reasoned with, but at this rate, I might have no choice. I will have to attack; I can’t just keep defending forever.“Then, we’ll have to use that. Wisdom, prepare your arrow!”“Understood!”What are they doing now? And I also couldn’t believe it. They were just ignoring everything I said. This is ridiculous!Valor raised his mighty blade and he stabbed it to the ground, taking a knee. A flash of light surged from the contact point on the ground as it stretched out towards me, forming a seal underneath my feet. A bright, golden seal encircled me, and I was trapped. I couldn’t move from the spot I was in.“H-Hey!” I protested.“Hurry, Wisdom! I can’t hold him for long.”“Got it!” Wisdom pulled an arrow back, prepping it with all her aura and power. It started to glow, building up a condense amount of energy that would surely pierce through castle walls.Maker! They were going to kill me! I just got reborn not too long ago, and now I have to die again? What would happen to me if I die in spirit form?“N-no! Wait!” I tried to protest, but really, nothing was stopping them.Then Wisdom let the arrow fly. It soared, coming straight at me with incredible speed. I was sure to be a goner in less than a blink of an eye.Suddenly, just as she let it fly, a dark haired figure appeared in front of me. He held his hand up, blocking the arrow. The arrow made contact and a shockwave exploded, knocking Wisdom and Valor back and also breaking the seal that trapped me. Debris shrouded the area, giving a merciful pause to the battle.When it cleared away, Wisdom was on her knees, exhausted perhaps and Valor was in front of her protectively. They were stunned. The attack had failed to hit me, and all thanks to this strange guy that appeared out of nowhere and protected me.“Ah… thanks?” I said.The figure was wearing this all black uniform that reminded me of Japanese high school uniforms since the top had a standing collar with gold-colored buttons and embellishments. His hair was dark and short, and then he turned his head to look at me--red eyes. His face reminded me of a devilish cat.“I told you… survival of the fittest… but to think you went around killing other spirits yourself, you are ridiculously frightening.” He talked to me as if he knew me. I tilted my head, wondering who this brazen fella was.“Do I know you?”“You should. After all, you named me Lucifer.”I was floored. That giant badger covered in thorns was this guy? What the hell happened to him? Was he always this good looking? Was this his true form?“…A demon…with a name… Valor, that creature named that sloth, and now it is no longer an ordinary demon.” Wisdom realized, gaping at this newest development. “It is a Demon Duke. Valor, we can’t win against the both of them.”Lucifer is a Demon Duke? Such a fancy title. I didn’t know it at the time, but apparently, the naming ritual that I performed had evolved the sloth demon. No longer a demon that embodied a sinful concept, it can become its own definition of terror and chaos. Due to my ignorance, I had created a rather powerful demonic creature.I am only glad that Lucifer was apparently on my side.Valor and Wisdom both teamed up, gathering all their energy at that instant, spiraling and forming into a sphere of condensed energy. Surely, the blast would be much more devastating than the arrow.“You need to learn how to make a barrier.” Lucifer pointed out casually as if that magic ball was no threat.“Me? …Okay. How?”“Must you ask? Will it. Just like that shield on your arm. Produce a translucent, spherical barrier that won’t break.”Let me say this that at any given point of time, Lucifer could have stopped them by then. He could have already been in front of them and knocked them dead, but no, he wanted me to learn. He wanted me to harness the power I had and start using it as a weapon. I was okay with that. Somehow, even if I fail to make one, Lucifer would be there to shield me… I think.There was only one shield that I can think of. A pink glow enveloped around my center before spreading out, making this prism, geometric shield, glowing of pink that shielded both me and Lucifer.Wisdom and Valor then fired their attack. It hit my barrier, and not only did it stop the attack, it redirected the light beam back at them due to the angles of the geometric blocks. The light struck back home...And then Valor grabbed Wisdom, pushing her away.Ultimately, He received the full blast of their own attack. His own body started breaking apart before becoming particles of floating dust. For spirits, I've learned it was the equivalent of death.“…No…NO!” Wisdom cried out in despair.In an instant, Lucifer was right in front of her. She was all out of mana and she could do nothign to defend against him. He reached down, grasping her throat. I wonder if spirits could even breathe as it seemed like she’s choking, but maybe he’s just gripping her too tightly. He was doing it so effortlessly too.“Ohhhh yes… You two would make delicious meals.” Lucifer said, grinning maliciously.And that’s where I drew the line. I ran right up and pulled him away from her. Lucifer looked surprised and so did Wisdom.“That’s enough,” I said.“…What are you doing?” The former sloth demanded.“What am I doing? What are you doing? We’re not eating them.”“Might as well.” Lucifer said. “If not this wisdom variant, then certainly the remains of Valor before it dissipates. If it starts forming now, it will become something else, and you’ll lose the opportunity to grow more powerful.”“I don’t want that!” I protested. Honestly, I already had a feeling that maybe I might be a little too overpowered, and there’s really no need for me to devour both Wisdom and Valor, whom thought I was evil.I will prove to them that I wasn’t.Walking over to the remains of Valor, I held my hands out and willed for his return.“What… what are you doing?” I heard Wisdom ask hesitantly from behind me, but I ignored her, focusing my efforts on restoring Valor.I didn’t know that once a spirit dies, there’s no way of bringing them back, and because I didn’t know it, I was determined to try. I didn’t listen and did my best to restore Valor. And thankfully, it got me results.The particles reformed and took shape of the warrior. Once the light died down, Valor was there, standing in bewilderment. He stared at us before looking over himself.“…What… happened?” He asked.Wisdom had gasped and she floated over to him. “Valor! It is you!!” She cried out happily.Lucifer was floored and he turned to me with gawking look. “…Like I said… you are ridiculous.”I think I might agree with him on that.

*

“We apologize. We should have listened. We were only afraid of you.” Wisdom seemed very apologetic, and so was Valor.Lucifer was standing behind me, looking sullen. Perhaps he was disappointed he didn’t get to feast upon these spirits. Seriously, the nerve of this guy! If he wasn’t an acquaintance of mine, I would try destroying him here. However, because I named him, it felt like I was indefinitely bonded with him. There’s no way that I could destroy him. And perhaps, maybe the truth is the same for him.“Why did you two attack me?” I started to interrogate so that I may avoid this misunderstanding in the future.“We thought you were some uncontrollable creature feasting upon every spirit, and trying to become powerful.” Valor answered. “But we were wrong…”Frowning at that, I defended myself, explaining, “Oh, I’m sorry. Lucifer here said that the fade is survival of the fittest. Spirits would feast upon on one another.”“Yes. I did say that,” Lucifer said. “But not as often as you did.”“I ate just four...or five?” I held up my fingers. My defense only seemed to prove Lucifer’s point more as he raised a brow at me while Valor and Wisdom gave me disgusted looks.“Just four, he says.”“How terrifying…”Lucifer sniffed at that. "I had told the white flame he had ridiculous power."Yup. My defense didn’t help my case at all. Apparently, feasting on so many spirits is a no-no.Thankfully, Wisdom decided to move the topic along. “What are you exactly? It just doesn’t seem possible for you—a being of great divine mana—to exist. You even named a demon and gave birth to a whole new powerful being, and yet you still seem so strong… Naming such a powerful sloth like Lucifer here should have destroyed you in a way.”Ah. And there it was, biting me right in the ass. I turned my gaze to Lucifer, who had turned his back on me. He was avoiding my accusing gaze, knowing that he was caught red-handed for his earlier ploy. The deal that we had before no longer seemed fair. If I was any ordinary spirit, using the naming ritual on him would have destroyed me.“Oye! Look at me, Traitor! I bet you came after me because you realized I was still alive!” I accused.Lucifer turned back around, wearing this gawking expression. “What? No, I came to show you my true form—and I knew you were in trouble, so I stepped in to help you.”Wisdom then pointed out, “Whether or not you had helped him, it wouldn’t have done much damage, seeing how powerful he is now. It would have merely distorted him a bit.”So, their attacks from earlier could have done nothing to me like when that Lust demon threw lightning at me. My body would just reform almost immediately from any devastating attack. Lucifer didn’t have an excuse anymore.Still, he was lucky because Valor changed the topic, saying, “Perhaps, if you are a good spirit, then maybe you can help us! Help our friend!”“Oh yes, yes, yes,” Wisdom piped in. “Please help our friend!”“…Uhh…help with what exactly? And who?”Their friend was a variant spirit of Curiosity. She had befriended a human mage, and now they were trying to do this project of spirit-possessed dolls. Now, I don’t really know of Thedas’ too much nor the culture nor the belief that these are abominations—so I was pretty excited to help with this endeavor. The chance to see the mortal world? I wanted to see it.After agreeing to assist this Curiosity, we traversed through the fade. Lucifer wasn’t so thrilled, but I told him he wasn’t required to come. Of course, he was upset as he coldly stated that I shouldn’t be left alone anyway. The fade remained a wasteland even as we travelled. Wisdom began to tell me that it wasn’t always like this. There was a time when the world was filled with colors unimaginable, vibrant, and surreal. Perhaps the place was more dream-like than it was a
barren nightmare.Also, the concept of time didn’t exist here. There was no sun nor moon. The sky remained a murky yellow color just like how the green mist persistently lingered over the terrain. Days and nights never came as the world remained stagnant.The only time I knew that it might be nighttime were the statuettes of obscured people appearing, knowing now that they have slept and have fallen into a fade dream.Asking Wisdom on how to best protect their dreams, she said that usually most of the mages would know how to ward their dreams against demons, though sometimes it wouldn’t always work. There are some powerful spirits that knew how to avoid it, or that sometimes the mages would subconsciously undo their wards due to the dream they’re having.I asked her to teach me how to make the wards. Like Lucifer, she merely gestured and showed me how. Apparently, concepts and theories didn’t exist here. You just do, or using Lucifer’s words: Will It. The only time it would never work is if you’re not powerful enough or that you lack the knowledge of its idea--whatever that meant. Moreover, they wouldn’t explain the feeling. It is as if they want me to understand just by seeing.Ah well.And so I did. Copied her exact movements and hoped that this would protect him from demons. The ward spell worked, and Wisdom voiced her surprise. I found out she was merely testing me. She never expected me to get it right in the first place, but I did. With that, I started placing a ward spell for every statuette we passed.
Soon, we came upon a tower and entered the place.
We floated through the ceiling like ghosts. It was a strange feeling just passing through, especially since there were times that I could physically hold something. Lucifer explained it had to do with my wishes and my will. If I wanted to phase through, I can, and if I don’t, then I become solid instead of translucent. So then what were the limits of a spirit?That’s right. Spirits, both the good and the bad, were condemned to stay in the fade.We entered this large library, and there was a young girl hastily pacing back and forth.“Oh no, oh no! What do I do? What do I do?” She asked herself, not even noticing our presence. She had short hair and the color of her ethereal body was of a translucent light blue. Her clothing was quite revealing, wearing satin material that covered breasts and acted as loins. She also had fairy-like wings half the size of Wisdom’s.“Curious. What’s wrong?” Wisdom asked, quickly attending to her friend.“He’s in trouble! Max is in trouble—GASP!” She covered her mouth to stop from screaming once she saw my presence and Lucifer. “…A Demon Duke…And… A Divinity?”Lucifer gets Demon Duke and I get Divinity? Is that what I am?Then Curious tilted her head. “Or a Dominion…? Seraphim? What are you exactly?” She asked.Or not. She didn’t know anymore than I did, though those were a lot of other titles that I haven’t heard about. Lucifer did speculate that I was a divine being, or divinity. Then, Wisdom and Valor accused me of being a Dominion, and I’m guessing that is a gluttonous creature that would keep feeding only to get stronger. Lastly, seraphim is a word that was common in my world. An angel—a divine being with wings, though I don’t have any wings, so I couldn’t be one.She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter! Only you can help now!”“Me? H-hey!”Curious grabbed my arm suddenly and pulled me towards a mirror. We stepped right through it to my surprise, ending up in a this large hall with a ghostly audience that couldn’t see us.There were knights in armor surrounding to protect a ritual being done. There were mages performing the ritual reluctantly—their expressions betrayed their emotions. And in the center of this ritual was a chained prisoner—only a young lad.“W-wait! I’m not possessed!” He protested. “Please, you can’t do this!”“Doesn’t matter if you are or not!” This knight who seemed to be in command of this orchestra silenced him. “You are a mage. An abomination. One less insignificant being to worry about.”My blood ran cold at his words. Who the hell was this prick? And what was this cruel and unusual punishment?The young mage was shocked then his face fell, submitting to defeat. Curious choked. “N-no! It’s not his fault! He can’t die!”“Begin the tranquility process!”“NOO!” Curious cried out as the ritual lit up. Max began to scream in agony as the symbol of a sun was burned on his forehead. It is unknown whether or not the Templars and Mages could see the tranquility process, but I can tell it was brutal. Max’s soul was being ripped apart from his own shell in the most painful way imagining.“Help him!” Curious begged.“H-how?”“You have to!”It didn’t answer my question, but it was obvious I needed to do something. I rushed towards, stepping inside the ritual circle, and the whole seal made explosive sparks that forced mages away.“What’s happening?” The Templar Commander demanded as the mages performing the ritual were blasted off and had fallen unconscious. Yet the ritual remained active. Some of them tried to stop the ritual, using some sort of magical interference, but the electric sparks hindered them. I willed them to stay back, and the shocks grew worse, forcing them to retreat farther to the walls of the room.Let me say this, I had no idea what I was doing.Max’s soul was still halfway split from his body, frozen in this pained expression. I reached out, touching his face—his soul. Then he blinked several times as if he just saw me now.“Time to go back.” I told him and I touched his body. See, my plan was just to push his soul back into his human body, keeping it from bring torn apart. For a brief moment, I heard Curious and the other spirits yelling and telling me to stop.
However it was too late.There was a flash of bright light. Max was gone from my hands. I could feel nothing but air, or see nothing but the white light. It made me disoriented.After a while, the light did die down, but I was no longer in the same world. The air was different, and the location looked the same but there were more colors. Moreover, Curious wasn’t there anymore, except for the Templars and Mages that were gaping at me.Huh? They can see me?Then I saw hands in my peripheral vision. Human hands. My human hands as I was the one moving them. Air was coming through from my nose and out, an involuntary urge to breathe.I then realized I was no longer a spirit.I was now possessing Max’s body.
Author and Editor Dialogue

V: Ooooh, I like that cliff hanger.Inq: Right?V: It makes me want to go to chapter 3 immediately, but for now, let's go over this chapter.
Inq: Got it.V: All this is describing how powerful you are, and yet you're using a carefree attitude, Inquisitor... and then feigning ignorance...Which now I realize, you are usually like that.Inq: Mm-hmmm... I kind of figured. Cassandra already told me plenty of times of my attitude on certain topics.V: Still. Lucifer is considered a Demon Duke?Inq: At the time, yes, he was a Demon Duke. Scary guy, right?V: HA! You're the scary one here, your Inquisitorialness.Inq: Ahh...right...