Need Your Opinions

“You do understand what legal consent means?” he asked putting his two fingers on the bridge of his nose and leaning his head downwards.

“I do,” she said.

“You realize I'm a dead beat?” he asked.

“I am painfully aware.”

“You realize you won't be making much money with me?” he asked.

“I am aware of that too, but I still want to work with you.”

“I feel like you don't understand.”

“I do understand.”

She scowled at him, and he continued to stare at her. When she's angry she could turn into a tomato. He smiled at his joke and she only scowled, if it was even possible, even more.

“You're inside your own head,” she said.

“I was,” he said staring at her. “I feel like we're having to different conversations here Charm.”

“Charmalie,” she corrected.

“That's too long to remember,” he said. “Can we categorize which of the two conversations we're having right now Charm?”

“Xerxes!” she exasperated.

“Mmmm, yes,” he replied.

“I understand! I understand! I understand!”

“Okay, I get it.”

“Do you?” she asked.

“Now who is questioning who?”

“Am I hired?”

“You're hired, but not as my girlfriend. I still don't think you understand what legal consent even means.”

“It means that I give consent for you to be my boyfriend.”

“Okay, legal consent only works if you're eighteen and an adult by the law. You're sixteen. I'm twenty. And my job occupation is less than spectacular.”

“I don't care.”

“I think the law does though.”

“Why? I'm not a child....”

“Legally you are a minor....”

“But I am giving consent.”

“Ugh.”

He put his face in his palms. She just didn't get it. He opened his mouth, but the ringing of a phone interrupted what he was about to say. Hobbling across the room, he picked up the wireless phone and answered it.

“Trixs and Triks, this is Xerxes speaking,” he said.

He could feel her staring at him. He stare felt like breath down his neck.

“Hello,” said an over enthusiastic woman.

“Hello,” he said again.

“Yes, you're the medium, right? The one who can make ghost away?”

“I don't make any promises, but yes,” he replied.

“Oh good, my name is Woodly, Harmony Woodly.”

“Okay.”

“I need you to get rid of a ghost in my daughter's doll house.”

“Well I always am against people giving young girls dolls anyway, they are portals to the spirit realm in more ways than one.”

“The doll is now hurting her.”

The problem with this call was it was hard to take her seriously, when she sounded so chipper. And every word she spoke was a roll of the tongue. It was far to whimsical for him. He wanted to say this was a prank, but often times his clients were never jokes. He stared over Charm and gave her an odd look. Would she be ready for this? From all his test and from his observations, Charm wasn't a medium and possessed no skills of becoming one.

“Go on.”

“She has all of these bruises on her...”

“And you're sure no one in the house is hurting her? Her father? Someone else?” he asked.

“Absolutely not. The markings on her skin look like a tiny child's fingers.”

“All right.....Mrs. Woodly,” he said, “We'll come and check it out.”

“We'll?”

“I have a new assistant starting today.”

He hung up the phone, and saw Charm's face turn bright red. The young girl jumped up and down.

“Hooray!” Charm said.

“What exactly is going on?” he asked.

“You hired me, and I am an assistant.”

“No one in their right mind would be excited to be my assistance. She gave me her address so let's head on out before the sun sets or else if it is haunted, then we'll have a mess on our hands.”

We'll have a mess on our hands either way depending on the number, he thought staring down at the floor.

Doll House

He kind of felt sickened staring at the house he was staring at. It certainly was a lot more expensive than his cheap studio flat that he bought. A mansion on the outskirts of town, overlooking the cities national forest, and iron gates with gargoyles sitting atop perches staring down at them. If he knew anything, greed, gargoyles and dolls all called spirits. But if he knew anything about mansions, they also once belonged to other rich people, which also called spirits.

“This is cool, will we get a lot of money?” Charm asked.

“No,” he said.

“But it's a rich person's house,”

“There is one thing you're going to have to get use to,” he said.

“What is that?”

“Everyone will hate use because there is not much we can do,”

“But you're a medium,”

“It isn't as grand as you make it sound,”

“What do you mean?”

“It's more of a curse than a gift,”

“I don't believe that for a second,”

“Until you're utterly destroyed as a person,”

“What does that mean?”

“What you're going to see, I don't even know if you're ready for this to be honest,”

“I can do anything,”

“Mhm, right,”

“What does that mea....”

“Client is coming,”

He looked beyond the iron gate, staring at a rather plump woman in a pencil skirt, and an odd feathered hat. For a woman who was grieving for a solution she didn't seem to be the type. He looked above her and saw a number above her head.

“October 28th, 2338,” he said under his breath.

“What is....”

But he put his finger up for Charm to remain silent. The woman pressed a button and the door opened, Mrs. Woodly smiled at them.

“Please help,” she said.

“Well I'll need to speak to everyone who has had an encounter, and I will also need to see your daughter,”

He was surprised though, her voice sounded different than what it was on phone. As if all of this was an act to be happy through tragedy. She nodded and had them follow her down a cobblestone path towards the front door of the manor. The front porch was accessible by stairs, he hated stairs leaning all his weight on his cane before even managing to hobble up, he quickly got the presence of someone else. He turned to a window on the left side. He saw nothing, but there was a certain faint aura seeping out. This was bad.

“Smog,” he whispered.

“What....” Charm said a little louder than him.

He put his finger up for her to remain perfectly silent. As Woodly lead them into the front entrance, she just stood around looking blankly. He looked at her and gave her a suspicious look.

“Well,” Mrs. Woodly said.

“Well what?” he asked.

“Mr. Xerxes, do you sense anything?” Mrs. Woodly asked.

“Xerxes first of all. And second of all, oh I get it you want me to wave my hands around and tell you bogus information,” he said, “How many other mediums have you called before me?”

“Only three, but it never helps,” Mrs. Woodly replied.

“Well it's because they are fakes,”

“And you think you're a real medium then? I did come to you, but if they are fakes. How do I know you're a real medium?”

“You don't, you just know when there are results,”

“Then why should I put faith in you? My daughter's life is in danger.”

“Xerxes is amazing!” Charm said.

He sorta groaned.

“Pardon,” Mrs. Woodly said staring at the sixteen year old girl.

“He's a priest of one of the most ancient shrines known to man kind, even before there were there were all kinds of religions. His early ancestors were the Sovereigns,”

He put his forehead in his palm.

“I never heard of the Sovereigns,”

“Charmalie, reads a little to many myths,” he said, “Would you give me a moment? As I stated I like to start with an interview first before anything. I don't wave my hands around silly silly and talk in a wispy voice.”

“I can do so,”

“Get everyone, and I mean everyone, including your daughter, in that room,”

“Yes,”

Mrs. Woodly walked away from the entrance of the room and he turned towards Charm. He gave her a very sharp look. She took a step back and he took a step forward.

“You're scaring me Xerxes,” she quivered.

“One, you do not speak of the Sovereigns. Two, you do not tell people what I am capable of. And three, you remain quiet unless I require you to tell me something. Do you understand?”

She nodded. He sighed.

“This is what I get for hiring a sixteen year old girl,”

“Don't be mean!” she shouted.

“Then keep secrets between us, please,”

He let go of his cold expression and smiled at her warmly. She smiled back, and he took out his hand for her to grab unto it. This house was thick of something. Miasma and darkness could be seen coming off of every object. This was no ghost, this was a demon. He walked into the family room, and there he saw a group of people. All with numbers above their head. There was a young girl, about two years younger than Charm. She had the signs of the most abuse of the torturer in this house.

“June 14th 2331,” he whispered under his breath.

Charm stared at him.

“So, I'm terrible at dates, but let me write some notes. Does anyone know today's date?” he asked.

“June 13th, 2331,” said an elderly gentleman.

“Thanks, welp I'm sorry to inform you, but I cannot help you,” he said, “No need for payment. No need for anything really. I'll show myself out of the door.”

“You were my last hope!” Mrs. Woodly said.

The room began to burst into a cacophony of noise. He stuck his hand in the pocket of his trench coat and took out a party popper. Pulling the string, a pop and confetti came out. The group fell silent and stared at him.

“There are a few rules, I have to follow them and one of them follows the rules of life and death. One of you or a couple of you are going to die, today at midnight,” he said, “I cannot do anything about that. Even if I get rid of the ghost or whatever does exist in here. I wouldn't stop you from dying. Clients in the past, have not been so gracious to the lost of others, and I always warn clients, I cannot stop people from dying. That's the risk of it all.”

“As long as you save our daughter's life,” said a middle age man.

“As long, then you don't care about the other people in this house?” he asked.

“I don't mind dying for the heiress,” said the elderly gentleman.

“Neither do I,” said a maid.

“That's rather honorable,” he said, “As long as you understand the risk. I can save those who are going to live from this demon. But I do not guarantee anyone to live.”

“But Xer...”

He put his finger up.

“We accept this risk,” Mrs. Woodly said put her hand on her husband's knee.

“Very well, I want to make it very aware to you people will die tonight,” he said.

“We understand,” Mr. Woodly said staring at his daughter.

“Then I will conduct the interviews. You may leave the room and I will talk to you all individually only when I call you,”

The room in a short few minutes left, leaving him and Charm alone. She looked at him and scowled. He sighed.

“What?” he asked.

“Those numbers are the dates of when people are going to die,” Charm said.

“Yes,”

“That girl is going to die, I heard you, why didn't you tell them?”

“I kind of did, just indirectly, they know people will die. But I didn't tell who, they all assumed who would live and die. Anyway, I couldn't tell them even if I wanted to. Charm. I have a request, leave tonight,”

“You mean leave you alone to fight a ghost by yourself,”

“I have done it without you around before, in the past,”

“I'm staying,”

“I don't want you to see something horrible,”

“I'll be fine,”

“No you won't,”

“Trust me,”

“Fine,”

He clapped his hand loudly and sat on the comfortable couch. It was good to not have to stand so much.

“I need the butler, old guy and the maid,” he called out.

The two of them walked in and he stared at them. He could see the cogs working in Charm's head. She looked horrified guessing what he was about to.

“You know, I know this is all about life and death and there is a crazy doll. But how do you expect us to conduct interviews without guess snackage and beverages?” he asked.

“We apologize sir, we were so worried we had forgotten, what would you and the little miss like?” they asked together.

“Snacks and a drink, I don't care what, just need to not be so parched, oh and I'd like to talk to the daughter first, while you're doing that. Thank you,”

The two left the room and he felt the delicate fist of a young girl.

“Why did you do something so horrible?” Charm asked.

“Cause I was thirsty and it was a lot better than raiding their kitchen,” he replied.

“True,”

“See, and that's their job, isn't it,”

A young girl walked in, he stared at her pale skin. She herself looked like a doll in some ways. He could see the invisible scars of the demon's brute force on her. There were physical ligament marks other people could see, but there were many more that he could see. She cautiously walked in and sat on the couch opposite of him.

“You are?” he asked.

“Angela Woodly,” she said.

“I asked for snacks and drinks, is that okay?” he asked.

“That's fine,” Angela replied.

“Good,” he interlocked his fingers together, “You think my tea and my snacks will end up poisoned?”

“No,” she said.

“Oh well that's a relief,”
“What kind of interview is this?”

“The kind that I get information,”

“I don't see this as being very helpful,”

“Oh you helped me enough, ta, I'd like to talk to your father next,”

Angela just nodded and walked out of the family room. Charm stared at him.

“What was that?” Charm asked, “Worse interview ever.”

“It wasn't an interview, not entirely. From what I determine a demon resides in this home. Demons rarely come naturally to certain environment. Which means one of two things. One someone summoned it here, and always question the help first, maids, butlers get tired of helping ungrateful people. Or two someone lead a demon here, due to their energy,”

He took a moment as the maid and butler came in with cups of juice and crackers with cheese. They took a bow and began to walk off.

“Thank you, it was a very long ride,” he said.

Charm stared at him.

“You were saying,”

“Right. So I had to determine their genuine nature. Those two seem happy to help. And Angela hadn't lied. So it means someone didn't summon it. Which means, what we're dealing with is what we call a Karma demon,” he paused taking a sip of grape juice.

“Karma demon?” Charm asked.

“Oh everyone has one, they are like your shadows, just they aren't your shadow. They are demons attached to your back,” he paused, “These demons grow and make things happening depending on its owner. If a Karma demon feeds on negative energy, “paranormal” events may occur in a house alongside changes in relationships with people as the demon takes a life of its own. If a Karma demon feeds on positive energy. It grows and takes on its own life beside its owner as lucky things that happening coincidentally.”

He ushered her to take a cracker and cheese.

“It be rude not to. I'm lactose intolerant, so you have to eat it all for me. Either way. Karma demons are the easiest demons to make things happen because they are a parasitic demons that live beside humans. It's why we can tell if someone is a bad person or a good person because of the Karma demon following them. But normal people cannot see them....”

“Only mediums,” Charm said excitedly.

“Yes only mediums,”
“What's mine look like?” Charm asked.

“Are we going to do this now?”

“Yes, please!” Charm said turning around.

What he was greeted with was a cute little green creature, with wings as ears. It was short and kind of round, with large bubbly eyes.

“It's....disgustingly cute,” he replied.

“Do all Karma demons look like that?”

“No, it takes on the form of its owner,”

“So I'm disgustingly cute?”

“Disgustingly,”

“Um,” they heard a voice as a middle age man walked in.

“Ah yes, Mr. Woodly,” he said taking a sip of grape juice, “Have a seat.”

“Yes sir,” Mr. Woodly said sitting down on the couch.

“How has life been for you?” he asked.

“Well, my job is tough,” Mr. Woodly said, “Life could be better.”

“So you say, it's been pretty stressful. How about Mrs. Woodly?” he asked.

“She's the glue that has been keeping everyone together, especially with this ghost business,” Mr. Woodly replied.

“So, would you say anyone has had a significant personality change?” he asked.

“Not really,”

“That's all, goodbye. I'd like to talk to the butler next, if that's all right,” he said with a wave of his hands.

“Of course,”

Mr. Woodly walked out and he sighed. Scowling at the wall.

“What is it?” Charm asked.

“I believe he is telling the truth. The only way Karma demons work is if there is enough negative energy to feed off. This house has a lot of grief, but it isn't enough to feed a Karma demon,” he paused, “Damn it. Which would go back to a summoner. But there isn't enough people here or with enough energy to be a summoner. And the presence of Smog would suggest a summoner. Tch.”
“But if one of these people aren't the summoners, wouldn't it be a Karma demon?”

“Normally, but again. Smog wouldn't be here,”

“Smog?”

“It's like this magical pollution that a summoner may leave behind, I need to do some digging,”

He stood up.

“What about the interviews?”

“You can continue conducting them, just write notes on what people say and do when saying them,”

“You were so adamant about not raiding their kitchen,”

“But now it's an investigation and when people know I'm going to look, they hide things that may be important, ta”

Something told him he shouldn't have left her alone, but at the same time he had to. Or else he wouldn't get to the bottom of this. Not at all. He walked back towards the entrance and down the hall to the small den that he had originally saw the Smog. At first there really wasn't anything significant here. He could see the trails of the Smog all around here. He opened the computer desk drawers, and looked through bookcases.

There were no secret passages, no summoner books. He hated this part of his job. He shouldn't have left Charm alone by herself like that. There was something watching him, but he couldn't entirely see the what was. Something was hiding in here and yet he checked every little corner of the wooden trimmed bedroom, even the little plastic plant in the corner of the room.

He should head back to Charm.

“No...this was all a trap, wasn't it?” he asked the empty room, “You wanted either of us to be separated. Not very clever, and kind of a cliché plan, but for cliché it worked.”

The Smog began to eek out from every corner of the room, from the book cases, to the plastic plant, the computer began to turn on and off by itself. The Smog began to surround him, it felt like a thousand hands all trying to reach and bring him into the abyss. Though he hadn't been much prepared for this scenario, so dragged he was.

In his mind, he saw some stairs. His mind wandered down the stairs, to the image of two chairs with people's necks slice, fire was beginning to spread throughout the room.

When he did wake up, it was in some strange room. He was being watched by two dolls sitting on leather chairs with little rivets on the cushion. He stood up, and looked through a mirror with golden frame.

“Oh dear,” he mumbled.
There he was wearing century old clothes, with lace cuffs, and a lace collar. He looked like a dazzling vampire in truth. Like if he were one of these dolls in a dollhouse. He looked around, the only difference was that he got the sense this was several or so feet underneath the house. This is why he didn't like mansions. Mansions built atop mansions that burned. Never a good idea.

He needed to find a way out of this room, and most of all he needed to find Charm before she got herself hurt. He felt a vision forcing its way through his mind. There Charm was, with her smooth, white skin in a laced doll dress. Something, like invisible hands were tightening around her neck.

He frowned.

“Look,” he said, “I really appreciate your theatrical approach to all of this.”

He took a moment.

“But I swear, I won't just seal you away back to wherever you came from,” he said, “I will make sure you come back in a million pieces and if you don't think I'm right about that. Harm her. And see what kind of man you make me. Trust me I'm more of a monster then you'll ever be.”

He could feel whatever presence had sealed him away in this cement box leave. He began to look around the small room. He really was in a cement box. But nothing felt right here. All though true it was a cement box, it wasn't entirely true. He began to place his hand on the wall, there was a sorta energy here.

Hmm. He didn't have his trench coat any more, but unless. He stuck his hand in his pant pockets. This demon was kind of lazy to not entirely change all of his clothes. He took out a small bottle of glitter. Opening it, he poured a few sprinkles on his hand before putting it back in his pocket. Blowing the glitter off his hand, he saw the wall shimmer as a door began to appear.

“Perfect, now all I have to do is navigate through the creepy maze of historical mansions on top of mansions,” he said to himself.

Opening the door, he found himself in total darkness. What hit him walking out into the darkness, was the smell of decay and death. What he felt was the misery inside these caverns. So many things were here were the construction of negativity. And that's when it hit him. It wasn't a summoner. The Karma demon wasn't created by anyone who lived above, but by the place underneath. The suffering that had been bubbling from underneath them created a Karma demon to attach on the most miserable souls.

It also, however, needed to get him away so he couldn't stop it from doing what it want.

“I give you mad props,” he paused, “You're more clever than I thought.”

So how was he going to guide himself through this darkness? He didn't carry a flashlight, because they were slightly useless in this situation. Any being of energy will feed of energy, which meant flashlights were just a source of energy. Sticking in his pocket, this should work. Opening the bottle of glitter he blew on it, letting it dance in the air. Sticking his glitter in his pocket. He began to twist his hand in a composing way.

“Take this form, I guide you as light in this narrow hall,” he said.
Whatever positive energy could be mustered from this darkness attached itself to the glitter and became glittering balls of light, floating around him. He smiled, they were warm and danced happily as positive energy.

Magic wasn't about fancy objects believed to be magic. You saw it all the time, in Christianity doctrine or Shamanistic rituals. They had objects of powers, symbols of belief and power. Like the cross or some voodoo dolls. Sure objects attracted magic, but it depended on the vessel.

True magic. True mediums were manipulators of energy around them, that could use the energy around them to manipulate any object they desired. As he walked further and further to what he would only hope was a way back to the surface mansion, he could feel more and more grief. He could feel the suffering of others.

Smog surrounded him and his light. But his light was the only thing keeping it at bay. He felt something grab unto his leg. He turned down to see a skeleton had returned to life, only to want to drag him down into the ground alongside it.

He shook it off and continued till his glittering lights began to dance around a cement staircase. The lights vanished, he hated stairs. And he didn't have his cane with him. He had been limping down misery lane. He could hear the sound of things beginning to stir in the darkness.

Low moaning in the darkness. Mumbling. Ghostly sounds and a demon's presence orchestrating the dead to move out of sheer abyssal pain and misery. Their bodies creaked, those who remained bloated bodies squished in the darkness. The darkness was approaching all to quickly on him. He began to scramble up the stairs as quickly as he could, no matter what the pain in his leg was saying.

He got to the top and opened a door, only to be blocked by a wall. The darkness was approaching fast now. He could hear the dead behind him. Punching the wall, he felt his fist go straight through the wall. That's because the door had only been covered by wallpaper. Quickly ripping the paper as much as he could he crawled through the small space and closed the door.

Now where was he? In a closet. He swam through the Jackets and opened the door. Hopefully this was the right house. He opened the door, and that strange décor of the Woodly's greeted him. Thank you. He closed the closet door.

Taking his hand through his pocket and taking the glitter out he blew it on the closet door.

“I guide you as a guardian,” he said, “Just for a little while. I'll be right back.”

He hobbled as quickly as he could out of the room. He had to find Charmalie and the others. He bumped into someone. The elderly butler.

“Mister Xerxes we have been looking for you all night, and Lady Charmalie insisted I continued to look,” the butler said.

“All night?” he asked.

“Yes it's about eleven 'o forty now,”

“She's okay?” he asked.

“Yes,”

“I need my trench coat like right now right now before the dead come busting through a closet door,”

“Right away sir,”

“Where is Charm?”

“She is on the couch in the family room, she is resting, I insisted she did so,”

“I'll be there, quickly now, quickly,”

He wandered down the hall until he found the right one to guide him to the family room. Charm seemed to be in her ordinary clothes. A short skirt, not to short mind you, a flowery top and knee high stockings. He walked up to her and began to shake her awake.

“Xerxes!” she said relieved.

“Charm,” he said with a smile.

She spread open her arms and hugged him tightly.

“What are you wearing?” she asked.

“It's my Halloween costume you like it?” he asked.

“Now isn't the time for jokes,” she said.

“You bet that straight, I need my trench coat before the dead come in here and give us a rude awakening, quite literally,”

“What?!”

“It appears one of the reasons why I hate mansions, was predictably one of those mansions I criticize. Humans are ruthless people. They build houses atop houses, atop houses, atop houses and don't consider the kind of suffering involved,” he said, “The negative energy from down below created a Karma demon making this family suffer. The energy had been sitting there for years and years, building up and up depending on who had lived there, I walked through a time capsule down there. There was no summoner, the negative energy was the summoner. Kind of fascinating, but still a little upsetting,”

“Shouldn't we be doing something?” she asked.

“Gotta get my coat first, what is taking him so long?” he asked.

The lights began to flash and then they turned off. They were in complete darkness and the cold was beginning to seep through.

“That might be a problem,”

“Xerxes, I'm scared,” Charm voice quivered in the darkness.

“You have to be strong, let's go find my coat,”

He grabbed her small hand and guided her through the hallway. Smog was beginning to invade the home and the darkness they walked in seemed unnatural. They could hear laughter pass through the hallway in the Smog.

“Where are we going?” Charm asked.

“Coat rack, I assume that is where someone would put a coat,”

“Then what?”

“Well then despite your protests, I will lock you in a bedroom with protection of course,”

She frowned at him, but it was the only way he was going to keep her safe. Walking down the long hall, he knew they were getting close to the coat rack. He saw one at the front entrance to begin with. He was using the wooden double front doors as a way to guide him. They made it to the front door and there his trench coat was. Now he was finally armed for battle with the forces of darkness. He never particularly liked to call them evil. He felt her hands tug on the sleeves of his trench coat as he was putting it on.

“Yes,” he said.

“Xerxes,” she whispered her voice quivering.

“Yes,”

“The den,” she said.

He turned to the left him to look down the smaller hallway to the den. There in the darkness, a foul stench  could be seen wafting down the hall. But there in the darkness, he saw a creature, a hunk of flesh, a horrible visage of death. Simply a tumor like mass of flesh, bone, and decaying parts. Liquid could be heard dripping from its form. Most of its body was covered in faces with no eyes, simply groaning mouths, groaning in simple terror and agony. It was seen slithering towards them.

“Aaaahuhh aahuhhuh,” it would breath.

Charm's little hands were beginning to shake.

“That is no good,” he said.

“What is that?” she asked.

“That would be what I was talking about humans....building.....”

But his words trailed off as he watched the flesh move towards them, he saw the head of the butler. Freshly consumed by the hunk of flesh. His head was as it was, but his eyes were bleeding. He too was screaming, possibly screaming the loudest. Sticking his hand in his pocket, where was it? There it was. He took out a medium size banner, that read Happy Birthday on it.

“Um....” Charm said not very assured by his party favor.

“Best way I can explain it, Shinto priest use spell tags, but I have always mocked people for having special magical objects. I manipulate objects to do what I want, now stay behind me,”

He allowed the small little banner to float from his hand. Interlocking his fingers together in a symbol he began to allow energy to surround him. The negative energy around him, was being recycled into a more positive energy.

“I guide you from simple form to act as a barrier,” he said.

Happy Birthday, quickly faded into streams of glowing light, all in different colors. These lights dance like a spirit fire and wavered.

“Fire of the spirit realm, I guide you to purify this dead,” he said.

The thirteen spirits fire surrounded the flesh mass and began to circle around it. The fleshy mass was now surrounded by a circle of fire, twisting and turning, twisting and turning. It was consumed by a bright fire, that burst into an explosion of color. The fleshy mass left with a howl of pain and burst into an explosion of cosmic fireworks. What was left was behind was instead a mass of flowers, in strange vibrant colors.

“It turned into a flower,” Charm said.

“It's a spirit flower,” he said.

“Spirit flower?” she asked.

“Right now, we have to deal with the others, this hall has been purified I want you to hide in the den,”

“No!”

“Yes, I am not arguing with you, this thing was slow, there are others more dangerous, more sinister and that is the main demon,”

“I am coming,”

“Fine,” he said sticking his hand in his trench coat, “If we get separated and most likely we will, take these.”
He handed her a couple of marbles.

“Marbles?” she asked.

“They are the easiest objects for you, considering you aren't a medium, shiny objects like that attract magic. In this case since they are in my trench coat and with me mostly all the time, they should have absorbed enough of my magic to protect you, just throw it at whatever the threat is,”

They heard something upstairs fall.

“So we're going up there next,” he said.

He had her hold his hand again and they began to walk through the foreboding place once more. Just from the energy alone he could feel something sinister upstairs. This was to dangerous for Charm to go up there, but she insisted on coming with him.

“Remain calm, and don't scream, or else you're going into a bedroom till I deal with the threat,” he said.

Charm simply nodded her head. He headed up the stairs, he hated stairs. You know that was a good question, where was his cane? His leg felt like it whining against going up more stairs. He hated stairs for this very reason. They weren't designed in mind of them being persistently annoying. He could feel Charm's hand squeeze his.

“Yes?” he asked.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“I'd like to know where my cane went, but later is fine,” he said.

“It was downstairs in the family when you left, but then it disappeared,”

“How lovely, you'd know it be nice if my necessary walking object didn't also have a mind of its own,”

“So where are we going to find this demon,”

“I know where exactly,”

“You do?”

“Isn't it obvious? Angela's room,”

They reached the top of the stairs and began to walk through the hall. He was allowing the negative energy to guide him. He could hear the doors shaking and he could feel the dead rising. He saw a dark amount of Smog shrouding one of the doors, that must be the room. Taking out some glitter he blew on it to allow the door to light the door. As he did so a door on the opposite side opened, it was a great cataclysm of an abyss. He saw shadow hands reaching out. They grabbed Charm and began to drag her into the darkness. He didn't have enough reaction time to grab her because it all happened to quickly. The door closed. He hated being right. Opening the door he walked in. He could already hear something dripping from the ceiling. Sticking out his hand, he allowed whatever to drip on his hand. Blood then. Then she was dead. He clenched his hands, balling them in a fist. Tch. Damn it, he was so useless. Then he saw a glimmer in the darkness. Hobbling towards it, he grabbed whatever it was.

“How did you get here?” he asked his cane.

Suddenly from the darkness he saw tendrils appear, they flowered and blossomed into a single eye, surrounded by thick veins of darkness, and tendrils that branched from every end like petals on a flower. Inside of it's lens were the souls of countless souls in deep despair. It's eyes were deep red like a ruby and its pupils were abyssal black, souls swam in its eye juices.

“Well you're kinda ugly,” he said.

It didn't make a noise, but he noticed it's tendrils beginning to slither from the walls. Sticking his hand in his pocket he took out some confetti and threw it to the right of him. Interlocking his fingers into another symbol, the confetti began to making twirling sounds as they turned into streaks of light. They cut through a few of the tendrils and the creature began to scream in pain. He heard the sound of another tendril from his left side. Stick up his cane, a tendril came after him, but when the tendril hit the cane a light barrier appeared.

It howled in despair. He felt a vision force in his mind, of Charm being violated by invisible hands. But he only smiled.

“That wont' work this time,” he said, “Since she has something you weren't expecting.”

Dropping his cane and sticking his hand in his pockets he took out party streamers and threw them in the air. He began to make symbols with his hands. The streamers began to connect together and the ends of them became twirling streams of color. As they chained together, a portal began to appear acting like a black hole, it began to suck the Karma demon into the portal.

“Now Eight Gates open, to begin the eight processes of sealing, Life, Death, Time, Element, Earth, Afterlife Universe, and Spirit.” he said.

The seal began to appear as a mirror, as glass began to cover the portal. He just had to hold it. As it began to seal he could hear cracks. The pieces of glass shattered and the Karma demon reappeared in the room. Shards and fragments of light glass fell to the ground.

“Well okay it wasn't going to be easy as that, but I had to try,” he said.

It howled, and several tendrils were picked up coming towards him. He picked up his cane and held it to the ground. The tendrils began to slash at the light barrier. What could be done about this situation? The only reason why it wasn't so easy to seal away is because it fed off of enough negative energy to make it increasingly stronger. If he had to class it any level, it would definitely fall in the level nine category.

“Can I just admit defeat now?” he asked the creature.

No of course not. It continued to slash and slash at the light barrier. At this point he was going to be pinned in, if he didn't come up with a plan. He could feel his cane grow hot. He frowned. He couldn't resist as this point. Throwing glitter at the ground, it became a small barrier.
He picked up his cane as his glitter behaved as the barrier for a short while. He twirled his cane and it turned into a light staff, with a ring as the top and several dangling gems from the ring, like little wind chimes. He felt light energy around him and the creature only blinked. His trench coat had turned into a cape and he was wearing a robe with a pair of black pants.

“Ah come on, once you heard that I was a Sovereign you should have expected this,” he said.

Allowing his light staff to float in the air on it's own, it's gems allowed rays of colorful lights to shoot at the tendrils trying to capture him. Stretching his hands out, he threw party streamers now engulfed in colorful rays of light. One was red and turned to red fire. Another was blue and turned to blue fire.

“I summon my guardians, Cephyrus and Xarcus,” he said.

From the fires shapes appeared creatures appeared. One was a strange looking dog with what appeared to be a mane of a lion. It had a forked tail with fire between the prongs. Another appeared like a cat with nine tails and red fire at the ends of each tail. The two of them ran at each end of the creature creating a triangle, between him and his staff.

“Seal of the Nine Divines begin,” he said.

A light burst from the triangle shape, and the eye struggled against the power of the light. The light began to absorb the eye into the abyss. It erupted into a firework of stars and the scent of flowers could be seen wafting through the air. The triangle turned into a mirror and disappeared. The darkness began to disappear. A black portal opened up from ceiling and Charm fell into his arms. She stared at him and turned bright red turning away to look from him.

“Yes?” he asked.

“What is all of this....and you're...” she stammered, “Godly beautiful right now.”

“I'll take it as a compliment, this is my true form, either way this is Xarcus, Cephyrus, and walking cane and staff fully functional,” he said putting her down.

All the strange things disappeared and he was back in a t-shirt and black cargo pants, and his trench coat. His hair turned from divinely glowing to black to normal black.

“You're....hand....some even now,” she said.

“Right now we need to see if the others are safe,” he paused and looked at her, “What are your parents going to think with you being out this late?”

She turned away from him and turned, if it were even possible, more red. She twiddled her fingers and shuffled her feet.

“Well...I told them I was at a sleepover,” she said.

“Fantastic,” he said.

“It will be okay,”
He turned towards the bed, it was drenched in blood. That thing devoured her. He was to late to help anyone really. Charm put her hand on his, but he didn't allow it to comfort him. He picked up his walking cane and walked out of the room. Walking down the hall he began in search of the survivors. A door burst open and the survivors all came out at once.

“Is it gone?” Mrs. Woodly asked.

“The lights are working,” Mr. Woodly said.

“Look they were scared enough to hide on their own,” he said.

Charm gave him a scowl.

“Is it gone Xerxes?” Mrs. Woodly asked.

“It is,” he said, “It has been a very fun night, I'm heading home.”

“Angela!” Mr. Woodly said running through the hall towards his daughter's room.

He frowned looking at the floor. Walking down the hall, he could Charm following him. He felt sick to his stomach. He balled his hands up into another tight fist. This was the part he hated the most about his job. Heading down the stairs, he just wanted to go home.

“You said she'd live!” Mr. Woodly screamed, “My daughter where is my daughter!”

Mrs. Woodly began to cry, howling in misery.

“Can't you see by the gallons of blood,” he said, “That thing devoured her.”

“You were suppose to save her!” Mr.Woodly shouted from the end of the hall, “She was to live!”

“I never said she was suppose to live, that's what you assumed, I'm sorry for your loss, but please respect the dead,”

“I won't pay you!” Mr. Woodly shouted.

“I am use to it, doesn't bother me,” he said.

“You're the worse medium! I will never call for your help again!” Mr. Woodly said.

“Not much of a threat to me, pretty use to that too,” he said, “Goodbye Mr. and Mrs. Woodly.”

End Dollhouse