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Author's Note: This story was written for my Rites of Passage class at the end of the 2004-5 school year, and earned a 98 from my teacher. The characters and plot are all mine, and they are from my manga/story "Legacy". This is NOT a FanFiction. If you are reading "Legacy", be warned, there are spoilers in here. Thank you.
World View
Deguchi Arata remembered that day as though it were yesterday.
The night had been clear, although you still couldn’t see the stars. Tokyo was like that. The lights of the city blocked the stars from view.
Arata had been running an errand for his family, and was planning on visiting Maruyama Kiyami, his girlfriend, once he was finished. All of that had gone to hell, though. A man had stopped him, an Egyptian god, he would later learn. But after that, he was unsure. It had all happened so fast, and the next thing he knew, he was lying on Kiyami’s bed with his head throbbing and feeling as though something inside of him was trying to claw its way out.
Kiyami had been sitting next to him, one hand resting gently on the top of his head, sadness in her eyes as she told him what had happened. Disbelief and horror set in, and he had leapt to his feet, rushing to the bathroom to see if it was the truth.
The reflection staring back at him was almost unrecognizable. His eyes were normally grey, but now they were crimson, and slitted, like a cat’s, or a snake’s. His hair had grown out to his shoulders, and his ears had become long and pointed, like those of an elf from a fantasy manga. Four red streaks decorated his face, two on either side. He had stared in shock at the reflection before flinching away, unable to look at it any longer.
He had been possessed, he had learned, by a demon named Sefet-Ne-Seki. Sefet-Ne-Seki had first been killed by a chantress named Neferkhered, though she had died from exhaustion moments later. But a demon could always return by possessing the body of a human. Performing a binding spell would keep the demon in check, but the human would be trapped in the demon’s form. Only an exorcism would rid the human of the demon for good, form and all.
Much to Arata’s dismay, Kiyami could not yet perform an exorcism. She was a practicing chantress, and had been since her return from Egypt several months ago, but she was not yet strong enough, in mind and body, to survive the casting of the spell. Arata did not want her to hurt herself, least of all to help him. They would have to find another way around the problem.
Now, Arata felt as though he were lost in a pace he wasn't ready to be in, nor would ever be ready to be in. Before, he had dreamed of going to college, perhaps even Tokyo University, if he was lucky and diligent enough. At the moment, he felt devoid of hope. He did not think he would ever be able to achieve his goals.
"This must be a dream," he muttered decisively. "One long, unending nightmare… I want to wake up now…"
He was sitting on Kiyami's bed, hugging his knees to his chest. He found he could not look at the demon's face in Kiyami's mirrior for long. He still could not bear to call it his own, either. It had been two days since the transformation. He had not been to school in that time. He was sure the other girls in Kiyami's group of friends were wondering where he had gone. Ryusaki Suzuko, in particular, would be fretting over what would happen to his grades if he continued to miss school.
"Are you ever going to go back to your own house?" An annoyed voice asked. The disembodied spirit of Neferkhered was standing over him, looking agitated. Neferkhered was teaching Kiyami ancient Egyptian—or Khemetic—magic and didn't seem too happy to be having Arata around.
"You want my parents to see me like this?!" Arata retorted, resting his chin on his knees.
Neferkhered rolled her eyes. "I'm sure they—"
"Didn't Kiyami-chan explain that most people don't believe in magic and such these days?" Arata shot at her, before she could finish.
"They're foolish, then. The world will take advantage of them, as it did you." She scoffed. "And a cruel sense of humour the fates seem to have… I died defeating Sefet-Ne-Seki, and now all my work has been undone. Have the gods not been keeping Setesh in check?"
"I don't know what you're talking about…" Arata muttered, burying his head in his knees. It was uncomfortable, but he endured it.
"It was Setesh who did this to you, boy," Neferkhered shot at him, as though it should've been obvious.
"And who is Setesh?" Arata inquired miserably.
"Setesh is the god of storm and chaos. You probably know him better as 'Set' or 'Seth'. He murdered his own brother in an attempt to seize the throne of Khemet. The other gods keep a close eye on him because of his rather haphazard tendencies as the god of chaos. Or so I thought."
"Why? Why would he do… this?"—He gestured at his face with a wave of his hand—"…For fun?"
"You'd think he would do that sort of thing for fun, but, no… the other gods do not approve of alliances with demons, and he probably had some greater purpose in mind anyway… He would not do this sort of thing lightly…"
Arata shook his head rapidly, pressing his eye sockets into his kneecaps. It was too much to get his mind around, and he now wished he hadn't asked. A door downstairs slammed and Kiyami's voice echoed through the house. "I'm home!" He listened to the creaking of the stairs as Kiyami climbed them. The door to her bedroom opening, her bag being set down—he listened but did not look up, not even when Kiyami sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
"Are you okay?" she asked, softly.
She blames herself for this, I know she does… she's probably repulsed, but she feels obligated… "No," Arata responded aloud, his voice hoarse.
Kiyami sighed. "Of course you're not… I—I'm really sort about this…"
"It's not your fault," Arata muttered. "I can't blame you."
"I'm not perfect, Arata," Kiyami said, softly. "And sometimes it seems like you think I am."
Arata didn't know how to respond to this, so he stayed silent. Kiyami ran a hand through his hair, sighing again.
"I should've told you about all this… Relationships are based on trust… and I do trust you, Arata, but I was scared of how you'd react." Another sigh. Arata raised his head. Kiyami was still in her uniform. "Look… I might have a solution to this whole issue… until I can perform that exorcism for you… I—I still need to work on it a bit, but it should do the trick…"
"What did you have in mind?"
"An illusion to cover up the changes…" Kiyami responded, somewhat nervously. "I have to write the spell first, and that takes time…"
"How long?"
"I'll try to have it done by the time I get back from school." She kissed him on the cheek and gave his shoulder a squeeze before standing up again and going to talk to Neferkhered.
Arata rested his chin on his knees again, listening to their conversation quietly. Eventually he slid onto the floor and lay down. He was very tired. Sleep had been hard to come by over the past few days. His dreams were troubled, and he would wake up with cold sweat drenching the back of his neck. He closed his eyes, facing the bed to block out the light. Sleep soon overtook him, drowning out Kiyami and Neferkhered's muttering voices.
But, the dreams returned. Memories of that night filled his mind, memories of Sefet-Ne-Seki's wildly grinning visage just moments before he had possessed Arata. And of Setesh, standing there, smirking as though it was funny, what was happening to Arata…
He awoke again, and this time the lights were out, and Kiyami was curled up beneath the covers of her bed, fast asleep. Neferkhered was nowhere to be seen. Arata swallowed and took several deep breaths to calm himself down. As he reached for the nearest throw and pulled it over himself, he vaguely wondered if he would ever return to being normal again.
One thing had improved, however. Arata was not feeling as depressed and hopeless as he had been before. He was angry at Setesh now, but knew he could do nothing. Setesh was a god, after all.
At the same time, he now felt the need to help Kiyami in any way he was able to. He wasn't sure why he wanted to do this, but suspected it was because his mind needed a way to find its way through the strange world he found himself in. It was not all that different from the world he had lived in before, but some of the things that went on were simply mind-boggling.
"Neferekhered", he began, slowly, looking up from examining his own wrists.
"What?" She responded, snappishly.
"Does…" he swallowed. "Did Sefet-Ne-Seki have any… abilities? That set him apart from other demons?"
Neferkhered snorted. "Of course he did. Each demon is unique, there are no 'species' of demon."
"So, what were Sefet-Ne-Seki's?"
Neferkhered frowned. "He was telekinetic," she responded slowly. "And had a mild control of the elements. He was not as skilled as you average sorcerer, but he still posed a threat. Oh, and his claws had venom ducts."
Arata examined the elegantly curved and lethally sharp claws that had replaced his normal fingernails carefully. He could barely see the poison ducts weaving their way through the cartilage.
"You could've asked him, you know, instead of bothering me with it."
"What?" Arata said, raising both eyebrows.
"You think he's not still there, watching your every move… our every move? Hah, you are foolish indeed, boy. He may not have control of your body any longer, but he still lurks in you subconscious, trying to break free. The binding spell prevents him, of course, but still… You can speak to him, you know, especially if you want to learn how to use his abilities… He could teach you better than I'd be able to."
Perceptive little wench, a voice snarled in the back of his head. Arata started. Oh don't act so surprised, stupid human, she just told you I was here. Although you should've figured it out by now. Too busy moping, I suppose… Sefet-Ne-Seki sounded snide, an unrecognisable accent tingeing his drawling, counter-tenor voice.
"Is he always so critical of humans?" Arata asked Neferkhered, frowning.
"Of course. He's a demon. They're all like that. They think we're weak."
This is gonna be hell, Arata thought glumly.
Tell me about it, Sefet-Ne-Seki snorted in response.
Kiyami arrived home at that moment, hurrying upstairs to find Arata. "I'm finished!" She exclaimed happily, hugging Arata energetically. Arata was taken aback, but returned the gesture awkwardly, ignoring Sefet-Ne-Seki's repulsion. "Here," she said, breaking away and handing him a slip of paper from her notebook with several Egyptian hieratic symbols written on it. "I just need to enchant it, and if you carry it on you, it'll cover up the changes. Although, I can't do anything about your hair," she added, sheepishly. "If anyone so much as puts a hand on your back, they'll notice it's long, and that'll break the illusion."
"That's alright, I actually kinda like it liken this…" Arata stated, idly.
There was a moment of awkward silence. "Well, I'm gonna…" Kiyami trailed off, and stood up.
"Kiyami-chan, wait," Arata said. "I—uh… as long… as long as I'm like this I want—I want… to help you. In… in any way I can. With… finding Setesh, or—or with the magic—"
Kiyami beamed and hugged him again. "I appreciate it, Arata, thanks." She hurried off to the far corner of the room to enchant the makeshift sutra. Neferkhered hovered over her, overseeing the spell-casting with a watchful eye. Arata listened closely to the chant, trying to discern the words. They sounded so beautiful, yet complicated.
After several moments, Kiyami stopped chanting and stood up again. She brought the slip of paper back over with her, smiling nervously. "Here," she said, handing it back to him. "Just… keep that in a pocket, or something…"
Arata smiled and tucked it into the pocket of his blazer. As he and Kiyami embraced again, he heard Sefet-Ne-Seki speak up again.
You humans are so
self-absorbed and insecure.
It was awkward returning to school again. All of Kiyami's friends seemed relieved to see him, but Arata found the attention unnerving. He still felt out of place and uncomfortable, keeping his head bowed in class as not to attract any further notice, and avoiding the gaze of the other students. After school, he and Kiyami found a secluded place and Kiyami began to help Arata master Sefet-Ne-Seki's powers.
In a few hours, it got dark, and Arata reluctantly returned home. His parents were hysterical with relief, both hugging him as though he had been gone for years at a time. He let them, but did not return the gestures of affection. He was distant when they asked him where he had been and what he had been doing, saying, vaguely, that he had been with Kiyami. He did not give them any specifics, and went straight to his bedroom to mull things over.
Most of his free time was spent with Kiyami and Neferkhered. One night, in a part near their school, they had encountered a female, serpentine demon named Seger-Neshny. Seger-Neshny, it seemed, knew of the pact between Setesh and Sefet-Ne-Seki. She had also known about Setesh's motives. After knocking Kiyami aside with one swift strike, she cornered Arata and coiled her snake-like lower body around him, effectively pinning him in place.
"So," she hissed. "You are the human boy my brother Sefet-Ne-Seki possessed."
She's his sister?
No, all demons refer to each other as brothers and sisters. It's a cultural thing, Sefet-Ne-Seki corrected, a sardonic note in his voice.
Seger-Neshny stuck her face very close to Arata's own. She was mostly serpentine, though her upper body resembled that of a human woman. Her skin—and scales—were brownish green, and she had long, very lethal looking fangs. No doubt venom-filled, like Sefet's claws, Arata told himself. (He had started abbreviating Sefet-Ne-Seki's name to the first part of it, as his full name was something of a mouthful to say.)
Arata wrinkled his nose as he smelled Seger-Neshny's foul breath. "You could use a breath mint," he noted, frowning.
"You think you're amusing, don't you, boy…?" Seger-Neshny hissed, forked tongue flicking out to taste his scent.
"That wasn't a joke."
Not a good idea, Sefet-Ne-Seki groaned.
Seger-Neshny deftly struck Arata on the side of his face with one clawed hand. Arata turned his head to the side to lessen the impact, but still flinched as the marks stung in the bitter air.
You're lucky the venom's only in her teeth, boy. Don't do that again.
You've made your point, Arata mentally growled at the demon.
"Both of you had better listen to me," Seger-Neshny said, dangerously, "because I am only going to say this once. Setesh had ulterior motives in bargaining with Sefet-Ne-Seki. My brother has the short end of the stick, as you humans would say…"
Arata felt Sefet-Ne-Seki trying to fight his way into control of Arata's body. Let me talk to her, boy, you will only mess up again!
Not a chance in Hell, Arata retorted venomously. You'll take control of my body permanently if I do!
"My brother should never have trusted that scum, Setesh," Seger-Neshny continued. "He is bound to Setesh's will as long as Setesh remains a god, and it is unlikely the others will find out what Setesh has done. He is deceitful, and crafty, some of his better traits… Sefet-Ne-Seki must obey every single thing that Setesh tells him to do… or lose you as a host. Sefet-Ne-Seki did not know of this. He only believed that he had to kill the new Chantress."
"Kiyami-chan…" Arata said, softly. He inwardly glared at Sefet-Ne-Seki, who seemed to be at a loss as to how to respond to this news.
"We demons dislike Sorcerers and Chantresses especially among humans. But we dislike the gods more, and they dislike us as much. My brother was a fool to trust Setesh."
"Why are you telling me this?" Arata demanded, squirming to get free.
"For making a deal with a god, Sefet-Ne-Seki is no longer recognized by his fellow demons as being… trustworthy," Seger-Neshny sneered. "If you survive this encounter, Sefet-Ne-Seki may seek his vengeance… You both will be able to. However, I doubt you'll survive."
"You intend to kill me."
"I intend to try. Whether I succeed will depend on you."
Seger-Neshny's coils tightened around Arata's chest. Arata coughed, gasping for breath.
"Arata!"
Kiyami-chan! She's awake…!
"Arata! Throw her off of you with Sefet's telekinesis!" Kiyami cried, standing up shakily. Seger-Neshny's head turned in Kiyami's direction; Kiyami had begun to chant in Khemetic.
Binding spell, Sefet-Ne-Seki said at least when he recognized the words. It will kill Seger-Neshny. Concentrate, boy. Neither of us will die tonight.
…Why do you even care?
Setesh will pay for deceiving me. Now do as your chantress told you!
Arata gasped as Seger-Neshny's coils tightened further and squeezed his eyes shut, pushing Seger-Neshny away with his mind. Her grip loosened and she eventually flew backwards, allowing Arata to fall to the ground, gasping for air. Kiyami let loose her binding spell, and Seger-Neshny perished without a sound. Kiyami staggered over to Arata and fell to her knees. "Are you okay, Arata?" she asked.
Arata nodded, panting.
"I'd take what Seger-Neshny said with a grain of salt… How could she possibly know what Setesh's intentions were?"
She's telepathic, for one, Sefet-Ne-Seki commented. Even a god's mind can be read.
Arata shook his head. "She was telling the truth… I just… I get that feeling." He swallowed and wiped the blood from his face. "Sefet wants revenge."
"On Setesh?" Kiyami asked, sounding surprised. Arata nodded.
"Setesh is a god," Neferkhered said, disdainfully. "He cannot be killed. Seger-Neshny was right about one thing: Sefet-Ne-Seki is a fool."
"Wait," Kiyami said. "If the other gods find out that he made a deal with a demon… what will they do?"
"…They will exile him," Neferkhered answered, after a moment of silence.
"Exactly," Arata said, echoing Sefet-Ne-Seki's words in his own mind. "Once he is exiled, he will no longer be a god. Then we can fight him."
And you, my boy, Sefet-Ne-Seki added to Arata alone, will have to live with me a while longer.
Arata complicated this for a moment. I don't want revenge, he decided.
Then what will you do? The moment your woman learns how to perform an exorcism, you will be rid of me. But that could come before we face Setesh. A pause. Is this what you want?
…I don't know. Arata shook
his head. I need to think some more…
The months passed, and Arata seemed to become more and more confused by the day. He was so deeply immersed in Kiyami's world now that he doubted he would ever fully extract himself from it, willingly or not. At the moment, he wasn't sure he wanted to leave it.
When he had first been possessed, Arata would've given anything for things to return to normal again. Now, he felt he had a purpose, and that was to be fighting Setesh by Kiyami's side. Once, where he had felt too small and insignificant for the enormous world he had just stepped into, he now felt too large for the world he had left behind.
In the meantime, Neferkhered had spoken to the other gods and told them of Setesh's deal with Sefet-Ne-Seki. Setesh had been exiled, and stripped of his status as a god of Ancient Egypt. They had encountered Setesh once after that, and had been unable to defeat him at the time. Kiyami was still not strong enough.
When Arata had found himself in Setesh's presence, Sefet-Ne-Seki's personality became the dominant of the two now inhabiting his mind. Sefet-Ne-Seki, however, had not attacked Kiyami, as Arata had expected him to, but instead fought Setesh, who was enraged at the betrayal. Sefet-Ne-Seki then promised Kiyami that no harm would come to her by his hand while Setesh was their mutual enemy. Setesh had fled, and Sefet-Ne-Seki retreated to the recesses of Arata's mind. They did not know where Setesh was now.
Arata was finding that Sefet-Ne-Seki's personality was started to bleed into his own, and vice versa. Arata had gained confidence with each passing day, and each trial they overcame. Sefet-Ne-Seki, while he still retained something of a grudge towards humans in general, began to be a bit more sympathetic towards them.
She's not so bad, for a chantress, Sefet-Ne-Seki had once told Arata of Kiyami, while they watched her chew out a classmate for some violation or other. Not as haughty or stuck up as some of the others I've encountered.
You mean Neferkhered, Arata had responded, smiling wryly to herself.
Perhaps, Sefet-Ne-Seki returned slyly. They laughed. It was the first time both of them found something equally as amusing as the other did.
Neferkhered, it seemed, wanted Kiyami to learn to perform an exorcism as quickly as possible. She appeared to be rushing Kiyami through her studies of Khemetic magic, and Kiyami looked more exhausted by the day. Once, when she was to come over to Arata's house to spend the afternoon with him, she had collapsed into his arms the moment she stepped through the door.
"Are you alright, Kiyami-chan?" Arata asked, helping her up to his room.
"Tired," she muttered into his jacket.
Oh dear, Sefet-Ne-Seki commented wryly. Is Neferkhered that desperate to get rid of me again?
"Is it because of your…"—he coughed lightly—"…studies?"
Kiyami nodded.
"Kiyami-chan… don't put yourself through this for me. Please don't. It just makes it harder for me."
"Harder for you to do what?"
"…To decide," Arata admitted.
Kiyami remained silent as Arata laid her on his bed and sat down next to her.
"You still haven't decided?" She asked, at last.
"No. Call it… identity crisis."
Kiyami raised an eyebrow at him.
"I—feel like he's become a part of me now. A part I can't lose," Arata explained.
"Why?" Kiyami asked, sounding bewildered.
"Because…" He swallowed, hesitating. "Because I feel… If I go back to being the way I was… before, I will feel like I can't be a part of your world anymore. But part of me wants to be normal again. It's so frustrating!"
"I can't help you there…" Kiyami said, softly. "You have to make that choice. But I won't perform the exorcism if you don't want me to."
"Get some rest, Kiyami-chan," Arata said. "I'll think about it in the meantime."
What will you do? Sefet-Ne-Seki asked as Arata sat down at his desk. Let her perform the exorcism and I will be gone for good… you can be normal again, as you desire… Or, you could get past your own insecurities and let me stay. Setesh is still out there, you know. I can't do anything as a disembodied spirit. …Unless I possess someone else.
I know.
…What? No angry retort? I was expecting you to say something about ruining someone else's life, Sefet-Ne-Seki said, sarcastically.
No.
…Well. That was different. Sefet-Ne-Seki fell silent.
Arata stared at the mirror over his desk. He no longer flinched away from his reflection. He no longer disassociated it with himself. Sometimes, he could not even remember what he used to look like, and often found that this fact did not disturb him in the slightest.
Staring intently at his reflection, Arata tried to imagine himself as he had been months before, when he and Kiyami had first started dating, when his hair had been a short mop of black and his eyes a silvery grey. Before Sefet-Ne-Seki had come into the picture. Try as he might, the closest he could get was the illusion Kiyami had made for him; an illusion that still contained some vestiges of Sefet-Ne-Seki's ever-watchful presence.
Kiyami shifted slightly and opened her eyes, lifting her head to try and see him properly. "Arata…?"
"…I've decided, Kiyami-chan."
"And?" She asked, sleepily.
"I don't want the exorcism. I can't go back to being the old me. I was naïve then. I don't want to be that way." He moved back over to her and sat down beside her. Kiyami sat up. "It doesn't seem… right to do that," Arata continued. "I would be leaving you to fight Setesh without my help. And I know that wouldn't make me happy."
"I wouldn't be happy either," Kiyami admitted. "I'd be worrying about you constantly. And it would be like… pretending it never happened. And that never does any good."
Arata nodded in agreement. He removed the illusion charm Kiyami had made for him from his pocket and held it before him for a moment. "I don't want to hid anymore, either," he decided. "Let the world see me as I am. I no longer care what they think of me."
With that final statement, he let a small flame curl from his fingertip and ignite the sutra. He watched it burn, and let the ashes blow away through the open window. Kiyami squeezed his arm.
"Your braver than I would be, if I were in your place."
At lunch, two of his classmates asked him what had happened to him. He told them that nothing had happened, that he had been like this for a while.
Next, they asked him if it could be "fixed". He told them, truthfully, that it could.
Then they asked when he would "fix" it. He told them he wasn't going to.
"Why, Deguchi?" They asked, staring at him as though he were insane.
"Because," Arata responded, evenly, "my happiness no longer depends on what people think of me."
Sefet-Ne-Seki –"Sword of Destruction"; Powers are Telekinesis, elemental abilities, increased dexterity, strength, agility, and poison claws. Some consider him to be the most powerful of Demons.
Seger-Neshny – "Silent Rage"; Powers are telepathy, poison teeth, powerful lower body.
Setesh –God of Storm and Chaos, sometimes called "Seth" or "Set".
Deguchi Arata was based on a character who went through a similar experience in one of my favourite animes, a fantasy/comedy series called Slayers. The character in question, Zelgadis Graywords, underwent a physical transformation that eventually altered his personality and world view as well. But unlike Arata, who found the strength to accept this new part of him, Zelgadis never quite accepted his change. Instead of seeking emotional support, as Arata did, Zelgadis chose to isolate himself and told himself that everyone thought of him as a "freak". Zelgadis's rite of passage involved the accept of the rest of the cast of Slayers—Amelia, Lina, and Gourry—as his friends.
Arata's character was originally written for an original manga I was working on called "Legacy". Kiyami, who appears in this story, is the main character, but Arata shares some of the spotlight as her boyfriend and a human who has been possessed by a deceased demon. All of the events that occurred in this story were planned for the manga. I just never got around to writing them out before now. (In truth, Kiyami has not yet met Neferkhered in what I have typed so far. Oops.) I'm not sure when I'll start working on it again.
Arata's rite of passage was not quite the same as Zelgadis's. His involved emotional maturity, rather than the discovery of friendship. He had already experienced friendship, and his first love (Kiyami). So what Arata needed was to have an experience that would change his state of mind and his world view. All of the characters of "Legacy" undergo some sort of rite of passage; Kiyami gains her own form of emotional maturity, Neferkhered loses some of her "holier-than-thou" attitude after realizing the kind of harm it can do, and Arata, of course, loses his dependency on his personal image.
Shouldn't everyone else be like Arata in that way? I wish I could be.
::Kyuuketsuki Musume::
