A Demon's Core

It has been a little more than a week since Third got here. Things have been going well, with only a few minor conflicts that are usually quickly resolved. Third is more independent than the other two, going out alone more often than not, while First and Second still do almost everything together. Second appears to be the leader of the group. Or at least, when she speaks, the others listen...usually.

She does seem to be the smartest of the trio, perhaps that is why they listen to her. It is not uncommon to see her with an exasperated look after one of the others, usually First, has done something ridiculous. At some point Second found some sewing supplies and has been repairing and adjusting everyone's clothes. The results look rather crude, but it gets the job done and the stitches seem to be holding so that is what is important.

While observing the imp's antics does provide at least some entertainment, I can not help this growing anger and frustration. Not at the imps of course, they have done nothing to earn my ire, but rather at my own lack of ability to do...anything really. I can not move, I can not touch anything, my vision is limited to only this room, my hearing is so limited that I might as well be deaf and I can not even speak without expending mana to do so. It is becoming unbearable. I would scream if I thought it would help at all, but even if I did, no one would actually hear it. Unless I spent the mana to make my imps hear it, but I would not do that. It would be terribly mean of me to scream at them for something that is in no way their fault.

As I stew in my anger, I can feel it growing and then start pulsing. Wait, no, it is not anger that is pulsing, it is mana. It is not pulsing through the air, but through the floor, walls and ceiling of the entire room, including the three smaller side rooms. It feels strange, but also somewhat cathartic, so I do not try to stop it. I do start to get a little concerned when I feel my mana starting to be consumed. But nothing bad has happened any other time I have used mana and now I am curious to see what is going to happen.

Several changes occur all at once and it is a bit jarring so it takes a moment to actually process everything. My field of vision has narrowed. Instead of being able see all around me, my vision is now limited to only one direction and my point of view seems to be higher. As I look around and am struck with the realization that I can look around. That means movement...I am actually moving of my own accord. I look down and see that I am standing on my chair. Standing! With legs and feet! My feet appear to look the same as those of my imps and have the same reddish-pink skin.

Between my feet is a faintly glowing pink orb. Is that the body I have had until now? I raise my hand in front of me and- “I have hands!” I exclaim and can actually hear the words. Not internally, but as actual sound. Can I not only speak but actually hear as well? My hands also look the same as those of an imp. Is that what has happened to me? Have I too become an imp? It is then that I hear two other voices behind me.

“It over?” The first voice asks.

“Seems so”, comes the reply.

I turn around to see First and Second. It looks like they were preparing themselves for another expedition. Third is already out so it is only these two here for now. They look confused and nervous and perhaps even a little scared. I hop down from my chair and walk towards them.

“It is alright. There is nothing to worry about.” I try to reassure them. They do not react to my words. In fact, they do not seem to react to my presence at all. I reach out to put my hand on First’s shoulder, noting that we seem to be the same height, only for my hand to pass right through her, like she is not even there. Or like I am not even there. All of my excitement from a moment before drained at that realization. This is further emphasized as they walk right through me, without even the slightest bit of resistance, moving towards the pink orb on the chair. They can not see me or hear me or even touch me in this form. This is far from ideal. But I can hear them clearly now and I can move around, so my situation has undeniably improved, even if it is not as much as I would like.

“You okay?” First asks, poking the orb. I can feel that, being poked. I guess the orb is likely still my main body. This one is merely an extension of it.

Yes, everything is fine. I was just conducting an experiment. Yes, that is what it was, an experiment. It totally was not me just having a tantrum that just happened to result in something strange and unexpected occurring. I am sorry for worrying you. I send to both of them and see them visibly relax. First gives a small smile and starts lightly petting the orb.

I feel a quiet nagging thought in my mind and I looked down at the clothes that I am wearing. It did not register before, but this form was created already wearing clothes, which I am glad for. But as I look at First then back to my clothes again, I realize what I am wearing is exactly the same as what she is wearing. We are also the same height and as I look behind me I see that my tail, like First’s, is unusually long. It would seem this form may be simply a reflection of First. But why? Why copy one of my imps instead of having a unique form? Perhaps it is a matter of visualization and it is easier to visualize something I can actually see. Then why First? Maybe because she was my first imp and is the one I feel the strongest connection to.

“Come now. We have things to do.” Second says to First as she heads towards to door.

“Okay, we go now.” First whispers to orb before following after Second.

Well, now that I am alone I take a more thorough look around the place. Starting with this orb. I walk around the chair to observe it from all sides and see that it is not just solid pink, but it changes colour between various shades of pink and purple. More pinks than purples though. But as I continue to circle the orb, at first just admiring the colours, I begin to suspect that the colour fluctuations are not random. I try circling it in the other direction and it looks like there is a definite pattern. It seems the colour of the orb changes depending on the angle from which it is viewed. How fascinating.

I reach out to try and touch it and it is solid. I did not simply pass through it the way I did with First. Though I can not actually feel the contact on the orb the way I could when First touched it. Strange. Then I remember I was standing on the chair at first, so it must also be solid. I touch the chair to confirm and it is, indeed solid. Maybe it is only living things that I can not touch? I reach down to the bone pile and my hand does pass through some of them, mostly the ones on top. But towards the bottom of the pile the bones become solid and most of the bones under the chair are also solid. Now I am thoroughly confused.

Why are only some of the bones solid? I try to pick up one of the solid bones only for it to not move. I try to grab it with both hands and pull, but I can not seem to affect even the slightest bit of movement on this bone. I try a few others but not even the smallest of them will move with my touch. Perhaps this form of mine lacks physical mass and without mass I can not affect other objects that do have mass? Though that would not explain why I can touch some things but pass through others. I do not think I will find answers to that just yet, so I should move on to the rest of the room and see what else I can and cannot touch.

The floor is obviously solid. First’s nest is not. The overturned table which still has not been moved is solid. The walls and windows are solid. The various benches and cabinets of the kitchenette are solid, but items that have been placed there by my imps are not, such as First’s broom collection. The couch is strange, my hand passes through the padding of it but the frame on the inside is solid. The clothes pile I also can not touch. I think I am starting to get an idea of what is going on. All that is left is to check the three smaller side rooms.

I will start with the unclaimed room, mostly because the door is already open. It appears to be a bathroom. Not much to it, a toilet, a sink and small shower cubicle. Everything except the shower curtain seems to be solid. There is a mirror above the sink; it is too high for me to see my reflection, but maybe if I climb on the sink. When I do climb up and look into the mirror, I see no reflection looking back. That is not entirely outside my expectations. If this body is merely a mental projection rather than any sort of physical form, it should not be surprising that it does not cast a reflection.

As I move towards the room claimed by Second, I wonder if I will actually be able to get in. The door is closed and if it is solid and I am unable to move it, like the bones, then I will not even be able to open it. When I reach for the door handle, my hand passes right through it. I can literally just walk right through the door. I touch the door frame just to test it and it is indeed solid, so it is only the door. Inside the room there is two beds, each with a night stand and small lamp. There is also a desk with a single chair and a wardrobe against the wall. On the desk appears to be where Second keeps most of her various items she has collected.

She probably needs the chair to get up there. The desk is solid, but when I try to climb on the chair to get a better look at her collection, I pass right through it...How curious. What is the difference between this chair and my chair? Is it just because my chair holds the orb, or is there something more to it than that? Both of the beds have solid frames, but the mattresses, I can not touch. The wardrobe door is also not solid, but the sides are, so I just stick my head in and see that this is where Second keeps her clothes.

Third’s room is much like Second’s except instead of two beds, there is just one much larger bed. Third does not use the desk, electing to just put all of his stuff in a pile on the floor. Except for his clothes, which are in a pile on his bed. Interestingly, the chair in Third’s room is solid, like my own, as is the door to the wardrobe.

I have an idea, but it still has holes in it. Hard objects, such as furniture and things that are part of the room are mostly solid. While softer things like the mattresses and couch padding as well as most of the items brought in by my imps seem to be intangible to me. But there are exceptions to both parts of this. The doors and the chair in Second’s room are intangible, while some of the bones that the imps brought in are solid. Not even all though, just some. I feel like it is a good start on a theory, but clearly I am still missing something important. But at least I have plenty of time to think it over. It is not like I am going anywhere.

Eventually I am interrupted from my thoughts by the return of my imps. All three of them, I guess they must have run into each other and decided to return together. First is wearing something very strange. It is a single piece of clothing, but it covers her entire body except for her hands, feet and face. She did have to cut a hole in back for her tail though. It is pink and fuzzy with a zipper down the front and even a hood with what looks like round fuzzy ears on top. She discards her backpack by the door and runs to my chair. Clearly excited to tell me about what she found.

“We see BIG lizard! Very big. More big than me. Very scary. We hide, it not find us.” she says, almost speaking too fast for me to understand her. Hearing about a giant lizard like that is a little concerning, but they were smart in how they handled it and were able to avoid danger so I am proud of them. “Found biiiig room, lots of clothes. Find some fit good.” she continues, not having slowed down at all. “Then saw friend. Bring to clothes room. All get new clothes. I fuzzy now.” With that she hugs herself, clearly enjoying the feel of her new fuzzy outfit. While she was explaining all of that Second and Third were emptying the backpack. Looks like they really filled it with as many clothes as they could fit in it. Now they were separating out their own selections. I am glad they managed to find some well fitting clothes that they all like.

If there really are creatures like that big lizard out there I think you all need to be a little more careful when going out. I send to them. They all seem shocked for a moment. First turns to Second with a big grin.

“See. Can hear. Told you!” she says smugly.

“I suppose you’re right. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.” Second replies, looking down and frowning. I do not think she likes being proven wrong. Technically, she was right up until today. But First seems so happy to have confirmation that I can actually hear her and I do not want to spoil that happiness. I will talk to Second privately later.

You also need to find some better weapons. I do not think those bone clubs are going to be particularly effective against giant lizards or other equally large enemies that may be out there. First looks absolutely horrified at the thought of abandoning her trusty bone club.

“But, bone good.” She pleads, holding her club tightly to her chest.

I am sorry, but no. I am sure it is fine against smaller enemies, but do you really think it would work against that big lizard you saw today? I am not asking you to get rid of it altogether. I just want you to find something better to defend yourself against more dangerous enemies. First looks to be on the verge of tears. I guess I ended up spoiling her happiness anyway. Third does not seem too devastated though. I would say he even looks contemplative. Perhaps already trying to think of alternatives for his clubs. Unfortunately I have some bad news for him as well, but I wait until he goes into his room and follow him in so it can be a little more private.

I also do not want you going out on your own anymore. It is too dangerous to go alone. This does seem to irritate him.

“Not danger. I strong. Lizard not scary. I not need others.” He retorts, apparently angry at the suggestion that he can not handle himself.

No. It is dangerous. No matter how strong you are. Even if you can beat one lizard, there could be even stronger enemies out there. And there is no guarantee that they will be alone if you encounter them. I actually feel a little bad that I did not think of this before now. How many other dangerous threats might they have already encountered that I did not know about because I could not understand when they tried to tell me about them?

Third just sits down on the floor pouting, apparently with nothing more to say. I just hope he will actually listen to me. They have never disobeyed me when I have given them instructions so far. But I do not know if I could actually stop them if they really wanted to.

As I leave Third’s room I look over to First. She is curled up in her nest, still holding her club close. I do feel bad that I have had to upset two of my imps today. But this is necessary for their safety. I do not want to lose them. I do not want to stop them from going outside. I do not know if I even could. But the least I can do is try to mitigate the danger and make sure they are properly prepared for what they might encounter out there.

I still have one more imp I need to speak to. Hopefully this conversation will go a little better so I am not left with three imps all upset and sulking. I enter Second’s room as she is putting away her new clothes.

I would like to speak with you. There are some thing I wish to discuss. She perks up at the contact and closes the wardrobe.

“As you wish. Do I need to come out of my room?” She inquires, taking a few steps towards the door. She seems unsure, not surprising though, this is the first time I have tried to have a conversation instead of just giving advice or instructions.

No, here is fine. First I wanted to say, you were right about me not being able to hear you. At least until today. It was only my experiment from earlier that changed that. She smiled a little at learning that she was not wrong after all. I also wanted to ask about how you came to be here. She seemed confused at that.

“You brought me here didn’t you?”

Yes, but what I mean is, were you somewhere else before that?

“I was in master’s manor.” Well that confirms that my imps are actually being summoned from somewhere instead of just created by the rift.

But what actually happened when you were brought here, from your perspective, what was the process? She does not seem sure how to answer that and takes a while before she speaks again.

“I was cleaning master’s office, then I felt a strange mana pulling at me.” She frowns and goes quiet again. And now I am worrying that I may have done something bad.

Did I bring you here against your will? She looks surprised at my question.

“No! No, it’s just hard to explain. I wasn’t forced here. It was more like an invitation. I’m sure I could have refused, but I didn't like master’s manor very much.”

So you do not regret coming here?

“Not at all. My master was not nice to me and there were no other imps around so I was always lonely and the mana was bad. But when I felt the mana pulling me, I could tell it was good mana and there are others here so I am not alone anymore and my new master is not mean to me.” Wow, that is a lot to process. To start with, I was correct in calling them imps so that is good. I wonder if the reason she is always with First is because of the loneliness she dealt with in that manor for however long she was there. Does she think of me as her new master? I do not know how I feel about that. I guess it is not a really a problem, but I do not want to be anyone's master. I would rather she think of me as a friend.

What did you mean by the mana being bad? She tilts her head at that and her brow crinkles slightly as she contemplates how to answer.

“It was like it felt a little bit wrong and always hurt just a little. Like breathing bad air that is not bad enough to kill, but still bad enough to notice that something is wrong.” I do not actually need to breathe so that analogy might be wasted on me, but I think I understand what she is trying to say.

But the mana in here is good?

“Yes,” she replies, while nodding emphatically. “Outside is very weak, but is not bad. But in here is very good. It’s calm and relaxing and feels nice.” If mana can be good to the point of being relaxing or bad to the point of causing constant pain, it might be a far more complicated concept than I realized.

Another thing I wanted to ask was about the way you speak. You seem to be much better with words than the other two. Is there a reason for that? This makes her frown again, but it looks like there is more anger behind it this time.

“I was chosen to serve master because I was smarter than other imps. But first I had to learn how to speak properly. It took many months and the lessons were...harsh.” Though she did not say it, I got the impression that her being “chosen” is not something that she was given a choice in. I really did not expect my first real conversation with my imps to become so serious.

I am happy that you accepted the invitation. I really do like having you here and I am sure the others feel the same. With that her entire body seems to relax. I did not realize how tense she must have been until that moment. She has a smile on her face, but also tears in her eyes. I am not sure how to interpret that.

“Thank you. I am happy here. More than I have been in a long time. I think I’d like to be alone for a while, if that’s okay.”

Of course. We can talk more later if you would like. There are more things I want to ask her, but now does not seem to be the right time. They can wait. As I turn to leave I can see a tear rolling down her cheek.

My conversation with Second has given me much to think about. It sounds like wherever imps come from, they are not well treated. It could be that Second’s experience was anomalous. But something in her demeanor tells me that was likely not the case. Though it is sad to admit it, there is not really much I can do to help their situation. Even if I could give them a better life by bringing them here, I have no idea how many there are. At best I could probably help only a small, if not infinitesimal fraction of them. I still want to try though. Even if I can only help a few of them. It is still better than doing nothing. But I do not have enough space for many more in here.

I walk towards the door that leads to the void. Holding out my hand, it passes through the door, just as I expected. If I am going to bring more imps here, I need to know what is out there. Then I step into the void.