Possession 4: Of Hounds and Havens

                The Hell Hound roared and lunged. Rei made Tenshi’s body duck down and forward, allowing her to roll under the beast. The creature landed just as Rei got to her feet. With a snarl, it charged her. Even as she stood, Rei spun, slashing towards the monster with the bokuto. The Hell Hound dug its three paws into the ground and leapt clear.

                “Is this all you can do, you mangy mutt?” Rei taunted with Tenshi’s voice. The beast crouched low and began to circle. Rei circled with it, her weapon at the ready. Without warning, the beast suddenly dashed forward, jaws snapping. Rei gasped and sidestepped, swinging her sword across the dog’s flank.

                He’s faster than I thought! If only I could get close enough… Rei was shaken from her thoughts as the Hell Hound appeared before her, rearing high on its hind legs. She tried to raise her weapon, but the creature knocked it aside with its stump as the other claw slashed across Rei’s chest. Luckily, she had begun to fall back, so the damage was only skin-deep. She groaned. Tenshi’s not gonna like that…

                The beast leapt to pin her but Rei quickly rolled out of the way. The Hell Hound followed, digging deep furrows in the earth. Rei rolled to her feet as the monster let loose a roar of frustration before charging once more. Waiting for the last possible moment, Rei crouched then leapt into the air. As the beast passed below her, she grabbed the fur on the back of its neck and pulled her body downwards. She swung Tenshi’s legs down first and landed, straddling the beast. Rei let out a yelp as a sudden pain shot through her groin.

                Ugh! Forgot… in Tenshi’s body… I have to be careful down there… Rei clung to the beast for dear life as it began to buck, trying to get the human off of its back. The Hell Hound reared on its hind legs then threw its body forward to land on its one front paw. The sudden motion shook Rei loose and flung her into a tree.

                “Gyah!” Rei moaned, leaning against the tree. It was a hard impact and she was still seeing stars. Her vision cleared and she realized she could not find the Hell Hound. Carefully limping towards the center of the field, she looked around, searching for the beast’s aura.

                “Come on out, you overgrown Chihuahua… don’t tell me it’s all over…”Rei muttered. She paused, eyes settling on the bokuto just a few feet in front of her. At the same time, she began to hear the sounds of heavy breathing behind her.

                With a roar, the Hell Hound leapt. Rei dove forward, hand outstretched. She fell just short of her target and gasped as the wind was knocked out of her. Even as she hit the ground, she rolled aside. The Hell Hound landed right where she had been a second before and swung its stump for a leg around, catching Rei in her side. The blow sent Tenshi’s body through the air, crashing into another tree.

                Rei slid down the trunk and coughed. Using the tree for support, she struggled to get back to her feet. Tenshi is going to be very angry when he returns… She snapped her head up just in time to see the Hound barreling towards her. She leapt out of the way.

                The beast crashed head-first into the tree, snapping the trunk in half. Rei rolled as she landed, springing back to her feet and stumbled. She ignored the pain in her side and chest and focused her eyes on the bokuto. Taking advantage of the monster’s momentary confusion, she dashed to the wooden sword and grasped in a clenched fist. She spun around to face the Hell Hound head on.

                The two figures circled once more. It was a matter of time now. Rei limped. The beast paced. The tension was almost tangible.

                The beast let out a roar and charged. Rei ran to meet it. The monster leapt into the air, much like it had earlier. Rather than jumping aside, Rei took a more dangerous path and dove forward, twisting Tenshi’s body upwards as she did so. She spun the bokuto in her hand so that the blade faced her and swept it upwards with both hands as the Hound soared above. The blade slid through the beast’s belly much like a knife cuts through warm butter.

                With a howl of pain, the beast hit the ground hard and rolled. Rei landed hard on her back and grunted before climbing to her feet. She narrowed her eyes at the thrashing beast and began to stalk over.

                The Hell Hound snapped and snarled as she approached. Rei wasn’t fazed. She paused, just out of reach of its jaws and raised the bokuto, blade pointed towards the ground, above her head.

                “You have no place in this world, you monstrous beast. Go back to the darkness from whence you came.”

                Rei plunged the blade down into the Hell Hound’s forehead. Before the blade slid halfway through, the dog began to melt into steam. With a final, defeated howl, the Hell Hound dissolved, leaving only a single scrap of parchment behind, characters etched onto its surface with dried blood. Rei lay upon the ground, slowing her ragged breaths, and stared at the parchment.

                A talisman? Then… that beast being here was no coincidence… There’s a Hell Hound Trainer in this city! That means… That means the Abomination is here too… Rei slowly stood, checking over Tenshi’s body for wounds other than the four slashes across his chest. “Not too bad, Tenshi,” she murmured. Not as athletic and agile as my old body, but it seems fit enough. The possession is really draining me though…

                Rei sighed with relief. “Alright Tenshi. The battle is over. You can reclaim your body now.” She waited. Nothing happened. She realized that she couldn’t leave his body. “Tenshi?” Rei looked around. “I can’t feel your spirit… But… oh boy… he’s not going to like this… That world isn’t for those without training…” With a groan, she turned back to the path leading to the field and limped down it. I better get us home before I’m completely drained… wouldn’t want him to wake up in the middle of the park.

                I hope Tenshi isn’t too upset when he returns…

What’s happening? Rei? Tenshi’s vision slowly came into focus. He was in his room. But it was different.  There was no paper on his desk, no clothes on his chair. There was nothing there, only furniture. With eyes half closed, he wandered into a hall that seemed to stretch forever in both directions.

Dad? Are you there? Tenshi called as he trudged down an endless flight of stairs. He reached the landing and gazed at a single figure sitting in the kitchen. Even in this lethargic state, he recognized her at once.

Mom?

The woman at the table smiled. She was amazingly beautiful. Long, golden chestnut hair seemed to hang about her, framing her with its soft curves. She was of average height, astonishingly proportioned with a face Tenshi could only describe as angelic. Her blue eyes, so amazingly gentle, gazed at him from a fair, radiant face. She was dressed in a pure white gown, so white that it seemed to glow. In fact, she seemed to give off a soft, gentle light herself. She smiled, and his heart raced.

                Tenshi moved over to her. Mom… I had the strangest dream… You were gone, and dad and I were alone…

                The woman slowly stood and embraced Tenshi. He raised his arms around her, holding her tightly. I was so scared, Mom… for a long time… I saw you, but they wouldn’t believe me… and then… then…

                Something was odd. At the back of his mind, something nagged at him. Something important that he couldn’t place. He tried to ignore it, but it wouldn’t go away.

                I met this girl, Mom… her name was Rei… She… died…

                The world around them changed. It was a garden by a pond. It was just like the dream Tenshi had had the night he met Rei. So real, so intense, but not his…

                Then everything was back to normal, yet not normal. Tenshi took a step back. His mother was back in her chair, smiling. The room was strange… too big… too big… his mother… No! She had died!

                Tenshi’s eyes widened. What’s going on?! The kitchen began to fade. The whole room vanished. He stood in a world of shadows with only the light from his mother to guide him. He stared at her, and she just smiled at him.

                MOM!

                “Mom!”

                Tenshi bolted upright. He glanced around quickly, disoriented. His room. Morning light shined in through his window. He was soaked with sweat, his bed a complete mess. Tenshi swept his eyes over his clock radio.

                7:00 A.M. An hour until school. Tenshi swung his legs out of bed and rested his elbows on them, lowering his head into open palms. What the hell was that about?

                “Good morning, Tenshi. Sleep well?”

                “AHHH!”

                Tenshi jolted backwards, scrambling against the wall his bed was set against. The sudden action made his side erupt in pain. He gasped and clutched at it.

                Rei had materialized in the air right in front of Tenshi. Her appearance was what had startled him so. The priestess winced when he went for his side. “You may want to move a little more carefully, Tenshi. The wounds from the Hell Hound have not completely healed yet.”

                Tenshi blinked several times, still clutching his side. “Wha…? Oh… the Hell Hound… right… did we win?”

                Rei smiled. “Well, you’re still alive, aren’t you? I suppose that may be a good sign.”

                “What exactly happened,” Tenshi said as he prodded at his stomach. He winced.

                “We got tossed around a bit. Some trees broke our fall, so not too much damage was done.” Rei watched the teenage boy then lowered her voice slightly. “Tenshi… what happened to you after the possession?”

                 “What… happened?” Tenshi remembered his dream. It was still vivid in his mind as if he was still there. “I… dreamt, I guess. I was here… only… things were different…”

                “Different in what way?”

                “I don’t know… there weren’t many details, like my clock, or the clothes on my desk chair… everything was so… plain… I went into the hall and it seemed longer than it usually was…the stairs too… and… in the kitchen…”

                “What did you see?” Rei pressed.

                Tenshi lowered his gaze. “I… I saw my mother…” It was hard to think about. He had actually stood across from her… but there was no way that could have happened. It was only a dream.

                Rei sighed. “I’m sorry, Tenshi. I should have thought everything through. When I possessed you, I sent you to the Third Plane. I’m truly sorry.”

                “Third Plane? What’s that?”                                                                                           

                “The Astral Plane. Imagine the physical world as a circle. Inside this circle is everything you’re used to, everything real. Around this circle is another circle. This is the spiritual plane. It includes the physical world as well as spirits, demons and other spiritual beasts. This is also called the Underworld, even though a more accurate name would be the Overworld.”

                Tenshi sat quiet, listening to Rei as she continued.

                “Around that circle is a third. This is the Astral Plane. It includes both the spiritual and physical worlds, but is a world unto itself. When a spirit is exhausted to the point where they are threatened by oblivion, they retreat to the Astral Plane to regenerate. This world is one of the mind. What one experiences there depends on the memories, emotions, and thoughts of the person. When you were sent there, you saw your home, because it is most familiar to you. You saw your mom because…” Rei paused then smiled, speaking softly. “Because she may be your strongest memory and the center of your thoughts.”

                “…I see…” Tenshi didn’t know what to say. I’m not sure I get it, but it does make some kind of sense… “Is there any way to… to control what we see there?”
                Rei nodded. “Mental exercises help. As a priestess, I received training in the art of Astral Projection, or letting one’s mind travel the Third Plane without hindrance. With enough practice, one could see both the spirit world and physical world without being seen themselves.”

                Tenshi frowned a bit then gently rubbed his side. “Okay, I think I get it now…”

                “Tenshi… there’s something else. You need to keep yourself under control while in the Astral Plane; otherwise your mind will be stuck there. Sometimes we may see something we desperately want to see and not want to come back, but we must. Please, keep that in mind.”

                Tenshi didn’t say anything.

                Rei frowned then changed the subject. “I also made a discovery. That wasn’t a normal Hell Hound we fought last night.”

                Tenshi looked over at the floating priestess. “There’s more than one kind?”

                “This one was created from a talisman. A slip of paper used to summon creatures or spells.  This one was written in blood to ensure the beast’s loyalty.”

                “Which means…”

                “Someone summoned the Hell Hound. No human is strong enough to do something like that, which means it was a demon. Somewhere in this city is a monster training these Hounds.”

                “It seems that they got away, Ukyo.” A figure clad in a black outfit trimmed in red knelt in the center of the meadow, prodding the ashes left by a broken talisman.

                Behind him stood a large teenage boy with crimson hair slicked backwards to form spikes along the back of his head. His eyes were dark, and his skin darker. He growled at the remark. “Whoever defeated my Hell Hound was no mere human. Whoever it was had help.

                “Mm.” The boy in black stood, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together. “It was the priestess. The one you were supposed to kill two days ago.”

                “Impossible! My hound did away with her. Even with its paw severed, it was able to defeat the huntress.”

                “Then she has found someone to act through. I recognize the aura left here. It is from the Clan of Echoes.” The boy turned and slid his hands into his pockets before heading to the path that lead out into the park. “Find the human host and kill them. I have found a kind of peace in this city. I do not want her to disrupt it.”

                The larger boy slammed a fist against his chest. “Right away, master. I will not rest until I have found them.”

                The smaller boy smirked as he walked away. “Excellent.”