1x1?

[shadow_claw]

Aedus was horrified, and for good reason. He and Pallian shared their form in tandem, choosing compromise over control. Therefore, he didn't know how any other 'housing situations' worked. Pallian, however, had accounted for this. And dammit, he was getting their soul back no matter what.

 

The spite on their lips was almost tangible as the two god connected lips. Both furious and desperate, it came to no surprise that Pallian was a biter. He could feel it. He could feel his soul, and it was so close. They pulled Chaos closer, both physically and mentally, trying to draw out what was his. One could practically taste his fury.

 

Aedus didn't harbor this same feeling. In fact, he was mortified. This...this wasn't Dwyer. This wasn't the god he had so desparately sought the affection of. No...This was the horrid thing that had tried to kill him. The thing that left black lines beneath his skin for so long.

"Stop it! Let him go!"

"You don't know what's best for us."

"I know what's best for him!"

And like that, one shaking hand managed to release Dwyer's body, but the other held fast. He wasn't stronger than Pallian. The conflict was visible on the god's face, both sets of eyes showing vastly different expressions. Couldn't they tell that this would ruin Dwyer? Pulling Chaos into a place of dominance would kill the other god!

Edited November 9, 2015 by shadow_claw

[pudding]

Chaos was a feeling, thinking creature. It was sentient, intelligent and, to be honest, absolutely furious with the creation god it had been kept inside of. It had been meant to devour both of the gods but, instead, it was stuck in the back of the Moon's mind, kept suppressed throughout the many years. Boredom had sapped at it's strength further and it became much simpler to doze off for years at a time than struggle against what seemed like unbreakable mental barriers the god had put in place to stop it.

 

But then along came Pallian. The god who should have died. The god who it ate so long ago. Even if the Moon tried to forget and hide his feelings, Chaos never did. And Pallian's return even aided in it's escape. After all, the soul fragment wanted to return home. While Chaos was not going to give it up so easily, it would hold fast onto it and use it as a means to drag itself out of the back of the god's mind and into the foregrounds of his thoughts. And this is exactly what was happening.

 

The black lines visible across the god's neckline shuddered then, in sharp, irregular movements, shot upwards across his skin towards his mouth. The cracks spread easily enough and some even broke through the skin completely, causing crimson red blood to rise to the surface. However, even his blood was now affected by Chaos's rising control as it very quickly began to flow black instead. Not giving up now, Chaos grabbed ahold of the hesitating hand and pulled it back closer, using the arm as leverage to continue the kiss, drawing it out. It didn't need Pallian to have conflicted thoughts right now. It just needed him to drag him up into a place of control over the filthy little thing that had kept it prisoner for so long. A thing that could scarcely even be called a god anymore and certainly wouldn't when it was through with him. Just a little bit more was all it needed to finally be in control.

[shadow_claw]

"Stop it stop it you're making it worse!" Upon being pulled back in, Aedus fought with surprising vigor. What had begun as a weak argument quickly became a wild struggle. While Pallian worked to pull Chaos closer, Aedus was rapidly struggling to push the other entity back. When Aedus finally managed to break free, the boy's actions had done enough to only go half way. It wasn't complete, but...

"What did you do?!"

"That...Thing! It would have killed Dwyer!"

"The Moon has been dead far longer than you believe. There is nothing left but Chaos."

Letting Chaos loose would effectively allow Pallian to kill it once and for all. It would shatter what shard of soul Dwyer kept within his body. The rest of the god could be gathered and restored, but...It would not be the same. Furious, Pallian did the one other thing they could think of.

 

They opened their mind for guests. Well, more like sucked anything nearby inside.

 

Four beings in one headspace was nearly unthinkable. As soon as all four were crammed in, Pallian locked it shut, refusing to let any of them leave. Aedus immediately retreated to a corner, getting as far away as possible. This was all absolute insanity. None of this was supposed to happen. He wasn't a...a god! All of this was absolute lunacy! Pallian wheeled on Aedus, making a mental noise that could only be considered a growl.

"You forced my hand, you miserable excuse for a soul!" They snarled, it's form bristling angrily.

[pudding]

Inside the enclosed mind, the two beings that had been dragged from the god's body appeared. One, the god himself, looked almost exactly like he did in reality. However, this appearance was accompanied by what appeared to be his own shadow. Completely black like the god's silhouette, the being wavered slightly then opened it's bright purple eyes and spread it's lips in a white-toothed grin.

"Oh, well this certainly is a surprise!" Chaos exclaimed with delight, clapping it's hands together as it looked between Aedus and Pallian. "I don't usually get to talk to anyone else. And it certainly is pleasant to be in someone else's mind." When it started to walk away from the Moon, the shadow between them stretched out so that it still kept them connected. But the farther away it went, the more ill the god looked before he abruptly collapsed. Glancing back at him, Chaos scowled then walked back and began dragging him closer to Pallian by his collar. "I do suppose I'll have to thank you for giving me the upper edge. I've been trying to wiggle free on my own for thousands of years now but you gods sure can be stubborn. I'm surprised he held out this long, actually." Glancing down at the Moon, he shrugged slightly then dropped him back down on the ground and promptly sat down on top of his back to use as a chair. "So what did you bring me in here for? You should no better than to welcome me into your mind."

[shadow_claw]

If Chaos was Dwyer's shadow, then Aedus served much the same purpose. Except, it was Pallian that did the dragging. Aedus dug in his heels, resisting the much stronger force as much as he could. Which was very little. Turning around abruptly, Pallian snatched the boy by the collar. Unlike Chaos, however, Pallian lifted Aedus with ease. While Aedus's being was the soft tone of candlelight, Pallian was white hot and nearly blinding to gaze at.

 

The split was nearly half between both versions of the Sun. If Aedus was the compassionate half, able to create and nurture; Pallian was the absence of that. They were rage and fury, far more apt to destroy and punish than their other half. It was for this reason alone that Pallian was able to overpower Aedus. The boy hadn't a bone of violence in him.

 

"It is simple, really." The god lunged forward, clutching for Chaos's scrawny neck. With the last remaining shard so close, it flowed softly. A mix between both Aedus and Pallian's colors, it was clearly the most important piece. After all, could be their old self if they weren't fused perfectly once more. "It is easier to destroy you here." Pallian's other hand tightened its grip of Aedus as the lesser half squirmed. They wouldn't let the young man go. In order to properly seal off Chaos, they needed to generate a structure strong enough to hold them. And Pallian couldn't do that.

Edited November 9, 2015 by shadow_claw

[pudding]

The toothy grin that split across Chaos's face appeared only moments before the god lunged. However, it was not to last as his entire body suddenly dissolved into a liquid and melted away from Aedus. "Is it now?" the liquid gurgled back, slipping away from the god and reforming nearby into a new shape. "I think you might be forgetting the past, friend. I think you might be forgetting how I devoured your entire SOUL." With that, the liquid slipped away, reforming several feet away. "I may be weak compared to how I once was but I'm not the only one. What will you do? You're just a broken, sorry excuse for a god."

 

Hesitantly, the Moon slipped away from the conflicting two, trying to find his way to a corner. However, even as a liquid, it was clear that Chaos was still bonded to him in some way. Turning it's gaze on the god, Chaos hissed then yanked at their joined shadow, causing the god to lose his footing and crash to the ground. Shivering, the god curled in on himself as Chaos huffed slightly.

"DON'T try escaping," Chaos replied with a hiss. 'You're responsible for imprisoning me. I'm not nearly done with you yet."

[shadow_claw]

Pallian watched as Chaos melted in his grasp, their eyes expressionless. He stepped forward toward Chaos slowly, as if uninterested. A soft buzz filled the air, quickly increasing in intensity. Aedus squirmed and shrieked, seemingly affected the worst what whatever Pallian was doing. "You forget something as well: I spared you. I had reduced you to nothing the first time you struck. But I spared you, because you were like us. You were a god. And I pitied you. But you broke me. I can't pity you any more. You stripped away my mercy and gave it another life." The buzzing in the enclosed space became unbearable for Aedus, the boy wailed as his small figure began to flicker. It hurt, it hurt so much.

"You were always so jealous of us. So jealous. Always wanted someone of your own. But the Moon isn't enough, is it? He could never love you. You can take away all those memories but the pain still remains."

Edited November 9, 2015 by shadow_claw

[pudding]

The chuckle that came from Chaos was accompanied by a slight wiggle of the liquid-like mass it had become. "I think you might be projecting some of your own feelings onto me," it replied with a cheeky grin. Using the shadow connecting them like a leash, it dragged the Moon closer. "I don't care about any of you. I exist only to consume the world. If you two created this world, I will be the one to end it." With that, the liquid swarmed around the god, seeping into the cracks in his skin. More effective than just holding him hostage was just combining their forces now and using him as a source of energy until his will eventually vanished. The Moon cried out in pain and hunched over, trying to curl in on himself before finally turning and looking at Pallian in fear.

"Help me," he whispered as the dark cracks in his skin began to increase in number, moving towards his eyes and covering his face.

[shadow_claw]

Furious at this, Pallian attempted to pull Chaos back. They just couldn't comprehend something filled with so much hatred that it destroyed for fun. There had to be some meaning behind it! Snatching Aedus back up, they hurled the fragmented soul at Dwyer. Aedus had little will to fight back, after all, and retreated to the first shelter he saw. Which was Dwyer himself. Small compared to both Chaos and Pallian, he was able to squeeze into Dwyer much faster than Chaos could manage. He was like a flicker of light, There and gone in a flash. The whole time was Aedus whimpering apologies, hugging the corners of the Moon's mind desperately.

Imsorryimsorryimsorry.

[pudding]

The god whined loudly and tensed up as the light, while feeble, provided enough of a countermeasure to apparently keep Chaos at bay. The black liquid fell away from his body as the cracks retreated back down to his collar line. Cradling his head with one hand, he turned around to find an absolutely livid pile of black ooze lurking in his shadow.

"What was that?" Chaos hissed, turning on Pallian with a screech. Rising up, it seemed to momentarily regain a human-like form before bubbling up completely into a massive wave of anger. "I thought you were trying to regroup! Why would you cast aside part of your soul like that?!" Obviously frustrated it's pathway had been blocked, it hesitated. Now what? Outright attack Pallian? No, the instant it tried to do that it could just be attacked right back. It had to remain in a form that Pallian couldn't work with as easily.

[shadow_claw]

Amazed that their frustrated, rather senseless action had actually done something useful, Pallian straightened up and advanced. There was nowhere Chaos could run to now, unless it chose to flee. With no room in Dwyer left, Chaos would be forced to form itself outside of a host body. That alone would make it much, much weaker.

"I don't want to destroy myself while destroying you." Once again, that awful buzz filled the small headspace, making everything blur with its intensity. Chaos had nowhere to run. This would finally be their chance to remove its stain from the world.

[pudding]

The wavering mass of liquid hesitated, retreating backwards from Pallian slightly. A frustrated hiss escaped it before, finally, it settled down on the ground. It's apparently agitation had settled down slightly as, once more, it reassumed the form of the Moon god. "Go on then," Chaos retorted, it's form solidifying so it even matched the Moon god's skin colors and no longer resembled his shadow, though those green eyes were stained purple and dark lines covered it's face. Running it's long, pointed tongue over it's teeth, it scowled at Pallian before letting it's arms fall down at it's sides in an obvious sign of submission. "Kill me. Destroy my mind and with it, the last remaining piece of you. And what will you get out of it? Perhaps a few more years before the remaining pieces of me form a new collective. Because I'm just as much all of Chaos in the same way that brat was all of the Sun god. I'll let you decide if that's worth it."

[shadow_claw]

Silence. There was no real solution to this. Killing chaos would permanently leave Pallian in pieces. Aedus was already weak the way he was. Leaving them separated would likely lead to Aedus's death. Even if it wasn't now, it would be eventual. Seething, Pallian paced in circles, edging closer each time they did so. "What do you want from me? From us? Is your only pleasure derived from destroying everything we have spent millennia on?"

 

Aedus did his best to edge away from the conflict, pushing himself (and dwyer with him) away from it all. It was only when they met the barrier did he find it give way. It...didn't hold him? Of course! This was his mind, after all. Everyone else here were just borrowing.

"Do you...want to leave?" He asked softly. "I can...I can stay. With you, I mean. Just to make sure those...that they don't bother you again."

[pudding]

Chaos paused at this, raising a hand to it's chin to honestly consider that question. It sounded so trivial when put that way. Like it was an irritating dog constantly attempting to steal food from it's owner's plates. But he didn't have anything else. Most of his life he'd been kept behind bars, mentally caged and snapping at anything that came near him. Usually, this was stray pieces of the Moon's magic but it was hardly his fault if he did not have any extra hobbies. Not much to do in the void of a mind, constantly repressed and kept under lock and key. So when the spirit turned back to Pallian, it shrugged slightly and frowned. "Well, of course. Is there even anything else? Starting with freedom would certainly be nice. I really wasn't fond of my living space for the past millennia."

 

"We can leave?" The Moon asked faintly, watching the fight. He recognized Chaos, of course. Besides stealing his face, he had lived with that thing for years. Of course he could recognize his presence. But while Pallian and even Aedus seemed vaguely familiar, he couldn't tell who they were or why they seemed to know who Chaos was. Focusing on Aedus, he closed his eyes. "I need to leave. I need to take my potion. I need to stop him from ending the world. I can't let everything just...die."

[shadow_claw]

((I imagine Chaos sort of like...I dunno. Like if let free they'd go crazy for a while and then just mellow out. They'd cause a war every several hundred years, and then everything would settle back down to simple things like ruining friendships.))

 

Pallian's metaphorical compressed some, as if wary. If left to roam free, chaos would destroy all in sight. But even when it had killed him, and debilitated Dwyer...it chose to settle back down. Still, the Sun knew this was a bad idea. Letting chaos go would end everything much faster than before. "...Perhaps. I must consider this. Understand that you have put me in a situation where your release in unfavorable." In an ideal situation, Pallian would stuff chaos into a corner and leave it there to suffer for eternity. But it didn't seem like that was really an option.

 

"I....I'll try." Aedus muttered in response. Testing their shared form, he took a step back into the void. And then another. Step by step, the void before them closed as what lay behind them rapidly opened up.

 

---

 

Although he could feel eyes open, Aedus was aware that they were not his own. It was the three-dimensional vision that gave it away. Aedus had only one eye for so long, it was startling to see out of two. Mentally did he retreat , giving Dwyer to do what he pleased.

"Dwyer? Are you...are you alright?"

[pudding]

((Oh, absolutely. And during the mellow times you can bet they'll show up on Pallian's doorstep and insist he let them in because they're so bored. And if Pallian doesn't play checkers with them they're going to go start eating everything in sight again.))

 

Chaos only grunted in response, opting to take a seat in Pallian's mind instead of remaining standing. They'd already reached an impasse so it didn't see why it had to constantly stand about. "I hardly think we have another option since there is nothing else even remotely favorable to me. But you can think it over as long as you need to."

 

The god held his head in surprise that the presence in his mind had receeded. He...he couldn't feel Chaos any longer. It wasn't that he no longer was infected, that was far from the truth. But he no longer could feel the same presence in his mind that he constantly had to keep chained up. What did that mean? "I.....who are you?" he replied. Who was Dwyer? He was positive he didn't know anyone by that name. "I am fine," he replied, quickly climbing to his feet and feeling his pockets. Even if Chaos's presence was gone from his mind, he still needed to take his potion. Where had he put the thing?

[shadow_claw]

((Chaos is the annoying little brother of eternity.))

 

 

"Then you will be sitting here for quite some time, no?" Pallian snorted softly, settling down as well "...I will consider your release of my soul fragment is returned. If I agree to the terms, we will enhance goods. Otherwise, we will remain here." Pallian wasn't one to go back on his word. He wanted to make this very clear. Taking the shard and then leaving Chaos in spite of their agreement would be dishonest and cruel. He was neither of these things. "Understand that, with all of my soul intact, I will allow you to roam free. I could even construct a body for you." That was, of course, if Aedus agreed. The boy had already proved flighty when under stress and could prove to cause problems in the future.

 

---

 

"..." Although Aedus was silent, the waves of sadness he created were enough to communicate his feelings. So the god had chosen to forget. After everything, they opted to forget it all. "I...That's a question I've been asking myself a lot lately..." Was he really Aedus, the child of siren and man? No, it didn't seem to be that way. But he wasn't Pallian either. When with Pallian, though, it felt right. Like they should be the same thing, not two beings cooperating. But the god's fury and determination..it scared him. Something was missing from Pallian and it made him dangerous. "I think...I think I'm Pallian. Part of him, I would figure. But I'm different, too. While he's righteous and powerful, I'm passive. I get too upset over things. We're supposed to be together, but...we aren't." When Aedus finally answered the Moon, he seemed unsure. That's what Pallian had been saying for so long, and it made sense.

[pudding]

"A body?" Chaos replied, clearly interested. It had never had a body before. Oh sure, it had possessed it's fair deal of creatures and infected various things but eventually, it's power wore away at whatever it touched and it found itself back in a liquid state. And while it certainly could move about and form whatever shapes it wanted, there still was a clear lack of...something. It was just liquid at the end of the day and, as a liquid, it had no sense of pain or even the ability to feel. "I don't think you could make a vessel well enough to withstand my being," Chaos replied. "Perhaps this small aspect of me for several hundred years but even this small amount will eventually break whatever you give me. Moreover, it is likely better I recombine with the rest of myself. If I do not, it is very possible that a new collective will appear and I myself would rather not be on the other end of a much larger, much more powerful version of myself."

 

Mentioning the fact he wasn't sure what a Pallian was probably wasn't a good idea. The presence in his mind seemed upset and while he had no idea who the man was who barged into his home, he was at least smart enough to realize that was likely Pallian. "Then are you going to leave?" He asked, sounding a little bit sad by this. The first visitor in his head for a while didn't want to kill him and actually was quite soothing to talk to. He didn't want such a visitor to leave him. Not at all.

[shadow_claw]

Aha. Now this had gotten the liquid's attention. Pallian's form solidified somewhat, revealing a set of crimson eyes and not much more. His burning intensity eventually settled as well. "I am infinite and have shaped this land and all within in to at least some degree. It will be no large task to construct a form for you." Chaos had been using mortal bodies, after all. Bodies designed for squishy, weaker mortals. It wouldn't be too hard. Well, provided that Pallian was whole once more.

 

---

 

"I...don't know." Aedus answered simply. He honestly didn't. His body was before him on the ground, seemingly comatose. Pallian must've completely overloaded his senses by dragging another two infinite beings into his head. "I-I don't know how to go back..."

[pudding]

Well, if they had a body it would be easier to find the rest of themself. Taking this as the best deal it could get, the mirror version of the Moon god lifted an arm then stuck it deep within his own chest. Huffing slightly, it pulled out a decent-sized chunk of a solid out of its own body that looked like a black stone. Black liquid dripped off the stone and pooled at it's feet before being drawn back up into Chaos's body, revealing the stone to be a dull yellow color. It pulsed only faintly every so often and, despite being inanimate, seemed rather feeble and obviously weak. By no means did it look like any part of a god and especially not part of a soul. "There we are," Chaos remarked, holding the stone out to Pallian. "I have held onto this for some time. You're fortunate I didn't discard it earlier but I did drain most of the magic it held. The Moon wouldn't willingly give me any of his so I was forced to make do with what I had already eaten."

 

 

"I couldn't tell you how to either," The Moon replied, glancing down at the body before turning away quickly and walking into his study. His potion didn't appear to be on his person so he'd need to collect one from his stocks. Reasonably soon, he'd probably need to create more. That would be a frustrating ordeal. "But don't worry. You can stay in my mind as long as you need to."

[shadow_claw]

Eyes narrowing, Pallian studied the stone for a few moments. It wasn't in the condition he had wanted it to be. It would take quite some time of rest for this fraction of himself to heal. Quietly did he stuff the stone into was was (probably) his chest, where it remained slightly visible. "Until I have gained enough energy for my soul to heal, I am only able to fulfill one of my promises." Just like that, the small world around them fell apart as Pallian shoved chaos from his (borrowed) mind. Pallian sat upright almost immediately, blinking a few times. He stood, pushing past the other god in search of the kitchen. He was starving. Regeneration of a soul worked with one meal at a time.

 

[pudding]

With it's access from both Pallian and the Moon cut off, Chaos found it's consciousness tossed outwards into the void. Thankfully enough, it's mind proved to be just as hungry as it's actual form and, in a few minutes, a small black orb appeared in the air and dropped to the floor. Just like the beginning, then. Shuddering slightly, the orb trembled as two eyes appeared on it's body and it rolled forward, quickly devouring the broken door on the floor until it was the size of a small dog. Being able to eat so much without worry helped it quickly recover it's size and build up to a reasonable size. Hence why, in the end, it would be difficult to truly ever get rid of it. Even the smallest speck had the potential to come back bigger and badder than ever.

Rolling across the floor with ease, Chaos followed after Pallian, tagging along at his heels. "What are you looking for?" it rasped moments before a foot connected with it's body and the black ball slammed into a nearby wall. Looking out of breath and confused, the Moon stared at the black ball with a hiss then grabbed a random picture frame off the wall and smacked the orb again. Looking at Pallian with narrowed eyes, the Moon seethed.

"What did you do?" He asked, looking mostly angry but also very much afraid.

[shadow_claw]

Pallian didn't pay attention to either beings that spoke with him, stumbling instead into the house. He was starving. It didn't take long for Pallian to find the pantry and when he did, it was an absolute madhouse. The god began to stuff anything and everything into his mouth. If he could swallow it, it was swallowed. Other objects (that were likely food at one point. The Moon had been pretty neglectful of late) were torn into smaller pieces and then eaten. By the time the famished god had finished, the pantry was in disarray. Nothing was where it belonged, and even the spices had been devoured. Surprisingly, Pallian managed to make it to the den before he utterly collapsed. Sustaining a physical form while so frail was difficult, especially when most his energy was focused on healing.

 

"Which one is chaos?" Aedus asked softly. While one ran around in his own skin, the other seemed midly passive and ate anything it rolled over. Whomever was using his body actively sought to consume. The other didn't. "Can I, um..." The boy stretched out a little in the shared mindspace, marveling when a certain amount of push gave results. Soon, a second pair of arms appeared, allowing both Aedus and the Moon to work separately. "Can you tell the ball to...not eat everything? As for me-er, my body...I don't know."

[pudding]

Don't do that, The Moon mentally complained after a wave of pain hit him following the body manipulation. He didn't have the strength to shape change like other gods and the process was often slow and excessively painful. He didn't enjoy altering his shape at all and while the presence had asked, it had acted before he could tell it that was a bad idea. He didn't have the power to support that kind of alterations and certainly didn't have the ability to numb the horrible sensations that came with growing an extra pair of arms.

 

I know this one is Chaos, he added as he smacked the orb again with the picture frame. This time, however, the orb held on and jerked the picture frame from his grasp. Within a few moments, the frame had dissolved and the orb had increased in size slightly.

"Is this important?" the orb asked as the Moon grabbed a chair and began hitting it with that instead. Seeming only mildly irritated by this fact, it trembled slightly then grabbed ahold of the chair and held onto it tightly so the Moon had to stop hitting it. "That's enough of that."