DC

## **Basic Information**

**Full Name:** Sebastian

**Nickname:** DC, Lykan

**Birthday:** October 30th 4321 BDI

**Species:** Kodin (Feline)

**Purity:** 55%

**Gender:** Male he/him

**Height:** 5’ 7”

**Sexuality:** N/A

**Languages Spoken:** All

## **Personality**

**Likes:** Games, freedom, control, cats, singing

**Dislikes:** Closed spaces, fireworks, other gods, religion

**Fears/Phobias:** Claustrophobic, losing control

DC is very playful and carefree, but in an oddly sinister way. He’s known to be very suave and charming, often using this to his advantage to manipulate others. Since he’s immortal, DC takes things slow. Once he’s taken over the Mortal Realm, he’s won the game. What’s the rush? Why not play the game a little longer? He’s even made a few arbitrary “rules” to ensure he’ll be able to play as long as possible, and he’s known to stick to these rules wholeheartedly; even if it means losing every now and then.

Generally speaking, DC’s charming nature is a facade. Once someone sees through him, his true colours start to show. He’s an unempathetic being who only cares about his own self interests. He’ll complain about anything and everything, and nothing is ever up to his standards unless he does it himself. If he can’t manipulate someone, he’ll take more drastic measures to ensure their cooperation. The second you stop playing into his game, he ceases to show any mercy.

While DC is usually methodical and calm in his ways, he’s been known to snap. His normally well thought out and personalized insults turn into nothing but strings of vulgarity. He’ll destroy anything in the nearby area, regardless of the consequences. If anyone happens to get in his way during one of his tantrums, they won’t live to see the aftermath. Anything that pisses him off enough to make him snap will be destroyed, even if it means hurting himself in the process.

## **Abilities**

**Strengths:** Manipulative

**Weaknesses:** Unstable emotions

**Weapons/Tools:** Flail

DC is the source of Red Magic and the center of the ever expanding “Hivemind” that’s been plaguing Mirror Domain for centuries. Red Magic is that of chaos and destruction, and DC is the only one who can control it. Anyone other than him that touches his Magic will either die, or become a puppet for DC to control.

The Hivemind is DC’s main ability. Once someone has entered it, the Blue Magic that makes up their soul is destroyed and replaced with his own. This prevents those infected from ever being able to return to the Afterlife. When interacting with one of the Hivemind, it’s safe to assume that you’re interacting with DC himself. Infected individuals no longer have any free will, and when left to their own devices they’ll do nothing but cause destruction.

Another ability DC has is the power to manipulate objects. He’ll often use these powers to show off or intimidate someone. His favourite thing to do is to fill the area he’s in with a deep, thick, red smoke; a telltale sign DC is in the area. This may also be used for more petty reasons, like making people drop things or causing mass destruction to an area.

## **Health**

Addictions: None

Mental Illnesses: None

Physical Illnesses: None

Disabilities: None

Allergies: None

## **Backstory**

Sebastian was born centuries ago, in what’s now known as the country of Vertgate. He lived in a small village, which was largely made up of lower purity beings like himself. The children of the village would spend their days playing or goofing off while the adults tended to more important matters.

Life in this village wasn’t easy. Sebastian learned from a very young age that in order to survive, he had to focus on himself. Resources were scarce, and people were desperate for survival. Many of the village's children didn’t survive into adulthood as a result.

Sebastian spent most of his time hanging around the rest of the village children. He never particularly cared for any of them, but they were the only people in the village that would entertain him. The adults were always so serious and stubborn, and he hated that. Kids were more open to his ideas, and they’d often play into his games. They were also easier to manipulate, which Sebastian used to his advantage.

There was one child in the village that seemed more naive than the others. A small Kodin girl named Oasis. She seemed drawn in by his charm, and he could sense it. Once the two became friends, Sebastian focused most of his manipulation onto her. Other kids in the village would be hesitant to share things like water, but Oasis always wanted to help out. She was an easy target.

Over the years, his peers began to wise up to his true nature. Sure, he seemed playful and charming on the outside, but deep down he was nothing more than a manipulative selfish monster. As much as they tried to push him away, Oasis always prevented it. People liked Oasis, so they let Sebastian stick around to avoid upsetting her. This only stroked Sebastian's ego more, and he’d constantly taunt the other kids with this fact.

Sebastian's treatment of Oasis was always the center of any argument within his group. The others would always try to show her his true nature, but he’d always spin the argument on it’s head at the last moment. It’d go from how he was manipulating her, to how the other kids weren’t as kind and caring as her. Oasis, as naive as she was, would always fall for it. She saw them as the closest of friends because he always seemed to stick up for her. In reality, she was nothing more than another pawn in his game.

One day, very early in the morning, Sebastian was woken up by a blinding flash of light. Followed by another, and then another. The brilliant blue and red hues were unlike anything he’d ever seen before, so naturally he got up to check things out. He never liked getting up that early, since the only people awake at that hour were farmers, but the mystery was too alluring.

Sneaking around had always been difficult, and today was no exception. It’s hard to sneak around in a wide open desert. There were no bushes or trees to hide behind, and his jet black fur stood out amongst the dusty sand. Almost immediately after exiting the village, one of the adults spotted him. Leaving the village was dangerous, so as a punishment Sebastian was forced to help work the fields. He had lost this battle, but not the war. The lights were still flickering in the distance, and he was determined to uncover this mystery.

Eventually Sebastian’s punishment was over, and he was set free to join the rest of his peers. He didn’t necessarily want to tell them about the lights, but he’d look less suspicious leaving the village in a group. Whatever was causing these flashes of light could be extremely valuable, and Sebastian didn’t want to share these possible riches with anyone else. Still, if push came to shove he could always get Oasis on his side.

So, the group set off. The walk took them about an hour, but Sebastian didn’t care. It was an adventure, it was fun! Some of the others began to complain, talking about the alleged “dangerous” creatures that lurked outside the village, but he didn’t care. As long as he could get away he didn’t care about what happened to anyone else.

The glow continued to get stronger, and eventually the group made it to their destination. It was a cave, and something inside of it was the source of the glow. At the base of the cave were two rocks, a red one and a blue one. They both glowed with an intensity that Sebastian had never seen before. Some of the others seemed hesitant to climb deeper, as there was a 25 foot drop, but he didn’t care what they did. He was going to investigate. Some of the others followed, Oasis included, but most of them stayed by the ledge or near the surface.

The rocks were even more beautiful up close. All the dents and divots gave them both a glittery effect that was quite mesmerising. So mesmerising in fact that Sebastian didn’t even notice Oasis walking up to them. He only noticed her after the fact, when the blue rock stopped glowing. Everyone else took a step back as the room’s light turned red, only being illuminated by a single rock’s glow.

Touching the blue rock made it stop glowing. Would the red one do the same? Sebastian had to know, so he eagerly put his hand out and placed it on the rock. Just as before, the glow stopped, and the group was left in complete darkness. A brief wave of energy radiated throughout Sebastian’s body as the glow faded away to nothingness.

The group’s goal was to find the source of these lights. Now that they’d found them, and the cave was left in total darkness, everyone wanted to go home. Sebastian reluctantly agreed. He’d already pushed his luck quite a bit, and he didn’t want to risk getting into any more trouble. So, the group climbed out of the cave and began to make their way back home. On the way back to the village, some of the group began stirring. At first he ignored them, but everyone suddenly came to an abrupt stop. Shortly after, someone screamed, and everyone began to scatter. It took him a couple seconds to see what was going on, but when he did he ran as well.

A pack of jackals had spotted the group and began to chase them. They looked thin and sickly, which was probably the reason why. Creatures desperate for survival would often take risks, and now was no exception. Everyone else seemed to be in an almost blind panic, but Sebastian remained calm. He was confident in his abilities, and given these jackals current state outrunning them would be a piece of cake. There was no need to waste his energy running as fast as he could, as long as he kept a consistent pace.

Watching everyone run was oddly entertaining. Something about the group's panic filled Sebastian with glee. It almost felt like he was above them, in a way. He was observant enough to figure out why the jackals were attacking, and he was able to remain calm enough to get away easily. Everyone else was acting foolish. He would have continued to run all the way back to the village, but a cry for help caught his attention.

It was Oasis. She had been caught by one of the jackals and had fallen to the ground. The rest of the pack was quickly closing in, and everyone’s panic was only rising. He only glanced at her briefly. Her pleas were pathetic. If she had just stayed calm, like he had, she’d have easily gotten away. Saving her would only put himself at risk so, despite her pleas, Sebastian just scoffed and continued running.

Eventually everyone else made it back to the village. His peers seemed to have regrouped in the village center to count heads and regain their bearings. The second the group spotted him, a couple of them went into a rage. One of the elders in the group began to yell at him for “daring to lead them to such a dangerous place” and other things in that vein. Others nodded in agreement, and soon the entire group was demanding answers.

Sebastian didn’t want to explain himself. He didn’t really feel like doing anything, actually. Maybe the run was more exhausting than he first thought, because he was beginning to feel a bit weak. In an attempt to shift the conversation away from his actions, Sebastian mentioned that Oasis was nowhere to be found. It worked. The group almost immediately shifted their focus on finding her.

Over the next few days Sebastian began to feel worse. It seemed like a run of the mill fever at first. Nausea, headache, dizziness. Nothing he did seemed to make him feel better. As the week progressed, new symptoms arose. Muscle spasms, hallucinations, memory loss. Any amount of light hurt his eyes, and it made his headaches worse.

The strangest symptom was his eyes. At least, it started in his eyes. They turned from brown to red, and then from red to bright red. His eyes seemed to be glowing, and the glow could even be seen through his eyelids. As time progressed, this glow became more and more prominent. It seemed as if his insides were glowing. The glow could be seen in his ears, nose, and mouth.

One night, several days after his fever had appeared, Sebastian got up. He hadn’t gotten up in days, but something compelled him to start walking. Maybe it was the dehydration. Or perhaps it was something in one of his hallucinations. His mental state was all but gone at this point, so the reason could have been anything. His body glowed bright red as he mindlessly strolled through the village. The bright red glow cut through the darkness, making him look like some sort of apperision. Very few villagers were awake at such a late hour, but the few that were kept a distance. No one seemed to recognise him; they all thought he was some sort of monster.

During this fugue state, Sebastian somehow made his way back to the cave he’d visited days prior. Almost immediately after reaching the mouth of the cave, he collapsed and began seizing. His body was trembling, and the red glow seemed to get brighter and brighter. Suddenly, a huge blast of energy shot out of him. This caused the ground around him to shake, and Sebastian to fall unconscious.

Some time later, Sebastian woke up. He had no clue how long he’d been asleep, or how he’d gotten where he was. In fact, he couldn’t seem to remember anything. His name, his age, his friends. All gone. The only, very foggy, memory he had was touching a red glowing rock. Slowly, Sebastian stood up and took a look around the area. There was nothing around him except for sand and the entrance to the cave. No landmarks, no footprints, nothing. He seemed to be all alone in the middle of the desert. The entire situation was confusing, and he hated it. He just wanted to be back home, wherever home was. He wanted to be home, and he wanted to be home now.

As he thought about it, about getting home, a rage began to build. All this confusion made him angry, and the anger just kept getting stronger and stronger. Sebastian had to take it out on something before he lost his mind, but there was nothing around. Just sand, sand, and more sand. There wasn’t even anything in the cave except two piles of rubble.

That’s when he saw something. While pacing around the area, Sebastian saw something brown and fuzzy out of the corner of his eye. It looked like an animal of some sort, but he couldn’t know for sure. Whatever it was, it moved quickly. No doubt it’d be gone by the time he walked over. That only made him angrier. It was too much. This anger, this rage, it was about to boil over. He could feel his hands shaking. Looking down, he could even see that they were starting to glow, although he was too angry to care. Then, he saw it. The fuzzy animal off in the distance. It seemed to be walking towards him; checking to see what dared enter its territory.

The second this animal entered his field of view, Sebastian lunged at it. Almost instinctively, he shot his hand in the animal's direction. As he did this, a giant red beam of energy shot out from his hand. It hit the animal dead on, and it more or less exploded in a flash of red light. The light was extremely bright, and it lingered for several moments.

When the light finally faded, Sebastian could still see the animal standing before him. Seeing it standing there, taunting him, it only made him angrier. He clenched his fist, preparing to shoot another attack, when he realised something. The jackal looked different than before. It’s dusty brown coat and black markings had changed. Instead of black, the Jackal’s back was glowing bright red; the same as his hands.

Sebastian stepped closer to get a better look, and as he did he noticed something else. His senses were filled with sounds and smells he’d never experienced before. At least, not to his knowledge anyway. He was also seeing brief flashes of someone walking towards him, but he was sure there was no one else around. Was he hallucinating? There was no way to tell. It took him the rest of the day, but Sebastian eventually figured out what was going on. At least, he had a pretty good idea. There was still no way to prove anything.

The jackal seemed to be under some sort of spell, a spell that that blast had put it under. Sebastian could see, hear, and smell whatever the jackal did. This ability seemed quite useful, if the jackal actually did anything. Alas, it did not. Since the blast, all the jackal had done was stand in place. Sebastian wanted it to move. If it would move, he could use this to his advantage. He could send it off in search of civilization, without the risk of him getting lost in the desert.

This was starting to get hopeless. He had this amazing newfound power, but he was all alone in the desert. It was getting late, and the faint red glow coming from the jackal was just making him more upset. It didn’t matter where the damned thing went, as long as it went away. Sebastian couldn’t stand to look at it anymore. In another fit of rage, he yelled at the animal to leave.

Surprisingly, it did. With an almost robotic way of moving, the jackal turned around and immediately began to walk the other way. It’s movement was extremely unnatural. The path it walked was almost perfectly straight. There wasn’t even a slight deviation to it’s path. It also didn’t exhibit any normal behaviours, such as swiveling it’s ears around to listen for predators or wagging its tail.

As the jackal continued to walk, Sebastian found he could more or less take over its body. He’d been honing in on his ability to see and hear all day, so he had the basics down, but now he was controlling everything. They hadn’t swapped bodies, as he could still move his own, but he found he was able to will the jackal into moving or acting a certain way.

It was dark out now, but Sebastian didn’t feel tired. In fact, many of the things he’d been worrying about over the course of the day didn’t seem to be an issue. Sure, it was hot, but he didn’t feel thirsty. He didn’t feel hungry either. He actually felt better than he’d felt all day. So, rather than wasting time trying to sleep, Sebastian spent the night in search of civilization.

A day or two passed, and during that time Sebastian expanded his operation. Jackals were pack animals. There were more to infect and control, and having more would only speed up the process. In the end, he’d captured about 17 of them, though there were more in the area. It proved to be difficult being in control of so many creatures. If he wasn’t actively controlling one of them, they tended to wander off course; vastly different from how the first one had acted. Still, his plan was working. With every jackal exploring a different direction, Sebastian easily found the nearest civilization.

After an hour or so of walking, one of the jackals reached a small village. Inside the village there were several different kinds of creatures, including other Kodin such as himself. Well, almost like himself. From what Sebastian saw from looking at himself, he appeared to be very different from these other Kodin.

First of all, he had wings. Large, black, leathery wings that made him appear much larger and more foreboding. Along with his wings, he had two horns protruding from the top of his head. They were small, yes, but the other Kodin seemed to lack them. The last thing was his face. Right in the middle of his forehead, where other Kodin had nothing, he seemed to have an extra eye.

Still, these things could be pushed aside for the time being. He could explain himself after he got to the village, but he had to actually get there first. An hour of walking seemed like an awfully long time, but it had to be done. Otherwise, he’d be stuck in the middle of the desert forever. When Sebastian finally made it to the village, he wasn’t given a warm welcome. People hid themselves inside their homes. A few stared at him through their windows, watching, but no one seemed to want to get close. Well, if they weren’t going to talk to him, he’d just have to initiate things himself.

Sebastian marched up to one of the houses and began to bang on the door. He hadn’t meant to hit it so hard, but the second his hand made contact the entire thing disintegrated into a puff of red dust. Seeing this made the person inside cower in fear. They’d been cornered, and they knew it. The only way out of the house was being blocked by Sebastian.

As he made his way in, the person began to plead with him. He could take whatever he wanted, just don’t hurt me. At first this confused Sebastian, as his only intentions were to ask where and who he was, but he quickly realised the kind of power he now had. These people feared him. They were afraid for their lives! Think of all the things Sebastian could do with this amount of power!

Still, he needed answers. Instead of asking them calmly, as he’d intended, he made his voice as bold and intimidating as possible. He demanded to know where he was, and he wanted to know right now. The person gave in to his demands, and soon enough Sebastian had gotten all the answers he could out of this one individual. He knew where he was, and he knew what this world was called, but he still didn’t know his name.

This person didn’t know it, but surely someone else around would. The only problem was that everyone was hiding. It’d take forever to seek everyone out individually, then ask every one of them his question. He needed to round them all up somehow. That way, he’d be able to ask everyone at once. But how could he do this?

The jackals! He still had control over the jackals! If he brought them all to the village, they could sniff everyone out and round them all to the village center. So, he did exactly that. Soon enough, an army of terrifying red glowing jackals was prowling around the village. Some people would try to run, but the jackals outnumbered them. After a while, he didn’t even need to use the jackals anymore. The villagers got the message, and the remaining stragglers made their way to the village center with everyone else.

This game of tag was extremely entertaining. Seeing everyone run around and cower in fear, fear of Sebastian’s power, was quite the spectacle. He’d never had this much fun before. Perhaps, he could turn all of this into a game. He had all the time in the world! The second he asked his question, there’d be nothing left for him to do. On top of that, if he let on that he had no memories, the villagers may cease to fear him. He couldn’t let that happen; he liked all the power he had.

So, instead of asking for his name, he asked the villagers if they knew who he was. When they didn’t, he made a huge show of it. How dare they not recognize him! People from across the land know of his power! His plan worked, and soon enough everyone in the village was more or less bowing down to his power and begging for forgiveness. Seeing all this filled Sebastian with glee, but the game wasn’t over yet. This was all too easy. He wanted more of a challenge.

Over the course of the next few months, Sebastian began testing the true limits of his power. He’d had the village turned into his own personal shrine. People had to bow down to his power, and those who didn’t were made an example of. Some were fed to the jackals, while others were assimilated into his Hivemind. Either way, the people of the village were terrified of him, and he relished in it. Still, even with the village in his grasp, he wanted more. More power, more riches, more people to rule over. He’d made up his mind about it, so it had to be done. Sebastian gathered as much knowledge from his slaves as he could, before sending his army of puppets off into the desert in search of more civilizations to conquer.

Over the years, Sebastian’s reputation began to spread across ancient Vertgate, although he wasn’t known as Sebastian anymore. People began to refer to him as Lykan, given that he most closely resembled a Lykoi cat. Lykan was quickly changed to Lord Lykan, and the name stuck. At this point, Lykan stopped caring about who he was before. If people didn’t know him back then, he obviously wasn’t important. If his past wasn’t important to the others, it wasn’t important to him. He had bigger things to worry about.

Lykan’s reign lasted for almost 3000 years. During his reign, society grew large enough for a country to form. A country under Lykan’s rule, of course. This country, Vertgate, was the first to be established in Mirror Domain, and Lykan’s influences over it continue on to this day. Wile Lykan was the most powerful being in all of Mirror Domain, people despised him. Every hundreds of years or so, some bigshot would try to build an army and overthrow him. These attempts largely failed, and Lykan would always make a big show of them. Still, nothing lasts forever. Someone was bound to overthrow him eventually, and overthrow them they did.

About 1500 years after his ascension to godhood and his subsequent rise to power, Mortals happened to stumble upon a very useful invention. This invention was known as black powder; a fine dusty substance that could be used to produce powerful explosions. Lykan was largely unaware of many of the smaller discoveries the Mortals had made over the years, and this was no exception.

A small band of Mortals decided that they’d once again try to overthrow Lykan. Their plan was to line his shrine with black powder to smoke him out and then ambush him. Once he was out of his fortress, it was just a matter of getting to him before his army arrived. Unfortunately for Lykan, this plan did not go as anticipated. Instead, it heavily weighed in the Mortals favour.

Due to some mishap in communication, some of the charges were set off early. These caused Lykan to wake up and check things out before the rest of the group was ready. Once they saw him, they had to think on their feet. Everyone in Vertgate knew of Lykans wrath. So, in a panic, they set off more of the charges. Explosion after explosion shot off left and right, decimating Lykan’s fortress.

Seeing this terrified Lykan, something the Mortals had not anticipated. He’d often used his own Magic to cause similar explosions. Had the Mortals found a way to access his power? It seemed more than likely, given the sheer amount of destruction they were able to cause. If they had found a way to harness Magic the same way as he had, he was in trouble. He was outnumbered.

Lykan tried to fight back, but the explosions had shaken him up. Soon, other people had seen what was going down, and they jumped in on the fight. What was once a small group had now turned into an army! If he didn’t do something soon, he’d surely be killed. So, in a last ditch attempt to save himself, Lykan unleashed an enormous blast of Magic, completely destroying the area around him. Those who weren’t killed by this blast had been disorientated enough for Lykan to make his escape.

Word of this attack quickly got out, and over the course of the next few days the sky was filled to the brim with colourful explosions of what Lykan assumed to be Magic. The Mortals were taunting him! Showing off the true extent of their powers! All these explosions made it difficult to navigate the skies, so Lykan could no longer fly away. He was forcefully grounded, and trapped in a kingdom that’d suddenly turned against him.

Not knowing where else to go, Lykan returned to the cave he had woken up by all those years ago. He couldn’t fly away, and being on the ground wasn’t an option either. It didn’t seem like there was anywhere else in this realm for him to go. As far as he knew, Vertgate was the only place in Mirror Domain that had any life; everything outside its borders was nothing but desert. If only there was somewhere else he could go. Somewhere where he was still in control.

That’s when it hit him. He could use his powers to manipulate things around him. Who’s to say he couldn’t take it further? Who’s to say he couldn’t make his own realm to rule over? A realm where only he and his Hivemind existed. No Mortals, and none of this new mortal Magic. It was perfect

He’d been able to use his powers to teleport in the past. Well, not really “teleportation”, rather he was able to melt into a black goo and seep into the ground. He’d often used this power to scare Mortals; making them think he could be around any corner. Perhaps, he could channel this aspect of his power to open a door to another world. To put it bluntly, he was going to try and melt a hole into the world that he could build his own realm in.

His plan worked, and a bright flash of red light later Lykan had his own domain. It was a world created by Red Magic. A world where everything was under his control. It was beautiful. Slowly, Lykan gathered his puppets into this realm, and construction of his new empire could begin. Lykan stayed in hiding for thousands of years. During this time, he used his Hivemind to construct immaculate and beautiful constructions in his honor. Temples, shrines, statues. All of the great Lykan himself! He would later name this realm of his the Underworld

The only problem was his name. The name “Lykan” was given to him by Mortals. Not surprisingly, he didn’t particularly care for Mortals anymore. He needed a name he could call his own. Something he himself came up with. If he made a name for himself, it could never be tarnished by the happenings of the mortal realm. Plus, if he ever so desired, he’d be able to sneak back into the living world undetected.

There were two things that Lykan drew inspiration from. An odd new practice called “Demon Summoning” had sprung up under his rule, and for a time Mortals assumed he was a Demon as well. If he played off his Demonic appearance, he may be able to intimidate Mortals in the future. He also drew inspiration from his favourite animal, a cat. He looked like some sort of cat Demon. Demon cat. DC! It was perfect! Sure, it was simplistic, but it suited him nicely. DC saw no need to come up with something clever. It was short, sweet, and to the point. Just what he wanted.

As DC laid in wait in his domain, he’d occasionally send some of his puppets out into the mortal realm to gain information. Over the years he’d learned several things, things that angered him to no end. One of which was the name of the “Magic” the Mortals had used all those years ago to overthrow him. It wasn’t Magic. The substance they used to create the mass of explosions, black powder, was nothing more than a mix of chemicals. It wouldn’t have harmed him at all! Mortals could have blown it up right in his face and he’d be fine! How dare they play such dirty tricks on him!

His rage was beginning to build, but DC kept his cool. He’d learned how to better control his emotions over the years, excluding the occasional outburst. He had to lie low for a while longer. He had to sit and wait for mortal society to hit a low point. It was a perfect plan; let Mortals tear themselves down, then strike when society is at its weakest. For now, all he had to do was sit and wait.

DC eventually got his wish. The Mortals were going through what they called “The Great Fall”. A massive economic downfall that’d been causing Mortals a lot of heartache. People were losing their jobs, their homes. Everything. Tensions were rising, and DC could smell a war in the near future as Mortals began to fight over their limited resources. So, DC disguised himself and set off to rejoin the mortal realm; looking for weak and unsuspecting people to charm into joining his cause. Sure, he could very easily use his Magic to take control, but where’s the fun in that? He has all the time in the world, why not play a little? His Magic made things too easy; DC wanted to take control of Mirror Domain in a more traditional manner.

The world had changed quite a bit since DC had last been there. Technology had advanced, new Relics had been discovered, society as a whole had changed. Sure, he’d gotten bits and pieces of these changes over the years, but he’d never experienced the world for himself. So, the only logical thing to do was to find a mortal who knew this world. One that could help him learn about “modern” life. That mortal came in the shape of a farm girl named Sandra.

Sandra was seemingly perfect. She’d been hit hard by The Great Fall, so she knew all about the nitty gritty details of this world. Her family was struggling to get by, so when DC stumbled upon her and offered to help her and her family out for free, she jumped at the offer. Well, not exactly for free. More of a trade. He’d help Sandra with her workload, and in return she’d use the extra time she’d have left over to help him. Sandra saw no issue with this. After all, DC was such a kind and charming individual. She easily fell victim to his manipulation. Things were going quite well, at first. DC learned a considerable amount of information about the modern world, and he’d even been able to trick Sandra into doing more work for him.

As charming as DC was, Sandra wasn’t that naive. As soon as he started asking her to do more shady things, she wised up to his game. The second she stopped playing into his manipulation, DC simply infected her with his Magic and added her to his army. He had no use for her anymore, why keep her around? A few weeks passed. DC had just begun to move on with his plan, when he saw something strange in a vision. There were thousands of souls under his control, so seeing a brief flash of one of their points of view wasn’t unusual for him, but this time was different.

Most things his drones saw were typical of this world. Sandy deserts, rivers of oil, dark caves. This drone, however, was somewhere he’d never seen before. They were standing on a soft misty terrain, surrounded by paths of blue stone and white houses lined with gold. There also seemed to be large pools of water scattered across the landscape, with brilliant white plants with blue leaves surrounding them. Perhaps, because he wasn’t used to seeing these sorts of things, he wasn’t able to block it out as easily. Regardless of why he saw this, DC was intrigued. He needed to know more about this place. Where it was, how to get there. Most importantly, why he’d never heard anyone talk about it before.

That’s when he saw her. Off in the distance, chatting with some of the other souls, DC could see a white Kodin girl. She was dressed in very elegant clothing, much more so than the other people around. That’s not why she was interesting, though. Floating atop her head was a glowing halo of gold, and she had an enormous pair of feathery wings on her back. She almost reminded him of, well, himself. Another winged Kodin, one that seemed to radiate a strong Magical energy. He had to know who she was.

Over the next few days, he had his puppet follow the Kodin around. As he did so, he learned more and more about who she was. This Kodin’s name was Oasis, and from what he gathered she was the God of this plane. This plane, a plane separate from Mirror Domain. Many of the creatures around her called it “The Afterlife”. But, that didn’t seem right to him. Was this really what awaited people after death? Was there really life after death?

As he learned more about Oasis, DC’s opinion of her lessened. For one thing, if she really was a god, why didn’t people worship her? In his domain, everyone bowed down to him! Here her people almost seemed to resent her. She was incompitant, constantly making promises to souls that seemingly couldn’t be kept. On top of that, her mental state seemed abismal. More than once he’d witnessed her completely break down; unable to do anything but panic. Calling such a pathetic being like Oasis was an insult to his title as a God. Something had to be done about this.

So, DC began to mess with her. He began saying “we” or “our” when talking to Oasis, subtly hinting at the fact she wasn’t talking to whoever this puppet really was. He also began insulting her, telling her she was unfit for godhood or mentioning he’d never seen another god like him before. All of this seemed to be getting to her, and DC relished in it. His taunts seemed to be pushing her over the edge.

Several days after his arrival in the afterlife, Oasis led his drone away from the populated areas. Much like his own, this plane seemed to be infinite. Once she’d lead the drone away from everyone else, she began to channel her Magic into its body. Almost immediately, DC’s contact with this drone began weakening. He couldn’t let this happen; he hadn’t figured out where this realm was yet! If he didn’t know where it was, he’d never be able to overthrow this pathetic rival god. So, in hopes of staying in control, DC channeled more of his own Magic towards this drone as well. It was like a game of tug of war. Both gods seemed to be fighting for dominance over this creature.

After a few moments, DC noticed something else. He was able to more or less pinpoint where his Magic was going as he channeled it into this creature. With this information at his fingertips, he no longer felt the need to fight anymore. He knew where this “Afterlife” was now. So, he let Oasis have this drone. There was no longer a need for it.

Over the next few months, DC formulated a battle plan of sorts. He used his limited knowledge on The Afterlife and Oasis to strategize. She seemed weak and feeble minded, so he was confident he’d be able to throw her off her game by getting into her head. Oasis’ mental breakdowns were crippling. If he could trigger one, he’d easily be able to execute her.

Perhaps a bit too easily. He’d never been in a fight with an opponent as worthy as this one. Despite her incompetence, defeating Oasis would be an enormous step in his goal to take control of Mirror Domain. If he was going to take her down, he wanted it to be slow and painful. He wanted to relish in it as much as possible; this could be the only opportunity he’d ever get to kill a God.

Finally, DC had finished his plan and gathered all the supplies he needed. Oasis did have a weapon, so he created one of his own to help even things out. A flail, seething with Red Magic. With everything he needed ready, DC took to the skies to attempt to break into this hidden realm and finally challenge his new rival Getting to The Afterlife was easier than he thought. Breaking through the barrier was a bit difficult, but the Red Magic he’d channeled there months before left a weak point. A large area of the Afterlife was filled with some sort of lesser Magic. This is where he broke through.

Finally, he was face to face with Oasis. DC started out with his original plan; getting into her head in hopes of throwing her off. He said things like how she wasn’t worthy to be a God, and how Mortals should be worshipping her if she was really as powerful as she claimed. She was an insult to his title, and he wanted to make that very clear. These insults didn’t seem to be getting to her, though. It was almost as if she’d heard it all before. Still, the battle had only just begun. He had all the time in the world to waste. So, he let Oasis rough him up a bit. Think she was gaining a lead, only to hit back harder and stronger at the last moment. Of course, he continued his taunts throughout.

After a while, DC realised that his fakeouts were beginning to give Oasis a real lead. He was beginning to wear down, something he hadn’t seen coming. Once he realised this, he changed up his strategies. Oasis was wearing down as well, so if he could just outlast her in this fight he’d be able to take her down. His attacks started to get more relentless. Show no mercy. Go for the throat. Anger. He could feel his anger beginning to rise, and this was starting to make him slip up. His flail seemed to only be getting in the way, rather than aiding him. He didn’t need it, though. His Red Magic was more than enough to get him through this.

DC shot an enormous beam of Red Magic at Oasis, and it hit her dead on. She fell to the ground, and it didn’t seem like she was going to get back up. The anger he’d been feeling quickly disappeared. Was this it? Had he really won? He had to know for sure, so he slowly stepped closer. The second he bent down to inspect Oasis’ body, she lunged at him. There was a faint click, and DC could see a pair of what looked like manacles clasped around his wrists. Almost as soon as the manacles clicked into place, a collar of the same material appeared around his neck, and chains began to drape down to his feet.

These chains, these manacles. They were draining his power, he could feel it. If he didn’t get them off soon, there’s no telling what would happen. His panic was beginning to rise; he didn’t know what to do. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get them off. DC began clawing at his collar, desperately trying to remove it. His claws dug into his chest as well, but he didn’t care. He needed to get these off of him.

The panic only got worse, and by the end of it DC was manically clawing at himself. His face, his chest, both of them had deep wounds that were bleeding profusely. Still, he continued on. Wounds such as those could be healed, as long as he still had Magic to heal himself. All of this became too much. His wounds cut too deep, and his Magic had almost run dry. There was nothing keeping him standing anymore. His vision began to fade, and DC slipped into unconsciousness.

DC awoke some time later in a basement of some sort. The ground below him resembles the misty terrain of The Afterlife, but it was much darker. Almost like storm clouds. His wounds had been healed, but they still burned. All of the fur around them was gone, leaving nothing more than a large deep red scar. A god couldn’t scar, could he? Under normal circumstances, no. But his power was still gone. DC could feel that he hadn’t turned mortal. He could still feel his body producing more of his Magic, but as soon as it came it was sucked away from him. These chains seemed to be preventing him from using it.

He was a prisoner of The Afterlife now. As much as he planned, as hard as he fought, he had lost this battle. This battle. Not the war, the war was only just getting started. Oasis played his game, so now he’d play hers. Whatever she wanted him to do, he’d go along with it. All in the hopes of one day finding a way out. A way to freedom. Then, and only then, could he continue his takeover. It was only a matter of time.

## **Relationships**

**Oasis:** DC has a very odd view on Oasis. On one hand, she’s his true rival. Her Magic is as powerful as his in every way, making her the only one worthy to be his adversary. On the other hand, Oasis is a lowly, pathetic, weak willed being who’s largely unfit for godhood. Her being a god is insulting to his title, and he hates his kind being brought down by the lines of her.

While he does hate her with every fiber of his being, he does enjoy her company. Perhaps it’s some sort of weird Stockholm syndrome, but DC finds wisdom in some of the things she’s told him during their counselling sessions. That being said, the wisdom he gains from Oasis is never how she intended for her words to be interpreted. He always finds some way to spin her words into a dark and twisted manner.

DC enjoys taunting Oasis and messing  with her mind. He finds her weak mental state both fascinating and hilarious. Any day he’s able to send her into a full blown mental breakdown is a good day. Still, DC’s content with just making her mildly uncomfortable. Any discomfort or distress he causes her is a win in his book.

**Sandra:** To DC, Sandra’s nothing more than an annoying pest. He can’t remember infecting her, as he’s assimilated countless victims into his Hivemind. There’s no reason for him to remember the names of each and every one of his victims, especially considering they no longer have any free will once under his control. DC is largely unaware of how Sandra ascended, and he doesn’t particularly care. That being said, if he were to ever learn her true origins, he’d throw the tantrum of the century. She’d be his biggest failure.

It’s rare for Sandra and DC to interact, but when they do it’s always messy. The two seem evenly matched in terms of willpower; meaning neither will back down when they get into a quarrel. If Oasis doesn’t break them up, they’ll continue verbally abusing each other for hours on end.