The Possession Arc

**The Possession Arc** is the point at which the Original Timeline deviates from its intended path, resulting in the Break that forms the multiverse.

Originally a thought-experiment exploring the possible reality of Helvah's nightmares, *Possession* was a one-shot, followed by *Sweet Surrender*, a sequel addressing the aftermath. What followed was a sequence of events that spiraled out of control, revolving around Helvah's murdered brother, Vischias, and Frederick's unseen protector, the unnamed ethereal that would become Fred.

## OT Deviations

The Possession Arc takes place towards the end of the Kingdom of Yaoi, just prior to Duty-Bound, preventing those events from taking place and changing the plot entirely from that point on.

The major changes from the OT are:

* **Helvah**'s nightmares become reality. **Vischias** appears as a vengeful poltergeist, hellbent on making his brother's fragile existence a living nightmare. Vischias regularly resorts to possessing him in order to torment the people he loves. After the first time (*Possession*), Helvah is left unaware that this is happening (explained below), seeing only the result and his own loss of time. He begins to believe that he has gone mad.
* **Whiltheld's gauntlet** is revealed to be a talisman that repels Vischias' control, imbued with their fathers' wish for Helvah's safety. That Helvah wears it at all times is only to cover the self-inflicted scars carved into his right arm. In this context, it's implied that Vischias' ghost put these marks on Helvah directly after his death, in an act of hate that binds them together. The presence of the gauntlet disrupts this connection, giving it the ability to ward Vischias off when worn.
* **Frederick**'s state as a masoca is established, though Frederick *himself* remains largely unaware.
* Frederick is *also* revealed to be unknowingly under the protection of a summoned entity. Its presence is triggered when Frederick is in danger, save for the first encounter with Vischias. This being later becomes Fred.
* **Fred** is a Djinn, an ethereal entity of boundless power, hampered by his limited use Frederick's delicate mortal body. Among his powers are the ability to steal and erase memories, and to suppress Frederick's consciousness in order to replace him. He is bound to a **jeweled dagger**, owned by **Jasper**, an assassin-thief involved with Frederick's father. Jasper's ownership of the dagger leaves Fred irrevocably under his control. He's not happy about it, but he's resigned.
* **Vischias** is brought into focus and his past explored through his interactions with Fred. In particular, his descent into madness is closely examined. Though vilified at first, he is humanized far more than was ever done in canon, with a sympathetic light shone on his continuing struggle with undiagnosed mental illness.

## *Possession*

*Nothing stands between us here*
And I won't be denied

The Palace sat beneath the heavy mantle of a monstrous storm. The winds and the rain battered the windows like a hundred million stones against the glass, the dark halls lit only by the infrequent jag of lightning. High above in the tower, the Royal Inquisitor sat by candlelight, examining his reflection in the darkened mirror of his vanity. As the thunder trembled through the stone, he blew the candle out and departed. Only his gauntlet remained.

Frederick wandered the frigid halls that night, armed with only a torch, and the heavy cloak Helvah left him, and the sense that something is wrong. Though convinced his restlessness was not from fear, he felt ill-at-ease, and so set out in search of what was troubling him.

Little did he know that trouble had spotted him a distance off, and made quick work of closing the distance.

A flash of sudden lightning revealed a presence at the end of the hall. It was Helvah, or so it appeared. Frederick's relief at the sight of him was short-lived. Half-dressed and bedraggled, his gait and stance somehow *off* in the dark, his appearance put him off at once. Still, he approached him, questioning his state and health, as something must have been wrong. The answer he got was a targeted one; unable to sleep, Helvah had meant to seek him out, and was happy to find him. Even the tone of his voice, so low and rasping, seemed out of place. Worried that he might be ill, Frederick attempted to send him to rest, only to be invited--somewhat forwardly--to accompany him. Helvah snatched him close then, startling him into dropping his cloak, and insisted that he come along. That his presence was missed, and anything amiss in him could be remedied by his company in his chambers.

At the back of Helvah's mind, something *screamed*. Then, it was promptly suppressed.

Frederick's concern for Helvah was tempered by the disquiet that came over him as that cloak pooled on the floor. A token of Helvah's first affections for him, the sight of it discarded filled him with a sickly sort of dread. Against his better judgment, Frederick collected the fallen cloak, and agreed to go with him, if only to be sure he was all right. As he followed him to the tower stairwell, his torch burned out, dropping them both into darkness. The back he followed only looked somewhat familiar in the dark.

They reached the room and Helvah made it a point to lock the door behind him. Now alone at the top of the castle, miles away from prying eyes, Helvah rounded on him, his mannerisms and behavior suddenly predatory. Feeling trapped and suddenly frightened, Frederick demanded that Helvah regain himself, smacking away the mocking hand that reached for him. The sound of that slap echoed endlessly into the gabled roof. At once, the figure looming over him froze, and his pale eyes grew dark in his face. "You *struck* me," was all that he said. The words were soft and filled with a chilling sort of...awe.

Then, *he* struck *Frederick*, with all the strength of a train--and Frederick hit the wall.

It was quickly becoming apparent that "Helvah" was not *Helvah,* but a stranger wearing his face. Crippled by fear and easily overpowered, Frederick suffered himself to be battered against several surfaces before being hurled onto the bed, the imposter laughing madly all the while at his attempts to resist. In an instant, he was fixed to the headboard, and the next thing "Helvah" did was break his wrist. The pain was immense, but tempered by something else--an unwelcome, sickly sort of pleasure that showed right away. The imposter laughed, as if having expected this outcome. Frederick was humiliated. And he had no way to escape.

Over the next half an hour, he fractured half of Frederick's ribs, bit and clawed into his skin, all the while taunting him about the inexplicable responses he showed to the pain. Frederick spat and snapped at him, demanding to know what this man had done to his lover, even as the same man struck him again, and tore like a beast into his clothes. He *was* Helvah, he swore, in a voice that sounded nothing like him. He encouraged him to fight, if only because it would give him cause to hurt him further, insisting that such suffering was what Frederick's "kind" craved. The imposter was more than willing to oblige. Though his ramblings made no sense, his intentions were crystal-clear.

Faced with what was undoubtedly the body of his lover, soon to be used as a weapon against him, Frederick did the only thing he could: he shouted for Helvah, wherever he was. And deep inside the imposter's head, something answered. It was then that Frederick saw the scars--the accusation carved into Helvah's right arm, which he had only shown him once--and he realized that it *was* him, imposed upon by something else. Even bloodied and bruised, Frederick called for Helvah, encouraging him to fight. He knew him, so well that he could tell the man above him was not him, and he knew that Helvah was good, and strong enough to overcome him. He tore at his broken wrist and kicked and clawed and shouted as hard as he could for Helvah to wake up.

Above him, the imposter grew erratic, denying his claims of Helvah's power and inherent goodness, even as he struck him anew. But the blow was weaker than it had been, and it seemed the body on top of his had become like a puppet, jerking and halting, as a person tangled in wires. Despite the imposter's furious insistence, in an instant, Helvah awoke, forcing the foreign presence from his body in a singular burst of will. The nightmarish horror that rose from his back as he crumpled was visible only for an instant before it faded into the dark, leering all the while.

Helvah recovered to find a very relieved Frederick pinned beneath him, scarcely dressed and badly beaten. Horrified, Helvah broke him free of the restraints, intent on hurrying him to the infirmary, all the while choking down sobs of utter misery at what he had nearly allowed to happen. What he had *already* allowed. Frederick comforted him, insisting on rest before he would allow himself to be taken. All he wanted was the safety of his presence for a moment more. Guilt-riddled and miserable, Helvah agreed, and the two of them lay in silence as the storm howled overhead.

## *Sweet Surrender*

*...Is all that I have to give*

A week had passed since the terrible storm had torn into the castle grounds. Frederick had been healed that same night, dutifully tended by the palace staff. The night and its storm seemed to last forever. Then, the sun rose the next day, and everything was as it always had been. Helvah returned to his duties, and Frederick to his, each sparing nothing but a smile and a fond word for the other in passing. It was like nothing had ever happened that night...because, no one remembered it *had*.

No one, except for *him*. Him, and the one who had done it.

### Marionette

"Frederick" awoke that morning with a singular goal in his mind: getting even. He had been too late to intervene when the shit hit the fan, but he had seen enough in his charge's mind to know what to expect the next time. And with that type, there was *always* a next time. When next he showed his face, he had sworn he would be ready for him. After all, he had a job to do. And because "Frederick" was not *Frederick*, that could only mean that the time had come to sort out this *other* Helvah. Otherwise, he would not be there.

Dressing for a hunt, "Frederick" headed out that day and made a beeline for the palace gardens. He did not have to go looking. He knew his prey would find him. Sure enough, no more than fifteen minutes after he entered the hedge maze, the long shadow of a feral-looking Helvah fell across his back. *This* Helvah was not the Helvah Frederick had known, but a twisted parody of him, wearing his figure like a marionette, slung from strands of too-long wire.

At once, the imposter recognized his lack of fear and stance for what they were: signs that he was not the only one in the business of body-jacking. "You're the wrong one," accused the false Helvah, in a dire, rasping voice. "Frederick" feigned innocence none-too-convincingly, his back remaining turned even as the frightful possessed horror advanced on his back. A handful of exchanges and it was clear that neither of them was who they should be, and both of them knew it. Identifying himself as "Fred," and the imposter as the long-dead Vischias Sei'Dist, the entity made his move at last. As Vischias closed on him, whispering promises of pain and the want of a game, Fred gave him exactly what he asked for. Capturing his left hand, Fred drove a concealed knife through his palm.

The attack broke two of Helvah's fingers, disabling Vischias' main hand. Torn between amusement and cold fury, Vischias batted him away, taking the weapon with him, only to discard it a moment later. Then, he advanced, intent on paying him back the harm tenfold. Fred didn't waste a moment; he turned tail and ran, mocking him every step as he raced him into the hedge maze.

### Cat and Mouse

(To be completed)

A chase ensued, Fred keeping a lead on Vischias through every means at his disposal: climbing hedges, hurling projectiles, and running full out, all the while taunting his pursuer. The plan was not a complicated one. Fred's ability to occupy Frederick's body ran on a timer, and he theorized that Vischias had a similar limitation, being a poltergeist rooted to unwilling host. He was convinced that, if he ran him down, Vischias would eventually lose his hold of Helvah. Failing that, Fred reasoned, at least Vischias would be worn out when he finally caught up.

Unfortunately, Fred underestimated just how much stamina Vischias had, and how much of Helvah's natural prowess carried over. That, combined with Frederick's limitations--being smaller, weaker, and overall less fit--quickly lost Fred the lead in the chase. He managed to land a kick to Helvah's knee, hobbling Vischias--but, far from disabling him, the injury only seemed to make him angrier. As Frederick's own limited stamina wore out, Fred started running out of options. If he kept climbing around, he risked falling and crippling himself, but if he *didn't*, he would be caught, and Vischias made it clear how ready he remained for a fight. One wrong turn later and Fred found himself backed into a corner, faced with a sheer wall at one end, and the looming shadow of Helvah's stolen body at the other. Now limping, Vischias rounded on him, challenging him to scurry up the wall. He even offered to wait. Immediately annoyed by his smug confidence, and the closing sense that he was doomed, Fred searched in vain for a way out, all the while pressing down Frederick's stirring consciousness. If things were about to get ugly, it was his job to take it in his place.

That, of course, was when he noticed the switch in the wall. The hedge maze was famously filled with tricks and treats, and one of them was directly in his sight-line. Unfortunately, Fred only noted it the moment Vischias was within reach of it. Fred had not considered the fact that Vischias knew how to work the body he was using, which implied he had possessed Helvah before, and more than once. Vischias confirmed this, and grinningly pulled the lever, opening a trap door that sent Fred tumbling into a pit. He hit the ground and lost consciousness, the last thing he saw the distorted shadow of his "playmate" leering down at him from above.

### Fear

Fred regained consciousness, surprised to still be in control of Frederick's body, and--incidentally--to be lying in a dungeon. He was then promptly distracted by Helvah's towering silhouette standing over him. Vischias took the opportunity to gloat, kneeling (on a fractured knee) to loom over him on the floor. Vischias noted how different Fred was from his charge, expressing an interest in the fact that he clearly was not afraid of him, and contemplating whether he could change that. Knowing he had no chance of fighting back, Fred pressed doggedly on mocking him anyway, even after he threatened to cut his eyes out, wanting them as a trophy. Even as they bantered, Fred noted a strange pull between them, and soon found himself resisting the urge to do something suicidal, like trying to kiss him. Vischias apparently noted his interest, maintaining proximity while taunting him. A few threats later, Vischias came to the conclusion that he could kill Fred--but, he owed him for the broken fingers. Before Fred could stop him, Vischias buried a collected knife in his hand, paying him back the earlier injury.

The pain promptly brought to light something Fred didn't know: his host's body reacted to pain in a strangely specific way. Vischias keyed in on this, taking it as proof that Fred was in fact inhabiting Frederick's body--because he already *knew* that Freddie was a masoca. As Vischias moved to make his interest in this known, Fred promptly lashed out and broke free, knocking the possessed man aside and going for the knife, but Vischias caught him by the foot as he moved, sending him back to the floor. The brief struggle ended with Fred battered, then dragged to his feet and flung into a wall, a hand clutched around his throat. The proof of the game's effectiveness was clear the moment they were flush, and Fred was forced to confront that not only was Vischias enjoying it, but Fred *himself* was, even without Frederick's pain-sense. This was only worsened when Vischias kissed him. He made a game of choking him out when he resisted, and bit him when he tried to break free.

At that point, Fred realized he had never been overpowered before, let alone by a human--and that the allure of the fact could be deadly.

(To be Completed)

## Witness

*Will we burn in heaven, like we do down here?*
Will the change come while we're waiting?

(Fred gets back at Vischias for the gardens by knocking Helvah out to lure him in, and hanging him up from the ceiling. He comes armed with a whip. V disapproves.)

## [Unnamed]

(The games continue, back and forth. Boundaries are set, and shockingly, respected. Helvah and Frederick are losing more and more of their time.)

## Fallen

*Heaven bend to take my hand and lead me through the fire*
Be the long awaited answer to a long and painful fight

Truth be told, I've tried my best

But somewhere along the way, I got caught up in all there was to offer

And the cost was so much more than I could bear

(People mutter about seeing a man leap off the roof. Vischias turns out to be deeper than he plays. Fred starts to question what it is that draws him to this particular mess--and why he suddenly cares.)

## Love Come

(Vischias practices his Helvah routine using Frederick as a test dummy. Shenanigans ensue. Fred isn't jealous. Is he?)

## Silence

*Heaven holds a sense of wonder*
And I wanted to believe that I'd get caught up

When the rage in me subsides

(Fred and Vischias are beginning to struggle with mutual feelings of interest, and their hosts begin to get wise to their meddling. Things take a dangerous emotional turn.)

## Wait

*And in that light of forbidden joy*
I know I won't receive it

(Vischias decides he wants Helvah's life, and Fred decides he wants Vischias. Jasper knows something's up. The last go-round before the end.)

## Do What You Have to Do

*And I have the sense to recognize that*
I don't know how to let you go

(The final order is issued. Fred prepares to do his job. Vischias prepares to make one final choice that will endanger everything Helvah has worked for.)

## Full of Grace

*It's better this way*

(Helvah and Frederick deal with the aftermath of the prolonged game of chase. As they prepare to continue their lives, Fred decides he doesn't like this ending.)