Formative Myths

“Too bad I couldn’t get anyone to take the bet,” Helena mused as they walked home. She really could have used the money.

The rest of the night had been comparatively uneventful. Camila had broken a lecherous kappa’s arm, and Aoi had stared down an oni, but nothing really matched finding a demon half dead.

“You’re still idiots,” Acedia muttered. “You aren’t going to get anything out of this.”

“I’m doing it because I’m polite,” Camila said. “And Helena’s going to get smug satisfaction out of it.” Helena nodded in agreement.

“An undead good Samaritan and a witch.” Acedia closed her eyes again. “I’m a failure as a demon. So why does God still hate me?”

Camila led them down the dark street to their apartment. “I’m not the best Catholic but I figure God hating you would involve you sleeping facedown in a gutter instead of a bed.” Acedia’s wings shuddered, but she didn’t respond.

They finally reached the small door that led to their apartments. Helena reached for her lockpicks, then remembered they needed to talk to the Samuels and pulled out her key. Today was not a day to practice her lockpicking skills, no matter how rusty. She slipped into the entryway then lightly knocked on the first apartment’s door as Camila shut the entrance and locked it.

A few moments later Mrs Samuels opened the door. “Helena? My husband’s gone to bed already. What’s so important to be knocking on the door so late?”

“I’ve picked up another stray. Or rather Camila has.” Camila gave a stiff armed wave while Acedia looked sullen. “Her apartment has a large hole in it, so we’re helping out until she can find a new one.”

The dark skinned woman inspected Acedia with a frown. “Is she actually a demon?”

“Yes. If you humans are going to make me it’d be nice to be recognized,” Acedia said.

“Her power is to be contrary and unhappy,” Helena noted.

“I see.” Ms Samuels sniffed. “Well, I won’t have anyone say I wouldn’t sell shoes to the devil. But Helena, next time you bring some poor lady home, try to pick someone who won’t scare the neighbors. It’s been a duchess, a zombie, and a demon in less than half a year.”

Helena blinked. She had been getting some odd visitors recently. Was that a good sign or a bad sign for a witch? Maybe it depended on the realm. Her wallet was doing better at least. In that she wasn’t completely broke.

Camila filled in for her. “We’ll try.”

“See you do. And keep an eye out traveling round at night,” the woman’s frown deepened. “Ms Williams disappeared recently. No one’s found any trace of her either. My husband tired himself out searching with the others.”

“The lady who runs the soup kitchen?” Helena grimaced. She hadn’t met with the woman often, but they’d gotten along well. “I may take a look myself. Though my divination is spotty at best.”

Ms Samuels nodded. “Any help would be appreciated. Terrible times when someone like that is taken from the community. Anyway I’d best get back to finishing the cleaning so I can sleep myself.”

“Good night,” Camila said.

“Good night. And good luck with that apartment hunt for your friend.” The landlady closed the door quietly.

The trio levitated up the creaky stairs, doing their best to not disturb the other residents.

Helena’s apartment was tiny, and Camila arriving as a roommate had only made it more cramped. The second bed had filled up the small space not filled by the kitchen, tables, and the bookshelves. But it was a place to live, something she’d worked very hard to keep.

Camila put Acedia down next to her own bed. Meanwhile Helena walked over to the pot she kept magically warm to pour some tea. “You want a nightgown that isn’t covered in blood?” Camila asked.

Acedia grimaced but nodded. “Yes.” That was interesting. It seemed the woman was capable of accepting some charity. Maybe she’d decided it was more effort to complain than to just give in.

Helena set the tea to steeping then walked over to the lone dresser. “We’ll probably have to use one of your nightdresses, Camila, because mine won’t work with her wings. Not that you use yours anyway.”

“More trouble than they’re worth,” Camila agreed. “It’s bad enough you have to help me dress every morning. Besides It’s not like I can really get cold.”

Helena shook her head as she grabbed one of the larger and lighter gowns they’d picked up when Camila had first moved in. The reality was the jiang-shi hated ‘inconveniencing’ Helena no matter how much Helena insisted it wasn’t a problem. Still, that was a fight she couldn’t win even with magic. After checking to make sure the low back would fit the demon’s wings she offered the dress to Acedia. “Here you go.”

The demon stared at the nightgown for a moment. Then she managed to toss off her ruined clothes and put on Camila’s. Helena grabbed the rags that Acedia had before and used a mint leaf to place a spell of freshness around it. She didn’t need flies or whatever other bugs would be attracted to the mess.

When she’d finished Acedia had managed to get her wings through the back, and had fallen onto the bed. “So where are you going to sleep?”

Camila waggled her hands in the semblance of a shrug. “Eh, I can sleep standing. It’s more shutting down for me. The bed’s mostly there on principle.” The jiang-shi woman hopped to the chair. “So, how’d you get here? I mean I don’t know demons but I kinda figured most of you were made in Hell. And you don’t seem to like to travel.”

“I moved here with Gula. She loved the Big Apple.” Acedia’s eyes grew distant. “She was the nicest of us. Always helping worthless demons like me….” The demon’s wings shivered. “That’s probably why she was killed. Who wants a sin demon who helps others?”

“When did that happen?” Helena asked quietly.

“Twenty years ago. Some shitty chef she’d beaten in a cooking contest poisoned her with holy water.” A ghost of a smile flickered over her lips. “Ira caught him though. She made him pay.” The demon’s eyes unfocused a bit, probably thinking over the horrific fate that awaited a fool willing to draw the vengeance of a demon named ‘wrath’.

Helena picked up her tea and took a sip. There was a lot of pain in the demon’s voice. Perhaps her suicidal tendencies weren’t just due to her nature as a demon. Or maybe fatigue was making the woman lightheaded. She wished she was better with people. Still curiosity demanded she seek whatever information she could. “So how were you formed?”

Acedia slowly pulled herself to sit on the bed. “Long ago there was a monastery said to be the most virtuous in the land. The monks there served the people every day and worshiped God every night. But the devil saw their weakness, and created eight demons, each infused with one of the eight deadly sins.”

Camila opened her mouth to interject, but Helena held up a hand to stop her. This was the demon’s creation story. Stopping her now might actually hurt Acedia. Creatures formed from myth reflected the telling.

“One by one we each drove the monks to death and ruin. Luxuria seduced and murdered the scribe in his sleep. Gula got the vintner to drink himself to death. Avaritia got the paymaster to steal the treasury and flee into the night, to die at the hands of bandits. Vanagloria and Invidia worked together to get the choral masters to boast and argue over their skills, until Ira drove their acolyte into a furor that led to them all killing each other. Superbia tricked the friar into challenging us directly, and we killed him slowly for his misplaced pride. And finally I, Acedia, whispered into the ears of the initiates, driving them to suicide.”

“But there was one initiate, the youngest, who turned fully to God. He fasted at the altar, calling upon the angels and saints for protection. Each of the sins tried to tempt him, to break him, but he stayed resolute in his faith. And so after a month of torment, the power of the Lord reclaimed the monastery, and the demons were banished back to Hell.” Acedia stretched her wings, and they seemed to fill the room. “The initiate became the new head of the monastery and he taught the new monks well. But they were always on guard against sin. Because they knew the demons could return at any time, and only God could protect them.”

The words of the story swirled and danced around Acedia, anchoring her in the world. For a moment she looked strong, regal. A demon to be feared, if not because of her might, but because she could control the darkness within humanity.

Then the lingering power of the story collapsed and Acedia flopped back onto the bed. “It’s all bullshit of course. There weren’t exactly eight full fledged monks to kill off. It was more like thirty and Luxuria killed like half of them. Vanagloria didn’t do a thing, she just stole credit for Ira’s work. Gula did make the vintner more of a drunk, but he died because Avaritia’s mark slit his throat on the way out. I didn’t talk anyone into suicide, the place was terrible enough that the poor bastards did it all themselves. And the last surviving novice was Invidia’s mark. We let him be because he stabbed the monk who had actually resisted our powers.”

Camila coughed. “Okaaay then. So you went back to hell after that?”

“Yeah. The place sucks though. And the monastery burned down killing everyone who knew the tale thirty years after, so we lost most of our power. The sins got shifted around, and all us old demons didn’t have a purpose. So when the realms opened up we all left.” Acedia shifted on the bed. “Not that I really had a purpose anyway.”

“Was gonna ask about that. Since I was pretty sure there were only seven deadly sins.” Camila shifted her head back and forth as she tried to put together her question. “So like, how can something that fundamental change?”

Acedia flopped over to stare at her. “You… you really are an outsider aren’t you?!”

“Yes,” Helena said. She turned to Camila. “It’s because you’re assuming the past is the same for everyone.”

Camila looked between the two. “Okay, don’t tell me cause and effect isn’t real. Because I’d have to call bullshit on that.”

“Cause and effect are real. Most of the time,” Helena said. “But time isn’t linear.”

She held up her hands, fingers spread. “I hear from Lyudmila that the outside world believes in alternate timelines. Universes where the past changed and reality developed differently.”

“Yeah,” Camila said. “I’ve seen a few books about that. It’s usually really complicated.”

“Complicated is one word,” Helena muttered. She bent her wrist so her fingers were below her palm. “I’m not sure about alternate presents or futures, but there are alternate pasts. Different timelines that converge to form the present.”

Camila pulled a chair next to her. “Okay, help me sit down, because this sounds like a long talk.”

“Do either of you want tea?” Helena asked as she moved to help Camila.

“Nah, I’m good,” Camila replied. Acedia muttered something dismissive from the bed.

Helena pressed against Camila’s knees, letting magic seep into the woman’s stiff joint. The rigid muscles reluctantly bent, allowing Camila to slowly sit down in the chair. Fortunately the woman had more control over her torso so she could control the rest of her descent. “Thanks,” Camila said.

“Don’t mention it.” She returned to her own chair and sipped the tea, the light fragrance of the brew cutting through her fatigue. “So alternate pasts…

“The most obvious example is Acedia and myself. Both of us can’t come from the same past. I’m the great great granddaughter of Hecate, one of the titans formed from the union of earth and ocean. Acedia is a demon created by Lucifer, fallen angel of the Christian God, creator of heaven and earth.” Helena looked through the steam at Camila. “You see the paradox?”

“Yeah.” Camila nodded. “Kinda obvious. But I figured one of you was wrong. Probably both! No offense.”

Acedia sniffed. “Well everyone’s story has some falsehoods.”

“Gods and demons are notorious liars,” Helena agreed. “But the reality is both of us are telling the truth. My creation story and her creation story, both happened. And while our worlds interconnect we both have alternate pasts that define us.”

Camila looked at both of them. “Okaaay, so everyone’s telling the truth? That makes reality kinda messy.”

“Reality is messy,” Helena agreed. “Though remember gods and demons are liars about the details. It’s just there’s usually some truth hidden away.”

“Maybe it’s because I was raised Catholic but I have a hard time with someone being omnipotent and not actually creating everything,” Camila said.

Helena frowned. “Well that’s one of the lies. I don’t believe in omnipotence.”

“As a demon I’m supposed to approve of your heresy, I think,” Acedia said.

“Stop helping,” Helena muttered. “In any case outsiders like you tend to reject the idea, because a lot of you do believe in an omnipotent creator. Lyudmila thinks that’s how ‘reality’ came to enforce a static history. Monotheism won, wiped out magic and sent all our alternate pasts running off to the mystical realms.” Helena shrugged. “Given the number of realms that were formed before that though I’m not sure I believe her.”

Camila grinned. “So how’s that work for time travel? Why not go back into the past and find out?”

“Every mage who’s tried to travel to an event outside their lifetime has either disappeared or exploded into messy pieces,” Helena replied. “Some people keep trying to develop a safe time travel spell. The rest of us magicians stay out of the blast radius. I study safe magics, like death curses.”

“I still don’t get it but I guess I can fake it,” Camila said. The woman yawned. “I’m too tired for more lectures anyway.”

“Alright. Do you want a blanket?” Helena asked as she stood.

Camila shook her head. “Nah. It’s warm enough. Besides, I don’t really sleep like a human anymore.” The woman’s grin seemed to waver. “It’s all black and then I wait to wake up.”

Helena hesitated. Camila was one of the most resilient people she’d met. But that was a facade, locked behind the magic spell that kept her soul in her body. Helena hadn’t noticed, but the fear of just not waking up again had to be lingering somewhere behind that mask.

It might be best to talk it out with her friend. But Camila would be annoyed about looking weak. And Helena didn’t have the words to help. So she just lightly hugged the woman. “I’ll wake you in the morning.”

“Thanks.” Camila’s eyes brightened, then closed.

“Wish I could do that,” Acedia muttered as Helena started changing into her own nightgown.

Helena set the pins of her peplos to the side and pulled the nightgown over her head before turning back to the demon. “I thought jealousy was someone else’s job.”

Acedia’s dull eyes turned on her. “You’re not as funny as you think you are.”

“Probably not,” Helena admitted. “I’m sorry.”

The demon turned her eyes back up to the ceiling. “I hate you.”

“I know. You can’t help but hate humans,” Helena said. She reached out and snuffed the lamp they’d been using for light.

“Why then?” Acedia asked. “Why not leave me? Pity?”

Helena hesitated. It was a good question. Demons were not, as some claimed, all evil. But most were. And even if Acedia wasn’t a horrible person, she couldn’t help but be wrapped up in her own self loathing. What had convinced her to just go along with Camila?

She carefully walked to her bed. “Probably some pity. Definitely some curiosity. But mostly because Camila asked. And because I want to know why she did.”

There was a rustle of sheets as Acedia turned in her bed, but the demon didn’t reply. After a few moments Helena closed her eyes and sought sleep on her own.