As I drifted into the dreamscape, I found myself enveloped by the familiar void-like realm. The shadows around me twisted and morphed into luxurious surroundings. There was a plush, black silken throne that called to me while growing vines curled around it and snaked along the walls. At the center, of course, materializing on the throne was Morgana, sitting in all of her dark captivating beauty that demanded respect and admiration from me.
She leaned forward on her elbows and greeted me with a warm, honey-eyed smile, her voice was oozing with seduction and temptation. Any previous night, this would have drawn me right in, but after everything that had happened, with Mara waiting for me in the waking realm, I was willing to stand up to her.
Morgana's voice broke the silence, "Welcome back, my dear Lucian. I must say, your recent escapades have been quite the talk among the gods." She chuckled softly, her eyes wandering over my form, which was naked as usual. I didn't try and cover myself, this was typical for our meetings, and she had seen, tasted, and taken in everything I had to offer, so what was I to be embarrassed about at this point?
"Especially your growing… attachment to that mortal girl Mara. Tell me, is she worth the risk? It will make your life quite a bit harder if you have to protect the two of you against the wrath of the gods.
She rose gracefully from her throne, the loose black fabric doing nothing to hide her more private parts from sight, leaving them open for all, or well, me to see. She sauntered closer to me, her hips swaying hypnotically with each step. Once she reached me, she draped her arms around my neck, pulling me into an embrace. I stiffened at the touch, trying to resist. Her fingers played with the hair at the nape of my neck as she leaned in, her lips brushing against my ear.
"Why do you hold back, my love? You could have it all; power, pleasure, an eternal partnership with me. We were created for each other, you and I. She nuzzled his cheek, her breath hot against his skin. So why settle for a fleeting mortal bond? Mara is but a momentary distraction, while I offer you infinity."
Lucian hesitated, conflicted by her words and the temptation she presented. However, as much as he craved the power and pleasure she promised, he knew he could not abandon Mara, not after the connection they had forged. With a heavy heart, he gently but firmly removed her arms from around his neck, taking a step back to put some distance between them.
Morgana's expression shifted, her playful annoyance giving way to genuine disappointment. "Oh, Lucian…" she sighed, shaking her head slowly. "A mortal bond, truly? You would reject my gifts, my eternal love, for the sake of a human girl? I had hoped you had grown beyond such trivial attachments."
Morgana's expression shifted as she regarded Lucian with concern. "Listen to me, Lucian. The other gods have taken note of your return to the mortal plane, of your broken promise to slow down your influence among humans."
She began to pace before him, her silken gown swishing softly against the obsidian floor. "They saw your choice to inhabit a human form as nothing less than a provocation, a slap in the face of their divine authority."
She paused, turning to face him directly, her white eyes blazing with intensity. "They have sent their agents, the paladins, to stop you. To rein you in and remind you of your place." Her voice dropped to a low, ominous whisper. "They will stop at nothing to see you brought to heel, Lucian. And woe betide anyone who stands in their way... or aids you in defiance of their will."
Morgana stepped closer, grasping Lucian's shoulders tightly, her fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt. "You must understand, my love, if the paladins report back to the capital with word of your bond with Mara, she will be seen as a threat. A mortal who is enraptured with an… abomination." She shook her head grimly. "If they decide she is aiding and abetting you, they will not hesitate to strike her down, to make an example of her."
Her grip tightened, "You cannot let the paladins return to the capital, Lucian. You must act, and act decisively. You must destroy them utterly, leaving no witnesses to your defiance." She searched his face, her gaze imploring. "Do you understand the gravity of the situation? The danger that threatens you both? You must do whatever it takes to protect Mara, even if it means…" She trailed off, leaving the unspoken words hanging heavy in the air between them.
"Even if it means I have to change hosts?" I finally spoke, the thought causing me to feel sick, knowing that if I changed bodies, she would no longer know who I was, and if she knew who I was, she would despise me.
The thought of Mara being hurt because of me, because of the bond we shared, filled me with a deep, aching dread. The connection we had forged was real, a beacon of light in the darkness that had once consumed me. I couldn't betray that, couldn't betray her.
With a heavy heart, I met Morgana's gaze, my eyes filled with determination. "I can't abandon her, Morgana," I said, my voice low. "What Mara and I have is real, and I won't let anyone, not even the gods, take that away from us."
Morgana's eyes widened in surprise at my words, a mix of disbelief and something akin to admiration flashing across her face. She released her grip on my shoulders, stepping back to study me with a critical eye.
"Real?" she repeated, a note of skepticism coloring her tone. "Lucian, my dear, my chosen, you are destined to bring balance to this world. And you would throw that away, cast it aside, for the sake of a mortal? A fleeting, ephemeral creature of the earth?"
She shook her head, a sad smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "I had hoped you had grown beyond such limitations. That you had transcended the need for mortal attachments, for the shallow comforts they offer."
Morgana began to circle me slowly, her hips swaying, causing feelings to stir within me that I wanted nothing to do with. "But perhaps there is still hope for you yet," she mused, her voice taking on a thoughtful, almost conspiratorial tone.
She paused before him, her eyes boring into his with an intensity that was both unnerving and exhilarating. "You cannot protect Mara in your current form, my love. The gods know of your presence here, in this mortal body. They will not rest until they have rooted you out until they have stripped you of all that you hold dear."
"We'll find a way, we can figure out how we will get into the capital once we take out these Paladins. Keep your thoughts to yourself, I'm heading back, we can talk next time. For now, I need to set my traps and see what we can do. I might take another host, possibly the leader of the paladins," I declared, knowing the leader would be an incredible asset, but all the while refusing to let that be an option.
"Listen, and listen close my sweet Lucian. I have something for you, but you need to be willing to use it, you need to be willing to cross the boundaries of what your human moralities consider right and wrong," her words were like honey, but I could smell the arsenic in them, so I maintained my distance.
"Continue…" I replied coldly.
"Your nature, this entire… Parasite schtick you have going on is only phase one. We can't turn the tides of balance in our favor through just one man and his booty-call." She mocked me, but I needed to know what it was she was offering.
"I need an army of Lucian's and who better to provide it than the original? So, with that in mind, I was thinking…" She danced around the topic quite gracefully.
"Spit it out, Morgana." My patience wasn't infinite and I could feel my body waking.
"I could give you the ability to split your consciousness into two. And then once you've recovered you could do it again, as could your duplicate. They wouldn't be quite the same as you, they would have their own quirks, their own funny little habits, but they would understand the primary objective. They would infect people of interest or even just powerful individuals in the region. It won't take long, it will be exponential growth, but you need to start things, you need to be the catalyst to set this all in motion. So what do you say my love, if I give you this power, will you accept it, and use it?"
I stood there deflated, this was a lot to take in. I knew she had plans for me, but to, what, make myself into clones and spread across the countryside, taking over nobels and people of import, to eventually conquer the entire world? This was nuts, and besides, what would I even get out of it? I supposed it could be an effective distraction, though none of them would share my features. Still, if they found me based on my presence, if I had multiple presences, that would make things a lot harder for them.
I stood in silence, Morgana's offer pressing down on me like the weight of the world. Splitting my consciousness, creating others like me to infect and manipulate, it sounded like a path to power certainly, but also a road paved with risks and sacrifice.
"Why do you hesitate, my dear?" Morgana asked, her voice a silky mix of curiosity and exasperation. "This isn't just about your survival. This is about balance, about tipping the scales in our favor. You could bring down entire kingdoms with this ability. Imagine the possibilities!"
I met her gaze, my own unwavering. "And what happens to me, Morgana? To the part of me that still feels human? If I start splitting myself, scattering pieces of my consciousness across the land, what's left of me?"
She tilted her head, her lips curling into a faint smile. "You are thinking like a mortal again, my love. You fear losing yourself, but you must realize that you are more than a single consciousness. You are a force, a divine will made flesh. The you that exists now will still be whole, but those fragments will serve a purpose, to carry out our mission, to prepare the world for what it so desperately needs."
"And Mara?" I countered, my tone sharp. "What happens if one of these fragments gets to her, or worse, becomes something I can't control? I want to protect her, but you're asking me to gamble with her safety."
Morgana's expression softened, but her words remained resolute. "I cannot promise there won't be risks, Lucian. But I can promise you this: if you do nothing, the gods will crush you and everything you hold dear. They won't stop until they've obliterated every trace of you. This… this is your best chance."
I clenched my fists, the shadows around me flickering with the tension in my body. Morgana spoke the truth, but I couldn't shake the feeling of manipulation. Her vision for the future was grand, and sweeping, but it came at a price I wasn't sure I was willing to pay.
"I need time," I said finally, my voice quiet but firm. "I need to think this through."
Morgana stepped closer, her fingers brushing against my cheek in a gesture that was almost tender. "Take all the time you need, my love," she said softly. "But remember, time is a luxury you may not have."
The shadows around her began to ripple, her form dissolving into the void as her final words echoed in my mind. "You'll see, Lucian. You'll see that this is the only way forward."
I awoke with a start, the faint light of dawn filtering through the cracks in the cabin walls. Mara was stirring right beside me, her golden hair tangled around her face. She blinked up at me sleepily, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Another dream?" she asked, her voice thick with drowsiness.
I nodded, running a hand through my hair. "Yeah, it was rather ominous, but it promised me strength, a way to fight through our obstacles.."
She frowned, propping herself up on one elbow. "So was it good news or bad news?"
"A little of both," I admitted, my voice heavy. "I was given a handful of options, though none of them easy."
Mara sat up fully, concern etched across her face. "We'll figure it out," she said firmly. "Whatever you need to do, we'll make it work."
Her words were a balm, but they couldn't erase the doubts lingering in my mind. As I looked at her, strong, determined, and entirely human. I wished I was entirely human, instead of a bug inside of a man's head. I suddenly felt wrong in every sense of the word. I felt like I didn't belong here like I didn't deserve her.
"I hope you're right," I said softly, crossing the room to sit beside her. "Because no matter what happens, I'm not losing you."
We sat in silence for a while, the faint crackle of the dying fire filling the air. Shortly we would have to enact our plan, we would have to place traps and alter the forest into a killing zone. But for now, I could enjoy her embrace, I could enjoy being human, even if that wasn't what I truly was.