As they approached the doors, Kayla felt a quickening sense of sorrow and pain lingering there, of death, even. A random thought struck her. "Has anyone seen Melody? She was at the crash site." When no one responded affirmatively, Kayla leaned against a wall for support and, pressing her fingers to her temple, extended her mind into the mental realm, promptly collapsing into a heap as she entered the ethereal realm of thought.
Millions of minds flickered like tiny lights, swarming over the Earth. Searching for one, Kayla probed further and further from Los Angeles, finally spotting Melody’s mental signature in… The Mojave? What is she doing there? Switching over to what Mirrivan had called “Astral projection”, Kayla stepped out onto a familiar hilltop. She’d hiked here once , years before, but it was different now. In place of the usual Joshua trees and scrub brush, the ground was littered with shards of rock and detritus from a crash. Melody she spotted almost instantly, lying crumpled against a boulder, her eyes staring blankly forward. "Melody?" Kayla called, starting forward. "Can you hear me?" Starting forward, Kayla found her path blocked by a strange field. She has proven most useful, a deep and chilling voice said, sounding like a thousand voices in one. Turning, Kayla confronted the speaker, a tall, dark stranger, ironically enough, but one who exuded an ancient power. "Who are you?" she demanded, summoning her powers. "Whatever you've done to her, undo it!" Why do you hasten to destruction, insignificant one? As Kayla tried to seize control of his mind, he batted her probe away and retaliated with a blast of mental energy that brought the girl to her knees. I, mortal, am your worst nightmare. "What are you?" Kayla gasped, trying to gather her strength. My name is Legion, for we are many, he responded, as countless buzzing monsters rose from the ground, each unique, and horrifying to look upon. The crystal of life will be ours, and your destruction is assured if you stand in our way.
Back at the estate, Kayla's body spasmed violently as her mind locked in direct combat with the Chaos Demon. At first hopelessly outmatched, Kayla began to drive the demon back, waging a war of willpower with an entity who was old when the stars had formed.
_________________ The devil doesn't come dressed in a red cape and pointy horns. He comes as everything you've ever wished for.
-Tucker Max
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