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HEHEHE YESSSSSSSSSSSS

With the creator's go-ahead, I wrote a little thing for @vulpixisananimal's incredible Siffstem AU! It's a little different than what I usually do, but I hope y'all like it!

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There is a demon in these woods who will swallow your brain whole.

At least, that’s what the rumors say.

Perci trudged through the thick undergrowth of the forest, slashing the foliage with one of his swords. Above him, thick branches interlocked and intertwined, blocking out the sun, the light, with their union, staining the surface below an eerie collage of only the darkest shades. As he lifted his arm, preparing to hack at the overgrown flora yet again, he heard a small ripping noise.

Perci looked down at his sleeve, grimacing at the new tear in the lightless fabric. It was an easy fix, he knew, but he still felt a twinge of annoyance as he examined the damage. Perci was grateful that no one else was here to see that embarrassing blunder… aside from Merlon, of course.

He looked back to see his Bonded a few feet behind him. While, to the average person, her face was unreadable- it was the same calm, mild expression she always wore- Perci had been with the love of his life long enough to pick up on the subtle irregularity in her breathing, the ever-so slight furrow in her brow. “My love, are you alright?”

They paused and nodded. “I’m fine.”

Perci frowned. “Don’t push yourself too hard, my dear,” he murmured softly, gently grabbing their hand. “I don’t want you getting hurt- you just recovered from craft exhaustion, after all.”

Merlon nodded, a small smile spreading across their face.

It had been a week or so since the researching duo had left Wolworth, continuing their search for any scrap of information on the Island. As luck would have it, less than four days had passed before they caught wind of an intriguing new lead…

The two had arrived in a small, remote town to the South of the city to restock their supplies. As Perci was doing his usual mind-browsing, he had noticed something strange…A person seemingly devoid of thought.

After asking around, he eventually found the culprit: an old, shriveled woman, living by herself on the outskirts of town.

“You mean Granny Celine?” Perci and Merlon quickly discovered the old woman simply could not respond to them, so they had to make do with her neighbors. “The poor thing…when she was only a little girl, she went into the deepest part of the woods…she was never the same since. She doesn’t talk, she rarely eats…she spends all her time resting and making lace…Some folks around here blame her for causing her own condition- can you believe it? The nerve of them…They tell the craziest stories, claiming that she asked the demon for a wish.”

A wish…

After observing Celine, both internally and externally, for a few days, Perci had made several observations: One, the woman’s default state was somewhat of a ‘resting' phase, where her mind was detectable, but empty, completely blank and devoid of thought. Occasionally, when she ate or moved, thoughts would flit through her mind. Left hand raise. Grib the pin. Left hand lower, harder. Shift right hand to the side. Shift left hand to the side. Reach down. Grab a new pin. They were foreign, clear, and oh-so precise…It was almost like someone was lazily commanding her, as if she were nothing more than an elaborate, fleshy puppet…

This was Mind Craft. It had to be. The question was…who was the one pulling her strings?

After a second investigation, the researchers learned of the town’s superstitions: supposedly, there was an ancient demon in the heart of the woods surrounding the place. If you gave them an offering, they would grant you any wish your heart desired.

In return, however, your mind would belong to them.

And so, here they were now: hiking through a needlessly dense forest in the late afternoon, chasing after some wild rumor from a delusory town.

Perci grinned.

As he and his Bonded continued on, and the afternoon faded to night, the forest steadily grew darker and darker. It wasn’t long before Perci struggled to see two feet in front of him.

“Merlon,” he asked, carefully feeling the area in front of him before slashing at the foliage. “How long have we been walking for?”

“Four hours,” was the reply. “We should arrive soon enough.”

Perci frowned and let out a huff, slicing a bush in front of him. Compared to the things he’d had to resort to over the years, a long hike was but the tiniest of trifles. But still, he could feel the curiosity inside of him, alive and writhing, threatening to consume him whole if he didn’t satisfy it soon. Oh, how he wanted answers and oh, how he wanted them n-

He let out a yelp as his foot caught on something- a rock? A root? Whatever it was, the thing sent him lurching to the right, tumbling down into a small ravine just to the side of their cut path.

“Blind it all…,” Perci hissed through his teeth, letting out a cough as he slowly got to his feet. The small snag in his sleeve was the least of his troubles now: all of his clothes were absolutely wrinkled and covered in dirt, and his whole body seemed to ache with pain.

“Perci!” He turned around to see Merlon rush towards him, a crease of worry in their eyebrows. “Are you hurt? What happened?”

“Oh, I’m quite alright, my dear,” he gave her a reassuring smile. “I’m just a little bruised…and, well, heh, absolutely filthy, but I’ll survive.”

Merlon closed her eyes and let out a sigh of relief. “Good…”

“Well, on we go!” Perci brushed his hands together and turned around. “The truth’s not going to discover itselllfffffff-“

Merlon sucked in their breath.

In front of them was a Wishing Tree. It was a tiny thing, miniscule on its own and absolutely pitiful compared to the one in Dormont, but it was a Wishing Tree nonetheless. Perci stepped towards it, a smile of wonder on his face. Well, this would undoubtedly explain the wishing part��

Merlon beat him to the tree, frowning slightly as she gently grabbed a leaf. “It’s…dying.”

“Oh…,” Upon further examination, his bonded (of course, as per usual) was right. The leaves were all dried out, the wood felt spongey and rotted, and a whole feast of mushrooms grew out of the trunk.

“Well,” Perci started, placing his hands on his hips. “Let’s still present the offering. We did come all this way, after all.”

Merlon nodded in agreement, sliding off their pack. It had been a pain to figure out what exactly the offering was, as each villager seemed to have their own answer. However, there were two key ingredients that kept popping up, over and over again.

Merlon grunted, finally finding what they were looking for. They lifted out a jar, full of organs, received fresh from the town’s butcher that morning, and slathered in sickly sweet honey.

“Thank you, my love,” Perci gave her a quick peck on the cheek before taking the jar in his hands and unscrewing the cap, wincing at the putrid smell that filled the air. He placed the concoction at the base of the tree and stepped back, clearing his throat.

“Oh, great and terrible demon of these woods!” He started. “My name is Perci Monet (he/him), and this is my Bonded, Merlon Monet (she/they). We are but curious researchers, here not for your wishes, but for your knowledge. And so, if you would be so kind to oblige us, we humbly request an audience with you!”

…

Silence.

Perci frowned. Hm, was his speech not grand enough? Perhaps he could have buttered them up a bit more? Or maybe the offering was incorrect? Or perhaps there really was no demon after all…He turned to Merlon, but before he could open his mouth, a sharp CRACK sounded from behind him.

A huge gash had appeared in the dying tree’s bark, right down the middle. Sap oozed out of the fissure, like blood from a fresh wound, pouring out and flooding over the roots and grass. Perci narrowed his eyes. Suddenly, a hand shot out of the trunk, clawing at the fracture bark. A second hand appeared, joining the first on its mission. Together, slowly but surely, the rift widened, smaller fractures appearing near the edges as it grew larger and larger, until, with a snap and a shudder, the tree was split in two.

The withered branches crashed to the ground, spewing a cloud of wind and dust in the researchers’ faces.

“Well- COUGH!- would you- COUGH!- look at that!”

“COUGH!…the poor…COUGH!....tree…”

“COUGH! COUGH! WHEEEZE…..BLEG- Crab it, I think there’s a crabbing bug in my crabbing lungs-“

Perci’s eyes widened. That wasn’t Merlon’s voice, and he certainly hadn’t said that…Exchanging a look with his Bonded, he slowly crept forward, stepping over the fallen branches and clearing his throat one last time for good measure. “Why hello there! Thank you for answering our request, oh powerful wish demon-“

Huh?

…How curious.

Perci had made several predictions on what the creature’s appearance would look like, but this…certainly didn’t match up with any of his hypotheses. In front of him, at the center of the remains of the wish tree, was a small child- no older than thirteen, if he had to guess. They wore a simple, dark-shaded, sleeveless shirt, no shoes, and a lightless…net? Robe? Cloak? draped over them, comically oversized on their scraggly, short build. Freckles dotted their face, neck, and arms, adding to their youthful appearance. Their hair was slightly curly, starting out at a medium shade but fading to lightless near the ends.

“COUGH-ah- COUGH….I….Okay, thank crabbing me that little crabber’s gone…,” the youth cleared their throat and turned towards Perci.

Oh change…their eyes…

They were dark- darker than the shadowed forest around them, darker than the starry sky his beloved was so fond of. They looked like two gaping, empty voids, split into quarters by a cross of lightless in the middle. They swept over him, studying him, like a predator eyeing a particularly tasty piece of prey.

Those eyes were hungry, and they would swallow him whole if he wasn’t careful.

Instinctively, Perci reached out his mind towards the youth’s, but, to his shock, he was met with…nothing? Hm….perhaps he could try a different method? Or, perhaps, was this child like the old lady? A puppet that the demon was just controlling?

“Yeah. You can stop that. It’s not going to work,” the child spoke, a smirk forming on their face. Their voice was boyish but light- it was charming, almost adorable, even.

“Oh, well, do forgive me,” Perci chuckled. “But that was merely a precaution- after all, I wanted to make sure you, one, were actually the demon of legend, and, two, meant us no harm.” How in the change were they able to block him out?

“Hm…Oh! You’re a clever one, arent’cha?” They smiled. “I always did like smarter mortals…shame there’s so few of you left in the world today. Hm,” they tapped their chin. “Though, on second thought, I suppose your sort were always rare…”

“Aw, well, I’m quite flattered!” he smiled and placed a hand on his heart. “If it wouldn’t be much trouble, Merlon and I would like to ask you a few questions, great and generous demo-“

“OKAY. Stop,” the youth frowned and held up a hand. “First of all, I am not a demon. Ugh, I can’t believe that crabbing rumor’s still going around. I thought they would’ve dropped it a century ago…Anyways! I! Am not! A! Demon!” They clapped their hands, enunciating each word.

“Oh-! My sincerest apologizes,” Perci let out a faux but convincing gasp. “Well, I suppose that will by our first question, then! What exactly….are you?”

“Pfft, well, that’s quite simple, my dear researcher!” They winked, pointing a finger to themself. “I’m a god!”

“Ah, but of course!” …change, he hoped that wasn’t true. He had imagined that a god would look…well, less human. But, then again, it would explain why he couldn’t read their mind…them being a higher being and all. And those eyes…there was something so unsettlingly inhuman about them…For now, a god seemed like a logical enough conclusion, but he would definitely have to observe them further… “No wonder you were offended…I apologize, again, for referring to you as one. I hope you understand, I had only the village rumors to go off of, you see. Now, do you have a name or pronouns I can address you by?”

“Hmmmmmm,” they pursed their lips. “Well, I usually don’t share that sort of information with mortals, you see, but! Since you two kind folks were the first people that have visited me in AGES, I’ll tell you! You may call me Hiroshi (they/he)!”

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, great Hiroshi, god of these woods!”

“Likewise, researcher!”

“Excuse me, but I have a few more questions to ask,” Merlon spoke up, making eye contact with the small god. “Do you know anything of the island to the North of Vaugarde, Wish Craft, or Mind Craft?”

“The island….” Hiroshi narrowed their eyes and shrugged. “Sorry, I’m afraid not. Even an immortal being like myself isn’t immune to the incident…Wish Craft and Mind Craft, however, I am, much, much more knowledgeable on,” they chuckled. “I use both, you see!”

“Aha! So, you were the one controlling Ms. Celine, back in the town!” Perci snapped his fingers.

“Celine…Oh! Yes, yes, that little girl…she was the one who visited me just before you two! She wished to be good at sewing or knitting or something- had to do with clothes, I remember that-“

“Was it lace-making?”

“Ah! Yes, that! She came to me a few years ago…hm! Guess it hasn’t really been that long since I’ve had visitors, after all….”

“A few years?” Merlon blinked. “…how old was she when she visited you?”

“Hmm…I dunno. Twelve? Thirteen? Fourteen? Kinda teenagery-ish. Pretty young.”

“Well, I’m afraid it’s been more than ‘a few’ years…we met her ourselves but a few days ago, and she’s an old woman.”

Hiroshi burst out laughing, doubling over as spasms wracked their body. “Oh, crab! Sorry, I am terrible with time…being alive for a couple thousand years will do that to you!” They wiped a tear from their eye. “Hah…but, well, yes! I am the one controlling her…to be honest, it’s a bit boring. She’s just a bland sort of person, I suppose. She’s not fast or strong, nor did she exactly have the most exciting life…”

Perci laughed along with them, his brain turning. Interesting…it was a possibility that this child was just lying- as an expert manipulator himself, he was familiar with some of the tactics and skills Hiroshi could potentially be deploying…and, besides, if they weren’t a Mind Craft user- a god who used it, no less- wouldn’t they have tried to reach out and read him and Merlon, already? Hiroshi talked like they were the mind-eating demon of legend, but could they follow up on their claims?

“I was wondering if you could possibly bring her here?” He asked. “I would love to see a demonstration of your abilities! You see, as you’ve probably picked up, I myself use Mind Craft- though, I haven’t mastered it, as you so clearly have. Would you mind bringing Celine here?”

“Ehh…sorry, but I’m afraid I can’t exactly do that,” Hiroshi counted off on their hand. “It would take forever to get her out here, and, plus, if she is suuuuppppeerrrr old, like you said, she’d probably trip and die on the way or something. Boring as she is, I’d like to keep her alive.”

Perci opened his mouth, but Hiroshi held up a hand. “However, if you’re so eager for a show, I can show you some of my other toys!”

With a chuckle, they held out their hands and wiggled their fingers. Suddenly, at the tips, tiny pinpricks of light appeared, shining like miniature celestial bodies. And their eyes…they lightless crosses in the middle seemed to blink, to bluge, to flutter, before splitting wide open, blooming into the unmistakable shape of a star.

Hiroshi wiggled and moved their fingers again, almost like they were moving an invisible puppet of some sort.

Piou!

Perci looked at the trees. Above him was a small bird. It let out another innocent chirp. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Hiroshi make a movement with their fingers. Suddenly, a row of stars appeared around the bird’s neck. It turned its head sharply towards him and stiffly stretched out its wings. The bird, its wings laden with stars this time, took flight and landed on Hiroshi’s shoulders.

“Incredible!” Perci chuckled. Next to him, Merlon let out a little gasp. While he had read plenty of minds in his day and even controlled a few here and there, he had never seen this level of mastery and precision over a living being’s body. “Simply incredible!”

“Aw, thank you, thank you,” Hiroshi smiled and bowed, the bird briefly hovering above him before perching on his shoulders once he was done. “If you two think that’s impressive, you might want to sit down for the next part.”

Piou!

Piou! Piou!

Piou! Piou! Piou! Piou! Piou!

Little by little, more and more birds started to trickle into the trees, all of them dotted with the same stars as the first. Meanwhile, a fox emerged from the foliage, and a family of rabbits raced across the clearing. Moles, voles, and some worms erupted from the soil, and even a doe and her young fawn crept out of the depths of the trees, stars shining over the joints of their frail legs.

Creatures continued to flood into the clearing- mice, racoons, ducks, wolves, a bear. It felt like the entire forest population was being driven into the one ravine. How many do they have control over? Perci wondered, sidestepping a passing lynx.

Finally, the arrival of the animals abruptly stopped. Hiroshi lazily shifted a finger, and in one synchronized movement, every single one of them turned their head towards the bonded researchers.

“Ssooooo…is this good enough of a demonstration for you two?”

“…Hah! Marvelous!” Perci started to clap, grinning as he examined the sight in front of him. He still wasn’t sure if they were a god like they claimed, but it was obvious that they were an extremely powerful being who had mastered Mind Craft…definitely someone you wouldn’t want to mess with…

“If you don’t mind, oh powerful Hiroshi, I would like to make a proposition.”

“Oho…?” They smirked. “And what kind of proposal would that be?”

“An alliance of sorts,” Perci explained, stepping forward. He glanced over at Merlon, who nodded in reply. “There is this group of powerful craft users that have been giving us quite a bit of trouble recently…they’ve been meddling with and impeding in our research, you see.”

“So, you want me to deal with them right? Well, I see how you two benefit from this, but I have to ask; what’s in it for me?”

“As luck would so have it, among the mortals these days, me and my Bonded are rather famous. We could easily write a book on you and spread it across the country- no, the world, even! I believe, in just a few short years, followers would flock to you, and the days of being incorrectly labeled as a demon will finally come to a close!”

Hiroshi (and their animals) looked at Perci, then at Merlon, then back to Perci again. “Hmm….Well, life here has been pretty boring, and it’s not like I have anything important to do anyways….”

They grinned. “I accept.”

“Excellent!” Perci’s face bore a matching smile of his own. God or demon or a liar- it didn’t matter what Hiroshi was. He could figure everything out in time, of course. He always did. For now, though, he knew that he and Merlon had gained a valuable new asset.

Oh, dear saviors. His smirk widened. I’d like to see you worms wiggle your way out of this one.