Peace is a constant battle for humans as it is for supreme beings. After watching and even participating in both worlds, I’ve come to the conclusion that global peace shall remain impossible. With both worlds dividing its’ human beings into separate categories – and with their survival instinct still intact, it’s said ‘no being will experience true peace’. Perhaps peace is an illusion. If that’s true, there may not even be a peaceful side to the afterlife that I and a select few reside. For when I died, I was given three options; fall back to where I died and repeat life, fly to my left to aid a stranger at gun-point, or keep floating towards a nothingness that could only be felt as bliss…I chose to help.

From my choice came a trip to the third world where I was greeted as the newest Tesian. They explained everything within a few hours; but, I’ll only summarize the worlds for you. The third is where the supreme beings, (including me), reside. The second is where undecided and unwanted reside and the first has never been visited…it’s supposedly where Thee Hira and perhaps even true peace reside. Those chosen by Thee Hira will die like me and given the same options I was; unfortunately, none of us know where the blissful decision leads…weather we haven’t yet chosen it or simply forgotten. Every time we’re forced to repeat life on the second world, our previous knowledge is erased as it can’t be transferred back into an undeveloped brain. Meaning we can maintain our knowledge only if we choose to return to the world — since we can return as anyone. I’m not sure what happens to those too young to remember their death – Tesians typically range from at-least mid-childhood. We don’t age unless we want and, of-course, some of us choose to mate.

All Tesians have some purpose, or ‘job’, implanted into our conscience…possibly just as a distraction to keep some of us from constant fighting with each-other. The problem this causes is, incidentally, some of our ‘jobs’ require us to visit the second world – meaning our wars can even travel to those who are supposed to be shielded by this knowledge. A Tesian who breaks Thee Hira’s law will be sent to repeat life in the second world; however, they have to be killed first – and that’s where I come in…for my name is Apode and I am a Savon.

The first Savon was Liameh who remains virtually inexistent to all of us. In the early ages where population was low in both worlds, she was all that was needed to maintain balance; but now, close to half a dozen Savons are needed. Liameh is like a talisman to us few and is said to only appear when we truly need her help. Taking any form a Savon desires, she could be anyone we meet…but that could just be wishful thinking.

The ability to enter the second world with whatever human appearance takes its toll on u all. Over time, we may lose track of the people we really were and will abuse this power for personal gains…I haven’t…at-least not in the few hundred years of my life which I can remember. Which brings me to the problem at hand; a Savon has given in to their weaker side and is taking advantage of their duty. I’m not sure of how or in what way…but it’s an unmistakable knowing in my head.

His name is Vhia and although we’re in the same business, I don’t recall ever meeting him. Although my knowledge of him is limited, the image of her…is much different than what I had expected. What I saw was a girl in her late teens, about five foot eleven inches, medium charcoal hair, orange eyes and basically adopted the warm colour theme in her clothing style. This of-course tells me Vhia prefers the female anatomy.

In order to leave a world, one must die. Some of us will participate in the current war which started like any other – a bad decision followed by an eye for an eye and more revenge. I take the route of a painless liquid and try not to think about it. Hundreds of years, dozens of deaths and I’m still reluctant to go through suicide. To be honest, I’ll often stay in a world long after the job is done. Perhaps one day I’ll follow the feeling of bliss when I die; however, until then, I think I’m just too involved with life to risk losing it.

When entering the second world, one must find a body willing to give up possession – otherwise we remain as a ‘ghost’. A change in ownership is instant; but, finding a willing host can take days. We could just take whomever and go on with our job with the host unable to remember anything—but even I would want at-least a ‘heads-up’ if in their position. It’s likely the owner of Vhia’s current body did not agree to give possession and is unconsciously waiting to return to her corpse…unless I can get Vhia to leave quietly.

Once liquid death took affect and I entered the second world for the fist time in three decades, I search the cit for a wiling host. Before communicating with anyone and risk falling into the same fate as the one I’m after, I have to follow or ‘stalk’ a potential. What I usually do is go immediately after a body that fits my personality and, like most others, won’t be hard to coerce. Unlike the others; however, the one I found had an interesting secret life.

Following this potential to a secluded area consumed a good half-day – a while logic would normally have me change targets, I refused to give-up the pure thrill of this stalk. Her boyfriend lead us around the city to a variety of shops and even a gym, whilst; unfortunately, revealed my target’s lack of physical strength. Coincidently, the enemy, being a late-teenage female, will not require me to have a lot of strength. Her possessor’s ability and skill, however, shall be a feat to overcome.

Her boyfriend, who was revealed earlier as Sadre, led us to the end of our tour and suspense I was so hoping for. As we entered a graveyard and met with a few more friends, Sadre pulled out a dozen candles and lit them in an odd pattern around an anonymous grave. They did the usual necromancy procedure and chants which have never worked in my experience. Watching them make the same mistakes I had once done reminded me of a stanza in my life I thought was forever forgotten.

The amateurs ended their night as my couple lead me to one of their homes where they made-out and basically concluded a parent’s second worst fear. I didn’t watch the whole thing nor did I want to – I may not have had a lover for a while; but, I wasn’t willing to abuse the incidental privilege of a ghost. For soon enough, my target had to use the washroom where he was now alone.

With experience comes an understanding of fear among a variety of people. Simply talking could frighten her and lose my chance for a smooth transition – so; as always, I’ll have to use an alternative type of communication. With my target unaware of my existence, I write “hi” on the mirror followed by a gentle taping to draw his attention. Surely enough, she turns to the mirror and replies “whoa”. I then write “name?” as she hesitantly answers “you first” – and for the first time in centuries, I revealed my name to a target.

She extends his arms in a defensive stance and says in a now-paranoid voice, “I’m not gunna let you kill me!”

Knowing the error in my communication, I quickly respond, “Not death, temporary possession.”

Thinking everyone shares her lust, she replies, “So, you can take advantage of my guy?”

Stumbling for the right words, I came up with, “Duty.”

Her questions were in perfection – I was growing impatient and could not continue answering her at both of our risks. I inform her of this risk and with some surprise; she calmly accepts my proposal under the condition to not make him ‘look bad’. It was an insult to even hear her concern – I’ve done this without any failure many times over; yet, I guess she doesn’t know that. This is where everything went wrong.

As I entered the target’s body, a strange force pushed me out. I tried again with the same result before breaking the bathroom mirror in frustration. Not being able to enter a body leaves me unable to die and return or, more importantly, leave this world. The breaking of the mirror triggered her shock and invasive fears – sending her running into where her boyfriend was sleeping. With her boyfriend now awake to add physical protection by her side, she began to calm and I could once again talk to him – first needing to wait for the boyfriend to resume sleep.

Seeing his girlfriend almost shaking, he asks my target, “What’s wrong?”

“…A ghost!” She said, gasping for air.

Looking around the room; “It could still be here,” she says.

With her eyes dilated and nostrils flared, she continues to coerce the truth upon her boyfriend. Watching the two argue once again reminded me of a moment in my life. It was not years or centuries in my past – but a few minutes ago where I had promised not to let my target look bad. Disregarding the rules, I decided to communicate with both of them – knowing my possible fate if they made anything public.

“I’m sorry,” I say to the two in a quiet, relaxing voice.

At this point, one of the two’s parent was aware of the noise and had entered the room. The mother was frightened at first – but had soon changed to anger, not yet knowing I exist. Before I could react, the situation became worse as the worried parent noticed not only the broken mirror – but a half naked boy in her room as well. I felt like doing something – but having three witnesses would surely throw my life away, so I did what seemed to sicken me…I watched.

At the end of the argument and arrival to my target’s boyfriend’s house, I once again tried to communicate with my target once the boyfriend returned to his rest. This attempt would turn much worse than anything I’ve experienced. As I approached my target, I felt a sensation which drew me closer. It wasn’t long before I knew I had gotten too close – for my entity was now being sucked into her body. With a quick snap of my target’s back followed by a yelp of pain; I now had a physical form – but it was one that I had not gained the ability to control. I could only rest inside of my new body while a skeleton of wings grew out from her spine, formed its’ feathers, then corroded back to nothingness in-front of her boyfriend’s frightened eyes.

Sure enough, the noise I’ve caused had sent my target’s boyfriend’s parents into a panic. They arrived angry of my target’s presence but were quickly informed of the situation. Although the believed everything had been caused by drugs, they phoned my target’s parent who took her back to her house. Delayed by more arguing and yelling, my target, now revealed as Vess, fell asleep. With the closing of her eyes triggered not only my rest – but a route into every memory and corner of Vess’ knowledge. Thus, for the six hours of sleep, I could only study her mind.

Upon her awake, rather than making Vess’ life worse, I sustained my secrecy in hopes that I can leave her body quietly. Unfortunately, she did not take any of the recent events as a dream or hallucination ad was quickly made re-aware of y presence. Her mother was immediately frightened by her apparent black, soulless eyes. My cover would be revealed as Vess and I are sent to an optometrist and then a general doctor. I refused to speak-up to any of the curious humans – all the while with Vess confused on why I kept quiet. She was diagnosed with (edit) and given some medication to resolve the matter.

On re-arrival to Vess’ home, the three of us were made aware of a domestic short-haired feline which had wandered into our yard. The creature seemed tame and would even brush itself against s – though Vess would kick it away. Our small family did not allow the feline inside our home; yet, it was made apparent she would not leave us. The next day, in-fact, the feline would truly show its’ devotion to entering our home by secretly tearing off the screening of some windows. Eventually, Vess’ mother calls the animal pound that corners and traps the attention-craved cat. It wasn’t long before I realize the probability of her appearance being a result of my situation. Before taking my possible only hope away from me, I used all my strength and power in attempt to take control of my original target – but it made no progress.

The entire day went smoothly for Vess and rigid for me. She went to school and got a near-perfect English test while I had to listen to her near-mentally dead friends. And while Vess no longer believed she had a ghost inside of her, I was still very much trapped in betrayal. Tonight, never-the-less, I will finally be-able to reach out – for I once again gained understanding of Vess’ mind as she slept in ignorance.  Finally, rather than trying to control Vess, I managed to grasp her needs and desires. This should indirectly make her do whatever I want – with only vocals and the automatic body functions still out of my reach.

With Vess still resting, I was able to make her ‘sleep-walk’ by changing her secondary need to find a sharp object, whilst her primary remained as sleep. Without stumbling or confusion, Vess made it to the kitchen where she slid a knife from a drawer. If I could end her life, I may be sent back to Tesa…and resolve my circumstance; of-course, if it fails, I could be stuck here or even somehow fused with her. I decided not to take my chances and rather changed Vess’ desire to call the pound so we could adopt the cat recently sent there – a mistake which would cost me a day’s time. With her primary need no longer set to sleep, Vess soon became aware and found her-self in the kitchen holding a knife. Too afraid to continue sleeping, I could no longer overpower Vess’ primary needs and, thus, only had a minor influence over her which could always be ignored by her self-conscience. Knowing I will now have to wait; I try to keep sleep active in his mind until I got my next chance to escape.

She enough, Vess explains the entire thing to her mother in the morning, who first took it as a threat or way to ‘freak (her) out’. After careful speech and evasive talking, she convinced her mother of the possibility before once again seeing the doctor. This time, with the doctor now unsure, he sends us to a psychiatrist; however, until then, I’ll have to tolerate Vess’ lifestyle. Fortunately, Vess fell asleep during the car-ride home, which once again enabled me to take some control. It was hard to convince her mother to impulsively adopt a feline; yet, within a few hours, she agreed to adopt as I carefully sought and found the same cat which had been harassing the three of us.

A sudden pot-hole snaps Vess out from her sleep and drives me back into her unconscious. She’s soon surprised by the new cat behind her car-seat and goes into questioning; yet, surprisingly, did not panic. At home, the situation would be different as Vess attempts conversation with me in-front of the new bathroom mirror. Unable to reach her words, she moves to her room where she finds a newly adopted companion. The content feline calmly watches as Vess looks back in delayed confusion.

“What did you want with this cat?” He asks as the feline jumps onto her bed; unfortunately, I didn’t know the answer.

That night held the first real communication I had with the feline. With Vess unawake and unaware, the cat was now able to transfer her thoughts into mine. She introduced herself as a servant of Soret and was sent to clarify my condition; unfortunately, she only had words of disappointment to share with me.

“You should have listened to the signs given to you,” she said.

“Okay!” I interrupt, “I get it – what now?”

“Now you have to wait for a Savon to find your new body.”

Confused, I reply, “I didn’t realize I had the ability to end possession.”

“You didn’t let me finish…” she gets comfortable on the bed and continues “…the target you chose was not to be touched – which you should have known if you…”

“Yeah, I get it.” Again I interrupt her; “where is this Savon now?”

The feline purrs in comfortable content; “I wouldn’t know that.”

I gazed almost impressed at her ability to role-play as a cat. Ironically, while she relaxed unaware of her skill, I was clearly aware of my failures. It seemed not only was I incompetent to complete a simple task – but word has already spread to Tesa of my taboo.

The following days would introduce the limits of anxiety to my already strung-out existence. At nights, unable to sleep with my host, I would often pace around the house. When caught by Vess’ mother, I recall acting like any demonic person would – once again revealing my lack of skill. All the while with a feline who quickly gained my companionship and supplied the communication which had surely saved my sanity. The influence I had unwillingly laid upon my target’s mother had not gone unnoticed, unfortunately, and had soon led me to an early psychiatrist appointment. The meeting which had been scheduled two weeks from today was now classified as ‘critical’ and rescheduled for mid-day tomorrow…thus, supplied me with yet another restless night.

The meeting would not go over well. Whatever allegiance was formed between Vess and I had evaporated as she consented to hypnosis. Intentionally avoiding the psychiatrist’s instructions, I was able to evade hypnosis and remain conscious during the procedure. Now the question remains if one should reveal oneself or remain safeguarded from Thee Hira’s law by not communicating with any of them. Not wanting to worsen my situation, I chose to stay silent.

The hypnotist asks Vess some personal questions which were not left unanswered. Satisfied with progress, she now directed her attention towards Vess’ intruder – me. “Whom shall I refer to you as?” was her first question. Without my response, she then asks, “Are you here to harm anyone?” Further absence of my voice convinced her it was nothing to be concerned about and that I was supposedly a figment of Vess’ imagination. ‘Great’ I thought. My promise of preventing Vess to look bad had been broken. I know my limits, however, and will not under any circumstance reveal myself to a professional.

The doctor was not willing to give up on Vess and assigned her into special care at the hospital. She believed Vess needed a day to clear her mind – but the truth is people are only admitted into hospitals if they are a possible threat to themselves or others. Her mother of-course agreed to admit her daughter – so Vess, like most other patients, was sent to her new residence rather suddenly. She was forced to strip into the assigned light-green clothes and escorted to our bi-shared room. Her mother stayed for an hour before leaving the scared daughter for the night. With the roommate not yet present, Vess once again tried to reach me.

I was still unable to directly or even indirectly communicate with Vess. My attempts to influence words from her mouth were gone unnoticed and once again, I could only listen to her unanswered pleas. One of them, though, would dramatically catch my attention.

She was of-course referring to the promise I had made with her. Still personally obliged to keep my end of the deal, I must now think of a way to maintain Vess’ dignity whilst my existence remains hidden. What I came up with wasn’t exactly the brightest thing I’ve thought of in the past – but would prove beneficial. My plan was to evade the creations of humans and escape this place. Being a Savon requires evasive behaviour – and with centuries of experience, escaping a public hospital should not prove challenging. In time, all Tesians are able to uncover some sort of spectacular feat, unique and often dangerous to even the user. Savons are also given a blade which is specialized in killing and able to vanish completely for the Savon’s benefit. Neither of these abilities will aid my escape while keeping Vess’ possessor secret.

Knowing Vess and I will be closely watched on the first day to build a security profile and ‘risk’ measurement – I waited for at-least a day’s interval. During which time, Vess received entertainment from a single television bolted to the main-room’s corner. Seeing the media that were exposed to had given me a true understanding of why so many of its’ viewers have a warped sense of ‘good’ and are never able to leave the second world. With that aside, Vess directed her attention to a few of the other residence. Fae, Taeros and Nhosent were all strangers, passive and suicidal. Vess, on the other hand, was virtually the opposite – she was semi-popular, outgoing and only here because of me. So it was an odd sight to see her bring them all together in a card game. Never-the-less, today Vess shall be free of here and tomorrow…she shall return with the dignity and pride I‘ve stolen.

After a few hours of bonding and various card games, Vess left to use her hospital restroom. While washing-up in preparation of sleep for the night, I carefully went over every step of our escape plan. Naturally, Vess’ rest would be delayed by a new environment – and I will not be-able to influence her body until she closes her eyes thirty minutes later. Once I’ve gained control...the first stages of escape shall begin.

The first feature of the room which had caught my attention was an absence of security cameras. Either a lack of funds or unavoidable constitutional rights had given me a great advantage. The personal, however, will most likely have routine room-checks…probably in hourly intervals. Sure enough, our room’s door was opened as a nurse’s face appears to quickly glance for anything out-of-order. This was made at around nine-thirty-five…meaning the inspections are probably every thirty minutes in-stead of sixty. Still without a roommate present, I was once again given an unexpected advantage – and the closing of the door triggered my next move.

In case of an unexpected room-check, I urgently rearrange Vess’ bed covering to give the impression of someone sleeping underneath. This stage probably won’t fly for any skilled orderly or nurse, so I will not rely on its accuracy and give myself thirty minutes to escape. My original plan required me to leave through the door – but the advantage to having an empty room will now include the window into my plan. The window, however, had bars on the outside which could not be bent by any physical strength…including my own. It was sloppy of me to not notice this earlier and given the past events, it really my confidence. I still had my original plan, of-course, and I would surely not hesitate from self-pity.

Leaving my room will not go unnoticed, so I simply can’t attempt a ‘run for it’; instead, I return to the main room where I raise the television volume to it’s highest. I remove Vess’ shirt and cover the single rotating camera in the right-adjacent corner. As expected, a curious nurse with a single escort soon enter the room with three things on their mind – turn the television off, remove the camera’s covering and find the patient. They would not find me – for the standard hollow chair against the back wall was a perfect place to hide after cutting my way inside from under the seat cushioning. Listening carefully to their cautious movement, I was able to determine a strategic time where one was reaching for the television controls and the other had just finished checking around my chair.

I knew they had already removed the camera’s covering; so once I reveal myself, they would be informed via radio. With this in mind, being careful not to make a sound, I removed my body from the chair and hit the orderly so he would black out for a few hours. While placing his body on the ground, the nurse, unfortunately, had gained sight of Vess and unwillingly given me the only option I had. If he had a gun, I would be in a conflicted spot – but with only a radio in hand, I rushed the threat and forced another black-out. With keys in hand and a small army on look-out, I would now have to rely on evasive luck.

My first sprint would successfully guide me out from the special-care section of the hospital and into a series of warren hallways. To my surprise, cameras were not present in any of the halls but were surely at the care-station which was currently occupied and stood next the elevators. I was not planning on using an elevator as it would ruin my cover – but, rather, find an unbarred window with a sub-roof to fall onto. With one located next to the care-station, I crept low to remain hidden from the nurse’s field of vision. She would already be aware of a patient who’s recently escaped nearby – and so giving her the slightest suspicion of my presence may add to the body count.

With one camera behind the nurse, the other pointed at the elevators and none at the window, my escape was just of reach…the way I prefer it. In order for this to work without any further harm, I would need to rush through a camera’s view in hopes the security watching is either looking away or taking a break. I waited for the right moment to bolt for the window which came as the lone nurse had her back turned. Once there, the window was easily opened without any cracks or creeks – which allowed Vess to gently fall a story. This sudden collision had snapped not only her right ankle – but her peaceful dreaming as well. With Vess now awakened, I could no longer aid her escape and she was rather…stuck on a hospital roof with no ideas on how to get down. An incredible thing then happened between Vess and I – she closed her eyes in attempt to resume her rest and, possibly, show the trust she’s gained in me. I was quickly able to regain control and resume our progress.

The broken ankle would slow us dramatically but not entirely – Vess’ body was still able to climb from the moonlit roof to a calm down-town side-street. From there, I was able to quietly slip away from the hospital’s eyes – but before I could fit in, there was still the obvious situation of my clothes. With nothing more than minimum coverage over Vess’ body, I would have to find something soon before I once again disappoint her. What was I to do though?—clothes don’t just lie around and seeking a helpful stranger could indirectly lead us to authority or back to the hospital. I did not fail Vess, however, and soon spotted a metal bin overloaded with clothes and entitled ‘Salvation Army’. The selection was decent whilst the condition remained sub-par or even damp and stained. Finding an acceptable outfit would prove not only time-consuming – but a flaw in my greed which had, unfortunately, allowed a stranger to surpass my survailence and cover Vess’ air intake with a damp cloth of what would instantly knock us unconscious.

It was unexpected how the chemical was able to affect me to much the same extent as Vess. And while I remained disoriented for quite some time, Vess was able to regain conciousness after a few hours. Still unable to make a clear or accurate image of anything, I would remain ignorant of what would happen to Vess over the next hour. After which time, my vision and ability to think logically would slowly return to reveal Vess dressed in tight black leather. That alone would give even my current mental state a general idea of Vess’ situation. She was not bound, gagged or disabled in any way but would not have any available clothing to change into. The room we were in was rather…friendly. Vess was given a comfy violet bed, undamaged baby-blue walls, black carpeting and even a video-gaming system.

I wanted to explore the alien environment to get an idea of how I could overcome whatever lurks inside these walls – but Vess refuses to hand-over control of her body. Throwing a few scenarios over Vess’ head, I would soon be-able to take advantage of her drowsiness and once again escape a dangerous situation. This, of-course, would be suspended by…ignorance. In normal circumstances, I would run a cold blade across my arm as a forever reminder to my wrong. Vess was not scared, confused or even angry – she was depressed. I did not know if she suffered from depression – but I knew I had caused a great deal of pain on a girl who had trusted me to maintain a simple promise. Over the duration of less than two weeks, I managed to permanently scar and even rape a stranger who had done nothing less than benefit my life.

Vess cleared her face of tears and said to her possessor, “So, I guess you have me in the afterlife as well.”

I shouted out to her but it would go unheard like the others. I wanted to tell her that I wasn’t what she believed to be the devil – but after what I’ve exposed her to, she should be allowed to believe anything.

“Still can’t talk?” She asks…once again scraping a tear from below her eye.

As I shared with you earlier, I’m all too familiar with a blade against my skin. The deepest cut that I shall ever endure would not be on my arm – but the sight of my own destructive habit being transferred onto the only human who truly reminded me of myself before…

With that thought in mind, another teenage girl in the same situation as Vess had opened the door to comfort what she must have interpreted as the ‘new girl’. She seemed familiar but had arrived late. Vess was somehow able to steal a Savon’s blade which should under no circumstance be useable by anyone not labelled as a ‘Savon’. And with the blade now finishing its’ second leave from Vess’ once unharmed wrist, the newcomer would only kneel by her side. Quickly losing strength, Vess would try but not be-able to make a third mark of my existence. Rather then trying to aid us, the newcomer was smiling in excitement.

Being nothing more than an entity inside of a dying girl, I was dying as well and was not able to reply to…

“I knew you were that gullible!” She added. “Your silly instinct drew you to the target that would route us together!”

With my head spinning and eyes failing, I could only listen to the words of someone knew my true nature.

“I pulled in a deal with Soret and got one of his servants to aid…you know the one I’m talking about.”

As both Vess and I fell into the final stages of death, the frantic words of a deranged enemy would serve as my last words.

The last senses of Vess and I had shut down, leaving only my conscience to interpret three last words.

And so…just on cue, I was presented with an all too familiar scene. Should I repeat life, aid the stranger…or fly towards bliss? I figure this will be the last of my so-called ‘fun’ – and so, for the first time ever, I flew towards bliss. The closer I got, the better I felt; but, I knew something was wrong. Not with bliss and not in my flight – but with myself. I knew that I would never gain personal acceptance if I give up now. After dealing such pain towards the first target…or rather, human, that managed to connect with me – I could not live with myself for long. This time, I believe I’ll choose to start anew.

Among my descent towards the second world marks the next stanza in my memory. I will not be-able remember anything after this – and, hopefully, I shall become a completely different person. So these are my last words to you in hopes someone will learn through my mistakes – and not end the way I have. While I look forward to forgetting both bad and good memories, I think of a single girl – then make my first and final request to Thee Hira that I will be unable to cause any further harm to her…my Vess…Thee Edopa.