Fantasy RP The Devil Goes to College (kaalban)

[FaeWhisperer]

Damon sat on the foot of the stairs leading up to his dorm room. He currently had his phone in his hands, and he was checking his class schedule. Today was Thursday, his next new class wouldn’t be until 3pm. The History of the Greek Gods. Perfect, right up his alley. He was thankful that he did have an advantage which would make the class a whole lot easier.

Despite outward appearances, Damon was a major history buff. He always seemed to have some knowledge of certain eras, historic people- as if he’s almost been there. Then again he was going for a Bachelor’s of Science in History knowing that was the best choice given his current circumstances.

He had about 30 minutes of downtime, and about 15 minutes to walk to his class. He decided to go grab something to eat, and in the meantime check his laptop for any assignments he might have missed. If his parents could see him now, Damon knew for certain they’d be wondering why he chose to go to school. To put it simply, an immortal such as himself had nothing else better to do.

---

Damon Morningstar

• Age: Looks 25 (but is several millennia old)
• Height: 6’5 / 195cm
• Weight: 185lbs / 83kg
• Gender: Male
• Race: Human Presenting
• Appearance:

His ‘normal’ eye color is an icy, intense flame blue

• Family: Hades and Persephone
• Background:
• See More

  Damon was born in the Underworld, spelled Daemon at first. Persephone was very surprised on giving birth to a red inky black skinned babe. But nevertheless she loved him all the same. Growing up, Damon began to learn magic and just shy of his 18th birthday, opened up a portal to another dimension (aka the earth we know). He had opened the dimension to the time of Adam and Eve. Being the curious creature he was, he ventured forth. Soon learning that his cousin, Jesus- aka Zeus’ demigod son had been given dominion over this realm. And of course, Damon wanted to have some fun and mess around with his cousin. But soon they both came to an agreement that Damon would play the bad guy and Jesus would take all the credit and praise. Damon didn’t mind, either way he got his own underworld or hell, one would call it- and basically lived there for over half of a millennia- but that didn’t mean he wasn’t busy. He had become Lucifer- the famous ‘Satan’ written in some old manuscript, and quite preferred to listen to all of the rumors as it gave him some form of entertainment. But in actuality the real reason why he had opened that portal was in search of his very close friend (one he had feelings for) who had been an oracle of Hecate- and he had witnessed their death. For some cruel joke they were not in Elysium when they died and he had vowed that they would meet again. So far, he has had no luck in finding them, and with reincarnation being a thing, especially in another dimension now, he wonders if he will meet them again.
• Likes/Dislikes:
  • Likes: warm coffee smells, leather smells and the smell that occurs just before it rains- since residing in the human world for far too long he has also developed a preferred taste for spicy food.
  • Dislikes: that he has no other choice but to go back every now and then ‘manage’ Hell but thankfully his minions/lesser demons work for him in that regard.

 

[kaalban]

The History of the Greek Gods

Irene May checked the numbers displayed on her phone, which informed the woman that she had around fifteen minutes of free time. Had she worn the wooden ring, the voice of doubt and worry would have nagged her to hurry and hurry and hurry. The silver ring with the crescent moon at its center lulled it. The air which might have agitated or energized only existed as a constant. The people that passed her by were only people, neither friends nor competitors.

Setting her sight, Irene pondered.

Strange… These rings I have. Wooden, silver moon and golden sun. They were always mine, even when I was a child. Mum told me that they just happened to be in front of our home. Kept appearing even after she disposed of them, three times, I think? And then she just gave up. Luckily for me. Probably sheer coincidence.

The silver shines clarity of the mind. The gold invigorates one’s spirit. And wood soothes your roots.

Irene repeated this mantra of hers. Poems, they once were. Maturity shied away from poetry, and reaffirmed them as mere mantras.

Her stomach grumbled; coffee did not alleviate her fatigue. Something brought her spirit down, and the silver moon could not explain why. Irene May switched the silver ring with the golden one. The golden sun flipped the bird to this unexplainable tiredness.

“Gotta grab some snacks.”

There were quite a handful of people in the cafeteria. Among them, she noticed a man. Very tall. A certain force pulled her attention to him. It was as if his presence commanded her to look upon him. Despair? Rejoice? Irene was unsure. His eyes harbored both the chill of ice and heat of flame.

“D…”

Her mouth moved. But, she didn’t know how to continue. She was taken away from this unorthodox state of trance.

Did I see him before?

She checked one more time.

Nah. I wouldn’t forget that guy if I knew him. But, I don’t.

 

[FaeWhisperer]

As Damon stood in line to order his food, he felt as if someone was staring. But then again, who wouldn't stare at him? He practically loomed over the lot of people here, and now thinking back on it, he probably should have adjusted his height just a smidgen more if he wanted to be inconspicuous.

Should've made myself average height.. Damon thought to himself as he adjusted the leather jacket that he wore. It didn't help that his favorite footwear were combat boots that easily gave him a few more inches.

Sighing, he looked down at his phone again as the line slowly crawled forward. Perhaps he shouldn't have decided to get food- he didn't want to be late to his class. At least it wasn't too far away from the cafetiera.

Damon's thoughts began to wander once more and he couldn't help but think about the friend that he lost. Closing his eyes, he could practically feel the splatter of blood on his face once more. Memories flashed in his mind- his friend- horribly injured. This was intentional, a direct attack on the Oracles at the temple of Hecate for reasons he couldn't remember. He had caught her as she fell, and he had tried to use what healing magic he had learned to stop her bleeding. But it was too late. Damon thought he would at least see her in the Underworld, but for some cruel punishment she never ended up there. So he went looking for answers. His father had told him Zeus would give more clarity on these things, since he was the one to create life now. But unfortunately Damon had to track his uncle down, and ended up at the earth we now know. So there he stayed, trying to find his friend again throughout history..but had no such luck.

Damon reopened his eyes and moved forward to order his food. Once he paid, he went to go stand off to the side and wait on his order. For some odd reason he had caught the scent of someone familiar. But with all of the humans that resided here, what he had caught- it went away just as quickly as he had picked it up. Odd, Damon would think, glancing around the cafeteria now.

 

[kaalban]

Maybe it was the sun ring.

Her attention called Irene to pay attention to that tall guy. Maybe it was someone she knew all along, lost from memory for whatever reasons. Her eyes darted for that tall guy, before she found him once more, as if her mind marked him from the beginning. Of course, a presence like his would be hard to ignore, she thought.

Then, Irene May grunted. Something hurt her. Something… Blood? Spilt? No, none of that happened. On the edge of reality and sudden unreality, the woman felt pain leaking out of her body. A man, whose touch had been tender and caring in this uncertain picture, was holding her. Maybe it happened in a particularly powerful dream, one that could leave its mark on the mind forevermore. This potential answer cleared her head and washed away the pain, firmly rooting her in reality. Irene struggled to remember what she had said in that dream of hers, as her supposed last words.

Was it “I love you”?

Or “We shall meet again”?

The more effort she put into remembering, the more the answers eluded her. The lunar part of her that leaked out did not help the matter either. It does not make any sense, she said to herself.

Well, if it’s a dream, it doesn’t matter, does it?

Still, Irene May’s instinct tried to convince her voicelessly that she ought to check. Perhaps, there was an unfulfilled promise of sorts. To strangers? No way. In any case, the thinking head began to load unnecessary weight. The only way to get rid of it was to ask. Irene May who wore the golden ring was able to do so.

The woman of three rings got her food faster than expected, and she rushed straight to this mystery man.

“What a nice day, isn’t it?” Irene said, laughing to herself a little. The golden ring killed the embarrassment that might have emboldened the wooden ring. “Hi, I’m Irene May. It’s just I wanted to ask you something: do you know me?”

 

[FaeWhisperer]

Damon had just gotten his food, and was about to go sit down somewhere before a voice spoke- a voice that reminded him of how the sun felt on his skin. He looked towards where the source came from and saw Irene. His normally pale skin grew even whiter- as if he had just seen a ghost. The uncanny resemblance this woman in front of him held, her face reminded him of a feeling long forgotten, and something stirred inside of him.

Damon decided to keep walking, going to his class instead. He had to contain his composure.

"I'm sorry, I'm not sure I recognize you." He responded in confusion to Irene's question.

Liar.

His voice resembled how a fire would feel, warm and inviting- but could easily burn you if you were careless. Those flame blue colored eyes of his tried hiding their shock, icing over in less than a second.

He walked down some stairs, turning a corner and coming to the hallway where his class was located. Just beyond a closed door at the end of this hallway would be the lecture room. He slowed down his pace and came to a stop, realizing Irene walked here too. Of course she would have the same class as him, as the fates would have it. This wasn't a cruel joke played by them, was it?

Looking back to her, he sighed softly.

"My name is Damon, maybe you recognize me from somewhere?" he figured he would ask, but he knew it'd be pointless. At this time he wasn't sure if Irene truly was who he thought she was. It wasn't like she would remember him anyways- it had been so long, nearly a hundred thousand years and a different dimension now separated that life from him.

"You'll be taking my heart to Elysium..but I promise I will come for you." He promised and had kissed her forehead while feeling her life pass from his arms.

What a bitter, empty promise that never could be fulfilled. She hadn't been there. She wasn't anywhere in the Underworld.

Damon had only hoped he could meet her in another lifetime. But, you couldn't kill the Devil. So he went looking for her instead, and now, being here- with a woman that resembled her-- surely there had to be some possibility...

 

[kaalban]

That person just left, only answering in a brief manner. Irene May remained stunned, then frowned a little.

“That’s pretty rude. Still, I guess he gave an answer."

Despite such abruptness, the warm touch of his voice remained with Irene. The desire within the woman drew itself towards that voice, like a moth to a flame. He does have a nice voice. And… No, no, Irene.

She changed her golden ring to her silver one. Her thinking cleared away all distractions to focus on the next class. Yet, as Irene marched to the class, her eyes noticed him again. The man with a voice like flame. With eyes like ice. And yet, for now, the man with no name. It turned out that they shared the same class, History of Greek Gods.

Funny coincidence, the mind tempered by silver thought.

As Irene took out her tablet and the book required for the lecture, she noticed a purple note sticking out from one of the pages. She opened the page to see the information about Hecate, Goddess of Magic.

Hecate.

That name always stirred Irene’s very being. This unknown, outside force rattled her thinking. The word Hecate latched onto Hades, then onto Damon…

Who is Damon? Am I really this tired right now?

Her mind then darted to that man.

He… I… We… don’t know each other. Yeah.

Irene yawned, covering her mouth to not make a sound. Those visions from moments ago and this bizarre chain of thinking perhaps drained her mental stamina.

 

[FaeWhisperer]

Noticing she really didn't hear his introduction-- things now hung in the air on a wave of awkward silence, and Damon had to recompose himself- glancing around to see no one else really paid attention to what was happening anyways. Perhaps it was just him, but Damon felt like he always had a way to speak to a person without anyone outside of the conversation noticing or even giving him a glance, almost like he was invisible to others. Guess it was a side effect of who he was in reality.

After a few minutes of waiting, Damon and the rest of the students began to shuffle into the lecture room, the door finally opened as the professor had unlocked it for them. Once settled in his seat- Damon's eyes fell on the woman again, her name was resounding in his mind again and again.

Irene...Irene..

No. She isn't her. But..was..it..her? She..her features are a bit different. But then again this is another dimension..

Damon had to shake his head to refocus himself. He could feel his heart racing, like it would almost leap out of his chest.

Calm your devil, breathe...think about this rationally.

Damon let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.. and then, the voice inside of his head finally quieted down as he began to focus on the lecture. He took his laptop out and opened it up, and once logged in he had the book required for the class pulled up on his screen.

Hecate. Of course, who else would the lecture be about? Giving a small sigh and a subtle eye roll, Damon scrolled through the pages of the book, his eyes skimming the words. Most of this book was fairly accurate, of course his name was spelled differently- Daemon. It was briefly mentioned but nevertheless his name stuck out to him. He didn't want the others to notice so he flicked his hand nonchalantly and used a bit of magic- his name in the book was omitted- and the memories of those who was there would not even notice something was gone from the text, as most forgot to bring the book to the lecture anyways.

But the magic in Irene's ring, prevented Damon's magic from working effectively. Little did he know that she would be questioning herself about his very existence right now.

 

[kaalban]

Hecate.

The names of most Greek Gods were familiar to Irene May, since the woman spends her free time absorbing everything about the mythology of Ancient Greeks. Holding knowledge that they were mere stories, yet believing that they were true. Zeus, Aphrodite, Dionysus and Hades galore. For Irene, the name of Hecate, the goddess of magic, illuminated the loudest in her brain. So, of course when the lecture focused on her, her neurons flared up. Even the silver lunar ring of serenity resonated with such interest.

It always seemed like I knew Hecate’s name even before I knew of Zeus. Weird, Irene noted to herself as she began to take notes. In one of her myriad childhood fantasies and longings for adventure, she used to imagine that perhaps these three rings were sent by Hecate, the goddess who seemed to be fond of “three”. Triple-bodied, a word mentioned in the lecture. There was even a moon ring. Night and Moon, another words of the lecture. Then… Witch.

Witch.
The silver ring of the moon vibrated and whispered in a language unfamiliar to Irene May.

Witch? Her thoughts were stuck on that word.

Daemon, her eyes stuck on that word, written in the book.

Both of them eluded Irene, in their own way. The former became a hazy mist, difficult to discern. The latter evaporated completely, only leaving traces in her own memories. Yet, both words converged into a concrete vision.

Witch and Daemon, together.

Did she say “I love you?” or “We shall meet again?”

After this indecipherable epiphany, Irene saw how the name “Daemon” flickered away. The text accommodated this new change, as if some invisible force swapped the old version with a new version, censored by higher forces. Yet, her memory retained that word.

The lunar moon repeated the name. Daemon. Daemon. Daemon.

Irene did meet him. And she had said to him: “We shall meet again.”

“I love you” could not leave her lips. As soon as this memory was unlocked, the solar ring shook, as if urging Irene to put it on herself. The woman obliged. Her logic was unable to sort out this confusing mess that was happening today. But, maybe logic was not fit to solve this conundrum. Fate connected herself, Daemon, Hecate and the rings together, her instinct was assured.

As such, Irene May stopped paying attention to class and began focusing on…

Him. He was here. That man with both ice and fire in his eyes. “Daemon?” she uttered, her brain not processing anything at all.

 

[FaeWhisperer]

Time abruptly froze for the Devil. As if some spell had been silently cast. At first, Damon believed his laptop had simply froze. But no, as he glanced up and looked around, everyone had seemed to be frozen still like mannequins.

What? Something..isn’t right… who..?

Damon began to think, his thoughts compiling into nonsense. But his thoughts only became louder as he locked eyes with her.

She had spoken his name. His true name. The way it sounded, old and ancient- the pronunciation lost to human speech—no, lost to this timeline. Right. He had gone from one reality to another, the him that existed here was because of his doing- the Devil, apart of ‘Christianity’, ‘these manuscripts’ in the text for this lecture were merely ‘fictional’. So.. how his true name even ended up there He could not fully understand.

But when Irene had spoken his name, it had felt like he was witnessing her death once again- and his pale skin turned even whiter, like he had seen more than just a ghost.

Time did not stop for only him, Irene was present as well. As his gaze examined her face, he stood up, knowing what he was about to do, he shouldn’t be.

“I’ll tell you,” he spoke, “those rings you have in possession, I’m assuming hold the memories of someone I knew. I don’t know how you came to own them.. but it seems that your memories and hers are melting into one.” He paused, seemingly like he was evaluating his next words. “That’s why you recognize me. At first I thought I was just…well, going insane really,” he chuckled, shaking his head.

He looked around the room. “And magic you don’t really fully understand yet..this is one spell I unfortunately cannot undo since I myself am a bit rusty in this type of magic.” He sighed, he seemingly meant about all of those frozen around them. What shall they do? What will Irene May do next?

 

[kaalban]

Time stilled around Irene May. The professor, other students, and even the dust refused to move. She could move her fingers, and even stand up. A part of her still unsure of what was occurring, the woman, the woman approached a frozen student. She remained frozen. Before she could get accustomed to this new circumstance, that man spoke to her. About her rings, about magic, about themselves. Besides her, this man was the only person who could defy the commands of frozen time.

“Who are…”

Three rings screamed in unison, turning a simple classroom into a palace of thousand lights with their illumination. Perhaps these rays, both golden and silver, intruded into her brain through sight. Then, it broke away the fog that surrounded her. Little bits of information began to enter her cognition. Memories, as he said.

She was not just Irene May. She belonged to Hecate. And he was not a stranger at all.

“You are Daemon, aren’t you?”

The gaps in her memories were not filled enough. She had wanted to proclaim her love for this person, but how much of it was fact, and how much the product of magical haze?

“How do you know me? How do I… know you?”

 

[FaeWhisperer]

At the sound of his name again, whispers of an ancient time long lost filtered throughout his brain. He took in a sharp breath again, looking to her. "Yes. But call me Damon, it's less pronounced than my birth name." he explained next. He had seen those thousand lights illuminating the surrounding area for Irene May, and had known then that bits and pieces of information were coming back to her. Memories. But these memories, although separate from her person right now, truly belonged to her. Even if she had those rings in her possession, how would he explain it?

How does she know me... well, simple enough to put into words-- well, not too simple- it's not everyday you have to explain to a mortal that they're reincarnated, if they would even believe that information.

Damon had to think this one through. He just told her the rings had those memories. But looking at it further, how else would she know? Anyone could have picked up those rings, but because she looks just like her, reincarnation was the only plausible answer. If anyone else had picked up the rings, the rings would have been just plain rings- no special ‘powers’ or anything. But because it was Irene May, the woman who looked like..

Damon, after some thought looked at the rings- he approached Irene slowly. “Like I mentioned. Those rings hold the memories of someone I knew..but, the thing is..how they got to this dimension and how..” he looked up- there was a third presence that he suddenly felt.

It was funny how the thread of fate could connect people, and how history had a way of repeating itself. Damon looked worried, he remembered this presence, this..energy. He looked to Irene May, and suddenly apologized quickly-“I’m sorry!” he exclaimed, and grabbed her arm, blinking them away to his dorm room, out of that classroom. When they had left, time had surprisingly resumed itself, but of course Damon had more things to worry about now.

 

[kaalban]

Damon kept talking about how he knew her, even though Irene herself barely recovered the particles of memories that belonged to her. Her human brain began to understand that, indeed, she also knew him. It understood that he had been a person… a being that she had been the most intimate with in a time so distant from this moment it might as well be a certain unreality. Yet, her soul, teetering between human and beyond human, regarded him as distant still. In all aspects, she could not feel who Damon was to Irene May, and who Irene was to Damon. The mention of rings, memories and dimensions deepened the schism that occurred within her.

And then, she felt someone besides them. Not a student or a professor. Distinctly chthonic, whose invisible hands were powered by screams from the world below human realm. A sudden trepidation agitated her beating heart, and the rings screamed in physical silence, but psychic alarm. A being whose directive was punishment ascended to human realm. And it came to hurt her. This impersonal malice that only they could emanate with woke Irene from this confusion. All of her rings activated at the same time. Like Gorgon’s gaze, the terror paralyzed her flesh. Yet, the silver ring of Irene May knew finally that she could never return to the ordinary life again. Or, rather, she revisited the old realm once more. She only needed to mutter their name to confirm this passing:

“Mega…”

Then, she and Damon teleported to a dorm, which belonged to him, it seemed. A mere ordinary woman would have succumbed to blin confusion at this display of overt magic. However, even if her thoughts lay in several uncertainties, Irene still felt that magic was not unfamiliar anymore. The true unknown factor was the man who was in front of her.

As of this moment, Irene had two kinds of trance states. In one of them, the woman believed that she solely belonged with ordinary people, magic solely in the realm of fantasy. And in another, she believed that magic was intimate with her. Being away from that impersonal malice woke her from the second trance, and put her back in the first kind of trance state.

“What the hell? Is this your room? And you just teleported, huh?”

 

[FaeWhisperer]

Damon didn't have time to explain. In truth, Irene was being hunted. She had to be. Damon knew that the malicious energy that he had felt in that lecture room is exactly what he had felt back at Hecate's temple. Right before..

He looked to Irene, he could tell that her mind was reeling, and he could feel the magic in the rings switch around. It was amazing to him that he hadn't notice them earlier, when Irene had first come up to him in the cafeteria and spoke to him. The moment she was back to her mortal viewpoint, almost as if the rings were sheltering her mind--he knew he had to come up with some type of plan to keep her by him, of course, without scaring her too much.

When she spoke, Damon didn't offer an explanation. He moved past her and grabbed a book from his desk and opened it. On first glance, one could easily tell that this book- although appeared new had an ancient text written on the front cover and in the pages. The ink in them seemed to glow a warm red, and hold heat to them. Damon began to speak in this unfamiliar tongue- quickly and quietly, all the while as he spoke, Irene May would notice how his eyes- which once held an icy flame blue were now mismatched, both white and red.

In this instance of Damon reading the text from the book Irene could feel one particular ring heat up, as if the metal it was made from was going to melt. But as quickly as it heated up, the ring cooled down. And if she took a look at it, she would notice something written on the band. Had that always been there? What did it read? Why did she feel a sudden sense of knowing that being with Damon was for the best, even if her mortal mind could not fully grasp at the situation at hand..?

Damon closed the book, and the whispers filling the air and in Irene's mind abruptly stopped.

Looking to her, Damon's gaze- although jarring at first, his mismatched eyes seemed to hold a softness in them- especially when he was gazing upon Irene's face. "I'm sorry, there's no time to explain," he finally responded to her, and knew that even if he had cloaked Irene from the source that was hunting her, his magic that he had performed was practically a beacon and would lead it straight to them. Even making a portal would leave traces of his magic behind and he would continually be hunted down.

He needed to think quickly. And Irene would watch him use his hands, the air vibrating around them a bit. He put them together and then spread his hands far apart, his eyes now locking in to the wall in front of him. As his hands continued to move, he used his fingers to write a sigil in infernal- the sigil was burning and scorching into the wall, smelling faintly of hellfire, but not like Irene would know what that smell would be like. All she knew is that after the sigil was written, it scorched black and continued to glow faintly like dying embers in a fire.

Damon then took a soft breath, feeling the outside threat fading away. Good. But he knew this was only a temporary fix, sooner or later they would be founded out again. And when that would happen, Damon would properly be prepared.

He then looked back to Irene and told her. "It's safe for now. But we can't stay, we have to leave." he explained, and waited to see what she would do, knowing this was happening all too quickly- but the ring that now had the inscription on it reminded her that she could trust him, even if she didn't fully remember who he was to her, or... what he was.

 

[kaalban]

Damon conducted more magic here.

And one of it touched her rings. The silver ring of reason was the one that was affected the most, with a new kind of voice inhabiting it. The heat inflicted brief yet scorching pain upon her, but soon it recovered its coolness, as if nothing had changed. The aftershock of this heat having rattled her senses, she was about to ask:

“What…”

Irene swallowed her words, noticing the changes that occurred to this world as a whole. The direct contact opened her dormant invisible eye, sensitive to the waves and threads of magic that permeated this world. The numerous layers of colors and textures overwhelmed her senses. Irene was about to succumb to dizziness until she saw what he wrote on her silver ring.

No harm will come to you.

This was what Damon had said during the peaceful times eons ago, to a woman that had been her yet not her. While the full picture was not yet clear, Irene realized that he had stayed true to his words until the very last day, when she died. At this moment, Irene was not sure whether her thoughts were her own. Nevertheless, even then, she had known that death was never Damon’s fault. She had known that he had risked everything to keep her safe, but the cruel fate prevailed.

Irene May checked the color of his eyes to see that they changed to white and red. Devoice of cold, leaving room for only flame. That which would enwrap her and ward her off from all manners of darkness. In this chaos, where the woman of magic lost hold of her own identity and could not grasp his, Irene knew for certain that she could trust him.

And that knowledge opened a part of her heart. The emotions that she had been holding began to leak outward, reaching her human brain and the rings of magic. However, as of this moment, this change accentuated the gap between these new emotions and old persona.

“I’ll… I’ll follow you wherever you go, Damon.”

Irene let out a smile, broken by expected uncertainty and held together by unfamiliar certainty in Damon. The woman felt safe in his presence, and even joyous, but she could not explain why.

 

[FaeWhisperer]

Damon- in truth, felt terrible it had come to this- to use magic on Irene, especially magic that altered her physical conscience- her blind trusting in himself..

He knew she wasn't exactly the same, it was her memories he was trying to protect here- the memory of her. But even then, if this Irene May was her own person, with her own thoughts and feelings, Damon knew that he would eventually feel the same way as he once did, well, he already had started to, he couldn't help it. He had tried so long..so many years of searching for her in every lifetime. Somewhere deep inside he knew it wouldn't be the same as it had been before- that one possible life with her then had been brutally severed- and as in some cruel joke he hadn't been able to find her in the afterlife. So, when Damon had began to search for her- knowing that reincarnation had intervened, he knew that no matter what happened, that if he found her again... he'd love her in every form, in every lifetime - for their souls were bound together by the threads of fate, always destined to be with one another. He was in love with the soul that she carried, not her physical appearance.

But as much as that was true...it was another cruel joke to him that fate would have it- to have her look exactly as she did before. That made it all much harder for Damon to fully understand the extent of what he was feeling. Of course he was protecting her, that he had promised long ago, and long ago had failed, he vowed he wouldn't do that ever again. He wouldn't fail protecting her. He couldn't. He-

I'll follow you wherever you go, Damon

It had been those words that had transported him back to that day, the day of her inevitable fate. Yet fate could be rewritten, the power to choose one's own fate....to a point, one could change their fate, he knew much as that. Fate had multiple endings one could travel down to, it wasn't just a one way road with one set story. But unfortunately for them, it seemed that Irene's fate had a cruel way of repeating itself to some sense. When she would eventually meet Damon, it was then written that she would die.

Was she being punished for something he couldn't fully understand? He wasn't able to fully grasp the idea.

Either way, he knew the outcome. It was his next actions that he chose that would choose which 'path' of fate they would turn to next. This time, he had recognized the same energy- person- entity--whatever one wanted to call it-- who had put Irene in that endless loop of time--of reincarnation. Was this her last life? Damon knew that this world wasn't like that he had been born into, the rules had changed. He knew if she died and if it was her last reincarnation- she wouldn't go where he resided..

Then an idea filled his mind.

Of course, he could take her to the same realm as her last reincarnation- where everything was mirrored to here, except for Christianity it was focused on the Greek gods, and more importantly, his parents resided there, to where he could find answers. But leaving here might make things unbalanced..

No matter, Damon thought to himself. What's the worst that could happen, another plague? The end of days? It wasn't of his concern, for his cousin took care of that specifically.

So before he opened another portal, he decided to silently dial back the magic used on Irene, to make sure her own separate thoughts and clarity could focus on that sense of safety with Damon, to essentially still have her free will and consciousness, instead of blinding following him.

And with that he opened another portal in the room, the air vibrating around them again and deep red and black smoke formed- sparking like embers from a fire while a ring opened up - showing a bustling city..although this city looked ancient.

Damon outstretched his hand to Irene. "Where we're going..where I'm taking you..you won't be entirely safe, but it will buy us some precious time to figure out a way to make that happen." He explained, hoping Irene would understand that much. He knew the entity wouldn't expect him to do jump dimensions, so he knew it'd be a while before that threat was felt again.

"Are you ready?" Damon asked, his mismatched eyes on her face, waiting for her to take his hand to lead her to the dimension beyond this world.

 

[kaalban]

Irene recognized the pain in Damon’s colorful eyes, white as a snow and red as a ruby, even when another shift happened in her thoughts. It was a different hue of pain, but it belonged to that same color of pain that she had seen in her death. She wished to reach his hands, the warmth that would soothe her mind, yet a part of her prevented from doing so. This hesitation occurred even when Irene began to recognize Damon more and more by each second. A mage turned human recognized that it was not herself per se that pulled her away from this new realm.

That chthonic presence, again. That same impersonal malice was about to resurface once more, and inflict pain on both of them once more. Megaera, Irene finally recognized, while holding back her tongue to speak her name out loud. Fear crawled up to her muscles and paralyzed them. The chthonic magic that Megaera emanated choked her.

Then, Damon opened a portal to another… another realm. Not dissimilar to the current realm, yet so ancient. Yet, she could not call it a past of this world, even if she had seen this place in her own past. Damon’s sheer power dispelled parasites of terror, and awakened one of her rings. This time, a wooden ring rumbled. Its voice was silent, yet distinctive.

Do not go.

That was its silent message. For whatever reason, this ring wanted Irene to stay human, no matter the cost. This magical device was pulling her away from the world of magic this whole time. Irene May observed this underused ring, a hidden shackle. But, even if it could try to persuade, it could not compel. Then, she looked at Damon. With the mind fully of her own, with the mind awoken to the new hidden world that she had always been a part of, Irene knew that she had to follow him. No, she wanted to follow him. Her beating heart rejuvenated. A mind free of tampering only hardened her resolve. Her own magic, dormant for so long, flowed through her fingers and ruined the wooden ring. This subconscious ritual she performed made a dent on the ring. Still, she did not throw it away.

“I’m ready”

Irene extended her hand and grabbed Damon’s.

 

[FaeWhisperer]

Damon, watched her resolve return in a matter of mere moments. And at the same time, that same malicious feeling crawled underneath his skin, and he turned his head briefly to look around the room. He could feel the air vibrating once again from that malicious entity, and knew in mere moments it would be here in the room with them. But apart from that, Damon suddenly also sensed that something else had happened, new- or in this case, a familiar, welcomed magic energy had appeared, and his only explanation was that Irene had it returned to her..but there was no guarantee that her memories would return so easily, and it was possible her magic returning so suddenly would fluctuate here and there, until she honed it properly once more.

And before he could focus on Irene’s magic too long, she had grabbed his hand, telling him she was ready. Without any hesitation, Damon quickly pulled her through the portal with him- and by some type of other magic, perhaps still Damon’s- they were dressed properly for the time they were in. It was when Irene May would notice that he turned and sheltered her from the portal as he began to close it. And if she was listening..she would hear a singing of an arrow or something flying through the air at an inhuman speed, that only non humans or any magic bearers could detect.

It had come through the portal as it closed, and not a moment too soon. Damon grunted as the sharp blade scraped and cut the right side of his cheek, underneath his red eye. His blood from the cut, caused by the blade bubbled and practically was ‘hissing’ as it came to the surface. Thankfully though, being the demon and god that he was, the effects were lessened and only offered mild discomfort.

Up to this point Damon had not let go of Irene’s hand, but when that blade like weapon came through, he had made sure it wouldn’t touch Irene. It was only till it clanged to the ground, did he go inspect it.

It..it was the same, Damon thought to himself. At least, that’s what he remembered what had been the cause of..

He dared not touch it, so he took his hand and the heat that emanating from his glowing hand was…well, could burn-melt anything nearby, but Irene would only feel comforting warmth.

This melted the metal of the blade and from it came a black ink type substance that seeped into the pavement bricks, disappearing back to its magic holder.

Damon’s hand stopped glowing once it was gone and he turned back to Irene, his eyes scanning her body rapidly to make sure nothing had been hurt.

 

[kaalban]

In an instant, Damon took Irene into a new realm through the portal. It was an old realm, to be precise, which reminded her of Ancient Greece. Her own clothes morphed from a modern attire to white and gold robes that felt unfamiliar, yet freeing. However, before the woman could fully take in the new world in front of her, she heard a harmful magic pass.

Irene felt that her heart stopped for a second. Even though she did not know the exact nature of this attack, she realized that this magic was what killed her in the distant past. She grabbed her chest to check if her pulse was still running. Irene felt her own breathing, which became a sigh of relief. This feeling did not last long when she saw a cut beneath Damon’s red eye.

“Are you alright?” she asked first.

 

[FaeWhisperer]

Damon noticed how she had been panicking at first, but the moment she had realized the cheek underneath his eye had been cut.. he raised his fingers to it, wiping the blood, and letting the skin scar over. Thankfully with his regeneration..he knew he didn’t have to worry about wounds for long. But that wasn’t the same for Irene.

“I’m alright,” he spoke to her next, stepping a bit closer, his mismatched eyes scanning her body once again. “Are you sure you’re alright?” He asked, worry lacing his words. She could tell her life was important to him, even if she didn’t fully understand it herself yet.

 

[kaalban]

“Yeah, I’m fine, all things considered,” Irene replied as she collected pieces of her being amongst the chaos of past moments. She exhaled deeply, letting out all the baggage that her heart carried with. Irene touched the robe that she found herself wearing, and looked upon the world she believed she experienced only as history or mythology. Yet, the air tasted different, constantly fluctuating and crackling with life unseen in most living things. It almost overwhelmed her senses, but it was not tiring.

This world affirmed something within her.

If I were a… a mage of sorts in the past… Then… Well, I can’t run away now, not anymore. Is this all fate? Am I supposed to be here? Guided by the hand of fate? By him?

Irene looked at Damon, who had worry painted on his countenance. Irene smiled, elated at his worry. A certain warmth filled her heart. It was a warmth that sought its kindred in another body and soul. Irene felt inclined to get closer to him, yet she could not explain why. Still, he was the only thing that kept as she was amongst the whirlwind of chaos.

I won’t be played by fate. I’ll take it with my own hands.

“In fact, I never felt better. So, what do we have to do now? Are we safe right now?”

 

[FaeWhisperer]

Damon watched the wheels in Irene’s head turning, and he could tell she had come to another form of some resolve- especially when she had looked around and he watched her gaze hardening at the answer she had come to.

If he had any inkling, he knew she would try to grab fate by her own hands and make her own destiny.. and if that happened, well, he’d be impressed. He knew fate wasn’t easily changed, and that’s what he was trying to do too, with the avoidance of her death- yet he knew she was no immortal and would die eventually..but he did not want it in the way fate was trying to make it play out.

At the mention of being safe he shook his head, looking around now at the bustling city before them. “As long as we are on the mortal realm, we will never fully escape from that threat..” to be honest, if he had never met Irene earlier that day… she may have been able to live a normal life, one that wouldn’t meet the same fate as..

He closed his eyes and tried to think, he could take her there but..would she even agree upon entering the Underworld?

“I could take you to where my parents are but..it’s in the Underworld, and I know that’s one area this threat will not follow,” he explained to her, reopening his eyes, the mismatched gaze still holding worry for her, his other senses still on high alert.