Host

Summary: Sofia was under the impression that things were getting back to normal, but that couldn't be further from the truth. What begins as a normal outing with her partner and tiny Strawbaby quickly and drastically changes gears when she becomes the unwitting host for a determined and restless spirit. (Collab with MarionetteJ2X)

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nana and Tanya belong to MarionetteJ2X.

A/N: Hey, guys! :D Here we go with a new adventure, and boy, is Sofia in for a wild ride. Haha. You'll meet a new character (whom I personally ADORE), and we'll have a whole new situation to deal with—though some older elements are incorporated as well. Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 1: Unsettled

Nearly a year had gone by since the destruction of the Never Realm, or so everyone believed. While the more notorious cults such as the Tenebrous, the Cainors, the Darvintes, and the Knalchos had been destroyed, one solitary cult had somehow managed to survive.

The Vilisators (literally derived from the expression 'Vile Creators') were known for crafting creatures of unimaginable proportions that shouldn't or couldn't possibly exist in any realm. The cult was responsible for numerous failed experiments, which would often be set free into the world to wreak havoc on unsuspecting innocents, while the perfected experiments would be kept at bay, awaiting any opposing attack.

For some reason, the Vilisators had opted to separate themselves from everyone else in the Never Realm when the other cults had originally begun plotting the takeover of the Ever Realm. They were often shunned and called a cowardly cult because of this, but their dark magic abilities and unstable experimentations still classified them as rather dangerous.

Upon discovering that the Never Realm itself had been destroyed, the cult (already sequestered away in a secondary realm) continued operating in their hidden location, plotting a way to spread their darkness to the deepest and darkest corners of the Ever Realm. They would succeed where the others had failed, even if it was the last thing they did.

While the rest of the cult members had been busy creating new experiments to form a perfect weapon of mass destruction, there was one member of the group who wasn't completely consumed by the darkness of the Never Realm. In fact, this man was instead fascinated by the beauty of the Ever Realm, as taboo as it sounded.

His name was Victor, and he was in his late twenties. He was tall and slim, his lithe body wrapped in a long dark tunic and matching slacks, his heavy black boots covered in shiny silver buckles. His short hair was jet-black and styled neatly, and he had rather gentle bluish-green eyes for someone who worked for the former Never Realm.

Victor possessed incredibly dark magic, the likes of which consumed him. However, ironically enough, he had somehow managed to maintain the majority of his humanity (upwards of 90%), and very little dark magic expression. It was a unique and highly unusual situation for someone in the Vilisators, but he had somehow managed to pull it off.

Part of it was due to his origins. When he was younger, he'd been forced into the membership of the Never Realm when he'd been extracted from his loving family, traded for a meager bag of jewels, and enslaved by the original Vilisators. Though he was bitter about his situation, he didn't let it consume him.

The other part of his mostly untainted personality was because of his own creation. As previously mentioned, Victor had found the Ever Realm amazingly beautiful, and it had inspired him so much that he had created her…

Tanya, upon first glance, certainly looked the part of an evil being from the devious cult. Her medium-length snowy white hair was tied into two loose ponytails on either side of her head. Her ears were long and pointed, peeping out through her loose locks. Her irises were a strange shade of purple, and where the whites of her eyes would normally be was nothing but darkness, casting a rather eerie effect. On her pale skin, she had parallel plum-colored markings spanning from her cheeks down her neck, and a few more lining her arms and her legs. Her upper body was wrapped in a sleeveless black turtleneck and a short red scarf, while her legs were covered by a billowing gray skirt that reached her knees. Instead of shoes, she went barefoot. And lastly, on her arms from her elbows and to the ends of her fingers, she wore some sharp gauntlets (appropriately named the Deathbringer), each one black as midnight with silver designs swirling through them and ruby-red diamonds embedded in the panoply, specifically on each finger, her hands, her wrists, and her elbows.

The young woman had been molded and shaped by Victor's own hands, every bit of his passion and endearment for the oh-so-different Ever Realm flowing into his new creation. Tanya, while highly dangerous and cult-based, had one thing the other Never Realm creations never had: the knowledge of kindness and compassion.

Victor had secretly taught her how to treat others well and keep a light heart, despite her dark surroundings. He'd often told her stories of his former quiet and peaceful life, which she absorbed willingly. And, due to her humanlike emotions that she'd acquired ever since her rogue master had taught her about the lighter side of life, she'd found herself falling in love with the very one who had created her.

What she didn't know is that he'd found himself doing very much the same thing. Despite their feelings, they'd had to keep it a secret, especially from the oh-so-suspicious cult members surrounding them. Everything they did was unusual and so unlike the rest of the group.

Victor and Tanya could always be found together, and they did attempt to put on a dark façade when in front of the other cult members. However, when they were alone, they would eat together or even play games with each other. The double life wasn't easy, but as long as they were together, they were happy.

However, one day, things started to change. After hearing about the defeat of the Never Realm, the hidden cult decided to cultivate a plan to fight whoever had defeated the most powerful and darkest realm in existence. In order to do that, of course, they'd need to use their most powerful creature: Tanya.

Victor refused. He wouldn't allow his most valuable creation, not to mention the unspoken love of his life, be used for such a horrible thing. To save her from certain doom, he fought the others when they came for her. He put up a good fight, but in the end, he was brutally murdered right in front of the love of his life's eyes.

And she grew angry, instinctively craving revenge, the darkness flowing from deep within her as her emotions overtook her. Out of vengeance for her fallen love and master, she killed nearly half of the cult members on her own, with the aid of her potent and perilous powers. Unfortunately, she soon became overwhelmed with the sheer number of people left, not to mention their own power, and she ultimately was slain as well.

Aggravated that their best chance for unleashing havoc on the Ever Realm had been destroyed (even by their own hands), the cult members returned to trying to find a suitable replacement. Unbeknownst to them, though, Tanya's spirit had somehow managed to linger around, even after her body (and her master's) had been carried away.

She spent quite some time wandering around the hidden realm, her need for revenge weighing heavily upon her heart as the memory of Victor protecting her then perishing before her eyes circulated in her mind. Angered and negatively motivated, she knew she'd have to go to the one place her love had always spoken so highly of: the Ever Realm.

Thankfully, being a spirit, she was able to transport from one location to another rather easily, and when she did successfully make it to the Ever Realm, she was taken aback.

It was beautiful. Victor had been right… He'd been right about everything.

The green grass tickling her bare feet as she walked, the blue skies with their cotton ball clouds, the sound of the water, the feel of the sun, the sway of the trees as the gentle wind blew by… It was amazing. So many sights to behold, sounds to take in as a new melody to her ears, fragrances to appreciate from the flowers and other flora… This was pure, untainted bliss. And now, she only wished she could have shared it with her love…

Now, though, she had a mission she had to focus on: locating a very powerful host body she could possess, so that she could carry out her revenge.

And thus, her search began…

To be continued…

Next Chapter: A Strange Feeling