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Fandom Power Rangers Divine Knights

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Saturday mornings to many mean cartoons, sugary cereals that will undoubtedly rot their teeth and no school for the children to be imprisoned at or for some adults, no work. Weekend jobs are the worst, yes, but when bills pile up and someone really likes their stable internet connection and having food to eat, they learn to live with it as painful as it is to give up a weekend. The Hart Farm sees work days all seven days out of the week having to provide produce for local retailers. Kind of cool knowing the food they grow here gets bought by the supermarket and other sellers, and then said food is distributed through Westfield and even a few places beyond. It's a living, and it's delicious!
Peter had laid out a bowl of fruits with some bottled water, each bottle having a little colored sticker on it so the Knights knew who's bottle was who's. Making the dummies animate in Thrall form is no small feat. Magic involved, a little prep work on his part, a sample of Thrall DNA which is not easy to obtain, but somehow it had been done in recent times. Theoretically, anybody can be an enemy here. Enough hair strands and the team could be training against a bunch of Dwayne Johnsons! Now that would be fun, or so Peter likes to think. Set up outside, the training dummies got to work with the others while he took a moment to sit on the back porch beside of Ingrid, whom Chloe invited over for post-training studying and general hanging out. Warthog climbed up into Ingrid's lap as she sat on the porch with Peter, snacking on grapes and watching everybody, her guitar leaning on the steps. "So those aren't real?" she asked Peter, rubbing the pigs head.
"Not real at all. They're in no real danger here, but it doesn't mean they can't--" Peter began, interrupted by Mellany's grunting. "...that."

Chloe regretted such sugary cereal. Vince regretted only not wearing something a bit sturdier to practice in. The girl feels groggy and the gym rat just does not care for feeling exposed. It's what he gets for being a cocky! Watching her friend spectate on the sidelines, Chloe got a taste of what it was like having a 'cheerleader' for her performance. Last night there was a football game and Chloe went to cheer as she does. It's weird feeling it reversed. She spun on her heel away from one of the dummies' reach and whacked at it with the practice longbow.
Her brother, on the other hand, swept the practice blade right into a pile of the dummy Thralls with effortless swing. Extending his hand to her, he offered to help Mellany up. Time for another display of how Vince goes from casual and friendly to serious and work-oriented. "Your butt likes the ground, eh?" he asked her before kicking the body slamming dummy aside. "Smile for the camera." Vince had one of his cameras set up, as well. He likes film, so why not film their training sessions for future reference! He thought of it last time they trained and he funked up a little. Blondes are smarter than they look.
 
Coming from the third person omniscient point of view, Mellany's internal struggle is similar to that of Braxton's recently explored path. Having to be the best, and if not the best then just not good enough. His mother and father laid it on thick that if he fails, everyone fails and the world is to come crashing down like a stack of building blocks. Mages more than anybody undergo that all-or-nothing attitude for magic is a dangerous and finicky force that if not weld carefully, catastrophic things may occur. Braxton of course took it to an extreme with his upbringing, which is part of why he's so damned good at magic. Smaller cracks in his foundation as of late haven't bothered him as much as they did. it's toned down by a whopping two percent! Actually...make it like 1.93%. Sometimes a glyph is missing a symbol or shapes not like a perfect circle so he has to start all over again. But he's not beating himself up over being human so that's progress. Being spectacular at magic gives you a spectacular ability to adapt. Being...adept in adapting.

Recording training sessions made him less than comfortable. He's no issue with being on video but it's so silly to do. Watching your own mistakes won't better you, it'll just drive you crazy. To better oneself, just remember what you did wrong, think about it, and run it better next time. Easy does it, Braxton, easy does it with the judgement. Part of his newfound promise to be better is that he won't verbally judge the others as much. Like his percentage from a minute ago it's gone down by a small number if anything. He hasn't lectured anybody in a full 24 hours while being given at least 18 opportunities. Over half of which were given by the tribal Knight alone. He means well but goodness if he isn't something to scold at from Braxton's standpoint.
"These may be emulation dummies but do no falter, they are testing us, after all," Braxton reminded everybody. Go big or go home. He cast a barrage of magi bolts from the staff in hand, uplifting a far off dummy into a tree where it will remain harmless.
 
Mellany glared at Vince as he made his comment and gave a most sarcastic smile in front of the camera. She didn't like feeling like she was being made fun of. She did accept the help back up though. She's not a complete bitch. Just as of right now, she's feeling really... irritated? Mellany doesn't quite know how to word it or how to place the feeling. Just seeing how everyone is getting along and performing... she's thought it before but it makes her feel left out. "I think I need to take a break," she said, distancing herself from the others to catch her breath. Why's she feeling so weird lately? Maybe she's just getting sick... Maybe there's more going on than she knows of as of yet. Just the more time she spends with these people, the less she feels like she's a part of them. The one good thing about recently is that Braxton hasn't been talking down to everyone as much as he used to. Still, he's thinking it all. She can tell by the way he looks at them. Funny... she's been feeling this way for a little while now. A couple of days back there was a minor attack. Just Thralls, no demons or Disciples to be seen. Perhaps they were all being whipped into shape by Dumanax for having failed the last couple of times? Mellany was sure something had struck her back then, pretty similar as how she just got struck by the animated dummy. Yet there hadn't been anything to be seen. Probably she's just imagining things, trying to make up for losing focus and not performing as well as she could. Coming to think of it, in general she's been rather unfocussed for the last few days. Her concentration is just lacking, and she's a little shiverish. Mellany's pretty sure she doesn't have any allergies, so maybe she's just getting sick. Still... she didn't want to give up just yet.

Already having distanced herself somewhat, but not yet having left the training field, she started casting her spell. A wall of icy wind to just blow back the dummies and keep them at a distance. Might come in handy if they ever need to keep a demon away from them in order to blast them. Or run away. Either way a pretty useful spell to practice. Were it not for the fact that she messed up the glyphs and the spell got reversed. So instead of blowing the dummies away, she blew herself backwards, knocking herself into the ground once more. This time, Mellany didn't grunt. She cursed loudly, rolling backwards so she was sitting on her knees again. "Fuck this," she grumbled. "I really do need a break."

Training had been going pretty well, Raijah thought. Everyone was more or less cooperating and learning new ways to fight the Thralls. Even if this weren't real ones. It had taken Peter a good while to convince Raijah the creatures they were fighting right now were just magically enhanced dummies and not actual Thralls invading the farm again. To be fair, Raijah still had some nightmares occasionally about that attack. The Mounts were scared and in danger, everyone got hurt, and Alexander died. No reason to tell that to anyone here. Everyone knew, after all. The farm was protected now, but when Raijah saw the "Thralls" he had been convinced the protection had faltered. Although everyone was working together in this training session, Raijah found himself mostly siding with Chloe. Seemingly that just happened naturally. Rogues draw to rogues, and Raijah sees it as his responsibility to look after Chloe's skills. After all, he's the more experienced rogue. And she really had been learning about the daggers! He was proud of his friend! And he was also proud of Braxton. Recently he had been a much nicer person. Although he would still give people those funny looks. Or was that just him?

He turned his attention to Mellany, who... hadn't been doing that well recently. This was the second time today she knocked herself off her feet. He heard the cursing, and although he (thankfully) wasn't sure what the words meant, by intonation he could tell it didn't mean anything good. "Is she angry at us?" he quietly asked Chloe. Mellany may not be that big, but his time in the tribe had thought him that the small people could be very dangerous when they were angered. "You is okay?" he dared to call louder her way, only to be answered by... being ignored completely. That wasn't very nice of her.
---
Back in Faye Castle, a recently summoned demon proudly pranced and twirled around the castle. She was slender in body, her skin a purplish gray. Pride might not be her forte, but proud she still was. During a recent battle between the Knights and Thralls, she had been keeping her glowing green eyes on them from the shadows. Hidden and watching, waiting to strike at the right moment. Every human being has something a watchful demon can latch on to. Hers, like Pride, was something present in every soul. Some more apparent than with others. And oh, that tiny Knight was such a delicious specimen. Vioux could tell from the way the Knight moved and spoke among the others. So full of insecurities, so full of things the others had she wished she had. There's a fine line between envy and jealousy, and when she would play her cards right, it ought to be not much of a big deal to turn one Knight against the others. And so she had struck, getting a taste of the White Knights deepest desires. Since that day, she needn't be out of the Castle. The link had already been made, and she was sapping out the Knights strength without them even realizing it. Hence the dancing and prancing. Demons deserve a little party when they're certain of a victory, don't they?

But she could tell Dumanax was starting to grow impatient once more. A battle would come soon, and then Vioux would once more aim her powers at her target. Soon, the knight would belong to her. A minion of her own to play with, to draw energy on, until it was no longer needed.
"Oh dear Rogana and Urla, dance with me and celebrate. Soon the three of us shall face off against the Knights. We shall play them apart and celebrate our victory once more!" Vioux said, her voice smooth and alluring. Truly, many a mortal who would hear her would at least stop to listen to what this mysterious creature might have to say.
 

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Pretending not to notice anything but clearly noticing something about her behavior, Vince kept an eye on Mellany through the last little bit of time. Intuition told him that he wasn't liked much by her, although that responsive glare may be her own frustration with the day so far. Last fight they had been in left her a little off after, he noticed. How many times can someone utter the word 'notice' in one paragraph before it's too repetitive? The camera bothered nobody, Vince thought. If being filmed is what made her perform less than usual, he wouldn't mind to shut it off this one time for her sake. Sensing the vibes, he backed off when she said she needed a break. Vince later rested on his blade while it sunk in the ground for him to lean on the hilt. Whatever is eating at Mellany isn't something he likes. He can't figure it out either but she doesn't really feel like herself to him. Scratching his chin he looked at her, but tried to make it not obvious he's looking at her. But when she blew herself back in a spell, it's hard not to. Extending an arm out from his position he let out a breath. "Someone's off..." he whispered only to himself.

Peter and Ingrid winced on Mellany's behalf. Spells reversing on the caster is not good! Ingrid shut her eyes and opened them after hearing the thud. She didn't want to watch the mages impact on the ground, having seen enough violence once before already. "I hope she's okay," she whispered to Peter. He felt the same way. He's been watching her and... well... she gives him a different feeling lately. Intervention time?

Chloe kicked off of the tree nearby and flipped over top a Thrall dummy, kicking it into the base of the solid oak. She's getting some real agility work in today! Knighted only a few weeks ago she already feels like she's improving. She knew a bit about archery already, and daggers come easier every time Raijah shows her how. Now that Braxton's laid back on the lecturing she can get a lot more done as time goes on. While Vince was taking care of business on his own, she flipped again just as Mellany's spell backfired. Ouch! Gotta hurt! Again! "I wouldn't say she's mad at us. Just really frustrated... " she told Raijah, clearly worried himself. And outright being ignored doesn't help.
Warthog munched on a banana and tossed the peel aside into the ground. Right where the yellow fruit may get slipped on by a yellow rang--Chloe slipped on the peel like a cartoon. She landed, yelped, but made this face of 'well that was odd' and made her brother laugh. Not at any pain she may have just gotten but at the idea of a peel being slippery out here!
---
Issues about not speaking were something Dumanax can tell about. Not with words, obviously. Everlasting storms shroud Faye Castle in beautiful trauma to the valley in which it stands. Pride had brought only disappointment. Sins of the human race prove powerful weapons when used carefully. Just enough power gained from feeding on humanity and the Shadoji will grow powerful enough to rule the world with no King of Knights to stop them. The eternal battle must soon come to a close if they are to slay the Knights before waking Ascelin from his long slumber. Torth in his study recovered from the summoning of Envy at the Disciples Honor and the latest failure. Dumanax' punishment is not something one bounces back from with such a spring.

Urla sought out Vioux on her own from the long stairwell in the tower. Clasping the demons hands, Beauty and Envy would blend well. Urla's last attempt went wrong. Vanity did not perform in any way like she expected it to. But assisting Envy gives Urla a chance to collect those shiny medallions all for herself! She danced with Vioux and Rogana, skipping wall the while and giggling!
 
"Just for future alertness, Mellany, frustration doesn't help anything in magic. You need to focus and keep a cool head, otherwise you're changing a staff into a marshmallow and we're all in trouble," Braxton said to the clearly upset and annoyed Mellany. His fellow mage has a lot of trouble controlling her temper as of late. Though temper may not be the issue, since she's never shown herself to have a hot temper, it is his biggest guess on what's going on. Thinking back, the last attack is when she acted up a little bit. He, too, has watched her since but paid it hardly any mind as she just always got something wrong in a training session. But that isn't meant with mean intent. She has to make mistakes in order to improve. And he admits, she's made much improvement from when they first met. her taking to his teachings while she's in a fit after blowing herself back, however, should be intriguing.

Listening to her swear ached his head, gripping the bridge of his nose as he easily cast an infinity loop on the dummies near him. If you have played Portal, the game, you'll know how one achieves the infinity drop. Take that and put it to a magic spell against Thrall training dummies. My my, if the challenge isn't upped soon he may fall asleep. Braxton shot one of his looks as Raijah calls them to the other mage in her ultimate fit of anger towards herself. Now if she's not careful she may accidentally cry out and start a miniature ice age on the farm. Oh, who are we kidding, Braxton could stop that if it happened. Vince's sister slipping on a peel caught his eye afterward. Cue an eye roll and an ambiguous "so much incompetence" one liner catchphrase.
---
Andero marched up and down the courtyard, literally whipping Thralls into shape by straightening postures with a solid smack of his cane. For a walking stick it packs a punch. Near blade-like sharpness and swift cutting power, it has.

Mysterious, this newly hatched thrall of theirs is. Dumanax lacks not in inventory but in control of his minions. Three in a row have the demons from the Honor went after single Knights at a time. Two of which ended in failure, how this one will fair any better is of no idea to Rogana. Umbrella over her shoulder she wandered through the gardens of the castle, tending to the dead flowers and keeping them just alive enough to torture. Herbs for potions and the like where kept very fresh and vital, however. Cosmetic things like flowers were her forte, however. Foliage makes for a good victim of torture God that's just weird, turning to torture of plants. Hiking up the dress, the Disciple walked up the small stairway back into the castle from the garden where she found Urla in the grasp of Vioux. Swirling the umbrella indoors and liekly triggering bad luck for the superstitious, Rogana walked over to the two ladies and drew a fan from her person, fanning herself as the heat rising form excitement flustered her. "Heard my name. Vioux this draining of yours had better be worth it. Discord and Pride fared not well. Do not disappoint Dumanax," she warned. Being one of the older yet more fluctuating Disciples, she's the voice of reason in this trio. The enthusiasm coming from Urla... dear, someone fetch her a fainting couch. "Come, now. Let us gallantly rally our forces before facing our foes," she said, locking arms with the demon and...starting a skip line in the halls? Marvelous!
 
Mellany walked back inside the farm, catching one of Braxton's famed incompetence catchphrase. And laughter. From the corner of her eye she saw Chloe fall to the ground in a rather odd way. Really now, where the others mocking her? She was already feeling horrible and this really didn't make things any better. She took a deep and sharp breath, walking straight to her room. As Mellany caught herself in the mirror, she paused. Heck, she looked terrible. As if she hasn't been getting enough sleep. Or maybe just getting sick. That would explain her lack of concentration, really. What it didn't explain was the unwelcome feeling among the Knights. Look, if she had only joined very recently it might explain something. Trying to find her place in the group. But she's been around for a while and still feels like the new kid on the block. Still feels as if she's yet to find her place. Or at least that none of the others really like her. More that they just tolerate her presence because they know they've got no other choice. And that's a horrible feeling to have.
"It's only afternoon and I've already had enough of today..." she mumbled to herself, flopping down on the bed. God, she just wanted to sleep. To take a long nap and make that horrible feeling go away. Her mind felt foggy, as if it were being clouded by something.

Raijah chuckled as Chloe suddenly slipped on the peel. Normally those things don't happen in real life, do they now? He reached out a hand to help Chloe back to her feet. "You's okay?" he asked, this time to the Yellow Ranger who would not just ignore him the way Mellany had. He's a little upset about that. Raijah glanced to the farm, catching some movement in Mellany's room. Something's not right about her. He still wondered what it was. Nobody seemed to really know the answer here. For now it might just be better to shrug it off and continue training. They had to be prepared in case something were to happen. He grabbed one of the Thrall dummies with one arm, rapidly turning around to slash at it with the dagger in his other hand.
---
Zaken watched the three female Disciples dance and form a skipping line down the hall, shaking his head. Foolish as they looked like this, the plan already seemed bound to fail. If anyone were to see these powerful demons frolicking around like giddy mortal schoolgirls... Who would ever take them seriously again? But he kept his silence, remaining in the War Room to study battleplans.

"Worry not, dear Rogana," Vioux said with a small bow of her head. "The White Mage's mind is already mine without anyone having taken notice. It shouldn't be much longer. I just have to latch on a little tighter and her will shall be mine." Cue a smile if this demon were to have a face capable of doing so. "Envy stems from insecurities, and the young mage is so very full of them." She gathered a nice bunch of Thralls before heading straight into Westfield, so very full of people with envy in their hearts. Whether it was a skill, an object, or merely the looks someone possessed, every mortal longs for things they do not have. So right upon her arrival, when the Thralls started the attack, Vioux emitted a green, smoky cloud. Green clouds like that are never a good sign. The smoke quickly made it's way to the people, who either promptly turned to arguing with one another, or to theft to obtain those belongings they were convinced they had all right to have. "Ah, such a lovely day already. And it has only just begun," Vioux said with a small laugh.
 
Walloping people left and right is not a sound thing to do when it is your own people that you're walloping. No mallet, but a hand being used, Vince walloped Braxton's arm following incompetence, going to shut off the camera. She didn't like either of the guys that much but Vince cared enough that she felt off not to teach and ramble again as she's going away in a mood. "Ever watch what you say? She had your back when Hubris attacked, is it hard to give her some of that support when she's clearly not up for it?" he asked. Not starting a fight with him but Braxton isn't known for subtlety among other things. The other mages body language alone concerned him. Mellany would totally laugh at somebody slipping on a banana peel at random. She just went up into her bedroom. Hmm.
Chloe took Raijah's hand and got up, giggling at herself and dusting off. "I'm okay. To your left," she said to him just peachy, slipping a dagger off of him and hitting the incoming dummy with it. Amazing that Thrall dummies just chill while everyone talks or rests for a minute. Training is training, but fun can be fun.

"She left in a pretty cold way," Ingrid said. Pun absolutely not intended there.
"Ingrid..." Peter shook his head, pinching the bridge of his noise. Of all things to say. The guardian took a rise to the warrior and mage. "Come on, guys. Didn't Discord teach you not to do this?" he asked, referring to another demon in the past. Vince brings up one, he does the other. Seriously do they learn nothing? "Training dismissed," he said, Thrall dummies returning to normal form, limp and less intelligent than before. Vince scratched the back of his head, biceps twitching a little as he plunge the blade into the ground again. Kid's right.
---
"Yes! Insecurities she has, and a shiny white medal for the taking," Urla schemed with hands together. Vanity lingers within her still, so Vex' past has an impact to this day. Once Vioux latches and takes the girl, she will get the full opportunity to take that medallion and further her own wishes! Leaving so soon into Westfield, for venturing anywhere but the Rangers' home is far too silly, she took a huge whiff of the green mist, unaffected by Vioux' ability and instead taking it in like perfume. How people fought one another, making Thralls' work a lot easier, reminded her of her vanity demon. No other Disciple had used the Honor's water yet besides her, and her power compared to Envy well. Vanity did not play out how she imagined, but she gets to revel in violence among people again so all is well.
---
Chloe sat beside of Ingrid on the steps after helping Vince and the other two Knights clean up the dummies and put them away. No spell for that, really? Peter might have just made them do it physically as a form of punishment. Can he do that? Less time to think about that, really. Not replying on magic is a good thing. The teens talked about maybe making plans for next weekend before ultimately frowning to face their studies. What a drag that is.
Picking up Warthog to take her into the stables for a proper feed, Peter clutched the pig tight as he let out a famous cry of pain in his head. Ingrid had never seen that before so it startled her! Vince and his sister both immediately looked his way. Ingrid couldn't believe they were all so unscathed! "Does he always do this?"
"Only when we're under attack," Vince said. "We're under attack a lot," she replied. "Yep," he said. NONE OF THIS IS NORMAL she thought.
"Demons... mirrors... go already, now," Peter fragmented a sentence to go on. Nodding, the two bolted inside while Ingrid wondered what to do about the headache thing. The shouted for Mellany up in her room while running down to the mirror.
 
Scoffs from the higher-up mage as Vince put his hands on him and remarked. "I have not forgotten what she and the rest of you did. But her attitude is a danger to her, especially with magic at her hand," Braxton said aggressively. The nerve, treating him like a child who had forgotten his manners. He respects everybody here a little bit more every day but he will not falter when somebody is possibly putting themselves or the others in danger. By blood they have an oath sworn to protect this world and Mellany's anger and frustration to magic or to others is a problem to be addressed. No sugar-coating it. If she's upset when somebody points out she can improve it's her own fault, according to him. Not everybody can be so care-free like that baboon rogue duo. Okay maybe that's a little mean.
Thralls became dummy dummies as Peter signified training is done for the day as Peter plays dad to them all. "Wonderful. Scolded by an adolescent." Snapping to put the dummies away, Braxton shot Vince an unappreciative glare but reminded himself that infighting could have cost them everything before. Chloe could have been lost and the others would have been forever weakened. So it's time to shut up and just go on.
---
Insecurities are just that. Insecure. Meaning not secure. This plan bad better have a backbone to rely on.
"I trust in your power, Envy demon," Rogana addressed Vioux by ability. "The White Ranger is nothing like her counterpart but she will be no easy pass. Once you latch on, you have better not release. Like a viper, never let go of your prey while it is in your jaw," she said to her, slapping the demon in the back of the arm. Unfurling and twirling the umbrella she departed into the city of the humans. Scrambling at the mere sight of demons they ran away. "Hard to think they have time to fight over envy when they're afraid of everything that doesn't look like them. Fools," Rogana spat, twirling the umbrella again for sparks to rain down from the edges in all directions.
---
Recouping from Chloe's friends pun, Braxton also pinched the bride of his noise in the manner Peter had done. He had just cleaned his glasses off and satisfied Wolf's need to be scratched behind the ear when Peter in the only way possibly alerted them of an attack on the city. Amusing to see Ingrid react. Even Raijah doesn't react that way anymore. But she has a point when saying this is a weird definition of normal. "Mellany had better straighten up by now," he said while running down to the mirror with the others. Sweet Lord let something go right today.
 
"Good," Raijah grinned as Chloe said she was fine. Would've been bad if she hurt herself while falling. He jumped aside as Chloe warned him of the dummy coming their way and chuckled. More so because she borrowed his dagger to do so. Rogues stealing from rogues to fight monsters together? Even if it was just dummies... It was some light and welcome fun. Plus, it really showed she was getting better and better with the daggers. With the training dismissed, Raijah took to bringing the dummies away together with the rest. He didn't mind having to carry them to the storage, though part of him did worry one of the dummies might suddenly come back to life and jump at them! He was getting used to magic being around, but it made him a little nervous, still. It's unpredictable stuff, as he had seen happening with Mellany today. Speaking of which... he really did hope she was okay. She looked so upset... But there was no time to think about it. Peter let out his famous "there's demons attacking"-headache cry. So he knew what to do and bolted down to the room with the mirror.

She didn't even get the time to take a nap, did she now? She didn't even lay down here for five minutes and already came the shouting from downstairs, demanding her presence because of a demon attack. Or course they would show up today. Why the f- not? Mellany was annoyed at best, still feeling miserable, but she knew when she was needed. However... was she really needed, though? The others seemed to have been doing just fine without her. They mocked her as she walked off and most she gets is being heard she's a bitch or not good enough. They'd do just fine without her, only telling her to be around because she had to be and they all knew they had no choice but tolerate her. She walked out of the room again, heading down the stairs as well. Now, she was so lost in her own thoughts that she completely missed it as she passed the mirror... but if someone had been paying attention they might have seen a brief green glow in her eyes... and a small trail of green smoke. Vioux latching on to the mage's mind further and further without anyone taking notice. She followed the others in silence. Probably they didn't even notice she was right behind them as Braxton spoke up.
---
Meh, Rogana was such a party pooper! Telling her how to work with her own powers. Of course Vioux knew precisely what to do! As least Urla was more fun. She understood the mage's insecurities could be used against them and deliver them her Medallion. Vioux took out a pair of daggers that very much resembled the crescent shape of her head and rushed towards the humans, lashing out and latching on, having some good fun before the Knights would inevitably show up. And then... then the real fun would begin. Vioux laughed gleefully at the panic of the people around her, as well as envy taking them all over. There's a fine line between envy and jealousy and Vioux... she just loved to erase that line completely.

One by one the five emerged from the other end of the mirror, lining up and facing down against the demon trio and their Thralls. Rogana and Urla were no new sight around to them. Neither were the Thralls. No, it was the slender demon in green with a moon-shaped head that was the newest sight around. And it made Mellany freeze slightly. No pun intended. She shut her eyes tightly and rubbed her head, much as if she was suddenly suffering from a headache similar to Peter's. There was something about this... creature. Mellany had no idea what it was, but it just gave her a really weird feeling. Raijah eyed her, then the demon. "You okay?" he asked not for the first time this day.
"It's... nothing. Nothing," Mellany shook her head, shaking off the strange feeling and the headache nagging at the back of her mind.

"Ah, King Ascelin's Esteemed Royal Fools have shown up at last," Vioux said, still twirling around as if she were doing some dance macabre. "We've been waiting so eagerly for you all to finally show up." The demon lined herself up with the two Disciples again, a horde of Thralls between them and the Knights. "The name's Vioux, and I shall be the one to put and end to you." She snapped her fingers, signaling the Thralls to attack.
 
Urla herself could be mistaken for one of the Envy lackeys Vioux spawned from the mist. Envious that people fighting one another worked better than being vein and watching material things off of one another. Now they want everything, even blood. Curse this demon for doing something better than her! She would stick her hand back into the black water if only she could. Her turn's been wasted this generation...at least her doing it kicked off the beginning of the ritual. Teehee. More on that later since party poopers just had to show up. So swimmingly things had been going, too.

Running from the mirror dimension network (new cable channel by that phrasing) and into Westfield through people going bonkers everywhere, Vince and his sister coughed while passing through remnants of a faint green gas. Waving hands in front of their faces to get it away it reminded them of both methane and gasoline. Lavender, maybe, but mostly the two yucky things. Rogana and Urla were back. Fancy meets 'beauty', accompanied by something really ugly. Female, too. Focusing hard, Vince flexed his muscles preparing for anything. Chloe and Raijah both noted Mellany seemingly getting a headache. She, too, checked on her. "Mel?" she asked softly, not breaking eye contact with the Shadoji. Vince patted her back quickly to show his own concern but switched into battle leader mode. "Shadoji! The only esteemed fools I see are you three. What, did Charlie's Angels let themselves go?" he asked the female enemies across from them.
"Not a usual girls day out, I'd say," Chloe whispered mostly to herself.

"Shut up! Rip 'em apart, Thralls!" Urla shouted, cheering like Chloe did at football games, watching them all run at the knights. She pulled out a pearly white mace, a spiky ball on a stick, like a toy out of a toy box. Surprise! Fighting isn't her thing but she'll do it! Bouncing in place she waited for a chance.
Finding themselves overrun at first, it would be better to maybe push into the cannon fodder and then do the change bing-bang thing. Boy that gas still lingered around like a fart in a quiet room. Vince ducked underneath incoming weapons and knocked the Thralls down from behind with his triceps, flipping over another and punching it down. Chloe front flipped through the Thralls and split-kicked them down with spunk! She's getting better at this! And not a nail to be broken!

"Divine Change!" Vince called as he emerge from the crowd, morpher held close set as it should be. Chloe followed suit, heavenly light raining on them and changing into Ranger form. Fresh air, or so it felt like, they swept the greatsword and fired the bow into Thralls behind them in possibly an epic five-man shot with weapons?
 
Idly by among the attack, Rogana questioned this game of Vioux'. Arms wrapped around herself, umbrella more on her hip, she viewed the funneling in of the Knights dim-wittily running to where demons lie. All at the promise of King they have yet to meet and already act as his bitch-bred hounds. Puzzling how loyalty can be so forsworn. Like faith and higher powers. Not to get into that, but Rogana tickles her funny bone at the sight of mortals praying to a false or not false god. In ways, Braxton almost had that thought as well but his loyalty is his moral obligation, and as far as faith goes even he is open to it. To each their own, he always says. Figures a demon would have something foul to think.
Braxton did see Mellany from the corner of his eye but focused back on the demons. If she's feeling not well maybe it would be better to take it easy and let him handle the magic today. No need for her to blow herself back again. Or freeze herself and drag the others down like the Titanic. Wow, that's... That's a bit harsh even for him. Good thing he thought it and nobody heard it at all. Shit.

"Must you all make jokes?" he asked, referring to Charlie's Angels.
"How you can insist we are some form of angel is beyond me. You dare to slander us in such a manner?" Rogana asked, offended.
Braxton practically spat. "The only slandering is your very existence upon the world, slime," said the mage. Banter is pointless, anyhow. Attacking Thralls demanded his attention far more than that, spinning and narrowly missing an ax to the arm, effortlessly rounding his leg around in a kick, a fist full of magical strength to an unlucky fiend in his way. Magic plus punching equals a big knockdown. Who says mages are physically weak? Equipping the morpher as needed he, too, changed with everybody through the Thralls. "Divine Change!" Light faded around him as the buzz of lightning engulfed unlucky Thralls behind him.
 
"Let's just get this all over with..." Mellany mumbled. The sooner these demons were dealt with, the sooner they could get back to the farm and she could take that nap she needed to much. 3/4 showing some form of concern for her well-being was more than she had expected. Still it seemed more something done out of politeness than anyone actually caring. The headache was now more of a lingering annoyance than something really present. Annoyance. Much like yourself. Words spoken in the voice of one of the others. She couldn't place it so quickly, almost as if she hadn't actually heard it at all. She closed her eyes tightly for a moment, until everyone else calling "Divine Change!" around her dragged her mind back to the scene ahead of them. "Divine Change!" she, too, called, clearly a second or two behind on the others.

"Angels? Such an insult!" Vioux agreed with Rogana. They were far superior than any angel would be. When was even the last time an angel interfered with the realms of mortal men? "It is so much better to be one of us than some feathery bastard. Here... let me show you my favorite trick~," Vioux approached one of the men under her spell, and... disappeared. Like a ninja diving into a shadow. The man's eyes got a green glow to them. He popped his neck and turned to the Rangers. "Now what are you going to do?" he asked, still in Vioux' tone but definitely a male voice. "You wouldn't harm one of these innocent mortals, would you?" The weakness of the Knights, perfectly turned against them. The man pulled a crescent-shaped dagger from Devil-knows-where (one of Vioux' daggers), and charged at the Knights.

Mellany took a small step back. Demon gone and regular human suddenly wanting to kill them all? Yeah no that ain't good news and reeked of the one thing any mage with common sense would worry about. Possession. It's why it's so crucial to stay in charge of your magic and emotions. And why you should never dabble in certain forms of... art. Mage lesson number one. She gripped her staff tightly and watched the man, almost moving like a puppet. Well... in a way this man now probably was a puppet being controlled by this Vioux-figure. Again the lingering headache jabbed her mind. Mellany bit her tongue hard in order not to yelp, but the way her grip on her staff loosened for a moment might say more than any sound would. Speaking of staff... she gripped it properly again as fast as she could, twirling it and jabbing it into the Thralls the same way the headache was jabbing her mind. A very nasty way. She refrained from using her magic, desperately wanting to use it, but not keen in knocking herself off her feet in front of the demons to see.

Raijah looked seriously concerned. Where'd the demon go and how did that man get the dagger and why was he attacking them? He didn't understand what was happening exactly, but he knew for sure he did not like it. He glanced at his fellow Knights, still fending off Thralls as the man with glowing eyes came closer. "We can't hurt him," he said. "But where demon...?"
The man laughed. "Not Royal Fools, you claim? This one definitely seems to prove differently." Suddenly Raijah was struck in the back with the other dagger. He hurled around. Nothing. And in exposing his back to the man... he was stuck again. Raijah yelped, tumbling to the ground, his suit sparking from the impact of those blades. In similar fashion, the man went after Vince, Chloe, and Braxton, knocking them down one by one. For one reason or another, this demon actively tried singling out the White Mage. She's let the other two Disciples have their fun with the downed Knights. The White one was hers and hers alone to deal with. So delicious to feed off... drain upon? Whichever it may be, the mage already belonged to Vioux. And as did her Medallion.
"GUYS!" Mellany shouted as one by one they went down. She eyed the man, she eyed the shadows. She... can't hurt the man. Magic's going to backfire on her for sure, and using her staff... no. But with Vioux showing up from the shadows... that might be worth watching closer.
 
Horror movies as of the 2010's teach people one thing for the most part. Entering another's body, taking it over and causing weird shit to happen is the least amount of cool in the entire world. Urla giggled fiercely to Vioux' disappearance and portrayal of the man. Theatrical debut of the Shadoji! Oh! Idea for the future! Stage performance on how they slaughtered the Knights with blood spilled and bones broken. Lovely. Opposite to the demons delight, Chloe and Vince shared the mindset of 'wrong' seeing Vioux, or not seeing her rather, assume a man's body with dagger in hand posing as him. Well her but as him being her in his body. What?
"Keep your eyes peeled, guys. She could be anywhere," Vince warned everybody about Vioux post possession of the civilian. Can't hurt him but can't not defend themselves. The very least they could....maybe knock the guy out? Hurting him would be bad but they can't let him continue in possession. A bruise on the head or eternal mind deprivation. One is the clear lesser of two evils. Pushing Thralls back with every swing of his blade he heavily swung into the creatures and knocked them down in a whirlwind fashion. A janitor for demons, one might say. If he can just mop the green out of the mans eyes he would be a perfect hero for the job today. Nevertheless he found himself being hit by the man with Vioux' dagger. Sparks from his body he tumbled to the ground, resting on his side and wondering what to do. He didn't want to hurt him. Nor did he want to take the hits like this. He would take a hit for anybody, but too many hits out of pity and he becomes less of a functioning living being. Functioning made him look to Mellany as she dealt with Thralls using anything but magic. Mages don't function that way...do they?

Arrow to the face of a Thrall, Chloe rounded around and swept the are looking for Vioux in an almost comical disassociation from the fight. Hand over her eyes like it'd help anything, tip toes, and bow casually at her hip. "Part of being a rogue is sticking to the shadows... Raijah, maybe we can--" she chucked out of her mind before seeing him go down. Then her brother. Then sure enough, the man came after her and hit her down to the ground as well. For a civilian he's strong! Or is that the demon inside of him now... Chills on that one. Feeling a demon, a presence of other thoughts, inside of you has to be icky.

One by one all but Mellany were down for the count. Momentarily, anyhow, so that expression isn't properly being used. Screw it. A possessed man and demon on the loose, she would be outnumbered. Possessed people are tough. As they got up to help their friend. Urla stepped in Vince and Chloe's line of sight. "Going somewhere?" she asked, swatting the mace across their chests in a big bash of sparks and unexpected strength. Lit up and leaping back into air, the siblings crashed down dropping their weapons as they roll back. Urla giggled to them, going in for another stomach pound on Vince and kick on Chloe.
 
"God... As if tainting the air by breathing it wasn't bad enough. Possessing a man? Disgusting demon," Braxton said. He spat on Vioux' name! Ninjitsu style aside, this demon is less than impressive. Vile thing needs to inhabit someone else just to do her own work? If she were a true fiend she would fight herself instead of hiding behind possession. Cowardly tactic to use an innocent man and poison his eyes with the green glow. Another thing Braxton hated about demons other than the obvious things to hate. He analyzed spells and recitals in his mind of exorcism. Vioux could choose to leave the man at any time or she may intend on prolonging her stay so it is best to come up with a method of extracting her from the man's body. Not going to hit him, he swooped his staff around with grace at the remaining footsoliders and looked at Mellany. Timid? She isn't using any magic. Or doing anything like normal for that matter.

"Mellany, you have to--" he began to lecture her before the man sunk a dagger into him on a train of attacks. Right in the side, too. The mage fell like a house of cards and gripped the impact site of the hit. It'll sting for days! Front or back, fine, but hit him in the sides and it is a whole other level of pain being talked about. Gurgling through the grit of the blow, Braxton reached out with his hand and cast a physical wave against the man to stun him as a vessel. Maybe it own't knock Vioux of out of him but it might slow his actual body down a little bit. It seems that Mellany has been singled out... "I am on my way Me--" he started to say when Rogana swooped in beside of him. "She is ours," she said. Braxton jumped back as she opened her umbrella. Laughing all of the way, Rogana swung it at Braxton like a weapon, the mage firing lighting bolts her way. She shielded herself.
Rogana then hooked Braxton by the shoulder with the open umbrella, pulling him in so she could swing it up right into his torso. For a device intended on keeping rain and sunlight off of you, it hurt like a blade! He sparked up and fell over to the side as she set a gaze to Raijah. "Now, Black Ranger, feel my mysterious toil!" She said, pointing it to him and spinning it around and around. It's so...hypnotizing...and dizzy-like... Pretty...
 
Mellany felt panic rising in her chest. The others were downed, and being kept at bay by the Disciples. She was on her own for now, facing off against a man she didn't want to harm and without her magic. She still felt hazy and unfocused, not the proper state of mind to throw a Blizzard at the Disciples or stun the man charging at her. He ran, swaying on his feet. Clearly not himself moving his body. In fact, Mellany thought that he kind of looked like a haunted marionet. Eerily close to the truth right now. The man was being used as a puppet here, after all. Mellany had seen Vioux leaping out of the shadows with her other dagger, attacking the other knights from the opposite site the man attacked. But which shadow should she watch? Her own? The man's? A secondary shadow showing up moments before striking? She looked at the man again, at the other knights, and at the ground. She wasn't sure what to do or where to look. She gripped her staff, jumping aside as the man lashed out at her, flipping the staff around to try and trip the man with the blunt end. But as she did so, someone... or something... gripped on to her staff from behind, yanking it out of her grip and pulling her closer. One strong demonic arm wrapped around her throat while the other pressed the dagger's edge between her shoulders.
"Planned on doing something?" Vioux' voice spoke near her ear. "You're mine, white mage." The last words where no louder than a whisper. Once more Vioux emitted a green gassy cloud. However this time the cloud seemed to be different than the one than the one that the civilians to fly in their Envy induced rage. It caused Mellany's suit to spark. The helmet seemed no good at keeping it out either. Mellany coughed and wheezed, nearly unable to breathe. Vioux cackled as she ran the dagger straight down Mellany's spine, causing her to yelp and sink to the ground unmorphed and unmoving. Vioux shadow shot through the possessed man, causing him to sink to the ground unconscious as well. And of the Envy Demon herself? Not a trace remained.

Raijah wanted to attack Rogana, and definitely didn't want to get hypnotized by that spinning, sparkly... pretty.... Now where was this going again?
"Oooh...." Raijah uttered, following the movement with his head. Pretty... sparkly... Raijah was getting dizzy. Really dizzy... definitely falling for or at least starting to fall for whatever spell was being used here. He swayed on his feet. The rogue was really, really dizzy now. But he heard Mellany yelp and hurled around, watching her surrounded by the green gas, seeing her spark and fall to the ground where she stopped moving. Uh-oh... now that was definitely NOT a good sign. What also wasn't a good or smart thing was to turn his back on the armed Disciple, though.
 
Under Urla's shockingly intense fighting and a lot of that green gas, Vince and Chloe saw that their friend is not only singled out but against a powerful demon all on her own. Both of them were too busy not getting the crap kicked out of them by the 'non fighter' of the Disciples to notice the full extent of the battle over there. That man acting like a puppet deeply disturbed Chloe since she knows she will in fact be doing a puppet show for pre-school kids with the cheer team at some point in the year. Hard not to think about that, now. Another aspect of life ruined by becoming a Knight.
Reclaiming his weapon off of the ground and charging in with no wind in his gut, Vince walloped the greatsword into Urla with the wide flat side of it in time to witness Mellany's demorphing dilemma. Shadows seemed like a dangerous place to leave unprotected with Vioux being a demon ninja or something like that. "We have to get to her," Vince told his sister, nodding toward Mellany. The man was no unconscious and limp like Mellany. Vioux? Nowhere to be seen. Great. Just great.

Urla swept that spiky mace into Vince's chest, forcing him onto the ground by his sister. "Vioux' plan is going perfectly. You will not make it ugly with your meddling. Now, time to collect that shiny white medal!" she said, eagerly running over to a downed Mellany with that medallion all for the taking!
"Like Hell," Vince coughed up, leaving Chloe behind, splitting his weapon to sword and shield mode and sweeping the longsword across Urla's back from behind, getting in front of Mellany and slashing down the Beauty Disciple's chest with it, causing her to back down and whine in the process. Chloe managed to run over and drop at Mellany's side, shaking her slightly out of concern and calling her name for her to wake up.
 
Magician of foolish ambition got exactly what comes to those who dare stand in Shadoji path. Lesser fools have suffered punishment before, so the the white mage fairs no better against their might. No mystery about it, this is going perfectly. Rogana basked in the joy of it, not forgetting about the dazzled black rogue before her, his eyes locked on and focused to her mesmerizing ability. So mesmerizing in fact, he left himself wide open to--!
Lightning crashed into Rogana's side, knocking her off of her feet, umbrella shut and swept aside to look her attacker in the eye...visor. Braxton witnessed everything, from Mellany and the man both falling to the ground, to the damage to the lack of Vioux. Something smelled fishy around here and for once it was not the breath of the Mounts post-feeding. The mage knocked his staff into Rogana with the blunter end of it. "No more games," he said. Rogana scoffed.
"You! You've singed my dress with your tomfoolery!" Even Disciples outside of Beauty like to look their best. "You will pay dearly!"
Cue another lighting jolt to her side. That shut her up for the time being! Quickly, he slapped Raijah's arm to snap him out of any trance Rogana may have placed him under. Head pointing the way, Braxton raced to the downed civilian as fast as possible while the others went in for Mellany. It isn't that he doesn't care, just the man needs help, too.
"The civilian seems alright. Just unconscious," he decided. Nothing he could tell was wrong with them. Possession does leave a nasty odor, though. Doctors would recommend Degree for Men antiperspirant or a generic body spray. Not sponsored. He redirected attention to Mellany. "We need to get her home, now," he told the others while Urla and Rogana were busy with their own issues.
 
Mellany's out cold, no pun intended, and the Disciples are horribly getting in their way of helping their friend. Thankfully Braxton prevented Rogana from harming Raijah with her umbrella! The rogue shook his head as the mage slapped him, breaking free from the enchantment. He wasn't quite sure what was going on, with both Mellany and the man falling unconscious and Vioux having disappeared into thin air like some kind of ninja (not that Raijah knew what a ninja even is in the first place), but he was very sure he didn't like any of it. He gripped his daggers and lashed out at Rogana to knock her back further before rushing over as well. He sat next to Chloe, looking over the demorphed and unconscious mage. She didn't respond to the shaking, nor them calling her name. Raijah nodded as Braxton said they had to get her back to the farm. "Maybe Peter can tell what's wrong?" he suggested. Maybe Mellany simply passed out due to the damage she's taken, but one can never be sure when demons are involved. The rogue furrowed his brow in concern. It just wasn't right. The man turning on them and attacking, the demon leaping at them from the shadows, and now this...
---
As the Knights went back to the farm, a pair of green, glowing eyes watched from the shadows where the Envy Demon lurked. She chuckled to herself. Everything was going just perfectly according to plan. Last time she had placed the hook, so to speak, and this time she had firmly latched on to the mind and soul of the White Mage. And with the little girl out cold, Vioux could finally unleash her full power and seize control over the girl's mind. Time for the true fun to begin! The glow disappeared, and the shadow moved further through the darkness, to a quieter place. And from her hiding place, the demon made contact with the mage's mind.
---
Up in her room, seemingly asleep on the bed, Mellany stirred. In her dream she was somewhere she couldn't quite place. It was a bit foggy, but she was pretty sure she saw the silhouettes of buildings and debris. As if she were walking through the streets moments after a giant monster had attacked and wrecked the place. And although it wasn't night, there was a huge crescent moon in the sky. Sure, it's not uncommon to see the moon during the day in the earlier hours, but this was definitely different. Dreams are funny like that, aren't they?
"Hello?" she called out in to the streets, her voice echoing. "Anyone there?" A chill ran down her spine, as if a cold breeze just passed by. She wrapped her arms around herself and moved on, alert on her surroundings. Yet all it took was a blink or two from her surroundings to have changed completely. Now, everywhere she looked she was surrounded by mirrors. Not exactly like the Mirror Network, but more like those mazes they have at fairs. Wherever she looked, her own reflection stared back at her. "Nope, just me over and over again. Nobody else." Although it was definitely her own voice speaking, Mellany was absolutely certain it hadn't been her to have said it. She turned into the direction of the voice, all of the reflections following suit. All but one. "Dreams are the perfect moment for self-reflection, wouldn't you agree?"

"Who are you?" Mellany asked the reflection.
"I'm you. Thought that'd be obvious," the reflection replied with a smirk.
"I... I don't believe it. I'm me. You're just a dream."
"I can be both, now can't I? I'm just your subconscious, Mellany. Here to reflect and show you the things you already know deep down inside."
The reflection walked on, replacing itself with an ordinary reflection and moving to a different mirror. "You already know you don't fit in with these knights. They only tolerate you because they have to."
Mellany clenched her fists beside her. That's indeed the feeling she's been getting a lot from everyone else. She's been acting nice to Chloe, but somehow the girl just kept the impression Mellany didn't like her. Or maybe Chloe just really didn't like her and that's why she's been acting so distant. Braxton doesn't like anyone, but he never goes out of his way to make her feel horrible. Vince's just so... she doesn't know. He just acts weird around her a lot.
"Let me show you how they truly think about you..." the reflection spoke from elsewhere. Again Mellany looked around, searching for where the reflection had gone. But now, instead of her own reflection looking back at her, she was surrounded by the reflections of the other four Knights.
"You're really just the iceberg going to drag all of us down. Like the Titanic," Braxton said.
"You're just a whiny bitch. I'd tell you to grow up, but well..." Vince scoffed, literally looking down upon her in more ways than one.
"It's really no wonder you've never had any real friends," Chloe laughed.
"Raijah think Mellany is mean person." Fairly obvious who said that. The cold look in the rogue's eyes stung the most. Even the most gentle person of them all really hated her deep down inside.

Mellany gripped the sides of her head. It hurt. It stung. As if a hive of angry bees were buzzing through her mind and stinging her brain. She closed her eyes and yelped, sinking to her knees.
"And why even should they like you?" Something in her voice... or the reflection's version of her voice anyway, changed. "Compared to them you're nothing. They have so many things you don't. So many qualities you could only wish for." More and more the reflection's voice started to sound like... Mellany's eyes flung open. Surprise! There's the crescent moon again. Connected to the head of Vioux. The demon was everywhere, in all the mirrors. All reflections that had at first been hers. "You've seen it for yourself how they're making fun of you behind your back." That was true. She had seen it earlier. Chloe falling to the ground and them laughing right after Mellany had knocked herself to the ground.
"The Red Knight... he always has everything together no matter how tough it gets. You already get stressed out over minor things."
"And the Yellow one.... She's got a fancy set of social skills. Makes friends easily while you were always sidelined by everyone around you. Even these knights."
"The Black one... oh he's so carefree. Never worried about a thing."
"And lastly... the Blue Knight. Your fellow mage. You'll never be on par with his skill in magic. Even if you'd trained as long as he did, you wouldn't even be half as good. Always the apprentice."

The green fog appeared again, creeping over the floor of her dream, engulfing her as shadows seemed to trap her in place. Mellany screamed, called for help... but all of that was just in her dream. In reality, she just fell off the bed and landed on the ground with a thud. Slowly she sat up, holding her head. Whereas moments ago her mind had felt full of bees, now it was like it was full of cotton balls. Just fuzzy and full. She swept her hair out off her face and pushed herself to her feet. Slowly and silently, she made her way back down the stairs to where the others were chatting with Peter.
 
Down in the kitchen around the counter island, tomes acting as a center piece rather than a bowl of fruit or something, Peter flipped through pages of musky books while hearing what happened outside of things he could see go down from home. The Knights' retreat went smoothly without anyone getting hurt besides Mellany. Vince had carried her up to bed while Peter made things ready for her on their way home. Whether she noticed or not there was a glass of water and some aspirin on her nightstand with a sticky note homing a rune drawn on it for a reminder. Runes don't really get used by the Knights but this one is for healing. Or was it rejuvenation? Positive trait, whatever it is. Whatever he could do to help.

Around the island Peter had passed books out to everyone. Vince flipped through a book as Chloe took notes on a paper tablet. Efficient group skill here. Not always a smooth running system but this is a well-oiled machine, part of the time. Other times it's a bit chaotic. Books helped make things go by but if they're gonna be Knights in the 21st century they'll need to upgrade. Now there's a wonder if you can find eBooks of "Demonic Psychosis" and "Rules of Enchantment." Barnes & Nobles is in with the crowd, they might get it in stock. "This is an Envy demon?" Peter asked one more time to be sure he's in the right chapter. Vince confirmed that for him quickly. Nodding and grunting under concentrated flipping of pages is a response!

"It possessed a man. She, possessed a man. I don't seen anything about Envy demons doing that," Vince threw out, keeping it together but rubbing his forehead.
Peter chuckled. "All demons can possess somebody. Stronger holds with some than others," the guardian answered. Open to a page on Envy itself. A demon, pictured similar with the look of Vioux splayed out on a pentagram, ancient text on the sin-turned-monster. "Here we go. Says here that in the land where demons originate, Envy is their truest form. Envy plays with the mind of their victims' vulnerable traits and frequently control a target, yet it is rare for them to keep a hold long. When they do..." Peter stopped reading. "Alright a lot of words here but long story short it's bad. No recorded possession in like two centuries. Good thing that monster left the poor man alone after a minute," he said.

"Land where demons originate? They aren't from here?" Chloe asked.
"No, not exactly. Shadoji can give them a physical shape to use malleable or hurt strong-minded people but they come from somewhere else. Even I don't know where," he admitted. That will come into play soon. Chloe stopped with the notes and stretched her arms. Her brother glanced over at a tome in front of Braxton. He reached for it to get a peak but retracted his hand, not wanting to take a book from the bookworm and risk losing a finger or being zapped with 10K volts later turned into a toad.

Mellany came down. Right as she entered the kitchen before anybody noticed her some ill-timed things were said. "Gee, this chick probably has a sad life going around and leeching off of people. Reminds me of mean ol' Brooke," Chloe said in reference to Vioux, calling the demon a loser. Vince added on to the statement. "Yeah, right? I just don't get it. Of all things, being jealous of people because they're better and lashing out for it?" Vince said that because demons just make him sick, feeding on emotion or sin and hurting people. Makes for good storytelling in moves or something but real life is just wrong. They noticed Mellany come in. Chloe flashed a genuine smile toward her, Vince seeing her as well.
"Mellany! You're up!" the girl happily stated. Looking down at her, because he has to since she is physically smaller than he is, Vince smiled and spoke to her. "Had us worried about you. How ya feeling? Can I get you something to drink or anything? We were just reading up on what we might do to stop Vioux."
 
If anybody's ever wondered how a mage studies multiple subjects at one time in school it is through a magical aid. Borders of purple and blue lights streamed up around books mid-air, turning pages at the whim of the mage controlling them. One book in each hand with two in the air, Braxton alone could look at four books simultaneously. Somebody may make a four eyes joke here but that's in bad taste. One of those jokes where it has to be drawn out to be understood. The best jokes are those told in short succession or in the case of anybody working in the late night entertainment industry, simply smashing ones head through a breakaway glass sheet. Braxton didn't think about jokes, here, he thought about information. Envy demons, how to kill them and how to avoid their tricks. Studying a demon would be fun but ultimately it would lead to madness and a lot of dead rabbits. Gotta feed the damn thing somehow. Concentrate on Vioux and tend to Mellany if she doe snot come down within the hour. She did not seem herself on the battleground earlier. She's never been the feisty fighter of the team but she's never froze up--no pun intended--like she did. This concerned Braxton, as did that green mist. Cautious he is, as aware that something has to be wrong.

Braxton chuckled to Vince's naivety. "Don't feel bad. It's never been a warrior's job to know demons inside and out. Just hit him and leave the brains to me," he said. No snobbishness, almost a sense of humor coming through there. Traditionally warriors don't study, they just hit things really hard with big metal things while rogues look for places to kill at an instant with speed and mages condemn or see through everything. Works together like peanut butter and jelly. Regaling the factoids of demonkind to the rest of the Knights, Braxton listened to Peter carefully. Listening for a chance to correct him? Perhaps he was but that is besides the point. Envy the truest from, a realm not yet known, terrible things, possession, more lovely things as such. "We agree it would be better if we allowed Vioux to control nobody else. The civilian was her first and last host."

Not knowing where these monsters come from is a bit unsettling. Gave Braxton a funny feeling in his gut. Uncertainty is never nice.
Finally, Mellany returned to the land of the living. Alright, she was never dead; but the intent of the sentence stands nonetheless. "Dead ahead," he said like they called out to the iceberg in Titanic, "she's awake. No offense Raijah but it will be so nice to have somebody join us who has a clearer grasp on things in the written form." Not outright saying Raijah is dumb but....
"Mellany, take this one, will you?" he asked of her, levitating one of the books he had in the air over to her. Show off? Okay a little... levitating objects is cool! She didn't have to start reading it now, just whenever she got herself together and maybe got a drink.
 
Mellany caught the words as she entered the kitchen, stopping dead in her tracks. "I told you so," the voice of Vioux chimed at the back of her mind. Or was it her own subconscious speaking to her? "Get the fuck out of my mind," she mumbled before the others all turned to her. Vince's and Chloe's faked kindness disgusted her. She'd heard how they truly think of her when they didn't know she could hear them talk. And now suddenly they were acting all buddy-buddy again? No way she was going to believe it. Yes, sure. Worried. Uhu. Worried she'd be too pathetic to pull herself together? Worried that they'd have to explain why they were down a Knight? "I'm fine," she snapped. "Just leave me alone." And of course Braxton immediately had to show off how much better he was by levitating a book on demons over to her. Well, at least turning her attention to the book made sure she wouldn't have to interact with anyone. "Show off," she muttered as she grabbed the book and flipping through the pages even if her mind was still unable to focus on anything. Vioux was still there, at the back of her mind. Like a nagging headache, a light sting slowly turning into daggers and angry bees.

"You've just heard it yourself now, didn't you? To them you're nothing but a leech. Nothing. Irrelevant. You belong nowhere and with no one. Except to me."
"Go away," Mellany hissed, just as Raijah reached out a hand to her. He quickly pulled his hand back, as if he'd been zapped. Mellany looked pale and as if she was still hurting a lot. Absolutely not the definition of "fine". He turned to the others, a helpless expression on his face.
A flash before her eyes. Crescent moon, broken mirrors. Green eyes and luring gestures. "I'm already here. Already a part of your mind. Just allow me. I'll show you your true potential. Make THEM envious of YOU instead." Temptation. Her true potential... finally not her always being the lesser person. The one they look down upon. The one who's never good enough... No. She might not belong with the Knights, but she refused to belong to a demon. But with each passing moment, it became harder and harder to fight off the voice singing through every corner of her mind. Also, it became increasingly hard to properly think of anything with that swarm of bees.

Another flash. More mirrors again. A maze. Her reflection looking back from every corner. Sad, frightened, alone. Losing your focus will end you one day. Sneering, snapping. Condescending comments. Slipping, falling, losing focus once more. Getting lost and drowning. More and more the flashes followed. Feelings piling up until she no longer even knew what she was feeling. The others, without her, would do just as well. Maybe even better. They mocked her, hated her, didn't need her around. Mellany struggled, mentally. Desperately trying to fight off the heavy weight of the Envy demon. The book dropped, falling to the floor with a loud thud, opening, coincidentally, on a page regarding the progress of demonic possession and the effects it had on one's mind.
 
"I resent that," Vince spat back at Braxton. Warriors do more than just hit things. They study on how to...hit things. But how to hit things correctly. It's hard to really make Vince angry but getting under his skin is an easy feat! Did it get colder in the room, all of the sudden?
Mellany brushed him off completely. Hence the room getting colder and God's honest truth no pun intended. Backing off slowly he put hands up in surrender. Girls snapping and just saying they're fine never actually means they are fine. "I'm fine" translates to 'back off, screw you, give me a cookie.' Though he would dare dare hand her one on the risk of getting his hand frozen and snapped off. Mellany seemed tense about something, almost as white as her suit. He wanted to leave her alone but after a fight like that he wasn't sure he should. Not wanting to cross any boundaries here but he needs to watch her a little bit while she read the book Braxton floated to her. It's good that she's up and moving, anyway. Could be a coincidence to role call but her willpower gave through unlike Vince's could. A strong man like him could still be in bed for hours after being brutally attacked like that,

She snapped at Raijah! Just telling him to go away. She never tells him to go away! Of all of them here she seems to have the most warmth toward Raijah. Peter as well, but even he did not dare bother her right now. Carrying herself like a corpse and being a bit snappy to everybody isn't like her. On a bad morning, maybe. Day to day is a different story. She's not super cold like this. She's always friendly and up for conversation. Peter thought that, anyhow.
Chloe frowned on Raijah's expression. Turning Raijah away is Braxton's thing! Wrong mage here! She got up from her seat and peered around the counter island carefully. Vince leaned on the doorway of the kitchen just letting her be. "Mellany? You sure you're feeling alright?" Chloe asked softly. "You're pale... like you've seen a ghost." She bit her lip. "Peter the house isn't haunted is it?" she quickly whispered over to Peter. He shook his head. Whew.

Book drop! It's a like a mic drop but with a book! Equally as attention-grabbing. Mellany looked frail. Like her head was spinning and she was on the verge of going bananas. Breaking the code of conduct, Vince held Mellany's arm after she dropped the book. "What's wrong??" he asked her. Chloe went silent, as did Peter. Glancing back and forth Peter saw the page the book landed on as it hit the ground. Squinting his eyes he found it a little odd it landed on that page.
 
Waving his hand off to him without eyes leaving text, Braxton showed Vince he didn't really care about resentment. While no genuine insult was meant he did in fact believe mages were more advanced in the realm of the arcane and all that surrounds it. Knowledge shining above and beyond the rest is Braxton's sch-tick. The topic has been nailed to death but having a mind like his is important to him. He couldn't help but somewhat wonder if the rest of these Knights had some new understanding in him. They did, no doubt, so why bother thinking about such things?
"Somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed," he said as Mellany snapped. Calling him a show off is normal. But her actions were not normal to her personality. Actually observing her actions and mannerisms she did not seem well. Informing himself and keeping up to date he reviewed the texts again and again while she joined them in their studying of Envy demons and how to defeat them. Hunch could be only that; a hunch. Possession coming up, Mellany coming into the room being different after a run-in with a powerful demon, shunning her buddies away when she may normally be quick to embrace or engage them in interaction? Braxton is saying nothing but he isn't thinking nothing either. It never hurts to be aware of all possibilities, no matter how liekly or unlikely.

Gut feeling told him to be alert. Sensing things out of order did, too, but the rumbles in his gut spoke louder than that. He'd already claimed to mind many other things going on about Mellany just being a big old crank and all. "Oh don't be ridiculous," he relayed to Chloe over her ghost question. "Supernatural things such as you're thinking of are only folk legend. As is waking up a completely bitter person," Braxton relayed then to Mellany's direction. He isn't out of character, here. The more he observed the more he suspected on first glance. Contradictory that may sound, but on the contrary, he is going solely on a first glance situation post-demon encounter. As Rogana would bask in, this is quite a mystery. On some astral plane he felt something was off. Nothing revealing but he knew something was odd here and he would get to the bottom of it. He had read somewhere that-- Thud!
Instantly his attention turned to the fallen tome on the page it landed on. Noticing it like Peter did, Braxton set his books down and knelt down to pick up the tome. Bringing it to everyone's attention subtly he became more inquisitive toward Mellany in his head. Her head seemed to be spinning like a tornado.
 
Some time passed, and it became quite clear that Mellany wasn't herself. Some snappy comments later, she just turned more and more silent. As if hundreds of thoughts crossed her mind at once. Or maybe as if she were lost in thought. Either way, she was quiet. Face like a pale mask and hardly a hint of emotion in her eyes. Just coldness unlike that usual kind when she's using her spells. Raijah hadn't dared speaking to her again after she snapped. She might freeze him to the floor! Mellany herself seemingly just couldn't be bothered by anything after having dropped that book. She just sat by, staring ahead as the others did their research. Occasionally she'd glance around, as if seeing the room for the first time. Intrigued and studying the surroundings. Maybe as if it wasn't quite her looking through her own eyes?
Speaking of eyes... at some moments someone who'd take a close look might briefly catch a faint green glow. But it'd be gone before you even had the chance to blink. Was it there? Was Mellany mentally trying to fight something off? Or was it just imagination and a play of the lights?

Now, somewhere in Westfield, on a backwater terrain with warehouses, the Disciples that had accompanied Vioux appeared again. Why the warehouses? Well, where else would villainous creatures such as themselves appear? Plus, it highly resembled one of the locations Vioux had been showing to Mellany. The perfect place to end things. The place where the White Mage would become nothing more but a pawn in the Shadoji's game. And the Medallions would soon fall in the hands of the demons.
---
Fast forward another bit, to the point where the Knights heroically race through the network of mirrors to get to the scene of the attack. Vioux couldn't help but cackle, a laugh that pierced through Mellany's mind with the intensity of a thousand daggers. "Mirror mirror on the wall, soon this mage will finally fall," the Envy Demon spoke. "Doesn't this look awfully familiar, little mage? Mirrors everywhere you look. I wonder what would happen if you shattered one here." Mellany groaned and pushed on, hardly able to still see. Her surroundings were getting darker when they shouldn't be. Shadows grasped and coldness spread. Still the demon tried to tie her down, freeze her in her own mind. And Mellany knew she was getting weaker.

Weaker even, that when the five of them emerged from the other end of the mirror network, she was hardly even able to keep standing on her feet. "This ends here." Mellany hissed under her breath, staring down the Disciples with the others. "Oh, with that... I agree." Vioux laughed once more, causing Mellany to yelp and grab her head as she sank to her knees.
 
How to completely shut down and just be cold: The Mellany Capello story. Going quiet after sparking up a storm of concern? Sparking of the sudden emergence kind, not the kind that happens if they get hit. She was all-but catatonic for the duration of what felt like a couple of hours. Just looking around minding her own business for no reason other than to be in the room with everyone. This is very strange. She isn't really doing anything. But her head didn't seem to explode more so worry died down. Vince and Chloe later saw the book page Braxton brought to their attention. Peter saw it as well, speculating how uncanny it was that it landed on the page the day they encounter such a creature with abilities. Like something out of a movie. While Vince and Chloe took kind of a backseat to research and let Peter and Braxton lead most of it, because honestly those two are the best when it comes to research... so is Mellany but she's sort of blank. She can not be feeling okay... Suspicious?
---
The Knights bravely running through the mirrors after Peter got one of his famous alert migraines--where Mellany did not react like she always does--he ran to the Lair below the house. Removing a tome from a dusty shelf up top he ran back up out to the barn. "Deer?" he asked, wanting to speak to Mellany's Mount. "I need help. What do you feel about Mellany? How is she to you normally and can you feel a difference?" Mounts' connections to their Knights is a strong bond. Not often spoke of, as thee bonds can be intimate like owners to pets. Something fishy is here, and he'll figure it out.
---
Urla giggled while Thralls paid attention to her in the warehouse. So drab and open. Much like her space in the castle, only without a place for her to stand on a balcony and be adored by all in the courtyard. Thralls are those who adore her from the yard, however, so think of it like a field trip for demons.

Venturing through the network, both Wells siblings noticed Mellany really struggling to keep up. The mirrors seemed to bother her, like she's surrounded by something bad. There is one mirror that's destroyed and dark: the one leading to Faye Castle. They're not near it, so any affect it may have doesn't apply. Harder and harder she pushed on and made Chloe and Vince nervous. Chloe because she acts like she's about to fall over or something and Vince because of that page in the book. Landing on a page super relevant and even showing signs of...
Breaking into the warehouse (only not literally since there's a big open doorway so they all kinda just walked in) they saw Urla and Rogana again. Entourage of minions included but no Vioux? Lined up as a full team they stared them down. No schemes, no big attacks but demons just chilling in a warehouse. Shady things go down in empty warehouses a lot but this is a whole new meaning to shady. Shadoji-y. "Oh it's you five! Back again to tell me how pretty I am? I wish you'd look half as good as me for your funerals!" Urla's voice deescalated from cute to sinister really fast. Her pearly mace in hand she rattled it like a rattle and jumped up and down, Thralls infactuated.

"Please. You already look dead," Vince replied to the Disciple. Scoff! But then Mellany finally speaks after a long time. To nobody and then replies and Mellany just sinks down. It startled the others. She' been acting so weird lately. This is bad, really bad! And suspicious but they don't think about it. Vince and Chloe aren't anyway. Chloe sunk down beside of Mellany and gently touched her arm, asking if she was alright while Vince took front and center. The Disciples can't be doing something are they? "What's going on and what are you doing to her? Stop it right now before I smash you into Hell where you came from!"
 
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