Demonic Synergy

Being bad never felt so good...
Possession-spiritual or demonic-is nothing new for our heroes. Mia lost her beloved grandfather to a Nether Spirit in OAS Episode 4 "The Search Begins". Badamon plotted to use multiple Nether Spirits to possess Ryo and gain control of his Inferno Armor in Episode 32 "Strategies of the Nether World". Forceful possession predictably has negative effects on a human host. In Professor Koji's case the strain to his body at his age ultimately proved fatal. Those learned in magical arts often seek to bind powerful entities into their service, and for those too arrogant or inexperienced, their efforts can backfire spectacularly. In rare cases an entity can enter into an agreement-either a mutually beneficial relationship or a carefully-negotiated bargain-by which they bestow incredible power upon a willing host. In exchange for offering the entity a suitable vessel, the host gains all of the benefits along with certain associated drawbacks. It takes a rare individual of exceptional fortitude to willingly take in such an entity, but the resulting enhancement can seem like a match made in Heaven...or Hell depending on how one views it...

Transmission & Vectors

Unlike demonic heritage, such a result occurs through purely magical means via spell, ritual, or command. An available host and a entity in need of such a vessel are required. In rare cases a host can be targeted for forceful possession but the vessel and inhabitant wind up so compatible that they quickly turn the tables on their would-be master.

"Kill her,” Marcar ordered and waved a hand dismissively before turning around.
Tanya tightened her grip on her swords and tensed for an attack. The demon stared at her for several moments. The glowing orange slits that served as pupils shifted to the side. “Why should I?” the demon growled deeply. Marcar paused in walking away and whirled around.
“What?! What do you mean ‘why should you’?! You’ll do it because I told you to!”
“Sorry, but that’s not a good enough reason anymore,” the demon snarled and turned to face him. “You kept me cooped up in that dinky little bauble for three-hundred years and still think you can order me around? I get cramps even in gas form, and I didn’t like it one bit!”
“I gave you a host! Just like I promised!” Marcar protested.
“Yeah, only after spending the past three centuries with your thumbs up your ass! You didn’t even have the spine to offer yourself as a host!” The demon narrowed its eyes.
“You know I couldn’t! Sulseros kept me on a tight leash! He would’ve suspected!”
“And you couldn’t risk tipping your hand without losing the chance to steal his precious power, huh? Well I got news for you, bucko; I can easily amplify this body’s power to ten times that of their Inferno, and your power doesn’t come anywhere near Inferno.” Tanya had both eyebrows raised and glanced back and forth between the two, unsure what to make of the quarrel. “Because of your delay, I’m declaring our agreement null and void.”

— Foes From Another World Ch. 19

Causes

Initially beginning as standard possession, an entity can be introduced to the host knowingly or unknowingly. A sorcerer can use a trinket to implant an entity into the target vessel or the entity can enter a suitable vessel in a moment of extreme mental duress. If the entity and vessel become separated they can easily reunite at a later time, often with less of a hassle than the initial process.

Spoiler Warning: Planned Content!

War of Woe

"What? No! Get away from me!" Mia cried and staggered away from the reddish cloud as it rolled in her direction. "No! No! I-I can't! Please! No! Don't make me!" It paused, rearing up slightly. Mia raised an arm as if in warding but relaxed and blinked, perplexed. "...what? ...What do you mean they have him? They're...they're taking him? Where? Why? Why would they be taking him?" The cloud inched towards her slightly but paused once more when she recoiled a step. The cloud remained in place, rolling and roiling rapidly. "The-the others, they can-" Mia cringed and averted her gaze.
They won't get there in time! We need to go NOW! The cloud's agitated mass conveyed a sense of urgency.
"B-but! I-I!" Mia sputtered, and held her hands close to her chest, curling and uncurling her fingers nervously. The mass remained in place, waiting for her response. "I-I...ooooogh...drat!" Mia fumed and clenched her fists, shaking them down at her sides.

Symptoms

Initial possession is difficult to discern unless the vessel is carefully monitored by someone learned in the magical arts. Slight inconsistencies in behavior and adverse effects to environmental conditions and holy relics would be clear warnings but can fly under the radar if the subject is not under constant observation. Powerful magical foci can sound an alarm bell if nearby, but depending on the strength of the entity, the actual condition of synergy can be easily masked.

"Mia...this isn't like you... You've been acting off lately. Maybe you need some time off from work. If it's something I've said or done to upset you, please let me know, but you haven't been yourself these past few days..." Ryo argued softly and took a step towards her. Mia drew her fingernails over the hood.
"...I haven't been myself...I haven't been myself? Heh...heh heh...oh you have no idea..." Ryo frowned when Mia started laughing in a way he'd never heard from her before. Her shoulders shook as she cackled in an almost sinister manner. The storm clouds rumbled miles away, blotting out the sun. "Heh heh heh...HAH HAH HAH" Mia tilted her head back slightly and curled her fingers. Ryo blinked when he thought he heard the squeal of metal and glanced down where Mia's fingers seemingly dug into the metal, clenching folds of it between her fingers. They looked different somehow...thicker...and dark... It happened so subtly he hadn't noticed at first, but Mia's hair appeared brighter despite the darkening evening sky. Instead of auburn it looked more of a red-orange.

— Spacequake Ch. 12

Treatment

Exorcism is a tried and true method to thwart possession, but synergy complicates things in which the host is loath to part with the entity and actually clings to it. Thus far powerful or multiple magical foci remain the only potential way to part a entity from its host, but because-according to the Thunthen- magic and science are merely different applications of the same energies, perhaps advancements in science could prove suitable to divest an entity from its vessel.

Spoiler Warning: Planned Content!

War of Woe

Shoe heels not at all designed for running across rooftops clacked as she sprinted quickly high alongside the street. I told you we make a great team together...
"Hush you!"
We should totally do this more often...
"Zip it!" She maintained a swift pace as she sprang from rooftop to rooftop, outrunning traffic below. A large bluish-silver vehicle that looked like a cross between a semi and a tour bus wove in and out of lanes.
There! He's down there, I can sense him! I can take things over from here. Without pausing, she sprang nimbly from the roof edge, sailing down towards the roof of the vehicle. ...Or...ladies first...?
"Don't expect any backup from your 'friends'! This transport is specially built and completely shielded from all forms of communication and detection!" an agent taunted from the door frame of the cramped containment cell where Ryo sat on a metal bench with his wrists and ankles securely cuffed together and a thick metal cuff around his neck. Heavy metal cables attached his bonds to the wall behind him. Ryo opened his eyes and tilted his head up sullenly. "It won't be long now. Soon you'll face justice for your crimes!"
All of a sudden the roof of the transport buckled in slightly with a noisy metallic crunch, drawing startled looks from the other agents in the vehicle. "What the-? Is it the Ronin Warriors?"
"Can't be! There's no way they'd be able to track us so quickly!" The agents drew their sidearms as several pointed black objects that looked like thick black claws plunged through the supposedly impregnable metal of the roof, ripping it open like a sardine can.
"Oh no, you've got something much worse to deal with," Ryo chirped cheerfully as a nearby agent hastily shut the door to the containment cell. Ryo caught glimpses of dainty hands tipped with thick black claws grabbing the fronts of agents' suits and either slamming them against the roof and walls or flinging them like rag dolls. Sounds like that of an angry jungle cat rang through the interior. Ryo remained seated calmly and closed his eyes, rocking in place as the transport jolted from side to side violently for several moments before finally slowing to a stop. The thick black claws tore apart the heavy vault-quality door like paper and shoved it to the side. "My wife..." A black-skinned flame-eyed Mia stood in the ruined door frame. Behind her Ryo could see the unconscious forms of nearly a dozen burly agents.
"Honey, you forgot something..." Mia growled with a slight echo and strode forward, fists clenched as she approached Ryo. She reached down and tore apart the cuffs on Ryo's wrists and ankles like brittle ceramic before ripping off the collar on his neck just as easily. Then she grabbed Ryo by the front of his shirt and pulled him to his feet. Ryo didn't object or struggle and remained calm as Mia leaned forward and sunk her fangs into his neck. Ryo flinched and grunted softly as the demon essence flowed back into him and relaxed as he transformed while Mia reverted to fully human. Mia leaned back slightly, resting her palms against his chest.
"Thanks babe!" Demon Ryo grinned and reached down, scooping her up in his arms. Mia wrapped her arms around his neck and held on snugly. "What say we blow this popsicle stand!" he held one hand out and snapped his fingers. A column of flame erupted at his feet, rising over them both before vanishing, leaving the transport and and its dazed crew behind.

Prognosis

Unlike demonic heritage, the vessel's genetic structure remains completely un-altered and depending on the arrangement between the entity and vessel, the condition is generally benign with no lasting damage inflicted upon the vessel.
Rather than fully merging-which often subsumes the vessel's personality completely-synergy allows two personalities to function together but remain completely separate. The entity can either migrate into a new vessel if needed through physical contact such as a bite or in an incorporeal form such as energy or vapor.

His eyes remained closed, and he didn’t notice the red mist bubbling up from under the bed and rolling over the sheets. Ryo tensed and his jaw clenched as if in pain, but he did not wake as the mist reached out like fingers towards his face.

— Fight Alone Ch. 11

Sequela

While synergy confers a great deal of benefits, it is not without its drawbacks as the vessel is subject to the same rules that apply to full-fledged demons or possession. Holy relics and environmental factors can range from slightly irritating to excruciatingly painful. Because subjects are considered half-demons despite the lack of demonic heritage, rituals of summoning and magical binding apply to them as well.

"It worked! The spell I cast seeks out the most powerful demon nearby and binds it to my service!" the bully crowed and clenched his fist.
"Aww, how cuuute! The little dweeb thinks he's a warlock," Demon Ryo taunted and reached up, patting the top of the helmet gently with his fingers pressed together.
"Hey!" the bully protested and waved his arm in frustration, batting the hand away. "You have to do what I tell you to do! It says right here in the demon code!" the bully snarled and held the open book up for Demon Ryo to see. He leaned forward slightly and squinted at the arcane text.
"Huh...they must've appended that recently..." he muttered.

— Neo Ronin Ch. 15

Affected Groups

Subjects can range from wizards to warriors, high-school students to housewives. Demonic entities can be very picky when it comes to vessels but do not necessarily discriminate when synergizing.

"He may have defeated me once before, but this time, this time: I have an unstoppable demon minion!" the bully declared and whirled around to look at Demon Ryo, who currently snacked vigorously on something in a bright yellow wrapper. He chewed noisily before opening one eye to glance at the boy lazily.
"What?" he mumbled out the corner of his mouth and chewed a few moments longer before swallowing mightily and holding up the wrapper. "They're 'Sinfully Scrumptious'!" he argued and pointed a claw at the logo portraying a smiling cherub-like devil in a diaper with a pitchfork in one hand and lettering reading "Toasty's Tacos: Damn Good!" along the bottom. "Although their 'Diablo Sauce' leaves alot to be desired. It's not exactly 'Torture on the Tongue'; more like a tickle..."
"Ugh...can't you just devour souls like regular demons?" the bully complained, exasperated as Demon Ryo crumpled up the empty wrapper and incinerated it in his open palm.
"Look kid: you don't just devour souls, okay?" Demon Ryo pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger and braced his free knuckle on his hip. "Only posers do that! A soul has to be aged!" he insisted and made a pinching gesture with both hands.

— Neo Ronin Ch. 15

Hosts & Carriers

Ryo Sanada/Demon Ryo

While Tanya coins the name, the fire demon later adopts the moniker to describe the dominant persona. The demon boasts that it can amplify Wildfire II's power beyond that of Inferno II and easily demonstrates its strength by plowing straight through Marcar's supposedly impregnable defenses. The fire demon actually declines Anubis' offer of serving as a vessel because "the virtuous ones make things more interesting". A wicked individual if possessed would simply behave more cruel and depraved than usual to an almost comedic extreme, but in Ryo's case-due in large part to his virtuous nature-he simply acts like a jerk. The demon doesn't actually force him to behave a certain way, but simply allows him to act on his impulses.

DemonRyoTabletb.jpg

Demonic Alter Ego by Mardrena

Made with Artecture App on the travel tablet

Despite his initial misgivings, he eventually comes to embrace his demonic alter ego since it allows him to essentially operate as both good cop/bad cop. If Demon Ryo can be thought of as a car, Ryo is still "behind the wheel" with the fire demon riding shotgun consulting the roadmap, or sometimes acting as backseat driver since Demon Ryo will sometimes make obscure references only the demon would know. While the demon's presence does indeed confer great power, Demon Ryo is still vulnerable to certain forms of magical binding. A splash of water will cause him pain while prolonged full-body immersion can prove near-fatal.

Mia Koji

It is debatable whether her case could be considered straight-up possession or some form of "partial" synergy, since according to the demon itself, it couldn't force her to do anything she herself didn't want to do. The fire demon easily enters her body while she is seething over a hostile work environment and manages to keep her consciousness suppressed while it harnesses her anger to lash out at various targets that have wronged her recently.
Even little Ryu-who possesses a surprising level of spiritual sensitivity despite his age-can't sense the fire demon's presence in his mother. Wards established by Kayura and Shannon fail to react to the demon as well. At one point she actually contemplates killing Sehkmet in retaliation for her grandfather's death, but she simply cannot follow through no matter how hard the demon encourages her. Before migrating to Ryo as its new vessel, the demon places a magical block on her memories, preventing her from remembering the precise details of her actions while possessed.

DemonRyoandMiaValentines.jpg

Heating Things Up for Valentines by Mardrena

Made in Inkscape

"In all fairness, they had it coming."
"No one deserves to be mauled by a demon..." Mia stated and turned her gaze to the floor sadly.
"Let's be honest, it wasn't a 'demon' that did all that..." he shrugged and placed his hands behind the back of his flame-red hair. Mia flinched, wondering if he intended to break his promise. He flicked a glance at her and grinned toothily, displaying the inch-long fangs. "It was a very, very, VERY pissed off mommy." Mia raised an eyebrow and glanced at him again. If he wanted to make her feel better about herself, he had a peculiar way of going about it...

— Spacequake Ch. 13

Prevention

Possession of a powerful magical foci can prevent initial demonic possession, but very few people in the world have access to such artifacts much less the spiritual awareness to utilize them or recognize the signs of initial possession. Once proper synergy is achieved, however, the mere presence of a foci is not sufficient to separate the entity from its host. At most it will irritate them.

Spoiler Warning: Planned Content!

War of Woe

"Back! Foul beast!" Father Douglas held the silver cross up infront of Demon Ryo's face and waved it from side to side. "...I'm warning you! NnnnnnnnNnnnnNnnn!" he shook the cross from side to side rapidly and Demon Ryo's pupils darted from side to side, following the erratic movements. He stuck out his tongue and reached up, calmly running the side of his index claw over it before reaching out and gently touching the cross with the tip. Wisps of steam rose into the air slightly and the surface sizzled slightly.
"Look dude, I'm a daeva, not a vampire! You're stereotyping and that's offensive."
"Is everything an 'offensive' stereotype to you?" Raven commented.
"Well when you've been around as long as me and people just go around making assumptions, it starts to get a little old!" Demon Ryo shrugged and turned to the side, failing to notice Father Douglas reach out for the font bowl and remove it from its rest. "GYAAAGH!!" Demon Ryo yelped when Father Douglas flung the contents at him and steam erupted from his face and chest.
"Hah! Holy water works against him!" Father Douglas crowed and pumped his fists at his sides.
"No...just...regular water will piss him off..." Raven replied in a deadpan tone as Demon Ryo kept his hands clamped over his face.
"STOP THAT!!" Demon Ryo squawked in exasperation and splayed his claws close to his face.

Epidemiology

Because of the specific factors required to achieve full synergy, multiple subjects are never encountered in a specific range or area. Mass possession is easy enough to induce and achieve and while it might sound easy on paper to summon a horde of demons in a crowded chamber to facilitate the creation of demonically-empowered minions, is not likely to succeed because an entity might reject a vessel completely or the vessel might be so weak-willed the entity will simply take full possession. Someone might profess to be of strong will but when push comes to shove fold like a lawnchair. Conversely a high-school dweeb might hide a burning desire for retribution which an entity will find difficult to pass up.

Spoiler Warning: Planned Content!

Ronin WarriorSpectra

"Kento, put him down!" Mia ordered sternly.
"But Mia!" Kento whined, glancing to the side at her while still keeping his arm pinned against Demon Ryo's chest.
"But nothing! Drop him, I mean it!" Kento frowned, furrowing his white eyebrows before flicking a glare at Demon Ryo and stabbing a claw at his face.
"I've got my eyes on you..." he growled in warning.
"Oh, I'm shaking!" Demon Ryo taunted back disdainfully. Kento growled softly before relenting and stepping away, letting Demon Ryo slump to the floor.
"I know what you're all thinking, and Ryo isn't being possessed. He willingly took on the demon in order to protect me. Ryo retains full control as long as the Demon Ryo persona remains active. If you stop to think about it, he hasn't actually harmed anyone. He's been quite helpful lately, and he's actually been on his best behavior. So far he's kept up his end of the bargain. I believe we can trust him." Demon Ryo blinked when Mia reached up without warning and began rubbing one of the tiny horns with her thumb and index fingers. Demon Ryo's eyelids drooped halfway and he bowed his head slightly. "Look! See? He's purring."
A strangled whine emitted from the back of Anubis' throat as he pointed at Mia, mouth agape. Tanya glanced from him to Mia awkwardly. "Uh...Mia...the area immediately around the base of a demon's horns tends to be very sensitive and induces pleasure when touched..." Anubis informed politely.
"I can see that...I think he likes it. See, he's not all that bad."
"It means you're stimulating him..." Mia's eyes popped wide open and she immediately paused, her gaze drifting to the side slowly. Demon Ryo opened his eyes and looked up at her.
"Well don't stop now! It was just getting good!"
"OH!!" Mia fumed and slapped him hard across the face. Demon Ryo rubbed his palm over his cheek and pouted sheepishly, blinking innocently.

History

Events of Foes From Another World

In an example of arcane arrogance gone horrifically wrong, the rogue sorcerer Marcar sneaks a fire demon into Ryo of the Wildfire in the expectation that he'll gain a powerful demon minion able to use a Ronin Armor. Instead of being submissive, the resulting entity is able to easily shrug off the supposedly iron-clad bindings Marcar had established, effortlessly killing the self-styled master of magic. The possessed Ronin Leader seemed fixated on Mia and the other Ronin ultimately managed to exorcise the demon, albeit with great difficulty.

Events of Fight Alone

Seemingly innocuous events orchestrated by the fire demon bring it back into contact with Ryo and it attempts to fully merge with him, using all of its tricks to either bend Ryo to its will or beguile him with the power it offers. Ryo appears to waver several times before drawing on the love for his friends and family to reject the demon. Risking his life by throwing himself into the lake, the demon leaves his weakened body, seemingly defeated but departing with an ominous warning.

Events of Spacequake

Because Ryo proved too difficult to subdue, the fire demon tries a different approach, possessing an emotionally-distressed Mia without her realizing it. Not only was it powerful enough to mask its presence from multiple wards, it kept Mia's consciousness completely unaware of actions taken using her body. Alarmed by Mia's erratic behavior, Ryo mistakenly believes she is simply suffering workplace stress. The fire demon decides to reveal itself and after a brief chase gives Ryo an ultimatum: become its willing host, or it remains in Mia's body. Ryo reluctantly agrees and a bargain is established. Instead of possession or a merger, full synergy is achieved between the two.
War of Woe

"Dad's not a monster."
"Huh?" Mia blinked, startled when she heard Ryu speak.
"Dad's not a monster!" Ryu insisted. Mia frowned and stroked the top of his head.
"Of course he isn't, sweetie. It's just...it's just...it's like there's someone else inside of him... and sometimes he acts different...does strange things that might seem weird or bad..."
"But it wasn't him! It was Dad!" Ryu argued. Mia flinched, surprised to hear her young son arguing with her. She smiled weakly and pulled the blanket up to his chest to tuck him in.
"I don't expect you to understand these things, Ryu..." Mia chided gently. Ryu pouted and folded his arms over his chest: he knew when someone tried talking down to him or "dumbing down", despite his age. "Just...try to get some rest, okay? You know we both love you no matter what. Now go to sleep," Mia stooped down to kiss him but Ryu hadn't stopped fuming and looked quite cross even when she turned off the lamp and closed the door behind her.
She sighed and braced her back against the wall. She moved to walk away but paused abruptly and covered her face with her hands, stifling a sharp gasp. Despite Arnurhazaedron's block, she still got flickers now and again, and it came to her in that instant like a flood: how close she'd come to murdering Sehkmet. Mia sank to the floor, her back sliding against the wall as she wept. How could she judge Ryo so harshly when she'd come so close to doing far worse?
Mia wiped tears from her cheeks and squeezed her eyes shut. Despite everything, Ryo hadn't given in to his urges. He hadn't acted out of anger or malice. Everything he did that morning he did to protect Mia and Ryu because he loved them. Even when he became Demon Ryo...his heart remained Ryo Sanada.

Cultural Reception

Because subjects are still considered half-demons, the same stigmas apply with vessels being accused of entering into Faustian bargains. In human form, the subject might experience resentment or disappointment from friends. In demon form, the subject usually elicits panicked responses. Others often assume the synergized individual is evil purely because of its association with demonic forces, without any consideration taken to whether any genuinely evil actions are taken. Ultimately it falls to the subject to determine whether the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Unfathomable power in exchange for a few relatively irritating weaknesses is difficult to turn down.

Spoiler Warning: Planned Content!

War of Woe

"It hasn't been all that bad. We compliment each other perfectly. Like famous TV partners...you know, good cop/bad cop, comedic relief, that sort of thing!" Demon Ryo commented and placed his hands on the back of his head leisurely while Raven walked alongside him. She flicked a glance at him and raised an eyebrow. "Think Taylor and Fife...Baker and Ponch...Starsky and Hutch...Turner and Hooch...Lenny and Squiggy!"
"'Lenny and Squiggy'!?" Raven paused briefly and turned towards him. "I know you're supposed to be a centuries old-"
"Millennia," Demon Ryo corrected and held up a claw matter-of-factly.
"Whatever! Millennia-year old demon, but do you have to date yourself so much?" she rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders as they resumed walking towards the end of the hall. An agent grunted when he saw them approach.
"Hey! You're not supposed to be here! This is a restricted area!" The agent pulled the edge of his collar up towards his mouth. "I've got two unknowns trespassing in the VIP ICU floor-" Raven reached behind her and prepared to draw out her sword but paused when Demon Ryo quickened his stride, closing the distance rapidly while keeping his hands in his pockets. "Requesting immediate backup-" Demon Ryo pulled out one hand and splayed his claws infront of the agent's face while continuing to walk and keeping his hand steady until he stepped fully past the agent. The agent froze and his shoulders went limp. "...false alarm...everything's just fine..." he spoke robotically. Raven raised an eyebrow, keeping her hand on the grip of her sword until she walked past after Demon Ryo.
"What, that supposed to be some sort of Jedi mind-trick or something?"
"It's called Charm. I could make him dance the Funky Chicken if I wanted to, but I'm not that diabolical..." Demon Ryo snapped his fingers and behind them the ensorcelled agent began dancing a merry jig while the pair proceeded to the locked door at the end of the hall.

“Don’t get me wrong; you got a colorful soul and all, but you’re just not my type. You come off as more of a ‘been there-done that’ kinda guy and I’ve had my fill of possessing villains, even if they’re retired.” Demon Ryo began pacing next to the bookshelf. “You give them limitless power and what do they do? They wanna ‘take over the world’, and you know, it’s fun at first, but after a couple centuries it starts to get boring!"

— Foes From Another World Ch. 19

Type

Supernatural

Origin

Magical

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Extremely Rare

“Don’t be a fool! You’ll need me before the end!” the fire demon argued.
“You’re wrong. You’re the one who needs me! You can’t take physical form in this world without a host. You’re weak, and I can be strong without you,” Ryo Sanada snarled. The demon made an angry screeching growl that sounded more like the indignant whine of a child. “What’s wrong, afraid now that I caught on to your plans? I don’t need to be strong to beat my enemies. I’m already strong, because of love! Because of my friends, my family. They give me strength, not you, NEVER YOU!!”

— Fight Alone Ch. 11